THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

a year for a five year period. With his Committee on Bibliography's
support and that of the League, Richardson was
convinced that the RBU could be saved and that a useful
information service based on it would become feasible. He
also supported the idea of moving it to (or, as he put it,
«unloading it on») Geneva as a useful way of achieving its
physical separation from the rest of the IIB «plant». In Geneva
it would still be recognised «as part of the Belgian
contribution to world co-operation through the League» and
would «enhance prestige both for Belgium and for the
League». 5
He was, however, very precise as to the nature and limits
of his Committee's interests in the IIB and the RBU. As he
wrote to Otlet:
This Committee does not undertake, cannot undertake, to act except. ..
on precise undertakings for co-operation. It does not attempt to act
as your agent or representative in any sense, and it cannot undertake
to organise any body which will so act. The Institute must do such
things on its own initiative and responsibility.
This being clearly understood, I may restate with equal clearness the
fact that ihe American Library Association is on record officially as
wishing to find practical ways of concrete co-operation in some of
your projects which it recognises as of real value for international
learning through bibliographical means. .. . 6
Edith Scott has noted the circularity in the positions eventually
reached in the late 20s by both the ALA and the
League. It seemed clear that the ALA would not act to support
the IIB unless the IIB received from the League such a firm
commitment that ALA intervention would in fact become
unnecessary. On the other hand, the League was waiting for
some kind of confidence-inspiring intervention by the ALA
in IIB affairs. «The result was that the IIB received no
support from either the Committee (on Intellectual Co-operation)
or the ALA». 7
The League Committee eventually completely repudiated
the notion of a universal finding list and, as Richardson wrote
to Otlet in 1932, «The notification by the League Committee
that it could not or would not carry out the lines of co-operation
agreed on between the League and the Institut ended
the formal undertaking by the ALA to operate. Our plate is
now clean as to undertaking its operation.» Nevertheless, even
in 1932 Richardson was still convinced
that a project for Universal Repertory (sic.) finding list operated at
Geneva under the direct, but not necessarily residential operating supervision
of your Institut, and the triple expert supervision of the Institut,
the League, and the American Library Association, would be the
thing which would best serve the purposes of international scholarship.
The League Committee has definitely turned down, contrary I think /to
its undertaking towards you, the idea of a gereral international repertory,
in favour of urging national repertories. This is, in my judge-
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