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A GREATER GETTYSBURG had been for his predecessor. Both men must have had serious doubts that most of the volumes would ever justify the effort which it would take to process and put them on the shelves. At times a serious problem for the College authorities was the personality of the librarian, which sometimes led to unproductive clashes with both students and faculty, and which did effectively counterbalance many of the positive things which he had accomplished since 1929. In the spring of 1944 President Hanson informed the board that he intended to dismiss Knickerbocker and place the library in charge of a faculty member until he could "secure a well- trained librarian who will be able to mix with the students and create more genuine interest in the use of the library." He was persuaded to give up this intention, and John H. Knickerbocker remained as librarian until 1959. Equipment In the fall of 1904 the College had a long tradition of sound instruction in science and had helped train a number of men who were making their mark in that field. In practice, the instruction was limited almost completely to chemistry, largely because of the interests and abilities of the faculty. Professor Breidenbaugh had supervised the conversion of the old gymnasium into the chemistry laboratory in 1890 and, for a time, according to his testimony, this building was reasonably adequate for serving its purpose. Meanwhile, Professor Stahley had supervised the conversion of Linnaean Hall into a gymnasium, but when that occurred there were no courses in biology. As these were developed, first to serve premedical students, laboratory facilities outside the gymnasium were needed. After 1904, the College found two rooms on the second floor of Glatfelter Hall for that purpose. The first major expansion in equipment after 1904 began occurring when the trustees established a physics department. In June 1909 President Hefelbower reported that more than one-third of the Glatfelter Hall basement was in use as a physics laboratory. At a cost of more than $6,000, most of which had been spent for equipment, Gettysburg now had what he considered to be "the nucleus of a good physical laboratory for a small college." Within a few years, a new president convinced the trustees to authorize several engineering programs, for which additional equipment was required. By 1914, the entire basement of Glatfelter Hall was being used for physics and engineering. The 1911 catalogue, which announced inauguration of the group system, was the first to describe the "material equipment" of the College in any detail. The authors gave the distinct impression that 57