The Case Method in Library Education

WH I L E T R A D I T I O N A L methods of instruction have been through lectures, suggested reading, discussion, and examination, these methods have never proved to be satisfactory in the area of library administration. With the emergence of graduate programs in library science some seven to eight years ago, it became apparent that the lecture-discussion-reading approach was not acceptable. In large part, this stemmed from the fact that courses in library administration are, in a sense, not courses in librarianship. They are related rather to general considerations of administration as they might occur in any professional or business area. In searching for a teaching technique that would meet the requirements of graduate courses in library administration, certain considerations were obvious. First, administration is an art rather than a science. It is less important to impart a body of knowledge to the student, and yet quite important to develop in the student a logical manner of thinking in terms of administrative problems and situations wherein he will make recall to all the resources, including his own training, experience, and the literature of the profession, which might apply to any given administrative problem. Administration, furthermore, is an art wherein solutions are relative to the