Show DAILY DAlt Y HASKIN LETTER THE AMERICAN LIBRARY I The I.-The I. I The Free Public Library By FREDERIO J. J HASKIN r To ro tell a little girt girl a fairy airy tale to teach a housewife how better to bake hake a aI apie apie I pie to toak al aid a n. carpenter the better to build a A. houe house to help the tho nt with hl hia I mathematics and the pr preacher acher with his theology to train tho boy nn and to toI help a R. young oung mother to caro for Cor or her I babe babe these arc the tho undertakings of oC tho ho o free Cree public library in the American city The American Library n association will hold hohl its annual conf conference rence In Washington from tho the 1 to tho of oC 1 May It Is 18 the largest organization of ot librarians Inthe Inthe in inthe the world and these librarians have caught the tho true spirit of tho the American library they library th they y are not merely merch custodians of ot books they thoy are aro evangelists of oC learning No Mere Mero House of Books The American library h no longer a A. amere amere m mere r house of oC books books' sleepily reposing on ona ona a side street waiting for tor people to come cometo cometo cometo to it ft It is no longer f static It is 15 no longer an aristocratic institution kept by scholars for or scholars The Tho American library is li dynamic It Is kept h by scholars schol chol- ars arB s. al-s. indeed but it is for all aU the people Remote from the cloistered Institution of the past pat though they are arc the American Amen Ameri can libraries especially the university and libraries and the library of I congress have Just as hl high h standards of or orI scholarship lp as the older libraries of or Europe Europe Europe Eu Eu- I rope yet they are nrc all even the mos most t highly specialized In close relation with the vital vHal affairs of or everyday life UCe The American library Is highly efficient in It Us Its technical equipment It recognizes to bo be a I profession and Insists that its Us affairs be administered b by trained e. e experts who are at the game Fame time human beings hi in n close contact with tho the common life of or tho the common people AU All Sides of Every Question Its most important work being a as ItIs ItIs it itis is In fact CRet a university for the people In Ina ina a a. democracy Is to supply to all 1111 the means for studying all sides of every ques ques- tion In addition to Its ts well located central cen library liberally stocked with books designed to satisfy the voracious appetite of pervasive all American curiosity efficiently effi ern- administered hospitably open at convenient hours bours the American public library is a a. force Coree that goes oes out to all parts palts of oC the city utilizing branches in separate buildings s or in schoolhouses al allotments al a- of oC books to social and civic centers conters cen con ter a and nd so on The free library In fn ever every American city I l shapes hap R itself to the special requirements of that particular city and therefore I there is no absolute type In general ral ralI principles however the whole holo library I movement has pone gone forward at an an oven I pace and o J-o so o for the purposes of this article we Wc may a make a composite portrait portrait portrait por por- trait of ot a library that will 1 represent all tho the libraries In cities of or t ay say a more than people The libraries In tho the smaller small small- er cities clUe arc are tho the same except that their activities are necessarily less extensive Big Work Vork to Circulate Books Tho The chief caro a of cir the i is not to house his books but to circulate them He wishes the maxi maximum mum possible circulation and us lIs use for every book he has Therefore has he-has has always alt on on his mind the problem of or how better bettor to advertise the library and its resources He sends out monthly bulletins of ot new books ho has the these e printed In the dally daily papers Ho He sends out typewritten lists of special books bools on special subjects He lie and this Ills assistants a utilize every ever opportunity to advertise the library b by delivering dell lectures lectures lec lec- tures tunes and addresses before clubs dubs and schools Ho He Is 15 careful that school teachers teach teach- ers ors ala always s 's arc possessed of lists of books to help the pupils in their work Some Sonic of or orthe the advanced libraries notably that at Washington send out each month a social service bulletin which announces public mc meetings of ot individuals and societies In Interested Interested Interested In- In In social socia I service work t and nd then thena a appends lI lIsti t. t of or bool books I and articles In periodicals bearing on the tho subjects to be treated ted Carrying out this social service work the library assists b by refer reference work ork women's clubs debating societies and so sociologIcal sociological sociological so- so or organizations s. s It furnishes them with books with periodicals both hoth current and back numbers with ith pamphlets lets clippings an and governmental reports Reference Departments Municipal reference departments arc Arp maintained with the design to to help the city government to bo ho more efficient and tn to aid citizens to know and antI demand the best government bo This comparatively recent development of library work worl Is handled in different wa ways T In different cities In New Neon York th there re I Is a R distinct municipal reference library in St 51 Louis Louts tIde this II library bra r is 11 maintained at the city hall ball as a a. branch of oC the thc public library I and In Washington It itis Is Is handled andIed andl d as if a department de tic- of the public library In the main library build building In One On of or the most popular and ln for that thal reason the most Important departments of or library work worle Is the industrial The lib library raT leads In technical work worl while such cities clUes as aM Los Jos Angeles Newark and Washington are arc rapidly developing their resources and activities In U this s field It Is how popular r. r even in cIU cities are h books dealing with ture and poultry subjects A feature of oC department is 18 tiie tle domestic science library which is steadily increasing In popularity In e cr every ell city Cit Good cook cookbook cookbooks cookbooks books book circulate almost as well as novels The rho library was once a retreat ea t for scholars Later it opened its doors to all adults I Now Noon It Is most mORt popular with children It introduces university extension extension ex ex- tension work ork with the kindergarten The Tho childrens children's room in tho the library at nt Washington for Cor Instance a few years ear ago occupied only a small corner Now Noon It is the largest elt single room in the li library library li- li and I H is the busiest section In the whole wole building r. in th the small libraries in th the small towns there I is a childrens children's corner and nearl nearly everywhere there is a children's childrens story tO hour In this hour lr children too to read art are taught tau to come to the library and are Inspired with the de desire to Know literature The Tue Calr fairy tale is the beginning of tie the gospel of or knol knowledge d e. e The Tue modern Am American library does not walt wait for school children to come com to It It Ito goes o to the th school children h Classroom libraries are maintained assistant librarians libra ria rians rIana visit th thA schools to assist th tim th teachers in training pupils In tho the use of hooks hook libraries ore are maintained In iii connection connection con con- with public playgrounds and the heartiest operation co-operation is maintained with the school authorities Clothes hampers hamper filled with books go out from the library to tho the schools all over the tho city ani and the pupils pupil thereby are enabled to pursue supplementary reading that helps them r got t away from thin tho conventional text te textbook textbook book theor theory of learning a a. lesson only the while hUe neglecting to learn ln the be tiling Itself There Thero aro arc some somo things s th that t may nay not he be heIt It learned In books hooks that may ma- mabe be bo learned In pictures The Tho lIbra library 1 t today lay Is tending more 8 and nd more moro town toward rd the tho utilization of pictures p s in It Its work One Ont library r with the expenditure of or an nn ob absurdly small sum flum has haR obtained a it collection of thousands thouSands thou thou- sands of pictures clipped from m mage mage- picked up hen ht and there then donated h bv by this thle that or t O tie oth other r p person or eo- eo ct It IH Is astonishing to th the th uninitiated to examine the records of how ho mu much h de demand demand demand de- de mand here hers Is for th these there pictures A series lerleR of or bird picture on file me In the lI library at Washington a ton IB Is on one of ot the most popular things in the entire collection Stereopticon views have ha long been heen a feature of ot public library lectures especially espe espe- daIly on travel and nature subjects and now tho the moving picture Is ts knocking at atthe atthe th the door for n f lon Ton Ten years from no now It will be n f poorly equipped 1 library Cut will not maintain an educational moving picture program for tor its patrons The new library at Portland Ore Ort is the pioneer In this work The spoken word ord was the v vehicle of or knowledge long before Cadmus Invented In d I Isomo books The library has a le lecture hall ball some somo of them have several These lecture I halls h aro are rarely IIII Idle By reason Jon of their existence the becomes become a n social and civic center Paid lecturers when possible discourse on n subjects of general gen gen- en- en eral oral Interest but more often the lecture 1011 is 18 utilized b by some come society such as as' as the the the A Associated Charities Charities Chari Charl- ties tics the tho Sanitary league tho the Par Parent Parent- nt- nt Tf Teacher cher and tho the like Ilk With reasonable restrictions concerning controversial controversial con con- political subjects and sectarian secta ecta- nan rian religious discussions these theBe lecture halls arc aro to an any organization for forthe forthe forthe the free discussion of oC all public ques ques- The library is become b come a a. forum Corum The library does not live JIve to itself alone Tho The stronger helps the weaker and by what Is 18 Isan Isan various us methods of operation co-operation an advanced experiment in fn a a large li library JI- JI bra 1 soon goon becomes a a. part of or the accepted ac RC- ac- ac copied routine even in the smaller li JI- JI brar State library commissions exist i In two thirty states sta having for their purpose the aid ald of or tho the smaller libraries or the extension of ot library work In communities communities com corn where whore no a at t all exist I The commissions lons promote this work by bythe bythe the tho distribution of or subsidies by giving expert advice In the choice of or books book and andIn andin in cataloguing to smal libraries and th the freshening UP up of or small collections in small J communities by the loan of oC traveling trav tray eling cling libraries To sum up it may mav be b said MId d that thit it is the purpose of oC the tie fre free public library to touch the best life lIfo of oC the community a at l levery every point tt tl to supplement ent and complement comple comple- m ment nt the public educational na system and to furnish entertainment instruction and anti practical aid to to people of oC every age ac and cla class s. s without stint or r grudging If any reader who ho is not a regular J I visitor 11 Ito 1 to tho the public library in his town will take talce tho the trouble to visit the librarian antiA and anti A ask k to be bo shown the library work In his community ie H e will not only be- be beas astonished astonished as as- at Its scopes scope but encouraged h by I Its promise |