University of Virginia Library

Section C. Sociology.

Thanks to Francis Bacon, every schoolboy knows that jesting
Pilate asked what is Truth and did not stay for an answer. But
library classifiers, without benefit of publicity, have long
sought to ascertain what exactly is sociology, and they still seem
to be seeking. At least this appears to be the situation as one
undertakes to isolate and count the volumes on this subject. We
are consequently not attempting to give numerical totals for the
collections in Virginia; though we realize that such a stand
handicaps the General Editor of this Southern Survey when he undertakes
to compare quantitatively the collections, say, in Sweet
Briar and Sewanee on sociology. On the other hand it is obvious
that this sociology is regarded as an exceedingly live subject
and that it has resulted in the general enrichment of libraries;
and most of the libraries which have received frequent mention in
the Virginia summary report fairly good working collections. The
largest, possibly, are at the State Library, at the College of
William and Mary, at the University of Virginia, at Randolph-Macon
Woman's College, at Washington and Lee, at the University
of Richmond, and at Hampton Institute.

The collection at the State Library is general, with some
emphasis on race relations. The files of periodicals and society
publications include American Child, American Journal of Sociology,

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
Charities and the Commons, Journal of Social Science, New York
School of Social Work Bulletin, New York State Conference on
Social Work Quarterly Bulletin, Ohio Welfare Bulletin, Pennsylvania
Department of Welfare Monthly Bulletin, Pennsylvania
School of Social Work General Bulletin, Social Forces, Social
Studies, Social Work Year Book, Southern Progress, Southern
Sociological Congress Publications, Survey and Survey Graphic,
Virginia Department of Public Welfare Public Welfare, Washington
University Publications in Social Sciences, and Wisconsin University
Studies in the Social Sciences and History.

At the College of William and Mary the enphasis is on
modern community social problems. There is an excellent selection
of works on the history and theory of sociology.

Methodology, rural sociology, community life, and the Negro
are among the subjects stressed at the University of Virginia.
This library and of course the library at Hampton Institute have
fairly extensive collections of books on the Negro. The Hampton
Institute library emphasizes race relations and rural sociology.

There is a good general collection in sociology at the
Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Some effort has been made here
to acquire the reports of various foundations and of hospitals
and charitable organizations.

In the collections at Washington and Lee University family
and community life, criminology, and juvenile delinquency have
been emphasized; and thse subjects and urban sociology and
social psychology have been stressed in the collection at the
University of Richmond.