Evening star., 1945-05-13

The Governor of Alaska, senior
economic analyst for the State Depart
ment at Lima, Peru, and the head en-
gineer in charge of huge sugar re-
finery in New Orleans late in Febru-
airy sat down in these widely separated
places to write a book review.
Each man was reporting to the lii
brary of Congress for the first issue of
the United States Quarterly Book List,
a publication marking an historic step
to further good neighbor" relations be-
tween South and Central American
nations and the United States.
The epochal Book List, issued for
the first time this month, aims to fill
a need felt by librarians, scholars, pub
fishers and Government agencies for
an index to important books published
currently in this country" 1t is COM
pendium of scientific, learned and lit
erary works whose value will increase
as time goes on. The present number
covers books published during October
l through December 81, 1914, and bears
the March, 1945, issue date. Future
quarterly publication months are June,
September and December.
A Valuable Compendium
The Book List is the product of the
Inter-American Conference for the
Maintenance of Peace held in Buenos
Aires in 1896. The conference recon-
mended that each American republic
issue a quarterly bulletin, giving biblio-
graphical notice of recently published
works of scientific, historical, literary
or artistic nature, to be distributed and
exchanged among the republics by suit
able Government agencies" Though it
has taken nine years to put the sug-
gestion into effect, the United States
has led the way in project whose ma
tional and international value is ap-
parent to all.
Conference members, In urging the
quarterly bulletin, suggested a uni
for1nity of size and correspondence of
publications dates. 1t also advocated
that sufficient copies Of each bulletin
be sent to the corresponding offices of
the American States for distribution
among libraries, cultural Institutes and
newspapers through the international
Offices of exchange of publications"
For Wide Distribution
Though the bulletin was originally
planned for exchange out Of the coun-
try in which 1t was published, present
developments indicate its distribution
within its borders will be of equal or
greater Importance.
The first definite move to issue a
book list" of American works for for
eign use was approval of the plan by
the Interdepartmental Committee Of
the Department of State on June "a,
1914. Earlier that year, in January,
Archibald MacLeish, then librarian Of
Congress, told the House committee
studying the problem that such a list
would have to achieve and maintain a
high level of excellence" and under the
circumstances should not be started
unless it can be undertaken under the
best possible conditions" and with pros
poets Of "a fair likelihood Of continua-
ton"
On September /, 1914, Mr.. MacLeish
appointed DR.. Joseph p. Blickensderfer
then professor OF English and dean of
the University College at the University
of Oklahoma, as editor Of the proposed
"book list"
These moves were followed by select
ing an advisory committee Of 16, in
cluding members Of the National Re-
search Council. the Social Science Re
search Council. the American Council
Of Learned Societies and the American
Council on Education. Other groups
represented are the Department Of Agri-
culture Library, the Army Medical La