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Proceedings
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The Field Of Education In The National Parks
The Educational Program And Its Place In National Parks Administration
Administration Of Park Museums
Scientific Aspects Of The Park Protection Program
The Research Program In The National Parks
Use Of Recorded Scientific Data
Publications
Libraries In The National Parks
Photography And Visual Education
General Administrative Problems
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Proceedings Of The
First Park Naturalists' Training Conference Held At Educational
Headquarters, Berkeley, California:
November 1-30, 1929 |
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PUBLICATIONS
SALE OF PUBLICATIONS
By Frank T. Been
Although the advantages of selling publications in the national parks is acknowledged, the sales involve three factors:
(1) Kind of publications to be sold,
(2) Value of publications to purchaser, and
(3) Recipient of sales receipts.
The publications usually sold in the parks are those available from the Superintendent of Public Documents. The pamphlets describing each park are usually given away rather freely, There are also the publications describing or explaining features of the park -- also issued by Superintendent of Documents. Privately published books and magazines are also sold in the parks if these are pertinent to the park or park system.
Occasionally Nature Notes are sold, but as the individual parks have not adequate facilities to do this, it is not usually done. If arrangements could be made whereby the Nature Notes and Information Manuals could be prepared for sale within each park, this would be a great advantage, as these publications are in demand by park visitors. The Nature Notes would be issued once a month and contain items on current interest, whereas the Natural History Leaflets would treat a subject of lasting interest, such as the result of an experiment, the discovery of a new natural feature or phenomenon, or a lecture.
In determining the publications to be sold, we should not consider the possible monetary return, but the value to the public or park visitor. The publications should always be supplementary to the educational activities and they may be articles which go into more detail on subjects we have mentioned on hikes and during lectures or they may be writings which tell of educational activities and stimulate people to seek the services of the park naturalist. These publications may be both technical and non-technical or popular, but as our work involves almost entirely enlightening people with small knowledge of natural sciences the sales may be advantageously limited to non-technical; those interested in the technical writings usually apply to the Superintendent of Documents.
On the nature hikes it is often possible to advise people about the availability of the publications, but it may not be practical to mention them during lectures as the digression will detract from the effect of the presentation.
The disposal of the receipts from the sales made within the national parks seems to be a sore problem because the money taken in from any source is supposed to go to the United States Treasury. Although the naturalists are anxious to make publications available to the park visitors, they are at the same time anxious to apply the receipts from these sales toward naturalist work for which there usually seems to be inadequate funds.
The contention is generally made that the write-ups prepared in the parks are generally of interest to the visitors of that particular park and are prepared by that particular park; consequently the receipts should go directly to the park which has expended the time and material rather than to the United States Treasury.
In accordance with the present set-up of park administration, it seems impossible for the park to keep the receipts to itself. To avoid losing this income which can be so well used by the naturalist service, it may be possible to organize an association which is independent of the Park Service, but possibly managed by the park naturalist. This association could print the write-ups and sell them and make the receipts available to the park. This procedure seems entirely ethical in view of the fact that suitable private publications can be sold within the parks.
There seems to be a common opinion among the park naturalists that publications should be sold as a means of obtaining money, which is generally used in obtaining books and making additions to the museum. If a library and a museum are accepted by the National Park Service as necessary to complete the educational work, why should it be necessary for the naturalist to obtain money from private sources? It is usually necessary that museum exhibits come from a private source and books are often presented by individuals or outside organizations, but these contributions do not entail any monetary outlay except in their preparation. We have gone on record for the preparation of a resolution requesting a budget for naturalist work in each park. If real effort is made to put this budget through, there will be no need of private support, hence no need of sales of publications in the parks as a source of income. If a naturalist must apply thought and energy to sales effort in order to raise money to carry on the work of his department, he cannot accomplish the maximum result from his efforts toward educational ends.
Other governmental departments submit a great deal of written material concerning the work of those departments but this material is printed by the Government Printing Office and distributed by the Superintendent of Documents. The departments preparing these write-ups could no doubt use the money from their sale but they are apparently glad to contribute their efforts toward the good which may be done through them. It seems that as long as our work is educational, we would be working along much higher principles if we prepared publications for the good they would do rather than the money they would bring to us. Eventually we shall receive adequate funds from the government to carry on our work, so that it may be to our advantage to expend our efforts in hastening that eventuality rather than trying to raise money on our own account.
The most important thing to be considered from the sale of literature in each park lies in the field of the methods used. A real service can be rendered to the public if sale publications are properly presented -- and a very real damage can be done to the reputation of the Park Service if this work is mishandled.
The question was raised as to whether or not it would be possible to have a "book fund" deposited with the National Park Service under the heading "Contributions", which could be accepted by the park and disposed of for the purchase of books or for some other equally worth-while objective.
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