Library Service to College Students.

years, library service to college students has undergone marked changes. These changes will become apparent when some of the major elements affecting library service are individually examined. Major factors which have had an impact, and which we will analyze briefly, are: composition of student body, character of the collection, teaching methods and educational philosophies, cooperative efforts to extend local resources, hours of service, aid to users, instruction in the use of the library, and establishment of certain library units such as reserve rooms, browsing rooms and undergraduate libraries. This study emphasizes service to the college-level (undergraduate) student; other contributors to this issue deal with various aspects of service to the graduate student. STUDENTS AND TEACHING METHODS Around the turn of the century, college students formed quite a homogeneous group. Even as college enrollments grew spectacularly during the first decade of the twentieth century, the student bodies themselves remained rather homogeneous.' Teaching methods were homogeneous, too. Textbook learning with recitation sessions as its corollary was the rule. However, under the influence of German university teaching methods, use of the lecture was introduced by many American colleges and universities. Also following German practices, the rigid curriculum which had characterized American higher education was abandoned in favor of the elective system. In Germany the freedom granted to students to select their courses and to pursue their studies nearly without supervision generally showed good results. However, this method was less successful when transplanted to the American scene, since many American students restricted their choices to the less difficult and