THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

the IIB be drawn up which would set out a program of work
for the IIB, the subsidy to be granted it by the League and proposals
concerning procedures for controlling it. 13 A Committee
was appointed to consider these proposals. Marcel Godet, Associate
Member of the Sub-Committee on Bibliography and Swiss
National Librarian was appointed rapporteur. A number of
trenchant but just criticisms of the IIB were made in his report.
He pointed out that the IIB presented to the observer difficulties
which arose both from the spirit and the manner of its
work. «The reproach has been made», he said, «that it lacked
clearness, a critical sense, and that it endeavoured to embrace
every country, every language, every period, and every subject,
a task which it is difficult to achieve. The Institute undertook
one gigantic task after another...» He pointed out, too, that
the materials of the collections of the IIB were often incomplete
and to some extent were haphazardly assembled, and that opinions
differed on the value of the Decimal Classification adopted
by the Institute. «Finally, the Institute had been reproached
because of its propensity to overrate the value of index cards,
and because it was said to mistake the means for the end.» 14
On the other hand, he recognised that the Institute had
responded to a real need and had achieved a great deal in its history.
«For a quarter of a century it had acquired a reputation
which could not be ignored. The disinterested labor of its creaters
must call for respect.» Godet's Committee concluded that
«it was necessary to give strong help to the Institute», but
that «help could not be granted without discrimination or unconditionally
to all its activities. The solution was to give it a
mandate for certain definite tasks». What these tasks might be
was explored in some detail, but it was observed that at this
stage, while control «must be exercised by representatives of
the authorities or organs which might subsidise the Institute*,
little more specific than this could be set down. If the program
of work set out in his report was accepted by the Committee,
Godet indicated that he and his colleagues could then proceed
to the next steps in formalising a relationship between the
League and the IIB. An agreement would be drawn up. If this
were accepted by both parties, the Committee would then obtain
the League's approval and the necessary credits, whereupon
the Sub-Committee on Bibliography could immediately
«draw up a detailed and specific program of work for a first
period of several years, indicating precisely the nature and order
of the work to be undertaken*.
After La Fontaine replied at some length to the criticisms
made in Godet's report, a draft agreement was drawn up and
approved by the Committee. Article One of the draft was an
undertaking by the League of Nations to grant its patronage to
the work of the IIB as set out in Article 2, and to «grant its
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