The Involvement of the Librarian in the Total Educational Process

THEBASIC ASSUMPTION which governs the growth and the development of all academic libraries in the United States is that the library plays a role of central and critical importance in the instructional and scholarly life of the college or university. Academic libraries are integral parts of the institutions they serve. Collections are developed and services are designed in these libraries to meet the instructional programs of the particular institution. Programs of library instruction also reflect the development of the college or university of which they are a part. These programs will thus vary depending upon whether the institution is a doctorate-granting research institution, a college which offers a liberal arts program as well as professional programs such as engineering or business administration, a liberal arts college, a two-year college, or a specialized institute (such as a theological school, a medical school, law or other professional school). Programs of bibliographic instruction have been designed to make the library a moreeffective instrument in the learning process. How these programs emerge and become integrated into the educational process of the college or university is the subject of this paper.