[18] A report contributed by L. Stanley Jast and W. C. Berwick Sayers to the Congrès International des Archivistes et des Bibliothécaires, Bruxelles, 1910.
564. It will be difficult but it is desirable to attempt to resolve some order out of the terminological chaos at present existing.
The British Government has many library positions in its control, but the term librarian is only sparingly recognized. There are “librarians” of the two Houses of Parliament, the British Museum, the Board of Education, Admiralty, Patent Office and other Government departments, but only in the Houses of Parliament are there any assistant-librarians so-named. The heads of departments in the British Museum are called “keepers,” a traditional term, and the assistant librarians “Assistants in the Department of Printed Books” or “Manuscripts,” as the case may be, which as a term in no way connects them with librarianship. In the Patent Office the term “Custodian” was formerly employed, but was dropped some eight years ago for “Assistant in the Library.” In the other Government or Civil Service libraries the assistant librarian is usually rated and named as a first- or second-class clerk, as the case may be. It would be greatly to the advantage of librarianship if a proper Government recognition of the term librarian as representing a specially trained type of man rather than the occupant of a certain position could be obtained. At present it seems that clerks in any Government office possessing a library can be moved from the office proper to the library, and vice versa.
565. In municipal and similar public libraries the chaos is even more pronounced. The principal officer calls himself Chief, Principal, Head, Borough or City Librarian, or merely Librarian. Often the term Chief Librarian is adopted where the owner of the name is the only librarian on the staff, and the term “Chief” in these circumstances is meaningless.
567. In the nomenclature of assistant librarians the confusion is worse still. The principal assistant to the librarian is called the Deputy, Chief Assistant, Assistant- or Sub-Librarian in large libraries; but the terminology is imitated by the smaller libraries, and it is no uncommon matter to hear of an assistant with a salary of £30 per annum called a “sub-librarian,” and “chief assistant” and similar terms are used very loosely to the bewilderment of library authorities, who find that the Deputy Librarian of a great library like Birmingham holds apparently the same position as the untrained lad in a village library.
568. It is undoubtedly desirable to formulate a series of definitions which should govern the application of names to library positions. The resulting nomenclature if generally adopted would prevent the anomalies referred to. No librarian should call himself a chief librarian unless he directs the work of librarians; the adjective is distinctly a relative term. Similarly a deputy- or a sub-librarian should be clearly a librarian of some technical equipment and training though he does not happen to hold an independent position. To apply this name to a young or boy assistant is undignified and is bound to cause confusion.
569. The following definitions are therefore tentatively recommended for general adoption as solving the difficulties under consideration. At the same time, human nature being what it is, we shall probably never do away altogether with a meaningless and inflated use of official terms in small libraries, and anything like a general adoption of our proposed definitions in the larger libraries is perhaps unlikely. Even so, the adoption of these or other definitions for all general statistical purposes would be of great advantage.
Chief Librarian.—The head librarian of a number of libraries, or a library system, under the charge of “librarians.” In the case of a single large library (e.g. the British Museum), where the departmental chiefs may fitly be styled librarians, the term Chief Librarian may be used to designate the head; with such exception the term should never be employed for the head of a single library.
Deputy Librarian.—The principal assistant to a Chief Librarian, whose work belongs strictly to the general administration of a system. Not to be confused with Sub-Librarian.
Librarian.—The head of a library. Not to be confused with Chief Librarian, the head of a system of libraries.
Sub-Librarian.—The principal assistant to a librarian, whose work is independent of departments, but not independent of a building. Not to be confused with Deputy Librarian.
Librarian-in-Charge.—The officer in charge of a district or branch library, or one of the departments of a central library, in a system under the control of a Chief Librarian. Not to be confused with Librarian.
Branch Librarian.—Term not to be used. See Librarian-in-Charge.
Chief Assistant.—An officer in charge of a department, subordinate to a Sub-Librarian. If subordinate to a Deputy Librarian the corresponding office would be Librarian-in-Charge.
Senior Assistant.—A higher grade of library assistant.
Junior Assistant.—A lower grade of library assistant.
Attendant.—A person who carries books, and performs other mechanical unskilled routine. If a youth, the term “page” may be used.
Janitor.—An officer (generally in uniform) whose principal duty is to maintain order in the building.
Clerk.—A person employed in general clerking work, not a part of the professional library staff.
Probationer.—An assistant “on trial,” or not permanently appointed, who may or may not be paid.