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University Daily Kansan Thursday, March 21, 1963
Automatic Library Called a 'Dream'
By Jackie Helstrom
Although a push-button library filled with nothing but computers is a dream of the future, libraries full of books will be around for a long time to come, Thomas Buckman, director of the library, said yesterday.
Buckman addressed the Faculty Forum on "University of Kansas and the Future of the Library."
COMPUTERS MAY take over more of the librarian's work, but Buckman said he didn't think they could ever replace books.
"There is something of human proportions in a book you can sit down and look at that I don't think will ever be found in a computer." Buckman said.
BUCKMAN TOLD the forum that Watson is the largest university Library in this area; but, in terms of the number of Woodrow Wilson Fellowships awarded to KU graduates, it must be compared with larger research libraries at universities such as Yale, UCLA, or Wisconsin.
In his talk, Buckman outlined three aspects of Watson Library. He pointed out where the library now stands in comparison with other university libraries. He predicted the future of the library in terms of growth, and he gave a brief summary of the major problems of the library and how they are being and will be met.
"There were about an equal number of universities which ranked higher and lower in the number of fellowships awarded, but all of them have much larger libraries." Buckman said. "We are straddled by giants on both sides."
ALTHOUGH THE library has doubled in size in the last 10 years, the growth in the next decade will not be quite as rapid, Buckman said.
"At the present time we are adding to the library building. That space will be filled to capacity in another 10 years. After that we will have to consider a storage library for lesser used materials."
The main problems of the library that Buckman outlined were concerned with the overwhelming onslaught of new publications, with book preservation and with finances.
FINANCIALLY, the library is in need of more liberal grants to support their growing research programs, Buckman said.
"The possibility of federal aid is beginning to look brighter. If such a program were ever put into effect we might receive at the maximum, $200,000 a year."
KU Professors Develop Numerical Taxonomy
A breakthrough in the process of classifying organisms has been made by two KU professors.
Charles Michener, professor of entomology, and Robert Sokal, professor of statistical biology and entomology, have developed a technique known as "numerical taxonomy."
Numerical taxonomy may be used to assign numbers to describe the characteristic of organisms and for evaluating the relationships between these organisms when fed to computers.
"The basic purpose is to remove subjectivity and put the grouping process on an objective basis," Prof. Sokal said. "This is a field that has long needed a new technique."
The process developed by the two professors has changed the technique from an evolutionary basis which was based on speculation to a method which may be seen and measured.
The two professors say the evolutionary method allows different classifications, while the new technique permits only one.
One member of the political science department has used the system to classify Kansas legislators according to their voting records.
The process of putting a jig-saw puzzle together has been made automatic by classifying each piece and applying the computed results.
Numerical taxonomy has already come into classroom use along with the old method.
AWS Ratifies All New Regulations
The Associated Women Students last night ratified all the regulations adopted by the AWS convention, with a change of phrasing in the rule concerning the extension of closing hours for women attending university sponsored events.
Marilyn Mueller, Houston, Tex. senior and AWS president, said the convention had inserted the phrase "the woman must tell the house director before leaving" for an event.
The Senate changed the phrase to read that women students may remain at University sponsored events extending past closing hours if the event is open to the public and "if the woman signed out to the event."
We Are Again Honored To Record the K.U. Intrafraternity Sing
Best of Luck
Third Japanese Film To Be Shown Tonight
The third picture of the Japanese film series will be shown at 7:30 p.m. today in Bailey Auditorium.
The film, "I Live in Fear," has English subtitles. It was released in 1955. The KU showing is sponsored by the East Asian studies committee. It is open without admission to students and other members of the University community and their families.
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The chairman of the Soviet Bloc last night promised not to use spy delegations in the Model United Nations this year, and expressed hope that the Western Bloc also would refrain from using such delegations.
Jeff Ward, Prairie Village junior, said his bloc had decided that spy delegations "were not in the proper spirit of the Model United Nations."
John Stuckey, Pittsburgh junior and chairman of the Western bloc, said
his bloc had not considered using spy delegations this year.
A spy delegation is a delegation ordinarily in one bloc but reporting to the other bloc.
Stuckey said the Western Bloc had decided not to use spy deligations for several reasons, one of which was that it would look bad if they, the leaders of the free world, were caught using such delegations. Also, spy delegations are not reliable, and there is really no need for them, he said.
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