| Show V I Public Libraries Here and Abroad O I II I S o By CLARE H. H MILAM I Internationally Known Librarian Fifty representatives of foreign libraries will visit America ica in September and October to see American libraries in action and to attend tho the fifteenth anniversary conference of the ilie American Library association What they will learn here and what we can from them is set forth by Mr Milam on his return from the recent international library congress abroad The of ot foreign librarians which Which will soon reach the United Sti States es Indicates th the worldwIde worldwide world world- wide vide Int Interest rest in the popular library movement which has developed In America during the past fifty years eals S S These visitors will observe the promptness ss with which books books' requested are obtained for readers eV even cn In the large libraries Ies th generous privilege granted to readers access to the shelves h the privilege l lege ge of ot borrowing several books at one time and some of our special features s such h as childrens children's rooms branches for fOl business men men hospital library service book automobiles library library schools our schemes of classification and our catalogs etc These features are generally though to be more highly deve developed in America than in oth other r countries America Is recognized as having m do an ant contribution to civilization in placing libraries rles on on a democratic and popular basis baa But there are Interesting and Important nt devel develop developments p- p ments of the popular library movement In other countries some of ot which have been recently visited by the writer In October 1919 1910 one year after atter Czechoslovakia became becane an independent country a law passed re requiring re- re quiring all cities es towns and villages to establish public libraries within specified limits of time Now after this law has been In operation seven years 85 per cent of the p people are said to have access to public libraries America has had an active li library Ii- Ii movement for fifty jears and years and there arc are still people In the United States and Canada In the United States alone who do not have access to local public libraries J Eleven years ago the Carnegie Ie United Kingdom trust established a policy of aiding In the develop develop- developmEnt development ment meat of county libraries In Great Britain Now we weare weare weare are told practically 99 09 p per r cent of the people In England Scotland and Wales Vales have some same sort of service from county libraries The county library movement started skirted in America over twenty years year'S ago but we now hav only 2 3 publicly supported county libraries out of 01 a possible Individual municipal and county libraries In America Ameri may be better than similar institutions in other countries but Czechoslovakia and Great BrItain Britain Bri BrI- tam tain have outstripped us in the comprehensiveness of ot their Ir service S S i Moreover r there are public libraries In other countries from which America can learn much ItIs It Itis Itis is possible for example e in Glasgow Scotland a city of ot a million population to get from any anyone one of the many branches within from two to four tour hours any book which is on the shelves of ot any other branch I In Germany a system of interlibrary loans exists which makes maltes available to scholars anywhere in inG G Germany the r sources resources of the university unI technical and state libraries which are scattered through the republic S. S A public library has been established In Leipzig which eaters caters exclusively to the people who wish to read only the best books It has books bools of all kinds but a very limited ed number in each class class class-an an experiment experiment experiment ment which America will watch with interest To supplement the collections of ot important books booksin in small libraries especially the types of books bools needed ne-eded b by adult students there ther-e has been established established in the central lending library for stu stu- dents The service of this library makes It possible for a serious stud student nt an anywhere where in Great Britain to I get practically any book he wants either from or through his local library Further development I of service of this type In the tho states and provinces of ot the United States and Canada is one of at the re recommendations o of a special commission of the American Library association w whIch sOl for or two years has been studying adult education problems from the U librarians librarian's point of ot view Copyright 1926 Cosmos Newspaper Syndicate Inc A |
