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Match 31, 1W7. « THE MERCER CLUSTER * 3
Presents Both Sides
Student Editorial
*: *k' -' >;
Hopefully and expectantly, the library hours conflict will
be settled to the satisfaction of all concerned before mid-terms
of this quarter. The Cluster looks forward to a settlement of
last quarter’s dispute so that the entire student body can stop
discussing library hours and start using them.
The Cluster from the first has supported the maximum of
open hours at the library taking into account the resources of
the library and librarian. We feel that a satisfactory solution
was not offered last quarter after persistent attempts by this
paper and others to see better library hours instituted. To
top off the situation, the hours of opening during finals last
quarter were not geared one inch toward meeting minimum
student needs. Hence, the study-in
The Cluster supports this effort at protest by the student
body. We do not advocate it for every grievance and situation
on campus, but we feel it was well justified for the horrible
hours alloted during finals of Winter Quarter. The manner in
which the protest was conducted by the student body and the
manner in which the administration handled the situation is
a credit to this university. The students, in a decorus and
friendly spirit, gave visible amicable and open minded attitude,
listened to that displeasure and compromised with the situa
tion in the most diplomatic and judicious manner. We com
mend both parties for their actions, attitudes and adult de
meanor.
The Cluster feels that at the time of the protest a wall
had been reached that for that time was, or seemed, insur
mountable. The better library hours for tbe quarter had been
rejected and horrible hours had been instituted for finals.
Wnat is more, discussion with the proper officials seemed to
be futile because on the point of the library not being a study
hall and on the point of Sunday opening as being more seculari
zation of Mercer life, there could be no discussion since this
paper and the neat majority of students cannot even accept
the minimum of arguments on these points. However, as of the
first week of this quarter real headway is being made and
better library hours are ahead. Credit for this is certainly due
to all those who kept a calm head and an open mind in the
tense atmosphere to student protest.
Student protest, as with all forms of civil disobedience, is
a dangerous yet democratic weapon for the free man. The
Cluster feels that the manner in which the administration and
faculty handled and responded to the students protest and
grievances should not only be commended but shows that the
necessity for protest is nonexistent on this campus with the
administration and faculty continuing to act in the fair and
open-minded way in which better library hours will be achieved
for this campus.
Report Of The
Library Committee
The Library Committee ha* recommended policies on three matters
brought before it
I. Policy concerning use of the Library by townspeople.
As a general principle, library service should be for Mercer
faculty and students first. Any service rendered to others
should not be at the expense of Mercer people. Such services
should be given as a courtesy, not a right.
In practice the following rules of thumb should apply:
a) Any well behaved person will be allowed to use the
library reading rooms and books on open shelves as
long as faculty and students are not inconvenienced.
'b) Local adult citixens may apply for a borrower’s card
and may check out books subject to recall if needed
by Mercer students or faculty. Borrowers cards should
be issued fairly freely to members of the community,
but the library should not be found to issue cards to
all residents. Ordinarily books would not be loaned
out to:
1. Out of town residents (They should go
through interfibrary loan) or transients
2 Grade school and high school students
\
c) Wesleyan students may borrow books on the same
basis as our students under a reciprocal arrangement
and therefore would not be considered transients.
d) In the nature of the case, telephone reference service
is limited to replies that do not interfere with the
staff's regular duties. Telephone reference help on
advertising contests will not be given.
n. Policy concerning the transfer of phonograph records to die
Library Item the Student-Faculty Board of Appropriations.
Ha committee recommends that these records should be ac
cepted m a gift without any conditions as to their circulation
III. Policy concerning Library hours on Sunday
Student Interest in beeping the Ubrary open on today night
hm bean evident for some time. It was one of the queetions
infeed the UK Waverty Conference. A straw vote ct student
optafen at that meeting did not favor opening. la the raring
of MM the qneetfen m rafead again fay the etadsafe fai a
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similar meeting and was referred to the Library Committee.
The Library Committee has discussed this problem as the
major item of business pt several meetings. At the last meeting
of the committee in the spring of 1966 it was decided to open
the Library for several Sunday nights in the fall quarter on a
trial basis. This was done last fell. The number of students
in the Library on Sunday night was lees than the number
Sunday afternoon, but there waa a considerable student use
both times. Students did use the library on Sunday nights, but
not in as great numbers as on week nights Even in the Friday
night checked as a control figure, the number was more than
on one of the four Sunday nights.
The librarian, who was undecided as to proper policy in the
spring of 1966, made a careful study of what waa involved in
opening the Library on Sunday night and weighed this against
the convenience to students of such opening. He came to the
committee February 13, 1967 with a clear recommendation
that the library not open on Sunday night. After hearing his
reasons and some discussion of them, the committee expressed
its agreement with the policy he proposed which was that the
library hours on Sunday afternoon be extended to three hours,
but that the library not be opened on Sunday night.
The Librarian’s statement of the reasons for his decision is
appended to this report. The Library Committee generally
concurred in the arguments as well as in the conclusion.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Paul Cable
Mrs. Leah Chanin
Mias Peggy Du Bose
Dr. Willis Glover (Chairman)
Dr. James O. Harrison
Dr. Harold McManus
Mr. Daniel Metts, Jr. (Librarian)
Mrs. Elizabeth Jackson
Dr. Garland Taylor
Librarians Statement
I recommend that the Library not be opened on Sunday night for
the following reasons.
1. To do so would in my opinion necessitate either adding staff
members or seriously weakening tbe quality of service we now
try to offer.
The Standards of College Libraries of the Association of Col
lege and Research Libraries states: “At least one professional
Librarian should be on duty at all times during which the
library is open for full service”. Under this definition we are
not even now rendering full service during all the time the
library is open. Further dilution of the quality of service we
try to provide would be a serious mistake.
Keeping the building open requires at least one full-time staff
member. A minimum of two people is necessary to control the
desk, and if a separate reserve book room is established, as
seems probable, a minimum of three people will be required.
Student help on Sunday afternoon and night has proved to be
difficult, sometimes impossible, to obtain. It is quite possible
that two or even more regular employees might be required
at times.
It is also true that under the new wage and hour law overtime
by clerical employees must be compensated for during the
calendar month, so it would not be possible to allow overtime
accrued by working on Sundays to be saved and taken as
vacation when school is out.
2. To do so without adding staff members or without some sort of
extra compensation to the staff members would be unfair to
them. Since we moved to the new building the hours imposed
on the staff members have become increasingly inconvenient,
and clerical staff members are defenseless against such schedule
changes. I cannot approve of a further arbitrary uncompensated
burden on them.
3. A distinction should be made between the use of the library
as a library and the use of the library as a study hall. The use
of the Library as a place to study notes or textbooks is a
traditional and proper use for a library building, but it is a
secondary function. In my opinion 82 hours a week, distributed
as they are, provide sufficient access to library materials. To
open the present building staffed with three people merely as
a study hall would be an extravagant way of providing a quiet
place to study. Other places on campus might, if necessary,
be used as study halls much more simply and inexpensively.
4. To do so would mark a further step toward the secularization
of the University, not perhaps very significant in itself, but a
part of a general process of erosion of the traditional nature
of Mercer. This seems to me not to be especially desirable.
In addition, extension of Sunday hours into the regular time for
church services may create problems in public relations.
5. To do so would lend encouragement to the development of
Mercer into a "Suitcase College** in which students habitually
flee from the campus on weekends. Some students with week
end studying to do would be encouraged to leave Macon on
Friday afternoon and do their library work on Sunday night
instead of Friday and Saturday. This does not seem to me to
be a trend which the University need go out of its way to
strengthen.
Since the Macon public library ie not open on Sunday, Sunday
night hours would encourage use of the library by the general
HHaatty, beyond what we can accommodate without in-
opMfeaMto oar own students. Hus is particularly true of
high sains! student am of the library.