Article
Conflicting Philosophies: Two University Librarians and a Presidential Bibliophile
Libraries: Culture, History, and Society
(2017)
Abstract
This case study explores how one personal interest of President Minor Myers, jr.—that of a life-long book collector—influenced the University’s library collections and its leaders. Myers arrived with a desire to make IWU a nationally recognized, Phi Beta Kappa–affiliated institution. As one tactic for achieving these goals, Myers actively engaged in library collection development through practices shaped by his methods of book collecting. Bulk acquisitions—through gifts-in-kind and lot purchases—and a prohibition on weeding aided in his pursuits. His vision for the library challenged the style of the first university librarian (UL) who resigned two years after Myers’ arrival. The actions of the second UL to serve under Myers demonstrate a successful method for librarians seeking support for professional initiatives who encounter administrators with strong opposing ideas.
Keywords
- Academic libraries—collection development,
- college presidents,
- academic library directors,
- undue influence,
- book collectors—United States
Disciplines
Publication Date
September, 2017
Publisher Statement
The attached pre-print of this article is used by permission of The Pennsylvania State University Press.
Citation Information
Meg Miner. "Conflicting Philosophies: Two University Librarians and a Presidential Bibliophile" Libraries: Culture, History, and Society Vol. 1 Iss. 2 (2017) p. 213 - 239 ISSN: 2473-0343 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/meg_miner/31/
Creative Commons license
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY-NC-ND International License.