Page 167 - Training for librarianship; library work as a career

TRAINING FOR LIBRARIANSHIP
with a " single track mind " is apt to find the
work beyond his abihties.
Organization of the material for use is only
the first step. To be " a paying proposi-
"
tion the technical library must actually be
used. This means that the librarian must
sense the significance of the hbrary accessions
and be able to discriminate between the im-
portant and the unimportant, between the
valuable and the worthless. The average
person regards all printed matter with a cer-
tain reverence and attaches the same weight
to one printed article as to another. The
technical librarian, however, must be a
speciaUst, and if he is actually to make his
position felt and have his library regarded
on a parity with other departments, he must
be capable of advising regarding not only
available literature on a given topic within
the scope of the library, but also as to its re-
liability. He has been referred to as the con-
sulting analyst in the use of print. To be
able to advise, knowledge is obviously neces-
sary. The technical librarian must, therefore,
possess a thorough understanding of the
151