Recent Developments in Cooperation

ing, indexing, national and international bibliography. No less than four international conferences on international bibliographical or information problems have been held within the last five years. These include a general one at Princeton in 1946, the Royal Scientific Society Information Conference in 1948, an International Conference on Science Abstracting in Paris in 1949 and a fourth at Paris in 1950. Each except the last has issued reports and recommendations. In the broad field of communication, basic study is under way in the Communications Laboratory of the — Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The University of Illinois has established^ an Institute of Communications. The work of the Unesco—Library of Congress Bibliographical Survey project is of basic importance; two reports have been issued so far. The Graduate Library School and the Division of Social Sciences of the University of Chicago have just completed their study on bibliographical services in the social sciences. The beginning of American Documentation provides an additional specialized agency. Dozens and perhaps hundreds of articles and books have been published since the war on communication, documentation and control, and even more have appeared on technological matters having possible application to library processes. Some of these proposals probably will be worked out satisfactorily in time; but extensive study and experimentation still are necessary. The effects of some of these proposals on library acquisitions programs, cataloging and service would be revolutionary. In nearly every instance the very immensity of the problem and its solution will require the fullest cooperation of not only librarians but also all others directly interested in higher education and research. 132 • COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES