Standing at the center of the Dartmouth campus,
Standing at the center of the Dartmouth campus, Baker Memorial Library dominates the College scene both symbolically and actually. Since its doors first opened in 1928 Baker has been regarded as one of the foremost college libraries in the nation because of its outstanding physical characteristics, its widely acclaimed "open stack" policy and, most importantly, because of the wide scope and diversity of its collection of over 800,000 volumes. As the central facility in Dartmouth's educational program, Baker Library is the College's most important single asset. The sharp increase in its use over recent years has directly reflected the vigorous pace set by Dartmouth's teacher-scholars and the response to this challenge by Dartmouth students. The circulation of its books to undergraduates during the past decade has increased more than 100%, and the library doors are now open daily from 8 a.m. until midnight. The pace of modern education and what President Dickey refers to as "the increasing obsolescence of knowledge" have posed some acute problems with respect to the institutional strength and quality of Baker Library, particularly in the area of acquisitions. Book funds ten years ago amounted to $60,000; last year expenditures from book funds were approximately $140,000— over a 200% increase. Typical examples drawn from the three divisions of instruction — Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities — show the expanded purchases necessary to keep pace with accelerating academic standards:
Richard W. Morin '24, Librarian, cites two major factors as responsible for increased acquisition expenditures: higher unit costs of books and periodicals, and enlarged needs of faculty for books and periodicals in support of their teaching and research. As a result of this demand, Baker's book acquisitions last year numbered 20,000 volumes, setting a new plateau for the future. In earlier years the income from a substantial endowment fund established by Edward W. Sanborn '78 in memory of Professor Edwin David Sanborn, 1832, coupled with the income from certain other endowments, was sufficient to provide adequately for current acquisitions and to allow for the establishment of certain reserve funds. In recent years, however, book expenditures have outpaced the income from these endowments, making it necessary to use reserve funds previously accumulated. This year will see the complete exhaustion of these reserves, and next year (1962-63) Baker Library will have only the income from its endowment funds available for book purchases. Budget estimates for 1962-63 indicate that $40,000 over endowment income will be required to meet the year's needs for acquisitions. By bridging this gap with some of the proceeds from its campaign, the Alumni Fund will make it possible for Baker to maintain the quality in resources essential to a library of first rank. Meanwhile, a long-range program is under way seeking substantial additions to Baker's endowment funds. It is hoped that the present endowment can be doubled in the next four years, and increased to $4,500,000 by Dartmouth's Bicentennial year. Books are the basic tool of education. The College, with the assistance of Dartmouth men through the Alumni Fund, is determined to assure the continued preeminence of Baker Library as a prime element in the Dartmouth educational experience.
THE ALUMNI FUND COMMITTEE
Book andArea of Study Periodical Expenditures1951 1961 Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics $2,400 $8,100 Economics, Government, History $3,700 $8,600 English, Art, Philosophy $3,600 $6,700
This message from the Fund Committee, dated May 1, is reproduced for those alumni who did not receive it because they had already contributed..
