Faculty Opposition Mounts Against Plan to Merge Widener Card Files

Strong faculty opposition to combining Widener's two card catalogues into a mammoth first-floor unit, which broke out in last week's faculty meeting, mounted yesterday as petitions circulated against the proposal. Under the plan, the charging desk would also be moved to the first floor.

At present, there is a union catalogue on the first floor listing by author all books in the possession of the University. On the second floor is the public file, listing by author, subject, and title all books in Widener, Houghton, and Lamont. Each file has about two million cards not contained in the other.

Consolidation, according to its backers would bring order out of chaos, save money, and cut in half the number of steps separating scholars from the public file and charging desk. The proposal was first made in 1949 by Keyes D. Metcalf, director of the University Library.

Opposition leaders feel that it is worth climbing an extra 36 steps to avoid congestion. As a further argument, they point out that two catalogues stand a better chance of surviving an air raid than a single file.

According to Metcalf, the new system would eliminate yearly duplication of about 85,000 cards and would make the catalogue and charging facilities more accessible. The second floor is on the eighth of ten stack levels and the first floor on the fifth.

Both factions will probably get a further chance to debate this issue in next month's faculty meeting, since it is expected to come up again at that time.