Present-Day Public Library Executives

Abstract

LINCOLN STEFFENS, in reporting an incident in which he was involved with President Woodrow Wilson, quotes him as follows: "An executive is a man of action. An intellectual-such as you and I, " he smiled-"an intellectual is inexecutive. In an executive job we are dangerous, unless we are aware of our limitations and take meas-ures to stop Our everlasting disposition to think, to listen, to-not act. I made up my mind long ago, when I got into my first executive job, to open my mind for a while, hear everybody who came to me with advice, information-what you will-then, some day, the day when my mind felt like deciding, to shut it up and act. My decision might be right; it might be wrong. No matter. I would take a chance and do-something. " 1 Most library executives will be thankful that they do not have to decide whether or not to take their country into war, but they will recognize the problem. Librarianship is a learned profession, and the library executive is, or should be, well educated and well read. He has an obligation to his patrons and to his staff to be continually building on his cultural background. He should belong to the intellectual elite of his community. At the same time his chief role is to be a man of action, who makes decisions and who gets things done. There are few executives today, in public libraries at least, who profess to great scholarship. Those with advanced degrees in subject fields appear to be rare. Most librarians, however, whether they are heads or not, make a habit of extensive reading, and although this may be on a broad rather than a specialized base the result is a substantial accumulation of knowledge. The library executive, therefore, should be and usually is an example in his community, of the thoughtful, well-informed citizen. Does the necessity for learning impair his ability to execute? Is he

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