UC Irvine Libraries

A major concern of bibliographers and other academic librarians involved in developing the collections of research libraries is, or should be, the amount and quality of support that is provided for the graduate programs of their institutions.

In carrying out their assignments, these librarians tend to rely chiefly on contact with the faculty for information. Since it is the faculty who shapes the curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate students and who also carries out most of the postdoctoral research, this seems a reasonable approach. It may, however, be less responsive to the needs of graduate research. ·some doctoral research is related to the research interests of faculty advisers, but it would be unwise to assume the existence of such a connection without substantiation. And although there are faculty members who are conscientious in articulating the needs of their graduate students to librarians, as well as bibliographers who actively seek out these users, the latter are seldom identified as an essential contact point for selectors of library materials. It is possible, therefore, for a collection to support instructional and faculty research programs to a greater extent than the graduate programs that may strongly influence its scope and funding.