On the eleventh floor of John Crerar Library, seated behind a massive desk with piles of documents representing a wide variety of languages and quoting dizzy figures, we find Chief Librarian J. Christian Bay hard at work. Upon our arrival he lights his pipe, which signifies that he is ready for the interview which he has granted us.

"I was born in Denmark, in the city of Rudkjobing, the center of the world," jokes Dr. Bay, whose honorary titles and degrees are numerous. Looking down at Michigan Boulevard where a steady stream of automobiles and pedestrians hurry by, he exclaims:

"My! how busy people are!"

"When will you let us celebrate your jubilee?"

"Oh yes! Time flies. In 1941 I shall reach the age of seventy." J. Chr. Bay 2was born on Columbus Day. He graduated as a student of plant physiology at the University of Copenhagen but left Denmark in 1892 and arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, with $1.50 in his pocket. There he went to work for the St. Louis Botanical Garden and organized an index system which is used to this day. Later he made an index of known microbes for the board of health of the State of Iowa. From there he went to Michigan, where he accepted a position as principal of Ashland High School. About the year 1900 Dr. Bay began his career as a librarian at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. From there he went to the John Crerar Library of Chicago, where he has been the guiding spirit for the last thirty-three years.

"Have you many Danish books in your library?"

WSixteen thousand volumes besides a number of periodicals. We receive a number of books from the State Library at Aarhus, Denmark, mostly technical literature--some valuable books such as Flora Danica, a masterpiece in colored copper-plate."

Dr. Bay pushes a little button and orders a book from corridor eight to the right, book four on the third shelf on the left hand side--and presto! up comes first volume of Flora Danica, which was published during the year 1761-1883, a real masterpiece at which we look with awe.

The chief librarian opens a safe and produces some specimens of Danish literature, fancily bound in Russian leather, with rare titles such as Title Leaves by Tycho Brahe, in manuscript, dated 1588, a poem by Oehlenschlaeger in the author's own handwriting, with a pressed rose, a poem by H. C. Anderson in the author's handwriting.

"We are the guardians of some 600,000 volumes dedicated to the promotion of science. We have our own printing plant where we make our catalogues to be sent all over the world. Our stock increases by approximately 8,000 volumes annually; besides books we have 4,000 current periodicals. Our library of medicine contains more than 100,000 volumes, very valuable books. Miss Ella M. Salmonsen has charge of that department, and she is as omniscient 4as her father, who was the author of an encyclopedia, and of great service to students of medicine.

Dr. Bay knows everybody, so it seems, and he knows only what is good about people. He preserves and cherishes memories of friends who have passed away, as much as he admires the beautiful copper-plate of Flora Danica.

One of Christian Bay's best friends was the late Dr. Max Henius. "He was a great and unselfish personality," says Dr. Bay. "I remember when we lay basking in the sunshine on one of the Rebild Hills and made plans for the establishment of a special library on the history of Danish-American immigrants. These plans have now been realized, and I am proud of our librarian Svend Waedelin over there. He is now attempting to create the best organized library in Denmark (The Archives at Lohngaardsholm).

Chief Librarian J. Christian Bay has a great name in the world of books and is himself a heavy contributor to it as well as to the Danish-American press.