7.0094 Library Access (was Cambridge) (1/24)

Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 14 Jul 1993 21:23:05 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 7, No. 0094. Wednesday, 14 Jul 1993.

Date: Wed, 14 Jul 93 16:26:05 EDT
From: Peter Graham <psgraham@gandalf.rutgers.edu>
Subject: Re: 7.0088 Rs: Cambridge ...

From: Peter Graham, Rutgers University Libraries
Re: borrowing from Cambridge or elsewhere

As a librarian I find it surprising that a responsible faculty member such as
Willard McCarty describes has not done the advance work before going to a
library to determine what priviliges are available. What he describes at
Cambridge is quite often the case at large research libraries in this country
as well, not to mention places like the Folger or the Huntington (which
correspond more to Oxbridge college libraries or to the Bodleian; pace
Douglas de Lacey, there are Oxford Libraries one can borrow from (e.g.
English Faculty Library) even if one is not the V-Chancellor).

I urge visiting library users to check in ahead of time to avoid such unplea-
sant surprises. There are often arrangements that can be made but they are not
always instantaneous. Those of you who feel this an unwarranted restriction
on your scholarly rights as global thinkers and travellers might think about
the effect on your own institution if open borrowing were immediately
available to all -- Toronto, I expect, might be rather like Columbia (in
NYC) in having many nearby institutions with responsible faculty members only
too willing to withdraw books (and keep them, as faculty do, for months at a
time). --pg

Peter Graham psgraham@gandalf.rutgers.edu Rutgers University Libraries
169 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 (908)932-5908 Fax:(908)932-5888