LIBRARY DEPARTMENT

SECRETARY'S MINUTES

FIRST SESSION.-THURSDAY, JULY 6, 1905

The department met in the auditorium of the Public Library of Asbury Park, at 2:30 P. M., and was called to order by the president, Charles P. Cary, of Wisconsin.

The president then read a paper on "Libraries and Library Privileges for Villages and Rural Communities." Discussion was opened by James H. Canfield, of New York; followed by Miss Dickey, of Chicago; President J. N. Wilkinson, of Kansas; Dr. Tuttle, of New York; W. Scott, of Boston.

A second paper was presented by James H. Canfield, of New York, in the form of a report on "Instruction in Library Work for Normal and Secondary Schools." Discussion was opened by E. D. Phillips, of Missouri; followed by Dr. Tuttle, of New York.

The paper of James H. Canfield is withheld from publication in the volume for extension into a special report to be published in pamphlet form.

A third paper was presented by Miss Florence M. Hopkins, Detroit, Mich., on "Method of Instruction in the Use of High-School Libraries." Discussion was opened by Mr. Halleck, of Louisville, Ky., followed by Mr. Discurt, Pittsburg, Pa., and Miss Shroyer, of Dayton, Ohio.

Time was given Mr. Scott, Boston, Mass., to present the subject of the "Library Post Law."

The president appointed the following committees:

COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS

James H. Canfield, New York, N. Y. Edwin W. Gaillard, New York, N. Y. Martin Hensel, Columbus, Ohio.

COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS

Reuben Post Halleck, Louisville, Ky. Miss Signa E. Shroyer, Dayton, Ohio. Miss Helen L. Dickey, Chicago, Ill.

The session then adjourned.

SECOND SESSION.-FRIDAY, JULY 7

The department met at the same place, at 9:30 A. M.; the president in the chair. The Committee on Nominations reported as follows:

For President J. N. Wilkinson, Emporia, Kans.

For Vice-President-Edwin White Gaillard, New York, N. Y.

For Secretary-Miss Grace Salisbury, Whitewater, Wis.

The secretary was instructed to cast the ballot for these officers, which was done, and they were declared the officers of the department for the coming year.

The first paper of the session was presented by Robert H. Wright, Baltimore, Md., on "How to Make the Library Useful to High-School Pupils." This was discussed by Miss Jones, of Kansas.

The second paper was presented by President G. Stanley Hall, of Massachusetts, on the theme "What Young People Read and What They Should Read."

The third paper was presented by Percival Chubb, of New York, on the "Value and Place of Fairy-Stories in the Education of Children."

It was voted to have no discussion of either of these papers, because of the early lunch and other arrangements made necessary by the coming of President Roosevelt. The Committee on Resolutions reported as follows:

Resolved, That the Library Department of the National Educational Association earnestly indorses the proposition presented by Mr. Scott in the efforts made to secure the transmission of library books intended for general circulation at a rate not to exceed one cent per pound for postage.

Resolved, That it is the sense of this department that all teachers should learn at least the elementary essentials of library administration and circulation.

Resolved, That is is the opinion of this body that all teachers should do some expert work in that branch of child study which leads to ascertaining the reading tastes of children of various ages, and that they should endeavor to minister intelligently to these tastes by becoming acquainted at first hand with the contents of as many as possible of the books recommended.

Resolved, That individually and as a body we will do all we can to encourage state aid to libraries, including the work of library commissions, interstate library loans, and extension work.

Resolved, That the members of this department urge the officers of the American Library Association and of the National Educational Association to take measures to secure either a joint meeting of the two associations or meetings which shall be so near each other as to time and place as to permit the interchange of members and programs, in the interest of co-ordinating the public schools and the public libraries.

The resolutions were unanimously adopted, and the department then adjourned. RUTH YEOMANS, Acting Secretary.

PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS

LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY PRIVILEGES FOR VILLAGES AND RURAL COMMUNITIES

C. P. CARY, STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, MADISON, WIS.

One of the most important problems in library work at the present time is that of giving library privileges to the citizens of rural communities. Libraries have become an essential part of our educational system. If it is necessary that our people be taught to read in childhood, and thru adult life, they should have the opportunity to use this power to the best advantage for themselves and the community in which they live. The children in the large cities, and in nearly all of the smaller cities, of the country are given library privileges thru the public libraries, and most of them also have access to school libraries. The children of the rural communities generally have access to school libraries only, and most of the latter are very scant.

The general problem at present seems to me, therefore, to be that of supplying better library privileges to school children and adults in rural communities.

The United States Census Bulletin No. 16, for the year 1900, gives the number of people living in unincorporated places in this country as 40,299,060, or 52.9 per cent. of the total population. Careful observers are agreed

that the people in rural communities, having fewer distractions, read books more carefully and thoroly, and talk them over more in the families, than do the people in the cities. It is evident, too, that if the books in such communities are carefully selected, the reading of the people may be confined to volumes that are not only popular, but have great intrinsic merit. The smaller the community, the greater may be the comparative influence of the best books.

In spite of these facts, however, nearly all of the millions of dollars that are going annually to the support of libraries are expended in the cities and villages, and nearly all the wealth of thought and enterprise that is used to advance library interests flow in the same direction. It would seem desirable, therefore, to call attention to the fact of the need of greater effort to aid people of the rural communities, and of suggesting a practicable method of accomplishing the results we desire.

In the cities we have public libraries, and to a greater or less extent school libraries. Adults do not use the school libraries. It often happens that the enthusiasm of teachers for library work is so great that good school libraries may be found by the side of good public libraries, even in the smaller cities. In the small villages and hamlets we can secure reasonable library privileges only by a union of effort. By library privileges I mean not only access to books, but the aid of persons trained in guiding students and readers to the wealth of matter that is available to all at a slight expenditure of money.

Federal and state governments, municipal and national organizations and libraries, have great quantities of valuable information in printed form, which is freely and cheerfully given to all earnest students who will apply for it thru the usual channels. It is not to be expected that the average isolated citizen should know of all of this material, but it seems not to be too much to ask that each community should have some person who could aid inquirers. This means a trained librarian, but we cannot at present have public libraries with trained librarians in charge in the smaller places.

If we can, however, broaden the scope of the school library in hamlets and districts where the schools have been consolidated to include something of the work done by the public libraries of the cities, we can not only magnify the work of the school, but we can make it in the best sense the intellectual center of the community. It would seem possible so to arrange the building and the teaching force that in most places where the schools have from two to five departments, one room may be set apart for a library which shall be both a public and a school library, and one of the teachers selected with this purpose in view may be able to devote part of her time to the library. And here we meet another problem. Methods of library administration and the general principles and details of library economy have been formulated by people who are in charge of great libraries. Our library schools are maintained for the training of educated people, and their courses of instruction are prepared to train such persons to take places in large libraries. Occasionally

students are trained nominally to have charge of small libraries; but by small libraries are meant those in smaller cities, and no account is taken of the needs of the still smaller places and rural communities. In the few textbooks and articles which treat on library economy in small communities, little effort is made, so far as I am aware, to plan work especially designed to meet these needs. These library schools have courses which require one or two years of training. There are a few " 'summer schools of library science" which give brief courses, but these take the methods of classification and administration which are suitable for large libraries, and present those points which are considered essential in small libraries.

The problems of administration which confront the person in charge of a library of from 300 to 1,200 volumes, where she can know practically the contents of all the books, and has personal contact with each of the library patrons, knowing frequently not only the patron, but his or her home surroundings, are very different from those in a large library, where no librarian. can have an intimate knowledge of either the books or the borrowers.

It seems to me that we need a simple system of cataloging and classifying, of keeping the records and recommended lists of books, made directly for the purposes of these rural (combination) public and school libraries, and that the instruction in library science given by librarians in normal schools should be so modified as to fit some of the graduates of the schools to fill the position of librarian in such libraries. The state departments of education are constantly receiving requests from teachers for aid in classification and cataloging in the school libraries. Library commissions are receiving similar requests. It is not too much to say that the larger share of advice that such teachers receive from trained librarians and from the text-books on library science bewilders rather than enlightens. There is altogether too much machinery for the purpose.

As I have stated, the small library, whose books are so few that the librarian, and quite a number of its patrons, can find almost any volume in the dark, makes very different requirements on the organizer from those of the large library. It is very important, however, that the librarian should have an even wider training than the ordinary librarian in the method of securing information from the great institutions of the country.

As one instance of available material that would be useful in many rural communities, allow me to cite the literature issued by the Department of Agriculture at Washington. Each year this department expends hundreds of thousands of dollars in investigations of subjects of the utmost importance to farmers. The results of these investigations are published in bulletins, which are sent either without cost, or at a nominal cost, to all applicants. It is a singular fact that only a small share of the people who would be most benefited by this information send for these bulletins. The department is very anxious to reach the farmers with its publications, and not only supplies sets of these bulletins and of its yearbooks to public libraries which are free

to farmers, but also gives the necessary printed cards to make this literature of the most use. Where there is a small library in a rural community which has this literature and the printed catalog cards, a farmer can not only examine the literature, but, after finding that which is of the most value for his purpose, can secure copies for himself without cost, or at small cost.

I cite this as only one of the many examples which might be given to show how a person with a few weeks' training might aid the people of her community without subjecting them to much expense.

I think this whole subject merits a careful investigation by this department. to find some means of providing courses of training for teachers to fill such positions as we have just been considering. Library schools and library summer schools might very properly provide courses for teachers, and the librarians in normal schools might well provide a somewhat different course in library training from that ordinarily given. In preparing the system to be used in these small libraries, there should be a conference of well-trained librarians and teachers, and of librarians who are thereby familiar with the needs of the rural districts.

The report on library training for normal schools, which closes this after⚫ noon's program, is exactly on the line of this demand for simple methods, and is therefore peculiarly timely and interesting.

DISCUSSION

JAMES H. CANFIELD, librarian of Columbia University, New York city.—Mr. Canfield spoke briefly of the work done in New York state, in an effort to advance the interests of rural libraries and the rural schools. The state has been divided into eleven districts, in each of which library institutes are held each spring. New York city, Brooklyn, and Buffalo each forms a district by itself, and each is able to care for itself. The remaining eight districts are under the care of the New York State Library Association.

A library club is organized in each district, officers and members of which devote themselves to the library interests of the district and are especially charged with the preparations for the library institute. At these institutes at least three sessions are held, two for instruction and one of a more public character. The instructional sessions are given to a discussion and explanation of simple methods, desirable chiefly in the small libraries. The purpose of these discussions and of this instruction is not so much to master the details of library economy as to secure efficiency and power in the administration of whatever collection of books has been made. At the evening or popular sessions, addresses are made by local speakers, and by at least one of the institute committee, appointed by the State Library Association.

MISS DICKEY, Chicago, Ill., spoke of the library institute work in Illinois, recently started along much the same lines as those followed in New York, only with fewer meetings thus far. Last year three institutes were held, which were very acceptable to the librarians in rural communities. There is no question but that this work will be extended.

J. N. WILKINSON, of the State Normal School at Emporia, Kans., spoke briefly of the work done in the normal school, by which all possible library information is carried to the teachers of the state. A nine-week library school is held each summer. Constant effort is being made to co-ordinate the public library and the public school.