Hoover Library Closing Possibility

[Charlotte Douglas]

>Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2000 12:15:23 -0600
>From: "Paul Jaskot" <pjaskot at wppost.depaul.edu>
>To: <rahl at condor.depaul.edu>
>Subject: RAHL:  Hoover Library Closing Possibility
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>[to the list:  the following is a forward from the "H-German" list;  i
>thought that those on rahl particularly with an interest in labor history
>and european/american political history will find this of some relevance
>and concern.  yours, paul]
>
>[H-German received this alarming post about two weeks
>ago.  Before sending it out to our subscribers, we worked to verify its
>accuracy.  According to Agnes Peterson of Stanford, the conditions
>described below will prevail, unless there is a substantial protest.]
>
>
>
>As a result of administrative funding reductions and merging decisions, the
>Hoover Library will cease collecting on August 31, 2001; its unique and
>valuable collection will either be integrated into the Stanford Library
>system, or placed in remote storage facilities, or both.
>
>This is nothing short of a calamity, since a large percentage of the books
>in Hoover's collection are not only rare, but not available anywhere else
>in the world. One cannot but assume that administration officials were
>unfamiliar with the greater impact of their decision, in this case
>disregarding the value of the Hoover Library holdings, thinking only of the
>uniqueness of the Hoover Archive. For the scholar using the Hoover rchival
>holdings for research, it is impossible to separate the two. In the past,
>anyone working, for example, on the Labor History of any country in Europe,
>could rely on the vast Library collection of books , pamphlets, newspapers,
>and a plethora of political tracts on the subject, and will mourn the loss
>of that unique resource, not even available on-line. One wonders what will
>become of all the extensive, obscure European Newspaper and pamphlet
>collections, spanning the political spectrum from one extreme to the other,
>dating from the period between both World Wars to the present, or the
>significance of having access to the actual issue of American Military
>overseas  "Stars and Stripes" publications, or the rare items from the
>period of National Socialism in Germany, many of which represent materials
>that were confiscated and destroyed during and after WWII, all too many
>unavailable elsewhere. And these are less than a fraction of what Hoover
>Library holds in the category of German History, not to mention the other
>countries of Europe, of Russia, Africa, and the Middle East.
>
>In addition and importantly, Hoover Library's extensive Current Periodicals
>holdings of political publications from the above-named countries exist
>nowhere else in collected and catalogued form. While this is not material
>that anyone but the few read today, it is tomorrow's essential historical
>resource. Hoover Library is unique in its maintenance of these materials,
>and the tracking of fringe political groups. If the library and its
>knowledgeable staff and curators are disbanded, who, for example, will
>continue collecting what will be tomorrow's obscure and rare research
>material?
>
>While definitive plans have not been made public, the fact that the
>collection will no longer be easily accessible in its entirety by both the
>academy and the general public is a certainty. However this decision came
>to be, it seems certain that it was made in complete ignorance of the value
>to scholars of the rare, unique, and extensive collection, nowhere
>available in the world.  Only those of us who have benefited from having
>such material available under one roof, from the ceaselessly obliging and
>friendly service provided by a staff that goes out of its way to
>accommodate all patrons, know what will be lost to us all. And by all I
>mean all; while one of the unique characteristics of Hoover has been the
>fact that virtually anyone, from anywhere in the world, has had ready
>access to its facilities and its collection. More than to the academic
>community, the loss will be to the independent scholar, heretofore welcome
>with open arms at the Library; they no longer will have access to the
>holdings once these are incorporated into the library system of Stanford, a
>private university.
>
>Hoover Library has been a unique place from its inception. And throughout
>the years, the curatorial staff has diligently added to the collection, not
>only old and valuable texts, but also the latest publications in subject
>areas that few Libraries even consider. I have heard scholars from Germany
>exclaim at the variety of books, even material recently published in
>Germany, available at Hoover Library but not in Germany. And one must
>mention the fact that, while much of Hoover's collection is listed in the
>Stanford on-line catalogue, what seem to be more than half its holdings are
>listed only in its old-fashioned card catalogue.
>
>To see this collection dissembled in haphazard fashion, the card catalogue
>no longer accessible, is unfathomable and a serious matter indeed. The
>Stanford University Library system has all its books listed on-line, but it
>is questionable whether the Hoover collection's card catalogue will be
>incorporated any time soon.
>
>While the decision for consolidation was made on the watch of  Dr. C. Rice
>(Now with the Bush campaign), the current Provost, Dr. John Etchemendy
>(etch at csli.stanford.edu) is the person who should hear from all of us.
>
>It is necessary for the greater community of scholars to become involved in
>this matter, to make their opinions known to Office of the Provost at
>Stanford University 94305, attn. Dr. John Etchemendy.  As "The Hoover"
>itself was so vital and essential in preserving many keys to the past, we
>have the opportunity now to try to save this splendid resource before it
>becomes an irretrievable victim of short-sighted administrative streamlining.
>
>W. Karin Hall Ph.D.
>History, Modern Europe/Eastern Europe
>

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