# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S16
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

16 SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES

entirely to business operation. The business office is not a luxury
but rather an absolute necessity for effective work in the Seminary.
It must be remembered that the Seminary never had a real busi-
ness office included in its structure. During the years, dormitory
space was encroached upon in order to house the needs of the
business department. When we bear in mind that the enrollment
has increased 87% per cent since 1947 and that ‘according to the
most reliable figures available this enrollment will increase to 156
per cent by the end of 1955, it will be recognized that the business
needs have grown proportionately. Since we are faced with the
need of enlarging our staff, this will enlarge the scope of the busi-
ness office work even more in the future. By putting the business
office in a separate pbuilding, we will be able to utilize the present
space for dormitory purposes.

5. To appropriate $35,000 for the completion of the basement
unit of the dormitory now under construction for student union
activities, such as the student bookstore and the post office. The
crowded conditions in our present facilities make this investment
a major necessity.

6. To appropriate $70,000 for the completion of the Field House.
This would include the erection of a second story and the equipment
of the building for larger social gatherings. In fall our Seminary
family will more than fill the chapel auditorium. For functions
attended also by large numbers of visitors, the Seminary has, at
present, no adequate accommodations.

1, To pass 4 resolution enabling the Board for Higher Educa-
tion to purchase or erect homes for professors Now living in apart-
ments as well as for additional professors to be called in course
of time.

8. To appropriate $20,000 for the conversion of Pritzlaff Memo-
rial Library to a more flexible classification system. Pritzlaff
Memorial Library at present catalogues its accessions according
to the Dewey Decimal System. This system was useful as long as
the library was very small and limited to the most basic theological
books. Now that the library has significantly increased its accessions
and has also been compelled to classify highly specialized volumes
in many areas of theological learning, the Dewey Decimal System
is proving more and more inadequate. We must, therefore, seriously
think of converting from the Dewey System to a more flexible
and expansive system, such as the Library of Congress System.
To do the job of conversion will require a number of summers and
the advice and help of expert, professionaly trained librarians.
But the initial steps leading to a realization of this project should
be undertaken as soon as possible.