LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The Boone Library School Quarterly has entered its seventh year．Compared with such professional journals as the Library Journal and the Library Association Record that have enjoyed a long life of over fifty years，our Quarterly is still in its infancy．In reading the back files of those periodicals，one can follow the history and development of library service in America and England．Their articles are excellent in quality as they were written by scholarly librarians with long years of experience．These librarians recorded their successes and failures for the benefit of their fellow workers and inspired many prospective young librarians．In a word，librarians of these early days educated their public quite as much as they helped those in the library profession．
Looking back at our own little Quarterly，we see it has plenty of shortcomings．Many more years will have to pass before it can be a periodical of real worth．One thing we are certain of，we are not competing with any other professional journals．Our Quarterly serves only as a mouthpiece to voice the opinions of young Chinese，would-be librarians．Our main aim in publishing this Quarterly is to introduce the American and English library systems and transplant them to our own country．If we do not yet have creative ability along this line，we should have their methods and ideas for library work．That is the reason why every issue of the Boone Library School Quarterly contains one or two translations from articles written by foreign librarians．It is also our hope that through these pages we may transmit our ideas and experience in Library work to our fellow workers abroad．They will see our limitations because our small number have not only to teach but to do administrative work as well．We can not give the time to research that we should like to give，but we have the hearty cooperation of our alumni and students who are still under training．They are imbued with the desire to use their leisure hours for translating．We are glad to see that our Quarterly has not only won a place for itself in China，but also has won recognition abroad．This is seen in the way it brings back to us many valuable exchanges．
In all these years，we have never published an English department except in that one Special Number published in memory of Miss Mary E．Wood，the founder of the Library and Library School．That was in 1931 then she entered into eternal rest．The editorial Board now recognizes the need for an English article in each issue．We hope thus to integrate our professional ideas with those of library workers who can not read our language．Beginning with this issue，we plan that each number shall henceforth have one or two articles in English．This will afford another opportunity to our alumni who write in English，at the same time that it makes the Boone Library School Quarterly better known in the library world at large．
I offer these brief statements as our reason for now turning aside from our beaten path．From our graduates，I solicit their hearty support in the way of English articles．Being limited by our small funds，we can offer no pay．What the students do for the Quarterly must be in a sacrificial spirit．It is indeed gratifying that they do give such loyal service．Without it，the Quarterly would long ago have come to an end．As Director of the School，I take this opportunity to extend to them，one and all，our deep appreciation of their generous assistance．Also to the China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture．The only financial support that Quarterly has comes from this foundation．To its trustees，we offer our deep gratitude for the provision that makes this publication possible．
Suggestions and criticisms for the improvement of the Quarterly are always welcome．
Samuel T．Y．Seng Director，
Boone Library School
（见1935年《文华图书馆学专科学校季刊》第七卷第二期）
本书搜集了沈祖荣先生于1916—1944年发表的中英文文章共46篇，反映了新中国成立以前国内图书馆的发展概况、国内图书馆教育工作的思想概况、图书馆学教育和档案管理学教育的开创与推进的史实，也介绍了一些欧美和日本图书馆的概况，是一本关于图书馆学教育历史的文献。