Article about LaSoMi's History

Originally published in the Louisiana Chapter of SLA Bulletin, May 1954.

The Louisiana Chapter of the Special Libraries Association:

A Progress Report

The Louisiana Chapter of the Special Libraries Association holds the unique distinction of being the first formal organization of special libraries and special librarians in the South. Its formation and organization was due to the belief of a few members of the national organization that such a local group was possible and desirable. This belief was put into positive action by Mrs. Dorothy B. Skau of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Library in New Orleans and Miss Gertrude Minsk, who at the time was librarian of the Agriculture-Biology Library at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Early in 1945, Mrs. Skau canvassed the New Orleans area for special resources in libraries in the area. She discussed the situation with a group of librarians at a meeting held at the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library in February 1945, taking place of the annual state-wide library convention postponed because of wartime travel restrictions. In the Spring of 1946, Miss Minsk instituted a similar project in the Baton Rouge area. A number of new memberships in the Special Libraries Association were obtained as a result of these two efforts. Originally there had been less than ten members in the state but as a result of these two concerted drives, twenty signatures necessary to petition for a chapter were obtained.

A group met on the Louisiana State University campus on May 25, 1946 to outline plans for the Chapter's organization and to prepare a petition for a chapter. The petition was approved by the Executive Board at the Special Libraries Association national convention June 1946. The Louisiana Chapter was in reality a southern chapter for its membership eventually came to include special librarians in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. In 1945 there had been fewer than ten special librarians affiliated with the Association; in 1946 there were forty-six Louisiana members and four from Texas.

The organizational meeting of the Louisiana Chapter was held in New Orleans on November 16 and 17, 1946 at the International House. Mrs. Skau, who was a member of the national membership committee, served as chairman. The formal installation of the Chapter took place under the direction of Miss Betty Joy Cole, national president of the Special Libraries Association. Local officers were elected and the Chapter was formally launched.

Since its inception the Louisiana Chapter has engaged in numerous projects to further both the work of the Association and of the profession. It has sought to awaken the public to the existence of special libraries and to create better opportunities for service. Likewise, it has attempted to recruit students to the profession and explain to them the critical need for subject-trained library personnel. The Chapter feels that Louisiana in particular and the South in general with its dramatically expanding industrial development, stands in urgent need for the services of special librarians. In this regard the Chapter participated in the Industrial Development Conference sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry and the Louisiana State University College of commerce held on the campus December 15-16, 1953. The Library Promotion Committee arranged to have two Chapter members, Mr. John Hall Jacobs of the New Orleans Public Library and Mr. Joseph Horan of the Department of Commerce and Industry, appear on the program of two sessions of the conference. The Committee also prepared an exhibit to the conferees and a bibliography of sources of information that the conferees could take with them. Members of the Chapter "manned" the exhibit and talked with participants concerning existing libraries and the possibilities for starting new ones. From time to time individual members in attending meetings of these other associations, such as the Louisiana Section of the American Chemical Society, have had an opportunity to stress the value of libraries to industry. Special librarians and the Special Libraries Association also received a boost from a talk given recently by the 1953-54 national president, Mrs. Lucile Keck on WTPS, New Orleans, Friday, January 22, 1954. Similar publicity has been received from me to time in newspapers throughout the state and several special libraries were featured in an article in the October 19, 1952 issue of "Dixie," the magazine section of the Times-Picayune.

As a part of the Chapter's recruitment program, Louisiana State University students and pre-library school students from both college and high schools all over the state were invited to attend the Chapter's April 1953 meeting. A panel of special librarians representing medical, government, scientific, business, and law libraries talked on special librarianship in general and their respective libraries in particular. Following the program the students had an opportunity to meet members of the Chapter and talk to them about opportunities in the library profession. An exhibit of library literature was prepared and the students were given brochures telling about the profession as well as ones one the Association.

Largely, through the efforts of the Recruitment Committee, Mr. Grieg Aspnes, 1951-1952 national president of the Special Libraries Association, was one of the featured speakers at the first biennial conference of Alpha Beta Alpha in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Mr. Aspnes talked on opportunities in special libraries. From time to time individual Chapter members have had an opportunity to speak to groups of students touring their respective companies.

In an effort to gain members for the Association, the Louisiana Chapter helped entertain the Baton Rouge Library Club at its annual joint meeting with the New Orleans Library Club held at the Southern Regional Research Laboratory, February 9, 1952. A panel discussion was held on "Evaluation and Preparation for Librarianship in Various Subject Fields" and special librarians representing scientific, law, medical, music, and business libraries participated.

Owing to the wide geographical distribution of the membership, it is feasible to hold only three meetings during the year. However, the Chapter does issue a quarterly bulletin which compares favorably with those from larger chapters in the Association. Copies are distributed to members and other chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Through this medium, scattered members are able to keep in touch with one another and the affairs of the Chapter. In addition to news of members and meetings, the bulletin often carries stories about member's libraries or histories and discussions of particularly good libraries in the area. Members have found this series both interesting and informative.

Currently the Chapter is in the process of compiling a union list of current periodicals taken by member libraries. The purpose of this list will be to supplement the Union List of Serials in local usage. It will show location of materials in the local libraries not currently included in the larger work. It is also designed to serve the librarian in a library too small to be able to afford the Union List of Serials. If it is as successful as anticipated, plans call for keeping it up-to-date with occasional supplements.

That the Louisiana Chapter is a vigorous and growing association is attested to by the fact that since its formation members from three other state, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama have broken off from the Louisiana Chapter and formed their own state chapters. Despite the seeming set-back, the Louisiana Chapter has continued to grow and gain new members. Twice it has been runner-up for the Gavel Award given by the national association to the chapter having the greatest percentage increase in membership during the year. In 1951, it lost to Texas by just one point! At present it can boast of thirty-seven individual members, all of them working together to carry on the Association slogan, "Putting Knowledge to Work."

-This report was submitted to the Modisette Award Committee of the Louisiana Library Association for the citation presented at the annual meeting, Friday evening, March 26, 1954.