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5th. Each individual residing in the district, of sufficient age to read the books belonging to the library, is to be regarded as an inhabitant, and is entitled to all the benefits and privileges conferred by the regulations relative to district libraries. Minors will draw in their own names, but on the responsibility of their parents or guardians.

6th. Where there is a sufficient number of volumes in the library to accommodate all residents of the district who wish to borrow, the librarian should permit each member of a family to take books, as often as desired, so long as the regulations are punctu ally and fully observed. But where there are not books enough to supply all the borrowers, the librarian should endeavor to accommodate as many as possible, by furnishing each family in proportion to the number of its readers or borrowers.

IV. Every book must be returned to the library within twenty days after it shall have been taken out, but the same inhabitant may again take it, unless application has been made for it, while it was so out of the library, by any person entitled, who has not previously borrowed the same book, in which case such applicant shall have a preference in the use of it. And where there have been several such applicants, the preference shall be according to the priority in time of their applications, to be determined by the librarian. Upon application to the Superintendent, the time for keeping books out of the library will be extended to a period not exceeding twenty-eight days, where sufficient reasons for such extentension are shown.

V. If a book be not returned at the proper time, the librarian is to report the fact to the trustees; and he must also exhibit to them every book which has been returned injured by soiling, defacing, tearing or in any other way, before such book shall again be loaned out, together with the name of the inhabitant in whose possession it was when so injured.

VI. The trustees of school districts being, by virtue of their office, trustees of the library, are hereby authorized to impose the following fines:

1st. For each day's detention of a book beyond the time allowed by these regulations, six cents, but not to be imposed for more than ten days' detention.

2d. For the destruction or loss of a book, a fine equal to the full value of the book, or of the set, if it be one of a series, with the addition to such value of ten cents for each volume. And on the payment of such fine, the party fined shall be entitled to the residue of the series. If he has also been fined for detaining such book, then the said ten cents shall not be added to the value.

3d. For any injury which a book may sustain after it shall be taken out by a borrower, and before its return, a fine may be imposed of six cents for every spot of grease or oil upon the cover, or upon any leaf of the volume; for writing in or defacing

any book, not less than ten cents, nor more than the value of the book; for cutting or tearing the cover or the binding, or any leaf, not less than ten cents, nor more than the value of the book.

4th. If a leaf be torn out, or so defaced or mutilated that it can not be read, or if anything be written in the volume, or any other injury done to it, which renders it unfit for general circulation, the trustees will consider it a destruction of the book, and shall impose a fine accordingly, as above provided, in case of loss of a book.

5th. When a book shall have been detained seven days beyond the twenty days allowed by these regulations, the librarian shall give notice to the borrower to return the same within three days. If not returned at that time, the trustees may consider the book lost or destroyed, and may impose a fine for its destruction in

addition to the fines for its detention.

VII. But the imposition of a fine for the loss or destruction of a book, shall not prevent the trustees from recovering such book in an action of replevin, unless such fine shall have been paid.

VIII. When, in the opinion of the librarian, any fine has been incurred by any person under these regulations, he may refuse to deliver any book to the party liable to such fine, until the decision of the trustees upon such liability be had.

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IX. Previous to the imposition of any fine, two days' written or verbal notice is to be given by any trustee, or the librarian, or any other person authorized by either of them, to the person charged, to show cause why he should not be fined for the alleged offence or neglect; and if within that time good cause be not shown the trustees shall impose the fine herein prescribed. No other excuse for an extraordinary injury to a book, that is for such an injury as would not be occasioned by its ordinary use, should be received, but the fact that the book was as much injured when it was taken out by the person charged, as it was when he returned it. such loss must fall on some one, it is more just that it should be borne by the party whose duty it was to take care of the volume, than by the district. Negligence can only be prevented, and disputes can only be avoided, by the adoption of this rule. Subject to these general principles the imposition of all, or any of these fines, is discretionary with the trustees, and they should ordinarily be imposed only for wilful or culpably negligent injuries to books, or where the district actually sustains a loss or serious injury. Reasonable excuses for the detention of the books beyond twenty days should in all cases be received.

X. It is the special duty of the librarian to give notice to the borrower of a book that shall be returned injured, to show cause why he should not be fined. Such notice may be given to the agent of the borrower who returns the book, and it should always be given at the time the book is returned.

XI. The librarian is to inform the trustees of every notice given by him to show cause against the imposition of a fine; and they shall assemble at the time and place appointed by him, or by any notice given by them, or any one of them; and shall hear the charge and defence. They are to keep a book of minutes, in which every fine imposed by them and the cause, shall be entered and signed by them, or the major part of them. Such original minutes, or a copy certified by them, or the major part of them, or by the clerk of the district, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact that a fine was imposed as stated in such minutes, according to these regulations.

XII. It shall be the duty of trustees to prosecute promptly for the collection of all fines imposed by them. Fines collected for the detention of books, or for injuries to them, are to be applied to defray the expense of repairing the books in the library. Fines collected for the loss or destruction of any book, or of a set or series of books, shall be applied to the purchase of the same or other suitable books.

XIII. These regulations being declared by law "obligatory upon all persons and officers having charge of such libraries, or using or possessing any of the books thereof," it is expedient that they should be made known to every borrower of a book. And for that purpose, a printed copy is to be affixed conspicuously on the case containing any library, or on one of such cases, if there be several and the librarian is to call the attention to them of every person, on the first occasion of his taking out a book.

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The offices of trustee and librarian are incompatible, and cannot be held by the same person.

CHAPTER VIII.

TEACHERS.

By § 104, (No. 129,) the trustees of each district are to provide a book, in which the teachers are to enter the names of the scholars attending school, and the number of days they shall have respectively attended, and also the number of times the school shall have been inspected by the town superintendent. This list is to be verified by the oath of the teacher.

The strict and faithful performance of this duty is highly important, not only to the district but to the teacher. It is the basis upon which the rate-bills are to be made out, and by which the sums to be paid by parents are to be ascertained. Error in these lists will therefore produce injustice. It has been held by this department, that the teacher is not entitled to call on the trustees for his wages, unless he furnishes them an accurate list of scholars,on which they can prepare the rate-bills and issue their warrant. Hence the

teacher has a direct personal interest in the preservation of an accurate list, which he can verify by his oath.

For the purpose of executing this provision, the teacher will write the following heading or caption in his book, at the commencement of each quarter:

A list of the scholars who attended the district school of district No. in the town of during the quarter or term

commencing the

day of

days they respectively attended the same.

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185 and the number of

Name of scholar. | No. of days' attendance.

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At the time any pupil enters the schools, the teacher should im-mediately insert the date and the name of the scholar. At the close of the quarter, the whole number of days that each pupil attended is to be ascertained, from the check roll, and entered in the third column, in words at length, and also in figures, as in the above form.

.

Each teacher, at the commencement of every quarter, must provide a day or check roll, in which the name of every scholar is to be entered. It should be ruled so as to give six columns, corresponding to the number of days in the week. The number attending should be ascertained each half day, and pencil marks made in the column for the day opposite to the name of each one present, At the end of the week, the number of days each pupil has attended during the week should be summed up and entered on the weekly roll. Each half day's attendance should be noted, and two half days should be reckoned as one day. The pencil marks on the day roll may be obliterated, so that the same roll may be used during the quarter. The weekly roll should be formed in the same manner, so as to contain the names of the pupils, and thirteen columns ruled, corresponding to the number of weeks in the quarter. In each of these columns is to be entered the result of the daily check roll for each week, in the following form :

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At the end of the quarter, the teacher will sum up the attendances of each pupil from this weekly roll, and enter the result in the book provided by the trustees as before mentioned, showing the whole number of days each scholar has attended during the quar

ter.

At the end of the list, the following oath or affirmation is to be written :

A. B., being duly sworn, (or affirmed) deposes, that the foregoing is a true and accurate list of the names of the scholars who attended the district school of district No. in the town of

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during the quarter commencing the

day of

185 and the number of days they respectively attended. This oath or affirmation is to be signed by the teacher, and certified by a justice of the peace, commissioner of deeds, judge of any court of record, town superintendent, or county clerk, to have been taken before him.

The teachers are also required to make an abstract of the lists for the use of the trustees, at the end of each quarter, showing the results exhibited under the following heads and in the following form:

Abstract of the attendance of scholars, at the district school of district No. in the town of during the quarter day of

commencing the

185

Of scholars who attended less than two months, there were Of scholars who attended two months and less than four,

66

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four months and less than six,
six months and less than eight,
eight months and less than ten,
ten months and less than twelve,
twelve months.

This abstract is to be signed by the teacher and delivered to the

trustees.

In another part of the book provided by the trustees, and towards the end of it, the teacher will enter the days on which the school has been inspected, in the form of a memorandum, as follows:

Account of Inspections of the School in District No..

November 1, 1841. The school was inspected by William Jones, town Superintendent.

December 1, 1841. The school was inspected.

To this also an oath or affirmation of the correctness must be added, in the following form:

A. B., being duly sworn, (or affirmed) deposes, that the foregoing is a true account of the days on which the school in District No. was visited and inspected by the

, in the town of

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