LI B R.AR.Y OF THE U N IVLRSITY OF ILLINOIS OZ0.6 AM CENTRAL CIRCULATION BOOKSTACKS The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its renewal or its return to the library from which it was borrowed on or before the Latest Date stamped below. You may be charged a minimum fee of $75.00 for each lost book. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books or* reasons for disciplinary action and may result In dismissal from the University. TO RENEW CALL TELEPHONE CENTER, 343-8400 UNIVERSITY OP ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 'b 'Ml 1 1 200J When renewing by phone, write new due date below previous due date. LI 62 BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION VOL. 16, No. 4 CHICAGO, ILL. JULY, 1922 PAPERS and PROCEEDINGS DETROIT CONFERENCE 1922 PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR. Entered as second-class matter December 27, 1909, at the Post Office at Chicago, 111., under Act of Congress of July 16, 1894. Acceptance for mailing: at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 8, 1918. OFFICERS 1921-1922 PRESIDENT AZARIAH S. ROOT SAMUEL H. RANCK CLARIBEL R. BARNETT EDWARD D. TWEEDELL Oberlin College Library FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT Grand Rapids Public Library SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT U. S. Department of Agriculture Library TREASURER JOHN COTTON DANA EDITH TOBITT IGARET MANN B. UTLEY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD The above officers, and For Term Expiring 1922 The John Crerar Library Newark Free Public Library Omaha Public Library For Term Expiring 1923 Engineering Societies Library (Appointed to fill vacancy for one year) The Newberry Library GRATIA A. COUNTRYMAN GEORGE S. GODARD H. H. B. MEYER CARL B. RODEN CARL H. MILAM For Term Expiring 1924 For Term Expiring 1925 Minneapolis Public Library Connecticut State Library Library of Congress Chicago Public Library SECRETARY 78 East Washington St., Chicago, 111. ASSISTANT SECRETARIES SARAH C. N. BOGLE and EVA M. FORD 78 E. Washington St., Chicago E. W. SHELDON W. W. APPLETON TRUSTEES OF ENDOWMENT FUND Term Expires 1922 J. RANDOLPH COOLIDGE, JR. Term Expires 1923 Term Expires 1924 New York New York Boston. Mass. PAPERS AND PROCEEDINGS of the FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING of the American Library Association held at DETROIT, MICHIGAN June 26 - July 1, 1922 THE LIBRARY OF THE JAN 1 1944 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 1922 C O NTENTS General Sessions Proceedings 81 First General Session 81 t) Second General Session 81 Third General Session 82 Ann Arbor Meeting 82 5* Fourth General Session 83 Fifth General Session 85 General Sessions Papers 88 President's Address Aeariah S. Root 88 Greeting to the Association Adam Strohm 92 The New American M. L. Burton 93 A.L.A. Publications: The Policy of the Editorial Committee. . Hitter C. Wellman 98 ft A.L.A. Publications: Needs Not Yet Fulfilled H. M. Lydenberg 101 A.L.A. Publications for School Libraries Marion Morton 104 A.L.A. Publications for the Special Library Adelaide R. Hasse 105 A.L.A. Publications for College and University Libraries Andrew Keogh 106 A.L.A. Publications for Popular Libraries Howard L. Hughes 107 The Louvain Library Whitney Warren 109 Copyright and the Publishers: A Review of thirty years.... M. L. Raney 110 Copyright Reply to Dr. M. L. Raney Frederic G. Melcher 115 ,3- Library Recruiting Jitdson T. Jennings 118 /"> Recruiting for Public Libraries in Canada George H. Locke 120 Recruiting for Children's Librarians Clara Whitehall Hunt 122 Recruiting for College and University Libraries W. E. Henry 124 Recruiting for Special Libraries Alice L. Rose 125 Recruiting for School Libraries Martha C. Pritchard 126 Recruiting for Library Schools Alice S. Tyler 127 Libraries in the Navy C. R. Train 129 Adult Education: A Common Interest of Libraries and Universities W. D. Henderson 131 National Library Week: The Publicity Committee's Proposal . Willis H. Kerr 133 A Library Week: Indiana's Experience Edmund L. Craig 134 Missouri's Book Week Charles H. Campion 136 How Publishers and Booksellers Are Getting Good National Publicity Marion Humble 137 What a Publicity Week Can Do for a Library Herbert S. Hirshberg 138 The Individual's Responsibility to his Profession Harold H. Emmons 140 The Librarian's Duty to his Profession C. B. Roden 141 The Librarian's Duty to the Profession Mary Emogene Haseltine 144 Pull in the Gangway Adam Strohm 146 Council 148 First Session 148 Second Session -.. 152 79 CONTENTS Annual Reports Administrative Reports 155 Secretary's Report 155 Publications Costs and Sales 163 Necrology 165 Library work for Ex-Service Men in Hos- pitals, 1921-22 166 American Library in Paris 169 Committee Reports 1921-22 171 Book Binding 171 Book Buying 172 Cataloging 175 Civil Service Relations 175 Committee on Committees 176 Constitution and By-laws 176 Decimal Classification Advisory Committee. . 176 Editorial Committee 176 Education 176 Federal and State Relations 183 Finance Committee 186 Foreign Periodicals of the War Period 186 Institutional Libraries 188 International Relations 188 Investigation of Manner in which Municipali- ties are Meeting Obligations to Donors . 188 Joint Committee of Seven 189 Legislation 189 Library Administration 193 Library Co-operation with Other Countries.. 194 155 Library Co-operation wfth the Hispanic Peo- ples 204 Library Revenues 205 Library Service (Committee of Five) 206 Library Training 206 Library Workers Association 209 Membership Committee 209 National Certification and Training 210 Nominating Committee 211 Preparation of a Bibliography of Humanistic Literature 211 Public Documents 211 Publicity 212 Reciprocal Relations with Other National Or- ganizations 212 Recruiting 213 Resources of American Libraries 215 Revision of Adams' Manual of Historical Lit- erature 215 Salaries 215 Sponsorship for Knowledge 217 Standardization of Libraries 218 Transfer of Library War Service Activities. . 218 Union List of Periodicals 220 Ventilation and Lighting of Library Buildings. 220 Work with the Blind 220 Work with the Foreign Born 228 Financial Reports, 1921-22 229 Sections and Round Tables Agricultural Libraries Section 234 Catalog Section 236 Children's Librarians Section 264 College and Reference Section 269 County Libraries Round Table 275 Hospital Libraries Round Table 276 Lending Section 28 1 Libraries of Religion and Theology 294 Library Buildings Round Table 299 234 Professional Training Section 300 Public Documents Round Table 305 School Libraries Section 317 Small Libraries Round Table 344 Training Class Instructors Round Table 346 Trustees Section 346 University Library Extension Service Round Table 350 Work with Negroes Round Table 361 Work with the Foreign Born Round Table. . 366 Library News Writing Course 375 Affiliated Organizations American Association of Law Libraries. . League of Library Commissions Special Libraries Association National Association of State Libraries. Statistics of Libraries. Attendance Summaries Attendance Register . . Index 379 379 381 387 391 424 453 455 476 80 PAPERS AND PROCEEDINGS Detroit Conference, 1922 GENERAL SESSIONS PROCEEDINGS FIRST GENERAL SESSION (Monday evening, June 26) THE FORTY-FOURTH Annual Meeting of the American Library Association was called to order by the president, AZARIAH S. ROOT, librarian, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, in the Central Methodist Church House, De- troit, Michigan, at 8:00 p. m., June 26, 1922. HON. JOHN C. LODGE, president of the Com- mon Council of the City of Detroit, welcomed the members of the Association. He ex- pressed regret because of the Mayor's un- avoidable absence from the meeting, paid a high tribute to Clarence M. Burton for what he has done for the City of Detroit and con- gratulated the American Library Association on having for its object "The extension and development of libraries so that every man, woman and child in America will have ready access to the books he needs." He then read the greeting written by ADAM STROHM and printed in the Detroit Free Press on Sunday, June 25. (See p. 92.) The PRESIDENT: I assure you that the members of the American Library Associa- tion appreciate the kind words of greeting you have given us. Flying messengers of Detroit have carried its fame to the ends of the earth, and we have come with great anticipations which we know are destined to be realized. PRESIDENT ROOT then introduced PRESIDENT M. L. BURTON of the University of Michi- gan, who spoke on THE NEW AMERICAN (See p. 93.) The PRESIDENT: President Burton has car- ried you up to the heights. It is now my duty to bring you back to earth by delivering the annual president's address. (See p. 88.) The meeting adjourned. Following the meeting the Detroit Public Library held a general reception in the new main building. SECOND GENERAL SESSION (Tuesday morning, June 27) PRESIDENT ROOT presided. PRESIDENT ROOT read a telegram from E. R. GRABOW, of Swampscott, extending greet- ings of the New Ocean House to the mem- bers and expressing the hope that another conference would be held there sometime in the near future. The PRESIDENT: Until this year A.L.A. publications have been in charge of an inde- pendent body known as the Publishing Board. Now they are in charge of the Editorial Com- mittee which is appointed by the Executive Board. It seemed to us, therefore, that at the end of the first year of this management it would be a good opportunity for the Com- mittee to state what its aims and purposes are. The general theme for this session is A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS HILLER C. WELLMAN of Springfield, Massa- chusetts, chairman of the Editorial Commit- tee, spoke on THE POLICY OF THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE. (See p. 98.) H. M. LYDENBERG of the New York Public Library, speaking for the large reference libraries, discussed NEEDS NOT YET FULFILLED (See p. 101.) Talks were given by the following: MARION HORTON, Los Angeles Library School, on A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES (See p. 104.) ADELAIDE R. HASSE, Washington, D. C., on A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR THE SPECIAL LIBRARY (See p. 105.) ANDREW KEOGH, Yale University Library, on A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR COLLEGE AND REFER- ENCE LIBRARIES (See p. 106.) HOWARD L. HUGHES, Trenton Public Li- brary, OTi 81 82 DETROIT CONFERENCE A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR POPULAR LIBRARIES (See p. 107.) WHITNEY WARREN, architect, New York City, addressed the Association on THE LOUVAIN LIBRARY illustrating the talk with lantern slides. (See p. 109.) M. L. RANEY, librarian Johns Hopkins Uni- versity and chairman of the Book Buying Committee, addressed the Association on COPYRIGHT AND THE PUBLISHERS : A REVIEW OF THIRTY YEARS (See p. 110.) The meeting adjourned. Following the session the official photo- graph was taken in the park. THIRD GENERAL SESSION (Wednesday morning, June 28) PRESIDENT ROOT called the meeting to order and stated that he had agreed to make a radio talk on county libraries through the Detroit News later in the morning. The PRESIDENT: The topic of the morn- ing is RECRUITING FOR LIBRARY SERVICE This topic will be introduced by JUDSON T. JENNINGS of the Seattle Public Library, chairman of the Recruiting Committee, who will speak on LIBRARY RECRUITING (See p. 118.) VICE-PRESIDENT SAMUEL H. RANCK was called to the chair to preside during President Root's radio talk at the News office. GEORGE H. LOCKE, librarian of the Toronto Public Library, presented an address on RECRUITING FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN CANADA (See p. 120.) This was followed by the radio talk. Other talks were made as follows : CLARA W. HUNT, Brooklyn Public Library, on RECRUITING FOR CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS (See p. 122.) W. E. HENRY, University of Washington Library, on RECRUITING FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES (See p. 124.) ALICE L. ROSE of the National City Fi- nancial Library, New York, on RECRUITING FOR SPECIAL LIBRARIES (See p. 125.) The PRESIDENT returned. PRESIDENT ROOT: We have with us today a representative of Mr. Hoover, DR. JOHN M. GRIES, chief of the Division of Building and Housing of the Department of Commerce, who is to speak to one of the sections this afternoon. But I have asked him to allow me to present him to you. DR. JOHN M. GRIES: Secretary Hoover is much interested in the work that is being done by the libraries. They furnish us with material and facts which we need in deciding questions every day. They are also in a position to spread those facts to those who can use them. There must be centers for the collection of information and for the dis- semination of information and I know of no better organization than the library. And Secretary Hoover is glad to co-operate with you in any way possible. MARTHA C. PRITCHARD of the Detroit Teachers' College Library spoke on RECRUITING FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES (See p. 126.) ALICE S. TYLER, director of the Western Reserve University Library School, spoke on RECRUITING FOR LIBRARY SCHOOLS (See p. 127.) After some informal discussion the PRESI- DENT introduced COMMANDER C. R. TRAIN of the United States Navy, who spoke on LIBRARIES IN THE NAVY (See p. 129.) The meeting adjourned. ANN ARBOR MEETING (Thursday, June 29, 1 p. m.) More than one thousand delegates to the A.L.A. Conference accepted the invitation of the University of Michigan to lunch at the Michigan Union in Ann Arbor on Thursday, June 29. WILLIAM W. BISHOP, librarian of the University of Michigan, acted as toast- master following the luncheon. He intro- duced REGENT WILLIAM L. CLEMENT, chair- man of the Library Committee of the Regents, who extended a greeting on behalf of the President and the Board of Regents. PRESI- DENT ROOT responded, expressing the appre- GENERAL SESSIONS 83 ciation of the American Library Association for the hospitality. Mr. Bishop then introduced PROFESSOR W. E. HENDERSON, director of the University of Michigan Extension Service, who spoke on ADULT EDUCATION; A COMMON INTEREST OF LIBRARIES AND UNIVERSITIES (See p. 131.) MR. BISHOP: It had been our purpose to ask the former president of the University to say a word of greeting, but by reason of the small amount of time remaining before the train goes back to Detroit, he asked me to relieve him of that responsibility. It had been my purpose to ask him to say a word to you about the Michigan Union. I will say for him only this : that this building in which we are assembled is the great center of all activities of the men of the University. Every male student of the University is by virtue of the fact of his being a student a member of the Union, and he pays as part of his regular yearly fees his membership. This building was built by the contributions of some four- teen thousand alumni and the Michigan people and no one person gave more than ten thou- sand dollars ; the building cost about a million. EX-PRESIDENT HUTCHINS was introduced and generously applauded. The meeting adjourned. FOURTH GENERAL SESSION (Friday morning, June 30) President Root presided. The Secretary read a communication from SPENCER MILLER, JR., secretary of the Work- ers Education Bureau of America, New York, which said in part: In so far as this Bureau represents the movement (for adult education) in this country, I am sure that we shall be glad to emphasize more and more to our group the service that our public libraries are prepared to render. The annual reports were read by title, and it was Voted, That the annual reports of the Sec- retary, the various committees and the Trus- tees of the Endowment Funds, as printed in the Annual Reports 1921-22* and distributed at the Conference and the reports of the Treasurer and the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws as printed in the January and May Bulletins respectively, be accepted. MATTHEW S. DUDGEON, for the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws, proposed to *See p. 155. amend Section 8, paragraph (a) by adding to that paragraph the following sentence: The Board shall also appoint a Committee on Election which shall have charge of the counting and tabulation of all votes cast at the regular election. The amendment was adopted. BERNARD C. STEINER moved that the word "three" be stricken out of paragraph (a), Section 8, and that appropriate language be added stating that "no person's name can be placed on the ballot until he has been con- sulted and his consent obtained." FRANK P. HILL proposed that Section 8, paragraph (a) be changed to provide "that the Board shall appoint a committee of five to nominate candidates for elective positions to be filled, and that additional names may be added upon the written request of five members" and asked that it be referred to the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws or the Executive Board or the Council. The amendment was referred to all three bodies. DR. STEINER proposed that there be added at the end of paragraph (a), Section 8, the words : "No person shall be nominated un- less his consent to such nomination be pre- viously obtained." It was Voted, That the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws be requested to report on these proposed amendments not later than the next general session. MR. DUDGEON, for the Committee, proposed to amend Section 8, paragraph (d), by strik- ing out the words : "but ballots shall not be opened until after balloting at the regular meeting." The amendment was adopted. Mr. Dudgeon proposed to amend Section 8, paragraph (d), by adding after the word "received" in the third line, the following sentence : The Committee on Election shall thereupon provide for the counting and tabulation of the mail votes but shall not make public the result thereof until the votes taken at the regular meeting shall have been also counted. The amendment was adopted. Mr. Dudgeon proposed that Section 8, para- graph (d), be further amended by inserting after the word "ballots" in the sixth line, the following: "(each enclosed in an envelope sealed and bearing the name and address of the member voting)." 84 DETROIT CONFERENCE The amendment was adopted. Mr. Dudgeon proposed that the second sen- tence in Section 11, paragraph 3, beginning "these members shall not be counted" etc., be stricken out. The amendment was adopted. Mr. Dudgeon proposed that Section 18 be amended by the addition of the following words : Committees created by the Council or by its presiding officer upon the request of the Council are limited as to functions to con- sideration of or assistance in the business of the Council. The amendment was adopted. M. G. WYER, member of the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws, spoke briefly on a suggestion which had come from C. W. An- drews, namely, that a new form of member- ship be created to be known as a permanent or perpetual membership, the idea being that such a membership would be acceptable as a memorial to a former member of the Ameri- can Library Association. On the payment of a stated sum of, say, one hundred dollars, a person would become a perpetual member and the name would appear in the list of A.L.A. members indefinitely. There was dis- cussion by Messrs. Dudgeon, Raney, Hill, and Tweedell. The matter was referred to the Council, the Executive Board and the Com- mittee on Constitution and By-Laws. Mr. Dudgeon reported suggestions that chairmen of standing committees be made members of the Council and that the present method of paying membership dues be changed, adding that the Committee was not prepared to make a recommendation. Dr. Hill asked whether it might not be wise to omit the registration fee. The PRESIDENT: The suggestions are re- ferred to the various bodies that may pro- pose amendments. Mr. Dudgeon : Last year the Committee made an extensive report as to various amend- ments to the Constitution and By-Laws, some that would make necessary a considerable dis- cussion. We reiterate those recommenda- tions but do not wish to force them upon the attention of the Association at this time. Dr. Hill : I want to suggest that the word "recommendation" in Section 27 of the Con- stitution be changed to "report." PRESIDENT ROOT: The suggestion will be received and referred. DR. RANEY urged that the chairmen of the standing committees be made members of the Council and the suggestion was referred to the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws. The SECRETARY: The Executive Board at its meeting on June 26 voted that the Execu- tive Board recommend to the Association that the details of revision of the Constitution and By-Laws be referred to the Council to consider and report back to the Association, the object being to save time in deliberation. PRESIDENT ROOT: No action is called for. FREDERIC G. MELCHER was invited to speak COPYRIGHT (See p. 115.) The PRESIDENT: We will now come to the special topic assigned for the morning. The chairman of the Publicity Committee, WILLIS H. KERB of Emporia, Kansas, will speak for the Committee, on NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK : THE PUBLICITY COMMITTEE'S PROPOSAL (See p. 133.) E. L. CRAIG, trustee Evansville Public Li- brary, Evansville, Indiana, spoke on A LIBRARY WEEK INDIANA'S EXPERIENCE (See p. 134.) C. H. COMPTON of the St. Louis Public Library spoke on MISSOURI'S BOOK WEEK (See p. 136.) MARION HUMBLE, assistant secretary of the National Association of Book Publishers, New York, told HOW PUBLISHERS AND BOOKSELLERS ARE GET- TING GOOD NATIONAL PUBLICITY (See p. 137.) HERBERT S. HIRSHBERG, state librarian, Co- lumbus, Ohio, spoke on WHAT A PUBLICITY WEEK CAN DO FOR A LIBRARY (See p. 138.) The PRESIDENT: Before we enter on the general discussion of this topic I wish to put in a happy interlude. Those of you who read the Library Association Record and follow the proceedings of the L. A. U. A. know that one of the strong and forcible influences in library matters on the other side of the water is MR. L. STANLEY JAST of the Manchester Free Public Library, who will now say a few words to us. MR. JAST: I am extremely pleased to at- GENERAL SESSIONS 85 tend this my third American Library Asso- ciation convention. I must congratulate you on the immense strides that you have made, even since 1913 when I was last here, so far, at all events, as numbers are concerned. This is the most impressive gathering of the genus librarian I have ever seen. Although I am not sent here officially, I should like to convey to you the heartiest wishes of the Library Association, not only for the success of this convention, but for the success of the great work in which we and you we on a smaller scale and you on a much larger scale are engaged. The PRESIDENT asked for discussion of the proposed National Library Publicity Week. Miss LOUISE PROUTY of Cleveland told of the lost book and gift week observed in Cleve- land when the library advertised that no fine would be charged if books were returned. Three hundred fifteen lost books and two thousand four hundred gift books were re- ceived, but the important part was the gen- eral publicity which resulted. ANNE M. MULHERON told of the library week celebrated in Portland. She said: We put four hundred dollars into it and we re- ceived about two thousand dollars worth of display advertising. We had huge advertise- ments which ran in four newspapers every day for two weeks. We used the bill boards. We used the movies ; they put on a regular scenario for us. We used slips in our books which went out. We think we reached prac- tically all of the people in Portland. Our slogan was : "Give books to the library. Bet- ter to have live books in the library than dead ones on your shelves." We received some valuable books, but the publicity was the most valuable part. The people of Portland are expecting this week to be put on as an annual affair, and we certainly shall not lose the opportunity to avail ourselves of the best publicity that was ever done in the city of Portland. MR. KERR : We are hoping that the idea will catch and that we may have a certain spontaneous celebration of library week. While this Committee has made no formal recommendations, it hopes that there will be a demand for a National Library Week. We want libraries to use the idea in just as many ways as possible. DR. STEINER stated that the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws, owing to absence of its chairman, did not wish to make any report on the amendments referred to it. He therefore moved a reconsideration of the vote by which reference was made to that Committee. The motion was seconded and carried. It was then Voted, That the amendments referred to the Committee on Constitution and By- Laws be referred to the Executive Board with the request that the Board report before the ad- journment of this conference. The meeting adjourned. FIFTH GENERAL SESSION (Saturday morning, July 1) PRESIDENT ROOT presided. The PRESIDENT : I want to thank the mem- bers for the readiness with which they have responded to the suggestion that we begin our sessions more promptly. We have. I think the longest delay we have experienced has been about fifteen minutes which quite breaks the record of previous conferences. The first business of the morning is the report of the Resolutions Committee. PURD B. WRIGHT of Kansas City presented the following: REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS To the American Library Association : This committee wishes to endorse in the strongest terms possible the recommendations of the Committee on Resolutions made one year ago, urging "that in the future this committee be appointed early each year so that as many resolutions as possible may be sub- mitted to it in writing in advance of the an- nual convention." It is not possible for com- mittees appointed at the last moment to give proper consideration to matters to be sub- mitted to the Association. The following Resolutions are recommended for adoption : The American Library Association sends its felicitations to Thorvald Solberg upon the completion June 30, 1922, of a quarter-century service as the first and only Register of Copy- rights and thirty-eight years' relation with the Library of Congress. It records also its gratification that in his seventy-first year his service is everywhere recognized, in view of his continuing energy, as the more valuable because of his long experience; and while approving the retirement under normal cir- cumstances at a stated age of faithful public servants if a proper annuity method for their remaining years is provided, it makes pro- test against the application of enforced re- tirement of public servants still capable of good service without such appreciation of their past devotion to the public interest. The American Library Association records its approval of the appropriations for library work in the Navy and Army, in accordance with the implied understanding between the Government and the Association after the close of the war service by the welfare or- ganizations, but hopes that more generous 86 DETROIT CONFERENCE appropriations may be made in the future for The amendments were adopted. book service in the Army. It expresses its The Secretary then presented the following cordial appreciation of the successful efforts ELECTION of Senator Wadsworth and his colleagues in the Senate in effecting the passage of the Th e tellers of the election report the result appropriation bill. It expresses, also, its as follows : thanks to the Secretary of War for his en- President deavors to fulfill the understanding between George B. Utley, Newberry Library, the Association and his Department. Chicago 1724 That this Association joins in the effort Judson T. Jennings, Seattle Public Li- of other organizations for a nation-wide rec- brary 1119 ognition of the birthday of Benjamin Frank- T?irct Viro Pr*cHo T 1 *r r i 1 1 fl_ 1 " X 11 3 1 V 1C C- 17 1 ColUClll 1m, January 17 of each year, though no public T . A T 1 1 ' holiday is desirable, and recommends that the T Josephine A Rathbpne, Pratt Institute two hundredth anniversary of the beginning Library School Brooklyn ... 1795 of his career as a publisher be given special Ge ? rgf i S ' Godard > Conn - State Library attention in 1923. Hartford 1024 That the heartiest acknowledgment is made Second Vice-President to the city officials, to all committees, asso- Malcolm G. Wyer, Nebraska University ciations, institutions, and organizations who Library Lincoln 1195 have given of their time and energy in such Annie Carroll Moore', ' Public' Library, generous measure; to the press of Detroit, for New York City 974 valuable library publicity ; to the speakers and Grace D. Rose, Public Library! Des entertainers whose efforts contributed so Moines 628 vitally to the enjoyment of all in attendance; , that special acknowledgment is due the De- troit Library Commission, the librarian and Edward D. Tweedell, John Crerar Li- members of the library staff ; to the president, brary, Chicago 1454 officers, committees, librarian and assistants Theodore W. Koch, Northwestern Uni- of the State University of Michigan for their versity Library, Evanston, 111 1282 unstinted efforts in behalf of the members Executive Board of this Association in attendance upon this Chalmers Hadley, Public Library, Den- For the Committee, ver 1478 PURD B. WRIGHT, ANDREW KEOGH, W. W. Bishop, University of Michigan ELIZABETH H. WEST, MARGARET REYNOLDS. Library, Ann Arbor 1462 The resolutions were adopted and the item J- L Wver New York State Library> n , fi in the first paragraph concerning the appoint- ment of the Committee was referred to the Theresa Hitchler, Public Library, Executive Board. Brooklyn 1071 The SECRETARY reported that the Executive Cornelia Marvin, Oregon State Library, Board had held a meeting on June 30 to con- */"<.- Do nnel i y ; Simmons College Lil sider proposed changes of the By-Laws which brary, Boston 764 had been referred to the Executive Board by F. F. Hopper, Public Library, New the Association at the Fourth General Session, Y< k Cit y 739 and ,ha, the Board presented the following cbfe^SfeVc^?!**. ! 481 recommendations : William R. Watson, Library Extension To strike out of the By-Laws Section 8, Division, N. Y. State Education Dept., paragraph (a) , lines 5 and 6, the following Albany 293 W ( rds: , Trustee of Endowment Fund At least three and each ,, r .. ^ n r, ,, T ., and to change the word r . W . ashl "8 t n . T - Porter ' Pubhc Llhrary ' 1c ^ "position" to "positions" Cl atl 'JP^ lo ,v r ' V,: ' y.v rW and to add at the end of that paragraph the Charles E - Schlck > Pubhc Library, Chi- following: <*&> 1046 "No person shall be nominated unless his Council consent to such nomination be previously ob- Alice I. Hazeltine, Public Library, St. tamed" ; Lo U j s I860 also to add at the end of paragraph (b) in Ernest J. Reece, Library School of the Section 8 of the By-Laws, the following New York Public Library, New York words : City 1350 'Provided written consent of these nom- Charles E. Rush, Public Library, In- inees be filed with such nominations." dianapolis 1320 GENERAL SESSIONS 87 M. S. Dudgeon, Public Library, Mil- (See p. 141) waukee, Wis 1300 and by MARY EMOGENE HAZELTINE of the Edith Guerrier, Public Library, Boston University of Wisconsin Library School. Mass 1235 James T. Gerould, Princeton University (See p. 144.) Library, Princeton, N. J 1164 PRESIDENT ROOT: The closing address of Caroline Webster, U. S_^ Public Health this memO rable conference will be delivered Service, Washington, D. C 1103 , . . , , , , , Electra C. Doren, Public Library, Day- bv our "ntirmg h st and beloved colleague, ton, Ohio 1020 ADAM STROHM of the Detroit Public Library. Harriet A. Wood, Minn. Department of His address was entitled, Education, St. Paul ........ 975 PULL IN THE GANGW AY Herbert S. Hirshberg, Ohio State Li- /c IA*\ brary, Columbus 955 (See p - 146>) C. H. Compton 773 Judson T. Jennings was invited to escort Jeannette M. Drake 755 the President-elect, Mr. Utley, to the platform. Clarence B. Lester 752 The PRESIDENT: President-elect, Utley, L. Seymour Thompson 735 j ong esteemed by your colleagues and trusted wv C T V , by them in previous years with the high po- S u i ^!V nS A 0n i " Y f sition of Secretary of this Association, they A A McColIough n have now given you the highest honor in their Anna A .Mac I onald 618 ^^r to give . And as a symbol thereof I Lnarles b. ureene 517 place in your hands this gavel as representa- (V L xir-l M tive f the authority which they have bestowed T v rtha . Wllson 950 upon you- Members of the Association : I J UTLEY : Mr. President, my fellow- Wm. J. Hamilton 908 mem bers- HUT ^ row , nmg I!? 3 An y ne who stands in this position, in this n. M. Lydenberg 871 place, and in these circumstances, certainly Chanes J. Barr 860 f ee l s very humble when he thinks of the A/" 16 M. Mulheron 8 distinguished men and women who have held Harold L. Leupp 826 t hi s honored place all the way down the years C^ 1 Vltz .- 816 f rom j ust j n Winsor and William Frederick 2940 Ballots cast. Poole to our beloved Azariah S. Root. Highest vote to : Hazeltine 1860 My fellow-members, you have shown me a Rathbone 1795 very great honor, but I hope you will forgive Utley 1724 me if I say that at this moment I am not Tellers of Election : thinking so much of the honor as I am of the F. H. PRICE, LETA E. ADAMS, responsibilities that you have placed in my JOHN B. KAISER, K. N. DAVIS, hands. MARY COCHRAN. And now, Mr. President, may I express to Short intermission. you our cordial congratulations on the suc- The PRESIDENT: For this closing Session cess of the year during which you have ad- the Program Committee chose as a theme ministered the affairs of the Association, and THE INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSIBILITY TO HIS thank you for one of the best conferences and PROFESSION one f the best programs this Association has and thought it would be well to get for our ever bad. first speaker a man outside the library pro- The PRESIDENT: Members of the Associa- fession who would look at the thing in a tion: Presidents go and presidents come but large way. tne great opportunities to serve humanity He then introduced DR. J. B. KENNEDY, a never cease - The American Library Associa- director of the Detroit Board of Commerce * m " st ever ve onward and forward. . . None of us can contribute very much to the and member of the Detroit Library Commis- progress of the movement, but what all of us sion, who spoke in place of Harold H. Em- do makes up what the public thinks is li- mons on brarianship. Let us, therefore, refreshed by THE INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSIBILITY TO HIS the mingling of mind with mind and friend with friend, inspired by the noble ideals which have been here set forth before us, go forth (See p. 140.) again to another year a better year, the finest THE LIBRARIAN'S DUTY TO HIS PROFESSION and choicest year of American library history. was the subject of addresses by CARL B. w * " ow d ^ la l e f 6 Gene -al Sessions of the , , _i Forty-fourth Conference of the American Li- RODEN of the Chicago Public Library, brarv Association adjourned. GENERAL SESSIONS PAPERS PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS By AZARIAH S. ROOT, Librarian, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio FIRST GENERAL SESSION The great war is over and now the states- men of the world are puzzling over the ques- tion "Who shall pay for it"? For many of the European nations with currency depre- ciated and manhood shattered this is proving an almost insolvable problem. To the United States, however, with a stable currency and with its manhood relatively unimpaired, the problem presents a different angle. Although the United States has emerged from the war with enormous credits and with a large part of the world's stock of gold, she has obtained the money to carry on the war and to aid her allies by a large issue of tax-exempt securi- ties. She finds, therefore, that the property subject to taxation has only moderately in- creased while the expenses which are to be paid from the funds obtained by taxation have been nearly doubled because of the in- crease in commodity costs and the necessary increases in salaries. Moreover, there will be strong opposition to any further increase of taxation since from the tax paying portion of the community there is a vigorous demand that taxation be reduced. To do this, how- ever, is well nigh impossible without restoring salaries to a pre-war basis and this seems im- possible unless commodity costs can be placed upon a pre-war basis. The public officials responsible for the spending of money raised by taxation, con- fronting on the one hand demands for in- creases in taxes and on the other hand the impossibility of reduced taxation, turn now here, now there, in a vain attempt to solve their insolvable problem. In this emergency there comes to the front the so-called "prac- tical" men who have an easy solution of the problem: "Cut out the frills," and this in- terpreted means in education go back to the days when reading, writing and arithmetic only were taught. In charities go back to the day when simple doles were given out and no attempt was made to reach and remove the causes of poverty. In library work it results in a cry to cur- tail work with the children, to cut out the story hour, eliminate all newer methods which attract and interest the readers ; in short, go back to the days when handing out a book was considered all there was to do in library work. Now it is not necessary to attempt to refute these so-called practical men on this occasion. My purpose tonight is rather to discuss what the library profession can do to make sure that the legitimate demand for li- brary maintenance which is made of the public has been reduced to the lowest amount con- sistent with the place of the library in the general scheme of taxation. Other groups the schools, the public institutions, the public sanitary forces, the charitable departments all these are also demanding an increased tax rate. Is there anything that we as librarians can do to lighten the burden of the tax payer without sacrificing those professional methods which the development of recent years has made possible? I invite you therefore to look for a few minutes at an extremely practical problem which has been in the- ory, at least, constantly before the A. L. A., for in the beginning the A. L. A. accepted for its motto: "The best reading, for the largest number, at the least cost." I shall not discuss the question whether it is possible to increase the amount received from taxation. This is to be discussed at length in one of the meetings of the Trustees Section.- Nor shall I discuss the question whether those salaries raised during the war because of the increased cost of living should be restored to their pre-war status? All stu- dents of comparative salaries seem agreed that before the war teachers and librarians were not receiving their due share of compensation as compared with other departments of labor. I shall assume, therefore, that no one wishes to see salaries go back to the pre-war basis. Go back the salaries will, however, unless we can increase the income from public taxation ROOT or can curtail our work in some direction or unless there can be found by a careful study of our methods quicker and less expensive ways of carrying out our library activities. Every librarian holding an administrative position or responsibility is faced with the tremendous and steadily mounting cost of li- brary administration, and yet so far as I know few have really faced the question of making a careful systematic survey of their methods to see whether the expense of operation can be reduced. We librarians are as a rule ex- tremely individualistic. Each library has de- vised its own methods and in spite of the constant discussion of library methods many librarians are still continuing to do as they always have done. The original method may not have been the best one possible. It may not have accomplished the results at the least possible expense or with the least expenditure of time, but there it is, and there it has been for years, and it is thought easier to let it continue than to attempt an improvement whereby the expense of operation can be re- duced. Moreover as a library grows bigger the difficulty in changing its methods con- stantly increases. Therefore in spite of all that has been done by means of library papers, conventions, li- brary periodicals and the discussions of the A. L. A. there is still the greatest diversity in the methods employed in our libraries. And in many of our libraries there still exists great ignorance and even great indifference as to the methods used in other libraries. The library schools which endeavor to perform the function through their courses in library economy of describing the various methods used and pointing out their good and weak points are still far too theoretical in their treatment of library methods. From time to time some new method is exploited by its originator, presented in state or national meet- ings, adopted here and there spasmodically by individual libraries, while the great majority go on and on in the same path which they have been pursuing for years. Therefore, as the first preliminary to a systematic reor- ganization of library methods we need the proposed Library Survey originally suggested at the second Asbury Park meeting by Presi- dent Bishop and since slowly being developed by the Committee on Library Service. I say this as a first requisite because before chang- ing our methods we shall need to know what is actually being done elsewhere. At the pres- ent time, whenever any proposal of change comes up no one has any basis for knowing just what is now being done. A question- naire hurriedly prepared is sent out to a great number of libraries, which hurriedly answer it, giving part but often not all of the facts in the situation, and from these answers a hurried conclusion is compiled which having been duly presented, sinks into oblivion as have many of its predecessors. We greatly need a work which shall sum up and indicate the methods adopted in ac- tual practice by each library in the han- dling of a book from the time it is or- dered until it is available for readers. The Library of Congress in the manual accom- panying its report for 1901 gave an ex- tremely useful and fairly complete account of its methods. Mr. Dana in his book Modern American library economy, as illus- trated by the Newark, New Jersey, Free Pub- lic Library has done the same for his library. A number of university librarians have pre- pared manuals for use by their clientele which have attempted something in this direction, but after all these are isolated instances and there is great need of a manual which shall enable any one who has to face the problem of improving or altering the methods of his own library to see in tabular form exactly what is being done by other libraries. Such knowledge I believe can be obtained through the proposed survey. It can be secured how- ever only by the co-operation of every li- brarian and by the painstaking and honest filling out of what would prove to be a mammoth questionnaire. When the great Inter-Church World Move- ment was laying out its plan of work it con- templated among other things a very exten- sive survey of the methods adopted by col- leges. An elaborate questionnaire was com- piled and sent out to every college and uni- versity of the country. I happen to know that the secretary of the institution with which I am connected spent the greater part of three months in gathering together the information which was desired. Owing to the 90 DETROIT CONFERENCE collapse of the Inter-Church World Move- ment very little has resulted from all this work, but I know that in my own institution this work is not at all regarded as a waste of time, but is again and again proving of the greatest value. I believe such will prove to be the case with the contemplated library survey when it has been carried through and the data gotten together and published. It may be necessary to have a series of volumes that will cover the ground topically as was done in the case of the Cleveland School Survey but if so I feel that it will prove to be one of the most valuable additions to library economy which American libraries have ever added to their shelves. With the publication of the results of this survey it ought to be per- fectly possible for any library to make a comparison of its methods with those adopted by other libraries and thus eliminate waste of effort, unnecessary labor and unwise ex- penditure. A multitude of library question- naires would be answered in such a publica- tion and the organized tabulation of results would make it a relatively simple matter to see what was being done by other libraries. As an example of what may result from such a survey let me call your attention to the so-called "cataloging test" which was undertaken by the Catalog Section some years ago. This brought together data showing that the cost of cataloging a book varied greatly, ranging from fifty cents to two dollars, in different institutions. I know of at least one case where the results disclosed by this test have led to a careful examination of every process through which a book passes, result- ing in a very considerable reduction in the total amount. The amount remaining, how- ever, still seems greater than it should be and it ought to be one of the happy results of the survey to suggest methods by which the cost may be still further reduced. This would lead to another step in the direction of economy which it seems to me must sooner or later come about, namely, the standardiza- tion of the methods employed by the great majority of our libraries. Anyone familiar with the files of the Li- brary Journal knows how strongly this need was felt by those who first organized the A. L. A. The Co-operation Committee, as it was called, busied itself for ten years in establishing the practice for accession books, for the size of cards, as to catalog rules, as to blanks for the order department, reference department, and similar subjects. In fact the great majority of the methods we have in common were wrought out in the first ten years of the American Library Association by such men as Cutter, Dewey, Winsor and others. In recent years we have depended largely upon the library schools and upon discussion at library meetings to keep us in- formed as to methods and to bring about a standardization of action. This has proved insufficient. For this standardization we must await the result of the survey but when this is available it seems to me that it would be perfectly feasible to so standardize the methods of the greater majority of libraries that an assistant changing from one library to another should find herself after the first week able to work in the new position as easily as she did in her previous one. When one considers the great number of changes that occur in a single year in the library world, the economy resulting from such standardization is evident. I am aware that there are those among us who talk about the danger of standardization and fear that the libraries will lose individual initiative if these are introduced. And yet these very people are among the first to complain that the library schools do not prepare for the practical operations of library work. Yet if these operations could be standardized, the task of the library schools would be greatly simplified and time and strength would be available to teach more important matters. One of our ablest critics said not long ago that libraries had very little influence in shap- ing the reading of their communities. If this be true, is it not time that we standardize the mechanical parts of our work and throw all our energies into the task of really making our libraries an effective force in transforming their communities? Another respect in which there seems to be great possibility of saving is in the line of co- operative publication. During the last year the Secretary of the A. L. A. has been mak- ing some very interesting experiments in this direction. The short reading list of Boys' ROOT 91 books, for example, was found to be of such practical value that 160,000 copies were or- dered by a very considerable number of li- braries. Sixty-five thousand copies of the list of Children's books for Christmas pres- ents were sold last winter. With a well or- ganized force such as is necessary for the issue of the Booklist and with hearty co-op- eration from a great many libraries, there seems to be very great possibilities in pre- paring such lists to be sold at a minimum cost to the individual libraries. Without trying to enter upon the dis- cussion of tomorrow in which this whole subject of publications is to be fully pre- sented, I suggest that one of the most use- ful services we could render would be to make the A. L. A. office a sort of clearing house for the bibliographical accomplish- ments of our libraries. In many cases is it not a fact that some rather difficult and puzzling problem as to the duration of a serial or as to the authorship of a work pub- lished under an assumed name has been brought to a complete solution by the pains- taking efforts of the reference librarian of some one of our larger libraries, and then having served its immediate purpose this knowledge is allowed to lie unutilized be- cause unpublished while perhaps some other librarian a few months later may have occa- sion to patiently and painstakingly work out the very same problem? If all such work done by our larger libraries was submitted in a written form to the A. L. A. headquarters, mimeographed or printed, and distributed to such other li- braries as would pay an annual subscription for such information, might not a notable co- operation in effort and a great economy in expenditures be the ultimate result? Those of us who have again and again benefited by Mr. Faxon's notes in the Bulletin of Bibli- ography in regard to alterations in the time and place of publication of some serial would appreciate it if many more such notes would be available each year. Then, also, the possibility of providing by co-operative effort working tools which are now lacking seems very great. One has only to recall the original Poole's Index and the supplementary volumes as well; the A.L.A. index of collective material; the A. L. A. por- trait index and other similar publications, all the result of such co-operation, to see what possibilities there are in this form of effort. Dr. Richardson of Princeton at a recent meet- ing of the American Library Institute has made some extremely interesting suggestions as to further work in this direction which might well be given careful consideration. A pressing problem which is generally real- ized, but which nobody has solved, is the problem of utilizing the duplicate material in the possession of our libraries. Nobody has discovered a simple and inexpensive way of transferring such material from the place where it is not needed to the place where it will be of service. In a large library the cost of searching to see whether the items on a list of duplicates offered are needed is so great as to be almost prohibitive, and the majority of libraries find it easier to sell their duplicates to some second hand book dealer who patiently catalogs it and offers the ma- terial at fancy prices to other libraries. These purchase it because it is the only way by which at present they can acquire the desired book. Again and again suggestions have been made for some great central clearing house to which all duplicate material should be sent and from which there should be issued lists for selection, but nobody has ever seemed to devise any way of meeting the expenses for this colossal undertaking. Various libraries have been making experi- ments in this line and some of them seem worthy of mention at this point. One method quite frequently adopted is the preparation of a want list which is sent out to libraries which will co-operate. This method is very fruitful and would be exceedingly so if all libraries would list their duplicates and so know what they could supply. For those li- braries which have taken the trouble to list and make available their duplicates, lists like this have proved a way of obtaining important additions at very little expense. The re- cipient of the list knows what he can fur- nish and by reference to his catalog of dupli- cates is able to send a prompt answer, and the aggregate result very often means the completion of a difficult society publication or periodical set. 92 DETROIT CONFERENCE Another method which is now being tried by a number of libraries is the issuing of a monthly list of available duplicates and send- ing this to those libraries which are willing to co-operate in like fashion. The use of the mimeograph has made the cost of such lists a trifling sum, and they have resulted in very large and profitable exchange relations. I have sent out some forty or more such lists with the result that at least nine-tenths of the material offered has been taken by some one of the libraries receiving the list. From some of these I have not as yet received any- thing in exchange, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that the material was of use somewhere and that some time I shall get a return from the libraries which have selected this material. The cost has been relatively little and the returns in books selected from similar lists have abundantly justified the ex- pense. The real 'difficulty in the development of this method lies in the unwillingness or inability of many libraries to provide lists of their duplicate material. All of us owe a great debt to the Library of Congress and to the New York Public Library for the very generous additions we have received from them through such lists, an obligation which we are endeavoring to repay as rapidly as we may. There are many other examples which might be given through which an increase of effi- ciency may be secured without an increase in the cost of administration. We have talked very little about the possibilities of collective purchasing, or of a combination whereby a competent and efficient "replace- ment" man might be employed in each large city, to meet the constantly increasing de- mand from libraries for such service. We have no organization whereby the need of libraries for a reprint of some important out-of-print work can be tabulated and pres- sure brought upon the publisher to issue a new edition, nor have we any machinery to prevent the issue of faked new editions to be foisted upon the libraries. All these and many others I must pass over and confine my illustrations to one more concrete example. 1. Do we all need to buy everything? With the enormously increased production of books, must we not work out some co-op- erative arrangement whereby the field of purchase shall be more thoroughly covered, by a division of purchase among the libraries of a state or of a city? 2. Do we all need to keep all the books we now have? Cannot the older and less frequently called for books be brought to- gether in one or two libraries of a state, which shall act as a reservoir, relieving li- braries generally of the expense of keeping material little in demand, and thus reducing maintenance and overhead for many others? These examples must suffice to make clear the position I am trying to establish. In the face of increasing demands upon the public purse, it is time for a careful review of all our methods, time for a systematic survey of all our resources, time for co-operative combinations for more effective results. The great need of American libraries today is that each library should think not in terms of itself and its own interests, but in the spirit and with the conception of library unity. Each must be ready to give and each ready to take whatever action will be for the great- est good of all our American libraries. GREETING TO THE ASSOCIATION By ADAM STROHM, Librarian Detroit Public Library FIRST GENERAL SESSION From near and far, even from distant parts outside the United States borders, delegates of the American Library Association are journeying along routes converging toward Detroit, for their forty-fourth annual con- clave in the furthering of a great educational and social movement. The heartiest greet- ings are extended to these visitors by the City of Detroit, deeply conscious of the honor con- ferred upon it by the presence of these guests. The affection for and pride in their city on the part of all its citizens allow us to feel that this event is a tribute paid to our city as a whole for its natural attractions, its spirit of enterprise, its achievements, its honorable BURTON 93 record as an enlightened community in di- recting its material prosperity toward the creation of a happy community life of good will and widening social and cultural activ- ities. This gathering of many earnest people is for the particular purpose of taking counsel for the promotion of communal and national library service and incidentally to inspect the local institutions maintained for that purpose. Those of us now actively enlisted in such local educational service feel deeply the honor of entertaining our visiting associates. We realize, however, with grateful hearts that the recognition that may be given to our city for local library achievements can be claimed in only a very small measure by those on the muster roll now. All honor to those who preceded us, to those whose faithful service is enscrolled in the records of the institution. We also take pride in the generous spirit and attitude taken by the citizens of Detroit in determining that free public institutions must be, and in the faithful, courageous manner in which those entrusted with the city govern- ment fulfilled the desires and hopes of the community. It is our very earnest hope that these rep- resentatives of the library profession will find their visit here profitable and that they will be made to feel in the widest degree possible the warm spirit of hospitality with which we greet their arrival. We are at your service and would regret .nothing quite as deeply as not being given an opportunity to make you comfortable. THE NEW AMERICAN BY M. L. BURTON, President, University of Michigan FIRST GENERAL SESSION I take great pleasure in the opportunity that this occasion gives to me of expressing publicly the deep appreciation which the American people feel to this organization for the remarkable service which you rendered to our soldiers and sailors during the great war. I am of the impression that while you have done many other things of vital im- portance for education, and for the standards of local communities which you represent, nothing has meant so much to the American people, or has come so close to their hearts as what you did in the war. You have had brought to you, in a very excellent way, the greetings of the city of Detroit. I hope I shall not seem pretentious if I venture to take upon myself the privilege of speaking for the educational interests of the state of Michigan. We are delighted to know that you are going to come to Ann Arbor on Thursday; and may I now, on be- half of the University of Michigan, extend to you a most cordial and hearty welcome to the campus of the University and the lunch- eon which the Board of Regents is very happy to provide, and for all of the other things which are planned for you during that day. May I ask you, as you visit the University of Michigan, to think of it as one illustration of the great experiment in democracy which we are making upon this continent. Now, I do not want to take your time to- night to say too much about the University of Michigan. I would not say a word about it, were it not for this fact, that the Uni- versity of Michigan, as a tax-supported in- stitution, will afford you an excellent illus- tration of what a people can do in organizing and maintaining an institution of higher learning. I think possibly I shall not be go- ing too far if I say that in many quarters of the United States, a certain primacy is accorded and conceded to the University of Michigan. Perhaps this is due largely to the fact that the University for one full gen- eration was doing its work before the other now large state universities assumed their importance. I shall not worry you with facts about it; but we are proud of our traditions there, proud of the spirit and the atmosphere of the place; and our great fundamental aim is this: to make it perfectly clear that a sovereign state can organize and maintain a university which will offer to the picked young men and women of the state and the country opportunities for higher education which cannot be excelled anywhere in the 94 DETROIT CONFERENCE world ; and we hope, as you come to visit us, that you will feel that all of the things of which I now speak are included in our wel- come, and particularly we beg of you to re- member that we think of the library at the University of Michigan as the central and primary feature of the institution, serving, as it does, every unit of the University. We beg of you to bear in mind something that we have no hesitancy in saying here, that we are sure that the University of Michigan has the most efficient librarian in this coun- try. I shall not talk to you as a group of teach- ers, nor shall I talk to you as university pres- idents or college professors. But I shall talk to you, if I may, as human beings interested in the welfare of the United States of Amer- ica, and determined to do your part in edu- cating the people of this country to some un- derstanding of the fundamental responsibility of accepting a place to live in America in the twentieth century. In other words, I shall attempt not to be technical tonight. It would be useless for me to pretend here that I know anything about what you represent, for I do not. It would be useless also for me to pretend that you do not know as much about education as I do. But I am sure of one thing, and that is that all of us as human beings and as citizens of this country, are coming more and more to see that there are certain fundamental ideals toward which all of us must work, and to which we must lend our strength and our energy. I think for the sake of clarity, I will say to you now that possibly I might call this speech of mine, "The New American." If there were plenty of time and we could scan the pages of American history, I think we would all come to recognize very clearly that the old American had certain qualities, cer- tain tendencies, some of which might be re- garded as fortunate, and some of which were certainly unfortunate. To illustrate first the latter group, the old American certainly made the mistake, I fear, of proclaiming in loud terms the importance of individual success and personal achievement; and written in capital letters in American political and business life at the present moment, are the direful consequences of the excessive doc- trine of individualism. Many of the things which people of my generation heard, which urged them on to the largest idealism of the capabilities and the abilities with which they were endowed, often failed to give to them also some comprehension of their responsi- bility to the local community and to their duties as public-spirited citizens. Yes, one of our evils came to expression in commercialism, and much of the corruption of the American political and municipal life. These things, I say, illustrate one unfortunate tendency of the old American, namely, his emphasis upon what might be called an un- due individualism ; and again the old Ameri- can was also to be found fault with because of his shallow optimism and shrewd conceit with regard to his country. Even as late as 1914 and 1917, the moment it was decided on the 7th day of April, 1917, that the United States of America had declared that a state of war existed between the Imperial German Government and our Government, every one immediately said, "Why, of course, this set- tles it; America has gone in; we shall win." This has been our attitude under all circum- stances everywhere. I wonder if you re- member one of the things that Lowell wrote when, as ambassador to the Court of St. James, he was somewhat disturbed by the bits of crude and vulgar information which occasionally came to London, when he said, "If we are going to prove that we are great, we will not do it by always bragging that way." There has been that spirit of boasting, this spirit of superficial optimism which, I fear, sometimes has left us to gloss over the social injustices of this particular day, and to imag- ine, under all circumstances, an inevitable superiority of social progress. Besides, linked with all these unfortunate tendencies in the old American, was his im- pression that he was not a part of the world. He was proud of his national isolation, and his freedom from entangling alliances with other continents and with other people; and even in this generation there have been large groups of people who have endeavored to persuade the country that they, too, thought that the United States of America was not a part of the great world. BURTON 95 Here, then, I say, are some of the unfor- tunate characteristics of the old American. Do not misunderstand me. If somebody from another country should stand up here and say some of these things, I think possibly I would enjoy an intellectual, if not a physical encounter, with him before the evening was over. So, having said that as a partial excuse and apology for some criticism which I have passed on our forefathers, may I very briefly indicate to you some of the good qualities of those forefathers upon which we must build, as we think of the new American today. Think of the Boston Tea Party. Wasn't it fine? Think of the way in which our fore- fathers insisted upon the inevitable independ- ence of this country, and on their own indi- vidual independence ; and, linked with this, think of their initiative ; think of the resource- fulness of the Americans who have mastered this continent and made it what it is today. And along with these qualities of independ- ence and initiative, think, too, of the idealism and of the insight of the men and the women who laid the foundations of our nation. Think of the hopes and ambitions which ani- mated them. If you and I tonight are seeking for the secret of the ultimate great- ness of the United States, we shall find it, not in the superabundance of the things which we possess ; not in the fact that we have over one hundred millions of people; not in the fact that we own one-third of the wealth of the world today ; not in the marvel- ously rich valleys and fertile fields and great mines and populous cities, nor will you find it in our great colleges and universities and cathedrals ; but if you search for the ex- planation of the influence of America upon world civilization today, you will find it, I say, not in the things which you can touch and see and handle, but in the hopes and the ambitions and the aspirations and the ideals which animated and dominated the men and women who established America. Yes, they had an idealistic and ethical insight which helped to do possibly more than anything else to account for America's leadership of the nations. Here, then, I say, just by way of illustra- tion, are some of the qualities, bad and good, which have made the old American. Now, I suppose all of us have heard, at least a million times, in the last few years, that we are passing through a period of transition, and that we are coming rapidly into a new era. I do not mean to weary you by a re- assertion of that statement, but if America is to assert and to maintain her leadership, if we are to be worthy of the resources with which God has endowed us, if we are to take of the potentialities of this marvelous con- tinent and of the things which have come to us out of other civilizations and other coun- tries, then I insist that out of this must come the new American, of whom I speak tonight. This new American, of course, cannot be something distinctly different from the old American. We must be on our guard against further manifestations of our mistakes and of our unfortunate qualities, but we must make very sure that the elements of strength and character of those who have preceded us are built into the character of the one that we would come to think of as the new American. Now, what is the first mark of the new American? The first thing that the new American must learn in terms of which most of them have not yet comprehended, is that he must be open-minded. Let us look at that for just a moment. I suppose you will agree that the war has thrust upon us an entirely new world. We are face to face with the most serious and the most gigantic issues that have ever con- fronted any generation. So, we are turning over to our young people a world which is quite different from the one you and I received ; and along with it come all of these problems which come with every generation, accentuated by the quickness of the transition through which we are now passing. We are not only experiencing the age-long conflict between that which is new and that which is old. but superimposed upon it is all of the speed, the rapidity, the celerity, if you please, with which these things have been urged upon us. Think of what this com- ing generation must do in dealing with prob- lems like that of capital and labor, and how extremely important it is that their minds shall be opened with broadminded liberalism 96 DETROIT CONFERENCE to see the elements of truth on both sides of this problem. Or, to take another example, how far do you and I think that a govern- ment should go in the exercise of its func- tion? There are large sections of this na- tion, there are increasing groups of people who believe that the government should enter into many of the basic industries, that it should organize banks and packing houses and build channels, and furnish insurance, and all of those things. How far do you and I think it should go? How far do we think that the individual ought to be permitted to retain the exercise of his initiative? Do you and I, as Americans, still believe in the glory of the American, and that one of his essential fundamental principles of liberty is that the individual shall aways have an opportunity to make the largest possible use of the abili- ties and the talents with which he has been endowed ? I am attempting to avoid now the world situation. We are taking up issues which this generation must setttle, and what will be the method by which those things will be settled, fellow citizens, not by a continua- tion of some of the methods which we have employed in the past; not by our superficial thinking; for, if there is any vice of which America may be accused of being guilty of, it is the vice of superficiality, particularly in her thinking. We can no longer continue to base our judgments upon things, but upon facts. Why, men and women, the hour has come when, if we are intelligent and discriminat- ing, we shall insist upon the collation of the facts in regard to our national issues by trained experts. And when once we have these facts, then we have a more serious re- sponsibility than we have today. The hour has come in America when, regardless of the consequences to any individual or group of individuals, or states or regions of the coun- try, or corporations, we must insist not only on getting the facts, but upon wise and time- ly legislation in keeping with the facts when once they are known. It is something like what I meant when I spoke of free-minded, open-minded liberalism. This is what we must have in America if we are to fulfill our promises, not only to the millions now who make up our citizenry, but to the unborn and the un- numbered myriads of people who look to us as the land of promise. Yet, not by calling people names, not by hurling epithets or pro- nouncing invectives, not by vituperation, not by placing a label on somebody and thinking that thereby you have answered his argument none of these things will do. No! We must have the facts in regard to our national problems ; and who can see to it that the people have those facts day in and day out, better than the librarians of America, scat- tered everywhere in the country? It is your task to help develop a generation of citizens who at one and the same time are open- minded, but not empty-minded; who are lib- eral, yes, but who have convictions ; who are generous, certainly, but who possess ideals ; who are broad, yes, but not supinely acquies- cent in anything for which another person may contend; who are cultured, certainly, but who have ideals for which they will fight, and, if need be, for which they will die. Yes, the first mark of the new American is not only an intellectual open-mindedness, but it is a receptive attitude of spirit which helps to understand and to interpret the great con- trolling motives and emotions of the Ameri- can people. There is a second thing I would like to say. The new American must not only be open-minded, but he must be public-minded. Life everywhere, under all circumstances, consists of two things. You have your aspira- tions and desires and ambitions, and out yonder are the plain, unalterable facts of the world, and you sit by your fireplace at night and say, "If I could get rid of those facts life would be all right." But the universe is not made that way; life can never be found by the annihilation either of the things that are within you or of the things that are without you. We shall find life, as citizens on this great continent, just as we succeed in de- veloping the right relationship between that which is within and that which is without. Personality is significant in proportion as it is related to something. There is no such thing as an isolated person; and you and I derive our significance and our importance BURTON 97 from the way that we get tied into communi- ties wherein we live. You are not merely librarians, significant and important as that is, but you are inevi- tably and inextricably intertwined with this thing that we call community, and just in pro- portion as you get into the right relationship to yourself and to your community and to your state and to your nation, and to the world, then to your God, just in that pro- portion are you sensing more of the respon- sibilities of the new American in the twen- tieth century. To be alive means that you are tied into your community. If I had a great deal of time tonight, I think I could show you that respect is very close to the apex of human effort, for unless a man can look into his heart and know that he is a man, unless he can respect himself, he cannot be of influence; and he who re- spects himself, unreservedly understands that every other person too must be respected and regarded, if not reverenced. What was the war about? It was fought out upon or around one little word, "respect" ; on the one hand was a group of nations who said that the individual exists for the state, and the state can do no wrong. I need not rehearse to you what they did. On the other hand, thank God, there was a group of nations who said that there is nothing in all the universe that can be compared or should be given in exchange for human spirit ; and that you and I and all of us together are potential sons and daughters of a common Father. They said that the human being must be respected. If there is any land in the world where respect and regard and rev- erence must be enthroned, it is in America, a land of democracy, where we ourselves make our own agencies and institutions for our government; and when men speak with contempt of our courts, and when children lose respect for their elders, then they are making ready for the fatal plunge toward disaster, if not extinction. I wish America had today another Abra- ham Lincoln, who could drag out into the full light of day the precise issue, the issue now before America. Some of us at times have thought that issue has gone by, but it has not. Sometimes we think that the crest of the wave has gone, but it is just coming. It is the wave of disrespect for law and order and the constituted authorities of our local, state and national governments. We must have respect for these things. Do you remember how Abraham Lincoln fashioned this issue in 1861 ? He said, and I quote him precisely: "Do all Republican forms of government have this inherent weakness? Must they, on the one hand, be too strong for the liberties of their people; or, on the other hand, too weak to maintain their own existence?" Why, fellow citizens, in the city of De- troit tonight are twenty centers from which are going influences diametrically opposed to the fundamental principles of America. There are everywhere large and increasing groups of people who think that government is too strong for their liberties. And, on the other hand, there are large groups who are think- ing, who are hoping that the government is too weak to maintain its own existence, and I say to you that our duty is to have that form of public-mindedness which insists upon unqualified, unconquerable respect for law and order, and the constituted authorities of America. And to all who will not take this point of view, I would suggest that we offer to them the clear-cut, sharply-defined alter- native; either get into American citizenship or get out of America. So the second mark of the new America is public-mindedness, which manifests itself in an unconquerable demand for respect. Re- spect for law? Yes. Respect, too for the ballot box. Large groups of people say that it is the indirect method of achieving social progress, and therefore they would cast it aside. It is our duty to see to it that they respect the ballot box, and it is our duty to see that they respect also the rule of the ma- jority, for which we have always stood, and back of that, the duty of the citizen to see to it that the ballot box says what it should say, because we have to help to shape and mould sound public opinion in regard to the ultimate issues of American life. May I take just one more moment to say a third thing? Again I do not care much what you call it; but I am of the impression that these two things will take on a new 98 DETROIT CONFERENCE meaning, that our open-minded liberalism will become more of a reality, and our public - mindedness will have more specific content if in some way these two foci are bound to- gether with what might be called world- mindedness. If there is any one thing of which I am sure, and I go all about this country, north and south, east and west, and have unusual opportunities for conferring with all types and groups of people in most of our com- munities if there is any one thing of which I am sure, it is that the American people today are ready and willing to accept their normal obligations to the rest of mankind. Fellow citizens, think of the conditions of the world tonight. There is no time to dis- cuss it. Think of Russia. Think of the Balkans. Think of the two assassinations, one in England and one in Germany, within the last two or three days. Think of the curiously opposed influences which are being brought to bear upon these various govern- ments. Think of the fact that in this coun- try we have the fundamentalist movement, making fun of the sound and great scientific conclusions of our best schools of thought and teaching today; and, correspondingly, think of the anti-Christian movement in the Orient, because of the unduly orthodox point of view of many of those who are supposedly friends of Russia. Think of the fact that transportation is disrupted, and that life in general is disorganized. Think of the ex- change. Think of France spending twice her income. Think of the fact that Italy is spending three times her income. Think that, with the single exception of Great Britain, there is not a solvent nation in Europe today, and then remember that the future prosperity of America depends upon the peace of central Europe, and if we are to get anywhere in international commerce or in the diplomacy in world relationships, or in the shape of a normal and sane civili- zation, we must come into the right rela- tionship with all the world. It cannot be otherwise. The new American must be open-minded, and he must be public-minded, but these two things will become significant just in pro- portion as he is world-minded. I am sorry to have talked so long. I hope I have said enough to you to indicate that we simply begin the task which you must complete, which all through the years you must take and carry on in a large way, rela- tive to the education of the people; that you must help the citizens of America to under- stand their local, state, national and world problems, and to do it, not through a super- ficiality of thought, but by a demand for facts which you can supply; by understand- ing the responsibilities of citizenship, and, above all, by some realization of the fact that the ultimate distinctions between human be- ings are not the lines and the boundaries of the nation, but those things which come be- cause of their appreciation of the things of the spirit, of the things which are eternal. A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS THE POLICY OF THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE By HILLER C. WELLMAN, Librarian, City Library Association, Springfield, Massachusetts; Chairman, Editorial Committee SECOND GENERAL SESSION It always has been, and I am sure always will be the primary aim of whatever board or committee has the publishing in charge, to divine and satisfy, so far as possible, the wishes and needs of the library workers throughout the country. For this reason the policy has perhaps been, to a degree, oppor- tunist; and by the same token, such a dis- cussion as has been arranged for today is particularly welcome. The last time the subject was presented for general consideration was at the council meeting in Chicago in 1917. Henry E. Legler, who gave so much of his interest and effort to the affairs of the Publishing Board, told of its modest beginnings some thirty-five years ago, and rightly ascribed much of its success to its early members. They included such men as James L. Whitney, W. I. Fletcher, William C. Lane, Melvil Dewey, WELLMAN 99 C. A. Cutter, R. R. Bowker, and Charles C. Soule. In those days, and for many years afterward, much of the work was on a vol- unteer or co-operative basis. Part of the actual compiling and editing was paid for in the case of some of the larger publica- tions like the Portrait index and the A.L.A. catalog, and the printed catalog cards were similarly prepared ; but in general, all the members of the board and many members of the Association gave lavishly of their time and labor. William C. Lane, in particular, during the period of his chairmanship was indefatigable and devoted to the work an immense amount of his personal attention and thought. The activities of the board, which started in 1886 with a capital of $458, received a large impetus when in 1902 Mr. Carnegie, through the representations of Dr. Billings, became so interested that he gave an endow- ment of $100,000 "for the preparation and publication of reading lists, indexes, and other bibliographical and literary aids." During the twenty years previous to 1917, as Mr. Legler pointed out, the sales increased from $2,558 to $12,554. It has required only five years more almost to double the latter figure, for the sales last year amounted to about $24,000. A definite change in policy resulted last year in abolishing the old Publishing Board and substituting an Editorial Committee. With the growth of the Association and the establishment of headquarters, not only the business of printing, advertising, and distrib- uting publications, but the preparing, com- piling, and editing was given over more and more to the Association's secretary and his staff, some of whom were employed by the Publishing Board. Now, under the new con- stitution, the Editorial Committee acts in a frankly advisory capacity; and the actual editorial work, as well as the publishing, has been formally transferred to the secretary and staff under the general direction of the Executive Board. This change represents a natural evolution from the earlier stage of volunteer and co-operative work into that of a regular publishing business, and it may well mark the beginning of an era of even more rapid expansion. Among recent tendencies which are per- haps indicative of policy would seem to be especial attention to the requirements of the smaller public libraries. This is probably but a reflection of the growth and enlarge- ment of the public library system. Increas- ing emphasis is 'perhaps given also to the requirements of the library schools, and this, too, is a natural result of their growing num- ber and influence. If the particular require- ments of the university and special libraries have not been so well supplied, the reason doubtless lies in the greater difficulty of pre- paring the necessary publications, their more limited field of distribution, and the fact that the Carnegie endowment was given primarily for the benefit of the public circulating li- braries. Until recently there existed a feeling, per- haps amounting to a policy, that it was the special province of the board to issue useful works from which the financial returns were so doubtful that the regular publishers would be unlikely to undertake the publication. In- deed, it was even said that profitable publica- tions should be left for the commercial pub- lishers, although I doubt whether the board was often deterred from issuing a work through fear that it might become a best seller and yield substantial returns. Cer- tainly, if the policy of taking up only un- profitable publications were adhered to, the number that could be issued would be ex- tremely limited. At all events, there seems to be a change of policy in this respect, and in view of the growth in the number of li- braries I think the feeling is coming to pre- vail that, with certain exceptions, publica- tions which would not yield sufficient returns to pay at least the cost of printing and dis- tribution are hardly worth while. But the cost of gathering material, compiling, and editing must in many cases still be met, in part at least, from the funds of the Asso- ciation rather than from sales. Formerly, and especially in the earlier years when the work was largely co-operative, prices were usually set at a figure that would hardly more than cover the cost of paper and print- ing. A question that may well be discussed, however, is whether now that the work is so largely on a paid basis, publications should 100 DETROIT CONFERENCE not be listed, when feasible, at a price suffi- cient to cover also the cost of preparation, and perhaps even to yield enough profit to build up gradually a reserve fund to make possible the publication of occasional ex- pensive works, the returns from which would pay little more than the cost of printing, and the preparation of which could otherwise hardly be financed. In this connection there is another point upon which I should be glad to hear an ex- pression of opinion. Should the Association pay royalties to the authors of its publica- tions? In the past, as already stated, persons were sometimes engaged and paid for com- piling some of the larger publications; and in the case of one or two important works by a single author, after the sales had paid the cost of publishing, a modest royalty was paid out of the accruing profits. The ques- tion has been raised whether, for any pub- lication in which the labor of authorship is extensive, especially if undertaken at the re- quest of the Association, the Association should not pay a royalty and fix a corre- spondingly higher sale price. It is argued that the libraries which purchase a substan- tial publication could afford to pay a mod- erate reward for authorship; and that this financial reward, small though it might be, would prove an additional incentive in the production of useful publications. One function which the board, as a matter of policy, always stood ready to perform is to safeguard the libraries against exploita- tion. If a publisher should issue a neces- sary library tool at an unreasonable price, he would always be in danger of arousing the competition of the Publishing Board. Perhaps from this very fact the occasion has never arisen. A question of policy which has often been discussed by members of the Association has had to do with what is perhaps our most important publication, The Booklist. Mem- bers of the Association and members of the board have wished that this valuable peri- odical could fill a larger field and reach general readers as well as librarians. One special field which The Booklist can enter, and is increasingly entering, is that of the public school; but after much thought and effort and actual experiment and tests the members of the Publishing Board were re- luctantly convinced that The Booklist in its present form, which seems that best suited for librarians, is not attractive to general readers. The librarian wants in the notes concise statements of fact that will enable him, with the least effort and expenditure of time, to determine whether the book is desirable for purchase. General readers, on the contrary, wish, not a cold statement as to whether the book is worth reading, but a note that itself will be pleasurable to read and that will arouse their interest in the book or the subject. This is not the place to recite the accom- plishment of the Association in its publish- ing. Such works as Larned's Literature of American history, the Portrait index, the A.L.A. Catalog and supplements, the Index to general literature, the Guide to ref- erence books, the A.L.A. manual, The Book- list, and scores and scores of other publica- tions are a source of legitimate pride. In general, the publications seem to fall roughly in three groups first, those dealing with the administration and technique of libraries, such as the handbooks, manuals, cataloging codes, etc., etc.; second, indexes, buying lists, and various other bibliographical aids ; and finally, material for library propaganda and publicity, including the brief reading lists and reading courses to be purchased by li- braries in quantity for distribution. A glance at the list of recent publications would indicate that special emphasis has of late been placed on the development of this co-operative printing of lists, reading courses, and other publicity material. It seems to me that it should be possible to develop this branch of the work to a very much larger degree than heretofore. Personally, I should like to see the policy adopted of issuing these lists at the bare cost of printing until li- braries generally have acquired the habit of buying them. The very practical suggestions which Mr. Milam has issued for utilizing the different lists have been admirable, and if followed cannot fail to stimulate present pa- trons and attract new readers to the library. Of many of these lists, although they seem excellently suited to their purpose, there have LYDENBERG 101 been sold only a few thousand copies. This is a ridiculously small sale considering the number of public libraries in the country. Of almost any popular list of this kind there ought to be sold at least fifty or a hundred thousand copies. The reading courses, which are a new venture, seem an especially useful form of publication. I hope they may be multiplied to include not only vocational, but also aca- demic subjects, so that a studious reader who wants to take up some phase of science, liter- ature, history, or art may find at hand a suitable guide arranged by an expert. The reading courses differ in their aim from the mere reading lists; they should enable li- braries to take a new step forward in en- couraging systematic and ordered reading. This service might ultimately develop into something almost akin to the work of the correspondence school, and judging by the vogue of the latter, would be appreciated by numerous readers eager for self -education. As already stated with regard to the policy of subsidizing publications, there are excep- tional works which might well be issued even if they would hardly pay printing and "over- head" costs, to say nothing of the cost of compilation or authorship. Among these exceptions I should place, for the present, the brief lists and reading courses, which should be offered at the bare cost of printing until their sale in large quantities has become established. They represent, in the main, a new enterprise, and a new enterprise often requires the sinking of capital in promotion. Another class of publications which might constitute an exception comprises those for which, while the sale would be limited, the need is great. Among these I may note the lists of books in foreign languages. The work of Americanization is so important, and the difficulties of building up the neces- sary book collections are so great, that I think the publication of additional lists of this kind would be warranted even if the returns would hardly pay the expense of printing. The great difficulty in the past has been to find persons combining the requisite knowledge of the foreign literature with the right understanding of the purpose of the list an obstacle, however, which surely is not insurmountable. There is one other class of publications which I hope to see undertaken regardless of the financial returns. The public library system, which had its birth almost within the memory of the older members of this As- sociation, has grown and spread until it has taken its place beside the public school as one of the indispensable institutions of de- mocracy. In years to come students will want to know the origin of this new force. The men and women who fostered and guided this great movement were known to many of the members who are still active in this Association. We shall fail in our duty, if we who knew these figures neglect to record for posterity something of their personalities as well as their achievements and their special contributions to the develop- ment of public libraries. Already a series of brief biographies of these men and women has been planned, and the copy for one has actually been written. I hope that, as a matter of policy, the Association will not fail to carry this project to worthy completion. A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS NEEDS NOT YET FULFILLED By H. M. LYDENBERG, Reference Librarian, New York Public Library SUMMARY. SECOND GENERAL SESSION Although I was not limited by any stipu- lations that my suggestions should be finan- cially possible, I realize that the activities of the Editorial Committee are dependent very largely on the amount of money avail- able. It is unfortunate, as some of us look at it, that aside from the activities of the first few years of the A.L.A., the needs of the reference and college and university libraries have not had greater consideration. The Publishing Board had to choose and we all of us agree that it chose wisely, but it is unfortunate that we have had to see so 102 DETROIT CONFERENCE many worthy enterprises go by with no offi- cial connection on the part of the American Library Association. When the International catalog of scientific literature was projected one of our most prominent members, one of our ex-presidents, was one of the American representatives and yet the Association saw that enterprise rise and flourish and die, and very few words of support. Miss Hasse's admirable Index of economic material in documents of the states of the United States was based on material owned by American libraries and was intended for use by people who turn to American libraries for information; but the enterprise was brought out by the Carnegie Institution at Washington and not by the A.L.A. When Miss Mudge and Dr. Johnston got out their index to Special collections in libraries in the United States we saw the work brought out by the Bureau of Education in Washing- ton, and the American Library Association had, so far as I recall, no connection with it. We have taken official cognizance, I am glad to say, of Prof. Teggart's suggestion for an International Catalog of Humanistic Literature, and I learned recently that we have appointed a committee to co-operate with the American Historical Association in revising that most useful tool, Adams' Man- ual of historical literature. I have been asked to suggest some things with which we might have connection in the present or immediate future; and I have been asked to speak particularly with the needs in mind of the libraries having as their primary function the assistance of productive research; but I am going to make one sug- gestion that I think may appeal to the As- sociation as a whole, and that is the produc- tion by the Association of an official year book or hand book or almanac, call it what you please. If we were interested in petroleum, or in the growing of pigs, or in photography, or in the iron or steel business, or in a dozen other commercial enterprises, we should have at the end of each year a record of our ac- tivities. Each one of us issues a report each year, and those reports contain many interesting things about our work. But many of the important things about our work they have to omit because they do not care to repeat year after year certain phases of information that all of us want to know. Now if we had some annual, giving the fundamental facts about the library, our organization, the source of our income, our objects, a skeleton outline of our administration, and then in brief compass the summary of our statistics, we should have a thing that would be worthy of the Association. And if you stop to figure the number of hours you spend on compiling questionnaires, and the number of hours you spend on answering questionnaires, not to speak of the postage expended in distributing them, I think you will agree that many of these efforts would be answered by such a compilation. Now what are the things the reference libraries need most of all? We saw the Bibliographical Society of America issue some years ago (without any connection with the A.L.A.) a very useful census of 15th century books owned in this country. We are now in a very fortunate position in this country so far as one im- portant field of bibliographical research is contained. One of our members, Dr. Cole, is developing for the Huntington Library on the Pacific Coast what he calls his method of comparative bibliography, and as a prelim- inary to the editing and printing of the cata- log of that wonderful collection he has sent out a list of books in the Huntington Library in English printed before 1640. Eventually that list, with its information about holdings of other American libraries in that field, will appear in the catalog of that library, but that appearance is some years in the future, and the distribution of that catalog, necessarily an expensive work and necessarily of appeal to few, will not be extensive ; it will be limited. In the minds of some of us the Editorial Committee and the Association could with great credit ask Dr. Cole if he would be willing to allow us to use the data he has thus collected as the basis for a preliminary checklist of the works in English owned in this country printed before 1640, and any of you who have to do with investigation in early English literature will, I think, recog- nize with no further suggestion on my part LYDENBERG 103 the importance and significance of such a list widely distributed, all we want is a checklist. The minute catalog with the bib- liographical detail will come later in the com- plete printed catalog of the Huntington col- lection. If any of you were asked by a reader where he could turn for further investigation in the field of unpublished material ; if he said to you, "I have exhausted all the printed books that I can record in this country on this subject, but I am convinced that there must be manuscript material of important significance somewhere in the country," what would you say to him? Why, you would have to reply, "There must surely be some manuscripts relating to that somewhere in this country. But there's no list of what our American libraries have in the way of unpublished manuscripts, and the only way for you to settle the question is for you to sit down and write to as many as you choose to select." If the Association could undertake a sur- vey of the manuscript resources of the li- braries of the country, and publish that briefly the productive scholarship of the country would be helped. The Carnegie In- stitution at Washington has given us its indexes and guides to American material in foreign archives, and the Archives Commis- sion of the American Historical Association has given us its excellent guides to the official archives of this country ; but we have no index, no guide, no help for the holdings of the public and university libraries. The past few years have seen an interest- ing development in library growth. The use of the photostat and other means of cheap, accurate, rapid reproduction has led to a large multiplication of reproduction of man- uscripts, and of printed books, manuscripts that were, of course, unique, and printed books that existed in one or a few instances. We have been going at that in a sporadic fashion. The Modern Language Association of America has now a committee appointed to take stock of what we have done in these things, and I think that it would not be at all unfit if the American Library Association should offer to co-operate with the Modern Language Association on that point. Now to turn to a different field. We have a committee appointed to compile a union list of periodicals. The periodical is the back-bone of any reference collection. If there is any likelihood that the Association can give that committee any financial help it would be appreciated ; the committee is try- ing to raise $36,000 or $40,000 to finance it. Mr. Brigham of the American Antiquarian Society has, in the Proceedings of that society, issued a very detailed record of the holdings of American newspapers before 1820; if we can continue that list for bound volumes of important files, with no detailed analysis, for the period since 1820, we shall have ren- dered productive scholarship another bit of help. Take another phase of the periodical field: the chemists have their Chemical abstracts; the technologists have their Guide to tech- nical literature, but they want what the chemists have. If the Association can see its way clear to assure the technical people that they can have a technical abstract they would be grateful. Now take the field of art: the Association has, I am glad to say, a committee to con- sider the publication of an index to songs. I would extend that. If we can have an in- dex to paintings, by subjects, and if we can have an index of these compilations of art topics, the galleries, so-called, the Petit Palais Gallery, the National Gallery and a dozen others, every one of you that does work at the reference desk will agree with me, I am sure, in saying that your work will be ma- terially helped. Attention to these needs does not mean lack of consideration of the needs of the smaller libraries. The needs are complementary rather than exclusive, and I know that none of us would in the slightest lessen the sup- ply of oil or remove our sympathy from those who carry the torch of our profession in fields where the light is not appreciated and its need is not cared for. I do feel, however, that if you can cultivate a little more extensively and .intensively the fields that surround the reference libraries, the harvest that results will give a good return both as to quantity and quality. 104 DETROIT CONFERENCE A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES MARION HORTON, Principal Los Angeles Library School SECOND GENERAL SESSION Libraries are still in the dark ages, in spite of the fact that we have open shelves, gen- erous rules for borrowers and publicity. Books are still chained because so few people know them in comparison to those who might know and love them. Librarians are re- sponsible because we know that bibliography is the most fascinating pursuit in the world and yet we fail to communicate this belief to others. Library schools teach the joys of bibliography and in real life we make it peculiar, esoteric, impossible to share. A reference librarian plans a travel pro- gram and does not give the club women a copy of Viewpoints in travel. The club women would adore this if they knew of it. It is as readable as any book of travel it describes. We have heard readers say with touching gratitude: "We never knew that catalogs or book lists were for us. We thought they were only for the librarians. Do you really mean that we can use them too?" Or a group of school librarians plans a list of science books. They have it ready for the printer before they discover that the Chicago high schools have already made an excellent list which would have made a good basis for their newer one. We could all multiply examples of such unnecessary dupli- cation. We do not use the professional tools that we have made. We admit that the tools are not always perfect ones; they are not always bright and they are not always sharp. It is improbable that a perfect bibliography will ever be made and we should guard against two common flaws. Often titles are copied without dis- crimination. We insert books again and again on different lists because they have appeared on some earlier list, not because we have ex- amined them personally. We fail to suit our list to our readers and make the list either too austere or too mediocre. We all know these things and it is a graceless thing to criticize, even in a family gathering like this one, unless a remedy can be offered. I have two very definite rem- edies to suggest that we have specialists to make our lists, and once made, that we use them. I have asked many high school li- brarians what lists the A.L.A. might publish and I have a long list of subjects that are urgently needed. It is amazing and encour- aging to see that there is an even longer list of just such material on these subjects already available in different libraries. All school libraries have the same demands for outside reading, Chaucer, Shakespeare, twen- tieth century novelists, short stories, and we are wasting our energies in trying to cover all these fields individually. A few excellent lists have been published. School libraries everywhere are grateful to Miss Wilson for her fundamental list and to Mr. Certain for his Standards, but how many people know that material on Ivanhoe has been published in the English Journal and on the Tale of two cities and Irving in the Wilson Bulletin? Most schools go on making lists for Ivanhoe and Irving and Dickens instead of using these and going on to new fields. We hear Dr. Burton talk about open mindedness and pub- lic spirit and the world attitude, but we fail to apply it to our own profession and go on as isolated units, provincial, parochial, self- centered. The remedy is obvious. The A.L.A. should be the clearing house. We should send a copy of every list made to Headquarters. We should write to Headquarters before making a new list to see if anything has been printed on this subject. This might be ex- pensive, but it is worth the expense. A spe- cialist in bibliography should be a member of the A.L.A. Headquarters staff and a fee might be charged for the information ex- changed. We do not trust the judgment of every one about books, but this specialist should know books and their use in different types of libraries and be prepared to pro- mote the exchange of ideas as the Smith- sonian exchanges scientific information. We should let teachers and club women and the everyday public use lists. We should share HASSE 105 our own joy in books through bibliographies. We should share our belief that a bibliog- raphy is not a mere list without a soul ; it is something more than author, title, imprint and collation. It may be an open gate, a winding road, a window into the infinite. A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR THE SPECIAL LIBRARY By ADELAIDE R. HASSE, Editor, Special Libraries, Washington, D. C. SUMMARY. SECOND GENERAL SESSION I speak as a free agent ; I have not wanted to speak in any way involving or implicating either the Special Libraries Association or its journal. The question that came to me was, What can the A.L.A. do in the way of publications for special libraries? I thought about it a good deal, and I have come to the conclusion that at the present time the A.L.A. can do nothing in the way of publications for special libraries, for two reasons: The A.L.A. has for too long, too con- sistently had the public library point of view. Now that isn't saying anything derogatory to public libraries. They have a great mis- sion; they are doing a wonderful work but it is just a little bit different in angle, in aspect from that of special library work. Therefore, until the A.L.A. point of view verges around a little bit more to that of the distinctively special library work, the A.L.A. cannot do anything in the way of publication that will be of benefit to special libraries. Another reason that the A.L.A. at the present time I don't say you cannot in the future, but at the present time cannot do anything that would be of any great bene- fit to special libraries is that we do not know quite yet, all of us do not understand just what a special library is. There is special library work being done in what we call public libraries; that is generally the community library doing spe- cial community library work, notably you see it in Indianapolis and in Newark, in the business branches of those libraries. There are other community libraries doing special community library work. Among the distinctively special libraries there are libraries whose work is very much like that of the general community or, as you call it, public library, i. e., those special libraries in plants and corporations, which cater to the employees of the corporation, and whose work is more nearly like that which may be called special welfare library work, where the circulation is chiefly fiction or rec- reational literature, or literature of an educa- tional nature, concerned with the particular work of the employee. Another sort of special library is what we at the present time term the technical special library. It is that special library which is very closely associated with the executive staff, or, if there is a technical laboratory in the plant, with the staff of the technical lab- oratory. That is the distinctively special library. Now of those technical special li- braries there is a very great diversity. There are, for instance, soap manufacturers who have a special library; the rice people; the brass people; the aluminum industry, and many others that I could name that are distinctively special laboratory libraries. Of course the law libraries which are or- ganized; the state libraries which are or- ganized; children's libraries, they are all special libraries, but they are provided for in their organizations. There is one thing, one common feature underlying the work of all the so-called spe- cial libraries: they are information factories. Now get me ! I am not talking about jour- nals or pamphlets, or books. I am talking about information, the specific fact. It may still be in a man's brain, it may not yet have gotten into print; it may be in typewritten form only. I am talking about information. The distinctively special li- braries have this in common, that they are information factories. Now if the A.L.A. can do this for these information factories, if the A.L.A. can put the fact in factory, I say go ahead ; then you can do something for special libraries. If the A.L.A. could establish some liaison 106 DETROIT CONFERENCE body, that could go out and get into touch with what the employers of special libraries want and give them that, then the A.L.A. would be doing a great thing for special libraries. These employers are organized into great trade associations. Many of them have research committees and bodies, and laboratories. If you could connect with those employers, and give them what they want in the way of special library facilities, you would be doing a wonderful thing; but do not try to sell them what is not saleable, and that is method and procedure. Keep that for yourselves. Take that as a matter of course. Of course we have got to be pro- ficient in procedure and method, but do not try to sell it because it is not saleable. As a matter of fact I think it takes a good deal of nerve on the part of the A.L.A. at this late date to ask what it can do for spe- cial library work, when there is a well-or- ganized association, much younger than the A.L.A., attempting to do it, doing what the A.L.A. has not done, maintaining a maga- zine of its own to serve its special interests, to get into touch as much as it can, with the employers, with the market of its constituents. A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES By ANDREW KEOGH, Librarian, Yale University Library, New Haven, Connecticut SECOND GENERAL SESSION The A.L.A. is predominatingly a public li- brary organization. Its history, its mem- bership, the papers read at its meetings, leave no doubt on this point. The existence of a College and Reference Section shows that scholarly things are not the Association's main concern. The establishment of a public library section would be considered absurd. This description of our organization is not only accurate in fact, but agrees with our professional theory, for it is the establish- ment and development of libraries for the people at large that is the outstanding char- acteristic of American library activity. It is therefore proper that in the publica- tions of our Association the emphasis should be laid on helps to readers in popular li- braries. The $100,000 gift by Mr. Carnegie as an endowment for publication stipulated that the income should be applied "to the preparation and publication of such lists, in- dexes, and other bibliographic and literary aids as would be specially useful in the circulating libraries of the country." The A.L.A. catalog of 1904 was characterized by Mr. Dewey as "the most important and val- uable single book that could be made to aid in the great public library movement," and he defined the word best, as applied to the books selected for inclusion in that catalog, as meaning best for the general reader. The Booklist, which is in a sense a continuation of the A.L.A. catalog, is meant to serve "particularly the smaller and medium sized libraries of the country." It is true that some of our publications are scholarly in character, but having little popular appeal they have a limited circulation, and must be published at a loss, or at least at a risk of loss. Our foreign lists, for example, while meeting a real need, cannot be sold in num- bers large enough to pay the cost of pro- duction. The college and university libraries are greatly interested in the provision of biblio- graphic aids of a scholarly character. The A.L.A. publications of this kind are much used in colleges, and most of them owe their existence to the collaboration of members of college faculties. Samples of similar bibli- ographies that might well receive encourage- ment and support from the A.L.A. are in the report made at Colorado Springs of the Special Committee on Publishing Activities. Another Carnegie should be found who would do for the scholarly libraries what he did for the popular ones, and if a large amount cannot be secured small sums might be had for specific purposes. The money should be used for the college rather than for the university. The college is for instruction, for the transmission of knowledge, for the understanding of the past and of the present. The university is for research, for the ad- HUGHES 107 vancement of learning, for the widening of the bounds of knowledge. A bibliography for college use would be useful to a wide circle of readers outside college walls ; one prepared for investigators would have an ex- tremely limited appeal, either in or out of a university. While waiting for the endowment we can stimulate the production of bibliographies by suggesting things to be done, by helping in the preparation and publication of them, and by using them and seeing that others use them when issued. We have done much by professional co-operation, but we should not fail to exploit for our profession the brains and purses of others. We may, for example, encourage the inclusion of bibli- ographies in masters' theses and in doctoral dissertations, and we may bring the best of them to the attention of private publishers, university presses, research organizations and institutions, trustees, and individuals likely to be interested in publication. Mr. Meyer's Literature of Shakespeare was prepared for the Drama League of America; Mr. Wells's Manual of Middle English was published by the Connecticut Academy; Miss Bartlett's Mr. William Shakespeare was published un- der the auspices of the Yale Elizabethan Club; various lists have been published by the Institute for International Education. Current co-operative projects full of helpful suggestions are Professor Craigie's plan for a supplement to the New English dictionary; and the Dictionary of American biography proposed by the American Council of Learned Societies. Scholarship funds might be used for the preparation of bibliographies, including the expense of investigation in other libraries, and for the publication of the finished work. The master's degree might be given, so far as a final thesis is concerned, for the calen- daring of documents, for the making of di- gests or indexes of books of importance, or for a discriminating selection of books on a subject, with annotations giving the scope and limitation of each book, and references to others that correct or supplement it. The rare bibliographical dissertation that not only incorporates discoveries of importance, but by sound criticism throws light on disputed literary or historical or other problems, should receive the degree of Doctor of Phil- osophy. The Yale Graduate School is willing to give degrees for bibliographic work equal in quantity and quality to any other treat- ment of a subject. A.L.A. PUBLICATIONS FOR POPULAR LIBRARIES HOWARD L. HUGHES, Librarian, Free Public Library, Trenton, N. J. EXTRACTS. SECOND GENERAL SESSION In considering A.L.A. publications from the popular library point of view let us think for a minute who we are who man and "woman" popular libraries. We are the great bulk of the membership, the common people of the A.L.A. For the most part we are not library school graduates. We have "picked up" our profession mostly by experience, with much supplementing from library con- ferences, summer courses and from our pro- fessional journals and publications. Some of us practice our profession in large cities, but many of us work in towns and villages far from large cities, frequently in the lesser eddies along the great stream of human intercourse. The conditions of our daily work tend to spread our knowledge very thinly over a vast number of subjects. We know a little about a great many things but not much about any one thing. We can hardly hope to be thorough specialists on any sub- ject save the general one of making our "plant" of greatest value to its community. What then is our need which A.L.A. publica- tions can fill? Our need is for the abundant help of spe- cialists, the help of those who have worked rather thoroughly some special field of our profession. A.L.A. publications consequently are of the greatest value to us when they enable us to gather the fruit of our specialist colleagues' work, when they enable us, not specialists, to render to our patrons service based on the work of specialists. 108 DETROIT CONFERENCE The general principle that we expect our A.L.A. publications to follow is that they shall at all times give us the latest and best practice and advice that our profession knows, and that they shall always be plain, practical and to the point. In a few minutes it is impossible to single out each A.L.A. publication and to suggest our reaction to it. Only by the most general grouping can they be discussed. We would place first, in a group by itself, The Booklist. We know it best and use it most. We some- times find fault with it, we do not always accept it as gospel but we cannot and would not do without it. And we are impressed at all times with the open-minded desire of its management to improve its usefulness. Next come the chapters of the A.L.A. manual of library economy. They have value for us all from the student in the training class to the chief executive. We hope that it will be found possible to keep these chapters more up to date. Closely akin to the Manual are certain buying lists, the library economy pamphlets and the cata- loging helps, to many of which we acknowl- edge much indebtedness. If we single out any it would be the Kroeger-Mudge Guide to the study and use of reference books and the two lists of subject headings. We ac- knowledge also our delight in the helpful Viewpoints series. Incidentally we shall wel- come a revised edition of the Adams' Manual of historical literature, and the new A.L.A. catalog and a summary of statistics every year as advocated by Mr. Lydenberg. The remaining A.L.A. publications we can consider as a group. I have in mind the various popular lists intended principally for general distribution. Some have been com- piled at Headquarters while others have ap- peared first as the publications of individual libraries. The present management is evi- dently well disposed toward this type of pub- lication and properly so. The theory, of course, is that after an individual library or librarian has gone to the trouble of prepar- ing a special list, the advantage of this work may be passed on to the rest of us at the bare cost of printing, saving both the work of compilation and the original cost of type composition. Each list also represents a cer- tain amount of specialist service. Personally I believe the theory is excellent and the prac- tical results of it generally commendable. It is difficult to trace the real value of such lists. I might renew an old suggestion that the failure of some of our lists is due to faulty methods of distribution. We are con- tent to place a few copies on the counter where at best only our regular customers get them when they ought rather to have gone out into the highways and byways. We might style such lists "bird-shot" publicity. We shoot a lot of it realizing beforehand that only a few shots will hit. An unusual example in my own experience was the circu- lation of two hundred copies of a list en- titled Technical books of 1921 selected by Mr. Hendry. We believe we have traced fifty requests to these two hundred lists, an unusually high proportion. Perhaps as individuals we never agree en- tirely with a list selected by someone else, but we should make some allowance for differences of opinion. As a general prin- ciple such lists should be compiled with greatest care and, as often as possible, with the assistance of a broad-minded specialist. They should in general be selective rather than inclusive. They should also be both at- tractive and dignified. The latest efforts of the Committee, the reading courses on accounting and journalism, deserve a trial. The selections are excellent and they are attractive in form. I do not agree, however, with one of my friends who lays considerable emphasis on the fact that they are booklists in disguise. My experience does not suggest the need or the value of disguise in a booklist and I personally would have preferred the titles summarized at the end of the pamphlet or brought out more strongly in the list. It remains to be shown whether this new style of reading course is any improvement over our accustomed anno- tated list. In closing may I suggest that we owe it to our professional organization to support its publishing activities as far as we con- sistently can, and, at the same time, to criti- cise its every effort with the utmost frank- ness and freedom. WARREN 109 THE LOUVAIN LIBRARY By WHITNEY WARREN, Architect, New York City SECOND GENERAL SESSION When Cardinal Mercier visited this coun- try directly after the armistice to thank us for the aid we had given Belgium during the war, we Americans, filled with joy at the thought that slaughter was ended, asked him what we could do for him and to further help Belgium. He replied, "I do not see how we shall ever be able to rebuild the Library of Louvain, so miserably destroyed." He was told to worry no longer, to consider it an accomplished fact, that America claimed the privilege of re-building it. This promise was received with joy and published to the entire world. Cardinal Mercier claimed that apart from its utilitarian side, such a monument would possess three-fold virtue First, it would carry with it a warning, acting through com- ing ages as a spiritual barrier across the road, that road of terror, that road of sorrow on which the barbarian of the North has traveled again and again, sowing destruction along his path of ruthless invasion. It will stand, eternally, as a sentinel, whose answer to the enemy's challenge will be that of Ni- velle at Verdun, "Thou shalt not pass," and countersigned, "America !" Second, it will be the consecration by America of the sacrifice made by Belgium in 1914 when instead of permitting the mighty aggressor to trample her underfoot, she fought, step by step, until her little army was virtually pushed off its own territory. Third, it will be the memorial in Belgium to those Americans who volunteered and gave their lives, with their Allies, that the words honor and liberty might not become obsolete. The library at Louvain must be replaced. It was the storehouse and the work room of a great university, a university which for five hundred years has been a center of learn- ing which had contributed great scholars in anatomy, in mathematics, in philosophy and theology. It is the life ambition of Cardinal Mercier to see this building erected. He is no longer young and every day and every week that we hasten will aid to increase the happiness and the satisfaction of that great personality, I venture little in saying the greatest personality revealed to mankind by the war. This library, like all libraries, consists of a building and of books. The books are pouring in to Louvain. They are pouring in by gift from America, by gift from France, by gift from Great Britain. They are pouring in under the terms of the treaty by which Louvain has the right to select from German collections, bit for bit, of some of the more distinguished and monu- mental treasures that were destroyed by fire and the overthrow of the building. But there is no place in which to put these books. They are housed temporarily in garrets, in cellars. Half of Louvain itself was destroyed and there is no place to put them. They remain ir the boxes in which they were shipped from New York, from London and from Paris. By almost every post comes a cry from Louvain "Can't you hurry up in order that we may have a place to put our books and set our students at work?" There are only two ways in which this building will ever be erected. The one is by a few large gifts from men and women of great wealth. The other is by hundreds of thousands of small gifts that represent the conscience, the idealism, the deep intellectual sympathy of our whole people. Surely the second is the better way. We should have the deep feeling of satisfaction that we our- selves have restored Louvain t Alone in our preparatory schools, colleges, and universities, there are over one million students, so that if each institution will put its shoulder to the wheel and subscribe its quota of one dollar per student, the sum needed to complete the structure will be obtained without great hardship to anybody, especially in view of the fact that the pay- ments may be made to extend over a period of two years, as the building cannot be fin- ished before the spring of 1925 which is the 500th anniversary of the founding of Lou- vain. 110 DETROIT CONFERENCE This is a matter which should also inter- est the great storehouses of learning of this country the libraries. It is because of the encouragement received spontaneously from the New York Public Library that I am ad- dressing you in hopes that you may find the object a worthy one for your interest and encouragement. It will perpetuate your ad- miration for those of your staffs who volun- teered and sacrificed themselves in 1918. In order to realize this project the Com- mittee must depend upon the enthusiasm of all of us. If we decide it is worth while to perpetuate in stone in Belgium the principles for which we fought from 1914 to 1918, nothing can stop its realization, and its sig- nificance will be limitless; but to accomplish this we must sow the seed of our enthusiasm, and preach the gospel far and wide that this is the righteous and wise thing to do; and, as an inspiration and help let us keep before ourselves our reward, which is that it is not a duty but a privilege, and a joy to work for that great soul Cardinal Mercier. COPYRIGHT AND THE PUBLISHERS: A REVIEW OF THIRTY YEARS By M. L. RANEY, Librarian, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Chairman, Book Buying Committee SECOND GENERAL SESSION We are here to consider a copyright meas- ure introduced (by request) in Congress April 28 by Mr. Tincher, of Kansas (H. R. 11476). Its titular author is not committed to it and has yet to make the necessary studies for the determination of his own attitude. The bill's putative origin is the so-called Authors' League of America. "So-called" I say, for such copyright organizations in America have always been but parade bunt- ing hung on publishing fronts, to be discarded after parading was over. The reason for such carnivals when the legislator comes to town is a little lone paragraph in the Con- stitution of the United States which says not a word about the manufacturers and sellers of books, but speaks only of authors and their public. Thus runs a part of ARTICLE I, SEC. 8. The Congress shall have power : To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries. The old time publisher has a poor opinion of that subsection and a worse one still of its English mother, the Statute of Anne. He would amend it if he could, but there is not the slightest chance. Copyright legislation remains the concern of authors and their public. As a class, however, authors are a timorous folk and slow to unite, while the public, in Mr. Roosevelt's lament, will not take its own part. Rarely, therefore, has either of these principals functioned con- structively in drafting the measures definitive of their relations. In the one great historic instance of their conjunction, above noted, the publishers lost perpetual monopoly, and au- thor's copyright was won. That eclipse of 1710 will never be forgot. But while the sceptre had passed from Stationers' Hall, the role of Warwick remained ever a possi- bility. And so, what with the diffidence of authors and the confusion of the people, pub- lishers, busy and indeed indispensable scribes that they are, together, in the United States, with the printers, have played conspicuous parts suggesting claims and for- mulating terms. The present bill is no exception. The typographers announce their willingness to forego an (unproductive) privilege for in- creased tariff protection. Two publishers draw up the stipulations, and the document is taken to Washington by the secretary of the Authors' League. The measure has great capabilities for good, but the zealous scribes could not forego the temptation of slipping in a clause to the fattening of their own pockets at tremendous cost to the public and no advantage to authorship "not emphasized by authors," as they once expressed it. Will the people's representatives sign? If the past is any criterion, they will not, for the publishers have essayed such a rider four other times in the past thirty years, and suf- RANEY 111 fered four defeats two on the floor of Con- gress, two in committee. What is the proposition, so sponsored? The bill itself has the worthy purpose of qualifying the United States for membership in the International Copyright Union, from which, save Russia, we are the only con- spicuous absentee among powers of the first rank. We do hold place in the Pan Ameri- can convention, founded on the same general principles, but our literary relations are much more intimate with Europe, especially Great Britain because of common language, than with South and Central America. We should without question enter the larger fellowship also, as Brazil has set out to do. The fundamental principle of this associa- tion (called Berne Union from its place of birth in 1886) is that copyright once secured in any Union country has validity, without further formality or cost, throughout all the countries of the Union. From this family of nations we have been barred for thirty years because of a provision in our law, known as the "manufacturing clause," which denies copyright to the for- eigner unless his book is made here. This was the price paid the printers in the Act of 1891 for any protection at all to foreigners other than resident here. Previous to that, literary piracy was legalized and constituted the national sin, for the remission of which a host of men and women of high repute in and out of Congress struggled for a half century before attaining any degree of suc- cess. It is but fair to say, however, that in this particular the United States were but follow- ing European precedent. Our first federal act, which established the nation's policy for a century, was passed in 1790. This was three years before France set the precedent of granting, irrespective of residence or na- tionality, copyright to anyone publishing a book on her soil, though in 1852 she took a longer lead by decreeing against republica- tion (though not against performance) of works first published abroad, without regard to reciprocity. As for Great Britain, her law was not superior to ours when the fa- mous petition of fifty-six British authors was presented to the Senate by Henry Clay in 1837- It took a court construction of 1868 to establish the applicability to non- residents of the Act of 1842, which allowed a book first published in the United King- dom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Ire- land) to bear coypright throughout the British dominions, while it was not till 1886 that such protection was given a book first published elsewhere in those dominions. And even since 1887, when the Berne convention went into effect, it must be remembered that an American author, to attain copyright in the Union countries, must publish there first or simultaneously, just as much as a British author must since 1891 do in the United States to get legal protection here. Publica- tion twice in each case is necessary. Finally, in the interest of fairness and sound action, let it be clearly recognized that American publishers cannot nowadays be charged with the habit of pirating foreign authors' works as was true before the Act of 1891. There is no National Sin crying out now for expiation. A very striking proof of this lies in the fact that, though English authors can since 1891 get under our law by publication here, less than one per cent, according to a published statement of the Register of Copyrights, have felt the neces- sity of doing so. So that, while the nuisance of double pub- lication should be abated, public law substi- tuted for private agreements, and the temp- tation to Canadian retaliation removed, yet the international situation is not such as to justify the purchase of such advantages at any price. There is abundant time for de- liberation, and the opportunity for action alike uncompromising and distinguished. In such unhurried and critical temper, we may now pass from the bill itself to an examina- tion of Sinbad, the Publishers' Rider. The proposal is that with the repeal of the manufacturing clause shall go another, viz., revocation of everybody's right to acquire a foreign book from any source except the publisher of its American edition. No mat- ter how shoddily the reprinter might do his work (and there would be no object in a re- print, except a cheaper one), he would thereby gain monopoly of all originals shipped here, and could charge at his pleasure. But 112 DETROIT CONFERENCE this is to state the case in its most innocuous form. Printing here would not, under the new conditions created by this Act, be re- quisite to the establishment of an American edition. The foreign original might be made to serve the purpose. Three words Copy- right, John Smith, 1922 behind the title page of two such copies, when registered and deposited in Washington, would constitute an American edition. The Register of Copy- right would not ask whether there were any more like these. All dealings must be with the new owner, under the dire penalties of infringement. The inscription of the magic words would be a matter of arrangement between the jobber here and the publisher there, or between the east and west sides of the same house. The first beneficiary of this scheme would be the international publisher. Through our membership in the Berne Union, all his Euro- pean issues would automatically have the protection of our laws against piracy, while only compliance with the simple formalities above mentioned, with payment of a dollar per title, would be necessary to qualification as publisher of an American edition. We could not then order such London books from London agents, but must deal instead with the New York house and pay its prices or do without. What those prices would be is not a matter of conjecture. For example, one half the titles handled here by The Mac- millan Company are importations; that is, books not printed or reprinted in the United States. The average rate at which they are priced on this side is 38.3 cents a shilling (which has an actual value at present of 22.5 cents). Now, as always heretofore, a buyer, whether individual or institution, can escape such charges by importing from Eng- land. The rider to subsection (a) of Sec- tion 6 would block that escape, and exact the higher toll. The second beneficiary would be the im- porter of books from countries with broken down currency, especially Germany, and to a less extent Italy and France. What a harvest awaits the copyright manipulator in this field. The German mark has fallen to about one-sixtieth of its ante bellum value, but the domestic price of books has increased but five fold. Under the rules of the trade, enforced by the Government, this price is trebled in sales to most foreign countries, in- cluding the United States. Even so, that has made German books cost us about one- fourth as much as in 1914. For the profiteer, who is already finding a way to operate, here is a golden opportunity, through employment of the American edition fiction, to double or treble the price of sure sellers which will mean the first rate manuals of science and philology exploited at the expense of Amer- ican investigators and students. From the operations of this pair, the bill provides six exemptions the Government, the blind, the traveller, imported libraries, whether bought en bloc or brought in by the immigrant, foreign newspapers or maga- zines, and the imported originals of English translations copyrighted here. In this line of eight beneficiaries, one misses two faces, the author, who gets not an added penny, and the general public for whom his work is done. These two would like to meet. The Constitution would have them do so freely. This bill says they may, provided the buyer is a Government official, or bereft of eye- sight, or content with a periodical, or has the money to take a trip to Europe, or to buy a whole library at once. But the searcher after truth in study and laboratory, the cul- tivated reader at home, the impecunious stu- dent who has not the price of an ocean voyage they will pay heavily for the meet- ing, if the rider reaches his goal. The profiteer in foodstuffs for the body is held in execration. What more can be said of him who would corner the supplies of the brain? And so, if the rider pulls rein at the White House, it will come to pass that librarians and bookbuyers of every degree will go very charily about their foreign acquisitions, for the penalty of a misstep is ugly. Never knowing what the registry of copyrights in Washington might show, they will in every instance first inquire whether some monopolist has beat them there. Is it thus we shall "promote the progress of science and useful arts"? RANEY 113 History of the Project This offering of the publishers is not a new one, though the law of other countries knows it not. By it they attempt to retrieve one of their two historic defeats of the past thirty years the first, suffered in the Act of 1891 when victory by ambush seemed certain till a month before the Session's end Senators Sherman and Carlisle discovered the stratagem and plucked the invaders; the second, suffered in three successive adverse verdicts in the Supreme Court of the United States, in 1908 and 1913. As both these con- tests were waged in adherence to false theories of copyright, it is well to review them. Copyright is the exclusive privilege of multiplying and first disposing of literary and artistic works. It is not a natural right, but one fixed by statute, as all rights in human society are. A natural right would be an absolute right, but absolutism is dead; one has not an absolute right to life itself. A criminal may be sentenced to death and a pa- triot yield his life at his country's command in its defense. This grant is of distinctly modern origin and its entire development can be traced. The idea was unknown before the invention of printing, though there was a lively manu- script trade during the Middle Ages and copyists abundant no less than 10,000 in Paris and Orleans alone, it is said. By the end of the sixteenth century it was coming to be seen that if authorship, with its at- tendant advantages to the public, was to flourish otherwise than at the precarious pleasure of wealthy patrons, the author should for a limited term have the monopoly of pro- duction and sale. It was a national affair, however, the foreigner was not recognized, and the native author was protected against importation of the foreign reprint. Such was the typical situation in the United States when in 1891 Congress concluded at last to grant the foreigner copyright if he had his book made here. The publishers lay low, thinking to draw the old non-importation clause to prevent the customary sale of the original which they would then undertake to reprint under American copyright. While there is good reason to suppose that the at- tempt in court to prevent importation for use as against sale would have failed, yet the threat of such litigation might have proved a deterrent to libraries especially. So after mature deliberation, involving a distinguished Senatorial debate, Congress passed the Act with a specific proviso insuring to institutions and individuals the continued right of impor- tation for use, though restricted to two copies. This decision greatly upset the publishers and they have made repeated efforts at its repeal, the present being the fourth in thir- teen years. It is not generally known that they tried it twice during the war Jan. 8, 1915 (H. R. 20695), and Jan. 27, 1916 (H. R. 10231) when public attention was focused elsewhere, but these bills did not emerge from committee, since the American Bar Association's Committee on Patent, Trade- Mark and Copyright, under the chairman- ship of R. H. Parkinson, of Chicago, was awake and made efficient protest. Their most ambitious drive, however, came in connection with the Act of 1909. This campaign really ran over nearly a decade. Learned counsel was employed, and elaborate preparations carried through. On May 1, 1901, the American Publishers' Association and the American Booksellers' Association, recently formed for the purpose, put into effect a joint pact placing most classes of books on a net basis, except for a discount of ten per cent to libraries. Article III of the Publishers' program ran as follows : That the members of the Association agree that such net copyrighted books and all other of their books shall be sold by them to those booksellers only who will maintain the retail price of such net copy- righted books for one year, and to those booksellers and jobbers only who will sell their books further to no one known to them to cut such net prices or whose name has been given to them by the Association as one who cuts such prices, etc. The Booksellers, on their part, voted "not to buy, not to keep in stock, nor to offer for sale, after due notification, the books of any publisher who declines to support the net price system" ; to expel any member reported by any three of his fellows as having had commerce with a denounced publisher; to 114 DETROIT CONFERENCE refuse such expelled member or a denounced dealer all discount. Here was an agreement to destroy the business of anyone who refused an oath to support whatever retail price a publisher might set and join in punishing those who did not. Here was plain combination in re- straint of trade. One need not necessarily condemn maintenance of price in order to condemn the coercive methods here employed. The defense lay in the nature of copyright as a monopoly, which was alleged to place the proprietor beyond the reach of anti- trust laws, and as sole vendor to control re- sale. Two results followed swiftly. First, li- braries found their prices advanced about twenty per cent. The American Library As- sociation, joined by the National Education Association, protested. Second, R. H. Macy & Company, blacklisted and blockaded for retailing at $1.24 a net copyrighted $1.40 novel, purchased by them at forty per cent discount, brought suit Dec. 3, 1902, against both Associations and others. On Feb. 23, 1904, the New York Court of Appeals de- clared the combination illegal so far as it sought to control uncopyrighted books. In March the agreement was changed to cover copyrighted books only, and two publishers instituted suits against Macy's shortly after- ward. The Bobbs-Merrill Company printed, under the copyright notice of The Castaway, the following in each copy: "The price of this book at retail is one dollar net. No dealer is licensed to sell it at a less price, and a sale at a less price will be treated as an infringement of the copyright." Macy's price was $ .89. Scribner's sought to attain the same end by printing in their catalogs and bills the following notice: "Copyrighted net books published after May 1, 1901, and copyrighted fiction published after Feb. 1, 1902, are sold on condition that prices be maintained as provided by the regulations of the American Publishers' Association." In both these in- stances, the attempt was being made by rea- son of copyright monopoly to impose by no- tice a retail price on a dealer with whom there was no privity of contract. The United States Circuit Court, Southern District of New York, found for Macy's July 11, 1905, and these verdicts were affirmed June 16, 1906, in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. This sequence of events is of the greatest significance to the case which we have in hand today, for it was in June and Novem- ber, 1905, and March, 1906, that the three conferences to lay the basis for a bill "to amend and consolidate the acts respecting copyright," as requested by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Patents, were held. The publishers swarmed over the place, for here was the chance of a lifetime to win in Congress a battle they were losing in the courts. Despite the substantial labors of the Copyright Officer, an amazing strand of privi- leges, filched from author and public for the aggrandizement of the publisher, was woven into the fabric of the draft. Here they in- serted absolute prohibition of importation unless with the reprinter's consent. Con- tinued control after sale was covered by this astounding clause: That the copyright secured by this Act shall include the sole and exclusive right : (b) To sell, distribute, exhibit, or let for hire, or offer or keep for sale, distribution, exhibition, or hire, any copy of such work. A purchaser could not even show a book he had bought, let alone sell it at will, unless the publishers gave written consent, and a violation would incur the fine or imprison- ment fixed for infringement. And there was much else of the same ilk. So deftly, however, was the work done by counsel and so assured the client's manner that the Congressional committees were at first taken in and spoke for a brief space the approved patois of the publisher. The trend of events thereafter cannot more certainly be gauged than by reading side by side the two reports of Chairman Currier dated re- spectively Jan. 30, 1907, and Feb. 22, 1909. The primary rights of the public were the keynote of the latter. His eyes and those of the Senate Committee, which also adopted it, had been opened by the pleas of the Ameri- can Library Association, and the Library Copyright League, organized for the purpose by W. P. Cutter, but especially through the appearance of a brilliant protagonist of the cultivated reader, at the Hearings of March, MELCHER 115 [908, in the person of William Allen Jenner, i New York lawyer, speaking in his own lame. Mr. Jenner had already got the ear jf Congress by the private publication in 1907 of a masterly analysis of the bill en- titled The publisher against the people, a plea for the defense, to be followed after the Hearings by The octopus, similarly issued. Under his penetrating probe, the proceedings jroke up and turned into a general rat-hunt by all aboard. At the end, the importation right was back where it ought to be, the disposal section resumed its traditional tenor in the grant, "To print, reprint, publish, copy, and vend the copyrighted work," and many ather nests were cleared out. One last stand was yet to be made. The Supreme Court on June 1, 1908, had affirmed the lower court decisions in the Bobbs-Mer- rill and Scribner cases, even though in Jan- uary, 1907, the publishers had changed their "agreement" to a "recommendation," with- out, however, altering coercive practices. Thus the publisher could not by mere notice limit the price of resale, nor after the first vending exercise any further right. The final drive, made at the critical Hearing of Jan. 20, 1909, was in the effort to insert the following clause: That subject to the limitations and con- ditions of this act copyright secured here- under shall be entitled to all the rights and remedies which would be accorded to any other species of property at common law. Here again appeared Mr. Jenner for the public, joined by Mr. Parkinson, who, as already seen, was still keeping his vigil in 1916. This clause was to revive an old claim of the Stationers' Company of London, which, under the aegis of the Star Chamber, carried so high a hand for a century and a half from its charter in 1556. Since 1710 when the Statute of Anne, the first copyright act, went into effect, all copyright in published works has been statutory. So finally decided the House of Lords in 1774. In this spirit the American Constitution was written and the Act of 1790 so construed by the Supreme Court in 1834 and repeatedly since. The effect of the clause would probably have been to upset the Bobbs-Merrill verdict. It failed, and the bill only when so amended was signed by President Roosevelt on the last day of his second term in 1909. The end of the American Publishers' As- sociation came in 1914 with the payment of $140,000 in damages following the third unani- mous verdict of the Supreme Court Dec. 1, 1913, in favor of Macy's. And now after all this history, with the fate of its sire full before its eyes, the young National Association of Book Pub- lishers, our nativity greetings hardly dead on the air, dashes up on the old steed, with the prettiest trappings the best copyright sad- dler in America could give him, determined once more to stay the free flow of the world's thought our way, thus beggaring American art, science and scholarship to fill a private till. COPYRIGHT REPLY TO DR. M. L. RANEY By FREDERIC G. MELCHER, Executive Secretary, National Association of Book Publishers FOURTH GENERAL SESSION I have asked President Root for the oppor- tunity to make reply to Dr. Raney's discussion on copyright in an earlier session, not so much to argue the details of the Copyright Bill as to criticize the spirit in which his com- ment on the book-trade was offered. His speech was called "A Primer of Copy- right." This suggested to me, while being delivered, the following paraphrase of Kip- ling's well-known verse : "If the book-trade were as here it seems, And not the book-trade of my dreams, But only intrigue, graft and taint, If the book-trade were, But the book-trade ain't." Like Mayor Hylan in his attitude toward the transportation interests in New York, Dr. Raney believes that all who have had to do with copyright from the publisher's angle are 116 DETROIT CONFERENCE to be under suspicion at every turn and ranked with the sinister interests. In order to paint the publishers in darkest colors, it seemed necessary in his argument to explain the Authors' League's connection with the Bill. This he did by stating that the Authors' League was but parade bunting stretched out in the publishers' interests, to be taken down when the issue was over. This unfair and inaccurate criticism of the Au- thors' League is entirely out of agreement with the facts as known to all. The Authors' League is a large independent organization with an effective record, and no publisher is on its committee. In the preliminary work of arranging for a revision of copyright, the hard work was done by Eric Schuler, secre- tary of the League, who should be given all praise, and the first draft of the Bill was drawn by the attorney of the League. The inaccuracy of the statement that the publishers molded the new Copyright Bill is shown by the fact that three out of the four principal workers in the drafting of the Bill were not publishers at all. One of Mr. Raney's friendly little references to the peo- ple who did this work is in one of his letters where he refers to Major Putnam and Mr. Bowker as the "Gold Dust Twins" of copy- right. Perhaps I will accept that reference, because, if it comes to copyright matters, these men have done the hard work and they have done clean work. Lest it be considered that there is some- thing eccentric in believing that the present Bill has been drawn with an attempt at justice to all parties, it should be pointed out that after very careful examination, Dr. Roth- lisberger, Secretary of the Berne convention, approved the phrase under criticism, and in fact said that he had suggested the same solu- tion to the Canadian Legislature in a com- ment on the new Canadian law. Dr. Raney seemed to believe that the publishers do not like the reference to copyright in the Ameri- can Constitution, but this point in his argu- ment did not seem clear. Publishers are not mentioned in the Constitution, neither are booksellers or libraries, and the Copyright Bill is merely intended to give all parties their proper protection in order that the author and public may be well served. In a recent letter to our office, Dr. Raney wrote : "As to the washing of dirty linen, my reference was to the necessary review of the record of the American Publishers' Asso-' ciation, which, in its struggle for monopoly, suicided to escape the gallows. To me that is dirty linen, but if it is shoved under our nose we will wash it." This he has presum- ably attempted to do in his brief history of the American Booksellers' Association and the original American Publishers' Association in their attempt to put stability into the American book distribution machinery, by finding some method of standardizing prices. If that is a culpable effort, the publishers cheerfully take the responsibility. Everyone in this audience who is familiar with book- trade conditions twenty-five years ago will know how necessary some such action was. Bookstores were blinking out under pressure of cut-throat competition and new ones were not starting to take their places. Certainly there was nothing for author or public to gain from such a condition, and it is worth re- cording that, although the effort finally came to a legal disaster, the atmosphere was clari- fied during the discussion and that, in spite of the cost, the effort was worth making. If legal defeat is a proof of sinister intent, then those who have been favoring the Child La- bor Law in Washington should also be under fire. Dr. Raney has a good deal to say about monopoly, as if that very word proved that there was a plot against the public. He should keep in mind that the very essence of copyright is monopoly and that, as authors continue to need publishers and seek for them, and, as probably half the books published are conceived in publishing offices, monopoly- is a necessary part of the situation. Libraries on their part have monopoly, even though bookstores do not. Authors sometimes avoid having publishers, but it has not yet been claimed that they find advantage in the other system. Nine-tenths of the books that li- braries buy probably more than nine-tenths are of American origin and their copyright gives some publisher a monopoly. The jus- tice of this has not been questioned in Dr. Raney's report. It should not be forgotten that it may MELCHER 117 matter to the author whether the book is bought in the English edition or bought here the author's income does not depend upon the percentage he gets on one sale but on the total number of sales. If an English author can get five times as many sales in this country by having a publisher actively interested in his success, he is better off than if a small number of orders came from those libraries most actively following the English announcements. This curtailment of the Eng- lish author's opportunity is just what this "buy in England" campaign brings about. The owner of a patent in the American mar- ket does not suffer competition from the same machine made in England. The purchaser of the dramatic or movie rights for the American market does not suffer because of importations. But the American publisher is questioned because he argues that it is bet- ter for all hands that there be someone with full authority to promote a given item in this area. We should not forget that American au- thors also are anxious to get substantial hearings in England, and that these hear- ings are obtained by an English publisher's promotion and not by casual hearings of a few copies going to that country. That authors appreciate the importance of having the undivided support of publishers and do not stand suspicious of every business house is shown in a recent signed statement by a group of English authors, who, in com- menting on the situation that developed in connection with Tolstoi's works, maintained that no author could get a proper hearing without a publisher and that "it is practically impossible to engage modern capital in pub- lishing or any other enterprise without prop- erty rights." Just what the Bill provides in the way of free access to the other markets for the li- braries should be noticed. Only books in English fall under this restriction, and only those books in English which are registered at Washington by an American publisher as having been duly published in this country. These might perhaps be ten per cent of the English publications at the most. The book thus being registered, the library can still obtain the English edition by filing its re- quest with the American publisher, and if the publisher does not acknowledge and file the order within ten days, the library can order direct. This English edition would be sup- plied by the American publisher at a price equivalent to the English price. At a hearing before the Senate Committee last December, Dr. Raney gave figures show- ing the comparative cost of twenty-five books in England and America. These prices, he stated, were supplied by a western library of fifty thousand volumes. Investigation proved that while the English prices were so sup- plied, the American prices had been obtained by Dr. Raney by writing to the individual publishers, who on such orders quoted the books at ten per cent off, plus postage. This figure would constitute about as high a price as could be given in any showing, with the natural result that the comparison was as bad as possible. Certainly there is nothing in the present discussion of one small phrase of an important Bill which need lead to argu- ments of such a nature. The new Bill has the approval of the lead- ing world authority on copyright, the friend- ly comment from England and Canada, and has had the advantage of being drafted by four recognized experts in copyright law. Un- der the circumstances, the publishers are sur- prised at an attack of such bitterness on their standing. American publishing is mak- ing good strides forward in the character and variety of books and the ability with which the needs of this great market are met. In fact, the publishers take pride in 'be- ing publishers, as they also take pleasure in their relations with all groups who have to do with book distribution. I wish to say finally in the phraseology of Christopher Morley that "We may be inept, but we are not sinister." 118 DETROIT CONFERENCE LIBRARY RECRUITING JUDSON T. JENNINGS, Librarian, Public Library, Seattle, Washington; Chairman, Recruiting Committee THIRD GENERAL SESSION I think you will agree that the most im- portant single essential in successful library development is a trained, enthusiastic and competent personnel. We may bring about the enactment of com- prehensive library laws. We may be able to secure appropriations more or less ade- quate. We may build beautiful and con- venient library buildings. We may fill these buildings with well chosen books, but unless we also secure an ample and continuous sup- ply of competent librarians our libraries will not progress and will not justify their ex- istence. In fact, if your librarians are not of the right sort your library laws will not be well framed, your buildings will not be well planned and your books will not be well chosen. In other words, the important ele- ment in library work is the human element. Mr. Dana has said that "A library is good only as the librarian makes it so." Perhaps it was the same gentleman who said "A library is 75 per cent librarian." Now I think you also will agree, from your own experience and from what you have heard of the experience of others, that we still face a shortage of competent library workers. The library schools are unable to supply the demand for trained people and librarians find it impossible to secure satis- factory helpers. Putting together, then, these two points of agreement, first, the importance of the human element and second, the shortage of the human element, it would seem that some- thing should be done. The most logical first step would be a diagnosis to determine the cause of the short- age. There are undoubtedly many reasons, but to my mind three causes stand out in bold relief as of sufficient importance to jus- tify study and action. These three causes are as follows : First : Inadequate salaries. Second: Not enough library schools. Third: Lack of knowledge on the part of the gen- eral public as to the nature, opportunities and demands of library work. A slight amplifi- cation of these three causes will constitute this paper. Let us take first inadequate salaries. Why do we need to recruit? Do other professions and occupations find it necessary to recruit? We do not hear of recruiting for the medical profession or for the legal profession. Is it not because compensation in those professions is adequate? On the other hand, we find that the United States Army and the United States Navy carry on active and continuous recruiting campaigns. The very word recruiting suggests army and navy. Compensation in these fields is in- adequate. Therefore, we advertise, "Get an education while you work," "Join the Navy and see the world." The inadequacy of li- brary salaries has been emphatically brought out in many of the letters received by the Recruiting Committee. Extracts from two of these letters will suffice to show the feel- ing on this subject among those who are not librarians. The following is from the vocational secretary of a large state uni- versity : However, it is not a question of finding people who are interested in that line of work, but finding people who are willing to make the sacrifice that work in that line en- tails, due to the low salary schedule. You will pardon my apparent intrusion into the work of the committee, but it would seem to me that they should concentrate first on raising their salary schedule, then the problem of recruiting workers would prob- ably disappear, and at the same time there would be the additional advantage of having the type of person attracted to the profession of the high quality which you unquestion- ably desire. The other is from the president of a small college in the Middle West: Your circular letter of February 28 ask- ing help in recruiting students for library work is in my hands. Some three or four years ago one of my daughters took the librarians' course at one of the largest state universities in the United States. The following summer the university asked her to come to them to do substitute work during the summer session. She went and at the close of the summer, the uni- JENNINGS 119 versity offered her a permanent position in the library but at a salary less than half of what she got the year before as a high school teacher. After reading your letter I wondered whether or not the meager salaries paid for workers in libraries would not account in large measure for the small number of col- lege and university students who train for librarianship. A college cannot very well urge its stu- dents to go into training for library work when the salaries are so small as compared with other lines of work. I am glad to note that the A.L.A. has ap- pointed a committee on salaries and I am in hearty sympathy with the program outlined in their report. The work of the A.L.A. Recruiting Committee will be reduced almost in the same proportion as the work of the Salary Committee is effective. We must overcome the modesty of li- brarians on the salary question, we must cease to regard library work as missionary work and we must educate library trustees and city councilmen as to the qualifications demanded for librarians and the compensa- tion required. We can still be modest but not unbecomingly so, and we can still be missionaries but well paid ones. To educate city councilmen is another matter and would perhaps require another special committee, but as a library colleague of tender memory once said regarding barbed wire fences, "These can be overcome or underwent." We must in some way reach the point where li- brarianship shall not be characterized as "good fun and low pay." The second reason mentioned was that there are not enough library schools. The more important of these institutions are in- cluded in the Association of American Li- brary Schools. There are in this group 12 schools located in only 8 different states. Forty states have no full fledged library schools of approved standing. To secure training in one of the best schools residents of these 40 states must go far from home at considerable expense. In many cases this expense is prohibitive and we lose desirable recruits. If I am right in this assumption, then I think the A.L.A. and the Association of American Library Schools and the state library commissions should co-operate in urging the establishment of additional schools in sections where they seem to be most needed. The number of librarians in this country is somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000. The annual output of these twelve library schools is approximately 225. The annual supply of recruits then is only about 1 per cent of the total number of librarians. To be sure there are many smaller schools and training classes, but compile your own figures and I think you will find the supply entirely inadequate. Again, instruction in library work is of such a nature that large schools and large classes are not feasible. For this reason as well as for geographical distribution, an increase in the number of schools would seem to be the solution. The third reason named was lack of knowl- edge on the part of the general public as to the nature, opportunities and demands of li- brary work. This is the particular sector that the A.L.A. Recruiting Committee has en- deavored to occupy by bringing to the gen- eral public information regarding library work and by equipping librarians and voca- tional advisers with printed material on the same subject. Its work has been done largely through correspondence and the distribution of printed material and is described more in detail in our printed reports. Much of our work was what Mr. Henry might call "broadcasting." It was necessarily so. We could not tell in which particular pool the tempting trout might lie and so our casting had to be broad. We have, however, repeatedly urged that the most effective recruiting is that done by individual librarians in personal conference with promising candidates. If the wrong sort of people become interested in library training through our broadcasting methods, can not the clever men and women in charge of our library schools keep them out? One writer has said that some present-day librarians went into library work as pages and then followed it as the line of least resistance. I fear that is true. That was the old method of getting into any occupation, but more scientific methods of choosing one's lifework are coming into vogue. Witness the advent of the vocational adviser and the great in- 120 DETROIT CONFERENCE crease in his numbers. Here is a field to cul- tivate. The vocational adviser can be of great assistance if he has an accurate idea of the nature of librarianship, is equipped with printed matter and is prepared to refer likely candidates to nearby librarians for further information and advice. Perhaps in some not far distant millennium we shall each of us be scientifically fitted into our proper grooves and a wise providence will ordain that just enough librarians shall be born. RECRUITING FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN CANADA GEORGE H. LOCKE, Chief Librarian, Public Library, Toronto, Ont., Canada THIRD GENERAL SESSION All Canada is divided (from a library standpoint) into two parts : The province of Ontario and the remaining provinces ; in the first of which are more libraries than in all the rest combined. There is one regularly organized training school for librarians which meets during the Michaelmas term (approximately Sep- tember 6 to December 10) and which is un- der the direction of the inspector of public libraries for the Province of Ontario. While provincial in its maintenance, it is national in its scope. There is a summer library school in con- nection with McGill University, in Montreal, under the direction of the librarian of that University. There is no national library association. There is a flourishing association for Ontario, which meets in Toronto during Easter week, and there is a small association in the mari- time provinces. An effort was made to form an association in the prairie provinces, but the war, with its economic results, has prevented its development. Library work as a profession is but of re- cent growth with us ; in fact, we are still in the missionary stage where conversion of the heathen unbeliever is necessary. He or it (individual, corporation or government) needs complete change of heart. He is beyond logic. The subject for today, "recruiting," sug- gests that there is an organized body of per- sons whose object is to fight for some prin- ciple which the organization thinks is worth while. Before we can ask persons to join our ranks, we have to explain the object of our army and what are the rewards for service in it, two essentially reasonable questions which one would expect the recruit to ask. Time has passed when the sergeant, with his ribbons and his cane, and dressed in his walking-out garb, could stand on the corners and invite the stray passer-by to join the army, and seal it with a drink or two and a shilling. And the time is passing when we can allure people into the ranks of the library army by telling them of the opportunity for self-effacement and ultimate immortality. Therefore, if I am to be a recruiting officer and ask persons to join the army of librarians, the first thing I have to do is to reorganize the army on a war footing. In other words, I have to see that the army is a well-fed and well-led army, and well supplied with all that makes for effective campaigning. There may be some here who question the analogy of the army, possibly because their ideas of an army relate almost entirely to discipline, repression and loss of individual- ity. Such persons feel like the mounted in- fantry man about whom Kipling tells us in one of his poems of the South African War and who, scouting on his own, with responsi- bilities on himself and thinking of the time when he was merely a number, or perhaps better, a pawn, exclaimed : I used to belong to an army once, Gawd, what a rum little army once, Rum little, dumb little army once. And perhaps there are a few such regiments or brigades in the general army of librarians. (For an illustration of the deadliness of rou- tine, the influence of atmosphere and the difficulties of the struggle to be free, let me recommend to you Beresford's recent novel, The prisoners of Hartling.) But to return to the army, I cannot recruit unless I have made the object of the army appear to be worth while (which presupposes that I believe it to be worth while), unless I LOCKE 121 have made clear that there is an incentive which has qualities of the ideal in it, some- thing which appeals, not only to the intellec- tual sense, but, above all, to the moral feel- ings. Not all who join the army will be equally impressed by the ideal, but those who are impressed by it will be the future officers of the army, those who lead the forces into action. Therefore I believe the first thing neces- sary to recruit successfully is to have some- thing worth while to accomplish by your organization. So in Canada I have been a prophet preaching the possibilities of library work as a help towards intelligent citizenship and individual and social well-being; and as I believe with my friend, Mansbridge, of the Workers Educational Association, that no movement can be successful without a prophet, I have not hesitated to follow the examples of the old-time prophets all the way from moral suasion to slaying the prophets of Baal. And all the time I have been gathering about me the nucleus of an army, those who have not bowed the knee to Baal, so that I would have the moral backing of a stand- ing army whose battles and whose successes would draw attention to the effect that in- spirational training and systematic effort have over mere individual and undisciplined fight- ing. The establishment of a well ordered train- ing school by the inspector of public li- braries of our Province has given standing to the profession. An intelligence test was set up for entrance into the army, and at once heart and ambition were developed within the ranks. The intelligence test took the form of a course of intensive study, through three months, of the ideals and practices of work in a public library, with daily practice, much after the same plan as made our Officers' Training Corps so successful during the re- cent great struggle. To me one of the great- est revelations of the war was the amount of real education one can get in a short time and under the pressure of a great emer- gency. We have a continuous emergency in the necessity among our people for a better understanding of the problems of life in all its national manifestations, and the place to get that understanding is in the people's na- tional educational institution. To bring these two important phases together we must have an army of interpreters who by intensive training are fitted to help the ambitious and attract the indifferent. In our country we believe very strongly in the intensive training and hesitate before joining the "hardy annuals" of the Ameri- can library training schools. But, then, we have our individual ways of fighting evil, I suppose, as we demonstrated our individual or national method of fighting on the Ger- man front. We are not like our English "mother," nor, again, are we exactly like our American "cousins." We have characteristics of both, or, to quote again from my favorite poet: We're a sort of giddy harumphrodite, Soldier and sailor too. The next thing was to see that within the army there should be recognition commen- surate with the enhanced requirements neces- sary to join. There are two aspects to this question one the matter of salary (and I believe thoroughly in it), but the other, to my mind, is of still greater import: freedom of thought, the recognition of individual sug- gestion, and the opportunity for promotion on the basis of interest, enthusiasm and effi- ciency. The democracy of such an army is shown in the feeling throughout it that leadership is possible in the lower ranks as well as in the higher, and that the results are every bit as important. As Kipling says in his poem about "Pharaoh and the Sergeant": It was not a Duke nor Earl Nor yet a Viscount, It was not a big brass General that came, But a man in khaki kit Who could 'andle men a bit, With 'is baggage labelled "Sergeant What's- 'is-Name." and it is not necessary that there be imposing buildings and elaborate equipment, for It was not a crystal palace or cathedral, It was not a public 'ouse of common fame, But a strip of red 'ot sand With a palm on either 'and, And a little 'ut for Sergeant What's-'is- Name. This kind of democracy brings confidence and happiness and hope within the ranks, 122 DETROIT CONFERENCE which feeling quickly becomes public and re- cruits of the better sort rush to join the army. You can't stop them and the library army becomes selective and professional soldiers who make their living, and a reason- ably comfortable living, with work so diver- sified that every one has something to do and is reasonably sure of recognition for what is done. This is what we are trying to do in Can- ada. We haven't got very far, but we haven't lost any ground. Where the van- guard camps today we expect the rear to camp tomorrow. True, we see some of our scattered posts indifferently manned, we still find placed in charge of a post an officer who knows nothing of ideals, again one who knows not even the manual of arms, and sometimes one entirely innocent of both. Such things have been known to occur in other armies too. And sometimes we find in one of our posts an officer in command who has risen solely through seniority of service and has never smelt powder gunpowder and whose sword has cut nothing but a bride's cake. We regret these instances. We protest against such practices. We use every means we can to urge against these practices and only too often we gain what in politics is often referred to as a moral victory. However, we are on the march, and it is going in to camp with you on such occasions as this that gives us heart to take up the work of another campaign. And, in conclusion, if you will allow me to leave the analogy of the army and end with a reference to the Senior Service those who serve upon the sea may I quote from Fox Smith whose words are often en- couraging to me: It takes all sorts to make the world, an' the same to make a crew : It takes the good and middlin', and the rotten bad uns too ; The same's there are on land, says Bill, you meet 'em all at sea The freaks an' fads an' crooks an' cads, an' or'nary folks like me. It takes a man for every job the skipper an' the mates, The chap as gives the orders an' the chap as chips the plates It takes the brass-bound 'prentice (an* ruddy plagues they be) An' chaps as shirks an' chaps as works just or'nary chaps like me. It takes all sorts to make a world, an' the same to make a crew, It takes more kinds of people than there's creeters in the zoo; You meet 'em all ashore, says Bill, an' you find 'em all at sea But do me proud if most of the crowd Ain't or'nary chaps like me. The important thing is the ideal, and this we must develop amongst "us or'nary folk," something that lures us on with but little regard to the length of the way, its roughness or its difficulties. I'll get recruits for an army when those who belong to it now will feel like my friends in that other army which is banded together that righteousness may be exalted and the individual saved to something, and will express it as they do to almost unharmo- nious accompaniment "I'm right down glad I ever joined the Army!" RECRUITING FOR CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS CLARA WHITEHALL HUNT, Superintendent, Children's Department, Public Library, Brooklyn, N. Y. SUMMARY. THIRD From the moment I received the command of my superior officer to speak on "Recruit- ing for children's librarians," I knew that I should not talk about addressing vocational guidance conferences, getting articles into popular magazines, distributing circulars in the colleges and so on. I knew that I must, at the risk of being misunderstood, try to in- duce librarians to believe that the most essen- GENERAL SESSION tial kind of recruiting would be a recognition of children's librarianship as a profession and a demand that all who enter it meet re- quirements at least as high as those demanded by other professions with which we fondly consider ourselves equal. In these times of famine, and when low salaries are considered a large reason for the dearth of children's librarians, it may HUNT 123 seem a bit mad to insist that now is the time to raise the requirements for admission to the ranks, and that to do this is more im- portant than to raise salaries. Yet in a call- ing whose existence depends upon the tax- payers' appreciation of its value, a very high quality of service must be our first argu- ment for increased salaries; and large sal- aries will not draw the kind of women our work needs if our standards make them feel that the children's librarian is really no more than a nursery governess in a public building. To agree that the child's doctor, nurse, teacher, playground director, shoemaker, dressmaker, and cook, should be trained for their jobs and to think that the person who may make or mar the child's life by the books she puts into his hands does not need special training is surely curious. "But why imply that the library profession thinks such a thing?" you ask. For answer I point to the census figures of eighteen million school children in the United States and then to the list of less than seven hundred people in this whole land who even claim the title, children's librarian. I remind you that there are great city library systems after a quarter-century of modern library work with children having but one real children's librarian on the staff; that de- partments formerly filled with trained chil- dren's librarians report long-standing vacan- cies and entrance requirements lowered since 1917. I think of more than one chief li- brarian who, after searching vainly for a trained and experienced candidate to appoint superintendent of his children's department, firally accepted an inexperienced graduate of a one-year general library school who had listened to half a dozen lectures on library work with children and gained a tourist's view of a few externals of the work. If librarians really believed in the children's library as an educational institution, would they tolerate appointing as adviser to the children, parents and teachers of a city a girl whom, in progressive states, the newest teacher outstrips in preparation for her field by training both theoretical and practical? There are imperative reasons today which were not evident a few years ago for the children's librarian's being highly trained for her work. The growth by leaps and bounds of the school library idea is going to leave the children's librarian trailing along in the wake of the teaching profession unless she is grounded in her own profession's body of doctrine. To quote Mr. Stevens, "The library school is not designed to educate the librarian but rather to equip the librarian to be an edu- cator." What respect will the best teachers have for some of our children's room "edu- cators" when they take more notice of the standards of citizen training shown in some of our public libraries : Lawless children ; shabby, ill-treated books; shelves of time- wasting story books which contribute noth- ing, lead to nothing except mental laziness in the child reader ; and other unmistakable signs of low grade work? The publicity which the library profession is now receiving is another and an urgent reason for our offering highly trained serv- ice through the children's room. Without a right understanding of her place in the edu- cational scheme, the zealous children's li- brarian may become a mere "reed shaken in the wind" of her own eagerness to oblige. Thinking she must "co-operate" at all costs, she is swept along by every local and trivial "drive" until her book money is spent on subjects of passing interest at the sacrifice of the supply of standards; her school class visits are conducted according to plans made by the teacher, not thought out by the li- brarian; a disproportionate amount of her time is given to advertising the children's room by outside speaking and story telling when a careful study to make the goods bet- ter worth the advertising is more needed. Being a children's librarian I have not out- grown my liking for playing games of "make believe." I am going to "make believe" for a minute that everyone in this audience agrees to the need of our training many children's librarians, beginning now, and that each person asks, "How can I help?" To children's librarians blessed with train- ing and experience I would answer, "Pay your debt to your profession by opening next fall a training course for children's librarians and spend the summer planning the course 124 DETROIT CONFERENCE and choosing candidates from your communi- ties. Do not, any longer, if you are head of a children's department, depend for your sup- ply on enticing children's librarians away from other libraries, and bemoan the short- age when that supply gives out." I would urge chief librarians to encourage and help their children's librarians to estab- lish these training courses. I would beg them not to lower standards when vacancies occur by placing in the children's room that member of the staff who hasn't brains enough to do satisfactory work in other departments but who declares she is "just crazy about children." I would ask them to reward high grade work with high salaries; to make effec- tive the abilities of a gifted children's li- brarian by giving her adequate support, not expecting her to carry out city-wide plans with the help of a staff composed of one part-time schoolboy page. I would implore every director of a gen- eral library school to have in the school's curriculum a required course in work with children such as would give to graduates a sense of the educational value of the chil- dren's library and a knowledge of the basic principles on which the work should be founded. To trustees I would say, "Before deciding that you will not pay your children's li- brarian a cent more than you give your stenographer, study the salary scale of teach- ers in progressive cities, consider the equip- ment of your children's librarian in com- parison with that of such teachers, then pay a salary that will not cheapen the library profession in the eyes of your community." To state library commissions my word would be, "Go on with your good work of raising the standards of children's book selec- tion in your libraries ; aim to add, as scon as possible, an expert children's librarian to your headquarters staff ; plan a future when every county shall have a children's librarian to watch over the little libraries which cannot pay individually for expert help; conduct summer courses in library work with children to aid the small town librarians eager for in- struction in this branch of the work." And finally, to make this truly a game of "make believe," I would hale into this court that devastating army of young men who persist in using the children's department as a matrimonial bureau and in leading to the altar so many of our promising children's librarians before the ink is dry on their train- ing school diplomas. Relying on their sense of fairness and their glow of gratitude for happy fortune, I should confidently expect to secure from them this promise: That, when years brought the success bound to come to those so able as to achieve the position of husband to a children's librarian, they would, as library trustees, state library commission- ers and wealthy philanthropists pay their debt by establishing training schools for chil- dren's librarians in every state of the Union. RECRUITING FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES By W. E. HENRY, Librarian, University of Washington, Seattle SUMMARY. THIRD GENERAL SESSION For ourselves, in the Pacific Northwest, I may say that we need a wise and systematic, yet dignified and high standard recruiting campaign. I am convinced that the only campaign we can conduct with even fair success must con- sist of a direct appeal to a selected group, either personally or, next to that, by personal letter. This is a slow process and, in time and effort, expensive. I am convinced, how- ever, that it is for us the only one. We cannot accomplish any results through a mis- cellaneous "hit and miss" campaign for just any type. Even the appeal to the high schools is not a success. It is too far from the goal. It seems to me quite impossible to conduct a recruiting campaign for our peculiar service by any radio broadcasting process. What I have designated the broadcasting method is not only unsuccessful, but it is undignified in its manner and cheapening and degrading in its effect For the sake of the profession we cannot afford to do the cheap, sentimental, spectacular thing, such as our unripe enthu- siasms frequently lead us into. ROSE 125 One of the hindering, or, at least retard- ing, influences that must be met at every turn is that library salaries are usually lower than in similar, and, to a degree, competing lines requiring fair educational equipment. The nearest relative and competitor is teaching. Our first and most fundamental hope then is that we may have such salaries in sight in library service as will compete with the school and with secretarial work. A second retarding influence in a recruiting campaign is that the one activity in library service that all people can see, and about the only one, is the least enticing to one who hopes to use her education. It is the service at the lending desk. People do not under- stand what library work is. Librarianship and the library schools have not even generally, and I may say not usually, appealed strongly to the strong, vigorous, pro- gressive, masculine, virile leaders among young men. Our profession has come to be looked upon as a woman's profession, not only for the large per cent of womanly women engaged in it, but also and quite as much so because of the large per cent of lady-like men that are numbered within our ranks. Can anything be done with the schools, with our salaries, with librarianship in prac- tice, in an appeal made in some different and better way than that in which it has been made, so that a larger number and a much larger per cent of the strongest and the best of both men and women may come into our profession and vitalize it as with a baptism of a holier spirit and a greatly aug- mented manly and womanly energy? RECRUITING FOR SPECIAL LIBRARIES ALICE L. ROSE, Librarian, National City Financial Library, Nerv York, N. Y. SUMMARY. THIRD GENERAL SESSION Given the ideal person with all the proper qualifications in education, training, experi- ence and personality and having found the sources from which this marvel can be se- cured, what is the next step in recruiting? From now on it is up to the business man and to the A.L.A., the S.L.A. and the leaders in the library profession. In order to attract the persons whom it needs the business library must offer induce- ments that will successfully compete with other types of libraries, other professions and other lines of business. What are some of the inducements? 1. Work of sufficient interest and re- sponsibility to furnish to the individual the way to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happi- ness." 2. A salary equal to that paid in other lines of work requiring the same general edu- cation, training and native ability. 3. Confidence that the positions will be reasonably stable and not subject to a greater degree than other departments in the same organization to business depressions. 4. Assurance that executive ability, earn- est work, and efficient administration will re- ceive just recognition. In a message to special librarians pub- lished in Special Libraries for April, 1921, Mr. Hoover says : There can be no question of the value of such service to the larger business firms when the work is properly organized and the librarian in charge has a clear conception of the possibilities of his position. The state- ment that "knowledge is power" is as true for business as for the learned professions, and the business librarian who can make his service an integral part of his firm's organi- zation may become a positive factor both in the increase of profit and in the development of constructive business standards. When the business man realizes this he will not hesitate to offer whatever is necessary to secure what he needs. He has a right to demand to be shown and to refuse to pay except for value received. The work of the A.L.A. in bringing about this much desired state of affairs lies along two principal lines. One, a campaign of pub- licity and propaganda, intelligently waged, to show Mr. Business Man of what practical help such a department can be in his organi- zation ; the other to bring about first an effi- cient standardization of the profession and then to inform the business man how and where he can secure employees to supply his needs. Thus his time, patience and money will be saved and he will be protected from 126 DETROIT CONFERENCE the costly mistakes arising from an untrained and inefficient personnel. There will be no dearth of librarians equipped for service in business libraries when the business man realizes its value so ducements. He will realize its value in direct ratio to the efficiency of the business librarian, while realization that librarianship is a pro- fession just as accounting, law or medicine are professions will prevent him from using that he is willing to offer the necessary in- persons unfitted to do the work required. RECRUITING FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES By MARTHA C. PRITCHARD, Librarian, Detroit Teachers' College SUMMARY. THIRD GENERAL SESSION It is the progressive school systems which are adopting school libraries and asking for school librarians. When a city like Detroit gets worked up to the point of having school libraries put into the system it goes about it with a wholesale effort. Many of you have heard city fathers say "We can't put a li- brary into our high schools until we can put them into all." The city of Boston has for years been blocked in any school library prog- ress on this very plea. Oakland, California, has a fine system of school libraries because when this same answer was made there to a live English teacher begging for a school li- brary in her school, she used her influence to get libraries into all the high schools and got them. Where can we produce 10 or even 5 high or intermediate school librarians all at once for several cities? To say nothing of the same or a larger number of elementary librarians. And when school men once make up their minds to have school libraries they will have them, and if library people can't produce effective educationally minded people to fill these positions the school people say, "Very well, we have a good English teacher here who can handle the library all right." And they put her to work. Now what of this librarian who must weld together such a variety of interests as a group in a modern school presents? Must speak its language as well as understand it? Must not only be able to present the literature of each curriculum subject but must know enough about each one to retain the respect of the faculty associates who come for help in a special field? The person in the school library needs maturity and judgment. All the children of the school must be guided and helped by her. She must have poise and resource, and psychology and book knowledge enough to cover the whole ground. She must be seasoned with breadth of experience and sym- pathy and really grasp the possibilities of her situation whatever her years may be. She hails with delight the informal class- room. It is her joy to provide the large amount of material now needed for each class. She rejoices especially that pleasure reading is more and more becoming a part of the day's division of time. She begins to see that in schools where the new form of classroom organization and method is being adopted, the library can give an added im- petus to the slowly moving machine, for by providing the library resources and advertis- ing them judiciously she can make possible the greater stimulation for timid teachers who with longer or shorter experience in the older forms of teaching fear to attack so complex an undertaking. With this hopeful situation the school li- brary presents a field full of opportunity for the socially minded librarian. But that is tautology to be a real librarian means to be socially minded. Let us say the modern school library presents a rich opening for one who desires to give boys and girls the fullest vision of what their own contribution to life may be. In such a school as the one here pictured the library becomes the center of the school, the librarian the person who next to the principal sees and feels most clearly the pulse of the whole institution. What of her qualifications? Where may she be found? I believe we are all agreed with the statement set forth by the school library division of the A.L.A. in the last three years, that the school librarian must have academic preparation equal to her teacher TYLER 127 colleagues in whatever grade of school she may be called to work. We are agreed also that she needs courses in education which shall give her an understanding of the organi- zation of the school plant, and patience with its necessary machinery. She must under- stand the objectives aimed at in the modern school and have a grasp of the methods be- ing employed to achieve these ends sought. She needs yet more to understand child psychology and be steeped in children's litera- ture. If she has worked with children as teacher or children's librarian so much the better. At any cost she must really under- stand the child nature of the age of the school where she is to serve if she is to ac- complish what may be accomplished in her field of opportunity. Where is she? How shall we get hold of her? First of all she is not necessarily already a teacher or already a librarian. It is the per- son we are after, not her present position on either side of this work. People who know children best may possibly be found quite as often in the library as in the school. A suc- cessful librarian by the measure of technical efficiency or even book knowledge may not be able to handle children well in large groups nor to get close to them in under- standing them individually. But there are teachers who have failed in handling children also and there are librarians who have failed in managing a library properly. Given two people of equal personality, one a trained li- brarian with teaching experience and one without, none of us would hesitate I think in choosing the first. But we are more fre- quently confronted with the problem of two people of equal personal qualifications, one a teacher with no library training and one a librarian without teacher training ; what then ? I believe we should go out among groups of effective human personalities in the teach- ing profession and find open-minded flexible individuals and give them as much first-class library training as we can provide in the time they can afford to give to study; and I believe we should go out among effective human personalities in the library profession and find open-minded flexible individuals and give them as much first-class educational training as we can provide in the time they can give to study. But I think we should also provide courses in which the school librarian may find oppor- tunity to get the school and library factors so thoroughly well amalgamated that the qualifi- cations so admirably stated in Miss Horton's recent article in Library Journal on training school librarians will be adequately met with the maximum result in the minimum of time. You want a program for recruiting school librarians. The various general methods al- ready outlined are partially applicable for special recruiting also. Getting prospective librarians to visit school libraries is some- times successful, but that may also serve as a deterrent, for the strenuous life of the school librarian in a well organized active school library running at top speed exceeds (in its stretch of endurance needed), we are told by those who have tried both, even that used up in a busy city branch library. After all, personal contact is the most effec- tive measure. Choose successful enthusiastic school librarians in each state, send them into the meetings of state teachers and state li- brary people to stir up interest. Investigate the record and personality of those who re- spond and select such as seem most promis- ing for training in one of the proposed courses. But we must have the courses ready 1 RECRUITING FOR LIBRARY SCHOOLS ALICE S. TYLER, Director. Western Reserve University Library School, Cleveland, Ohio SUMMARY. THIRD GENERAL SESSION We, in common with those engaged in other professions, where personal contacts are a fundamental part of the professional activities, are seeking young people of en- and acquirements of education and culture that are possible to secure. Our quest is not unique. Such young people are in demand everywhere. There is real competition here gaging personalities, with all the background in the realm of possible choice, and all li- 128 DETROIT CONFERENCE brarians should be open-eyed and alert to bring librarianship as a vocation to the at- tention of such young people. While the library schools share in the quest and feel their responsibility in interesting young people in library work, their primary interest is the training, and it is a compara- tively small group who come under the direct influence of the school. Doubtless a majority of those now engaged in the various activi- ties of the libraries of the United States and of the world have not been trained in library schools. They have been attracted in many cases because they feel they have something to contribute or have felt the urge of the gospel of books. To the library schools are drawn those who look upon li- brary work as a profession for which there should be adequate preparation and train- ing for both book and human contacts. The library schools must constantly bear in mind the various types of libraries, and the nu- merous activities within and without the libraries where book contacts must be made, and the fundamental need of wide acquaint- ance with books recognized, if libraries are to have a sound basis of service. It has been said by one of our most thoughtful librarians that there is danger of our over-emphasizing personal qualities in' seeking librarians; that brain power, ability to think closely, aptitude for research and analysis are fundamental qualities that far outweigh personal charm and attractiveness, if we are to serve adequately the student and the scholar who has first claims. The library schools should bear in mind all needs in seek- ing students, or in accepting applicants. One problem, however, which confronts the schools is the placing of the student in the type of library work for which by tempera- ment, education and training she is fitted. The employing librarians have need for great discrimination in this matter, for the library schools cannot give an "omnibus" recom- mendation for the graduate, however capable and well prepared; one who by natural taste and ability is essentially a reference or re- search worker, may be assigned to a chil- dren's room or stations department where, as a "misfit" her lack of success is blamed upon the school. Adaptability and resourcefulness are quali- ties much needed. If with the general train- ing which should give the basic preparation, there could be a certainty of adaptability to whatever type of work is assigned to her, all would be well ; but who of us, among those who have practised the craft for many years, could feel at all confident of our ability to make good in an entirely new and untried field of library endeavor, somewhat contrary to our taste and special interest? The proc- ess of recruiting is, in a sense, completed by the one or two years' course in a library school ; entire acceptance of the "library gos- pel" comes with increasing participation in the library activities, then the recruit is en- rolled or has fully enlisted for her chosen profession. Graduates of library schools do not always measure up to the expectations or the stand- ards and hopes of the schools, nor do the schools claim that the instruction has reached the highest quality that might be attained both as to content and methods; there must be constant adjustments in making the courses meet the requirements of a changing and advancing profession. Common tasks, methods, standards and aims have brought together into an associa- tion the representatives of a majority of the library schools, the Association of American Library Schools. I have no authority to speak for that organization, nor has it any authority over the unit schools of which it is constituted; but the member schools are cer- tainly agreed as to the importance of the task at this time, when the entire profession has finally become aroused to the necessity of enlisting the brightest, most capable and promising young people for the great library advance just ahead. Library schools have not to any extent had an organized program of publicity in bringing library work to the attention of possible students ; chiefly, I pre- sume, because of lack of funds in the closely calculated budgets. But also because such a program is a task for the entire profession and not especially for the school. A general program such as is being developed so effec- tively by the A.L.A. Committee on Recruiting in arousing interest and inquiry, is being supplemented as far as possible by the A.A. TRAIN 129 L.S. and the various schools with information regarding training. It seems a reasonable expectation that grad- uates of library schools should do effective recruiting. If they go out from the schools with sincere and enthusiastic belief in the new vocation for which they have been pre- paring, they should be, and usually are, eager to enlist other young people. Indirectly, there- fore, the library schools are constantly re- cruiting through their graduates. Yes, library schools have a part in recruit- ing, but their task is primarily to train after promising recruits have been found. "First catch the hare." Recruiting is the task of the whole profession and after the interest has been aroused and claims of the profession recognized, ours is the task to prepare these young people for your needs. The pioneering and initiative of the librarians, the results of experience and experiments are formulated and 'organized for class presentation and study in the library schools, so that the re- cruits may, as quickly and effectively as pos- sible, be prepared for service in your libraries. LIBRARIES IN THE NAVY By C. R. TRAIN, Commander, U. S. N. SUMMARY. THIRD GENERAL SESSION I came here to tell you something of what we in the Navy are doing to develop useful living libraries aboard our ships of war and at naval stations. Libraries in the Navy are part of the responsibility of the Bureau of Navigation. Navy Department. This Bureau is charged with administering the personnel, both officers and men of the Navy. One di- vision of the Bureau is known as the Morale Division and is under my charge. This Di- vision includes among its responsibilities, jurisdiction over everything pertaining to ship and station libraries. The Navy Department recognized that happy men, contented men, men whose am- bitions to improve and better themselves could be reasonably gratified were men who could be most easily and perfectly welded into the complex organizations that are today needed to efficiently man and operate our modern ships and fleets. The organization of the Morale Division was, therefore, directed, and it has been in operation ever since. Its work involves recreation, amusement, and educa- tion, physical and mental. In close co-operation with our educational program are the ship and station libraries. The Navy Department has come to consider libraries perform two important functions aboard ship. They amuse and they educate. Today, eight times as many books are read aboard a ship of the Navy as was the case six years ago. A monthly circulation of 150 on a battle- ship in 1916 was considered large whereas at present on the same battleship we have a cir- culation of about 1,200. Furthermore, our old library service for 50,000 men afloat cost us $50,000. At present for an expenditure of $44,000 we are meeting a circulation eight times as large. In 1919, you very generously transferred to the Navy 18 trained librarians and al- though at present we have a greatly reduced personnel, we now employ from our own funds 15 trained librarians; and here, please permit me to give a public expression of my appreciation of the unselfish and devoted performance of duty exhibited by these li- brarians and my admiration for the profes- sion as a whole. Libraries placed by law under the Bureau of Navigation are assigned to the Morale Division and are supported by allotments from several appropriations, which amounted last year for a personnel of 118,000 to a total of $140,000, divided as follows: Salaries $32,000 Books 90,000 Magazines 18,000 The Morale Division, at first with your aid and later with its own funds, has employed a librarian to aid and advise it in library matters. A certain portion of his time is spent on board ship and in the field. An assistant library specialist located in Wash- ington and a field representative located with headquarters in New York are also em- 130 DETROIT CONFERENCE ployed through your aid, and from our own funds 15 librarians are employed at more important shore stations and hospitals. Un- fortunately the law limits to two the number of individuals we can employ at a, salary in excess of $1,800. The work in Washington consists of : (a) The examination of new books and distribution to ships and stations. New books are sent out quarterly averaging 50 or 60 to a battleship and 100 or more to a station. (b) The preparation of lists of books of special value with annotations. We are also starting on the preparation of reading lists or rather "study" lists to use either in con- nection with our educational courses or in- dependently. (c) The revision of requests from sta- tions and ships. Often antiquated books, subscription books, etc. are requested. Offi- cers do not have facilities at sea for ascer- taining the best material and are often vic- tims of too persuasive book agents. (d) The consultation with and advice to officers temporarily in Washington as to li- brary methods, etc. (e) The recommendation for appoint- ment of librarians at shore stations. The shore stations of the Navy vary in size from a personnel of one thousand to a personnel of several thousand. The libraries at such stations vary accordingly. At the larger stations a library of from 10,000 to 20,000 volumes is maintained, open afternoons and evenings until 8 p. m., seven days a week. Enlisted men are detailed to assist in library work. The libraries are under the supervision usually of an officer called the assistant morale officer or of the chaplain. In the largest stations and hospitals a civil- ian librarian is employed with three or four enlisted men as assistants. In the smaller stations the chaplain usually is in charge with a yeoman sometimes two or three to do the actual work. The smallest stations, radio and compass stations, are provided with travelling libraries, sent out by one of the large stations and interchanged every month or so. Inasmuch as these stations are lo- cated at isolated points, many of them are in Alaska reading material is much needed and appreciated. There is a radical difference between li- braries ashore and libraries afloat. The lat- ter owing to limited space are made to fit the station upon which the ship is doing duty, for instance, ships in Asiatic waters, or in the Mediterranean, or in the Caribbean must have collections covering those areas. If an At- lantic destroyer is ordered to the Far East, her books on the West Indies, Central Amer- ica, etc. must be quickly changed. The location of our libraries on battleships is limited to two places the crew's recep- tion room and the officer's large living and mess room, known to us as the wardroom. Formerly books were scattered over a dozen places in the ship with no way of telling where a book was located. This we have changed. In the crew's rooms are lockers or book cases which accommodate about 2,000 books. The cases are unlocked at certain specified times, usually 11:30-12:30, 4:00-5:00, when the men can examine the books and se- lect the ones wanted. The chaplain is in charge of the library and has one or two men to assist him. The more technical books are located in the wardroom. A list of all the books by author and title is kept on cards in the crew's room. From this index can be told at a glance the location of a book. The books are classified by your Dewey sys- tem. On cruisers and smaller ships the same organization holds to a less degree. The collection is smaller, hence no card index is considered necessary. No chaplain is aboard, so the library falls under the navigator who leaves all the detail work usually to one of his yeomen. Destroyers, submarines and small craft with an average personnel of less than 100 furnish one of the more difficult library problems. Neither space nor funds permit a collection of books much in excess of 150. Such a small collection means that the books quickly become "read through" and dead. We are trying to remedy this condition through travelling libraries transferred once a month from the flagship. This system is already in successful operation among the submarines HENDERSON 131 of the Pacific fleet and certain destroyer squadrons. I want to show you what can be done through a good library organization to in- crease the use of books : "The libraries of the U. S. S. Arkansas were reorganized and restocked with books during December. During the 19 days that the library was opened in January there was a total circulation of 1883 books, over one- half the number issued in all of 1921." Officers in the Navy have become very generally impressed with the value of their libraries as a positive means of developing high morale and are co-operating effectively with the bureau to that end. I attribute whatever measure of success the bureau has attained largely to our associa- tion with and the assistance of the American Library Association and to Mr. C. H. Brown, in active charge of the navy library work, whose services were obtained through the Association. Your Association, Mr. President, has helped us with ideas, with generous gifts of books and money, and in be- half of the officers and men of the Navy I want to extend to you and all your members our hearty and grateful thanks. You have been largely instrumental in point- ing us on our true course, which in the fu- ture and with your help, we intend to steer. ADULT EDUCATION: A COMMON INTEREST OF LIBRARIES AND UNIVERSITIES By W. D. HENDERSON, Director, University of Michigan Ex-tension Service, Ann Arbor SUMMARY. ANN ARBOR MEETING I want to call attention first to the magni- tude of what we may call the problem of adult education. Sometimes when we talk about University Extension, we include all sorts of extra-mural activities, as for ex- ample reading circles work, club activities and so on. I am referring now specifically to the extension activities carried on by our universities in distinction from that conducted by colleges and normal schools. In the uni- versities of America, pretty largely in the Middle West, there are enrolled at the pres- ent time something over 60,000 students who are doing extension work for credit. That would make six universities of an enrollment of 10,000 each. In addition to our credit extension courses, we have what we call non-credit courses ; courses organized to discuss special subjects before various groups of people. We have enrolled in those non-credit extension courses at the present time something over 75,000 students. This makes a total of 135,000 stu- dents enrolled in our courses. In addition in this country, in our agricul- tural colleges, our normal schools and our denominational colleges, as nearly as I can estimate there are enrolled at the present time something like 100,000 students who are taking extension courses of one sort or another. This makes a total of approximately 250,000 students enrolled in our educational institutions, doing extension work for credit and paying definite fees. And further, I suppose in our commercial correspondence schools there are enrolled about a quarter of a million students; making a total of 500,000 students in this country now who are doing extension work for which they are paying money. Then there are reading circle courses that are free, extension lecture courses, and all sorts of activities, where people do not pay money. They simply organize themselves, and the university sends out somebody to speak to them ; fully 500,000 people are in this group. This means that we have more than a million people doing extension work in connection with schools, colleges and uni- versities. And the work has just begun ; the number is increasing every year. I suppose these are new days for librarians as well as for other people. You librarians have become a sort of public agent reach- ing out, sending your wares out, to the people. When you think that there are a million extra-mural students now who are enrolled for definite study, it means that they are reading books ; it means that they are interested in publications; it means that 132 DETROIT CONFERENCE sooner or later they are coming to your libraries. This is a problem that faces every university, not only the state universi- ties, but our great private universities as well, and it is a problem that faces the li- brarian. What can the libraries do in connection with this work? In the first place, where extension courses are organized, as they are in prac- tically all the principal cities of this country now, the public library can be of immense help to us by making available books on certain subjects to be used in your library. In connection with credit courses in Detroit, the Public Library of Detroit has given us magnificent service ; it has made available the books for those taking the courses most- ly teachers, to be sure. These students go to the libraries and use the books there. I would like to mention also the excellent co-operation and the fine publicity given by the Grand Rapids Public Library. You know, sometimes I think that if some of our busi- ness men could adopt the publicity methods that some of our librarians have adopted in these latter days, it would be a fine thing. Take Mr. Ranck up at Grand Rapids; if, instead of being a librarian, he went out and sold stock, he would be worth millions and would no doubt be giving the university a half a dozen buildings. In this whole problem of adult edu- cation, the one thing that will impress you is the veritable hunger and thirst for the facts in the case. I think that we are facing one of the most tremendous periods of the world's history; and if America stands the test and stands upon her feet and faces the problem, it means we must be thinking about certain things, and it means that we must be discussing public questions; but when we dis- cuss those questions in order to arrive at conclusions that are worth while, we must know the facts. The damnation of the dis- cussion of public problems today is the fact that we do not know what the facts are. It is the business of the libraries to furnish these facts through the medium of books and package libraries. Then I say, to summarize for just a moment, that we have here an army of some- thing like a million people right now who are interested in organizing themselves into groups for some kind of educational pro- gram. The universities have to take them into account; and libraries have got to take them into account. You are delighted to do it, because in this new day, the librarian in- stead of closing his doors and sitting back is now going out. Why, do you know, I like this idea of a show window in a library. When it is the fishing season, our merchants down here fill their windows with fishing tackle ; and a little later they put in something else, and something else. So, I say, I would like to see a show window in every library. I do not know how you could do it, but I wonder if there would not be some way to extend that show window idea out into your near-by communities. Think of the people that are isolated out in the country and in smaller communities ; in the winter time they are shut in, absolutely impossible to get either in or out. I would like to see another thing, and that is a pay circulating library in every library. Get the new books, I don't care what they are, and put them out. I would give fifty cents any time I want to look at a new book. When they are worn out, throw them in the fur- nace. You have a great field here. People are waiting; they are depending upon the universities and they are depending upon the libraries for new ideas, and for new books, and for our co-operation in this direc- tion. You have millions of new readers ; more people are visiting the libraries, and more people are interested in study, and particu- larly is that true in the smaller and more isolated communities. Then there is another thing. You know somebody has called our attention in these modern times to what the automatic machine is doing to us. In the old days a man started as a youth to learn his trade or calling, and when he was thirty-five or forty years of age, he had reached perhaps the maxi- mum of efficiency ; maybe he was still going up, and every day as he worked, he thought of the thing that he was going to do tomorrow to improve himself. Then along came the automatic machine. Going over to one of our eastern cities KERR 133 not long ago, I visited a shoe factory, and I saw a man putting soles on six hundred shoes in a day. All the man had to do was to stand there, and shove the soles into the machine. Instead of this man spending long years learning the business of making and putting soles on shoes, he could learn it in three days. They tell us in Flint and Detroit and some of the large industrial centers that they can take the ordinary boy and in three days he can be taught to operate a machine. His efficiency shoots up like that. Then it goes along for a while, and then it begins to drop. Think what we have : eight hours sleep, eight hours a day of work at an auto- matic machine, and eight hours leisure. This is one problem that the schools have to face, that the universities have to face, and the communities have to face, and the librarians the problem of the leisure time of the people of America. What is the young man going to do who is working at the automatic machine, where all he has got to do is to shove the pieces in? The question is whether he is going to improve his mind ; whether he is going to exercise himself, his body and his mind ; the question is whether he is going to read books and think thereon; or the question is whether he is going to spend the eight hours in idleness or in raising hell. The solution of this problem of the leisure time of our youth depends a good deal upon what the educators, including the librarians, are going to do about it. What a wonderful opportunity is yours. Talk about being teachers. Some one asked a little while ago whether you were affiliated with the educators. Of course, you are. Think of the opportunity of putting books into the hands of the boy who is hungering and thirsting for them. Show me the man who is a reader of books and a thinker thereon, and I will show you a man who will be educated whether he ever goes to school or college, or not. NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK: THE PUBLICITY COMMITTEE'S PROPOSAL By WILLIS H. KERR, Librarian, Kansas State Normal School, Emporia ; Chairman, Publicity Committee FOURTH GENERAL SESSION The Publicity Committee has been im- pressed by the good results of several li- brary and book "weeks." We have in mind the notable success of Children's Book Week; the participation in Indiana Library Week of 157 out of Indiana's 208 libraries; the for- ward steps resulting from Missouri Book Week; the interest aroused by National Thrift Week ; and the contribution by Chi- cago newspapers of ninety columns of space, worth $13,000, to Chicago Boys' Week The Publicity Committee therefore brings to your attention the feasibility of Library Week, perhaps in April, 1923, during which libraries in United States and Canada should capitalize on their service, make report of progress of the national good will toward li- braries, in short, a week of intensive library advertising. Library Week would assume various forms, subject to local and regional choice and in- genuity. New Jersey might stress the great importance of libraries in adult education. Mercer County, Pennsylvania, might cam- paign for increased library support; while Reno County, Kansas, might make it the climax of a county library campaign. In- dianapolis might adopt a slogan for Library Week, "Use books in your business." Seattle might vote library bonds. Birmingham might make it "Old home week for books." There would be no great expense, and no elaborate machinery at A.L.A. Headquarters. A brief outline of possibilities might be sent out to regional and state agencies, and there would probably be call for a large amount of co-operative printing. It may be objected that there are too many "weeks." The best answer is that other interests find that it pays. We should lose no opportunity to spread the gospel of li- brary service in the fight against ignorance, indifference, illiteracy, and inefficiency. 134 DETROIT CONFERENCE A LIBRARY WEEK: INDIANA'S EXPERIENCE By EDMUND L. CRAIG, Trustee, Evanfinlle Public Library, Evansville, Indiana; President 1920-1921 Indiana Library Trustees Association FOURTH GENERAL SESSION At the November meeting, 1921, of the Indiana Library Trustees Association the sug- gestion was made that Indiana have a state- wide library week. Each trustee present saw an opportunity of gaining the publicity neces- sary to put across the problem confronting his particular library and the idea, after dis- cussion, was enthusiastically adopted by the Association. It was later endorsed by the Indiana Library Association and approved by the Indiana Public Library Commission, and a joint committee of these three bodies fixed the week of April 23-29, 1922, as Indiana Library Week. As one of its first moves, the state committee obtained the endorsement of a state advisory council composed of the Governor, the president of the state League of Women Voters, the state librarian, the president of the state Federation of Clubs, the state superintendent of public instruc- tion, the president of the state Normal School, and several other men and women of influence in the state. Arrangements were made with a library publishing house to furnish special tags, posters, stickers, movie slides, electros, signs, book-marks and leaflets appropriate to the week. The aid of the National Association of Book Publishers was enlisted. The State Committee's plan of action cov- ered: 1. A brief statement of the plan in the January issue of the Library Occurrent. 2. Letters from the president of the Trustee's Association to the president of all library boards and from the president of the Library Association to all librarians in the state. 3. Letters from appointed advisors in each Congressional district to the libraries of his district. 4. A proclamation of the week by the Governor, sent out through the Associated Press. 5. Talks and discussions at twelve district library meetings. 6. Tentative plans for local celebration of the week sent to all libraries. 7. Seven columns of matter in the April Occurrent. 8. Six one-page newspaper stories were sent out, with blanks therein for local inter- est features. 9. Ten minute talk on the week by Rev. Wicks, of Indianapolis, broadcasted by radio. When Library Week was first proposed at the Indianapolis Convention there were trustees present who said that there were already too many "weeks"; that it was an eld story; that we couldn't do it as well as others who put on special weeks ; that the people back home would not enter into the spirit of the thing; that the celebration would be spasmodic and only be by a few of the libraries, etc. As the venture was the first attempt of the kind in the library field, as far as we knew, those of us who were sponsor for the movement after the prelimi- nary publicity waited in no little suspense to see what the result would be. What was the answer? Out of the 209 tax supported public li- braries in the state, 158 celebrated the week in one way or another. In addition, three small Association libraries co-operated. Of the 51 libraries which, as far as the com- mittee has learned, did not observe the week, only 8 were in towns of more than 2500 popu- lation. All of the larger cities put on cele- brations. A big filing drawer in the office of the Public Library Commission, which was the state Committee's headquarters, was filled to overflowing with newspaper clippings pertain- ing to the week. One article on the growth of libraries given to the Associated Press was printed with commendation as far away as Boston, Mass., and Dallas, Texas. What is the consensus of opinion in regard to the result of the week? All reports were favorable. I have chosen a few from differ- ent sections of the state. Mrs. W. A. Denny, of Anderson, president of the Indiana Li- brary Trustees Association and chairman of the State Committee, writes : "I have not had a single report opposed to the Library Week activities. I feel the results very gratifying." W. J. Hamilton, secretary of the Public CRAIG 135 1 Library Commission, says : Indiana Library : Week was a success that went far beyond : the hopes of its most sanguine endorsers. Ethel F. McCollough, librarian at Eyans- I ville, says : Library Week was distinctly worth while. We probably received the most i value from the talks made before the civic j clubs of the city and the down-town window displays. Mary Torrance, librarian at Muncie, says : Library Week is rather strenuous I find, but very interesting. I hope the trustees will make this an annual affair, for we are getting results. New Albany reports : No one could pos- sibly have had a more wonderful or profit- able library week than we had. The re- sponse in words and deeds we will never forget. Just a word about how the week was cele- brated locally : Mayor's proclamations, win- dow cards, tag days, stickers on autos, post- ers, stickers on mail matter, inclosures in mail, special slides in theatres, open houses, literary evenings, dinners, teas, story hours, plays, poster contests, essay contests, window display contests, art exhibits, book drives, 4- minute talks in all public places, churches, theatres, schools, factories and clubs, press publicity covering news items, editorials, car- toons, electros, letters of commendation, etc. South Bend engaged a special advertising man who had charge of press, posters and movies. Gary had a Pioneer's Night (the city is only 15 years old), and a special Hungarian Night at Bailey Branch jammed the hall to overflowing. An Evansville daily paper held an essay contest, three groups 5th grade and under, 6th to 8th grades and above 8th grade. Sub- ject: "What the public library means to me." Money and book prizes were given. Anderson began the week with a library dinner, at which 125 leading citizens were guests. The LaPorte Library celebrated its 25th Anniversary and fifteen firms contested for best library window display. Muncie featured a musical tea. Crawfordsville had an exhibit of pictures of Brown County artists. Frankfort kept open house 2600 people visited the library during the week. Seymour had successful story hours. A small boy, who edged his way in, when later asked if he wanted a book replied : "Naw, I don't want no book. A guy outside said you were giving away ice cream cones." Hartford City put on a book drive. Their report shows they received 400 volumes. Five dollars worth of junk and waste paper, and 150 eggs were among the donations. Should there be a national library week and, if so, may we profit by Indiana's expe- rience? The time has passed when the Amer- ican public library needs any defense. Presi- dent Eliot, of Harvard, said last year : "Most of the evils from which modern society is suffering can be cured only by education, be- gun in youth but continued into adult life." Congressman Towner, in addressing this body last year, said: "There is nothing in our scheme of government more important than the education of the public. Whatever else may be left out, education cannot be excluded." Again he said: "It has come to be generally recognized that libraries are part of the educational system and that library service should be given to every com- munity as a part of such a system." The National Education Association has sent out a statement saying: "The public library should be recognized as a necessary part of public instruction, and should be as liberally supported by tax as are the public schools and for the same reasons." Any activity which has a tendency to aid in such an im- portant phase of our life is worthy of careful consideration. Why should we not have a week each year in which the public library may be empha- sized? Commencement week in our schools is an established institution. We will not get the same results each year in Indiana as this year, but the ingenuity of our library friends will find some valuable use to make of the week each year. Each library will get out of library week just what it puts in it. It is an opportunity nothing more. One more suggestion and I am through. Our Indiana Library Week was held too late in the year. Some of our country schools were closed and others nearing the end of the term. The summer season was almost upon us. The same amount of effort put 136 DETROIT CONFERENCE forth in the fall, when every one has re- turned from his summer vacation and when the schools, libraries and churches are en- tering upon another season's activities, would, in our opinion, arouse the same enthusiasm and produce far more lasting results. MISSOURI'S BOOK WEEK CHARLES H. COMPTON, Assistant Librarian, Public Library, St. Louis, Missouri FOURTH GENERAL SESSION The success of Missouri Book Week was not due to any special effort upon the part of the Book Week Committee. It was not due to any special efforts upon the part of li- brarians. Missouri Book Week was a suc- cess 'because it had the elements of success within it, and it almost could be said that it couldn't have failed. The reason for this is that people are becoming increasingly inter- ested in books and libraries, and newspaper men realize this. Much newspaper space was obtained with no effort on our part. For example in St. Louis three of the four news- papers, the Post-Dispatch, Globe-Democrat and the Times printed editorials. These edi- torials showed an intelligent grasp of library needs on the part of the editorial writers. They emphasized the need for county li- braries, they deplored the lack of libraries in the state. Missouri Book Week was observed Feb- ruary 12-18. Briefly now as to what the com- mittee did. In the early part of January, a publicity outline for conducting Book Week was mailed to librarians in the state. It had suggestions relating to newspaper stories, co-operation with schools, churches, and book stores, exhibits, open house at library, etc. There were about 12 suggestions, all being plans which had been tried and found suc- cessful. It was not expected that any one library would follow all the suggestions but it was interesting later in checking up to find how generally they had been used. One plan that seemed most popular especially in the smaller libraries was to have an open house during the week. Exhibits were on display. Women's club members acted as reception committees. A suggestion for newspaper publicity which proved successful was to have prominent men and women of a community tell what books had had the greatest influence in their lives. Large and small newspapers printed si symposiums. Three releases were mailed out to libraria and also direct to the papers. The mimeo- graphing and mailing of all material was handled by the state Library Commission. One release was the Governor's proclamation, setting aside Book Week. Another was a statement from the state superintendent of public instruction endorsing Book Week. The third was a statement from Mr. Bundy regarding establishment of county libraries. Naturally the Governor's proclamation re- ceived the most publicity newspapers very generally printed it. We have a record of 33 towns and cities which took part in Book Week, and undoubt- edly there were others. More than 100 news- paper articles were received mostly through a clipping bureau, which, of course, does not clip nearly all the newspapers. For example in St. Louis there were 23 different news- paper items making as a whole more than a newspaper page only 8 were received through the clipping bureau. The best re- sults were obtained in the smaller cities and towns. In the Library Journal, I called atten- tion to the notable success of Book Week in Hannibal and Sedalia. Farmington, a little community, with a small library, had any amount of publicity in the papers and the greatest interest in the schools. These small- er communities used the releases which the committee sent out adding local items. In addition they put local library news of their own in the papers. In all the three releases which the com- mittee sent out, one fact was emphasized namely that 89 counties in the state of Mis- souri had no free tax-supported public li- braries, and that according to the estimate of the Library Commission two million people within the state were without library privi- HUMBLE 137 leges. This was the one striking fact. It got wide newspaper publicity. It received special editorial attention. It was recognized as a disgrace to the State of Missouri. It is a fact which, I think, has significance as related to a national library week. For the most striking fact relating to the library situation in the nation as a whole as well as in Missouri is the inadequacy of present li- brary advantages. Inadequacy of funds in- adequacy of personnel inadequacy of sal- aries a total and complete inadequacy when judged by any standard of the need for li- braries. This inadequacy is the striking fact to be used in national library week as well as in Missouri. I trust that no one will think I have any illusions as to what one national library week in 1923 will do to overcome this inadequacy. I have no such illusions, for you must re- member I am now from Missouri. How- ever, perhaps during such a library week some mustard seeds might be dropped and in due time a few county libraries might spring up. Missouri Book Week demonstrated to our satisfaction that it was an easy way to get publicity for libraries publicity which would not have been obtained otherwise. This should have some significance in considering a national library week. HOW PUBLISHERS AND BOOKSELLERS ARE GETTING GOOD NATIONAL PUBLICITY By MARION HUMBLE, Assistant Secretary, National Association of Book Publishers, New York SUMMARY. FOURTH GENERAL SESSION A factory of ideas is a busy and interest- ing workshop. The Year-Round Bookselling Committee was organized in 1920 for the pur- pose of manufacturing ideas to interest peo- ple in reading more books and in buying more books. This organization came partly as a result of two successful Children's Book Weeks which had spread information about children's reading throughout the country by way of the bookstores, public libraries, schools, women's clubs, parent-teachers' asso- ciations, newspapers and magazines. The committee was to manufacture ideas that should help the bookseller and publisher think more in terms of the average person. It was to create and develop ideas that should reach the average person's interests and turn these interests into a desire for books. A seasonal program was adopted, with the suggestion to publishers and booksellers that they advertise titles along certain lines that people would be apt to follow. February, for instance, with great interest in American biography, seems an appropriate month for telling people about the splendid books of American biography, citizenship and history; springtime seems to be the natural season to call attention to books on the out-of-doors ; May, to books as ideal commencement gifts ; June, to books as wedding gifts ; summer as the time for books for vacation and camp, etc. Posters and sales suggestions are pre- pared each month to help the dealers. A semi-monthly news sheet gives dealers ideas to develop. The publishers' travelling sales- men and trade letters also push these seasonal features with the booksellers, each publisher using the features of the plan wherever ap- propriate in selling his own books. Informa- tion about these features and prepared 300- word press releases are sent frequently to newspapers and magazines. These releases are all general, never mentioning specific books, but stimulating the idea of reading. They have included such subjects as : "Taking a Mental Inventory" "A Home Question Hour" "Find It in Books" "Back to Nature Books" "We Are the Books We Read" "The Housekeepers' Library" - "Reading Business Books," etc. Clippings which the committee receive show that these editorials are often used in entirety. The magazines take special ideas and de- velop them along their own lines. Their use of features of the program sometimes follows the mailing of marked copies of the news sheet or is sometimes the result of personal letters and calls. Articles which have fol- 138 DETROIT CONFERENCE lowed features of the program include "The Bride's Book Shower," Good Housekeeping, June, 1921 ; "A Unique Hope Chest," Wom- en's Home Companion, April, 1922; "Take a Book to Camp," a poster editorial, Boys' Life, July, 1922. The best part of the co- operation of newspapers and magazines is that they are usually generous in giving us or selling us at cost reprints of these special articles which we send to our entire mailing list. This is valuable distribution not only for our own publicity but for the magazine also. Co-operation with other national organiza- tions is an important feature of the plan. Spreading the idea of reading more books and buying more books could not be accom- plished without the help and active co-opera- tion of the American Library Association, the state library commissions, the General Federation of Women's Clubs, the Boy Scouts of America, and other groups which work through local organizations in co-opera- tion with local bookstores working with the Year-Round Bookselling Plan. That interest in books is increasing is at- tested by a letter which recently came to us from the Oklahoma Library Commission say- ing that as a result of their work with Chil- dren's Book Week, 1921, the circulation of books in libraries in that state had doubled with 600,000 to spare. That interest in books is growing is pro- claimed by the increasing columns in the newspapers devoted to books as nezvs, not only on literary pages but also in news space. A significant editorial, "Books as News," re- cently appeared in the New York Evening Post, reading in part as follows : The London Times has substituted a daily page about books for its weekly column. It is a significant development. . . . Every New Yorker has noted the recent emergence in two morning newspapers of columns di- vided daily, or almost daily, between books and the drama. In Chicago, so long impa- tient of literary features in journalism, the "book page" burst into weekly bloom a few years ago, attracted wide attention, and is maintained in capable fashion by two jour- nals. The fact that books are news is being clearly esetablished. . . . Delane of The Times, according to A. Glutton Brock, said two generations ago that new books were always news to him. Why has the press been so slow in acting upon the fact? Because the public was slow to be- lieve it. ... The disappearance of this in- difference to literary circles, is a happy phenomenon. The issue of Uncle Tom's cabin was an occurrence of the first impor- tance in American history ; The origin of species was one of the cardinal events of the last century. WHAT A PUBLICITY WEEK CAN DO FOR A LIBRARY HERBERT S. HIRSHBERG, State Librarian, Columbus, Ohio FOURTH GENERAL SESSION As I look back six years to March, 1916, the date of Library Week in Toledo, it seems now to have marked the beginning of a new era in library affairs there. Toledo Library Week put the library on the city map, and there it has stayed looming larger and larger each year and with promise now of a future equal to that of any library in any city of similar size in the country. Citizens and library administration had come to consider the library as having fixed limitations and being incapable of change. The City Council, which had for years been appropriating constantly increasing amounts for other purposes, had voted annually the same or nearly the same amount for library purposes. Library Week by concentrating at- tention upon the library, brought about a change in attitude of officials and public, which it would have taken months or even years to bring about in any other way. The methods used in Library Week in Toledo have been previously given sufficient publicity and it is not necessary to detail them here. It seems to me in comparing our effort at that time with later efforts in other com- munities, that its unique feature was the fact that it was largely the effort and accomplish- ment of persons outside the library walls. Library Week originated not in the mind of the librarian or of any member of the li- brary board, but in the mind of the president of the Toledo Commerce Club. It was his idea carried out by a committee appointed by HIRSHBERG 139 him, of which the librarian was an interested and somewhat active member. The Com- merce Club did the work and paid the bills the library reaped the results. The campaign created first in the minds of the committee participating and then in the community at large, a community conscious- ness of the library which manifested itself very frequently later. A library committee came into existence in the Woman's Club. It held meetings for discussion of books and library programs, and as far as I know is still in existence. This committee for several years promoted and encouraged the Children's Book Week exhibit, the library of course co- operating and furnishing the books. A pub- lic library committee was formed in the ad- vertising club. This committee consisting of some of the best advertising men in the city, planned a broad campaign of library publicity, which was begun effectively. I believe that the greatest thing accomplished by Library Week was the creation of this feeling of responsi- bility for the library on the part of hun- dreds of citizens who had perhaps not thought public library in years. I have written recently to members of the committee participating in the campaign, and I am giving extracts from some of the re- plies. You will see that there is some differ- ence of opinion as to the results. It served to call to the attention of the people who were not making use of the li- brary, the excellent facilities which it affords. I am of the opinion that the majority of our business men, prior to the campaign, did not realize the vast amount of information which could be secured through the public library to be used in a business way, and this cam- paign was a means of forcibly presenting to them a public institution which is main- tained to serve the general public. It appears to me that public institutions must place their service before the people in a forcible way and a campaign seems to meet the necessity better than any other means. I believe the library campaign did great good in Toledo in the amount of intelligent publicity it gave to the library. It brought the various phases of library activity and service to the minds of the people in such a way that the library would not only be more widely known, but more intelligently appre- ciated and used. Any opinion that I might express would have to be discounted owing to the fact that I have no confidence whatever in campaigns of the kind you refer to. I do not believe that the intensive one- week campaigns put on by the Commerce Club, first on one subject and then on an- other, have any permanent effect whatever. On the other hand I believe that the work you did here in Toledo is going to help for all time the expansion of our library facili- ties. My own opinion is this: Concentrated ad- vertising doubtless has its effect, though intangible and difficult of measurement. I believe heartily in a library week or other intensive campaign where such campaign has the definite local purpose either of directing attention to the lack of use of the library or the lack of funds for its support. Usually the latter sort of campaign would precede a popular vote or anticipated action of a tax- levying authority. I believe, however, not in spasmodic but in continuing publicity and any campaign must be followed up by consistent and constant keeping of the library in the public eye. Pub- lic approval and support of the library is brought about by a slow process of education which cannot be accomplished in a week of crying the library wares from the house- tops. A hundred communities in the state of Ohio might profit by a library week, as might the Ohio State Library itself, but each cam- paign should be put on locally on local initia- tive and with the definite local purpose of di- rectly or indirectly improving the local library situation. There is no especial advantage in simultane- ous library weeks except so far as syndicated newspaper material is concerned. My suggestion is that the A.L.A. be pre- pared to provide suggestions and printed ma- terial for possible local campaigns but I do not approve the plan of a specially designated national library week. 140 DETROIT CONFERENCE THE INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSIBILITY TO HIS PROFESSION* By HAROLD H. EMMONS, President, Detroit Board of Commerce SUMMARY. FIFTH GENERAL SESSION In former times the mental leadership of mankind has been vested in those who by in- heritance or personal effort have acquired the education and mental capacity which give the ability both to think clearly and to in- duce others to follow. Such men naturally gravitated into the ranks of the so-called learned professions the minister, the law- yer, the doctor, to which is properly added the teacher. It is doubtless within the mem- ory of nearly all those present, that these men were the leaders of thought in their various communities. Unfortunately, in the present day the effectiveness of these men has largely diminished. Where all of these agencies reach thou- sands, hundreds of thousands and millions are waiting. They are the retailers where are the wholesalers? The pu'blic library and the librarian must assume and carry this burden. The librarian must reach out and insistently press upon the people the richness of information which is within his keeping. His occupation has now become a profession, in the true practice of which he will exercise a more profound and widespread power for good than can any member of any other pro- fession or business. His opportunity is limit- less; it has been created by the progress of humanity, and by the new and pressing obli- gations created thereby. Membership in any profession is in itself a distinction. It places its recipient in the class of those who first prepare themselves by securing mastery over some needed and useful department of life, and then give to its practice their complete and devoted serv- ice. Its essential element is its idealism. Its ideal is service, helpful, unselfish, and with- out thought of commercial gain. It cannot live and fructify in a mercenary soul. Therefore, addressing professional men and women who have, I am sure, this con- ception of their destiny, I wish to emphasize Given, in Mr. Emmons* absence, by Dr. J. B. Kennedy, director, Detroit Board of Commerce, and member, Detroit Library Commission. these rules which we should ever have in mind : I. We must be loyal to our profession. Half-hearted allegiance will not do. We have consecrated ourselves to the work. It demands the very best that is in us. This loyalty requires of us many things. We must support each other. No results of lasting benefit can be attained by any one of us alone. The effective practice of any pro- - fession is possible only from the assimilation and use of the contributions of all of our associates. The goal of any profession is ' the composite wisdom and learning of all its members. We must make the individual work of each of us pay a return, plus interest, to our pro- fession, for its investment in us. The op- portunity for each of us to attain member- ship has come from the combined results of i the earnest, toilsome and conscientious work of our innumerable predecessors. Were it i not for the schools and libraries which they ' have provided, were it not for the work and ; service which they have toilsomely performed, j were it not for the store of knowledge which they have discovered and recorded, we would I not be afforded our present opportunity. This j priceless heritage demands that we nofj only use it to the advantage of ourselves and of others, but also that we add to it for the benefit of our profession and of its future members. We must not be drones in the hive. II. We must be loyal to the ideals of our profession. Among these perhaps the most important are character, proficiency and service. No true professional life is possible without them. A man without character can exer- cise no influence for good. Lack of charac- ter cannot be concealed. The professional man or woman must endure the searching light of publicity, and if this reveals wrong purposes or methods, he or she is unfit for membership. Service to our fellow beings is the object RODEN 141 .of a true professional man's life. If he does not carry with him the spirit of helpful serv- ice, he has no right to call himself a profes- sional man. So vital is this matter of our professional i virtue or honor that at stated periods we ! should examine ourselves as to our attitude of mind. Are we sincerely desirous of being broadly helpful, or are we just going through the required formulae? Do we recognize the obligations of service to humanity which are peculiarly ours because of our special train- !ing? The professional man ceases to exist las a professional man the moment he comes I to regard his work as merely a means to a I livelihood. In like measure he must avoid ; becoming narrow in his vision, and activity. The tendency in all lines is now to specialize, and the temptation to the professional man is to shut himself up in one interest, to one branch of his own profession, leaving out- side all interest in other branches and in affairs of the world at large. He places un- professional limits upon himself. A professional man should seek opportuni- ties for service outside his own line. He should keep abreast of the times. He should get an international mind and an interna- tional vision. He should of course become active in the affairs of his own profession, but he should take part in the broader pro- grams for human betterment. Above all we must shun selfishness. The test of any man or movement is : What does it contribute to the common good? Every professional man is the servant of all. The modern spirit is asking for a more prac- tical working of the old idealism, and the condition of primacy is the capacity for service. By all means we must avoid the habit of criticizing others. Remember that we are leaders, and no leader ever succeeded by the use of complaints. Neither has anyone ever yet succeeded in anything by trying to tear someone else down. One of the best mottoes I have ever seen hangs on the wall of a friend's office, "You cannot expect a dog to perform its best tricks when someone is standing on its tail." In short we can do no 'better than to adopt the adage of William Penn, the first librarian of this country: I expect to pass through this life but once. If there is any kindness or any good that I can do to my fellow beings, let me do it now. I shall pass this way but once. There is upon us an obligation because we profess skill in our varied lines. What we have is only a trust. Wealth is under obli- gation to poverty. Knowledge has a service obligation to ignorance. Strength is under obligation to weakness and before God we are responsible for our use of our abilities. THE LIBRARIAN'S DUTY TO HIS PROFESSION By C. B. RODEN, Librarian, Chicago Public Library FIFTH GENERAL SESSION We speak of our calling as a profession, and even as we speak we mentally align our- selves with those ancient and honorable pro- fessions that minister to the great and fun- damental needs of mankind, the needs of the soul, the body, and, most prized of man's possessions, his rights and liberties. Religion, Medicine, Law these three and when we add a fourth, Education, ministering to the needs of the mind, we do not thereby alter nor diminish the dignity and excellence of that glorious company to the circle of whose fellowship we claim admittance. Yet we have no body of doctrine running back to a time "whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary." We have no treasury of accumulated lore derived from the ancient folkways. We have no divine revelation upon which to base our claims to a ministry. We have only a faith, not yet shared by all of our generation, which I have heard questioned even by one of our own most distinguished colleagues, that we are doing useful work, and on the basis of that belief we profess and call ourselves a profession. Now, I hold that there is a material dis- tinction between that form of ministry that constitutes the essence of the professions, which, in the words we have just heard, "have 142 DETROIT CONFERENCE their contacts with souls, not with things" and that other form of usefulness, which may be almost, but not quite, equally exalted, called service. If we were only content to waive our claims to professional honors, and to be known as good and faithful servants, we should be safe in pointing to the services we are already rendering, and to their steadily widening scope, seeking to comprehend every human relationship and activity, from the cradle to the grave, in business, in pleasure, in learning and in leisure. But if we still persist in our aspiration to be classed among the professions I begin to fear that the very variety and multiplicity of our services is raising up a cloud, already larger than a man's hand, which is threatening to come between us and those ideals of ministry that we must keep ever before us, clear and undimmed, as our professional objective. It is not the objective that is in danger, nor yet those ideals, for they are of the eternal verities. It is only our poor human faculty of en- visioning them that is being threatened by this cloud. This cloud is the swarm of specialists and specialties into which we are breaking our- selves up, disintegrating our former solidarity and tending to dissipate our unity of effort, of objective. Tending, as it were, to render ourselves less and less capable, or at least less prone, to see the woods because of the multitude of trees we are cultivating. We now have many kinds of librarians : for schools, for colleges, for universities, for doctors, for lawyers, for bankers and business men. All true and zealous servants, each in- tent upon developing his own specialty and jointly and severally making splendid con- tributions to the efficiency with which the work of the world is done. But I submit that helping to do the work of the world is but one, and that the least vital, dynamic element of the professional function. I do not in the least mean to minimize the character or the value of the service we are rendering in thus mobilizing the printed word in aid of research, in indus- try, in all that helping to do the work of the world involves and implies. Speed the day when every art and every craft, every artisan and every craftsman shall have progressed so far, under the tutelage of his respective librarian, as to admit and accept the lessons of experience as they are demonstrated and recorded in books. Thus, indeed, will the kinship of nations, of the ages and of men be promoted and cemented. But let us not forget that there was a time when lawyers scorned to accept a fee and defended the right for the sake of the right, when the offices of priest, physician and teacher were united in one person, and each and all were offered up in ministry as equally to the glory of Godl If we translate this phrase, the glory of God, into terms of modern currency and speak of the service of humanity, and if, moreover, we take into account the complexi- ties of modern life which have forced the professions to stoop a little from those pin- nacles of altruism where once they dwelt in ethereal isolation, we shall still find, I think, that they have not altogether abandoned their former positions; that they are still true to the professional vows by which they were dedicated to the service of humanity, which is a Ministry, even while they are engaged in the service of men, which is Service. That margin surrounding the day's work, which must be kept clean and fair in order that the imperishable contributions of each age and generation to the next may be inscribed upon it, is what, it seems to me, characterizes and dignifies the professions. It is this idea of a margin that I have been trying to lay hold of. Now, though we have no revelation once delivered to the saints, and no majestic foun- dation of principles upon which to rear our practice; though we have not yet had time even to agree upon a canon of ethics, and the fiftieth birthday of our corporate conscious- ness is still four years away, yet we have had entrusted to our ministerial offices two of the most respectable and, on the whole, most im- portant manifestations of Divine Grace known in the world since the dawn of history: Books and the Human Race. With two sub- jects of such magnitude to work upon, there is surely ample room for professional minis- trations, if we find that we still have left any RODEN 143 considerable margin over and above the day's work in the service of men, that we may de- vote to the service of humanity. I think we have such a margin, although it is not a very generous one, nor as generous as it once was, and shows here and there a finger print of the market-place. To serve humanity means to help it upward from plateau to plateau in that steady but painful climb towards some sort of a con- summation, to which it has been predestined by the power or force or impulse that moves on the face of the waters, call it Evolution, or Destiny, or God, or what you will. That is the sort of service that is professional am? for which the professional margin must be kept pure and wide. I think no one will be found to dispute the assertion that libraries have a contribution to make to this momentum that is driving the race forward. Indeed I am not at all sure that the free public library movement is not the very particular contribution that this age has been preordained to make. Preordained? Mr. Henry said, on Wednesday morning, that one must be preordained or one can never be truly ordained to any kind of ministry whatever. The question seems to be whether we are going to be able to keep the fact of our preordination and our ordination steadily before our own eyes, and whether we are not standing in peril of selling our birthright for a mess of highly satisfying and very savory pottage. It is service to men highly satisfying service to teach the celebrated man in the street to earn more dollars, raise more hens, to win more and more of earthly prizes by using library books. It is service to humanity, our professional margin, to bring Books and the Human Race together to the end that Books may lend the impetus of their inspiration toward has- tening that "one far-off Divine Event, toward which the whole creation moves"; to grasp that man in the street by the soul and lift him into contact with other souls, to set him "silent upon a peak in Darien" with Keats, send him with Plato to seek the Unknown God, with Dante into Hell, or with Wordsworth to contemplate the Intimations of Immortality. The trustees' meeting held in this room last Tuesday afternoon afforded startling evidence of the reaction that follows upon even a partial realization of the mission of librarianship in its contact with souls. Of course, the trustees that were here were of the sort that had caught a glimmer of the vision. The other kind does not come to trustees' meetings. Their unanimous, spontaneous, almost naive testimony to their realization of the implica- *ions and proportions of the task and oppor- tunities confronting their own particular in- stitutions, welling up from the hearts of these men, all unperceived by the assemblage intent upon questions of revenue and admin- istration, rested like a benison upon its de- liberations and made this, in spiritual values as contrasted with mere shop talk, one of the most significant meetings of this crowded week. Business men, lawyers, ministers, as they were, they were thrilled and filled, not by the promise of service to themselves nor to the affairs of the world, but each in turn affirm- ing in tones of wonderment and conviction his belief in the validity of the splendid com- mission entrusted to the American public li- brary, one and indivisible, as an agency of culture, as an instrument of education not second to the public schools, as an element in the irresistible and preordained current of progress that is lifting the Human Race from age to age, from plane to plane, up- ward to its destiny. "Make the library known to all the world, as we have come to know it" was their cry, and to one hearer, at least, it seemed like the first and great commandment to us in our search after our professional duty. And the second is like unto it: That we know the library ourselves, as they have come to know it. "On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets." To contrive to keep steady and undimmed before us the high ideals of a service to humanity to which a fair and generous margin of our time and talents is to be dedicated. To set a small taper now and again upon this altar and keep it alight even in such a gusty place as this where the contrary winds and cross currents of many sessions, sections, and round tables 144 DETROIT CONFERENCE and the whole lowering cloud of specialties, to the strenuous pursuit of which we have given over the week, may yet extinguish its feeble flame unless we guard it faithfully. Books and the Human Race; Librarianship to Humanity. That is a task of professional proportions, for the promotion of which we must contrive to save, to rescue, perhaps, a margin of professional ministry. And when we have all been brought to accept this com- mission, and have succeeded in gaining recog- nition from the world of men that our ful- fillment of it is a vital contribution to its continued upward flight, then we shall have accomplished our full duty to our profession, for then we shall have a profession. THE LIBRARIAN'S DUTY TO THE PROFESSION By MARY EMOGENE HAZELTINE, Preceptor, Library School, University of Wisconsin, Madison SUMMARY. FIFTH GENERAL SESSION The indifferent man frames his philosophy of life in the well worn phrase, "the world owes me a living"; the professional worker reverses this and expresses his ideal in the phrase, "I owe the world a living" that is a living, vital being, a personality. In other words he contributes himself to his work and also includes therein his code of rela- tionship to those about him. These two con- tributions personality and adjustment, un- derlie all professionalism, the details varying from profession to profession according to the peculiar requirements of each. Let us apply these fundamental concepts to the par- ticular demands of the librarian's calling. In giving himself, the librarian must first of all be prepared to contribute the essentials of character. Character, we are sometimes prone to forget, still includes the Puritan at- tributes of truth, honesty, frugality, and thrift. This seems trite enough, but do not these homely virtues apply to our work, and react on professional conduct and concept? In addition to these Puritan qualities which stand the acid test, the librarian should also have the human qualities of a warm and un- derstanding heart. From a warm heart comes the courtesy that puts people at their ease. From an understanding heart grow patience, sympathy, and tact, with its "soft answer that turneth away wrath." Building on these inherent qualities of character, a profession implies years of care- ful study and preparation followed by spe- cific training. Knowledge therefore is the indispensable acquired asset in the librarian's personal equipment. Such knowledge should be alive and subject to the law of growth; for true learning is not mere superficial ac- quaintance with facts, nor a mere perfunctory knowledge derived from past stores, but springs from a continuing education in the fundamentals of human nature and of the realities of life, and increasing attainments in the wisdom of one's subject. A librarian should be bigger than the day's work and its routine, with a vision of the field as a whole, but while working towards the plans of the future, not forgetting or neglecting the needs of the day. While the librarian offers his character, his human understanding, his knowledge, and his conduct to his profession, he should at the same time have the Hellenic virtues of temperance and proportion. Professional concentration is an excellent thing, but "If a river swell beyond its banks," as Sir Edward Coke said, "it loseth its own channel," and thither professional zeal can carry one. The librarian should not take his profession so seriously that he fails to become a well- rounded citizen; he should have his share in community activities, living a normal life. The professional attitude of the librarian rests upon constant adjustment both in rela- tion to his colleagues and to the public he serves. The first of these relationships is the more difficult to meet, because of close and constant association. Its essential virtue is loyalty, loyalty in word and deed. In its positive aspect loyalty requires "standing by" one's colleagues, giving moral support, im- puting to each a desire to advance the work, even though his technique may be quite differ- ent from one's own. The farther the librarian advances in the rank of his profession, the more he needs to remember noblesse oblige, especially in rela- HAZELTINE 145 tion to his juniors and those just entering upon a library career. A helping hand and a comprehending sympathy for newcomers is a part of professional ethics, showing them how to avoid the pitfalls through which the older one has stumbled. The visible sign of loyalty to our profes- sion is membership in the American Library Association, which is our Dun, our Brad- street, its Handbook, our Martindale's Legal Directory. By this connection we keep our allegiance to the ideals and standards of the profession. Through our membership comes a great opportunity to learn from others; it offers us a test of our ability to guard pro- fessional confidence and to rise above pro- fessional jealousy. Through the Association we are all working for one great end. Through it we can learn the practice of pro- fessional courtesy, for every librarian, fol- i lowing the long established custom of physi- ; cians and lawyers, should be alert to exchange professional courtesies. The May number of the Annals of the American Academy is devoted almost en- tirely to the subject of professional and business ethics. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, journalists, preachers, give expres- sion to the ideals of their professions. And librarianship is represented with the others. The thirty articles of our code of ethics have also been printed in the Library Journal for the mid-June number, 1922, and so are acces- sible to all librarians. We should make it a part of our professional duty to read them ever at least once a year, to consider them carefully and to measure our growth and development by their standard. In our relations with the public we serve, our aim should be so to carry on our work that our ideals for it will be readily apparent and will be infectious from our very conduct. In other words our attitude towards our work must be such that the public will be convinced that there is something more to our profession than a sentimental love of books, that we believe it is the mission of the library to offer to all the opportunity to reach out into the best world of thought which each individual is capable of entering. Our attitude towards the public should be that of a large understanding and an eager- ness to share our work and its methods; and as we meet the public half way, they will come more than half way to receive the serv- ice we have to offer this is the end and the reward of our work. Every profession has its routine and its drudgery which may be emphasized or ac- cepted. Only when we arrive at the point where our work becomes our pleasure as well as our business will the public be convinced of our disinterestedness. Furthermore we as librarians can be true to our professional ideals by taking unto our- selves the advice we so freely give to others ; we too may turn to great books for precept and lesson, and example, repudiating the im- putation that librarians themselves never read the books they so generously commend. And if the stress of the day's work seems to leave little time for the leisurely reading in which we once indulged, one of the fruits of that early reading, if pondered now in maturity, might be increased inspiration in our careers. From the classics of childhood there are to be gleaned precepts that are fundamental to pro- fessional standing. From Pyle's Men of iron, with its picture of the school of knighthood, the need for professional training. From The talisman, with its unforgettable scene of the meeting between Richard and his enemy Saladin, the lesson of courtesy. From The three musketeers, with its motto "All for one one for all" the lesson of loyalty and co- operation. And from many books, the lives of Livingstone, of Stanley, of Captain Scott, the lesson of quiet devotion to duty and hero- ism in every day life. And indeed to what better source of in- spiration can the members of our profession turn than to the great books of biography, the lives of noble men and women. We have been considering the virtues, both Puritan and Hellenic, which go into the making of our duty to our profession. But the contempla- tion of abstract virtues may be less profitable than the study of the lives of real men and women who have met and overcome life's problems. So the librarian who turns aside from his profession at times to lose himself in the books which reveal the power of hu- 146 DETROIT CONFERENCE man personality may find that his profession has benefited by the digression and that he himself has become more truly professional. For it is truth to high ideals that makes for our ultimate success. As Percy Mackaye has truly said: "Like our dreams shall we ourselves be- come." PULL IN THE GANGWAY! By ADAM STROHM, Librarian, Public Library, Detroit, Michigan FIFTH GENERAL SESSION Our deliberations are at an end. We have listened with appreciation to speakers whose names are a source of common pride to all of us engaged in library work. We have had the advice and the articulated point of view of men who have rendered valuable service in other fields. We are rising from our coun- cil tables heartened by the earnestness and aggressiveness of spirit that have character- ized our sittings. We break ranks only to convene in smaller units at the various cen- ters and outposts where we are billeted to guard and to promote the common welfare. The warrant for this gathering will be determined by the proven wisdom of the plans and measures here agreed upon to make the influence of libraries ever more potent and recognized in the various problems of human affairs, in the science of government, in the arts, in commerce and manufacture, and, above everything else, in national edu- cation and culture. The closing note of our conference has been a definition of our re- sponsibility to the service in which we are enlisted and the code of conduct that should apply. Conscious as I am of the adequate manner in which previous speakers have dealt with this question, I trust, nevertheless, that you will allow me a few references to the ideals and high purposes which must be the motive power of any worthy service. Confronted with representatives of institu- tions within the span of the whole American continent and even from more distant points, I have a happy feeling that our duty to our profession lies not in the mere exploitation or boosting of a local institution but in the developing of human assets of common own- ership and shared benefits. According to tra- ditions we are in the business of creating readers. May we not go a bit further and proclaim that it is our duty to create clear and honest thinkers ! Our charter to prac- tice our profession is granted for the high purpose of promoting and socializing intelli- gence. Human society is very often propelled in its eager efforts by sentiment, feelings and sympathetic instincts. These are motives of high moral nature and certainly as far as sympathy and good will are concerned we do not desire to stem the flow. But we would like to have these efforts directed by and subservient to intelligence. Let us stand for the promotion of true knowledge and for the orderly union of moral and intellectual law in choosing the resources of our profession and directing them toward the noble aspirations of our own age. The mere increase of the volume of our resources and the mechanical distribution of same for public consumption are meaningless unless our labors are controlled by a com- petent understanding of values and not react- ing blindly to mere well-meaning yearnings. In short, let our efforts be truly creative, vitalizing the public mind. Let us drive a wedge into the shams and unveracities of dis- orderly minds, sweep the dross aside and exact intellectual integrity and sincere criti- cism. In endeavoring with other local agencies to promote law and order in public thinking, the Detroit Public Library has had the benefit of a far-seeing government and a generous- minded public opinion, making it possible to erect buildings wherein are housed organiza- tions and their equipment for mental training and self development. The good people of Detroit have, during the last decade or so, enjoyed a rather noteworthy state of pros- perity, largely the product of their own energy and daring. They take a legitimate pride in their increased economic power, but possibly we may also point with happy satisfaction to STROHM 147 the generosity with which the city and its people have shown that they are interested not only in external advantages but in mak- ing human existence happy and full of the graces of life. Possibly our new library building is the most cherished expression of this spirit. It stands before us as an ac- knowledgment of our inheritance from ages past. The inherent joy and power of beauty as revealed in the white purity of the struc- ture triumphantly proclaim that this city desires only the best when ready to show its appreciation of things of refinement, of ac- complishments of the human mind in an hour of inspiration. We are not boastful, only truly and joy- fully grateful for our good fortune. We realize that we owe our sister cities an ac- counting of the pound that has been placed in our keeping. We trust that you will have found that it has been productive of good and worthy things. We feel deeply the honor of your visit and in parting we can assure you that we desire more than ever to be your associates in forwarding the mission of our national library service. COUNCIL FIRST SESSION The first session of the Council was held on Monday afternoon, June 26, in the Hotel Statler. President ROOT presided. A committee consisting of EDWARD D. TWEEDELL, CARL B. RODEN and GEORGE B. UTLEY reported that applications for chapter affiliation had been examined, and recom- mended that the following state library as- sociations and one local organization be for- mally affiliated with the A.L.A. : Alabama Library Association California Library Association District of Columbia Library Association Florida Library Association Kentucky Library Association Massachusetts Library Gub Oklahoma Library Association Texas Library Association St. Louis Chapter (local) It was Voted, That the report of the Committee be approved and the chapters established as recommended. SALARIES CHARLES H. COMPTON, chairman of the Committee on Salaries, spoke briefly on the report of his Committee. (This report will be found on page 215.) Mr. Compton called attention to the salary statistics of thirty- seven of the largest public libraries which had been compiled by the Committee for publication. He recommended that each state library commission print statistics of salaries in its state; that comparison be made of the salaries of teachers and librarians ; and asked whether the Council would consider it de- sirable for the Committee to set up a mini- mum standard for a beginning salary for a trained librarian. He called attention to the fact that libraries every year receive numer- ous requests for just this sort of informa- tion, and that much time would be saved if the figures wanted by many persons could be printed by the A.L.A. Headquarters office. After numerous questions and much discus- sion, it was Voted, That the Salaries Committee be re- quested to print salary statistics of the large public libraries and the university and col- lege libraries, provided the consent of the li- brary be first obtained. And it was Voted, That the Committee report a mini- mum salary for discussion by the Council. SCHOOL LIBRARIES HARRIET A. WOOD, chairman of the Com- mittee on Education, presented the following resolution : The American Library Association believes that every student from the elementary school through the university should learn to use and appreciate books and libraries, not only that he may study to advantage in school, but also that he may continue through adult life to benefit from the resources of libraries. To accomplish this there should be a super- visor of school libraries in every state and province, with educational and professional library qualifications, status and salary, equal to those of supervisors of other educational departments. There should be a school librarian or su- pervisor for every school system city, coun- ty, township, or district. A recommended minimum service standard is at least one full-time school librarian for an enrollment of 1200 elementary and high school pupils. The educational and professional library qualifications, status and salary, of the school librarians should be equal to those of the teachers and supervisors with whom they serve. Whether the school library supervisor or librarian shall be employed by school or li- brary authorities, separately or jointly, is a matter to be determined by state or local conditions. Adequate state or regional training facilities should be provided in library schools, univer- sities, colleges and teacher-training institu- tions to prepare full-time school librarians, teacher-librarians and librarians to serve both school and community, who shall be certified under the law just as are other professional workers. The library should be adequately provided with books and equipment: it is the one laboratory which serves every department of school work. Appropriations for school libraries in state and local budgets should be commensurate with those for other educational work, and should be equalized throughout the state by means of state grants based on state and local surveys. 148 COUNCIL 149 GRATIA A. COUNTRYMAN urged the adop- tion of the resolution. SAMUEL H. RANCK thought it advisable that something be added which would give an idea of what adequate provision for books means. PURD B. WRIGHT called attention to the danger of confusing the school library with the school branch of a public library. DR. C. W. ANDREWS urged the use of the words "the use of books" instead of "re- sources of libraries" and objected to the clause referring to certification. Miss MARY E. AHERN agreed with Dr. Andrews on the matter of certification. Miss Wood stated that the Committee had in mind not national certification by the A.L.A., but state certifi- cation which already exists in some states. DR. FRANK P. HILL asked what was to be- come of the resolution in case it was adopted. Miss Wood answered that it would probably be used in very much the same way as the broadside on library revenues. JUNE R. DONNELLY inquired whether an enrollment of twelve hundred should not be changed to five hundred in paragraph 3. HILLER C. WELLMAN: I feel there is need of further consideration before a specific resolution is adopted; and I think the Asso- ciation ought to be very chary in adopting resolutions ; it dilutes its influence if it adopts a resolution on everything. I think we are all interested in the development of this work in the schools, but I do not feel sure that this resolution embodies exactly what I should like to have expressed. For all these reasons, I move that the resolution be laid upon the table. The motion was seconded. Miss WOOD: The Committee will be very glad to have the matter laid on the table if that means that the Council will take it un- der advisement. But if it is simply going to be laid aside, then there is not much to be hoped for as to the work of the Committee in the future. P. L. WINDSOR moved that the resolution be referred back to the Committee. Mr. Wellman accepted the amendment. In reply to a question, Miss Wood stated that the resolution was a brief summary of the detailed "Objectives" which are to be found in the Committee's report. (See p. 182.) It was Voted, That the resolution be referred back to the Committee on Education for fur- ther consideration and report. DR. HILL urged that the resolution be printed and distributed to the members of the Council and the PRESIDENT stated that this would be done. LIBRARY TRAINING MALCOLM G. WYER, librarian of the Uni- versity of Nebraska and chairman of the Committee on Library Training, was then called upon to discuss the report of the Com- mittee on Library Training. (For the full report see p. 206.) MR, WYER: There are two points which the Committee wishes especially to bring to the attention of the Council. First, it seems to the Committee that the various library training agencies might well be correlated more closely so that each agency for train- ing would have its own particular field. Sec- ondly, we considered how the opportunities for library training might be broadened. Af- ter considering these points the Committee presents its recommendations which are em- bodied in the following resolutions : Whereas, The opportunity for securing li- brary training would be broadened if students could progress regularly towards a library school degree by taking extension courses by correspondence and standard library courses in summer schools with proper safeguards of fixed residence work and personality re- quirements. Therefore be it Resolved, That the American Library As- sociation urges upon library school authorities consideration of ways to develop a more uni- form system of library training by bringing the various training agencies into a closer co-operation and correlation of work and specifically recommends the following sugges- tions to secure this end : 1. That the regular library schools offer summer school courses in special subjects for which the same credit be given as for equivalent courses in the regular schools. 2. That some schools offer correspond- ence courses in certain subjects with credit. 3. That the various library schools adopt a uniform system of credits. MR. WYER moved the adoption of the reso- lution and it was seconded. JOSEPHINE ADAMS RATHBONE of the Pratt Institute Library School stated that it would be impossible for any school connected with Pratt Institute to offer a summer school; that it would be a difficult thing for that school to adopt any uniform system of credits because it was necessary to conform to the schedule of Pratt Institute which provides for three terms instead of two semesters. WILLIAM E. HENRY of the University of 150 DETROIT CONFERENCE Washington Library School stated that after experiment for three successive summers the summer library school had been given up as impracticable for the University of Wash- ington; that there would be difficulty in es- tablishing a system of credits in the univer- sities and the schools which are not a part of any teaching institution which would do jus- tice to the institution and to the students ; and that he would not attempt to teach library work by correspondence. ALICE S. TYLER of the Western Reserve University Library School : I feel very strongly in favor of correspondence courses in library schools. I do not believe that all subjects could be taught by correspondence but I think very many of them could be. I am quite sure that library school directors would all agree in saying that they cannot support any resolution of this sort unless it meant that students would be in residence for a term. I should like to see correspondence courses tried out by some school. The West- ern Reserve Library School would be very glad to do it if we could finance it. CARL VITZ of the Toledo Public Library expressed the opinion that in every large li- brary system there are many ambitious peo- ple who would take advantage of correspond- ence courses if such courses were offered with or without credit. GRATIA A. COUNTRYMAN of the Minne- apolis Public Library: Mr. Wyer says in his report that the rapid growth of school li- braries is the cause of his suggestion, and that in many of the small towns libraries are being cared for by teachers or teacher librarians who have had no training. Now Mr. Wyer wants to see some chance for them to get training in an easier way than in a regular library school because otherwise they would not have any training at all. Miss COUNTRYMAN moved as a substitute for the previous motion that these resolu- tions be referred to the Association of Amer- ican Library Schools. The motion was seconded. PURD B. WRIGHT: I am glad to second the motion because I believe seriously that some- thing of this kind is necessary. Out in the Middle West there is coming a demand for librarians from every sort of place. ^ They are putting in incompetent people, trying to classify them as librarians. Now, if there is anything we can do that will give these people some training, I feel that we should do it. I am not concerned about degrees for these people, but I do not see why, if one can earn a degree in almost any university in this country by correspondence and a cer- tain amount of residence work, it cannot be worked out in library schools. MR. HENRY : I don't know of any repu- table institution that will grant even an A. B. degree to a person who has lived in college less than a year. Further, I don't like to put ourselves in the attitude of going out and scraping creation for enough people to fill library positions. If we pay decent salaries the people will come. It seems to me if we want to dignify our profession and increase our salaries, we must make the library stand along with medicine, law and the ministry. In order to go into the practice of law a man has to go to law school and be educated. Nobody asks whether he can afford to do it or will get a good salary afterward. That specification must be fulfilled or he will not be a member of that profession. MR. WYER : I should like to speak on some of the points that have been raised. It is not the purpose of the Committee to force any school to give a summer course where it is not practical. It would be perfectly satisfactory to the Committee to have this changed to read : "That such library schools as have summer schools offer courses in special subjects for which the same credit be given as for equiva- lent courses in the regular schools." Second, it is evident that the report of the Committee has not been read because we specified in italics that a fixed amount of residence work be required, and also that regular personality requirements should still be enforced. I believe certain subjects can well be given by correspondence. DR. C. W. ANDREWS : May I ask what those subjects are? MR. WYER: Miss Margaret Mann, who understands the subject of cataloging and the difficulties of teaching it, believes that cat- aloging could be satisfactorily taught by cor- respondence. The motion made by Miss Countryman that these resolutions be referred to the As- sociation of American Library Schools was put to a vote and carried. THE TOWNER-STEKLING BILL DR. J. I. WYER, state librarian, Albany, New York, chairman of the Committee on Federal and State Relations : Since the re- port of the Committee (p. 183) was put in print, the N.E.A. has represented to the Committee on Federal and State Relations a desire to have a resolution of reaffirmation for the Towner-Sterling Bill. The officials of the N.E.A. understand perfectly well that the A.L.A. has expressed through formal resolution its approval of the Towner-Ster- ling Bill for each of the last two or three years, but they are still anxious that this legislation be reapproyed at this Conference. The following resolution is offered: COUNCIL 151 Resolved, That the American Library As- sociation re-indorse the principles embodied in the Towner-Sterling Bill and urge the creation of a federal department of education with a secretary in the President's cabinet; that it urge a provision for federal aid to en- courage the states in the removal of illiteracy and in providing for the Americanization of the foreign born, physical education, teacher training and the equilization of all educational opportunities. You may note that there is no specific men- tion of libraries in this resolution. I do not think it is necessary to specify the library features or the profits that might arise from the passage of such legislation. DR. WYER moved the adoption of the reso- lution and the motion was seconded. MR. WELLMAN moved to strike out all after the words "President's cabinet" and the motion was seconded. MR. WELLMAN: I think this is a step in the direction of paternalism. We have fed- eral maternity aid, federal everything else and I don't believe in it. MR. WINDSOR : I am opposed to the gen- eral principles of the Towner-Sterling Bill. It is bound to lead to nationalization of our education. Mr. Wellman's motion was put to a vote and the motion carried. MR. WINDSOR moved that the following words be stricken out : "Re-indorse the principles embodied in the Towner-Sterling Bill and" The motion was seconded. DR. WYER: I have been interested to note the considerable change in sentiment of this body within the last two years. The Towner- Sterling Bill with the same provisions to which objection is made today has been ap- proved at two or three previous sessions of the A.L.A. I am at a loss to understand the radically different opinion in the discussion that has come up today. I would be glad for a little discussion further that would be more specific than the mere statement that we are opposed to the government controlling any- thing. MR. HENRY: Just as sure as we have an educational member in the cabinet the gen- eral educational theories of the country will be largely dominated from that center. If we don't want that it seems to me the thing we ought to do is to vote down this resolu- tion. Personally, I don't feel that way be- cause I know that a person may grow up as an ignoramus in one state and come to an- other state and be just as ignorant here as there. Our only hope of making any high level of education anywhere is in having such federal control that those who neglect or re- fuse to educate their children may be aided and helped, or even driven, to do something. So, personally, it seems to me that the resolu- tion is a good one. Miss TYLER: If any of us have dipped into the life of John Marshall and read of the struggles to establish the federal idea in the face of the opposition of the state, we realize that this is a very vital question. If we are to decide this now on the off-hand opinion of those who are for or against federal aid in any manner whatsoever, it seems to me quite serious. MR. WINDSOR : I would like not to approve the principle at all ; but, having approved it as an Association, I think Miss Tyler's point is well made that we should not lightly throw overboard the whole proposal. Mr. Windsor's motion was put to a vote. A division was called for. The vote was 20 ayes, 14 noes and the amendment carried. THE PRESIDENT: The question is now on the adoption of the resolution offered by the Committee and amended, so that it now reads : Resolved, That the American Library As- sociation urge the creation of a federal de- partment of education with a secretary in the President's cabinet. Are you ready for a vote? MR. WELLMAN urged that the members vote No. MR. WINDSOR explained that he was only in favor of this because it was a lesser evil than the resolution as originally submitted. Miss TYLER moved that the resolution be referred back to the Committee on Federal and State Relations and the motion was sec- onded. The question was put to a vote. A division was called for. The vote was 18 ayes, 13 noes., and the motion carried. THE PRESIDENT : It is referred back to the Committee on Federal and State Relations. JOSEPHINE A. RATHBONE of the Pratt In- stitute Library School, Brooklyn, spoke on STANDARDIZATION OF LIBRARY SERVICE Following is a summary of her address : Librarianship is a new profession and it has not yet evolved definite standards of service as has been done in law, medicine, and, to a great extent, in education. Recognition of the need for such standards and for offi- cial certification of the fact that individual workers have reached the standards has come to be quite general. For several years a com- mittee has been at work on the subject of national certification but so far no action has been taken looking to the formation of a national board of certification. A preliminary to the successful operation of such a board, 152 DETROIT CONFERENCE however, is a knowledge of the schemes of service now used by individual libraries, whereby their assistants are classified or graded and their efficiency recorded. A member of the Committee on Certifica- tion, the writer has attempted to gather the facts concerning the usage in about 30 of the largest libraries in the country. The re- sult shows a great diversity of practice. The grades vary in number from two to eleven, libraries under municipal civil service having as ajule a greater number of grades than li- braries that control their own service. The lat- ter libraries have many more exempted po- sitions at both ends of the scale than those under civil service regulations. Fifteen of the libraries reporting have a non-professional class of service for clerical and manual work, work that in many cases, as typing or book mending, requires special training of quite a different kind from that of the professional worker. The libraries differ not only in the number of grades but as is natural in the qualifica- tion, duties and status of the workers in each grade. Therefore comparison of require- ments, duties and salaries between corre- sponding grades in different libraries is diffi- cult if not impossible, and it would seem that before an inter-library certification scheme can become effective, there must be a preliminary effort toward systematizing li- brary service. DR. HILL: What Miss Rathbone has said is absolutely true that we must have some scheme of this sort and that it is possible. I am quite willing to leave this question of certification in the hands of her committee for a little while any way. DR. WYER (in response to a question) : In the New York State Library there are non- professional grades for pages, stenographers and clerks. The grades for library assistants are separated by the matter of salary. An assistant beginning at a certain salary achieves promotion and automatically goes into the next grade above, it being assumed, in default of any definition of her duties, that she has earned a more responsible po- sition. DORSEY W. HYDE of the Chamber of Com- merce of the United States and president of the Special Libraries Association presented the following tentative resolution for the con- sideration of the Council: Whereas, The United States Department of Commerce has embarked upon a program of constructive service to American indus- tries, with the object of reducing manufactur- ing costs, standardizing trade methods and the elevation of business ethics in general; Whereas, The American librarians are di- rectly affected by these activities of the De- partment of Commerce, because they involve an increased use of the facts and information stored in business books, trade publications and the like; Therefore, be it Resolved, That the members of the Amer- ican Library Association, in convention as- sembled, express their readiness and their de- sire to further the constructive activities now being carried on by the Department of Com- merce under the leadership of Hon. Herbert Hoover, Secretary; and that as individuals and as members of a professional body they pledge their co-operation and effort to supply accurate facts and information to American commerce and industry. MR. HYDE moved the adoption of the reso- lution and the motion was seconded. It was moved and seconded that the report be referred to the Committee on Federal and State Relations. The motion was carried. The meeting adjourned. SECOND SESSION The second session of the Council was held on Wednesday, June 28, 1922, at 8:00 p. m. PRESIDENT ROOT presided. COMMITTEE TO CONFER WITH PUBLISHERS The Secretary reported that this Committee, appointed at the Council meeting in December, 1921, had reported during the interim that it found the secretary had already made an ap- propriate and sufficient reply to the com- munication from the National Association of Book Publishers. SPONSORSHIP FOR KNOWLEDGE GEORGE WINTHROP LEE of Boston, member of the Committee on Sponsorship for Knowl- edge, presented the report of the Committee on behalf of MR. BELDEN, chairman, who was not able to be present. (For the report see p. 217.) MR. LEE stated that the Committee recommends the following resolution: Resolved, That this report be considered final ; the Committee discharged ; and the cen- tral office of the American Library Associa- tion take measures necessary to officialize sponsorships to at least a hundred in number during the year beginning July 1, 1922. It was moved and seconded that the reso- lution be adopted. The motion was carried. EDUCATION Miss Wood presented the following resolu- tion which she stated was a modification of COUNCIL 153 the resolution submitted at the previous ses- sion: The American Library Association believes that every student from the elementary school through the university should learn to use and appreciate books and libraries, not only that he may study to advantage in school, but also that he may continue through adult life to benefit from the resources of libraries. To accomplish this there should be a super- visor of school libraries in every state and province, and a school librarian or supervisor for every school system city, county, town- ship or district. A recommended minimum service standard is at least one full-time school librarian for an enrollment of 1000 elementary and high school pupils. Whether the school library supervisor or librarian shall be employed by school or li- brary authorities, separately or jointly, is a matter to be determined by state or local con- ditions. Adequate state or regional training facili- ties should be provided in library schools, uni- versities, colleges and teacher-training insti- tutions to prepare librarians for school library service. The educational and pro- fessional library qualifications, status and salary of the school librarians or su- pervisors should be equal to those of the teachers and supervisors with whom they serve. The library should be adequately provided with books and equipment: it is the one laboratory which serves every department of school work. Appropriations for school libraries in state and local budgets should be commensurate with those for other educational work. Motion was made that the resolution be adopted and the motion was seconded. There was discussion by several persons in which it was stated that the standard of one librarian for a thousand pupils was too low; that the adoption of such resolution is un- necessary; that the standard of one librarian for a thousand pupils is inconsistent with the Certain report; that the resolution will accomplish nothing, etc. MR. WRIGHT: The first part of this re- port outlines a policy. I think we should approve that strongly. MR. WRIGHT moved to strike out all after the second sentence and the motion was sec- onded. Miss WOOD: This resolution has been scanned by school librarians in public library systems as well as school librarians working with school boards. Both groups have been consulted and this is the best thought of the school library group of your organization. The}' are the ones who are behind it. The name of the American Library Association carries weight locally, and these librarians want to be able to say to their communities that the A.L.A. approves this. MR. HENRY moved as an amendment to Mr. Wright's motion that there be added after the second sentence the following: We, therefore, recommend as a minimum standard that there be at least one full-time school librarian for an enrollment of one thousand elementary and high school pupils. Whether the school library supervisor or li- brarian shall be employed by school or library authorities, separately or jointly, is a matter to be determined by state or local conditions. The motion was seconded. The motion was carried. THE PRESIDENT: The question is now on the adoption of Mr. Wright's motion as amended. The motion was put. A division was called for. The vote was 12 for and 1 against adoption. THE PRESIDENT asked that all members of the Council rise so that they might be counted to see if a quorum was present. Twenty- four were counted. THE PRESIDENT stated that the amendment had been adopted by a vote of 12 to 1. The President: The question is now on the adoption of the resolution as amended, which is as follows : The American Library Association believes that every student from the elementary school through the university should learn to use and appreciate books and libraries, not only that he may study to advantage in school, but also that he may continue through adult life to benefit from the resources of libraries. ^To accomplish this there should be a super- visor of school libraries in every state and province, and a school librarian or supervisor for every school system city, county, town- ship or district. We therefore recommend as a minimum standard that there be at least one full-time school librarian for an enrollment of 1000 elementary and high school pupils. Whether the school library supervisor or librarian shall be employed by school or li- brary authorities, separately or jointly, is a matter to be determined by state or local con- ditions. The resolution was adopted. WORK WITH THE FOREIGN BORN MRS. ELEANOR E. LEDBETTER of the Cleve- land Public Library, chairman of the Com- mittee on Work with the Foreign Born, dis- 154 DETROIT CONFERENCE cussed the report of the Committee (see p. 228) and presented as a resolution the "Platform on library work with the foreign born" which appears near the end of that report. It was moved and seconded that the resolu- tion be adopted. Speakers called attention to the possibility of cutting down the resolutions and the mo- tion was withdrawn. It was then moved that the resolutions be referred back to the Com- mittee for simplification and report. The motion was carried. LIBRARY TRAINING THE SECRETARY presented the following communication which had been received by the Committee on Library Training on June 27, 1922, and which was transmitted to the Council by that Committee without recom- mendation : The New Jersey Library Association at the meeting of April 29, 1922, appointed a committee to ask the Committee on Library Training of the American Library Associa- tion to recommend to the Executive Board of the A.L.A. that credits be given toward a certificate as a trained librarian for summer school courses and open courses under cer- tain conditions. As the Committee so appointed we wish to ask that recommendation below be made by the A.L.A. Committee on Library Train- ing. 1st. That credit be given for the actual number of hours devoted to any given sub- ject in a summer school in which the course in that subject shall be the full equivalent of the same number of hours of instruction and preparation and the same final examina- tions as in an accredited library school and under instructors of the same standing and technical training. It shall also be provided that the summer school and the course in any given subject for which credits shall be al- lowed shall come up to any further stand- ards which shall be set by the A.L.A. Com- mittee on Library Training. 2nd. That credit be given in the same manner for work done in classes maintained by libraries and library commissions and for work done in open courses held by library schools with the same provision as made in section 1. 3rd. That upon a person completing the same number of hours in a given subject as required in a regular library school and pass- ing a satisfactory examination (which will be shown by the number of credits) the A.L.A. Executive Committee will authorize the library commission of a state or any other body performing the functions of a li- brary commission to issue to that person a certificate of training in that subject. When there is no library commission in a state, or body performing the same functions, then the A.L.A. Executive Committee may issue such a certificate. It is not the intention to make a short cut in library training but to enable librarians by attending summer schools and courses for a number of years to finally obtain a certifi- cate in a given subject. To enable them to do this, summer school courses will be graded so that within three years the same number of hours can be covered as in the regular accredited library schools. This will necessi- tate running different courses parallel to each other. When this action is taken in New Jersey the summer school and classes held during the year will be so planned that the work will be graded and pupils may take either elementary, advanced or intermediate work in any given lines and be able in a period of time to complete the same course as given in regular library schools. It was moved and seconded that the report be laid on the table. The motion was carried. PRESIDENT ROOT: Mr. J. I. Wyer was ex- pected to report for the Committee on Fed- eral and State Relations, but he is not here. Other resolutions have been suggested. Is the Committee on Resolutions prepared to re- port in regard to any of these? MR. WRIGHT: There has been no meeting of the Committee. Mr. Roden presented the following resolu- tion: Resolved, That the American Library As- sociation records its deep interest and cordial approval of the project for the restoration of the library of the University of Louvain as a free gift and testimonial of fellowship from individuals, organizations and institutions representing the scholarship of America; and be it further Resolved, That a copy of the resolution be transmitted to the Committee on the Restora- tion of the library of the University of Lou- vain. The resolution was approved. BOOK BINDING Miss MARY E. WHEELOCK, chairman of the Committee on Bookbinding, discussed the re- port of the Bookbinding Committee (see p. 171) and asked for suggestions in regard to the committee's attitude on the poor quality of publishers' binding. DR. RANEY explained the co-operation of ANNUAL REPORTS 155 the Bookbinding and Book Buying Commit- tees and moved That the Council endorse the Bookbinding Committee in its efforts to better the mate- rials and workmanship employed by publish- ers in their editions. The motion was carried. The meeting adjourned. ANNUAL REPORTS, 1921-1922 ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS SECRETARY'S REPORT Some of the outstanding features of the year ending May 20, 1922, are : A constantly increasing membership, The largest conference in the history of the Association, A much enlarged distribution of A. L. A. publications, Increased emphasis on the co-operative print- ing of reading lists and other material to promote reading and the use of books, The beginning of a series of A. L. A. read- ing courses for use by libraries in promot- ing adult education, Further development of the Employment Service, The continuation of the recruiting- for-li- brary-service campaign and the resultant interest aroused in library training, An apparent increase in requests (in per- sonal visits and by mail) for information on book selection, budgets, library public- ity, library establishment and organiza- tion, the educational value of libraries, li- brary training, traveling libraries, county li- braries, school libraries, library buildings, etc., The assembling and preparation of typical publicity material comprising not only ar- ticles, but pictures, slides and exhibits; also scrapbooks, showing actual financial, book and library establishment campaigns, and The establishment of closer relations with other organizations and agencies which are in a position to help in the promotion of library interest and in the extension and development of libraries. Membership. Our records show 5735 on May 20, a gain of 12% since May 1, 1921. Thousands of personal and form letters, printed leaflets and circulars, and member- ship application blanks have been distributed to the library profession to encourage mem- bership in the A. L. A. The Membership Committee, the officers of the Association and the Headquarters staff have worked to- gether in this campaign for new members, and other members of the Association have extended numerous personal invitations to join. The U. S. Census Bulletin on Occupations, according to the 1920 census, indicates that there were 15,297 librarians in the United States in 1920 as compared with 7,423 in 1910. The membership of the A. L. A. in 1920 was 4,464 as compared with 2,005 in 1910. The geographical distribution of the A. L. A. membership, as listed in the 1921 Hand- book, is as follows: North Atlantic division 2026 North Central division 1975 South Atlantic division 348 South Central division 255 Western division 560 All other 143 Total, 1921 5307 A beginning has been made in the recruit- ing of sustaining and contributing members in accordance with the provisions of the new Constitution and By-Laws. Employment Service. More and more libraries are turning to the A. L. A. Employ- ment Service for recommendations. Requests during the year have covered nearly every conceivable kind of position, with salaries ranging up to four or five thousand dollars; and almost limitless geographical distribution not by any means comprised within the boundaries of the United States. The heavi- 156 DETROIT CONFERENCE est demand is for library school graduates, but registrants who have had apprentice train- ing or satisfactory library experience are be- ing placed also. There have been many in- quiries for part time positions which would allow opportunity for some college or library school work, and these have received spe- cial attention. Recruiting for Librarianship. John Cot- ton Dana's interview in the New York Even- ing Post on Library work for young men has been reprinted by the A. L. A. for dis- tribution. A little statement by Christopher Morley is in the printer's hands as this re- port is being prepared. It will be entitled The child and the book. Requests for the recruiting placard, for Library work an opportunity for college women, reprinted last year, and for Books and a vocation have continued. Through the courtesy of the H. W. Wilson Co., 1,000 reprints of M. E. Ha- zeltine's Recruiting for librarianship have been added to the material available at Head- quarters. A limited number of reprints were made from Public Libraries of F. K. W. Drury's The library as a detective agency. Several thousand copies of these pamphlets and leaflets suggesting the profession of li- brarianship have been placed in the hands of young men and women as the result of the work of the Recruiting Committee, the Head- quarters office and co-operating librarians. Some requests for these items in large quan- tities have necessitated putting prices on them for quantity distribution, although they are still distributed in small lots free of charge. Suggested articles and editorials on libra- rianship have been sent to hundreds of peri- odicals and the clippings show that in some cases, at least, the material has been printed. One of the most important contributions was C. H. Compton's article written at our request and published in The Open Road May, 1922. A few copies are available for distribution. Thousands of letters have been sent to vo- cational advisors, librarians and others. The Committee on Recruiting, and the Headquarters office have continued to work together. Further details will be found in the report of the Recruiting Committee. State Chapters. Seventeen state associa- tions were affiliated with the American Li- brary Association by Council action on De- cember 29, 1921, on the new basis. Several other state associations and one local club have made application for affiliation since then, and their requests will presumably be acted upon at the Detroit meeting. When all of the state associations have become chap- ters of the A. L. A. a very considerable num- ber of the Council members will be the state representatives. The object of this affiliation is to strength- en and unify library organization throughout the country. The state or local association ought to gain influence by becoming a mem- ber of an international organization just as a local Rotary club is stronger because it is a part of International Rotary; and the A. L. A. itself gains strength by having state rep- resentatives on its Council and by having an official connection with practically everybody in the library profession. From time to time the A. L. A. goes on record for certain things. If its statements to congressmen on tariff, copyright and government documents, and its statements to the general public on library revenues can be made in the name not only of a membership of five or six thousand li- brarians, but also in some measure, at least, in the name of all the members of all of the state and local associations, the A. L. A. is much more likely to gain its point. A. L. A. Representation at Meetings. The Association has been officially represented by officers, specially appointed delegates or members of the Headquarters staff at meet- ings of six national associations, five national or sectional conferences, eight meetings of state library associations; and members of the Headquarters staff have made twenty- five or thirty talks to library school students, members of library staffs and other groups. Exhibits have been made at some of the general meetings and conferences, and at most of the meetings formal or informal talks have been made by the A. L. A. representa- tives. Further details are given in the report of the Committee on Reciprocal Relations with Other National Organizations, and in the January Bulletin, page 27. Library Establishment The growing popular demand for the establishment of pub- lic libraries where they do not now exist ANNUAL REPORTS 157 is clearly indicated in the requests for help which come from various towns and cities, es- pecially in the states without active library commissions. Opportunities have come to the A. L. A. during the last year which have enabled it to be of service in promoting the library cause in some of the largest cities in the country which are still without library service. In such cases the Headquarters of- fice frequently outlines in brief a whole cam- paign of publicity and propaganda to stimu- late and organize the local interest. A few publications are sent, and our miscellaneous publicity material is offered, with the result that there is usually a continuing correspond- ence until definite action has been taken. Al- ways, however, the things which might be done in such cases and which might help in the development of libraries for many thou- sands of people are limited by many routine things which must be done by the Headquar- ters office staff. It is largely because of this general library promotional work which is not the direct responsibility of individual mem- bers, that the Association welcomes the an- nual dues of sustaining and contributing mem- bers and gifts from various sources. Not infrequently libraries, and library agen- cies turn to the A. L. A. Headquarters for comprehensive suggestions for reorganization and extension or submit reorganization and extension plans for criticism. During the last year a few libraries and library agencies in widely separated parts of the country have profited by this service. Others desiring sim- ilar help have failed to receive it because of the many demands on the Headquarters staff. County libraries. The publicity for the county library movement and especially for that more spectacular phase of the county li- brary movement book wagons has resulted in a continual flow of correspondence from small towns and country districts. People want to know how library service can be brought to them. In the great majority of cases the requests come from states and provinces in which there are active library extension agencies and from persons who, ap- parently, have somehow been missed by the traveling library system which would be able to meet their needs in some respects. In not a few cases, however, the requests come from states or provinces in which there are no agencies equipped to meet the needs. Some- times the state laws have not authorized the development of any such agencies. In those cases the Headquarters office endeavors to put the inquirer into touch with the other people in the state interested in developing the necessary library departments, and to en- courage local efforts toward the establish- ment of a community library on a temporary basis. Such inquiries serve to keep in our minds the fact that there are still many peo- ple in North America who are wholly beyond or without the influence of libraries; and that there is no other national or internation- al agency than the American Library Asso- ciation to which they can turn for help. School Libraries. The school library movement is getting into full swing. Teach- ers' associations are adopting library plat- forms. State laws and regulations are be- ing made which require the maintenance of adequate libraries in schools and the teach- ing of the use of books and libraries as part of the curriculum. All this is reflected in the requests received at Headquarters for school library plans, outlines of organization, information on courses in the use of books and libraries, information as to library schools offering courses in school library work, qualifications for school librarians and recommendations for positions. The most frequently recurring request is for the out- line of a plan which will enable the public li- brary and the school to work together in meeting these growing and changing demands for an adequate library service for the school system in all its branches. Library War Service. The American Library Association continues to provide for some of the ex-service men in hospitals. Oc- casional requests for books and magazines come from hospitals which are not yet be- ing served through government channels. Sub- scriptions have been entered for this purpose to 275 magazines since January 1, 1922. The Association is also providing two regular em- ployees for advisory service in connection with the hospital library work for the men in what were until recently Public Health Service hospitals (recently transferred to the Veterans' Bureau). Newly appointed hospital librarians and assistants are also usually paid for one or more months from A. L. A. funds 158 DETROIT CONFERENCE in order to avoid the delay which would re- sult if forced to wait for government appoint- ment. Some incidental expenses are paid by the A. L. A. as necessary. In this way the hospital library service is being transferred gradually to the government with the pros- pect of a complete transfer not many months off. The A. L. A. continues to pay a small portion of the salary of the librarian of the American Library in Paris who is also the European representative of the American Library Association. During the last few months the more im- portant War Service printed reports, lists, bulletins and miscellaneous leaflets and post- ers, together with mimeographed material, photographs, slides, clippings, etc., have been assembled and prepared for binding or some other means of preservation for historical purposes. This material is at present stored in a vault at the Headquarters office in Chi- cago. Members who served on the War Serv- ice Committee and those who worked in camps, hospitals, dispatch offices or at Head- quarters are urged to visit the A. L. A. Head- quarters office and examine this material or to communicate with us if there is any possibil- ity that additional items may be found to be added to this file. Requests for information which have grown out of the war service work continue to come to the A. L. A. office from men who were in the service, secretaries of welfare organiza- tions who came in touch with the A. L. A. during the war, and from men and women throughout the world who look to the A. L. A. for suggestions, and not infrequently (but usually in vain) for books. More detailed statements will be found in the report of the Committee on the Transfer of Library War Service Activities, and in the statement of the librarian of the Ameri- can Library in Paris, appended to this report of the Secretary. Books for the Blind. The Booklist of Revised Braille issued two or three times a year for the Committee on Work with the Blind, records ten books done into braille this year through the instrumentality of the American Library Association. That there is a continuing and growing interest in this work is evidenced by the Committee's report and the Headquarters correspondence. Publications. It is estimated that 297,- 000 copies of publications issued by the Amer- ican Library Association have been distributed during the year ended March 31, 1922. A large portion of this distribution has been of small reading lists compiled and published usually because of the timeliness of the sub- jects. Reading courses are another important feat- ure of the year's work. Two of the courses have been issued, one on Journalism by a Dean of a university school of journalism, and one on Accounting by a professor of that subject in a university school of com- merce. The plan is to have a series of courses on vocational and other subjects which will represent the best possible advice on these subjects, prepared by men or women who are specialists in their fields, and checked up by librarians in order that they may be usable in all libraries. The number of books selected will be kept down to six or eight whenever that is feasible. The courses are to be prepared for the man or woman who wants to read several books to a definite end, not for the man or woman who wants to read simply one book. It is hoped that li- braries will find these a useful means of put- ting into the hands of inquirers expert ad- vice instead of the necessarily limited advice which must often be given out by assistants at the lending desk or even the reference desk. It is also hoped that libraries will find it possible to distribute these courses, per- haps by mail, to people who ought to be inter- ested in reading on the subjects, and so may eventually be able to report to the public that hundreds, perhaps thousands of persons are pursuing definite courses of reading through the instrumentality of the libraries which ought to help libraries to convince the public that they are helping in the movement for adult and universal education. The Graded list of books for children is probably the most important item pub- lished during the year. It was compiled by a committee of school librarians and school teachers appointed by the Library Department of the National Education Association. Com- prehensive indexes have been prepared by the editorial staff at A. L. A. Headquarters and ANNUAL REPORTS 159 the book should be ready for distribution by the time of the A. L. A. conference. The number of new publications issued during the year ended May 20, 1922, counting separately the individual numbers of periodical publications, is 50. Thirty of them were pre- pared wholly or in large part at Head- quarters. Nine publications were reprinted, some of them thoroughly revised. Numerous printed circulars about these publications have been issued and distributed, many of them in large quantities. New Publications, 1921-22 A. L. A. Bulletin, six numbers. A. L. A. Manual of library economy, chap. 19, The catalog. A. L. A. Reading course on accounting. A. L. A. Reading course on journalism. Annual reports, 1920-21. The Booklist (11 numbers). Booklist books, 1921. Booklist of revised Braille, Vol. 1, Nos. 5 and 6. Books and pamphlets on library work (en- velope insert). Books and pamphlets on library work (for Trade List Annual). Books and thrift. Books for vacation (now printing). Boys' books. Business books for profit and pleasure. The child and the book. Children's books for Christmas presents. Conference program. Conference attendance register. Graded list of books for children (now printing) . Historical reading list for children. Home planning. Library work an opportunity for college women. Library work for young men. Mid-winter conference program, 1921. Plays for children. Plays of today. Resolutions on public questions. Revised form for library statistics (for col- lege and reference libraries). Technical books 1921, A selection. The United States. Useful books for the home. Viewpoints in essays. Wanderlust book shelf (now printing). What is a reasonable income for your library? Posters and Exhibits, 1921-22 After college what? Children's reading exhibit. County library exhibit. McCutcheon cartoon poster. McCutcheon bookmark. Reprints and New Editions, 1921-22 A. L. A. Manual of library economy, chap. 16, Book selection. Binding for libraries. Book wagons. Books and a vocation. A County library. Foreign people in the United States. Mending and repair of books. Revised form for library statistics (for public libraries). Why join the A. L. A.? Forthcoming Publications A. L. A. Catalog, Supplement, 1912-21. Essentials in library administration (new edition). Guide to the study and use of reference books (new edition). The Hospital Library. The Booklist. The following statement is submitted by May Massee, editor: "The Booklist completes the seventeenth year of its existence more firmly established than ever as a necessary factor of the work of the American Library Association. This is shown by the gradual but steady increase of circulation, all of which is now on an indi- vidual and paid basis and by the steady in- crease in the number of contributing librari- ans and in the quality of their contributions. "The influence of The Booklist on the trade is shown in the remark of a salesman, 'Well I doubled my order on that today when I told the buyer that it was a Booklist small library book.' Buyers recognize the fact that Booklist titles are those which people want. This must be true as they are chosen from the consensus of expert opinion which is con- stantly being tested and proved by actual con- tact with the reading public. "The addition of a children's librarian to 160 DETROIT CONFERENCE the editorial staff of the Association strength- ens this feature of The Booklist and enables the staff to give more assistance in the prep- aration of the special lists. More of such lists have been prepared and are being pre- pared by the editorial staff than at any time in the history of the Association. Inquiries about books are increasing in number and all of them are referred to The Booklist staff. "The editor of The Booklist wishes to thank personally and officially all contribut- ing librarians and all the headquarters staff whose work makes The Booklist." Subscriptions in May 1920, May 1921, and May 1922, are shown in the following table: May 1920 Paid subscriptions.. 4,116 Institutional members and affiliated asso- ciations 579 Free List 118 May May 1921 1922 4,305 5,000 658 Dis- con- tinued 119 115 Total 4,813 5,082 5,115 Library members and affiliated state asso- ciations formerly received The Booklist as part of their membership perquisites. This meant about 650 copies distributed each month without charge. On January 1, 1922, in ac- cordance with Executive Board action, there was a change in practice, and The Booklist is now issued on a regular subscription basis at $2.00 per year. About 400 of the institu- tional members have become subscribers. Publicity. Of the total distribution of A. L. A. publications in the year ended March 31, estimated at 297,000, more than half (about 170,000) have gone directly or indi- rectly to the public. Reading lists and reading courses by the thousands have been put into the hands of possible readers and buyers of books. In one city fifty thousand copies of an A. L. A. list were distributed in one day. In all of the A. L. A. publicity to libraries about the reading lists and other book pub- licity material the emphasis has been placed on distribution outside the library. Some of the reading lists, reading courses and other similar materials have been sent to hun- dreds of house organs, trade periodicals and other magazines as well as to press associa- tions and newspapers; and in some cases the material and lists have been reprinted and thus made available to many thousands of persons, stimulating, we hope, the development and use of libraries and an increased distribu- tion of books. Library establishment. The pamphlets How to start a library and Why do we need a pub- lic library are used almost daily in answer- ing questions on these subjects. Many copies are distributed free of charge each year to communities attempting to establish libraries without the aid of library commissions, and a great many more are distributed by the library commissions and other similar agen- cies, County libraries. The pamphlets A coun- ty library and Book wagons continue to be popular with library commissions and are used frequently in answering questions from communities in states without commissions. A few thousand copies have been distributed to rural welfare workers, rural school officials, farm papers, club women and other persons and agencies interested in country life de- velopment. The County library exhibit through the 25 sets sold and through sets exhibited by the A. L. A. at other than li- brary conferences has reached many thou- sands of persons, with the county library idea and with the suggestion that the people in the country want books. Business libraries. Workshops for assem- bling business facts, by Dorsey W. Hyde, jr., president of the Special Libraries Associa- tion, was written at our request and has been distributed by both the A. L. A. and the S. L. A. to large numbers of people. Copies have gone from the A. L. A. office to the members of the National Federation of Busi- ness and Professional Women's Clubs, to com- mercial clubs, chambers of commerce, house organs, business and trade magazines. It has been used successfully in answering questions from business men about the establishment and development of libraries for their officers and employees. School libraries. Several thousand copies of a little leaflet, entitled Constructive aids in school library work, were distributed to teachers, principals, superintendents and li- ANNUAL REPORTS 161 brarians in grade schools, high schools and normal colleges. The purpose was: first, to create an interest in school libraries, or to stimulate that interest where it already existed ; and second, to promote the sale of some of the A. L. A. publications which are of value to school libraries. During the year several hundred copies of the Certain pamphlet Stand- ard library organization and equipment for secondary schools have been distributed to school officials. Plans have been made with the co-operation of the chairmen of the School Libraries Section of the A. L. A. and of the Library Department of the N. E. A. to con- duct voting contests at the Detroit confer- ence of the American Library Association and the Boston conference of the N. E. A. on the best 25 books for a "Two-foot shelf for a one-room country school." The purpose is to stimulate discussion of school libraries in rural districts, and the clippings which have come from different parts of the country as the result of the first announcement through the Associated Press indicates that the results will be gratifying. Library support. Nothing issued by the American Library Association in many years has been so widely reprinted as the library revenue resolution, adopted by the A. L. A. Council in December, 1921, and reprinted by the A. L. A. as a broadside under the head- ing What is a reasonable income for your library? Several thousand copies have been sold to library commissions for distribution to trustees, public officials, newspapers and oth- ers, and some copies have been distributed by the Headquarters office. The use of this statement in the newspapers of the country and the comment given it in editorial columns lead us to believe it commanded general at- tention. Surely all this will help to create a public sentiment which will demand better support for libraries. Scrapbooks illustrating the financial campaigns in two or three cities, either for library buildings or increased appro- priations, have been prepared by the Head- quarters office and have been used almost constantly in other communities as suggestions for similar campaigns. General book publicity. Reading lists issued during the year covered the following sub- jects: Home planning. Useful books for the home. Business books for profit and pleasure. The United States. Books and thrift. Wanderlust book shelf. Others are mentioned under Children's reading. Reading courses were published on Account- ing and Journalism. In addition to the dis- tribution which these obtained through libra- ries a few thousand copies have been distrib- uted directly to persons and agencies where they would receive special attention and where they might be brought to the attention of many others. There has also been a good distribution through libraries and otherwise of the McCutcheon cartoon poster and 'book mark, reprinted from the Chicago Tribune. Effort has been made to encourage libraries to have a part in every public movement. Nearly every week is now assigned to some cause or some movement, and the publicity which grows out of the observance of these "weeks" and "days" offers librarians ready- made opportunities to stimulate book distrib- ution. In a few cases relations have been es- tablished also between the A. L. A. Head- quarters and the headquarters of other organi- zations interested in these movements, in or- der that books might be given their place in the official program. Children's reading. Four important con- tributions to book publicity in this field have been made by the A. L. A. during the year: The Children's reading exhibit, Children's books for Christmas presents, Boys' books,znd Books for vacation which is in the printer's hands as this report is being written. The 45 sets of the exhibit which were sold and others lent by the A. L. A., have been shown to scores of large groups of people by libra- ries and library commissions, and the book lists have been distributed in large quantities, so that the first three items mentioned, the exhibit, the Christmas list and the boys' list, may presumably have brought the book idea to the attention of several hundred thousand people. An important fact is that the gen- eral reading lists and the children's reading lists are usually reprinted by one or more periodicals, so that the distribution is much 162 DETROIT CONFERENCE in excess of the number of copies printed by the A. L. A. Recruiting for librarianship. This is large- ly publicity work but is reported in another paragraph. Library publicity. The growing recognition on the part of libraries of the importance of keeping the book idea and the library idea be- fore the public has resulted in the assembling at Headquarters of a considerable amount of material illustrating library and book pub- licity. This consists of scrapbooks showing how some libraries advertise, of pictures, re- ports, etc. all of which are available for loans to libraries. Newspaper and magazine articles. The time which could be devoted to publicity during the past year has for the most part been given to the development of the reading lists and reading courses and their adequate distribu- tion through libraries and otherwise as stated above. Some dozens of articles have, how- ever, been written at our suggestion for the general magazines, and many newspaper stories have been given to the press associa- tions as well as to individual newspapers. Ma- terial for newspaper and magazine articles is being collected and organized at the Head- quarters office constantly and is being used by all sorts of reporters and writers. There would be much greater use if we were able to assemble more material. Photographs and slides. The collection of photographs available for exhibits and for reproduction in newspapers and magazines has now increased to several hundred and many of the best pictures have been reproduced in the form of lantern slides. The slides have been used during the year for lectures to library school students, for public addresses in communities conducting library campaigns, for library development and in other similar ways. A. L. A. Finances. The increased mem- bership and the increased dues have combined to produce an income for the General Fund somewhat larger than it has been in the past. The conference registration fee required by the new By-Laws should provide $1500 or $2000 more. To a large extent the additional funds will be absorbed by the increased ex- penses of a larger association and larger con- ferences and by minor increases such as those growing out of the new method of voting, etc. The Publishing Funds are much increased because of the increased sales of publications. The net gain in this item for 1921 over 1920 was $7,665.42, or 49%. The gain in the twelve months ending April 30, 1922, over the twelve months ending April 30, 1921, was $9,056.64, or 50.9%. But the gain does not represent profit. The prices on A. L. A. publications are kept at a figure which is meant to cover overhead, but not to provide a surplus. The fiscal year of the Association ends on December 31. The Treasurer's annual reports are found each year in the January Bulletin. Financial statements are also published in the various numbers of the Bulletin through- out the year, and a summary for January 1 to April 30, 1922, is printed at the time of the conference. In the committee reports this year, and perhaps every year, will be found recommen- dations which would involve additional expen- ditures by the committees or by the Headquar- ters office, frequently by both. Unquestion- ably many of these recommendations would meet with the approval of members of the Association in general, and, if carried out, would help in the development of librarianship and of libraries. One committee recommends that Headquarters office be instructed to undertake a piece of work which was under- taken several years ago and which failed then as it will fail again unless the Headquar- ters office can put time and money into that work. Another committee is trying to do on a volunteer basis what would normally cost some $20,000 a year. And still another com- mittee specifically recommends that the A. L. A. employ an additional Headquarters assist- ant who shall be a specialist in a given field. The Headquarters office correspondence would disclose the need for similar specialists in other fields as well as many opportunities for service which the Association must now fore- go because of a lack of adequate resources. Our Chicago Host The Association continues to be under obligations to the Chi- cago Public Library for the Headquarters of- fices. This courtesy is the more appreciated when it is understood that the Library itself ANNUAL REPORTS 163 is in need of space to meet the demands of its rapidly expanding work. The activities of the A. L. A. are growing rapidly also and the necessity for more space is a matter for early consideration. In General. The year's work of the American Library Association is told in the reports of committees and officers, in the A. L. A. Bulletin (including the Handbook and Proceedings), The Booklist, the other A. L. A. publications and in the library periodicals. Nowhere are all the facts, or even the out- standing facts, assembled. This report reviews simply the work of the Headquarters office with suggestions here and there of the work of others. Grateful acknowledgement is made to staff, officers, committees and other members whose combined efforts have made this a year of un- usual accomplishment. Respectfully submitted, CARL H. MILAM, Secretary. PUBLICATIONS COSTS AND SALES Payments for Publications, April 1, 1921, to March 31, 1922 Cost of publications: A. L. A. Catalog, 1912-1921, editorial expense A. L. A. List of subject headings, storage on plates Binding for libraries (reprinted!) Book wagons, A county library with rural book delivery Booklist Booklist books, 1920 Booklist books, 1921 Books for boys and girls (reprinted) Children's reading exhibit A county library (four-page leaflet) County library exhibit Graded list of books for children, editorial expense Guide to reference books (reprinted) McCutcheon bookmark .' McCutcheon cartoon poster Manual of library economy, chaps. 4, 9, 13 (revised) and 19, including storage on plates Mending and repair of books (reprinted) Plays for children Reading lists: Books and thrift 148.77 Business books for profit and pleasure 205.37 Children's books for Christmas presents 838.55 Home planning 102.10 Plays of today 118.01 The new voter 11.50 The United States 254.25 Useful books for the home 163.00 Viewpoints in biography , What is a reasonable income for your library. Workshops for assembling business facts...., 633.00 36.00 49.50 108.78 3,556.67 434.80 396.04 137.50 451.71 103.50 493.96 155.00 389.85 80.25 69.25 840.50 92.00 1,414.18 1,841.55 505.90 77.50 66.22 Sales of Publications, April 1, 1921, to March 31, 1922 The Booklist: Subscriptions $9,909.33 Extra copies 271.44 5, Binding for libraries 221 31.11 6, Mending and repair of books 1,053 241.96 8, How to choose editions 80 11.64 9, Normal library budget 48 6.74 10, Manual for institution libraries 11 2.71 $11,933.66 $10,180.77 164 DETROIT CONFERENCE Handbook 11, Some principles of business-like conduct in libraries 176 42.63 336.79 Tract 2, How to start a library 59 6.06 Tract 4, Library rooms and buildings 146 9.48 Tract 5, Notes from the art section 10 .94 Tract 10, Why do we need a public library 167 11.45 27.93 Foreign lists, French fiction 14 1.32 Foreign lists, French literature, recent 25 5.63 Foreign lists, German 7 3.15 Foreign lists, Polish 6 1.38 Foreign lists, Russian 7 3.40 Foreign lists, Swedish 2 .48 15.36 Reprints, Bostwick, Popularizing music through the library.. 4 .67 Reprints, Buying list of books for .small libraries, 3rd edition. 1,149 248.55 Reprints, Certain, Standard library organization and equip- ment for secondary schools of different sizes 372 138.87 Reprints, Inspirational influence of books in the life of children 4 .19 Reprints, Some present day aspects in library training 13 .75 Reprints, Some recent features in library architecture 77 3.92 Reprints, Making maps available 56 3.11 Reprints, Statistics of libraries, 1917 1 .05 396.11 League publications: Aids in library work with foreigners 33 4.72 Directions for the librarian of a small library 47 6.83 League Handbook, 1916 9 4.15 15.70 A. L. A. Manual of library economy, chapters as follows: 1, American library history 97 14.83 2, Library of Congress 43 7.72 3, The state library 43 7.52 4, College and university library (revised) 375 56.36 5, Proprietary and subscription libraries 31 5.39 6, The free public library 48 8.61 7, The high school library 230 34.49 8, Special libraries 71 12.55 9, Library legislation (revised) 362 57.61 10, The library building (revised) 198 25.73 11, Furniture, fixtures and equipment 158 22.78 12, Library administration 147 18.26 13, Training for librarianship (revised) 1,016 142.21 14, Library service 74 11.23 16, Book selection 225 23.62 17, Order and accession department 283 30.59 18, Classification 259 31.65 19, The catalog 984 131.12 20, Shelf department 182 22.69 21, Loan work 232 25.86 23, Government documents 124 18.62 24, Bibliography 224 26.71 25, Pamphlets and minor library material 230 32.96 27, Commissions, state aid, etc 34 5.88 30, Library work with the blind 48 8.34 783.33 Reading lists: Books and thrift 11,239 269.96 Business books for profit and pleasure 9,111 218.40 Children's books for Christmas presents 56,320 1,367.10 Home planning 1,560 29.30 Plays of today 997 108.26 The new voter 1,402 17.70 The United States 6,476 377.79 Useful books for the home 12,729 226.70 2,615.21 A. L. A. Bookbinding Committee: Lettering on library books 89 8.61 8.61 A. L. A. Catalog, 1904-11 134 227.53 A. L. A. Index to general literature 27 150.60 ANNUAL REPORTS 165 A. L. A. Index to general literature, supplement 28 104.40 An apprentice course for small libraries 182 176.65 Book wagons, A county library with rural book delivery.. 1,670 135.01 Booklist books, 1920 1,021 315.03 Booklist books, 1921 2,094 410.09 Books for boys and girls 324 76.18 Catalog rules 582 534.76 Cataloging for small libraries 278 522.20 Children's reading exhibit sets 49 490.00 Collection of social survey material 36 5.28 County library, four-page leaflet 8,610 204.93 County library exhibit sets 25 450.00 Guide to reference books 608 1,680.70 High school list 108 52.48 Hints to small libraries 33 24.49 Hospital list 22 6.49 Index to kindergarten songs 25 41.68 Index to library reports 5 4.80 Library buildings 6 .75 Library efficiency test 98 23.89 List of economical editions 8 1.15 List of music and books about music 26 8.51 List of subject headings 542 1,987.80 List of 550 children's books 67 9.90 McCutcheon bookmark 23,871 103.10 McCutcheon cartoon poster 3,110 193.33 Periodicals for the small library 342 78.56 Plays for children 533 745.95 Scientific management, List of books on 9 .85 Shakespeare, Brief guide to the literature of 25 11.55 Special indexes in American libraries 18 1.73 Subject headings for catalogs of juvenile books 56 91.06 Subject index to A. L. A. Booklist, vols. 1-6 13 3.23 Subject index to A. L. A. Booklist, vol. 7 32 3.03 Viewpoints in biography 747 419.26 Viewpoints in essays (advance orders) 6 3.60 Viewpoints in travel 228 123.69 What is a reasonable income for your library 8,825 50.75 Workshops for assembling business facts 289 54.33 A. L. A. Bulletin and Proceedings 171 74.50 9,603.82 NECROLOGY (REPORT BY THE SECRETARY) During the past year the Association has lost by death twenty-six of its members. The list follows. Brief biographical notes will ap- pear in the Handbook of the Association for the current year: Edward B. Adams, librarian Harvard Law Library, Cambridge, Mass., died March 24, 1922. James L. Autry, trustee Public Library, Hous- ton, Texas, died Sept. 28, 1920. Dr. Ida Clarke, president Board of Trustees Public Library, Youngstown, Ohio, died March 2, 1922. Joseph F. Daniels, librarian Public Library, Riverside, Calif., died September 17, 1921. $23,983.63 Elizabeth B. Faucon, custodian Reading Room Pratt Institute Free Library, Brooklyn, N. Y., died September 15, 1921. Walter Greenwood Forsyth, custodian Bar- ton-Ticknor Department, Public Library, Boston, Mass., died December 27, 1921. Grace E. Inman, 135 Parade Street, Provi- dence, R. L, died December 29, 1921. Dr. Frank S. Johnson, chairman Book Com- mittee, John Crerar Library, Chicago, Illi- nois, died April 23, 1922. John W. Jordan, librarian Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., died June 12, 1921. Mrs. Thomas L. Montgomery, Harrisburg, Pa., died Oct. 16, 1921. 166 DETROIT CONFERENCE John Grant Moulton, librarian Public Li- brary, Haverhill, Mass., died July 8, 1921. Benonine Muse, assistant reference librarian University of Texas Library, Austin, Tex., died July 9, 1921. Eunice Rockwood Oberly, librarian Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, died November 5, 1921. Tomo-Saburo Sano, chief librarian Public Library, Yamaguchi, Japan, died May 13, 1920. Mrs. Harriot H. (Pliny T.) Sexton, Palmyra, N. Y., died November 22, 1921. May Seymour, editor of Decimal Classifica- tion, Lake Placid Club, N. Y., died June 14, 1921. Lindsay Swift, editor library publications, Public Library, Boston, Mass., died Sep- tember 11, 1921. Hamilton B. Tompkins, director and mem- ber of Book Committee, Redwood Library, Newport, R. I., died December 23, 1921. The following persons had formerly be- longed to the Association, although not mem- bers at the time of their death: William M. Bains, bookseller, 1213-15 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa., died December 19, 1921. John Vance Cheney, former librarian The Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois, died May 1, 1922. Lucinda McAlpine, former librarian, Public Library, Newton, Kansas, died January 31, 1921. Mrs. Helen J. McCaine, Public Library, St. Paul, Minn., died March 30, 1922. G. B. Meleney, 1047 First National Bank Bldg., Chicago, 111., died March 5, 1922. W. P. Payne, formerly president Board of Trustees, Public Library, Nevada, Iowa, died October 21, 1921. Charles Delamater Vail, librarian Hobart Col- lege Library, Geneva, N. Y., died July 25, 1921. Edward Harmon Virgin, former librarian General Theological Seminary Library, New York City, died Nov. 14, 1920. Nina T. Waddell, La Jolla, Calif., died June 22, 1921. The above list was prepared by Mrs. Henry J. Carr. LIBRARY WORK FOR EX-SERVICE MEN IN HOSPITALS 1921-22 In the conduct of any work especially work of an administrative nature which is done under pressure it is well to pause from time to time to study the situation to see how far one has travelled along the road and the direction in which one is moving, for the im- portant question is not where we are but where we are going. For librarians the A.L.A. meeting is the time to bring to light the re- sults of this introspective study and if one be honest in the report made of it, the re- sults should be of value to one's co-workers. In order to listen understandingly to such an introspective study it should be borne in mind that it is like a piece of tapestry, that if at one moment it is the picture, some- what idealized by distance, that challenges attention, the next moment it is the knotted side with threads cut in unexpected places, or apparently unrelated colors brought to- gether, which is shown. Both sides are im- portant, the idealized picture must be borne in mind in order to give direction to the work to be done to make it possible to pick up intelligibly the thousand unrelated threads of varying color and texture and so make the dream a reality. In reviewing the year's work (for ex-serv- ice men in government hospitals) there are six events which stand out in a striking manner. 1. The most striking event, and doubtless the outstanding fact in the development of hospital library service during the year was the Congressional appropriation of $100,000.00 for books, magazines and newspapers for ex- service men in hospitals which became avail- able on July 1, 1921. 2. The transfer of the work conducted by the American Library Association with the entire personnel of 32 people, which was made July 1 to the Public Health Service thus assuring that the expenditure of these funds would be in the hands of librarians who were familiar with the work in hos- pitals, the work done and the ideals sought. 3. The establishment of the work under civil service. On October 1 the Civil Serv- ice Commission gave certified status to all librarians and assistants who were in the ANNUAL REPORTS 167 employ of the American Library Association when the work was transferred. This made it possible to continue the work without a break. 4. The recognition of the Surgeon Gen- eral and the doctors associated with him of the need for at least one professionally trained and experienced librarian in each hospital of 300 beds. 5. The gradual recognition by doctors in hospitals that the medical libraries would be of more value handled by a professionally trained librarian and the realization that the libraries for the medical staff and patients would be administered under one head the librarian. 6. The transfer of the library work with the other hospital work for veterans from the Public Health Service to the Veterans' Bureau on May 1, 1922. In the events leading up to the transfer of hospital work from the A.L.A. to the government and the conduct of the work during the year it is no exaggeration to say that it was possible only because of Assistant Surgeon General Lavinder's far seeing vision and his sympathetic understanding of the task to be undertaken. It was his vision of the possibilities of this work and its need in hospitals that convinced the secretary of the Treasury that the expenditure of funds for such an undertaking was advisable when all expenditures were being cut, and it was his understanding and appreciation of the diffi- culties that lay in the path of anyone who undertook the establishment of new work under the government that gave courage to the workers who had the task in hand. Dr. Lavinder's vision made the work pos- sible 'but he was ably backed by the under- standing on the part of the A.L.A. Execu- tive Board of the difficulties connected with this work for ex-service men. The spirit of forgetfulness was abroad in the land, there was a temptation to forget the war and all that pertained to it. It might have been the story of Tommy Atkins had it not been for Mr. Meyer's committee and the Executive Board who realized that though the govern- ment had assumed the responsibility for the major portion of the work there was no reason for the A.L.A. to cease its interest, and during the year Mr. Meyer has given of his time and thought in furthering this work. In addition to Mr. Meyer there have been other librarians scattered over the coun- try who had served in army and navy hos- pitals during the war who continued their al- legiance to the work. Miss Ideson of Hous- ton, an overseas service woman, has not only expressed her interest in the work but has made real sacrifices involving the loaning of members of her staff to tide over emergencies arising in the Veterans' Hospital in Houston. Miss Mulheron has personally overseen the organization of the work in the Veterans' Hospital in Portland and other librarians too numerous to mention scattered over the coun- try have loaned members of their staffs, sup- plied books on emergency call and have given the sort of service that has indicated their continued interest. (This means that so long as there is library work carried on for ex-service men the A.L.A. will fulfill its obligation.) The most serious concern of those whose responsibility it has been to carry forward the work has been the ever difficult one of properly qualified personnel for no matter what the vision of the leaders is nor how great the sums of money alloted for the work, if there are not the people in the field with these same ideals and aspirations the work must fail and this is not only the con- cern of those who are interested in veterans' hospitals but of all those who have the de- velopment of hospital library service at heart. During the war there were literally hun- dreds clamoring to get into this branch of the service but again it is the case of "Tommy step aside" now that the guns have "ceased to shoot." Perhaps those who have the train- ing of workers for the profession have failed to see the possibilities for service here. To be sure in the veterans' hospitals and many of the largest city hospitals there have been "outs" with this work, the same "outs" which usually accompany a government position and the establishment of any new work in a highly organized institution such as a hos- pital. In contrast to this there has been such a chance for varied service as seldom comes to the average librarian. It is a service call- ing for the best library training plus a varied 168 DETROIT CONFERENCE experience and good personality. Louise Singley, a library supervisor in Public Health Service now Veterans' Bureau, writes : I am constantly being more and more im- pressed with the necessity of keeping this service in hospitals in the hands of fully trained and experienced librarians at all hazards. With ten years previous experience in the Pittsburgh Library as supervisor of an extension division, and at the same time instructor in the library school conducted by that library, plus three years service in army and navy hospital libraries during the war period, I am more and more impressed with the fact that this type of work requires more than any other fully trained and well equipped librarians in order to meet the emergencies that arise each day. At a glance, almost, the librarian must know how and what to suggest to the often mentally as well as physically ill person. She must therefore have her books and her tools, and her knowl- edge of sources at her fingers' ends in order to successfully aid these patients to a normal condition, for that indeed is her chief reason for existing in the hospital. It seems hard to reconcile such a statement as this with the feeling expressed by the head of one of the largest public libraries in the country, "There is no opportunity for pro- fessional development in hospital library work"; and in the statement of the head of one of the library schools who wrote that she was glad that one of her "nice girls had resigned from a veterans' hospital for the conditions under which she was working were so hard." And another head of a library school who advised one of her girls not to take up this work for there was "so little opportunity for self culture." Again there was one who constantly offered public library positions to a hospital librarian who was carrying on unusually successful work with patients in a mental hospital, because she felt that the greater professional opportunity lay in public library work. Fortunately library schools are not all given over to training "nice girls" who are going to resign when working conditions are hard nor do all the leaders in these schools advocate self culture or professional advancement as the end to be desired. It was from the library schools that the majority of hospital library positions were filled during the war but the tendency in the schools, as everywhere, has been to settle back into pre-war grooves with the emphasis placed on training for public library work. It is for those of us who are interested in hospitals to show the schools that in hospital service lies a field for special training where the emphasis must be put upon therapeutic value of books. We hear a great deal of talk about mental food but has there ever been a scientific study of books from this angle ? It is hard to compare the various types of library work from the point of view of the individual for it is hard to know what each person counts as worth while, and it is hard to learn the underlying motives governing the choice made for one rather than another line of work for "some may be working for money and some may be working for fame." But there would seem to be much real satis- faction from realizing that one had kept a boy from life in a mental hospital as one boy testified the "book cart" had done for him. To a book lover I can imagine no greater joy than in introducing a tuberculosis patient to Stevenson and Dr. Trudeau. The majority of those who are in hospitals testify to the satisfaction in the service, and when one thinks of the work in veterans' hospitals with nearly a half million books circulated, it is not the numbers which are inspiring but the quality of the service which can compare favorably with library service anywhere. Take for instance Ft. Bayard, a tuberculosis hospital of 1,000 beds. Here the librarian finds one man who starts out with the modest request to read books of "some of the old fellows who have some style and who can really write," and finds that he is requesting later such things as Butler's Way of all flesh, Swift's Tale of a tub, and Battle of books, Carlyle's Sartor Resartus, to study real satire; from that he branches off to poetry "just lots of it, please," and reads all the best we have, Shakespeare, Keats, Dryden, Scott, Kipling, etc., along with crit- ical studies of English composition, poetic construction, and short story writing, to help him in his literary attempts. Another is interested in all the various ex- peditions. This involves sending away to museums and institutions conducting these enterprises for contemporary information. Next we come upon the man who requests ANNUAL REPORTS 169 "lots on forestry" as he also intends this as his vocation out here, after he "escapes from Uncle Sam's sanatorium." After exhausting the hospital's limited supply, the university, state and city libraries in the vicinity have very generously helped with short loans of material that has not yet found a way to the hospital library. Repeatedly comes the request for chess manuals and game manuals of various kinds to help "beat the other fellow." Again, the baseball fans, in heated arguments, ask for Sporting News. This is supplied by the gen- erosity of the president of the American League for Professional Baseball; the editor of the Sporting News, and his wife, send numbers of copies of the paper and the an- nual Record Book. Truly the librarians find with Cowper, that "books are not seldom talismans and spells," and that they help as nothing else can to show the patient who may spend months and even years in bed a very definite "way out" They can help in the cure as nothing else can do, swing the pendulum from the tendency to constant consideration of the physical condition of life to the much more important condition the mental attitude that is brought to bear on this very troublesome and many times very serious physical con- dition. A refreshed mind can much more successfully meet the repeated pain or hemorrhage than one worn and tired with the dread of thinking of the next attack. Hence the distinct therapeutic value of the lightest fiction, plus the other more worth while things in their curative power. As one man unconsciously expressed it, he "in desperation" began to read Stevenson's stories to "see how one T.B. who really had il badly managed to get away with it." And so cases could be cited endlessly to prove that the hospital is no place for the mechanics of library work. It is the knowl- edge of books plus the knowledge of human nature that spells success in this work. It is no place for people trained only for the comfortable places the well worn roads it is for those who can interpret their train- ing-knowledge and experience in terms of service. CAROLINE WEBSTER, In charge of hospital work. AMERICAN LIBRARY IN PARIS The plans of my predecessor, Dr. Carlton, for the organization of the Library are de- scribed by him in an article in the Library Journal, October IS, 1921, entitled, "The American Library in Paris, Inc." The his- tory of the Library during the year 1921 is contained in the Year-book of the Library just published. The immediate problems of the Library are : (1) The establishment of closer relations with other organizations interested in inter- national service, particularly the Carnegie en- dowment for international peace, and the Comite France-Amerique, both of which are especially concerned with a closer rapproche- ment between France and the United States, and also the establishment of closer relations with the University of Paris, the American University Union, and other institutions and societies interested in American thought and in American achievement. The most impor- tant action taken by any organization having international affiliations was the passage of a resolution by the Paris Post of the American Legion, recommending recognition of the Li- brary by the general organization. (2) The organization of national commit- tees to advise and assist in the development of the Library. With this in view, the Trus- tees at their meeting, December 13 last, passed an amendment to the constitution pro- viding for the appointment of an advisory committee, to be chosen from among the most distinguished French men of letters, states- men and publicists, an American committee, empowered to solicit endowments, donations and additions to the list of patrons and life members, and a British committee with sim- ilar powers. (3) The establishment of closer relations with other libraries in Paris. The aim of the Library is to supplement rather than duplicate other libraries in the community, and to trans- fer to them any material which may be of greater use as parts of their collections. (4) Establishment of such departments of service in the Library and of such branches of the Library in other parts of the city as will enable it to secure the largest circulation of its book collections and at the same time 170 DETROIT CONFERENCE carry on its research work effectively and economically. Additional Resources and Publicity The most important addition to the finan- cial resources of the Library during the year was the gift of $25,000 from the Ameri- can Library Association to be added to the endowment fund. The largest and most im- portant contributions to the book collections were received from the Confederated South- ern Memorial Association, from the Univer- sity of California, and from the Aero Club of America Foreign Service committee. The first consisted of Southern history and litera- ture, the second included a complete set of the University's semi-centennial publications, and the third a carefully chosen library on Aeronautics. Beginning January 23, the director has un- dertaken the editorial management of a week- ly book column in the Chicago Tribune, Eu- ropean edition, and beginning April 3, weekly contributions to the New York Herald, Eu- ropean edition, relating to the literature of subjects of current interest. Periodical notes on the contents of the current English reviews have been sent to the Daily Mail, Continental edition. Because of the inadequacy of the collec- tions, the limited staff, and the crowded con- ditions of the Library rooms, there has been no special publicity either among British or French readers. Use of the Library There are now 3075 registered card holders. Of these, 44 per cent are American, 25 per cent British, and 22 per cent French. In the use of the reference room also Americans lead, the French here coming second, and the English third. The exact figures are Ameri- cans 36 per cent, French 33 per cent, British 18 per cent. The most interesting thing about these figures is that Americans do not form a majority, and that compared with last year's figures they show an increase in the number of French card holders greater than that of either Americans or British. With the small staff it has been possible to do little research work, except as generous individuals have been found to do it for us. Still some service of importance has been rendered both to libraries, to government bureaus, to institutions and to societies, as well as to individual inquirers. International Service Important as this local service is, and im- portant as the service may become, particu- larly to the people of France, a much more important service may be rendered by assist- ing in building up American collections in French and other libraries in Europe, and by building up French collections in American libraries. With this in view, some studies have been made of the subject of internation- al exchange of scientific publications and of library duplicates of value in University and other reference libraries, and the assistance of the officers of the Cercle de la Librairie and the Maison du Livre, has been sought in working out a plan for the selection of current French publications most suitable for purchase by American public libraries. Books have been loaned to other libraries in different parts of Europe. The most note- worthy among these was a collection of con- temporary American poetry which made pos- sible a course in contemporary American poetry in the University of Strasbourg. Information has also been given to inquirers both European and American in regard to the publishers of individual books and the litera- ture of specific subjects. It is, however, out of the question for the library to supply either the books or the in- formation which it should until both its book collections and its staff are much enlarged. Members of the American Library Asso- ciation can probably do more than any one else to supply the need for books and maga- zines, particularly sets in bound form. A Library School More important even than its direct service to readers, either in France or other countries is its potential service to other libraries. The director has been elected a member of the As- sociation des Bibliothecaires franc.ais, and ex- pects to publish in its Bulletin an annual list of American library literature. He expects also to have exhibits of this literature, and of photographs and other material illustrative of American library methods. The Comite Frangais de la Bibliotheque ANNUAL REPORTS 171 Moderne, organized largely through the efforts of Miss Carson and members of the Ameri- can Committee for Devastated France, plan the establishment of training courses for those looking forward to work in the newer type of public library in which the members of the Comite are interested. It is their hope that with the assistance of the leaders in this progressive movement these courses may be given in the American Library. W. DAWSON JOHNSTON, Director, American Library in Paris, Inc. COMMITTEE REPORTS, 1921-22 BOOKBINDING The activities of the A. L. A. Committee on Bookbinding for the year 1921-22 have consisted in part in the continuation of work included in the programs of previous years, with some new undertakings which have been developed in response to recognized needs in the course of our regular work. The bookbinding exhibits have been used with apparently no lessening of interest, in ten library schools, summer schools and li- brary institutes, in two state meetings, five public and three high school libraries, at the N. E. A. in Des Moines, and at the Iowa State Fair in connection with the exhibit of the Iowa Library Commission, twenty-two places in all. In response to inquiries from several of the smaller publishers, the binding specifica- tions for strong edition work, intended for the larger books of the reference type, which were prepared some years ago by the Book- binding Committee, have been revised, the re- vision being included in this report. The co- operation of ten or more practical library binders of high standing and of supervisors of binding in large libraries in the prepara- tion of details, has resulted in a set of work- able specifications which are being brought to the attention of publishers in general through the National Association of Book Publishers. The cordial co-operation of for- mer chairmen of the Bookbinding Committee in this work is gratefully acknowledged. As the result of an apparent need, a set of general instructions for library binders has been compiled, covering many details of prep- aration for binding which some binders over- look, but which are important from the li- brary standpoint. These were submitted to the same binders and supervisors as were the specifications for strong edition work, re- ferred to above, and were approved in the main by all. The question of inferior paper and bind- ings in the books of recent years is calling protests from various quarters. Complaints have been sent to several publishers concern- ing the conspicuous defects in certain books, the replies being varied in character and rather unsatisfactory. The Bookbinding Com- mittee in co-operation with the Bookbuying Committee is taking the matter up in a more comprehensive way, with a view to securing the sentiment of a large number of librarians with specific examples of books whose lack of durability has attracted attention. With these specific examples as the basis of our appeal, it is planned to approach the publishers through the Secretary of the National As- sociation of Book Publishers in the interest of improved durability in forthcoming books. It must be recognized that, although the library trade may be a comparatively small item in book sales, libraries do introduce to large numbers of people and thus popularize the best books published, thereby indirectly increasing the sales through the regular book agencies to an incalculable extent. And we are confident that the publishers, knowing something of the value of the library trade, will give due consideration to our appeal for more serviceable books. The rapid introduction of the oversewing machine into library binderies indicates its general acceptance as a necessary part of up- to-date binding equipment, notwithstanding its expense, which with the scoring machine (an indispensable adjunct which insures a flat opening for books made from the heavier papers) is a little more than $4,000. The prices of binding supplies and the binders' wage scales show a considerable re- duction as compared with those of sixteen 172 DETROIT CONFERENCE months ago, which is reflected in occasional revisions downward in binders' price lists. MARY E. WHEELOCK, Chairman FLORENCE DOWDEN SARAH L. MUNSON Appendix Binding Specifications for Strong Edition Work for Books of the Reference Type Compiled by the A. L. A. Committee on Bookbinding, March, 1922 Paper. The quality of paper for reference books or other large volumes is of first importance, satisfactory binding being largely dependent on suitable paper. A de- sirable paper for such books is a light weight stock of firm, yet flexible quality, not highly calendered, but which takes il- lustrations well if illustrations are to be used. Inner margins should be not less than three- fourths of an inch in depth, and outer margins not less than five-eighths of an inch. Sewing. Signatures should be composed of eight leaves, sixteen pages. The Smythe machine is commonly employed for sewing books of the type under consideration. At- tention is directed, however, to the feasi- bility of the use of the oversewing machine, rapidly coming into use among binders do- ing work for libraries, and which produces an ideal sewing for large books having constant use. W. Elmo Reavis, 210 East Washington St., Los Angeles, Cal., will be able to furnish names of owners of over- sewing machines in different cities. A first-class grade of cotton thread should be used. The Intrinsic, Lock's and Myer's are three good makes. For the average sized book a No. 16 for the upper thread and No. 20 for the lower are com- monly used. A good length for stitches when the Smythe machine is used is one inch to one-and-a-half inches with space of five- eighths of an inch between stitches. Lining, Rounding and Backing. A good lining is made from a rather light grade of canton flannel, cut to cover the back of the book to within one- fourth inch of top and bottom, and extending over on each side one-and-a-half inches. After rounding and backing, the backs of the books are given a thin coat of flexible glue, and the strips of canton flannel are pasted and ap- plied with the nap side to the backs while the glue is fresh. A soft, though strong grade of sateen or muslin may be used for lining instead of canton flannel. Super is entirely inadequate. Joints. The lining thus adheres firmly to the back of the book; the part extending one-and-a-half inches on each side is pasted to the continuous end paper of some subdued tint, a tan kraft or soft gray, which has been stripped along the fold with a strong, although never stiff nor heavy muslin, thus making a double cloth joint which is entirely concealed when the book is finished. The cover is fastened to the book by means of the end papers, which are securely pasted in place with special care as to joints. Boards. The best quality of cloth board should be used, suited in weight to the size and weight of the book. Cover Cloth. Serviceable shades of buck- ram are the Holliston No. 91 (dark blue), and No. 92 (dark green) ; and the Inter- laken No. 305 (maroon), No. 307 (dark blue), No. 309 (dark green), and No. 320 (green). Pressing. Books should remain in press not less than twelve hours, twenty-four hours is better, or until thoroughly dry. Finishing. All finishing should be done in XXD gold leaf. To summarize: The requisites for edi- tion work of a well made book of what- ever size are a fair grade of paper, with type of size and spacing so arranged as to be easily readable, good machine sewing, careful rounding, backing and lining, joints adequate to the size and weight of the volume, suitable boards and cover material, proper pressing, and tasteful and durable lettering. BOOK BUYING At the threshold of this year's work, the Association was handed two challenges one by the new tariff makers, the other by the Publishers' Copyright League. Each proposed ANNUAL REPORTS 173 to resurrect a corpse buried these thirty years. To both of these menacing proposals our committees have given emphatic denial. On July 21 the House passed, virtually without debate, the so-called Fordney Tariff Bill. In reference to books, this bill reversed the leading features of the McKinley Act of 1890, though of the same political origin. Under that Act, books in foreign languages had been put upon the free list, as also those for the blind. It had continued the policy, in- augurated in 1870, of freeing twenty-year old books; that, started in 1816, of exempting institutions ; and finally the one of 1790, which lifted the duty from an immigrant's books and necessary household effects. In the four tariff enactments since that date, equally divided between the two Parties, there was further advance in liberalism, cul- minating in the Underwood-Simmons Act of 1913, which reduced the rate (on English books under twenty years of age, not ordered by institutions) to 15% from the 25% pre- vailing since 1864, and removed textbooks from the dutiable list. The new measure raised the rate to 20%, on American valuation the estimated equiv- alent of 25%, on the accustomed foreign val- uation that is, restored the Civil War rate; and closed the free list to all save institu- tions and the blind, even limiting the former to two copies. As this reversed our own national policy, which in turn falls short of the free trade in books general abroad, the Committee on Book Buying joined that on Federal and State Relations in protest to the Senate Com- mittee on Finance. Their statement was wide- ly seconded, with the result that in the Hear- ing of December 21, the Association's rep- resentative spoke in the name of the Ameri- can Council on Education and bore the written endorsement of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Asso- ciation of University Professors, American Chemical Society, American Economic As- sociation, American Historical Association, American Philological Association, American Physical Society, American Political Science Association, Association of American Col- leges, Association of Urban Universities, College Art Association, Conference of East- ern College Librarians, Conference of West- ern University and College Librarians, Geolog- ical Society of America, Modern Language Association, National Education Association, as well as scores of educational institutions. In co-ordination with this Washington address, nation wide publicity was maintained through newspapers and in correspondence with persons prominent in the field of edu- cation, science, art and scholarship. Partic- ularly effective was the alliance with the American Council on Education, which ar- ranged for the Hearing and then printed and broadcast our brief in Congress, and with the American Association of University Pro- fessors, thcough which Faculty petitions, especially in pivotal States, were arranged. All the while, steady contact with the Capitol was maintained by conferences and corre- spondence. In fact the rate compromise was effected after the Bill had gone to press. These efforts have been gratifyingly suc- cessful. In the Senate Committee's revision, presented April 11, the rate is kept at 15%, on foreign valuation (25% if of American authorship), the limit on number of copies allowed free importation is removed, while the following are restored to the free list: 1. Foreign language books. 2. Books printed and bound more than twenty years. 3. The immigrant's books (and necessary household effects). Duty-free textbooks are missed, but on this point reconsideration is probable, and it is but fair to add that the concession of un- limited importation was intended to meet this need. In contrast with the publishers and book- sellers, whose proposals, except where identi- cal with ours, did not gain the Committee's favor, the manufacturers (printers, litho- graphers, binders) left distinct impression. Hence the rate compromise, the requirement also that the old book must not be in a new binding to escape duty, and the provision of a 45% duty on books the chief value of which lies in the leather binding. The Committee did not feel justified in jeopardizing the re- lief to serious readers by offering spirited advocacy of luxury items. The recognition accorded and the respect it seems to hold at 174 DETROIT CONFERENCE the end confirm the wisdom of this initial decision. This tariff measure proved to have a hidden connection with the copyright proposal which has required an equal share of our attention. The Unions offered to concur in a movement to repeal an obnoxious clause of their author- ship in the Copyright Act if they could secure a higher and longer tariff wall. Under this clause, contrary to usage elsewhere, a for- eigner writing in English cannot secure United States copyright unless his work is manufactured here. As universal validity of an author's property right is a matter of ele- mentary justice, the American Library As- sociation is naturally interested^i^- see that he gets it in America. There is satisfaction, therefore, that its tariff rate proposal, ac- cepted at the last moment by the Senate Committee, apparently paves the way to such result, without sacrificing the public interest, for, in imposing a higher rate on incoming books of American authorship than on bona fide foreign books it meets the Unions' fear that American publishers may send domestic work abroad to be done. The repeal of the manufacturing clause in the copyright law would remove the major difficulty from the path of American entry into the International Copyright Union. To this end a bill was drawn by the Authors' League of America, but at the moment of consummation the Publishers' Copyright League, at its final session, October 4th, be- fore reorganization as the Copyright Bureau of the newly formed National Association of Book Publishers, passed resolutions which threw the entire situation into confusion, and forced the League's acceptance of a proviso fraught with the greatest peril to American libraries and the users of foreign books. To this situation the Council gave consid- eration December 30 in executive session, and, after hearing publisher and committee spokes- men, voted unanimous condemnation of the former's proposal, while commending Ameri- can membership in the Union. In the language of the October 4th resolu- tions, the proposal was "That during the existence of the American copyright in any book, work of art, or musical composition, the impor- tation into the United States shall be pro- hibited, unless such importation is made with the consent of the proprietor of the American copyright." Under criticism the proposal was softened in form though not altered in substance, so as to allow institutions and individuals to im- port, for use and not for sale, single copies of "any book as published in the country of origin with the authorization of the au- thor, or copyright proprietor . . . pro- vided the publisher of the American edi- tion of such book has (within ten days after written demand) declined or neg- lected to agree to supply such copy." Stripped of its sanctimonious garb, this proviso simply means to place in the hands of American publisher- jobbers the oppor- tunity of monopolizing the country's book importations and of selling all foreign books on their own terms. This follows irrespective of whether the United States enters the Union or stops at repeal of the manufactur- ing clause. Inside, (virtually) all European books would enjoy American copyright. Out- side, such right would be established by mere compliance with the formality of notice, deposit, and registration. Without cost or for a dollar and a copy, according as we were in or out of the Union, the price of an edition would in a twinkling shift from the foreign price to the American. The de- preciation of foreign money would make sole agencies mutually alluring. What the inter- national publisher would do is not a matter of conjecture. His catalogs are already in print. It is an odd fact that, while in London he lists American books at American prices or less, he finds it necessary here to charge thirty to forty cents or more a shilling for his English books. Under the existing law, we can escape by buying abroad, but with his deadly proviso enacted, we must come to him or do without. As for the author, for whom copyright law was called into existence, he is lost in the shuffle. The bill was introduced April 28 by Rep. J. N. Tincher, of Kansas, but hearings are not expected till the tariff situation clears for the Unions. Every library organization in the United States will do well to im- prove the interval by earnest study of this subject, so as to be ready at call for in- telligent pressure on Congress. Upon these two topics of tariff and copy- ANNUAL REPORTS 175 right, the Committee has issued six bulletins in the library periodicals of September, De- cember, January and February, while the tariff argument before the Senate Committee appeared also in the Educational Record vol. 3, no. 1, as well as in the Revised Hear- ings on Schedule 15. Five other bulletins, similarly published, carried advice in other directions. That of August, entitled "Plain English and Amer- ican," reported .the revised terms of certain New York houses and presented a typical cost sheet. In October a fair price list for "Foreign periodicals of 1922" was presented ; also, the case of the Catholic encyclopaedia supplement's paper. In November detailed directions, "How to import," were given, including an exhibit of twenty-five recent English titles, with London and New York prices in parallel columns (as kindly fur- nished by a western librarian). In April the new German export scheme, effective April first, and generally trebling domestic prices to the United States, was expounded, with approval. Finally, in June the Commit- tee published protest against U. S. Treasury Decision 39108 which required the indelible marking of title pages or covers of imported publications with the English name of the country of origin. The year has been one of teamwork. This Committee has been intimately associated with that on Federal and State Relations in the legislation above discussed and wishes to record its keen appreciation of the friend- ly co-operation established by Dr. Wyer and his associates. And we have had cause in common with the Committee on Bookbinding. Miss Whee- lock will present important data, which we trust may result in improved standards of workmanship and materials. Of the Committee's private labors in cor- respondence, no report need be given. It is sensible of the confidence reposed, and can only regret that this work is, after all, an aside, and, however devoted, remains in char- acter circumscribed. M. LLEWELLYN RANEY, Chairman. ASA DON DICKINSON, C. TEFFT HEWITT, HILLER C. WELLMAN. PURD B. WRIGHT. CATALOGING The Committee has not been able to have a meeting during the past year, but has done much work by correspondence. A Sub-Com- mittee on the Cataloging of Incunabula met at Chicago in December and formulated ten- tative rules for the cataloging of incunabula. These rules have been presented not only to the members of the Committee, but to various other persons interested. So much diversity of opinion has been encountered that it seems unwise to print the rules, even in their tenta- tive form, until further discussion and con- ference can be had at the Detroit meeting. The Committee, therefore, submits this as a report of progress. It is hoped to publish rules for the cataloging of incunabula in agreement with the Committee of the [Brit- ish] Library Association early in the autumn. For the Committee, WM. W. BISHOP, Chairman. CIVIL SERVICE RELATIONS The removal to Paris during the course of the year of W. Dawson Johnston, Chair- man and most active member, has resulted in comparatively little activity on the part of the Committee and few results. Before he left the country Dr. Johnston wrote an article on "Standardization of the Federal Library Service" which well sum- marizes the efforts to improve the federal li- brary service. (Library Journal 46: 897-900, 1 November, 1921). The pending reclassifi- cation legislation is not yet law at this writ- ing (May 1) but the bill has passed the House overwhelmingly, has been reported to the Senate, and is included in the Republican program of major items of legislation, so that prospects seem fairly good for its enact- ment. Efforts to get the case for exempting or excepting libraries from the strict and formal operation of civil service laws or for a more sympathetic administration of civil service laws as applied to libraries before the Na- tional Assembly of Civil Service Commis- sions have not been successful. At the com- ing meeting of that body at San Francisco permission has been given to present a brief in print, but without opportunity for discus- sion. It is thought that presentation of the 176 DETROIT CONFERENCE case in that form would not be very helpful. Contacts have been established with the Institute for Government Research, Washing- ton, D. C. There is a possibility that that or- ganization will shortly make a comprehensive and detailed study of civil service relations, federal, state and municipal. In case this is undertaken assurances have been given that library civil service relations will be studied and reported upon. This prospect seems one of the most hopeful that the Committee has to offer. G. F. BOWERMAN, Chairman, C. F. D. BELDEN, M. J. FERGUSON, J. T. JENNINGS, C. B. RODEN, P. L. WINDSOR. COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES This committee is waiting for definite ac- tion by the Association on the resolution adopted by the Council at the mid-winter meeting. CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS This committee's report was printed in the May Bulletin. DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION AD- VISORY COMMITTEE As Chairman of the Committee on Decimal Classification, I report that the Committee held a meeting at Swampscott, having the advantage of the presence of Mr. Dewey, and considered plans for the reorganization of the work made necessary by the death of Miss Seymour. It was decided to ask for a more representative membership, and this has been secured by the addition of C. W. Per- ley, of the Library of Congress, and Mary Baker, of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. It is hoped to secure in addition one other member to represent a large public library not using the system. Miss Fellows has been engaged as editor by Mr. Dewey to attend to Miss Seymour's work. Some matters which require the attention of the Committee will be taken up in the near future. Yours respectfully, C. W. ANDREWS, Chairman. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE This Committee has held one meeting dur- ing the year, at which time it voted numerous recommendations which were approved by the Executive Board. A list of those recommen- dations was printed in the January Bulletin, page 18. The members of the Editorial Committee have been kept in touch with the publication activities by correspondence and have con- sidered many questions which will result in recommendations later. The formal report on publications will be found in the Secretary's report and supple- ments thereto. Respectfully submitted, HILLER C. WELLMAN, Chairman. EDUCATION The Committee on Education had its in- ception in a desire to bring the two public educational systems, the schools (including state universities, colleges, normal schools, high schools, elementary schools, night schools and continuation schools) represented by the National Education Association and the libraries represented by the American Li- brary Association into satisfactory working relations in supplying suitable reading ma- terial to students and in teaching them how to use and to appreciate books and libraries. Primary emphasis can be laid upon co-op- eration between public schools of all kinds and public libraries of all kinds because both are supported by taxation. But account must be taken of the fact that the N. E. A. and the A. L. A. have private educational insti- tutions in their membership which have an important bearing upon the problem. As the chief objective of the Committee's program, "Teaching the use and appreciation of books and libraries" will inevitably create heavy demands upon library resources and service and as library standards should be maintained, it is highly desirable that the li- brary and school educational leaders, both national and local, arrive at a common un- derstanding upon general policies. That the two national organizations are already mov- ing in the same direction is indicated in the statement addressed by Sherman Williams to the N. E. A. Library Advisory Board. ANNUAL REPORTS 177 "We need to keep clearly in mind that ours is not primarily a department of school li- brarians or public librarians, but an organiza- tion that is devoted to the task of making it possible for every one in our land to have easy access to a free library. "Whether this is done through school li- braries, public libraries, state libraries, county libraries, traveling libraries, or any combina- tion of such libraries is for each state, county or locality to determine for itself. "We should hold tenaciously to the general proposition that some provision should be made whereby every one may have easy ac- cess to books, leaving each state or locality to determine the methods best adapted to its conditions." Your Committee on Education has tried to give publicity to the program of the Li- brary Section of the N. E. A. (appended to the report) and to encourage the appoint- ment of a Committee on Education in each State Library Association. Questionnaires were sent to State Commit- tees on Education so that they could make a survey of the relations of public libraries, universities, colleges and normal schools; state library commissions and state depart- ments of education to the school library prob- lem. No questionnaires were sent to local school boards because the N. E. A. Library Section has been working directly with school authorities with most excellent re- sults. Therefore it was thought best to at- tack the problem at other angles. These questionnaires differed according to institutions, but covered substantially the following points : (1) Is a supervisor of school libraries em- ployed with education, professional library training, status and salary equal to a teacher in a corresponding position ? (2) Are adequate facilities provided for training school librarians? (3) Are students taught to use and appre- ciate books and libraries? (4) What is the attitude of your board or president on school library work? (5) What assistance can the state and A. L, A. Committees on Education give in this work? Reports on the questionnaires were re- ceived from twelve states and one Canadian province, scattered geographically and va- ried in conditions. The questionnaires for State Library Com- missions and State Departments of Educa- tion covered similar ground so that the re- plies have been combined. Six states em- ploy Supervisors of School Libraries either attached to the staff of the State Library Commission or the State Department of Ed- cation Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Indiana position includes work in state in- stitutions. Massachusetts has asked the leg- islature to establish this position. British Co- lumbia may have such a worker within a year. These and several other states, notably California and Oregon, where the county library is such a factor, are carrying out a purposeful school library program. Vermont states: "It has been the policy of this Commission that in a state like Vermont with scattered population and scanty means it is a mistake to try to build up two sys- tems, one of school and one of public li- braries; that the public library system in each town supplemented by such help as may be necessary can best serve both schools and public." The status of the Supervisor of School Libraries is on a par with other supervisory positions but the salary is usually lower. The duties of this position are: "Visiting high school libraries and stimulating organization; ultimately raising standards. Approving purchases of books made by schools, instruct- ing in library methods, aiding in re-organiza- tion, inspecting school libraries. "Duties divided into supervisory, advisory, bibliographical, training and conference. Su- pervise school libraries ; assign state aid, measure libraries by state standards, plan library rooms and administration, secure school librarians. Advise public libraries on work with schools, including contract and county plans. Compile state aid lists, courses on the use of the library for all schools, lo- cal report forms and biennial report. Teach in Library Institutes and County Teachers' Institutes and outline course for Rural Teacher Training Classes. Confer with Di- visions of State Department of Education : Rural, Graded elementary, High, Teacher- employment, Certification, Teacher-training, Buildings, Agriculture, Industrial, Home 178 DETROIT CONFERENCE economics, Re-education ; and other state ed- ucational workers: Library and Education Associations, university, colleges, teachers' colleges, social workers." The question: "Where there is no super- visor how is the work cared for?" was an- swered as follows : "Work is not cared for." "Through town and city libraries." "By sending traveling libraries and ma- terial in answer to all requests." "Field librarian divides time between out- side and library, visits schools when possible, school organizer needed." "All we can do is to write letters of ad- vice and lend material." "By our regular staff, the secretary or- ganizes school libraries on request, traveling library department supplies special books to schools on request. This latter is a large part of our work." "State Reading Circle Board recommends lists of books for school libraries." "Approved list selected by Department of Public Instruction." "Our high school inspector gives some at- tention to high school libraries." "Left to local control." "Supervisor of rural and high schools, very poorly done." "We make certain requirements as to li- braries of all classified schools." The state boards seem to consider school libraries as vital according to the following replies : "Strengthening of school library service means ultimate benefit to public library." "They want a school librarian attached to this staff." "Feel we are doing all we can financially by sending traveling libraries and the mate- rial." "Anxious to promote work but realizes impossibility of securing school librarian for a few years." "It is one of the highly desirable things which we hope will be reached some day." "Consider it of prime importance." "We are strongly for them." "State superintendent seems favorable." "That the great majority are very poorly cared for." "They should be brought to the highest degree of efficiency." "We need a state supervisor." "Our state superintendent may change and often does every two years." The questions, "What could State and A. L. A. Committees on Education do to help in this work?" brought these suggestions: "Send printed lists for school libraries." "Get appropriate legislation." "Help create the proper public sentiment." "Encourage summer courses. Secure in- terest of superintendent and principals." "Collect data from city superintendents re- garding the care of their libraries, publish it, and distribute it to school boards and city superintendents." "Acquaint state superintendent with work done in other states." "Emphasize the benefits derived from a good school library." "Endorse plan of state supervisor and work for it with the legislature." "A. L. A. Committee can do nothing ex- cept to spread propaganda for it." "Educate teachers to use books and li- braries." "Send us any statistics about passage of similar bills in other states." "Continue to agitate." "Work up small exhibits for educational meetings, that will cost little for transporta- tion but will be effective." "Urge county libraries." "Emphasize the school library as service department of entire school system, also as training center in 'How to study.' Educate educators and general public." The replies from public libraries were chiefly from the medium sized and small li- braries. Virtually all report much time de- voted to students often at the sacrifice of other phases of library work. The general practice is for the children's and the ex- tension departments to work with the grades and the reference and circulation departments with the high schools. One librarian says, "It seems useless to try to answer most of the questions when there is so much needed before a school librarian could even be considered in most places in this state." An increasing number of li- ANNUAL REPORTS 179 braries, however, have school librarians either as assistants to the children's librarian ' or as heads of school divisions or school de- partments. As yet there are comparatively ; few definitely planned school library pro- grams adequately financed. The children's librarians having set very high standards of service, books, methods and equipment, it remains to bring every school into touch with these standards. In an encouraging number of cases the librarians are equal in education and train- ing with teachers in the community, but their salaries as a rule are lower. The zeal of these librarians is all out of proportion to their physical strength, their staff and gen- eral financial support. They appeal for bet- ter conditions, for a better understanding of their work and for school librarians especial- ly trained to care for the inevitably increas- ing demands. The question, "What is your local pro- gram!"' brought the following responses: "None." "Watchful waiting." "Teaching the use of the library." "Supervision of home reading." "The school board has a contract with public library for service and pays half of expense." "A high school librarian on the staff to give all of her time to high school work subject to call for work in the central li- brary. The grade work done by the children's librarian." "School librarians employed by school board but appointed by library board." "Appointment of member of staff as school librarian." "Specialization of school work." "Have none. City superintendent wants high school library separate. Board opposed, feel that school should use public library, paying salary of assistant who would have position of high school teacher ; and buy all reference books used by schools." "A supervisor of work with children and schools, a thoroughly trained person to take charge of work in main library, all branches all primary and grammar grades, etc." "More school branches." "As yet no financial help has been asked from schools." "Shall try to get more money and raise salaries." "Work for salaries." "School superintendent and library work- ing together." "Financing of school library by school system because it has the money." This detailed statement from a burdened librarian is illuminating : "We gave half a day each week to the grades and I personal- ly conducted two library classes at the high school each morning. I have long felt the need of a high school librarian. Only upon repeated requests from the school and school board did I give my consent to carry on this work this year. It means in ad- dition to my regular work a pretty heavy diet to continue. However, I was glad to do it this year. My compensation was $30 per month estimated on one-fourth of the minimum high school wage. I am very much interested in the close co-operation of school and library and should like to see a school librarian secured for this town either giving half time to teaching and half to library work or as my assistant giving me half time and half to school work." The replies to the questions : 'What could the State and A. L. A. Committees on Edu- cation do to promote this phase of your work?" were so similar that they have been combined : "Agitate." "Recruit for school librarians." "Standardize: training, qualifications, sal- aries." "Draw up standards for public library work with schools." "Raise salaries." "Publicity, particularly getting the stand- ards before school people, boards, superin- tendents, principals and teachers." "Library speakers at educational meetings." "Consider separate school department for public library." "Urge school board to contribute same amount as library board for school work." "Increased facilities for training." "Urge legislation for larger appropria- tions." 180 DETROIT CONFERENCE "Work with State Education Commission to get school libraries into the scheme." "See that librarian has a hand in selecting books for pupils, reading circles and school libraries." "Publish lists and authoritative works on present day development." The question, "Would you favor increas- ing the state facilities for the training of school librarians?" brought favorable an- swers for the most part. "No; help our neighboring state do it." "Yes ; one state normal could do this." "I believe in increasing any facilities for training but I think care should be exercised in planning training of teacher-librarians so- called. The library part of the training is apt to be inadequate and superficial and to give false impressions." "Not informed." "Not prepared to assert." "Am not posted as to what is being done." "Indifferent." "Need to change present attitude of 'don't care.' University Library course never taken by more than four or six teachers." "I think I should prefer state legislation making mandatory larger appropriations for public libraries, leave training to libraries and library schools." "Working for a general library school at the university. Have library training for rural teachers at normal summer school." The question, "IV hat is the attitude of the library board?" revealed a disquieting lack of information and concern regarding school libraries especially when the large number of libraries making no reply is con- sidered : "Liberal as far as a small library can be." "Indifference, save as to cost, which it is insisted could be borne by the Board of Education." "Our board favors extending work with schools." "Both library and school board most gen- erous." "Favorable." "Meets the school board two-thirds of the way." "Library board is in favor of most earn- est co-operation with schools." "Library board interested in children's school work." "Board interested but lack of funds pro- hibits proper extension work." "Board is progressing in everything look- ing forward to greater efficiency." "Subject has never been presented to them." "Proposition has never been considered as yet" "It has never been discussed." "I do not know." "My trustees have asked school board for small sums to be used for extra help during school year." "Our staff is so inadequate and financial condition so stringent that we have not con- sidered the question." "Willing to back up librarian but she must take the initiative." "Library board not especially interested, possibly because members of board have never had their attention drawn to the need and value of this kind of work. An active campaign along extension lines would surely be helpful and stimulating." "Attitude favorable but lack necessary funds." "No telling." "Interested." "Open to suggestion." "Simply an attitude of helpfulness to- ward the local schools. No policy discussed or formulated on the general question. All actual practice left to librarian." "The library board acted favorably upon the librarian's recommendations which were based on the Certain Report." General statement from a member of a state committee: "I can see that many libraries consider their scope in this respect to be of little in- terest to the state, much less the American Library Association. "There is a lamentable lack of co-opera- tion with schools through inability to do so on account of meager funds. The desire is present but the wherewithal is lacking. "When the question of salaries is men- tioned, a note of bitterness is betrayed and it develops that this great state is a fertile field for the committee to organize a vigorous campaign, first to increase the finances of ANNUAL REPORTS 181 the state, and better the material condition of librarians which will mean extension and better service for the school children. It would seem that all librarians, their friends and supporters are ready to put their shoul- ders to the wheel and push the venture to a realization. "It will not be a difficult task if prop- erly organized, to rally to our support the many influential civic organizations through- out the state plus the thousands of soldiers who returned from the war who were shown what a value and comfort books were to them. "I trust your committee will derive from this compilation sufficient inspiration to launch the campaign for better libraries, in- creased salaries and closer co-operation with schools in every city and hamlet in the state." The returns from universities, colleges and normal schools are combined as follows : The normal school replies have been given to Willis H. Kerr, who is working on a "measuring stick for normal school libraries." Typical answers to the question: "Have members of your staff faculty rank and sal- aries ?" were: "No. Librarian has department head rank, staff classed as assistants in administra- tion." "Yes; one librarian only." "Only the librarian." "Yes; the librarian professor; assistant, assistant professor; others, instructors." "Yes." "Librarian and associate librarian only." The question: "Is there a member whose special work it is to teach all of the students the minimum essentials of the use of books and libraries in a regular credit course?" called forth the following: "We are praying for staff to enable us to do it." "Instruction without credit." "Elective course offered with credit." "Expect to give five lectures to seniors expecting to teach this year or next." "Not yet; we have asked for one." "Yes." "No." "Course well established. Work is given by librarian, reference librarian and con- tinuations librarian. One credit. Required of freshmen of all schools except pharmacy and mines; is elective in those schools." "Have been asking for two years for ap- pointment to our staff of some one to be assigned for work of instruction. This would include work with freshmen; regular courses in the administration of high school libraries, special lectures to prospective teachers. This same person would at the outset also have supervision of university high school library. Have a person in mind but no appointment because of lack of funds." "Required course in library methods given to freshmen each semester by librarian and three trained assistants for regular college credit." "We do not give such instruction." Questions relating to the employment of librarians for colleges of education, and model schools and the training of teacher- librarians showed the following conditions : "Yes; courses throughout year in regular university library school and in the summer. All normal schools giving courses." "We are hoping for a librarian." "We are hoping for staff to enable us to do it." "Have discussed with the dean the desir- ability of special instruction but so far have not succeeded. When funds are sufficient." The attitude of presidents is reported as : "Favorable," "Not antagonistic," "Unfavor- able." "How could State Library Association assist?" "By asking for such courses." "By urging universities to undertake such work." "Send recommendations to deans and pres- idents." "Start library training propaganda outside university for students to take course." The committee at its midwinter meeting decided to ask the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools to require trained school library service in their "Standards for Accrediting Secondary Schools" It also voted to ask the universities to put library subjects on their list of topics for these. 182 DETROIT CONFERENCE It desires to thank the state presidents and chairmen and all who contributed to this sur- vey, and bespeaks their continued interest in school library work. In view of the conditions brought out in this report and because a sound school li- brary program is fundamental to the maxi- mum use of all kinds of libraries both now and in the future, your Committee submits the following School Library Objectives for consideration and adoption by the A. L. A. Council, the Association itself and the vari- ous sections concerned with young people. A. L. A. School Library Objectives I A conference of the A. L. A. and N. E. A. Executive Boards. II A Committee on Education in each State Library Association. A. To promote the state and local school library programs, through the co-opera- tion of library and educational associa- tions. B. To co-operate with the A. L. A. and the N. E. A. III School library adviser or supervisor. A. An adviser on school library work at A. L. A. Headquarters. 1. Qualifications: a. Education: College degree. b. Professional training: At least a year at a recognized library school. c. Experience: Seven years in li- brary work partly general and partly as supervisor of school li- braries. "Successful teaching ex- perience is a valuable asset." 2. Status and salary: At least as high as the supervisor or adviser of school library work in any state or city. B. A supervisor or adviser on school li- brary work in every state. 1. Qualifications: a. Education: College degree. b. Professional training: At least a year in a recognized library school. c. Experience: Five years of library experience. "Successful teaching experience is a valuable asset." 2. Status and salary: Equal to that of state educational supervisors of equal preparation and responsibility. C. A school librarian or supervisor to di- rect school library work for every school system: city, county, township or district. A school or school library sys- tem having an enrollment of at least 1200 pupils of elementary and secondary grade should have a full time school- librarian. 1. Qualifications: a. Education : College degree or at least two years in college or nor- mal school, at least the equiva- lent of the requirement for teach- ers in the highest school main- tained by the community. b. Professional training: Standard is a year at library school. A six weeks' course is the minimum at present. c. Experience: Determined by stand- ards for teachers. 2. Status and salary: Determined by local standards for teachers or su- pervisors of equal education and re- sponsibility in the community. Note: The question as to whether the school supervisor or librarian shall be employed by school or li- brary authorities separately or jointly is a matter to be determined by state or local conditions. The need of establishing the serv- ice is greater than the possibility of securing, in every case, a person with all of these qualifications. IV Training of school librarians. Adequate state or regional facilities in universities, colleges and teacher-training institutions, public and private, for the training of "school librarians," "teacher- librarians" or "community-school librari- ans" and for the establishment of their status by law (certification) just as for teachers. V Equipment. Equipment for school library work or for the public library doing school library work equal to that of other school labo- .ratories. ANNUAL REPORTS 183 VI Appropriations. Appropriations in state and local budgets for funds commensurate with the funds for other educational work, if possible through state grants, based on state and local surveys. Finally VII Teaching the use of the library. Regular instruction for students from the elementary school through the uni- versity, in the use and appreciation of books and libraries. Committee on Education, HARRIET A. WOOD, Chairman. HARRIET K. A VERY, DUNCAN BURNETT, C. C. CERTAIN, ANNIE T. EATON, ALICE I. HAZELTINE, ALFRED D. KEATOR, MARY LYTLE, MARTHA C. PRITCHARD, O. S. RICE, MARY E. ROBBINS, SHERMAN WILLIAMS, ADELINE B. ZACHERT. Appendix A Library Program 1. The library is an educational institution made up of various agencies, the two most important being the school library and the public library. 2. The school library should be the heart and center of the school work. 3. It should be so used as to train pupils to use a public library intelligently. 4. Pupils should be so instructed as to want to read books that are worth while. 5. There should be a collection of books in each schoolroom suitable to the age and purposes of the pupils. 6. Teaching children to read is of little value unless they are taught what to read, and are provided with the right kind of books. 7. The public library should serve as a continuation school for those who have fin- ished their school life. 8. Public libraries should be supported by public tax as are the public schools. 9. Librarians should be as specially trained for their work as are teachers for theirs. 10. All people should have easy access to libraries. The above will be submitted to the Library Department of the National Education Asso- ciation at its Boston meeting for action. SHERMAN WILLIAMS, President, Library Department of the N. E. A. FEDERAL AND STATE RELATIONS In the report of the 1920-1921 Committee on Federal and State Relations, submitted at the Swampscott conference, it was noted that any official statements suggesting the con- stitutional functions of the Committee make no provision for outright decision and action, although in practice the Committee has ad- vocated or opposed legislation and taken a decided stand upon matters of federal ruling or practice. The question was therefore asked, "How far is a single committee au- thorized to put the Association on record or commit it to a policy or line of action" and it was urged that consideration be given to this point and some official statement be made in regard to it. When the Committee was reappointed to serve for 1921-1922 the Chairman again put this question and at the Chicago meeting, on December 31, the Execu- tive Board took the following action : Voted, That the Secretary be in- structed to inform the chairmen of com- mittees who are in doubt as to what action they ought to take when con- fronted by a change of situation that they should refer matters in question back to the President to be laid before the Executive Board for advice before tak- ing action. This vote of the Executive Board has giv- en a much desired definiteness to the powers and work of the Committee. The Committee has been very actively at work during the past year on various mat- ters relating to library interests in connection with the federal governmertt. The most important of these are the following: Fordney tariff on books. Shortly after the Swampscott conference, the A. L. A. Committee on Book Buying, M. L. Raney, chairman, took a vigorous stand against the provisions of the Fordney tariff legislation in regard to the importation of books, and 184 DETROIT CONFERENCE the Committee on Federal and State Rela- tions has actively co-operated with Dr. Raney's Committee, H. H. B. Meyer, having been assigned by the Chairman as its Wash- ington representative. The Fordney bill, briefly, provides that any library can import, free of duty, not over two copies of any book, as against two in any one invoice as at present allowed, and omits the present provision for the general free importation of books in foreign lan- guages, which would make it necessary for libraries to furnish affidavits for these books such as are required now for the free entry of books in the English language. It also raises the duty, for individual purchasers, from 15% to 20%. These restrictions con- stitute a tax on knowledge and are entirely unnecessary from a protectionist standpoint. Early in the year, therefore, the Executive Board of the Association approved a "State- ment as to Tariff on Books in the Fordney Bill," with suggested amendments to the bill, prepared by the chairmen of the two com- mittees. This was forwarded to Senator Boies Penrose, Chairman of the Senate Com- mittee on Finance, by the central office of the Association, and later was given wide publicity throughout congressional, educa- tional and library circles. It was published in the Library Journal of September 15, with a request that librarians all over the country write to their representatives and senators urging them to support the amendments to the bill, and later appeared in other library periodicals. One immediate result was the adopting by various influential library boards of strong resolutions against the proposed changes in the tariff on books. Similar reso- lutions were adopted by the conference of Eastern College Librarians held at Columbia University at Thanksgiving time, and, at the instance of our Committee, by such educa- tional bodies as the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Copies of the resolutions were in all cases placed before the Committee on Finance of the Senate, and were printed in library publications and in the daily press. Extended articles were pub- lished in leading journals, as the Educational Review, all with the suggestion that personal and institutional protests be sent to members of Congress. At the hearing on the tariff on December 21, Dr. Raney appeared as chief spokesman for the A. L. A., with Mr. Meyer in attendance also. Copies of the ar- gument presented at this hearing were pub- lished in the hearings themselves, in the Edu- cational Record, in the Library Journal, and, abridged, in Public Libraries. Reprints were sent broadcast wherever they could be of use. The gratifying result of all this endeavor was announced just as our report was ready to be submitted to the Association. On April 10 Dr. Raney advised the members of his committee and the Committee on Federal and State Relations that the Senate Commit- tee on Finance has made radical revision in the tariff bill, to the effect that the duty has been restored to 15%, the limit in the num- ber of copies a library may import free en- tirely removed, and books in foreign lan- guages to continue to come in free. Copyright legislation. Our committee has also co-operated with the Committee on Book Buying in regard to impending copyright leg- islation detrimental to the interest of libraries, in that American publishers are seeking to amend the existing copyright law by cancell- ing the privilege, enjoyed by institutions and individuals, of importing the original editions of English books if for them copyright has also been secured. Through Dr. Raney's efforts the A. L. A. Council at the Chicago meeting gave unanimous rising vote in favor of a copyright resolution, in brief reaffirm- ing the Association's disapproval of any meas- ure that would curtail or cancel the existing privileges of importation. The copyright bill was introduced into Congress on April 28. No hearings have been set, but both Dr. Raney's Committee and the Committee on Federal and State Relations are prepared to make strong opposing representation. War Department library budget When it was learned that the current War De- partment estimates included not one dollar for welfare work or education, the Federal and State Relations Committee got into im- mediate touch with L. L. Dickerson, De- velopment Specialist for Army Libraries, and proceeded to take active measures looking toward restoration of such an item. The first step was a letter to the Secretary of ANNUAL REPORTS 185 War, advocating strong effort, through a supplemental budget, to have reasonably ade- quate provision arranged for Army library service. Subsequent information from both Mr. Dickerson and the Secretary of War ad- vised us that such a supplemental budget, carrying $60,000 for library books and per- sonnel, was sent to Congress, with the Sec- retary's endorsement. Mr. Dickerson ex- pressed his satisfaction with the amount pro- vided, which with $20,000 in the Military Post Exchange item for periodicals, made the library budget actually $80,000. The action next in order was preparation for the hear- ings on the budget before Congress, and an effort was made actively to interest every congressman on the Military Affairs Appro- priations Committee, both House and Senate, as well as other influential congressmen. Members of our Committee were advised by the chairman to see that letters were sent from as many libraries and individuals in their districts as possible, and the chairman himself addressed some fifty libraries in New York State and certain influential librarians not to be reached by other members of the Committee, urging them to write to their congressmen and the senators from New York State in behalf of the continuance of library work by the War Department. Re- sponse both from members of the Committee and the libraries addressed was very encour- aging and indicated a keen interest in and ap- preciation of this peace time service for our soldiers. In the face of all this representa- tion, however, the House Sub-Committee struck out the $60,000 item and even re- duced the Military Post Exchange item from $20,000 to $15,000, -which would simply buy books without providing for any kind of li- brary service and put an end altogether to proper library administration. But the Com- mittee and friends of library work are now hard at work with the Senate Committee on Military Affairs in the hope that its mem- bers will replace in the bill the $60,000 asked for by the Secretary of War, and stand firm in conference for this provision. United States Patent Office specifications. The chairman has in hand letters from six or seven libraries complaining about service from the United States Patent Office in fur- nishing specifications and drawings on an- nual subscription at $50 each. A question- naire to members of the Committee brought out the fact that there are fewer than twenty libraries now subscribing at $50 per year, and that none of these is at all satisfied with present arrangements. This general dissatis- faction results from (1) discontinuance in 1912 of binding by the Patent Office and the consequent confu- sion introduced by shipment in pamphlet form; (2) the fact that separate numbers are sent in packages at irregular intervals, the time of arrival bearing no discernible relation to the weekly date of issue and no invoice being sent with each package; (3) the number of missing parts and the fact that even after advice of these missing parts has been sent to the Patent Office they are supplied slowly and often not at all, one library reporting that after careful checking 5201 items were found missing in three and a half years and that of this total a very small portion has been supplied in answer to claims ; (4) discontinuance of the useful monthly index. The trouble seems to be with poor and in- sufficient help at the Patent Office. Mr. Meyer, our Washington member, feels that there is little to be gained by adding to the burdens of this office and that the most effect can be had through representing conditions to those committees of Congress which are con- cerned with appropriations for the Patent Office. Results from such procedure seem rather hopeless and your Committee leaves the matter with this statement of fact. In addition to the foregoing, several im- portant matters that formed part of the Com- mittee's work and report for 1920-1921 were carried over into the present year. These in- clude the following: The Sterling-Towner education bill. Af- ter submission of the 1920-1921 report, but before the Swampscott conference, the chair- man sent out a circular letter to the mem- bers urging them to strike hard and imme- diately for the furtherance of the Sterling- Towner bill, and especially for adequate li- brary representation therein. Each member of the Committee was made responsible for 186 DETROIT CONFERENCE a certain section of the country and it was suggested that a strong letter or telegram go from every important library in the district to Senator Sterling or Judge Towner. This letter of the chairman was further enforced by a circular letter from Joy E. Morgan of the National Education Association, sug- gesting that letters be sent to members of the committees on education other than Judge Towner and Senator Sterling. Returns from seven members of the Committee indicate that over five hundred letters were sent to Washington. To these in most instances very encouraging replies were received from the congressmen addressed. At the National Ed- ucation Association conference in Washington in support of the bill, the Committee was represented by Claribel R. Barnett, and at the meeting of the legislative commission of the N. E. A. in Washington, on January 7, by Joy E. Morgan. Bureau of education statistical report on libraries. The chairman and members of the Committee have again addressed the United States Commissioner of Education in behalf of an early edition of the bulletin on library statistics but the chairman, at least, has had no reply to his communication. The Library Journal for February 15, however, carries the following notice: "The Library of the United States Bureau of Education has made preliminary plans for a new edition of Bulletin 1915, No. 25, Statis- tics of Public, Society and School Libraries, with the advice and co-operation of the Com- mittee on Federal and State Relations of the American Library Association." Federal salary classifications. This mat- ter has been on the docket of the Committee and the chairman has brought copies of the 1921 reclassification bill and the report there- on informally to the attention of those who might be interested and influential in this connection. Dr. Bowerman continues in close touch with the Committee, which stands ready to meet his wishes in any respect. Cheaper library book post. The Com- mittee has been steadily co-operating with A. L. Spencer of Greenwood, New York, in an effort to bring about a reduction in the fourth class (parcel post) book rate on rural delivery routes for books sent to or from free public libraries. At the Chicago meeting the A. L. A. Council adopted the fol- lowing resolution in this connection : Resolved, That the American Li- brary Association again urge upon the Postmaster General the imperative need of such modification of the initial pound parcel post rate on books passing be- tween any properly defined public li- brary and its rural population adjacent, as is clearly possible within the limit of a desired self-paying character of the postal service. In furtherance of this resolution, the Sec- retary of the A. L. A. addressed the Post- master-General and was advised that the mat- ter is still under consideration. The chair- man and members of the Committee stand ready to take every opportunity to write a strong letter or put in a good word for a cheaper parcel post book rate. The activities thus set forth somewhat in detail have involved a large amount of cor- respondence, some conference, much thought and planning. They have kept the Commit- tee very fully occupied during the past year. Partly because of this, it has not been pos- sible to develop to any considerable extent the conception of the function of the Com- mittee suggested over a year ago by Secre- tary Milam and stated in our last report, that the Committee "accept as its field the whole province of government service to li- braries." Moreover, the time has not seemed ripe for furtherance of the work involved in such a conception of the Committee's pur- pose. But the Committee has not lost sight of this ideal and stands ready to do all in its power to advance an enlarged program for library development in this country. The foregoing is respectfully submitted. J. I. WYER, Chairman. ELIZABETH H. WEST, JOHNSON BRIGHAM, EDITH GUERRIER, H. H. B. MEYER, CLARIBEL R. BARNETT, MARTHA WILSON, M. S. DUDGEON, C. S. THOMPSON. FINANCE COMMITTEE See Financial reports page 229. FOREIGN PERIODICALS OF THE WAR PERIOD The Committee on Completing the Files of German Periodicals offers the following re- ANNUAL REPORTS 187 port of its activities for the period of 1921- 1922: In accordance with the recommendations submitted at the Swampscott Conference and through the courtesy of the Institute of International Education and the interest of its Director, Stephen P. Duggan, the Com- mittee succeeded in compiling a joint list of desiderata in German periodicals for the war period, which list was sent to the Not- gemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft for such assistance as the members of the organi- zation can supply. Our recommendation sug- gested that the lists be in the hands of the Institute of International Education not later than July IS, 1921 ; from the lists submitted on that date the Committee compiled a joint list indicating titles and the number of each copy or issue called for. After work began on the compilation of the joint list, other lists were submitted. These lists as submitted by individual libraries, together with the joint list as submitted by the Columbia University Library, the New York Public Library, the New York State Library, the Princeton Uni- versity Library, the Yale University Library, the U. S. Department of Agriculture Library and the Eastman Kodak Company, of Roches- ter, New York, were forwarded to the Not- gemeinschaft. As a result of this list we were informed by the Notgemeinschaft in letters dated March 3 and April 10, of this year, that four large packages are ready for ship- ment through the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of International Exchanges. At the date of submission of this report nothing fur- ther has been heard on this point. We received also from the Notgemein- schaft on December 19, 1921, and on Feb- ruary 4, 1922, lists of their desiderata in the field of American periodicals for this pe- riod. These lists were sent to various li- braries that had submitted lists of their dupli- cates in German periodicals for the war pe- riod. With the lists went a letter asking each institution to make speedy examination of its files of American periodicals for this period, noting on the list such as could be forwarded to the Notgemeinschaft through the Bureau of International Exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution and when this was done forward the list to the library next in order. The libraries so chosen were ar- ranged primarily with reference to the num- ber of duplicates of German periodicals for the war period reported by them as available for exchange. These lists have not completed their rounds. At the date of this report we have received returns from eight libraries showing that they have shipped 2,811 items for this purpose. As a result of our recommendation that libraries submit lists of German periodicals held by them in duplicate many of the copies in our files have been completed by sale or exchange among co-operating libraries. We now feel that once the duplicates from the Notgemeinschaft have been received, the opportunities for securing by gift or exchange the periodicals needed for completing our files are practically exhausted. We therefore recommend that at a date to be determined later and to be fixed within a reasonable time after receipt of the shipment from the Not- gemeinschaft, the libraries wishing to co-op- erate send to Otto Harrassowitz, 14 Quer- strasse, Leipzig, Germany, their revised list of desiderata. The Committee has written to Harrassowitz explaining the situation to him and has learned that he will be willing to act as our agent in buying these periodicals in the open market. We are convinced that they can be secured in no other way and, as set forth in our previous reports, we are like- wise convinced that the best interests of all will be served by co-operation. Experience shows us that little more can be hoped for from American agents. Our recommendation is that notice of the date on which reports should be submitted to Harrassowitz be given through the Library Journal and Pub- lic Libraries. It is probable that cases may arise where Harrassowitz cannot secure a sufficient num- ber of periodicals to supply the needs of all co-operating libraries. Our recommendation in such an event is that, if possible, he ar- range for reprinting a quantity large enough to supply all, pro-rating the cost among the institutions that need this particular title. Of course we must ask the agent in case of doubt to report to us for approval, and we 188 DETROIT CONFERENCE must assure ourselves that the cost in such cases is to be reasonable. Respectfully submitted, H. M. LYDENBERG, Chairman. J. T. GEROULD, WILLARD AUSTEN. INSTITUTIONAL LIBRARIES The Committee on Institutional Libraries has been particularly interested this season in two movements: (1) The preparation of the new edition of A thousand books for the hospital library and (2) The appeal of the American Prison Association to the American Library Association in behalf of libraries in prisons. (1) It was early decided to rewrite entirely the original list and to add to it lists of books for children, for nurses' training-schools, and lists of periodicals ; a bibliography of litera- ture on hospital libraries ; chapters on or- ganization, administration and book selection, and to change the title to The hospital li- brary. Because the members of the Com- mittee are so widely separated geographically it was extremely difficult to consult them upon the countless questions which were continually arising and therefore Miss Jones was made editor with full authority and responsibility. (2) At the meeting of the American Prison Association in Jacksonville, Florida, last fall, a resolution was adopted asking the A. L. A. to provide libraries in prisons throughout the United States. This resolution after being presented to the secretary of the A. L. A. was referred to the committee on institutional li- braries. From this a correspondence resulted which may develop into a discussion of the whole question of prison libraries at the next annual meeting of the American Prison Asso- ciation. The Committee hopes to have defi- nite information to present at the meeting of the A. L. A. in Detroit. Respectfully submitted, MIRIAM E. CAREY, Chairman. CHARLOTTE TEMPLETON, LOUISE SINGLEY, EDITH KATHLEEN JONES, CAROLINE WEBSTER, HARRIET E. LEITCH, NELLIE WILLIAMS, JULIA A. ROBINSON, F. W. JENKINS. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS The Committee on International Relations has, during the past year, had to consider only two projects referred to it: one, the matter of the Book Fair at Florence, Italy, beginning in May, 1922; and the other, a sug- gestion as to representation of the A. L. A. in a Conference upon the International Cata- logue of Scientific Literature, to be held at Brussels later in the summer. There was also referred to it a prospectus of an international conference on education proposed for 1923, the project for which is still too inchoate to be dealt with practically. E. C. Richardson, a member of the Com- mittee, has been designated as represen- tative of the Association to attend the confer- ence at Brussels. An A. L. A. exhibit at Florence was, after inquiry and consideration, deemed quite im- practicable on account of the brief period available for preparation, the lack of material on hand, and the expense involved in the as- semblage, transmittal, installation and admin- istration of an exhibit. The omission of an ex- hibit seemed to the Committee perhaps less to be regretted from the fact that while, according to the prospec- tus, the Book Fair would include exhibits by libraries and in exposition of their methods and appliances, it was to be primarily a Book Fair for the promotion of commercial interests. HERBERT PUTNAM, Chairman, For the Committee. May 11, 1922. INVESTIGATION OF MANNER IN WHICH MUNICIPALITIES ARE MEETING OBLIGATIONS TO DONORS Since the problem given this Committee to solve had been carefully outlined in its report of last year, the next step, that of beginning active work, seemed a simple one. Finding the Carnegie Corporation had no later statistics than were available last year, the following plan has been evolved: That there be submitted to the A. L. A. the recommendation that it approve and act on Sections 2 and 3 of last year's report through a form letter and a form newspaper story. (Suggestions referred to in sections 2 and 3 of last year's report are as follows : 2, To appeal through state library commission di- rectly to delinquent libraries (a) to library boards, (b) to mayors; 3,To send letters to state authorities, as commissions, governors). After this had been done and all possible effort been made to secure the present stand- ANNUAL REPORTS 189 ing of municipalities delinquent in support of Carnegie libraries and to bring them up to the required standards, that a list of all those still found delinquent be published as was suggested in Section 4 of last year's report ; but wholly upon the responsibility of the A.L.A. or State Departments and with no implication of the Carnegie Cor- poration in such publication. And, to offset this list, that an honor list of all the municipalities which have increased their appropriations to Carnegie libraries more than 15% or 20% be also published. The latest statistics from the Carnegie Corporation have been secured and are being sent with this report. The Committee re- spectfully tenders this as their final report and asks to be released. ANNA A. MACDONALD, Chairman. JOSEPH L. WHEELER, LINDA A. EASTMAN, WM. J. HAMILTON. JOINT COMMITTEE OF SEVEN No matters for the consideration of the Joint Committee of Seven, representing the American Library Association and the Spe- cial Libraries Association, were referred to the Committee this past year, and for that reason the Committee has been inactive. Respectfully submitted, SAMUEL H. RANCK, Chairman. LEGISLATION Library Legislation in 1922 Eleven states held legislative sessions this year. Library laws were passed in Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Virginia, No library legislation was enacted in Colorado (special session), Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Rhode Island. This report includes also last year's spe- cial session in Missouri and the regular ses- sion of California, which ended too late for full inclusion in last year's report. Establishment and Tax New York state passed a number of minor amendments to the general education law relative to libraries. The most important of these relates to state grants of money to free libraries from the income of the U. S. deposit fund. Hitherto these grants have been made for books "in accordance with regents' rules," no definite amount being specified in the law. For a number of years libraries could and many did receive as much as $200 a year, provided they raised an equal amount from taxation or other local sources. Then for lack of sufficient appropriations by the legis- lature these grants were reduced by the re- gents to a maximum of $100, which was the rule for 18 years. Last year many libraries received as low as $44.75. Accordingly an amendment to the law was passed this year stating that each free circu- lating library complying with regents' re- quirements shall receive $100 annually ex- cept that no library shall receive an amount greater than that provided for the same pur- pose from local sources. This removes the question from the "grace of budget com- mittees or appropriating bodies" and defi- nitely fixes the amount which libraries are to receive. A New Jersey act permits a municipality to appropriate in the current budget for its library a sum equal to that paid into the general treasury by the library the proceeding year. Such sum shall be in addition to the regular appropriation. This refers to the fines and other money earned by the library, which had been taken away from libraries by the budget act. Missouri at the extra session last year amended the regular library law, providing that in case of an increase in valuation of the taxable property within an incorporated city the common council may reduce the levy provided by law for library maintenance to an amount which the council deems suffi- cient, but not over ten percent more than was levied the previous year. "Similar amend- ments were adopted by the legislature with regard to practically all local expenditures on account of the great increase in property valuation in this state which has been taking place last year and this." In Virginia "a bill providing for the for- mation of local memorial libraries by means of funds raised by taxation, if the localities 190 DETROIT CONFERENCE elected to tax themselves, and providing state aid, failed to pass." State Agencies California last year in the general amend- ment of the political code abolished the board of trustees of the state library and transferred their powers and duties to the state department of finance. "The statutes and laws under which they existed and all laws prescribing their duties, powers, pur- poses and responsibilities and jurisdiction to- gether with all lawful rules and regulations established thereunder are hereby expressly continued in force." "The division of li- braries" becomes one of the six divisions of the department of finance. While the logic of this arrangement is not clear to one at a distance, it is evidently much more tolerable to the state librarian than "the ghost of school control of the library," which he dis- cusses with decided force and fullness in the January 1921 number of News Notes of California Libraries. The change makes practically no difference in the operation of the state library. The Kentucky library commission law was amended by omitting four words limiting the secretary's salary, which is now properly at the discretion of the commission. Another state library commission has been absorbed by a state department of education. This time it happened in Maryland as a re- sult of the governor's "comprehensive plan of re-organization of the entire state govern- ment with a comparatively small number of departments. In that re-organization the library commission had to be placed some- where and obviously the department of edu- cation was the proper one in which to place it." The functions of the commission de- volve upon the state superintendent of schools. The governor is to appoint five per- sons, who with the state librarian and the librarian of the Enoch Pratt Free Library shall constitute the Maryland Public Library Advisory Commission, which shall advise and counsel with the superintendent with respect to his library duties. In Massachusetts a movement to abolish its work among aliens in libraries was fore- stalled by securing an amendment to the law defining the functions of the Board of Free Public Library Commissioners. County Libraries A 1921 California law amended the po- litical code relative to county officers by add- ing "a county librarian" to the list of sixteen enumerated county officers. The state li- brarian writes : "This is part of the move- ment to incorporate the county library as an integral part of the county government and to give to the county librarian a legal status equal to that of other county officers." One of the results is that "most of the county li- brary salaries were increased by amendment to the county government act rather than by amendment to the county library law." Hitherto these salaries were prescribed in the county library law; now they come up for consideration in the general salary bill passed by the legislature for each county. The increases made last year affected the county librarians in 30 counties, increases ranging from $200 to $600 per person, so that present salaries range from $1000 to $3000, the largest number being between $1800 and $2400. A New Jersey amendment specifies the power of the county library commission to purchase supplies and equipment and limits such purchases to the amount appropriated. Another New Jersey law relating to county libraries is given under school district li- braries. The members of the Mississippi Library Association "have been trying for a number of years to get a liberal county library law passed but have failed thus far." They had their usual experience this year. Two years ago a law was passed permitting counties with an assessed valuation over eighteen mil- lion dollars to appropriate not over $3000 an- nually toward the support of one or more public libraries in the county. Only nine counties in the state could qualify under this law and of these only three are contributing to the support of libraries. In some of the other counties there are no public libraries, negroes outnumbering the whites by several hundred percent. The state library associa- tion will continue its efforts for library leg- islation. ANNUAL REPORTS 191 School District Libraries In California apportionment of the fund for school district libraries is to be "such sum as may be requested by the school trus- tees of such district," but not less than $25 for each teacher; if the trustees fail to file request the county superintendent shall make apportionment not exceeding $50 per teacher. Formerly this was on a percentage basis, five to ten percent of the school fund, but not to exceed $50 per district except in districts having five or more teachers, where it was to be not under $10 or over $15 per teacher. New Jersey amended her law authorizing state duplication of money raised by any school district for library purposes, $20 for establishment and $10 annually. The amend- ment provides for these amounts to be paid by the state through the county library com- mission of any county where a co-operative agreement has been made between the county library and the local school. Special Legislation Laws applying to special places are not generally included. Note is here made, how- ever, of a few in New York state on account of their possible suggestiveness to those in- terested. Of three laws passed for the bene- fit of law libraries in Catskill, Plattsburg and Albany, the latter provides for consoli- dating the Albany county law library with the appellate division library, third depart- ment, and makes an appropriation for the li- brarian's salary at not exceeding $3500. An amendment to the Oneonta city charter changes the name of the Oneonta Public Li- brary to "The Huntington Memorial Li- brary" pursuant to the request of Mr. Henry E. Huntington, who has already made valu- able gifts to the city for library and park purposes and who proposes to endow the same in memory of his parents. An amendment to the greater New York charter permits the sale of corporate stock for the erection and equipment of the central library in the borough of Brooklyn. The next step will be for the board of estimate and apportionment to authorize the sale of the stock. A law which passed the legislature but was not approved by the mayor amended the greater New York charter giving public li- brary trustees power to select library sites subject to the approval of the board of esti- mate and apportionment, prepare plans, award contracts and supervise construction of new library buildings. In the acquisition of such sites the library board was to have all the powers of the board of education and contracts for the construction of new li- brary buildings were to be let in the same manner as contracts for new school build- ings. Appropriations Reports were not available from all of the states mentioned. Amounts given are for two years unless otherwise stated. Kentucky: State library commission $15,- 000, state library $13,824, state historical so- ciety $10,000. Maryland: Public library commission $11,982, state library $11,600, legislative refer- ence bureau $3725 for 1923 and $7550 the next year. Massachusetts : Department of education, division of public libraries $24,100 for one year. Missouri: State library commission $1200 in addition to previous $25,500 for two years, 1921-22. New Jersey for one year: Public library commission $47,980; state library $19,900; record bureau, which takes place of histori- cal society, $10,500. The following amounts are appropriated to the departments named but spent under supervision of the public library commission : Agricultural extension department $3000, for books on agriculture for their farm demonstrators ; department of institutions and agencies $5000, for li- braries in institutions ; department of educa- tion $1000 for teachers' libraries. Virginia: State library $41,142.50 for year ending Feb., 1923, and $41,067.50 the next year; state law library $7250 each year; leg- islative reference bureau $8851 and $9451 ; world war history commission $7500 each year; aid to local school libraries each year $3000. Work done by a library commission in other states "will be more thoroughly done hereafter because the general assembly made 192 DETROIT CONFERENCE an appropriation sufficient to enable the state library board to secure the services of a li- brary organizer." Contemplated Legislation These contemplations vary in definiteness from vague hopes to formulated bills, some of which were drawn but not introduced, others were introduced but defeated, still others have been passed but are admittedly defective and should and will be improved. A report of the Michigan Library Associa- tion in October, 1921, says "So far as legisla- tion is concerned, the last session of the leg- islature made conditions for getting adequate library service to the largest half of the peo- ple of the state worse than they were be- fore." The Association has pledged its re- sources in a vigorous effort to "secure the library legislation which Michigan so sorely needs." Among the items on the legislative program of the Association are (1) a general revision of the library legislation of the state, with a view to combine all general li- brary laws into one act under the education clause of the constitution; (2) a law making officials of libraries competent to certify to printed or manuscript material in their pos- session, so that such certified copies will be legal evidence in court; (3) provision for a retirement fund for librarians ; (4) "adequate organization and means to carry out system- atic, centralized and state wide library work." The last legislature abolished the state li- brary commission and transferred its duties to the state library without adequate appro- priation. The association memorialized the governor and the administrative board of the state on this subject. It also passed a resolu- tion opposing the effort to repeal the law di- recting the use of penal fines for library pur- poses without concurrent adequate substitute for library support. Certification. In Minnesota, where the certification feature was partly responsible for the defeat last year of amendments to the county library law, the state education department, which has absorbed the state library commission, has as a part of its pro- gram "to bring library service to a higher degree of proficiency by setting up profes- sional standards for librarians to correspond with those set for teachers in the same com- munities and to provide for their attainment." At the October meeting of the Missouri Library Association a report on certification was presented which will probably be incor- porated in a bill to be introduced in the legis- lature next year. Township Libraries. "In Indiana town library boards and county library boards have the right to fix their own tax levy with- in a ten percent limit. About 150 of our 207 tax supported libraries obtain in addition a tax from one or more townships, but our township support act does not give the library board the right to fix the township library levy, but this is fixed by the governing body of the civil township." At the next session of the legislature an effort will probably be made to give library boards in townships the same right in regard to the tax levy as they have in towns and cities. County Libraries. In Colorado, where the county library has been defeated in two different sessions, "The Colorado Library As- sociation is contemplating the wisdom of re- introducing next year the proposed county library bill." The Indiana county library law provides for a city library to extend its service to townships outside the city and for a tax to be levied on all such parts of the county. An amendment last year provided that "Said tax shall be continued so long as ten percent of the inhabitants of the districts [plural] so taxed outside the limits of said city or town are found to be users of said library." This year in one county enough card holders with- drew in one district to bring the number of users in that district below the ten percent requirement, and so the county commissioners dropped the tax. By changing the word "districts" to "district," that is, by making it singular instead of plural, it will be impos- sible for a single district to cause a discon- tinuation of the tax in all of the townships so long as the combined use of several dis- tricts is up to the ten percent limit. In Minnesota the state commissioner of education says: "We hope for an amend- ment to our county library laws to facilitate the establishment of county libraries through- out the state." ANNUAL REPORTS 193 Missouri worked six years for a county li- brary law, which was passed on the last day of last year's session. "No such library has as yet been organized under this law; in fact it seems nearly impossible at present on ac- count of the tax situation in general and because most counties have already reached the limit of taxation allowed under the con- stitution. In a month or two the constitu- tional convention will convene and it has been suggested that library interests try to secure an amendment which will allow a county li- brary tax to be levied in addition to the maxi- mum fixed for general purposes a provision which is already in force for school pur- poses." The state library commission of North Dakota is carrying on a campaign of public- ity in favor of a county library law which it is confident will be enacted at the next ses- sion of the legislature. In many cases in Pennsylvania where the county library proposition is considered, "there is a fear that the county seat or some other town will get the lion's share of the books and the work, and the rest of the county will be left out in the cold." For this reason the question has been raised "whether it would be advisable to provide that libraries already existing could come into the county system and retain control and title to what- ever property they may have gathered and that county library books should be distrib- uted in the different communities pro rata to the population." Washington will try again at the next ses- sion for a county library law, which failed last year. State Agencies. The Massachusetts board of free public library commissioners failed in an attempt to enlarge the scope of its work to include aid to libraries in state and county institutions. The bill "was referred to the next legislature because of the very strong feeling just at present throughout the state that the state is trying to assume too many responsibilities." "For several years the South Carolina Li- brary Association and the federation of wom- en's clubs have been conducting a campaign to secure a library commission. The bill has been killed twice owing to the appropriation asked. This year the financial situation was such that we determined not even to introduce a bill. Next year we hope to get favorable action," Tennessee "librarians have visions of a state library department on a par with the education department, but the time is not yet ripe for this." In Virginia, "Two years ago the general assembly made an appropriation for the erec- tion of a memorial library to commemorate the services of Virginia troops in the world war. The 1922 assembly finding that no prog- ress had been made on the work of erecting a building, not only refused a further appro- priation but also took away the amount ap- propriated two years ago. This leaves the library board and the war memorial com- mission, the two bodies designated by law to erect the building, without any funds, but with a site on which to erect the building. It is hoped that the legislature of 1924 will provide the funds." WILLIAM F. YUST, Chairman. LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION During the year 1920-21, the Committee on Library Administration at the request of the President made a tentative revision of the uniform form for library statistics originally adopted by the Association in 1914. There was insufficient time to make the revision as carefully as was desirable, but the tenta- tive revision was printed and distributed to several hundred libraries of the country by the Secretary of the Association. This form was designed for use by public libraries, not by college and reference libraries. As was hoped, the use of the form brought forth a number of criticisms and suggestions, which enabled the Committee during the year 1921- 22 still further to revise it. This later re- vision has now been printed and distributed by the Secretary of the Association. At the Swampscott meeting, the chair- man of the Committee presented to the Col- lege and Reference Section the need for a similar form of statistics for use by the col- lege and reference libraries of the country. A special committee was appointed by the College and Reference Section with Mr. Gerould of Princeton as chairman, this com- mittee to co-operate with the Committee on Library Administration. The two commit- 194 DETROIT CONFERENCE tees working together during the year 1921- 22 have devised a form of report for college and reference libraries. This form is similar to the one in use by public libraries. Un- doubtedly, criticisms and suggestions will be made by the libraries using the form this first year and thus next year the form may be revised to advantage. It has been called to the attention of the Committee on Library Administration that in library reports percentages are sometimes incorrectly figured. An examination of some of the errors alluded to has convinced the Committee that they should make the fol- lowing statement in regard to the correct method for figuring percentages : Fiction circulation percentage is obtained by dividing the total fiction circulation by the grand total circulation. Adult fiction circulation percentage is ob- tained by dividing adult fiction circulation by the total adult circulation. Juvenile fiction circulation percentage is ob- tained by dividing juvenile fiction circula- tion by the total juvenile circulation. Book stock percentage or accession per- centage for either total, adult or juvenile fiction, should be calculated in the same manner. It is an error to divide, for instance, the adult fiction circulation by the grand total circulation and speak of the answer as the adult fiction circulation percentage. Such a figure should have no general recognition, but if it is used, it should be clearly ex- pressed as the adult fiction circulation per- centage of the grand total circulation. Library statistics will be clarified materi- ally if the divisor used in the calculation of percentages is always the total of which the figure in question is an immediate part. Respectfully submitted, FRANKLIN F. HOPPER, Chairman. LIBRARY CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES The Committee was not appointed until late in 1921. The Chairman was absent in Europe at the time he was appointed. There has been no opportunity to hold a meeting of the Committee during the year. Much work has, however, been done by correspondence, and certain sub-committees have been very active in gathering material and in answering letters addressed to the Committee. The chief function of the Com- mittee has been that of answering inquiries received from abroad either directly by the Committee or by the Headquarters of the American Library Association, and referred to the Committee by the Secretary or by the President. In many instances the Chairman has answered an inquiry without referring it directly to another member of the Commit- tee. Most of these requests have been for information which could be supplied from material easily accessible in print. They have involved letters frequently of some length. The replies appear to have been helpful in a number of instances where librarians abroad have inquired about American practice and have sought the addresses of specialists in various lines of library work in the United States, etc. The Chairman of the Committee visited the Institut International de Bibliographic at Brussels in October, and received later from Monsieur Otlet, the Director of the Insti- tute, an extremely interesting plea and plan for co-operation between American libraries and the Institute. The Committee has not had an opportunity to confer upon this matter and refrains from recommendation in consequence. Of course, this and other matters involving considerable outlays of money can be considered at pres- ent only as interesting and valuable problems whose consummation would unquestionably be of incalculable aid to the progress of knowl- edge. The Chairman, at the instance of the President of the American Library Associa- tion, visited the Army and Y. M. C. A. Li- braries in the "Occupied Area" in charge of the American Forces in Germany. He was given every opportunity to inspect the work which was begun by the American Library Association, and which has been so well car- ried on under the direction of Elizabeth B. Steere, by the Y. M. C. A. and the Army working in conjunction. As a result of this visit cables were sent to various libraries in America and individual contributions of books were made in large numbers, in addition to ANNUAL REPORTS 195 books purchased with the sum of $1000 voted by the Executive Board of the American Li- brary Association. One of the members of the Committee, Jessie M. Carson of the New York Pub- lie Library, has been resident in France for some years now in charge of the library work carried on by the American Committee for Devastated France. Miss Carson has served as a connecting link between the American Library Association and this Committee and libraries in France and Brussels. It has been possible to refer inquirers to her, thus saving much time, which because of the long distance between Europe and the United States, would have been wasted in the mails. Parentheti- cally, it may be observed that Miss Carson's effective presentation of the work of herself and her colleagues in the devastated region of France was one of the notable features of the Manchester meeting of the British Li- brary Association. The Committee has had much correspond- ence with the director of the American Library in Paris, W. Dawson Johnston, who is endeavoring with great success to serve as a medium of communication be- tween French and American libraries. Some of the matters inaugurated by Mr. Johnston are almost certain to have far-reaching results in the future. The Sub-Committee, headed by Cor- nelia Marvin, has continued its work in gath- ering information as to library activities in Eastern Asia, and as to collections of books in East Asiatic languages in the United States. A summary of the report of this committee is given as an appendix. One of the difficulties facing the Commit- tee was a definition of its functions. There was no wish on the part of any member of this Committee to trespass on the field of the Committee on International Relations. The distinction between the work of the two Com- mittees was so well defined by Herbert Putnam, of the Library of Congress, in a letter to the Chairman of the Committee, that it is printed herewith. December 27, 1921. Dear Mr. Bishop: . . . As to the two Committees : The reason for the creation of the one on Co- operation was that the one on International Relations deemed itself concerned only with matters of larger policy in which the A. L. A., as such, might have relations of an inter- national character. It did not, for instance, feel that it could deal with the projects for practical co-opera- tive work such as were involved in various appeals or suggestions that come from abroad as for children's libraries in Belgium, etc., etc., the most of which involve, if not actual supply of material, at least advice, sugges- tion and counsel from this side. Hence the establishment of the new Com- mittee. There need, I think, be no conflict of jurisdiction, as our Committee would have concern with matters dealt with by yours only in case they should reach a point where the Association is called upon, as an Association, to enter into a relation of international char- acter. In any such case our Committee might be drawn into consultation with yours as- to questions of policy involved. . . Faithfully yours, HERBERT PUTNAM, Librarian. All the work of the year has been done in accordance with the spirit of the fore- going letter, which seems to mark off very definite fields for the work of the two com- mittees. The Committee believes that there is a reasonable amount of current work which can best be done through a committee of the American Library Association. It, there- fore, suggests that the Committee be made a standing committee and that its activities be restricted to matters which do not in- volve action by the Association as a whole in the field of international relations. Respectfully submitted, WM. W. BISHOP, Chairman. Appendix A Report of the Sub-Committee on the Far East The Sub-Committee on the Far East has been occupied during the year with answer- ing individual requests for aid and with gathering data on library activities in China, Japan, and the Philippines. This material is so extensive that it can only be summar- ized for purposes of this report. The chair- man of the Sub-Committee is engaged in compiling a more elaborate report which will doubtless appear in the library press in the course of a few months. The Committee calls the attention of the 196 DETROIT CONFERENCE Association to the suggestion made in the New Republic of the fifteenth of March, 1922. All the money comprising the Boxer Indemnity Fund has not been returned to China. The House of Representatives has passed a bill authorizing the return of the residue, the income of which will doubtless yield about $500,000 annually. The Senate has not up to this date acted on this bill. The New Republic suggests that the in- come be used for libraries and popular edu- cation in China, rather than in the form of fellowships for Chinese students, which is the purpose to which the original fund has been devoted by the Chinese Government. The suggestion is a notable one and the Com- mittee feels that the officers of the American Library Association should take cognizance of it, and should, if possible, bring influence to bear in Washington to see that the matter is fully considered by Congress and the De- partment of State. This matter comes with- in the province of the Committee on Inter- national Relations rather than in that of the Committee reporting. The Sub-Committee proposes further that it should be authorized and directed to make a list of students from the Orient who have attended library schools or other training agencies in the United States with the idea of keeping in touch with their work upon their return, to the possible mutual advantage of libraries in both countries. The Committee calls to the attention of the Association a recently published work entitled The Christian occupation of China; a report of the general missionary survey 1910-21, published in Shanghai in the spring of this year. Portions of this report are de- voted to the education including libraries, and should be of extreme interest to American librarians in the way of information as to what has been done by missionary effort in China, The Committee has received appeals for help from Shanghai from the American School and from the American Women's Club, and has endeavored to meet these ap- peals to the best of its ability. A contribution to the discussion of the Asiatic collections in American libraries was an article by John L. Bramhall, East Asiatic works in the Newberry Library, which ap- peared in the Open Court for December, 1921. The Committee feels that a more complete report than the exceedingly fragmentary one published as an appendix to its report of last year should be made either by this Sub- Committee or by a special committee of the American Library Association. It recom- mends that the Council take the matter under consideration, and requests that if favorable action is taken on the suggestion a small ap- propriation be made from the treasury of the Association to cover clerical expenses in- volved in the preparation of copy to be sub- mitted to the Editorial Committee of the As- sociation. Such a survey as the Committee has in mind should prove useful to reference librarians the country over and to certain students of Oriental languages scattered throughout the United States and Canada. It should facilitate interlibrary loan and the use of the photostat in copying important articles in a field which necessarily appeals to a very small number of persons. Such a survey in printed form cannot fail to be of great value and interest. One of the members of the Committee, Katharine H. Wead, has been spending a year at the University of Nanking and re- ports (Appendix B) her impressions of Chinese libraries. The Committee hopes to have her report reprinted in the library press. The Committee learns from Jessie Douglas, librarian of the Canton Christian College, that there is much interest in Canton in establishing a public library, and a commis- sion has been appointed to study the possi- bilities of such a library by visiting the li- braries in the Philippines and elsewhere. Very interesting reports have come to the Committee from Mary Polk, librarian of the Bureau of Science of the Philippine Islands. Miss Polk has sent us not only an extremely interesting letter giving details of the courses in Library Science being offered in the University of the Philippines, but also an important collection of material on the legal status of libraries in the Philippines. It is interesting to note that the Library of the Bureau of Science has already passed 40,000 volumes, is cataloged and classified in ac- cordance with our best American standards, ANNUAL REPORTS 197 is aiding the University of the Philippines to give instruction in Library Science, and in general is serving as a means of furthering co-operation in library matters in Manila and elsewhere. Attention should be called to the possibilities of exchange between American and Philippine libraries offered by the or- ganization of the Library of the Philippine Bureau of Science. Librarians are urged to communicate directly with Mary Polk, li- brarian of the Bureau of Science, at Manila. This report would be incomplete did it fail to note the large number of Oriental students in American colleges and univer- sities, the greater part of them being Chi- nese. It is highly important that American libraries should not neglect the opportunity offered them by the presence in all our large cities and in our universities and colleges of great numbers of highly intelligent Oriental students. The impressions which they take back with them will influence greatly the re- lations of Eastern Asia with America in the next thirty years. Many of them are anxious to learn the administrative details of our libraries, and the Committee suggests that they be offered every facility, whenever they make inquiries, by public and university libraries. In conclusion, the Sub-Committee begs to report its willingness at all times to aid libraries in America desiring to secure in- formation about Oriental libraries, and libra- ries in Eastern Asia wishing information con- cerning conditions in America. When any member of the Committee is not possessed of the information desired, inquiries can gen- erally be referred to a competent person. Respectfully submitted, CORNELIA MARVIN, Chairman, Sub-Committee on the Far East. Appendix B Impressions of Chinese Libraries On actually writing a report on Chinese libraries I find that I have impressions rather than facts. For facts I would refer you to Mr. Tai's excellent report in the A. L. A. Annual Report 1920-1921, p. 58-63. But you may be interested in pen pictures of the li- braries which I have seen since they are fairly representative of the old and new types in northern China. Of the strictly Chinese libraries there are two kinds, the privincial libraries and the public libraries. The former are supported by provincial funds, are primarily for the use of the officials of the province and con- tain chiefly books relating to the particular province. These more nearly accord with the definition of libraries given in the Chinese name hiding places for books for admis- sion is only to the few privileged persons on payment of a small admission fee. The two libraries of this type which I have seen, at Nanking and at Hangchow, have many rare books and manuscripts, some dating back two thousand years. The Nanking library building was formerly a fine old residence and has only within a few years been occupied by the library. A visitor passes, in Chinese fashion, through a gateway in a high wall, into a courtyard and into a guest room where a servant offers tea while one awaits the arrival of the librarian. He is then conducted into a small room where the catalog is kept, then into a room where an attendant sits expectantly awaiting the request slips, across another court into the stack and reading room and upstairs where the more valuable books are stored. The curved tiled roof, the carved eaves, the latticed windows, the high thresholds, all add beauty to the building but the thought of fire and all the destruction that would ensue is ever in the mind of the westerner, used to fire-proof buildings. Even the more modern stucco buildings are not immune to fire and I have been in many places where there are priceless treasures insufficiently protected. In the Nanking library the books are arranged in wooden cases, some of them inside locked glass doors, each case bearing the name of the class. Each thin, paper bound book car- ries a tag with its name and the name of the class but there are no such minute subdivi- sions as book numbers. At Hangchow inter- est is added to the provincial library, now housed in a modern two story white stucco building, by knowing that it was once the imperial library of Chien Lung who had his summer palace on the famously beautiful West Lake. The public library, as its name implies, is supported by the municipality and is open to all though in some cases a fee of a few cop- 198 DETROIT CONFERENCE pers is required. At Peking the fee varies with the type of reader and what kind of books are wanted newspapers, modern books, ancient books. Books may not be taken from the building. To the foreigner, the cold, dark whitewashed reading rooms with the straight hard chairs seem very unattractive but the Chinese ideas of comfort differ from ours and the rooms are generally well patronized. Sep- arate reading rooms are provided for women. These public libraries are often connected with public recreation centers where mu- seums educational exhibits, lecture halls, play- ground, etc., may be enjoyed. Extension work is becoming more and more general and is carried on in the form of traveling libraries which go to educational centers in the dis- trict. The public library does not attempt to hoard old books but provides the modern popular books of which there are only too few, and translations of foreign books. There is much interest in children's books but the supply of these books is yet small and they are largely translations of foreign stories for children. In the public libraries which I have visited at Peking, Wusih and Nanking I have seen three distinct types of catalogs. The kind generally found in Chinese libraries is in book form. The old system of classification con- sists of four classes : classics, history, phi- losophy and belles lettres to which are some- times added collected works and gazetteers. Each of these classes is again sub-divided un- til there are some forty classes. In the book form catalog there is usually a volume for the four main classes and the titles are en- tered as received under the proper sub-class. Sometimes additional information such as au- thor, date, previous owner, or price is also given. Almost invariably the author is giv- en a secondary place. At Wusih, the li- brary has the distinction of being the only truly Chinese library using a card catalog. It is a subject catalog in two sections, one contains the titles of the old books arranged according to the method just described; the other contains new and foreign books and is divided into the following four groups- political science, social science, natural science and literature. The entries are first by sub- ject and then by title but there is no accurate filing. The question of a systematic and accurate way of filing Chinese characters is a difficult one and is only recently receiving the attention of students. The third system, seen in a Nanking library, is a curious one but has some points to recommend it. Around the walls of a small room are three tiers of wooden blocks, about 4 inches by 1 inch and very thin, inserted into a moulding. Each peg bears the name of a book and its price probably to frighten prospective thieves and at intervals there is a red peg indicating the class. A reader runs his eye along the rows until he finds the title which he wants, fills out a request slip and gives it to an attendant who procures the book and turns the peg around to show that the book is in use. The Commercial Press has an excellent library in its offices at Shanghai, containing many rare old books as well as modern ones. Some volumes of the almost extinct 15th century encyclopedia, Yung Lo Ta Tien, may be found there. The old Chinese books are classified according to the old four class system. Modern ones, including foreign ones, are classified according to a system originated by the firm, and comprising four- teen classes : philosophy, education, litera- ture, history and geography, political science, natural science, mathematics, industry, medi- cine, military affairs, fine arts, domestic arts, reprints and collected works. The company is doing a great deal towards arousing an interest in reading, by reprinting in an in- expensive form the best of Chinese litera- ture much of which is now out of print. It has also translated and printed many of the foreign books on science since China has produced few of her own, and the majority of the children's books which have been printed are from that press. I quote from a letter from Fong F. Sec, the head of the editorial department : "Generally speaking, I think that the books most read by the Chinese now are along the lines of social science, such as history, edu- cation, philosophy, ethics, etc., but not much in the way of natural science. The new thought movement is influencing the reading of our people during the last two or three years and there seems to be a great deal of interest in books along the lines of social, industrial and economic improvements. How- ANNUAL REPORTS 199 .lever, the leading Chinese educators are tak- ; ing to heart the findings and recommendations of Prof. Monroe regarding education in this > country and are taking steps to strengthen the i science teachings in the schools of China. . ." In this connection it is interesting to note i the library of the Science Society of China ' which has its headquarters at Nanking. It has two or three thousand books chiefly in ' European languages, on scientific subjects and | a card catalog. This society also publishes a magazine entitled Science. To quote Dr. Sec again : "Outside of the college libraries there are so few libraries in China we do not think that the libraries are meeting the demand for books in China. Therefore persons who de- sire to read are forced to buy their own books. We understand that in Peking and the provinces of Shanci some new libraries have been opened but are comparatively few and the library movement is altogether new in this country." Enough for the truly Chinese library. Picturesqueness is giving way to up-to-date efficiency with its steel stacks, foreignized catalogs, American trained librarians and the library movement is developing fast. There are now several men who have been in American library schools and others are studying in America or planning to go in the near future. Those who can not go to America are being trained well in the Boone University Library School under the guid- ance of Elizabeth Wood and her Chinese assistants who have been to American li- brary schools. The Peking National Uni- versity has a large library where they are doing good work in the indexing of books. They are the only depository library in China for the Library of Congress cards. This University inaugurated the movement for popularizing reading by issuing literature in what is known as "be hua," the spoken style rather than the complicated literary classical style. Southeastern University at Nanking has a large library of foreign and Chinese books under the supervision of an Albany graduate and is erecting a new building for it. Probably the finest library building in China is at Tsing Hua College just outside of Peking where another Albany graduate administers a large staff and an excellent collection of books and is also one of the prime movers in the library movement. The various mission colleges have libraries where foreign methods are used. The Dewey classification is generally used for the for- eign books and in some cases for the Chinese books though the best treatment for Chinese books is yet to be decided upon. Some libraries put their Chinese classics in one class, modern Chinese books in another and foreign books in another, which is anything but convenient. The mission schools where much of the class work is done in English have an opportunity to put modern library methods in practice in a way that has not been done in the older Chinese libraries. Here at the University of Nanking for in- stance a guide to Chinese periodical litera- ture is being made. The title cards are filed according to the Chinese characters but the subject cards give the subjects in both Eng- lish and Chinese and are filed alphabetically by the English. A bi-lingual index to agri- cultural literature is also being made. As far as I know nothing of the sort is being done elsewhere except possibly in Chinese at Peking National University, although the need of making Chinese literature available is very great. The University of Nanking has a branch library in its Middle School where there are perhaps a hundred books especially for children, largely chosen from the pub- lications of the Commercial Press. The Boone University Library is the cen- ter of the library movement for the upper Yangtse Valley. It encourages the use of libraries by its library schools where nineteen students have received training; by travelling libraries to mission and government schools and other organizations ; by its branch li- braries in the city of Wuchang; by the clas- sification system which it has worked out and lately published, based on Dewey. In answer to the question "In what way can the A. L. A. co-operate with the libraries in China?" Miss Wood replied with three def- inite answers: "I. The A. L. A. can furnish literature in the lines of helps and aids of all kinds that can be translated into Chinese. Gifts of catalogs of large libraries would be most acceptable. 200 DETROIT CONFERENCE II. Library films and lantern slides that would help to popularize the library move- ment in China. III. Scholarships in library schools in the U. S. Scholarships given to the Boone Uni- versity Library Training School in China." I have written to several libraries asking for information and suggestions but I must send this much of my report before I can hear from them. If anything of interest is reported I will forward it as soon as possible. Respectfully submitted, KATHARINE H. WEAD, University of Nanking, Nanking, China. Appendix C Report of the Sub-Committee on Chil- dren's Work The following is a copy of JESSIE CARSON'S report to the American Committee for De- vastated France, covering the year April, 1921 to April, 1922: The library work of the American Com- mittee is no longer in the stage of mere demonstration. It has won the recognition of the French and American Library As- sociations, the collaboration of the Inspector of the Municipal Libraries in Paris and the Department of the Seine, and the co-opera- tion of the library training schools in America. It has now become possible to build defi- nitely for the future. Plans are in the mak- ing to secure the proper support of the five village libraries already established in the Aisne, for the installation of a similar li- brary in Paris, for the training of a select few French men and women in American library schools to be leaders of modern pub- lic library development in France; and, for the organization of a library course in the American Library in Paris. Arrangements are already completed for the permanent headquarters and future development of the libraries at Soissons and Anizy-le-Chateau. The American Committee is giving 60,000 francs to the town of Soissons and 20,000 francs to the village of Anizy, which will be used to complete the present library equip- ment and collection of books housed in tem- porary baraques. It is the intention of the Commune of Soissons to repair this year the beautiful cloisters of the old church St. Leger as the permanent future home of their town library. The plans are now being made by the archi- tects and will be subject to our approval for the placing of the department organized by the American Committee. In accepting this gift, the Commune of Soissons agrees to appropriate annually enough money to sus- tain and develop this department to meet the increasing demand for public library service, and to pay the salary of a trained librarian. The same agreement has been made with the Commune of Anizy-le-Chateau. In this small village the library will be housed in the town hall, which is the natural communal center of all small villages. The plans of this library will also be approved by the American Committee. Since it will take about two years to repair the town hall in Anizy, the Commune has offered to move the present baraque library to a lot on the Grand Place where it will be in the center of the life and activities of the village and, there- fore, more accessible during the evening hours. I want to repeat again, since some people do not seem to understand, that the American Committee did not introduce circulating li- braries into France. There are circulating libraries in every quarter of the big cities, and in nearly every small village. But these circulating libraries are not public libraries in the modern sense. They are not equipped to meet the needs of the communities. They are housed mostly in small, dingy, poorly lighted rooms with shelves running clear to the ceiling; virtually no open shelves or reading rooms; no catalog facilities for the public, except a dirty, torn, out-of-date paper book of titles attached to a wooden counter across the entry way. The librarians are usually the school teachers, or the secretaries of the mayors, with no library training of any kind; and, in Paris particularly, they have such long hours in their regular posi- tions that they have little vitality or real interest left for the library. The intention of the library department of the American Committee is to lend a helping hand to the French in the reorganization and develop- ment of these circulating libraries, so that ANNUAL REPORTS 201 they shall render public service to all people, old and young of every class, in the most simple, attractive and efficient manner. It has been possible for the American Committee to set a high standard of library service through the quick understanding and the intelligent co-operation of the French as- sistants. It would have been impossible to develop the work to where it stands today without the enthusiastic help of these young women who have entered this new field of endeavor with the serious purpose of creat- ing a new career for cultivated French women. They are beginning to realize that, together with the literary and educational uses of the public library, books also carry a social message of happiness and content- ment. And in recognizing this fact they are seeing for the first time what a force for good a public library can be. The following stories have been taken from their reports: "One evening, in the village of Urcel, an old peasant was reading Petites failles et grands cceurs aloud to his wife, while she was knitting. The book became so interesting that the wife, without being seen, stopped the clock. The man glanced at it from time to time, noting that it was not getting too late, but not realizing what had happened until the story was finished. Then his only comment was, 'Tant mieux ! I would have been mad to go to bed before finishing that good story.' And, as his wife smilingly con- fessed to the librarian, 'It isn't the first time I've done that.'" "There is a little 'Napoleon' who comes every afternoon to the Soissons library. We do not know his name. He has earned his sobriquet by his great love for the big vol- ume of Napoleon's life, an edition de luxe presented to the library by the author, Mon- sieur Lacour-Gayet. He is little and old and white-haired and he enters the library with a hurried 'Bonjour, Madame!'" "Then, too, there is a little old woman, plain and worn, who brought in the French translation of Alan Seeger's Letters and poems her face fairly transfigured with ap- preciation. 'What a beautiful spirit,' she ex- claimed, 'such a book lightens our dark hours and helps us to live !' " "A man who had borrowed all. the books on botany in the Soissons library, finally asked permission to take home one of the reference books giving medicinal uses of plants. Later, he came in beaming, to thank us for having helped him to pass an impor- tant examination in chemistry." "Many of the little children are still so undersized that the librarian at Blerancourt refused a book to a small boy, one day, tell- ing him he must eat more soup and grow stronger before he read so much. He looked at her seriously for a moment and then he said, 'Mamma will have no more trouble to make me eat the bon potage which makes little boys grow strong.' " " 'Choose Mother's book first,' said a charming eight-year old girl at Coucy-le- Chateau, 'she liked the last one very much.' It was a play of Moliere's." "One woman, quite recently, brought five francs to the Soissons library, and handed it in with her books. 'But, Madame, you have no fine,' we explained. 'No, but I have so much pleasure from the library that I wish to give something for the upkeep of the books. It is not much, I can't afford to give what I would like, but at the least it will help a little.'" This woman expressed the spirit of this town, for the library at Soissons was the first of the American Committee's libraries to have communal support. It was willing, a year ago, to add to its tremendous financial burden for reconstruction, the current ex- penses of the present library for light, heat and janitor service. It gave one of its best corner lots on which to mount the baraque and, through the Regions Liberees, the ba- raque was mounted and painted and made ready for its equipment with no expense to the American Committee. It was interesting to watch the growing appreciation of the workmen, as this library at Soissons began to take form. They were amused over the building of a fire-place and our care to have it just the right size. Then, when the furniture arrived and was put in place and they saw for the first time specially designed library furniture for adults and most particularly for children their interest changed to astonishment, and they carried the news home to their families and friends. The 202 DETROIT CONFERENCE last few days before the library was opened there were many uninvited guests who made their appearance to see the library and to ask questions. Finally, upon enquiry, it was found that either the carpenter or another workman had told them that this library was different and they wanted to see it for themselves. The formal opening of the library at Sois- sons, to which were invited two of the lead- ing French librarians, and the two most in- terested in the modern public library as such, gave us our introduction to the French Li- brary Association. Seeing what could be done in one baraque was believing what could be done in other places. Consequently, a few days after the opening of the library, the American Committee was asked by the Pres- ident of the French Library Association to co-operate in equipping a similar library in Paris as a demonstration. There are eighty circulating libraries, such as those described in the first part of this report, in the various arrondissements of Paris, all of which need reorganization or additional equipment. The plan of co-operation for the Paris li- brary is as follows : The city gives the ground, 20 metres on the street, and 7 metres deep. It gives the present collec- tion of 4,000 books in the school house adjoining, and the services of the two men who now administer the school library for the evening hours. It gives also the janitor service and will pay the running ex- penses of lighting and heating. The Regions Liberees gives the baraque. The City and the Committee, together, share the cost of transporting and mounting the baraque, the levelling of the ground, the installing of elec- tricity and the building of a fire-place. The American Committee will give the furniture, wijl add to the school collections of books, will furnish all printed library supplies, and will give the services of an American trained French librarian and French assistant for at least a year. The total cost will probably be about 100,000 francs for mounting and equipping the library. The American Committee offers to expend this amount of money on this library in Paris, with the signed agreement between Mrs. A. M. Dike, president of the American Commit- tee, and Monsieur Ernest Coyecque, In- spector of the Libraries in Paris and the De- partment of the Seine, that when the Amer- ican Committee withdraws, the City will con- tinue to adequately support this library and to pay the salary of at least one trained French librarian. During the late spring of 1921, a cinema was prepared showing every phase of library activities in the five center libraries, includ- ing the making of the furniture for the li- brary at Soissons and the formal opening of that library. This cinema, with a report, was sent to America for the annual meeting in June of the American Library Association. During the summer, the director of the Library Department was asked to give this report and show the cinema at the annual meeting of the Library Association at Man- chester, England, in September, and also at the annual meeting of the Ligue de 1'Enseign- ment Franchise at Nancy in October. Both of these requests were granted, with the help of a French library assistant, who read the report at the Nancy meeting. And the results of these two meetings have been renewed in- quiries for suggestions and advice from many sources. An informal talk was given and the cinema shown also at Westerham, Kent (England) before a group of people interested in starting village libraries. In November, the director spoke before the New York Library Club at a meeting held in the New York Public Library which was attended by the students of its library school and the students of the Pratt School of Li- brary Science. In January, she spoke to the students of the Carnegie Library School of Pittsburgh, Penn. ; and also of the library school of the Western Reserve University. The cinema of the library work was shown at the same time. The principals of the Carnegie, New York and Western Reserve library schools have offered to modify to some degree the present courses of instruc- tion to correspond more directly to the needs of foreign students. From the time of the organization of the Library Department, the director has been in constant communication with various people for the finding of educated and culti- vated young Frenchwomen to train as li- ANNUAL REPORTS 203 brarians. When Dr. Julien J. Champenois returned from America in the summer of 1921 he outlined a plan of co-operation be- tween the American Committee and the Office National des Universites et ficoles Fran- gaises which he represents in America, for the selection of Frenchwomen for library training in America, and the sharing of the expense of this training. The plan is as follows : The committee of the Office National mak- ing the selection of the French students to be sent to America is composed of two women, Mary Finn and Virginia Newcomb. These two women have been doing this work for three or four years, and they have a wide knowledge of a rather large number of French men and women eligible for teaching or library positions. There are certain stu- dents selected by this Committee who have already spent one year or longer in Ameri- can universities and have good records for such work who are still without permanent positions in France. From this group a cer- tain number of students have been recom- mended for trial in the Committee libraries during the next three or four months. Those who prove to be best fitted for library train- ing, both as to qualifications and inclination, v/ill be selected for training in American li- brary schools. The number of students that may be selected for the coming winter will depend on the amount of money raised in America to cover the living expense, and in any case not more than six will be selected for this year. The Office National will pay the trans- portation of such students to and from Amer- ica and in America. It will take charge of any expense due to sickness and will give, when necessary, pocket money, not exceed- ing $12 a month, to each student. The li- brary schools will waive all tuition, and in some cases may be able to add to the fund for food and lodging, which will need to be $1,000 a year for each student. To raise the money for the food and lodg- ing of these students, to supervise their train- ing and to plan to give them all round ex- perience in America, a special committee has been formed which will be a sub-committee of the Council on Education in Washington, D. C, of which Dr. S. T. Capen is the di- rector. Dr. Edwin H. Anderson is the chairman of this sub-committee and the other members are Alice S. Tyler, representing training; Annie Carroll Moore, representing library work with children; Anne Morgan, representing the American Committee; and Dr. Capen, Dr. Champenois, and Dr. Stephen P. Duggan, who are also members of the Council on Education. It stands to reason that all French li- brarians cannot be trained in America. Con- sequently, every effort possible will be made to start a training class next fall in the American Library in Paris. This class, if realized, will begin in the simplest way, using certain of the present members of the staffs of the American Library in Paris, and the Library Department of the American Com- mittee. It seems most fitting to end with another quotation taken from the report of one of the French assistants who is beginning to study the library situation in France: "Before I came to the Soissons Library, I had not realized that the public library inviting and accessible was an institution lacking in France. In that I held the same opinion as the majority of French people. It was, in reality, a question on which I had scarcely reflected. What is read then, here, by ,the working classes, the merchants, the government employees, the shop men and girls, the teachers, the students of small means, the whole public who would hesitate to expend seven francs for a book and of which the life is such that the need to read appears to them a luxury, and so is sacri- ficed. "At once, in Soissons, I discovered that everybody read. I saw, leaving the library in the hands of the most laborious, those of the masons, the locksmiths, the farmers, the works of Dumas, of Loti, of Daudet, books which have made me think, dream, live. And I was ashamed of my ignorance and, above all, of my heedlessness. I was sure I knew what the others read, those less fortunate and less intelligent than I. "Now I wonder where these workers, these teachers, the students in the colleges would go if our library were not here. And the 204 DETROIT CONFERENCE children of the public schools, who invade our library every afternoon after four o'clock, as soon as their classes are over, and leave their little sabots at the door and who jostle and shove each other around the tables and shelves seeking for Jules Verne or Mayne Reid? There are so many things to say on this subject that one does not know where to begin, or where to finish !" JESSIE CARSON, Director of Library Department. The most significant event (not mentioned in the report) of the year was made possible through a scholarship provided by the Amer- ican Committee for Devastated France. Mile. Lydie Duproix, who had shown exceptional qualifications for library work during four months practical experience at Soissons, en- tered the library school of the New York Public Library in September and received a special certificate in June. The generous terms of this scholarship and of Mile. Du- proix's admission to the library school and practice field of the New York Public Li- brary made it possible for her to visit li- braries and library schools in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Albany, Boston and Washington, and also to have a representative experience of American life and institutions. Mile. Duproix returns to France early in July to assist Miss Carson in the further de- velopment of the library work in Paris and in the Devastee. So far as I know she is the first Frenchwoman to take American li- brary training and experience back to France. She combines to an unusual degree apprecia- tion of the spirit and purpose of the modern library, understanding of children and grown people and a fine heritage of French and English literature. I may add that I watched the initiation of Mile. Duproix into library work at Soissons under Alice O'Connor and it has been of very great interest to see that her practical work in New York, whether in an East Side branch library or in the central children's room, has been character- ized by the same clear-sighted grasp of what should be done and the same charm and ease in adjustment to work with people in a strange environment. I have felt for many years that the dis- covery and training of a librarian should be the first step toward a permanent library. The American Committee for Devastated France having organized its library work on that basis and made its first investment in salaries of trained and experienced workers has rendered a service to American library work as well as to its work in France. ANNIE CARROLL MOORE, Chairman, Sub-Committee on Children's Libraries, Committee on Library Co- operation with Other Countries. LIBRARY CO-OPERATION WITH THE HISPANIC PEOPLES In the first report of the Committee, sub- mitted to the conference of the Association held at Swampscott in 1921 (report of Sub- Committee on Latin America of the Com- mittee on Library Co-operation with other Countries), it was proposed that the com- mittee serve: 1. As a medium for the exchange of thought between the libraries and library organizations in the respective countries. 2. To inform librarians of the United States and of the Hispanic countries of the develop- ment of publications in the other countries. 3. To communicate the names of new pub- lishers and booksellers. 4. To give advice to librarians of the United States and Canada regarding books and peri- odicals published in the Hispanic countries, and to those of the Hispanic countries regard- ing books or magazines published in the United States and Canada. 5. To assist libraries to acquire by subscrip- tion reviews and magazines published in the American countries. 6. As a link between the Association and other organizations with which it might co- operate in the same field. In furtherance of this purpose, the Com- mittee has secured the co-operation of the Inter-American Division of the American Association for International Conciliation and its magazine Inter-America. Arrangements have been made by which Inter-America may become a medium for disseminating informa- tion among the libraries of the United States, Canada and the Hispanic countries, and the following steps have already been taken: 1. Eight pages of the English edition of Inter-America will be devoted to the listing of current magazines, newspapers and books (including the lowest rates and prices given by publishers to foreign institutions), to the analysis of magazines and to book criticism. ANNUAL REPORTS 205 2. Through English Inter-America, with- out any charge whatsoever for service, sub- scriptions may be taken by the libraries of the United States and Canada to Hispanic and Hispanic-American magazines and news- papers, and through it current books may be bought. 3. At the same time eight pages of the Spanish edition of Inter-America will be de- voted to a similar announcement of current publications of the United States and Canada for the benefit of Hispanic and Hispanic- American libraries, to which Inter-America also offers its services. 4. Attention is called to the following de- tails of the plan proposed by Inter-America, which is being communicated in a letter to many of the leading libraries and publishers of the United States, Canada and the Hispanic countries of America and Europe: a. Inter-America will give the names of current newspapers, magazines and books, frequency of issue and subscription rates; in the case of the first two; publishers and prices, in the case of the last; the titles and authors of leading magazine articles, and a brief notice of books and pamphlets. b. It offers to act as intermediary to se- cure for libraries and individuals, without commission, any of the publications listed, or any other publications solicited of it, provided such be obtainable, payment to be made in advance by individuals and libraries, except by special agreement, in cases in which such payment may be impracticable. The Committee reports that the collection of "material illustrative of Hispanic-Amer- ican periodicals," which was exhibited at the conference at Swampscott, has since been ex- hibited at the following places : Columbia University, during the summer school of 1921 ; Honolulu, during the meeting of the World Press Congress, October 4-14, 1921. Library Conditions in Spain and Portu- gal. Conditions that were found to exist in the Hispanic countries of America and that were described in our annual report of 1921 seem to be a prolongation of similar conditions in the mother countries, Spain and Portugal. In these countries libraries serve as archives and deposits, rather than as vital, growing, re- sponsive centers of public interest and initia- tive. While there are priceless collections of books and manuscripts, such as those of the Real Academia Espanola, the Biblioteca Nacional and similar institutions in Madrid, the Archive de Simancas and the Archivo de Indias in Sevilla, and the Universidade de Coimbra in Portugal, libraries, as living en- tities that send their arteries forth into their surroundings, that continue the process of disseminating knowledge, begun in the schools; libraries, as we understand them in the United States, do not exist. If circulat- ing libraries are to be found, they are in- significant private enterprises of slight extent and value. The Committee will endeavor, if continued during the coming year, to acquaint itself in- timately with the publishing houses and sup- ply conditions in the library centers of the Hispanic countries of Europe, and it hopes to bring them into closer relation with the Association, for the reciprocal exchange of information, for the securing of books and periodicals and for co-operation in the fu- ture. PETER H. GOLDSMITH, Chairman, FREDERICK C. HICKS. LIBRARY REVENUES Your Committee on Library Revenues sub- mitted a report with reference to revenues for public libraries, in the form of a resolution which was adopted at the meeting of the Council in Chicago last December. At that time it was voted to enlarge the Committee with a view to its continuing the study, and reporting on revenues for college and univer- sity, normal school, high school, and elemen- tary school libraries. The Committee has had considerable correspondence on this subject, and has had the benefit of some recent data on certain phases of this subject from the United States Bureau of Education. The investigations of the Committee thus far have demonstrated that a great deal of work will be necessary to get the information to draft a report that will adequately meet the 206. DETROIT CONFERENCE situation with reference to all kinds of librar- ies. The Committee is planning to hold meet- ings at Detroit to get this matter into shape. In the meantime we can simply report prog- ress. SAMUEL H. RANCK, Chairman. IVA M. BUTLIN, J. T. GEROULD, CLARA HOWARD, W. H. KERR, SARAH E. MCCARDLE, H. C. WELLMAN, MABEL WILLIAMS. LIBRARY SERVICE (COMMITTEE OF FIVE) This Committee has been and still is en- deavoring to do what may prove to be an impossibility under present conditions, namely, to collect a voluminous amount of information through voluntary workers. Complete in- formation in detail on the plant, customs, and methods of service of American public li- braries is much needed and is still no where available in one place and in usable form. To collect, assemble, and discuss complete data of this kind, two general methods pre- sent themselves. First, to employ a small number of experts, each of whom must necessarily do a large amount of work, and secondly, to use a very large number of co- operators, not one of whom will be called upon for more than a small amount of time, energy and -thought. The first method evidently requires a sal- aried staff, since each one of the workers would have to give to the task his or her entire time for a considerable period. It is still not impossible that some way may be found to finance the survey on this basis. The tentative budget made out by this Com- mittee when it was first constituted called for an annual expenditure of $23,200 for two years, and although it is possible that the work might be done for less than this, it would probably not be safe to begin it on a paid basis without something like this amount in sight, but up to this time none of the bodies that have funds for financing scholarly enterprises has been able or willing to give us a grant even while acknowledging the necessity and value of the projected work. As there seemed therefore to be no imme- diate possibility of using the first method, the Committee at the outset proceeded with plans for employing the second, namely, to secure the consent of a large number of librarians to do each a small part of the work. The field cf inquiry was divided and distributed among members of the Committee as indicated in previous reports and we have now for three years devoted what time we could give to the work of securing the consent of others to co- operate, to securing results from those who have consented but whose lack of available time has necessitated delay, and to the neces- sary work of adjusting and assembling these results. At the present writing, May 1, the end of this work is in sight, although not yet attained. Three years may seem an uncon- scionable time to prepare a mere question- naire, but it must be remembered that this body of questions is intended to cover in de- tail the minutiae of everything done by libra- ries or connected in any way with their work, that the questions on each small division of the subject have been entrusted to some one having special knowledge of that division or interested in it, and that each person who has consented to co-operate is a busy librarian with barely enough time to give to his own duties for which he is responsible to his su- periors and to the public. So long as we are making any progress at all and so long as the Association sees fit to continue us in this work, we shall believe that the time given to it is not wasted and that it must ultimately produce worthy results. Of course, in case we should succeed in so financing the work as to justify the appoint- ment of a paid director with an office staff of experts and compilers, the work done volun- tarily up to the present time will by no means be wasted, but would save a definite propor- tion of the labor that would otherwise have to be paid for from our funds. Respectfully submitted, ARTHUR E. BOSTWICK, Chairman. FLORENCE OVERTON, AZARIAH S. ROOT, HENRY N. SANBORN, BESSIE SARGEANT SMITH. LIBRARY TRAINING The Committee on Library Training did not hold a meeting during the year. The ANNUAL REPORTS 207 chairman was not present at the mid-winter meeting, and the three members who did at- tend were not able to arrange a conference. The Alumni Committee of the Drexel In- stitute Library School requested a statement from this committee on the question of re- establishing that school. After correspond- ence with members of the committee, the chairman formulated a statement and sub- mitted it to the Drexel Institute Alumni Com- mittee. The Committee expected to have ready a thorough study of training offered for teacher-librarian work with recommendations for the Association. The School Libraries Section has been giving attention to this sub- ject, working especially at the desirable con- tent of a course preparing for school library positions. The section made a survey of school library courses offered by the estab- lished library schools and to avoid duplica- tion, turned over to our Committee the in- formation thus gathered and the following conclusions based on this survey: 1. School librarian should be an executive, an educator, an inspirer. 2. Courses in library schools preparing for these functions may be divided into sim- ilar classes. Technical and administrative, pedagog- ical (history, methods, school library movement), books (selection, refer- ence). 3. While technical-administrative and book courses are adequate, most schools are lacking in satisfactory educational and pedagogical courses. With this information at hand, the purpose of our Committee is to give particular study to the courses offered outside of the estab- lished library schools. It has not been pos- sible to complete this investigation, however, and it will be carried over into the work of the coming year. The Committee presents the following preliminary statement, and sub- mits a thesis on this subject, listing the courses offered . on school library work, and including a bibliography of the teacher-li- brarian movement: The rapid growth of school libraries in re- cent years, the stimulus given to trained su- pervision of these libraries by N. E. A. offi- cial reports and by legislation in various states, have created a real problem the sup- ply of persons adequately trained to take charge of these libraries. In the case of the large high schools, where trained librarians can be employed, the diffi- culty is not so great from the library train- ing point of view, as in the far more nu- merous smaller schools, where the library must be cared for by a teacher or school ex- ecutive devoting part time to it regularly. To meet the demand for giving some library training to these "teacher-librarians," courses on school library work have sprung up in all parts of the country. These courses range from a total of 15 lessons to a full year's work. Much of this training must be super- ficial and it is plain that this Committee should study carefully the character of the instruction covered by these courses should examine the requirements of a teacher-li- brarian's equipment and should formulate some standards for such training as a rec- ommendation. To quote from the prelim- inary report of the Sub-Committee. "One can build a pyramid of Library train- ing, putting at its foundation the thirteen schools that are in the Association of Amer- ican Library Schools, raising on this as a superstructure, (1) The recognized training classes in large public libraries. (2) The summer sessions conducted by the regular library schools. (3) Summer sessions conducted by Com- missions, state libraries and universities on a stable departmental background, and a continuity of organization that has extended over a number of years. (4) Courses offered in normal schools and other institutions conducting summer sessions. (5) The extra-courses that are offered in colleges, normal schools, and many other institutions for those expecting to do library work on part time such as teacher-librarians. Just now this is the apex of the pyramid, and very attenuated in many instances. As it has had less attention than the others, it seems the place where a special study should be made and recommendations offered to the Association." The Committee wishes to emphasize, for the purpose of securing further consideration 208 DETROIT CONFERENCE or discussion, some points brought out in the report of last year. We included several recommendations, re- peated below, looking forward to the develop- ment of a more uniform system of library training by bringing the various agencies into a closer co-operation and correlation of work 1. That the regular library schools offer summer school courses in special subjects for which the same credit be given as for equivalent courses in the regular school. 2. That there is a place in our system of library training for thorough, carefully prepared and properly supervised corre- spondence courses in certain branches of library work, especially if sponsored by our library schools and if regular school credit could be granted for such work. It would not be practicable for all schools to offer correspondence work, but certain schools could give such extension courses in subjects in which they are fitted through specialization or through skilled instructors to do successful work. These courses should be developed on the best methods of instruction with careful fol- low-up work and with practice. 3. That the various library schools adopt a uniform system of evaluating the credit for courses. A unit of credit similar to the "semester hour" of the standard col- leges and universities, would allow a more accurate comparison of courses in the dif- ferent schools, and also provide a definite basis for granting credit by colleges and for interchange of credit between library schools. 4. A comparison of instructional courses in library science given by training classes and by summer schools, with data to as- sist in evaluating and correlating these courses so that there may be a uniformity in standards to be used as a basis for learning the relative value of these agen- cies in library instruction. If these recommendations could be carried out the opportunity for securing library train- ing would be broadened. Students, who are unable to take an entire year off for a library school course, could take extension work by correspondence, standard courses in sum- mer schools possibly registering at two or more summer schools, and all of this work would be progressing regularly towards a library school degree. Of course a fixed amount of residence work and the regular personality requirements should still be en- forced. The need of more properly qualified libra- rians is unquestionable. Practically no library school has a capacity number of stu- dents. The A. L. A. recruiting campaign should have a beneficial effect. At the same time it must not be forgotten that librarian- ship, like other professions, needs more real leaders. The need is not so much more library workers as more good ones. Dis- couraging the unsuitable candidate is as much service to the library as encouraging those who are fitted for it to engage in library work. Minimizing the demands which the library makes upon its staff will tend to lower ideals of library service and to encourage unduly the unfit. The recommendations made last year by the Sub-Committee on cataloging created some discussion but no action. The Catalog Section has been working along the same lines and it is understood will con- tinue the discussion at the Detroit conference. This Committee believes that cataloging is one of the subjects which could be satisfac- torily taught by correspondence. By the use of photo-prints and a traveling library of books the proper equipment could be easily accumulated. The situation as to the dearth of catalogers remains about the same and the Committee urges most earnestly that the proper emphasis be given to the importance of this subject in the hope of remedying this condition. The Association probably does not realize the amount of work embodied in many of the special sub-committee investigations submitted in the reports of this Committee during the past few years. Definite and specific recom- mendations based on the highest professional experience and thorough study are made to the Association to no apparent purpose. Un- der these conditions the chairman is loath to request members of the Committee to un- dertake work which will require a great deal of time. Careful and intelligent considera- ANNUAL REPORTS 209 ition should be given to committee reports so | that recommendations made would be either (rejected or acknowledged through some fa- vorable action. Respectfully submitted, MALCOLM G. WYER, Chairman, W. W. APPLETON, EMMA V. BALDWIN, MARY EMOGENE HAZELTINE, JOHN A. LOWE, MARGARET MANN, EFFIE L. POWER, CARRIE E. SCOTT, F. K. WALTER. LIBRARY WORKERS ASSOCIATION No report. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE The present Committee was appointed Sep- tember 23, 1921, and the first letter of the Chairman to the members, a charge of spe- cial responsibility for membership campaigns in states represented by Committeemen, was sent out October 6. The Committee has had but one change in membership, Alice L. Rose of New York City being unable to serve because of ill health. Donald K. Camp- bell of Haverhill was appointed in her place. The forming of a local branch of the A.L.A. in the St. Louis district resulted in many new A.L.A. members. It is hoped that the plan will be adopted in other places. A special effort has been made to have the matter of membership in our international organization taken up in every state and province of the United States and Canada. Where possible state association meetings were addressed, district meetings and insti- tutes also, and the state and provincial li- brary organizations were used where avail- able, as well as the special or local library club. The library schools were reached, groups of library workers in a specific field as children's workers, high school librarians, medical librarians, etc,, the Public Library Commission and state library bulletins were used, and finally personal letters were sent to librarians already members asking help and to librarians not yet members urging consideration. Each of these methods has had results, and each member of the Committee has cov- ered his own community in the way which seemed wisest with varying results. In pre- vious campaigns the large libraries of the United States and Canada had been pretty well reached by membership appeals, so this year the Committee made a special effort to reach the smaller libraries and communities. The total results show 494 new members up to May 20. To the Association Headquarters the Com- mittee must give a large share of the credit for the successful year. They have sent out most of the form letter material, as well as circulars and bulletin material, and have been fertile with suggestions of value. On the recommendation of the Membership Com- mittee, Headquarters has installed an ad- ditional office list of members arranged by geographical location. This will be of great assistance to future committees, as the names of members in each state will be available, preventing either vexatious double-canvassing, or missing some one. Special mention must be made also of Miss Hunt's contribution of 550 letters to the children's librarians of the coun- try; the volunteer aid of Czarina Hall of Omaha, in writing to all Nebraska li- brarians, and of Mr. Kerr in Kansas; as well as a similar letter to all Alabama li- brarians sent by Miss Chapman. A double effort to reach a large number of Ontario and Middle West librarians was made be- cause of the interest which the Detroit con- ference might be expected to stimulate. In covering this field special material was pre- pared for state bulletins, and the membership lists of state and provincial library associa- tions were checked for individual letters. In the course of the year's work various queries have arisen. From the Atlantic coast, from the south- ern States and from the Pacific Northwest has come the common plaint that the A. L. A. "lives and moves and has its being for other parts of the country but neglects mine. Sometimes we feel that all you care about us is our membership fee." Suggestion 1. It is not possible to plan for sectional meetings which will tie all dis- tricts together rather than cut them apart. The district meetings of state associations strengthen rather than disrupt the main or- 210 DETROIT CONFERENCE ganization. Cannot a southeastern meeting, a southwestern, a central Atlantic and a north Pacific be so engineered, attended and managed by Association officers biennially that a loyalty to the general Association may be strengthened, instead of strengthening the separatist spirit towards which the present independent sectional movement tends? The membership committee feels that this can and should be done. Against the increased expense of such a proposal must be consid- ered the loss in dues which follows the de- velopment of local dissatisfaction. Our second problem is that connected with the payment of membership dues. The chair- man of the Committee admits having strong- ly favored the present plan of a $2.00 fee for those dispensing with the Proceedings and Handbook, and $4.00 for those desiring them. More than one-half of old and new mem- bers are paying dues on the $2.00 plan. This plan (which, we believe, was first broached by a Pacific Coast librarian) would, it was thought, result in a larger membership from assistants than a higher uniform fee. Most assistants it was stated have access to the library copy of the Handbook and Proceed- ings when they were needed. However, the plan has not given the general satisfaction that was anticipated. The bitterest criticism has come from the $4.00 members who say that their junior assistants and the librarians of tiny libraries, to whom the $2.00 fee might be expected to appeal, do not join now be- cause "they get nothing at all in return for their fee beyond having their names printed in a handbook which they do not see." Even the institutional membership no longer brings to the small library the Booklist which for- merly made such membership appeal. Suggestion 2. The Committee therefore recommends A. that the Executive Board obtain a general expression of opinion from all members as to whether the present plan should continue or whether the rates should be raised to permit every member receiving the Handbook and the Proceedings. The Committee feels that the Handbook should go to all members, regardless of rate. B. that a special rate on the Booklist be made to libraries which are institutional members of the Association. One committeeman suggests that this class of members be allowed to choose between receiving the Proceedings or the Booklist. The membership lists of a number of State Library Associations were this year checked for circularization in the interests of A. L. A. membership. It will be interesting to learn the proportion of A. L. A. members already on the state lists. Suggestion 3. Cannot such checking be done for all state library organizations which are chapters of the A. L. A.? The Commit- tee here raises the question for discussion : "Would a joint fee for chapter and national membership be desirable?" Suggestion 4. It is recommended that the incoming Membership Committee be ap- pointed early enough in the summer so that they can get in touch with earlier state meet- ings which the present Committee was un- able to reach Colorado, Pacific Northwest, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin. There are a large num- ber of such meetings in September and early October. Especial attention is also called to the larger southeastern conference which will be held in Chattanooga about the middle of October, and to the projected south central Conference at Austin in October. A Canadi- an member should also be added to the Com- mittee. Respectfully submitted, WM. J. HAMILTON, Chairman. Approved TOMMIE DORA BARKER, ZAIDEE BROWN, LILA MAY CHAPMAN, ISABELLA M. COOPER, HAROLD T. DAUGHERTY, ALICE R. EATON, MRS. ALICE G. EVANS, CLARA W. HUNT, MRS. JOSEPH A. THOMPSON, No response to tentative report. DONALD K. CAMPBELL, HOWARD L. HUGHES, JULIA IDESON, SABRA L. NASON. May 15, 1922. NATIONAL CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING Owing to the resignation of the chairman no report has been prepared since the Mid- Winter meetings. ANNUAL REPORTS 211 NOMINATING COMMITTEE The report of this committee has been pre- sented in the Bulletin and on the official ballot. PREPARATION OF A BIBLIOGRA- PHY OF HUMANISTIC LITERATURE The Committee is unable to report any progress during the year on the project for the publication of an international biblio- graphy of humanistic studies. The Commit- tee of the American Association of Univer- sity Professors appears to have made no progress either in the plans for the project or in finding the means for carrying it into effect. The Committee, therefore, recommends that it be discharged. The Committee begs to place on record its deep conviction of the usefulness and im- portance of such a bibliography as that pro- posed by Professor Teggart, of the Uni- versity of California, in his address before the Association at the Asbury Park confer- ence. The present chaotic state of numerous bibliographic enterprises seems to point to a need for some unifying and directing body. The Committee does not feel that the Amer- ican Library Association should necessarily be the agency for such direction and unifica- tion, but it does feel that the Association necessarily has a profound interest in any plans leading to the production of co-op- erative bibliographical work on a large scale. Further, it is the conviction of all the mem- bers of the Committee that the experience of librarians extending over a period of many years has prepared the Association to render effective aid in devising and carrying on any bibliographic scheme of wide extent and range. The Association should, therefore, stand ready to proffer its aid when it is re- quested, either through the Council or through a special committee appointed for that purpose. Respectfully submitted, WM. W. BISHOP, Chairman. E. H. ANDERSON, ANDREW KEOGH, H. H. B. MEYER, PUBLIC DOCUMENTS It was hoped that this session of Congress would see enacted the Printing Bill which would embody as far as possible provisions desired by librarians concerning their distribu- tion, format, etc., but the very important measures which have been under considera- tion in this Congress have crowded the Printing Bill to one side and it is not likely that it will be reported from the Committee. On the other hand, Public Law No. 171, 67th Congress, approved March 20, 1922, car- ries a provision on page 17 of the greatest in- terest to depository libraries. This provision reads : "for supplying books to depository libra- ries, $75,000; equipment, material, and sup- plies for distribution of public documents, $35,000; . . . Provided, That no part of this sum shall be used to supply to deposi- tory libraries any documents, books, or other printed matter not requested by such libraries." and really enacts the principle of selection. In plain English it prohibits sending any documents that have not been requested. The Superintendent of Documents will send to the librarians of depository libraries very shortly a circular bringing this mat- ter to their attention with lists from which selections are to be made. Probably these will be in the hands of depository librarians by the time this report is read. At the last meeting of the Documents Round Table at Swampscott a number of librarians who desired immediate delivery of documents gave their names to Miss Hart- well, one of the staff of the Superintendent of Documents. The Superintendent at once tried the experiment of making immediate shipments of documents to these libraries and after an interval directed a letter to them asking for an expression of opinion on im- mediate shipments. Every response received was favorable to its continuation, and the Superintendent of Documents then prepared to circularize all libraries concerning imme- diate deliveries. This plan however was interrupted by the hearings on, and the pass- age of the law mentioned above. Under this law immediate deliveries will be made, but li- brarians should note especially that selection is now mandatory, and no documents will be sent to any library unless they have been 212 DETROIT CONFERENCE requested, and once requested, if publication is continuous, they will continue to be sent, until the law is changed, or the librarian re- quests their discontinuance. It was the ex- press wish of Congress, through its Com- mittee, that watseful distribution be absolutely discontinued. Libraries failing to make a selection after due notice will not receive any documents. Those that make a blanket request for all will have to satisfy the Su- perintendent of Documents that they can take care of them properly, so far as shelving, cataloging, and circulation are concerned. At present we can only report progress on the pamphlet which we hope to prepare on the handling and circulation of documents in public libraries. It is hoped that something more definite can be said at the Detroit con- H. H. B. MEYER, Chairman. PUBLICITY The Publicity Committee reports progress as follows : 1. An effort was made to obtain material for a new handbook, for general use in li- brary campaigns, on Why we need a public library. It is recommended that the A. L. A. headquarters office prepare and publish this handbook. 2. A conference of state library commis- sion and state library association officers was held at Chicago during the mid- winter meet- ings, to consider methods of obtaining library publicity in the newspapers of the various states. The Chicago office of the Associated Press co-operated in this conference and sent to its state correspondents a circular urging co-operation with state library officials. 3. The idea of a daily publicity breakfast at the Detroit Conference grew out of the discussion at the meeting mentioned above. 4. A comprehensive outline with series of recommendations regarding A. L. A. confer- ence publicity was submitted to the head- quarters office and the president. 5. The Committee held a special meeting at Chicago for the consideration of National Library Week, suggested by the success of Children's Book Week, National Thrift Week, and by the preparations made for the Mis- souri Book Week and the Indiana Library Week. The Committee recommends that Na- tional Library Week be celebrated in the spring of 1923; and the Committee will co- operate heartily with the Association and the headquarters office in preparing and execut- ing the plans. Respectfully submitted on behalf of the committee, W. H. KERR, Chairman. May 20, 1922. RECIPROCAL RELATIONS WITH OTHER NATIONAL OR- GANIZATIONS The work of this committee has been car- ried out as far as possible bearing in mind the point of view of the Committee on Committees. The larger part of -the work of the committee such as appointing A. L. A. representatives for various national meetings and arranging exhibits, etc., has therefore been handled through the Secretary's office. Among other meetings at which the A. L. A. has been represented are the following: Emily Van Dorn Miller represented the A. L. A. at the meeting of the Country Life Association at- New Orleans; Edna I. Allyn, of Honolulu (appointed by the Execu- tive Board of the A. L. A.) represented the A. L. A. at the Educational Conference held in Hawaii; Margaret Dunlap represented the A. L. A. at the Southern Co-operative League meeting; Mr. Marron, the American Prison Association meeting; Claribel R. Bar- nett of Washington represented the A. L. A. at the conference in Washington for the discussion of the Towner-Sterling Education- al Bill; the A. L. A. co-operated with the N. E. A. on American Education Week, De- cember 4-10; with the Booksellers, Publish- ers and Boy Scouts of America on Children's Book Week; with the President's Unemploy- ment Conference Committees by obtaining in- formation about library buildings in course of construction; with National Thrift Week organization; Dr. Putnam, Mr. Wyer and others represented the A. L. A. at the burial of the unknown soldier at Washington on November llth. Your committee recommends to the Coun- cil: (1) That the A. L. A. co-operate to the fullest possible extent with the American Press Association, made up of representatives of weekly newspapers in the United States in ANNUAL REPORTS 213 order to further the county library move- ment. (2) That the A. L. A. seek reciprocal rela- tions with the American Farm Bureau Federa- tion and secure the active aid and support of this strong organization in the interest of fur- thering the movement of the county library. (3) That the A. L. A. establish close alli- ance with the Booksellers' Association and the National Association of Book Publishers and provide A. L. A. speakers for their pro- grams from time to time. (4) Believing that the importance of a public library as a function of municipal gov- ernment still needs to be impressed on mu- nicipal executives your committee suggests that a showing at conferences of mayors would be valuable. Respectfully submitted, C. W. SUMNER, Chairman. PAUL M. PAINE, WILLIAM TEAL. RECRUITING Your Committee on Recruiting for Li- brarianship, consisting of the twelve members whose names are given at the end of this report, was appointed in November 1920 by the Executive Board of the A. L. A. Our first report, submitted at the Swampscott meeting, may be found on pp. 92-96 of the American Library Association Annual Re- ports, 1920-21. The work of the committee this second year has been conducted on much the same lines as the work during the first year. Let- ters* have been sent to the librarians in 604 colleges and universities asking their help again this year in persuading college men and women of suitable personality to consider librarianship as a desirable profession and suggesting that this help can be given: 1. By attractively written articles in their student publications. 2. Through talks by competent speakers at student assemblies. The speaker might well be the librarian of the college or an alumnus who is a librarian. 3. By personal interviews with individual students. 4. By the distribution of printed matter about library work. Copies of the circular letters, pamphlets, placards and other recruiting material men- tioned in this report are available at A. L. A. Headquarters. Write to A. L. A. Headquarters for samples of such printed matter. 5. By sending personal letters to selected students, as was done last year by Wil- liam E. Henry, librarian University of Washington, Seattle. A sample of this letter is enclosed. 6. By securing the co-operation of your college vocational adviser, who should be supplied with printed matter concerning librarianship. Sample letters have also been supplied to these same librarians, to be sent by them to individual students, in which it is stated that the supply of trained librarians is limited and the demand for them is increasing and that library work offers : 1. The chance for individual development. 2. Congenial surroundings and social contact. 3. A choice of work not limited geograph- ically. 4. Opportunity for advancement for proved ability. 5. A range of subject interest as wide as human knowledge. Posters printed by the A. L. A. have been supplied to college librarians and others to be used as an aid in recruiting; letters were sent to supervisors, or leaders of high school library work in 25 different states, requesting them to bring before the high school librari- ans of the state the desirability of encour- aging "a selected few among their students who seem especially adapted to library work to shape their course in high school and college so that they will be well prepared to undertake it." Circular letters have been sent to the di- rectors of approximately 100 private schools for girls, enclosing copies of "Books and a vocation" and stating briefly the requirements and attractions of the profession. From A. L. A. Headquarters suggested articles for use in college magazines were sent to a se- lected list of 21 women's colleges and to 164 co-educational colleges. A considerable correspondence on recruiting has been con- ducted by the Committee and by A. L. A. Headquarters. Recruiting material printed by the A. L. A., or supplied in the form of reprints from articles printed elsewhere, has been accumu- 214 DETROIT CONFERENCE lated at A. L. A. Headquarters in consider- able quantities. This is being distributed to advantage, is bringing results and will con- tinue to bring results. Some of the more important of these articles are the following: Training for librarianship, by Mary W. Plummer. Library work, an opportunity for college women, by June R. Donnelly. Library work for young men, by J. C. Dana. Library as a detective agency, by F. K. W. Drury. Books and a vocation, by a committee of the Association of American Library Schools. Recruiting for librarianship, by Mary E. Hazeltine, in the Wisconsin Library Bulletin for December 1921, reprinted in Standard Catalog Bi-monthly for March 1922. Librarianship, by Charles H. Compton, in the Open Road, May 1922. Recruiting for librarianship, by J. A. Mc- Millen, in Library Messenger, Missouri Library Commission bulletin, April 1922. Article in Minnesota Library Notes and News, April 1922. The committee feels that a larger fund should be provided for the publication and distribution of recruiting material. Our most effective work is done through publicity, and appropriate printed matter in large quantities will be needed. In this connection the chair- man feels that a recruiting manual should be prepared and published for distribution to A. L. A. members, to members of all re- cruiting committees, to college librarians, high school librarians, and vocational ad- visers. Such a manual would give definite suggestions as to how to proceed in the actual work of recruiting and would list available material with its price and where it could be obtained. At the urgent request of the A. L. A. Re- cruiting Committee, local recruiting commit- tees have been appointed by various organi- zations. Twelve library schools have ap- pointed such committees from among their alumni. Ten state library associations have appointed recruiting committees and several more state associations have indicated that the appointment of such a committee will bt considered. Members of these state committees have addressed college and high school students in Wisconsin, Michigan, Alabama, North Caro- lina and at Wellesley college. Similar work has doubtless been done in other states and in other colleges. Letters were sent to 25 supervisors of high school libraries requesting that they bring the subject of recruiting for librarian- ship to the attention of the high school li- brarians in their states. Replies from Cali- fornia, Kentucky, Indiana, Rhode Island, Con- necticut, New Jersey, Texas, New York, Illi- nois, Iowa and Oregon, indicate that such work has either been done or will be done. Your committee has promoted the idea that the subject of recruiting be included in programs for library meetings. This sug- gestion has been acted upon in many cases that have come to the attention of the Com- mittee. The Committee heartily appreciates the splendid help and support given it by the A. L. A. Headquarters. Miss Bogle and Mr. Milam have made many valuable suggestions and have taken care of the bulk of the work and correspondence. The committee would make four recom- mendations for the coming year: 1. Provide and distribute printed material and posters in larger quantities. 2. Prepare, publish and distribute a recruit- ing manual. 3. Work out a plan for presenting the sub- ject to students in colleges, universities and high schools, with a selected list of speakers having definite assignments, for the more important institutions. 4. Endeavor to interest college presidents in adding a course in library science to the college curriculum in sections where schools seem to be needed. Respectfully submitted, J. T. JENNINGS, Chairman. IRVING R. BUNDY, ERNEST J. REECE, F. K. W. DRURY, RENA REESE, FRANCES E. EARHART, FLORA B. ROBERTS, ALICE M. JORDAN, GRACE D. ROSE, FLORENCE OVERTON, CHARLES H. STONE, ANNIE A. POLLARD, ALTHEA WARREN. ANNUAL REPORTS 215 RESOURCES OF AMERICAN LI- BRARIES I beg to submit the following preliminary I report of the Committee on Resources of i American Libraries : The initial work of the Committee was in- augurated in consequence of a resolution passed at a meeting of the Conference of Eastern College Librarians in November, 1920. At that meeting a committee, consisting of the librarians of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell and Princeton, was appointed to in- itiate a movement looking toward a better dif- ferentiation in the field of purchase of the larger university libraries. The Committee met in New York in Jan- uary, 1921, and following the meeting letters were written to the following national scien- tific societies : The American Historical Association, The Modern Language Association, The American Philosophical Association, The American Psychological Association, The American Political Science Association, suggesting, first, that they should institute, each within its own field, a study of existing resources for investigation; second, that they should attempt to work out a program of col- lection which would result in the purchase of material in lines not now covered and in the elimination of unwise duplication. The replies received from these societies in- dicated great interest in the plan but an inabil- ity to finance the study of library resources. In every case, however, committees have been appointed, and it is hoped that during the coming year and before the next annual meet- ings of the societies a definite plan can be worked out. The work done by this preliminary com- mittee was discussed at the meeting of the Western College Librarians at Chicago in December, 1921, and it was the judgment of that conference that the committee should be placed on a national basis and should have behind it the prestige of the American Li- brary Association. As a consequence the Executive Board authorized the appointment of a committee consisting of the following: J. T. GEROULD, Chairman. WILLARD AUSTEN, W. W. BISHOP, F. C. HICKS, ANDREW KEOGH, W. C. LANE, A. H. SHEARER, P. L. WINDSOR. Negotiations will be undertaken immediate- ly with others of the major national societies, and within another year we shall hope to be able to make a more definite report. The above is submitted purely as a report of progress. Very truly yours, JAMES THAYER GEROULD, Chairman. REVISION OF ADAMS' MANUAL OF HISTORICAL LITERATURE The Committee on the Revision of Adams' Manual of Historical Literature has been in co-operation with the Committee of the Amer- ican History Association which is prepar- ing the work. It has ceased to be a Revision of Adams' and has become a new Manual. Publication arrangements have 'been made with the MacMillan Co. and editorial work has continued with interruptions. Of the thirty chapters, four are ready for the print- er, the others are in various stages of prog- ress. The hope of publishing in 1922 is, how- ever, not to be justified but the book may go to press before the end of the year. AUGUSTUS H. SHEARER, Chairman. SALARIES The Salaries Committee was not appointed until January, 1922. Accordingly, this report will largely be of work begun and recom- mendations for future work, rather than of things actually accomplished. The Committee early agreed upon the following as an initial program : 1. That certain salary statistics should be printed annually such as : a. Salary statistics of 30 large public li- braries. b. Salary statistics of 30 medium sized public libraries. c. Salary statistics of 30 selected college and university libraries. 216 DETROIT CONFERENCE 2. That State Library Commissions be re- quested to publish salary statistics along with other statistics of libraries in their respective states, general distribution to be made to libraries within each state. 3. That a comparison of salaries paid to teachers and librarians in 10 cities be made. That the cities be selected by the Committee and the librarian of each be asked to report on librarians' and teachers' salaries, showing in the case of both librarians and teachers the train- ing and experience required. It is planned later to collect salary statistics also of state, federal and endowed libraries. Questionnaires have already been sent out from A. L. A. Headquarters covering the pub- lic and college libraries as recommended in No. 1. The schedule of positions in the A. L. A. Revised Form for Library Statistics has been used but grades have been so denned that it should be possible for librarians to make more exact comparisons of salaries paid in different libraries. The results of these questionnaires will be printed in the A. L. A. Bulletin and perhaps in separate form so that they may be available for use with li- brary trustees and tax levying bodies for it is with them that library salaries largely have to do, not with the public in general. The Committee believes that the first thing for the A. L. A. to do is to print annually such facts regarding library salaries. Librarians then can use these facts as they see fit. The printing of salary statistics by library commissions should be of special value to small libraries. At the suggestion of the Salaries Committee, the Library Extension Division of the New York State Department of Education has sent out a circular letter to all libraries within the state in an effort to secure comprehensive salary statistics in New York. If this Division can compile the data received from this questionnaire it may well prove very helpful to other state library commissions in gathering similar data within their states. The Committee will endeavor to have a resolution submitted to the League of Library Commissions at its meeting in Detroit with the purpose of having the League endorse the collecting and printing of salary statistics by library commissions. The Committee would especially recommend that every state library association have a standing committee on salaries. The value of such committees is well illustrated by the ex- ceedingly good reports on library salaries pub- lished by the Committee on Salaries of the California Library Association and the Pa- cific Northwest Library Association. Adequate library appropriations as a whole invariably result in better salaries and the Com- mittee is glad to know of the attention which the Trustees Section plans to give to this topic at Detroit. In this respect the Com- mittee would point to the fact brought out in the report of the Committee on Salaries of the Pacific Northwest Library Association that county libraries generally pay higher sal- aries than other libraries and accordingly an important aid in the solution of the salary problem would be the further extension of the county library system. In order to ascertain the present status of the salary situation, the Committee wrote to a number of representative libraries in dif- ferent parts of the country. The purpose of this letter was to find out whether appropria- tions were being decreased and whether sal- aries had been decreased. No library had decreased salaries but a number had been un- able to make their usual increases. This is in spite of the fact that some of the same cities have reduced the salaries of other city em- ployees. Half of the libraries had received larger appropriation for 1922 than 1921 ; the other half had received less. A number of li- braries had used other funds and special book funds in order to make salary increases. One of the methods of economy was the employing of more untrained assistants. The Committee thinks that it is rather remarkable considering the widespread present tendency to reduce taxes, that libraries have not been more seri- ously affected. In a number of cities, in spite of this tendency, increased appropriations had been secured but there is no doubt that libra- ries generally will be affected more or less by this demand for lower taxation. Much was done during the war toward increasing li- brary salaries, and the salaries proposed for librarians in the bill in Congress for reclas- sification of civil service employees is encour- ANNUAL REPORTS 217 aging. However, they are far from being at the level which they should be in most com- munities. It is the opinion of the Committee that comparatively little can ever be accom- plished toward the recruiting of high grade library school students or of making certifi- cation practical until library salaries are more generally and widely increased. The Committee recommends that A. L. A. Headquarters with the aid of the Salaries Committee should, as far as time will allow, be constantly making studies and printing them, of various phases of the library salary problem. For example, a study should be made of the practice of libraries regarding the giving of stated salary increases within grades ; on what basis they are made ; whether they are made annually on the recommenda- tion of the librarian with the approval of the Board or automatically; what methods are used to prevent employees receiving increases without merit. Other subjects for special studies might be Budgets of individual librarians selected at random; Study of the effect on library sal- aries of employees living at home. The Com- mittee is certain that much can be learned from the fight for higher salaries which has been and is being made by teachers especially through the N. E. A. Every number of the Journal of the National Education Association includes data on teachers' salaries and the N. E. A. also is publishing compilations on teachers' salaries of which the January bulle- tin is an exceedingly good example. There is a difference of opinion on the part of the various members of the Commit- tee regarding the setting up of a standard by the A. L. A. for a minimum beginning salary for trained library assistants. Mr. Perry, formerly chairman of the A. L. A. Salaries Committee, and Mr. Jennings, chair- man of the Pacific-Northwest Library Asso- ciation Salaries Committee, are both of the opinion that this would be desirable, but there are, undoubtedly, others who would not agree with them. The Committee, however, would suggest that this would be an interesting ques- tion to be considered at a meeting of the A. L. A. Council. There is no more important question before American libraries than library salaries and the best efforts of the Association officially and of librarians individually should be put forth to raise the standard of salaries. Publicity that can be obtained on library salaries in general magazines and elsewhere should be of benefit to all libraries but the raising of sal- aries will depend almost entirely upon the efforts of the individual librarian and his board. Evenden's comprehensive report on teachers' salaries demonstrates through con- vincing statistics that there is little if any connection between the wealth or prosperity of a city and the scale of salaries paid to teachers. It says, "The above study would conclusively indicate that this question of in- creases to teachers' salaries is largely a mat- ter of local progress, and depends more upon the development of a favorable community attitude or upon the aggressive work of a su- perintendent or teachers' organization than upon any economic development of the com- munity. Such a study is evidence of the oft repeated statement that a community will find the means of supporting schools when con- vinced that it is a desirable thing to do." The Salaries Committee's primary object should be to supply ammunition to the libra- rian in his fight for the development of a fa.nrable community attitude toward better li- brary salaries. The Committee, it would seem, can best do this by making available such facts bearing on salaries as have been indi- cated in this report. Respectfully submitted, CHARLES H. COMPTON, Chairman. MARY E. DOWNEY, FRANKLIN F. HOPPER. May 6, 1922. SPONSORSHIP FOR KNOWLEDGE The members of the Committee on Sponsor- ship for Knowledge believe the time has ar- rived when the American Library Association should consider seriously the formal adoption of a system of "Sponsors for Knowledge." This belief is based chiefly on what seems the obvious need for making known sources of in- formation on many questions that are fre- quently asked but unsatisfactorily or provis- ionally answered particularly in the library field. Business houses are more and more establishing their special libraries, in connec- tion with which they ask "What is the best 218 DETROIT CONFERENCE system of classification to adopt?" Therefore there is need of a sponsor, by appealing to whom this question will become more and more satisfactorily answered each time it is asked. There is much talk about "business English," and the American mind looks for authority on many questions that are not an- swered or not finally answered through the usual dictionaries or books on English, and would therefore appreciate a source of appeal. Hence the need of a sponsor for "business English," who will bring enthusiasm to the problem of giving satisfaction when the usual channels fail. The community center movement is active and meets with varying success in different places. Its literature is be- coming vast and there is need of an unbiased opinion on the many questions that according- ly arise in connection with this movement. Of course, there are many authorities on community centers in this country, but will not a single library or librarian accept re- sponsibility for "who's who and where-to- look" for information regarding community centers? Again, always a difficulty with li- braries and such business houses as have many yearly publications to send for is the method of follow-up, the reminder, or "tick- ler" that will prevent oversight and conse- quent failure to obtain some annual publica- tion that is much needed. There has been a committee of the Special Libraries Associa- tion of Boston looking into this subject, and its report will probably have been published by the time of the library conference at Detroit. Hence the chairman of the above committee would be a natural sponsor for the "method of follow-up." The Committee might mention dozens of subjects, but to do so would make this report too lengthy. Suffice to say that, with the courage of its convictions, the Committee of- fers the following local sponsorships, includ- ed in which are members of the Library Ex- tension Service Committee which meets at the Boston Public Library every Tuesday after- noon. Business English: Lee. Classification systems for business libraries : Harwell. Community centers : Tripp. Convention specifications : Chamberlain. Educational extensions : Mover. Factory libraries : Whitmore. Information bureaus: Gibbs. Reference desk methods: Chase. Stamps and coins : Wellman. Trusteeship of libraries: Belden. By way of bringing matters to a head the following resolution is offered : "That this report be considered final, the Committee dis- charged and the central office of the Ameri- can Library Association take measures neces- sary to officialize sponsorships to at least a hundred in number, during the year begin- ning July 1, 1922." The Committee would emphasize the need for publicity as a feature of prime importance, as it has proved easy to secure sponsors, but difficult to make the public know or librarians realize that the system exists. CHARLES F. D. BELDEN, GEORGE WINTHROP LEE, GEORGE H. TRIPP, HTT.T.F.R C. WELLMAN, FRANK H. WHITMORE. May 1, 1922. STANDARDIZATION OF LIBRARIES No report. TRANSFER OF LIBRARY WAR SERVICE ACTIVITIES During the past year two branches of the former Library war service continued in ac- tive operation, and conditions arose that made it necessary for the A. L. A. to continue its interest in them, and in fact take an active part in their operation. These were the Li- brary service at Coblenz, and the Hospital Li- brary Service throughout the United States. Both of these activities had been transferred to the United States government, the Li- brary service at Coblenz on January 1st, 1921, and the Hospital Library Service, July 1st, 1921. The transfer of the Library service at Coblenz occurred at a time when the War service funds were at a low ebb, and it seemed advisable to concentrate expenditures on the Hospital Library Service where the need was greater, and no government funds were avail- able. Immediately after the transfer of the Cob- lenz library it appeared that owing to many unusual demands there were no government funds available to carry on the library serv- ANNUAL REPORTS 219 ice, with the result that it was transferred to the Y. M. C. A. and that organization has carried it on up to the present time. But the Y. M. C. A. funds also proved inadequate, as was disclosed by the visit of Wm. W. Bishop, in October, 1921, which resulted in the expenditure of $1000 of the Library War fund, which had been augmented since the be- ginning of the year. This money was ex- pended in New York under the direct super- vision of Mr. Hopper, of the New York Public Library staff, who looked after all details and sent the books in the most ex- peditious way possible, so that they reached Miss Steere at Coblenz in time to save the situation. A letter from the Acting Adjutant General, dated Washington, Apr. 27, 1922, referring to the work of the Y. M. C. A. states that "li- brary books amounting to $500.00 were pur- chased during the latter months of 1921 by that organization and additional provision was made for the purchase of books amount- ing to $100.00 per month during the year 1922, such books to be placed in the library but to remain the property of the Young Men's Christian Association. "In view of the generous contribution made by the American Library Association during November, 1921, and the provisions made by the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion, it would appear that a reasonable quan- tity of new books has been supplied to the American Forces in Germany during the recent months." At present the Committee has under advise- ment the re-transfer of the books sent by the A. L. A. to Coblenz. Their distribution will probably be in part to the American Li- brary in Paris, and in part to the Y. M. C. A. in Europe for their international welfare work. The Hospital Library Service has present- ed a far more difficult problem. On the first of July, 1921, the formal transfer of the whole service to the United States gov- ernment was completed, and both personnel and books were taken over. Funds were as- sured by the appropriation of $100,000 for the purchase of books, etc., in the Act mak- ing appropriations for the War Risk Insur- ance. This peculiar arrangement made it some- what difficult for the Public Health Service, under whose jurisdiction most of the hospitals for the ex-service men were being carried on, to conduct the library service. The first difficulty arose in connection with the position of the director of the service. It seemed to the government officials adminis- tering the fund of $100,000 that this salary could be saved by turning the work over to some one already in the government service, and this was done about the end of Septem- ber. On the other hand to the Committee and to the Public Health Service authorities, it appeared best to have some expert librarian continue to act in connection with the service, and Miss Webster was retained in an advisory capacity, her salary being paid by the A. L. A. out of Library War Service funds. There can be no question that this arrangement worked for the great advantage of all con- cerned. On May 1st, 1922, a final transfer of the service to the newly created Veterans' Bu- reau was made in pursuance of an executive order of the President. This order placed the management and control of all the hospitals previously operated by the Public Health Service for veterans of the World War in the United States Veterans' Bureau and of course included the Hospital Library Service. What the status of the Director of the service will be under the new arrangement, it will be impossible to say, but the matter is under consideration. At this point it may not be amiss to quote from a letter sent by the Surgeon General, H. S. Gumming, under date of May Sth, 1922, to Mr. Root concerning "the library service as now operated under the supervision of Miss Caroline Webster of the American Library Association." "This separation of the Public Health Service from a large share of this work gives appropriate occasion for me to express to you, as the head of the American Library Association, the very keen appreciation of the Public Health Service for the most ex- cellent co-operation of your organization in carrying on satisfactory work in the hos- pitals of this Service. "I wish to assure you that this work throughout, both before and after its transfer to the Public Health Service, has not only been satisfactorily done, but has shown itself 220 DETROIT CONFERENCE to be a factor of essential importance in the operation of our hospitals. We have all been so much impressed with the value of this service as to consider it an essential part of the successful operation of our hospitals. "I also take this occasion to express my gratitude that the American Library Asso- ciation should have found it feasible to lend us the services of Caroline Webster, under whom this work has been developed, organized and managed. Miss Webster has shown a fine spirit of co-operation and with- out her services this organization would never have functioned with such satisfaction." A second difficulty in connection with the transfer of the Hospital Library Service arose from the slowness with which govern- ment funds became available and govern- ment purchases are made, and toward the end of 1921, it became necessary for the A. L. A. to purchase books and place subscrip- tions for magazines to be used in the library hospitals. While the original instructions to the Com- mittee were to wind up the Library War Service in all its branches as rapidly as pos- sible it has not been found advisable to do so in the case of the Hospital Library Serv- ice. There can be no question that if the A. L. A. had withdrawn absolutely, the men in the hospitals would have suffered greatly for lack of proper library service. It is the plain duty of the A. L. A. to use what funds of the War service remain, to supplement the work of the government, as far as its limited funds permit to secure the best possible li- brary service to the men in the hospitals. H. H. B. MEYER, Chairman. UNION LIST OF PERIODICALS The Committee on a Union List of Periodi- cals reports progress but has no definite re- sults to offer at present. Several conferences have been held between the Chairman and the President of the H. W. Wilson Com- pany. A tentative scheme has been worked out and at a later date it is hoped that this scheme will be .brought forward for dis- cussion at the Detroit meeting. In the mean- time a preliminary examination will be af- forded at the meeting of the American Li- brary Institute in Atlantic City on the af- ternoon of Friday, April 28. Very respectfully, H. M. LYDENBERG, Chairman. J. T. GEROULD, WILLARD AUSTEN, C. W. ANDREWS, A. E. BOSTWICK. VENTILATION AND LIGHTING OF LIBRARY BUILDINGS Your Committee on Ventilation and Light- ing of Library Buildings had expected to sub- mit its final report at the meeting of the Council in Chicago last December. However, the work of the Committee on Library Rev- enues, of which the undersigned is also chairman, was deemed of such importance that all available time was given to that subject; in other words, the report was not drafted for that meeting. The scientific data which has been gathered by the Committee makes this report a volum- inous one, and a draft of this will be sub- mitted to the other members of the com- mittee at Detroit preliminary to handing in the final report. Respectfully submitted, SAMUEL H. RANCK, Chairman. WORK WITH THE BLIND From a total of about $12,200 given for books for the blind, there have been embossed 83 titles, comprising 108 volumes of Revised Braille, and one title in five volumes of Moon Type. Fifty-five percent of these books are fiction. Selected papers on philosophy by William James, Caleb West, master diver by F. Hop- kinson Smith, and Heyday of the blood by Dorothy Canfield Fisher have just been brailled. Florence Nightingale and The end of Gen- eral Gordon from Eminent Victorians by Lyt- ton Strachey, and The age of innocence by Edith Wharton are in press. After this work has been paid for, the balance on hand will be sufficient to braille another book. Although for a year and a half no funds have been solicited, gifts totaling more than $2000 have been received, and two organiza- ANNUAL REPORTS 221 tions indicate their intention to make further gifts. Mention of the following authors and or- ganizations contributing to this work show wide-spread interest and co-operation : Henry Van Dyke, Ida M. Tarbell, Edith Wharton, Thomas Nelson Page, Mrs. Jack London, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Mary Ray- mond Shipman Andrews, Irvin S. Cobb, Ed- ward E. Peple, Montague Glass, Jack Lait, Frank Crane, Holworthy Hall, Anne Sedg- wick, Herbert Adams Gibbons, Ida M. Leupp, Grace S. Richmond, Albert Payson Terhune, Eleanor Porter, Helen Mackay, Stewart Ed- ward White, Will Payne, Booth Tarkington, The National W. C. T. U., Red Cross Insti- tute for the Blind, Drexel Library School, Daughters of Ohio in New York, Braille So- ciety of Pittsburgh, etc., etc. One donor desired a book put into Moon Type, which is not embossed in this coun- try. The work was done in England by the National Institute for the Blind which agreed to provide copies of the work to American purchasers at 3s 6d per volume. Contrary to expectation a number of libraries were re- quired to pay the general increased price of 16s per volume charged all American purchas- ers of N. I. B. publications. This Committee, meeting at the Library of Congress on February 18, passed the follow- ing resolutions, "Our Committee expresses its thanks to Cornelia Rhoades who, rela- tive to the raising of a fund to be used by the English as a memorial to the late Sir Ar- thur Pearson, set forth in an able letter which appeared in the New York Times, The Trib- une and The Sun, the great need for embossed books here in America. The Committee heart- ily endorses the appeal made by Miss Rhoades that in view of the high prices which the American purchaser must pay for the em- bossed English publications, some of those in this country who intend contributing toward the fund may be willing to help the Ameri- can blind as well." The Committee also addressed the Ameri- can Foundation for the Blind, expressing a hope that that organization would issue a statement of the need for funds for emboss- ing in America. It was the sense of Committee members that we should urge the Chicago and Cleve- land Public Libraries to serve grade one and a half braille books to readers throughout the Middle West. In response to a request from the Georgia Library Commission for aid in establishing a circulating library in Georgia, loans were of- fered by the Cincinnati Library Society for the Blind and the Library for the Blind, New York Public Library. A loan from the form- er source has been effected, and the Georgia Library Commission is prepared to circulate this small group of books which will be changed from time to time. The Commission hopes also to act as a clearing house of in- formation on library facilities (outsidf the state) available for the blind of Georgia; to compile a mailing list of the blind of the state with a notation of the types read by each ; and to send out circular letters of in- formation from time to time to all persons listed. Our definite interest follows the proposed publication by the A. L. A. of a list of 'books in 12 point or larger type. The real need for such a list is indicated by inquiries from readers needing to be relieved of eye strain, persons with defective vision whose eyes are likely to improve under favorable conditions, and old people no longer able to read ordinary print. The American Foundation for the Blind, incorporated and organized in the past year, is the possible realization of many ideals and efforts to unify the work for the blind. It is hoped and believed it will do great things for the blind of America, and that its reflex in- fluence will be helpful to the blind of other countries. The objects of the Foundation are briefly these: (1) To co-operate with exist- ing agencies or such agencies as may hereaf- ter be established in promoting all and every interest of the blind in America and to initiate movements for such purpose; (2) To en- deavor to secure local, state and federal legis- lation for the welfare of the blind and the partially blind ; (3) To establish and maintain, with the necessary personnel and equipment, such bureaus and departments as may be re- quired for its work, such as (a) Bureau of information and publicity to assemble, sys- tematize and disseminate all available data in 222 DETROIT CONFERENCE any way relating to work for the blind, (b) Bureau of research to ascertain, develop and standardize, by comparison, experimentation, and otherwise, the best methods of instruc- tion, kinds of apparatus and appliances, or- ganizations, procedures, etc., for the various lines of work for the blind and the partially blind, (c) Bureau of education to improve every facility for preparing the blind and the partially blind for the greatest possible par- ticipation in the activities and enjoyments of life. The Charter and By Laws of the Ameri- can Foundation for the Blind provides for Trustees representing various phases of work for the blind and of other interests. To represent librarians and others specially interested in libraries for the blind and de- partments for the blind in libraries for the seeing, Dr. Arthur E. Bostwick, librarian, St. Louis Public Library, was elected Trustee. Again this year an extension half -course on The Education of the Blind was given by the Graduate School of Education of Harvard University. Thirty lectures were given by eight speak- ers on the following subjects : The education of the blind historically to date; The gen- eral situation of public work for the blind in Massachusetts, i. e., provision for the adult, prevention, relief; Placement; What a teacher of sight-saving classes should know of the eye and its diseases ; The atti- tude of the seeing toward the blind; How to get up public demonstrations; Home teaching; The story of the Royal Normal College for the Blind, London; The psychol- ogy of blindness and the blind. Eleven students were registered, of whom five were blind. Last year's summer course for teachers of the blind, given at Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee, will be extended and repeated this summer. A course of instruction for home teachers of the blind was given at Columbia University the summer of 1921. The National American Red Cross is organ- izing and training groups of volunteer braille transcribers in Chapters throughout the country. A pamphlet giving self taught braille lessons has been published, and is distributed with other necessary information about the work. Braille books are copied primarily for the American war-blind, but they will ulti- , mately go to the blind of the country. The Red Cross nurse is a well-known fig- ure the world over. The woman who sits at her braille writer or slate copying books for the blinded soldier to read is a new picture in Red Cross work, yet she has had a vital part in the rehabilitation of the war-blind. What the volunteer is now doing for the war-blind will be done also for the civilian blind. Many readers long for more popular and up-to-date books. Unless a vast endow- ment is forthcoming, their wants will never be met save by the volunteer copyist, as braille printing is not a commercial propo- sition. In England where braille printing is en- dowed by the Carnegie Trust Fund, hand- copying has long been in vogue. A hand- copied book will last for years if well done on suitable paper and properly shellacked. In the past three months 9506 pages of braille manuscript have been received, proof- read and bound into 109 volumes. Among the longer books are, Thomas Aha Edison by F. A. Jones, Seventeen by Booth Tarkington, Age of innocence by Edith Wharton, and Mary- 'Gusta by Joseph Lincoln. "Up to April 1, 1922, 510 ex-service men have been referred to the United States Veter- ans' Bureau on account of blindness or seri- ously defective vision. Of this number 390 have been given training to overcome their handicap, 260 of them having been at Ever- green School for the Blind; 277 are in train- ing at the present time, 85 at Evergreen, 130 in other institutions, and 62 in training on the job, or in project training on their own farm or in their own business. "The Red Cross Institute for the Blind, popularly known as 'Evergreen,' located at Baltimore, Maryland, was an outgrowth of U. S. General Hospital No. 7, which was established to care for the United States blinded soldiers and sailors upon their return from France. In May, 1919, the hospital was taken over by the American Red Cross as a school for the training of blind ex-service men under contract first with the Federal ANNUAL REPORTS 223 Board for Vocational Education and later with the U. S. Veterans' Bureau. On Jan- uary 1, 1922, the school was taken over by the U. S. Veterans' Bureau, the name being changed to Evergreen School for the Blind. "There exists in the United States no other institution for the training of the adult blind, other than a few workshops and industrial homes, which with one or two exceptions, are not equipped for the training of our ex-service men. Evergreen School for the Blind is to give the pre-vocational or fundamental train- ing necessary for the blind to all ex-service men blind or with seriously defective vision who are eligible for training under the law, and certain special courses of vocational train- ing particularly adapted for the blind. "The pre-vocational training consists of courses in the reading and writing of braille, touch typewriting, various kinds of hand training such as basketry, wood working, hammock making, etc., to teach the newly blinded adult to use his hands in place of his eyes. Music instruction is also given. "The vocational training consists of courses in massage, store keeping, dictaphone operat- ing, poultry husbandry, commercial basketry, cigar making, music and vulcanizing. "To see a totally blind man go into the lay- ing pen, take a hen out of the trap-nest, feel the braille number on her leg-band and record on the braille slate he carries that number and his report, is a convincing demonstration of the value of applied braille." The optophone, an instrument to enable blind persons to read ink print has been tried out in England. Careful tests made by a read- er who had studied the instrument for eight months show a reading speed of from two to three words per minute. The instrument is delicate, complicated, and expensive. It is doubtful whether it could be kept in repair by the average reader. Those conducting the tests are unanimous in opinion that adult blind per- sons could not obtain a greater speed than thirty or thirty-five words per minute, the speed which is reached by expert telegraphers in reading the Morse code, and that even such a rate of reading would not become possible unless a long period were devoted to the sub- ject without interruption. The Federated En- gineers Development Corporation of Jersey City is handling the machine in this country. It sells for $600. Respectfully submitted, GERTRUDE T. RIDER, Chairman. ANNIE CARSON, MRS. EMMA N. DELFINO, MABEL R. GILLIS, LUCILLE A. GOLDTHWAITE, N. D. C. HODGES, LAURA M. SAWYER, BERNARD C. STEINER, S. C. SWIFT. Appendix Alabama Birmingham Public Library Birmingham has now 100 books in revised braille. The first aim of the Birmingham Association for the Blind is to provide a splendid library of such books, as this will supply a definite need and provide recreation for many people in many communities. Another definite aim of the Association is to provide instruction for blind people in the Birmingham District. Excerpt from the Bulletin of The Ala- bama Library Assn. California Sacramento State Library Statistical Report of Books for Blind Department. 1921 Total number of books 13,736 A. B 2,960 E. B 1,973 Line 192 Moon 3,281 N. Y 2,299 Rev. B 942 Standard Dot 16 Ink 297 Music A. B 1,169 E. B 146 Line 21 Moon 3 N. Y 184 Rev. B 94 Appliances 81 Games 45 Maps 33 Borrowers 1,664 Circulation 31,973 224 DETROIT CONFERENCE HOME TEACHING Total number of lessons 2,032 Home 1,304 Library 635 Visits and calls 699 Addresses 8 Hours of correspondence and prepara- tion of lessons 711 The first sight-saving class in the West was started in San Francisco on the third of this month, largely through the efforts of Miss Foley, one of our Home Teachers. In Oakland there is a group of women calling themselves the Women Volunteers of Oakland, California, who have put into re- vised braille a large number of stories, ar- ticles, etc. Their work is very well done. We with the help of one of our blind borrowers, proof read the sheets, then shellac and bind them. These books have proved a most val- uable addition to our library. In addition to giving us these books, every week they put into braille several sheets of news, sending it to a number of our deaf-blind borrowers. The last one to receive these sheets of news each week is a deaf-blind man who has lost his sense of touch and reads with his upper lip. MILTON J. FERGUSON, State Librarian, District of Columbia Library of Congress, Library for the Blind, Washington The circulation of books March, 1921, to March, 1922, was 24,789; 1402 bor- rowers were served; 94 are residents of the District of Columbia. Books Revised braille, grade one and a half. 924 English braille 2424 French, Spanish, Serbian and Rouman- ian braille 198 Moon type 1354 New York point 2060 American braille 569 Line type 442 Miscellaneous types 65 Magazines 54 Music 286 Pamphlets, maps, etc 560 Total collection 8936 921 volumes of revised braille, grade one and a half circulated 5740 times. For three years we have fostered the pro- duction of hand-copied books, primarily for blinded ex-service men. Several hundred vol- unteer workers have been instructed in braille transcribing. Five blind proof readers work under our direction. Six months ago the National American Red Cross became deeply interested in this work and has sponsored the spread of it. GERTRUDE T. RIDER, In Charge. Maryland Evergreen School for the Blind, Baltimore. The Braille library at Evergreen School for the Blind, although small, contains more books in revised braille, grade one and a half, than any other library in the country. Its chief interest, however, lies in the fact that out of the 1395 volumes in the library, 822 are hand-copied books, transcribed by volun- teer workers throughout the country, under the direction of Mrs. Gertrude T. Rider, of the Library of Congress. One can see from these figures the great value of the volunteer work since the press made volumes amount only to 573 in number and include many dupli- cates. The monthly circulation varies from 104 to 178 volumes. One important feature of the library is the reading room, where the men go during their spare time to read and smoke in quiet. To those who have been engaged in this work from the beginning and remember the hard struggle these newly-blinded men had in acquiring braille, and how much they dis- liked it, it is a source of much gratification to see what happiness and comfort it is now bringing to many of them. Many instances could be cited showing the present popularity of the once much despised subject; if a book is read and liked by one reader, the news soon spreads, and in a short time we have a waiting list for the book. When at the hospital, the men send to us for braille books as soon as they are able to read. One man who had been having a book read aloud to him, was delighted to find that he could finish the story himself in braille. This serves to give a slight idea of the important ANNUAL REPORTS 225 place which braille is now filling in the lives of our students. JOSEPH E. VANCE, Director. ELISABETH DAVISON, Librarian. Massachusetts Library of the Perkins Institution, Water- town. The circulation of our embossed books among the blind is constantly increas- ing. There is more and more demand by our readers for the books embossed in the braille system, grade one and a half. We have now 255 different books in this type, making 480 volumes. The books in Line type and New York point are gradually being diminished through discarding worn out copies. The American braille we replenish for use in our class rooms and for many of our readers. We accessioned 995 volumes last year in the different types. Our total circulation was increased by 1,996. We registered 958 active readers in the school and outside. We sent through the post office to different parts of the United States and to Canada 8,922 volumes. This with the 5,981 volumes circulated in the school made a total circulation of 14,903. We are supply- ing reading matter to the blind of New Eng- land, but also send books anywhere if read- ers are not able to obtain them nearer home. We have standing orders for copies of each new publication in grade one and a half at the Howe Publishing House: the Clover- nook Printing House and for Moon books at the Moon Society, London, England. We also order two or more copies of all the books printed in grade one and a half by the American Printing House for the Blind. The American Brotherhood of Free Reading for the Blind presents us with two copies each of its publications. We hope to have at least one copy of everything printed in grade one and a half. Our special reference library on blindness and the blind for the use of all students of the subject has been increased by books in English, French and German. We have also purchased from Dr. Mell of Vienna many German war posters connected with the blinded soldiers. This collection of blindiana was much used from October to February by the students in the Graduate School of Edu- cation at Harvard University who were tak- ing the course on the education of the blind conducted by Mr. Allen. The lectures were given at Harvard and the Saturday morning talks and demonstrations were given in the Library at Perkins Institution. The students in this course were most enthusiastic and all who took the final examination passed with credit. As last year, two of our teachers will go again to the George Peabody Normal College, Tennessee, in June to teach classes for teach- ers of the blind. An additional teacher in manual training goes with them this year. One part of this course includes libraries for the blind, giving all information as to where libraries are and how they may be used. In this way many learn how the blind in out-of- the-way places may obtain reading matter. We are now referring readers to our newer centers in Alabama, St. Louis and Texas. LAURA M. SAWYER, Librarian. New York State Library for the Blind, Albany The collection of the New York State Library for the Blind on April 1, 1922, consisted of 11,336 volumes printed in six different types. Literature Music Total American braille 1,579 82 1,661 English braille, Grades 1, \y 2 , 2, 3. .3,065 274 3,339 Line 531 .... 531 Moon 1,435 7 1,442 New York point 2,700 1,660 4,360 Standard dot.. 3 3 11,336 The circulation of books, music and maga- zines from April 1, 1921, to March 31, 1922, was 17,085. Because of the very high cost of the print- ing and of the binding of embossed type books and because of a decided reduction in the appropriation for buying and printing books for this Library, but one publication, and that the generous gift of Nina Rhoades, was printed this year. It was Mrs. Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews' story, His soul goes marching on, written for President Roosevelt's birthday. The Roman Catholic women of Albany and Troy have been much interested in copying books in Grade 1J4 and have given several titles to the Library 226 DETROIT CONFERENCE which were printed by the Xavier Free Pub- lication Society for the Blind of New York City. MARY C. CHAMBERLAIN, Librarian. New York City New York Public Library, Library for the Blind The circulation for the year 1921 was 36,817. The number of readers using the Library for the Blind during the year to- talled 1129. In a survey of the location of borrowers of the library it was found that 20 percent of the blind citizens of the city use the library in spite of the fact that oppor- tunities for spreading any book news to these readers is very limited. NUMBER OF VOLUMES ACCORDING TO TYPE American braille 2,062 Revised braille, grade l l / 2 1,081 Revised braille, grade 2 3,777 Moon type 4,239 New York point 2,396 Line letter 323 Miscellany (Standard dot, etc.) 54 Music scores 5,970 19,902 LUCILLE GOLDTHWAITE, Librarian. Ohio Cincinnati Library Society for the Blind number of volumes 4,182 Number of magazines 8 Number of borrowers, active 414, in- active 800 1,214 Circulation 1921 4,807 Attendance at three weekly readings... 2,800 Attendance at monthly entertainments.. 2,000 Attendance at Friday morning class... 3,500 Passes from Cincinnati Traction Com- pany 19,200 Tickets to concerts 545 The past two years of the Cincinnati Li- brary Society for the Blind have been busy and interesting ones. The four weekly meet- ings of the blind held at the Public Library are eagerly looked forward to, not only by the blind, but by the volunteer workers who conduct them. At three of these meetings the new books and current events are read. The fourth meeting is held for the purpose of teaching the embossed type, pencil writing, sewing, knitting, etc. New books are added in revised braille and New York point as rapidly as they are published. Mr. Charles Boldt very kindly gave five hundred corrugated boxes to be used in sending these books through the mail to blind readers in many states. The catalogs printed in New York point and revised braille have proved to be the greatest help to borrowers, as some are deaf as well as blind, and some live alone, it would be very hard to have an ink print catalog read to them. GEORGIA D. TRADER, Secretary. Pennsylvania Philadelphia Free Library, Department for the Blind During 1921 the names of 96 new borrowers were added; of these 34 reside in Philadelphia, 30 in Pennsylvania and 32 in other states. The 880 active borrowers dur- ing the year were divided as follows: 345 in Philadelphia, 300 in Pennsylvania, 235 in other states. The distribution of embossed books accord- ing to types and place was as follows : u, o a 75 Type o O, cu Ow H American braille 1,916 1,482 304 3,702 European braille 136 28 41 205 Revised braille, grade 1|. 958 267 52 1,277 Line letter 7 36 12 55 Moon 12,777 6,452 5,607 24,836 New York point 311 211 89 611 Total 16,105 8.476 6.105 30,686 On December 31, 1921, there were in ac- tual use 7,232 accessioned volumes, divided as follows : American braille 1,393 European braille 183 Revised braille, grade \ l /2 243 Line letter 271 Moon 4,557 New York point 585 7,232 Twenty new titles were added during the year, making the total number 1,354. EMMA R. N. DELFINO, Chief, Department for the Blind. Pittsburgh Carnegie Library We have for the use of the blind in western Pennsylvania, a collec- tion of 1295 books in American braille, 137 ANNUAL REPORTS 227 in English braille, 190 in line, 1451 in Moon, 755 in New York point and 259 in revised braille, making a total of 4087 embossed books. Of these 1144, chiefly Moon Type, are the property of the Pa. Home Teaching Society, of Philadelphia; 7302 books were cir- culated and 40 new readers were added dur- ing 1921. A standing order has been placed with the American Printing House, to cover all books except text-books, which are em- bossed in revised braille. This will insure prompt delivery of all the new books. Cat- alogues of our books for the blind, in ink print, are to be ready for distribution very soon. The Pa. Home Teaching Society employs a teacher who works within a radius of 25 miles of Pittsburgh and through her we are able to keep in personal touch with a great many of our readers. MARION P. WHITAKER, Librarian for the Blind. Canada National Institute for the Blind, Library Department, Toronto Books Titles in Volumes English braille 984 3,247 New York point 689 3,048 Moon type 192 803 French braille ..? 99 301 Esperanto 27 29 American braille 16 31 Italian braille 10 19 German braille 5 5 2,022 7,483 Bound Music Titles in Volumes English braille 37 64 New York point 69 175 106 239 Sheet Music English braille 391 New York point 1,150 1,541 Total books and music 9,263 Though our braille sections were not opened till the Library had been in existence for several years, our English braille titles are approximately 300 greater than those in New York point. English braille volumes are only 200 odd in excess of New York point. The reason is that for convenience in mailing, as well as lasting quality, we had the majority of our New York point books bound in small volumes or pamphlets. We found that the bul- ky volumes usually supplied in the case of New York point soon became racked and broken- backed in traveling all over the country. The smaller volumes, however, seem to last almost indefinitely. New York point, even though it had not been formally voted out of existence would have been doomed in this country to gradual extinction, because braille books (I here have particular reference to British publications) contain more reading matter per volume, cov- er a greater range of subjects and offer a much greater choice of that class of some- what light fiction demanded by the majority of blind readers, just as is the case with sighted library patrons. Classics are all right and should be provided in proper doses, but the average readers ask for excitement, action, emotion, love, hate, and all the gamut of the vaudeville and melodramatic class of litera- ture. Until a year ago the British presses were running full time on light fiction and this library at least could not keep pace with the demand of its patrons for work of the kind referred to. For the past twelve months, the National Institute for the Blind has been paying more attention to text books for school purposes than to general library needs. We, therefore, are hard put to it, to get sufficient new stuff for our readers. The American Library Association could do no better in my estimation at least, than confine its assistance to American embossers, to the field of fiction, and fiction of a quick, thrill- ing, emotional type. Our total circulation for 1921 was 12,296, an increase of 800 odd over the circulation of the previous year. By far the greatest amount of this circulation must be accredited to braille. Our publishing department was concerned mostly with the production of text books for the Ontario School for the Blind, but we managed to print George H. Locke's splen- did little historical work When Canada was New France, We are now, by the way, about to braille Louis Hemon's Maria Chapdelaine, a delightful story of present day French-Can- 228 DETROIT CONFERENCE adian life in the wilds of Northern Quebec. We, of course, also have published regularly, our Braille Courier, a magazine in grade one and a half braille. S. C. SWIFT, Chief Librarian. WORK WITH THE FOREIGN BORN The principal activities of the Committee this year have been in two lines : in corre- spondence with librarians seeking advice and information, particularly in problems of book- buying; and in the preparation of the series of articles on library relations with various immigrant groups, the first numbers of which have appeared in the Library Journal as fol- lows: Yiddish literature, in the number of De- cember 15, 1921 ; the Polish immigrant and the library, part 1, January 15, 1922; the Library and the Japanese, February 15, 1922. The Roumanian immigrant and the library, May 1, 1922. Part 2 of The Polish Immigrant and the library is in the hands of the editor. An ar- ticle on library work with Greek immigrants is about ready and other topics are in prep- aration. It has been the aim of these articles to fur- nish such practical information as will be of use to librarians generally. They have found much appreciation also on the part of the immigrant groups discussed. The Polish im- migrant and the library was reviewed editor- ially at considerable length in the Polish press and has produced real interest among the Polish public in the work of libraries. The chairman of the Committee has been asked to take charge of weekly library columns in two important Polish newspapers. This could be made a work of much value in the exten- sion of library interest and influence, and in the Americanization through the library of the Polish people. The chairman represented the Committee at the National Conference of Social Work in Milwaukee in June, 1921, and at the Con- ference of the Department of Work with Foreign Born Americans of the Episcopal church at the same time. From Milwaukee she went at her own expense to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to the Mother House of the Polish Sisters of St. Joseph, where she addressed the Order on How the library can help the Sisters in their teaching. This was an important piece of work; not only be- cause the Sisters addressed teach 225,000 chil- dren in parochial schools in 7 states ; but also because it marked the beginning of great pos- sibilities in parochial school relations. People who regard the public school as the universal melting-pot are apparently not aware that hundreds of thousands of children of foreign parents attend parochial schools where they are segregated by race. The library is the only agency so situated as to be able to estab- lish helpful and effective contacts with these children and their teachers and the importance of so doing cannot be overestimated. The Committee are in a position to promote this work by visiting other teaching orders, having invitations to other Mother-Houses, but it is felt that the Association ought to meet the necessary expenses of travel; and it is perhaps not amiss to say that there should be assurance that the Sisters will be received at the libraries they find it convenient to use with the responsiveness and interest they have been promised. A round table on work with the foreign born is in preparation for the Detroit conference, and it is designed to make the program one of practical helpfulness. The following suggestions are made to the Association as the general conclusions of the year, and it is recommended that they be adopted by the Council as an A. L. A. plat- form on library work with the foreign born : 1st. The public library should be absolutely democratic in regimen and administration, giv- ing equal service to the whole public regard- less of the place of nativity. Where funds are insufficient, preference should be given to those portions of the community having least opportunity at their own command. 2nd. In order to provide the service which is the just due of all taxpayers, and which is an essential part of the educational and recreational functions of the public library, the immigrant people should be provided with reading matter which they can use, both in easy English books and in books and periodi- cals in the native tongue. 3rd. Assistants should be trained for work with immigrants as a special field of library work, and encouraged in the study of racial understanding and of immigrant literatures 229 and of the characteristics of immigrant cul- tures. Library schools should incorporate work along this line into their regular courses. 4th. In communities having considerable im- migrant population, the library should be given prominence as a social institution, and should be made in actual fact a community center. We recommend in this connection the free use of library rooms for clubs, public meetings and the like; formal invitations to organizations such as societies, lodges and study-classes for carefully planned visits ; and also that libraries take the initiative in the public introduction of official representatives of European countries, such as consuls and visiting members of legations, and of dis- tinguished European visitors of races locally represented. The public library is admirably situated as a place for informal public recep- tions which, in the entertainment of distin- guished guests, may naturally bring together native and foreign born elements of the population, to the great increase of mutual respect and appreciation. In conclusion, the Committee call the atten- tion of the Association to the fact that no work worth doing can be accomplished with- out an expenditure of money on the part of some one. We as individuals and the li- braries with which we are connected have met all the expenses of the work of the last two years, but our limit is about reached. For the editorial work which is open to us, and for the correspondence which comes to us, stenographic help is necessary, and we should have a fund with which to provide it. The Committee are willing to give their time for constructive thought and careful planning, and for the establishment of con- tacts and the accomplishment of work, but they feel that they should be relieved of the need for doing themselves those mechanical processes which might be taken care of at the expenditure of a small amount of money. Respectfully submitted, ELEANOR E. LEDBETTER, Chairman. HANNAH C. ELLIS, JOSEPHINE GRATIAA, MARION HORTON, MARGERY QUIGLEV, ADELAIDE C. ROOD. FINANCIAL REPORTS, 1921-22 FINANCE COMMITTEE In accordance with the provisions of Sec- tion 15 of the Constitution as adopted in 1921, your Finance Committee submits the follow- ing report: The probable income of the Association for 1922 from its various funds has been estimated by the Committee and the Executive Board has made appropriations within these amounts. These budgets setting forth the incomes as estimated, have been printed in the Bulletin for January (pp. 20-21) and it is, therefore, unnecessary to report their details herewith. The Committee thought it desirable to con- tinue the practice instituted last year of having the various accounts of the Association audit- ed by a certified public accountant instead of by the members of the Committee, and again engaged for this work the firm of Marwick, Mitchell & Company. This firm has, under the Committee's instructions, audited the fol- lowing funds of the Association for the year 1921: American Library Association General Funds. James L. Whitney Fund. American Library Association Publishing Funds. American Library Association War Funds. American Library Association Books for Everybody Fund. The disbursements made from these various funds were verified by reference to the sup- porting vouchers and cancelled checks, and the various cash balances and securities held by the Association, deposited in bank, or in the hands of the Trustees of the Endowment Fund, were also found to agree with the bal- ances reported by the Treasurer of the Asso- ciation and by the Trustees. The afore-mentioned audits have been ex- amined and approved by the Finance Com- mittee and will be laid before the Executive Board at its next meeting with the recom- mendation that they be adopted by that body, according to the practice of recent years. 230 DETROIT CONFERENCE The securities in the custody of the Trus- tees of the Endowment Funds have been ex- amined as hereinbefore intimated, and checked by the certified public accountant, and the Committee finds that this audit agrees with the annual report of the Trustees for the period of January IS to December 31, 1921. The accounts of the James L. Whitney Fund, which are in the hands of the Treasur- er, have been examined and found to be as stated by him in his annual report. Respectfully submitted, GEORGE B. UTLEY, Chairman. HARRISON W. GRAVER, CARL B. RODEN. May 8, 1922. TRUSTEES OF THE ENDOWMENT FUND The Trustees of the Endowment Fund beg leave to submit the following statement of the account of their trust for the period from January 15, 1921, to December 31, 1921. The fiscal year heretofore adopted by the Trustees has been from January 15th to the following January 15th, but at the request of the Sec- retary of the American Library Association we have changed our fiscal year to the calen- dar year, which has been adopted to conform to the reports of the Association. In April, 1921, we suffered a great loss in the death of M. Taylor Pyne, who for several years had been associated with us. By election of the Association, J. Ran- dolph Coolidge, jr., of Boston, succeeded Mr. Pyne. During the past year we have received from the Treasurer of the Association the sum of $19,447.21 in cash, and Liberty Bonds to the amount of $1,000. The cash has been in- vested in Liberty Bonds of the second and fourth issues, which the Trustees felt was for the best interests of the trust fund. One bond of the United States Steel Cor- poration was paid May 1, 1921, and this amount, together with the premium of $100, was invested in Liberty Bonds. All of the above investments were to the credit of the Endowment Fund. The Trustees have made no change in in- vestments during the past year. The usual audit of the investments and accounts of the fund was made by the Messrs. Marwick, Mitchell & Co., certified public accountants. Respectfully submitted, EDWARD W. SHELDON, WM. W. APPLETON, J. RANDOLPH COOLIDGE, JR., Trustees of the Carnegie and Endowment Funds of the American Library Association. Dated April 13, 1922. STATEMENT OF CARNEGIE AND ENDOWMENT FUNDS Carnegie Fund, Principal Account Cash donated by Andrew Carnegie Invested as follows : Date of Purchase Cost. Book Value. June 1, 1908 5,000 American Telephone and Telegraph Company 4% Bonds due July 1, 1929, interest Jan- uary and July 96*/ 2 $ 4,825.00 June 1, 1908 10,000 American Telephone and Telegraph Company 4% Bonds due July 1, 1929, interest Jan- uary and July 94^ 9,437.50 June 1, 1908 15,000 Cleveland Terminal and Valley Railroad Com- pany First Mortgage 4% Bonds due Nov. 1, 1995, interest May and November 100 15,000.00 June 1, 1908 10,000 Seaboard Air Line Railway (Atlanta-Bir- mingham Division) First Mortgage 4% Bonds due May 1, 1933, interest March and September 9S?/ 2 9,550.00 June 1, 1908 15,000 Western Union Telegraph Company Collateral Trust 5% Bonds due January 1, 1938, in- terest January and July 108^ 15,000.00 $100,000 ANNUAL REPORTS 231 June 1, 1908 15,000 15,000 June 1, 1908 15,000 15,000 Aug. 6, 1909 July 27, 1909 1,500 1,000 May 3, 1909 15,000 May 5,1921 200 Jan. 1, 1922 New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company, Lake Shore Collateral 3 l /2% Bonds were exchanged February 10, 1916, for New York Central Railroad Company Consoli- dated Mortgage Gold 4% Bonds, Series "A," due Feb. 1, 1998, interest February and Au- gust 90 13,500.00 Missouri Pacific Railroad Company Collateral Trust 5% Bonds were exchanged for Missouri Pacific Railroad Company First and Refunding Mortgage Gold 5% Bonds due 1923, Series "B," interest February and August. 104^ 15,000.00 United States Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bonds due April 1, 1964, interest May and November 106?i 1,500.00 United States Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bonds due April 1, 1963, interest May and November 102J^ 1,000.00 United States Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bonds 104 15,000.00 United States Third Liberty Loan 4J4%.... 90.64 181.28 Cash on hand, United States Trust Company 6.22 $100,000 The Surplus Account was increased $100.00 during 1917 by Premium received on one United States Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bond called in at $110.00, making the Surplus Account $350.00, invested in Liberty Bonds May 7, 1918, Third Liberty Loan, 1921 Endowment Fund, Income Account January 15 Balance on hand $ 16.46 May 2 United States Steel 200.00 May 16 United States 2nd 4% 262.45 June 15 Int. U. S. 4M 28.44 Sept. 15 Int. U. S. 4U 2.13 Oct. 15 Int. U. S. 4^ 272.02 Nov. 1 Int. U. S. Steel 175.00 Nov. 15 Int. U. S. 4% 262.42 Dec. 15 Int. U. S. 4ft 28.56 $1,247.48 Disbursements 1921 May 5 Accrued Int. on U. S. 2nd 4% .$ 247.85 May 5 Accrued Int. on U. S. 4th 4 l / 2 29.04 June 8 Exchange on checks 5.06 June 8 Cash to E. D. Tweedell, treasurer 196.96 June 6 Exchange on check .10 June 18 Exchange on check .10 Aug. 19 Exchange on check .10 Dec. 7 E. D. Tweedell, treasurer 739.71 1922 January 1 Cash on hand, United States Trust Co 28.56 $1,247.48 Endowment Fund, Principal Account 1921 January 1 On hand, bonds and cash $ 9,561.84 February 3 Life Membership, M. Reynolds 25.00 February 3 Life Membership, A. Strohm 25.00 March 7 Life Membership, M. J. Booth 25.00 March 7 Life Membership, P. Goulding 25.00 March 7 Life Membership, H. M. Leach 2500 March 7 Life Membership, R. H. Schabacker 25.00 April 6 Life Membership, A. M. Colt 25.00 April 6 Life Membership, E. Tobitt 25.00 April 6 Life Membership, G. Whittemore 25.00 232 DETROIT CONFERENCE June June August August August August August August 5 Life Membership, G. Wormer 25.00 5 Am. Liby. Ass'n Treasurer 20,447.21 5 Profit U. S. Steel Bond 8.75 5 Premium U. S. Steel Bond 100.00 4 Life Membership, A. J. McCarthy 25.00 4 Life Membership, G. Kraunsnick 25.00 4 Life Membership, A. V. Jennings 25.00 16 Life Membership, W. F. Sanborn 25.00 16 Life Membership, B. E. Davis 25.00 18 Life Membership, L. E. Adams 25.00 18 Life Membership, O. S. Davis 25.00 18 Life Membership, W. H. Kerr 25.00 Life Membership, Mrs. W. H. Kerr 25.00 18 18 Life Membership, L. A. Shepard. 18 Life Membership, Mrs. Elizabeth Claypool Earl 25.00 50.00 $30,667.80 Invested as follows : Date of Purchase Cost 1908 June 12 U. S. Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bonds 98^ $ 1,970.00 October 19 2 U. S. Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bonds 102^ 2,000.00 November 5 \*/2 U. S. Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bonds 101 1,500.00 1910 July 27 V/ 2 U. S. Steel Corporation Sinking Fund Gold 5% Bonds 102J4 1,500.00 1919 May 7 U. S. Victory Loan 4%% 700.00 1921 May 5 12,000 U. S. 2nd 4% expires 1942 87.30 10,483.50 May 5 350 U. S. 2nd 4% expires 1942 87.36 305.76 May 5 12,000 U. S. 4th 4% expires 1938 87.42 10,497.90 May 5 300 U. S. 4th 4% expires 1938 87.50 262.50 May 5 500 U. S. 4th 4 1 A expires 1938 (Amer. Liby. Assn.) 500.00 May 5 500 U. S. 5th 4^ expires 1923 (Amer. Liby. Assn.) 500.00 May 5 100 U. S. 3rd 4% expires 1928 90.64 1922 January 1 Cash on hand, United States Trust Co 357.50 $30,667.80 Carnegie Fund, Income Account 1921 January 15 Balance $1,174.77 February 1 Int. New York Central 300.00 February 1 Int. Missouri Pacific 375.00 March 1 Seaboard Air Line 200.00 March 15 Int. U. S. Bond 7.42 May 2 Cleveland Terminal 300.00 May 1 Int. United States Steel 437.50 July 1 Int. Western Union Telegraph 375.00 July 1 Int. American Telephone and Telegraph 300.00 August 1 Int. New York Central 300.00 August 1 Int. Missouri Pacific 375.00 September 1 Int. Seaboard Air Line 200.00 September 15 Int. U. S. Government 4% 11.71 November 1 Int. Cleveland Terminal 300.00 November 1 Int. United States Steel 437.50 December 1 Int. on deposits 75.84 $5,169.74 ANNUAL REPORTS 233 Disbursements 1921 May 5 Accrued Int. on U. S. Bonds 1.18 May 5 Accrued Int. on U. S. Bonds .59 June 8 E. D. Tweedell, treasurer 2,000.00 December 7 E. D. Tweedell, treasurer 2,000.00 December 2 United States Trust Company Commission 75.00 1922 January 15 Cash on hand, United States Trust Company 1,092.97 $5,169.74 TREASURER'S REPORTS JAMES L. WHITNEY FUND Tanuarv 1 to Anrfl 30 1922 Principal and Interest, January 1... $ 664.21 January l to Apru ju, ly^z Interest, January 1 1.78 The annual financial reports for the calen- E S eenth . A nSt . aU ! nt> . . Jan . Ua !T. f?| 3685 dar year 1921 for all funds except Endow- April 15, Liberty Bond Coupons 12.74 ment Funds were printed in the January ~l 7i4~58 Bulletin. The annual report of the Trustees F d s* C ^h nt Lfberty^oail 10W8: of the Endowment Fund and of the Finance 4% Bonds, par value ~ . . x , , $600.00 S 530.68 Committee are printed here. Cash ln savings Account, The financial statements of the Treasurer Union Tru st Company 183.90 ^ for January 1 to April 30, 1922, are printed WAR FUNDS here for information. Receipts f-cMCQAi criiKinc Balance, January 1 $77,071.84 GENERAL FUNDS United War Work Campaign 9,737.50 Receipts Miscellaneous 162.10 Balance, January 1 $6,664.20 Interest on bank balance, Dec. to Membership Annual dues 11,026.90 April (inclusive) 289.97 Life memberships 175.00 War Funds (for year 1922) 1,000.00 $87,261.41 Interest, December to April (in- c^.^i*..- KB ?n Expenditures bb ^ u Headquarters expenses. . . .$ 1,000.00 ti8Q993n Hospitals 5,824.94 Exnendltur.. >* Paris 260.00 .181K91 Preserving War Service $ 1,815.21 Material 299.73 142.91 Miscellaneous 685.30 Committee L29.00 $805997 Salaries B 'i!H? Cash on hand, April 30.. .$21,862.70 Addlt onal service 485.34 Liberty Bonds and Thrift f V Stamps (par value) 31,550.00 tele ~ ,*** " S- Gov. Cert, of In- 3 "- debtedness 25,263.74 56.77 Librarians and Agents.... 625.00 Miscellaneous 187.90 70 om AA President's Contingent f.^ui. Fund 19.66 S87 2K1 41 Trustees' Endowment Fund 175.00 BR,1W. 9,601.60 BOOKS FOR EVERYBODY FUND Balance, April 30 9,070.70 Recelnta Permanent balance, Nat'l Rianr Tannarv i $ifi MA on Rank nf tho RoniiMi/ 9=;n fwi Lsaittnce, January i *io,sd4.uu r the Republic.. .__ ,,, ft7n New cash contributions and "'^^"' ' payments on pledges , iaQ9 09n Cash $ 3,888.63 PIIRI iQmwr c-iiMnc f18 ' 922 - 30 Liberty Bonds 1.000.00 PUBLISHING FUNDS 4,888.63 Receipts Interest, Liberty Bond coupons. ... ' 21.22 Balance, January 1 $ 449.33 Interest, Dec. to April (inclusive).. 135.40 Sale of publications 4,408.44 Booklist subscriptions 5,177.08 $21,879.25 Sale of books (Review copies) 900.00 Expenditures Interest, Dec. to April (inclusive).. 10.62 Books for the Blind $ 709.41 Library Extension 300.14 $10,945.37 Booklist, Reading Courses Expenditures and book publicity 1,080.04 Salaries $2,656.36 General library publicity.. 328.35 Printing Booklist 1,234.85 Recruiting 130.22 Advertising 468.32 Trustees' Endowment Fund 2,766.67 Express and postage 631.79 5 5,313.83 Supplies 883.69 Balance, April 30 $15,565.42 Incidentals 200.84 Liberty Bonds 1,000.00 Publications 2.S77.94 16,565.42 Travel 477.60 8.931.29 $21,879.26 Balance, April 30 2,014.08 Respectfully submitted, EDWARD D. TWKEDKLL, $10,945.37 May 17th, 1922 Treasurer. SECTIONS AND ROUND TABLES AGRICULTURAL LIBRARIES SECTION The Agricultural Libraries Section held two meetings, Lucy E. Fay, chairman, pre- siding. In the absence of the secretary, Mary G. Lacy, Anna Dewees was asked to act as secretary. First Session At the first session on June 27, Prof. Charles A. Keffer, director of the Division of Agricultural Extension, University of Ten- nessee, addressed the Section on THE PLACE OF THE LIBRARY IN A PROGRAM OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.* He said : Any national program of agricultural de- velopment must include the library, both as a practical aid to the farm business and as an abiding source of interest and culture in rural life. We can not hope for a library hardly for a well filled book shelf in every country home; hence provision must be made for community, county, state, or institutional li- brary service through which country people may secure promptly and at minimum cost the use of the books they need. More than the city library, the rural li- brary must be amply provided with books of a technical nature, that will aid farmers in their problems of soil fertility, crop produc- tion, livestock management, and marketing. Even more than men engaged in industrials, the farmer needs such help. Because of his isolation, he is a pronounced individualist. In general reading the outstanding need of the rural family is to form the reading habit; hence the libraries of rural circulation should be replete with attractive books that will in- vite the reader. They should be quite as en- tertaining as informative, and they must rec- ognize the value of the simple word. They should compass the entire range of literature. The farmer may be a serious minded man, intent on facts, but the farm boy and the farm girl also are to be con- sidered : poetry, fiction and travel are quite as necessary as economics, history and biog- raphy among books for farm families. Abstract. 234 The division of extension in the colleges of agriculture, by virtue of their varied ex- perience and the nature of their organiza- tion, should be helpful in making plans for book distribution in rural communities. Second Session The second session was held on the after- noon of June 30. The program was divided into three parts: (1) ORGANIZATION, (2) AD- MINISTRATION and (3) EXTENSION SERVICE IN AGRICULTURAL LIBRARIES. The chairman spoke of the survey of state agricultural college and experiment station libraries which had been made by Charlotte A. Baker and Miss E. A. Dilts of Colorado, and Lucy M. Lewis of Oregon, and pointed out that the program of the session was based on the findings of that survey. The discussion of the ORGANI- ZATION of agricultural libraries was led by Claribel R. Barnett, who, in her introductory remarks, said that agricultural college work develops certain problems not found in gen- eral college work, and the same is true of agricultural college libraries. This fact had been forcibly brought out by the survey of them made last year. It is important that ag- ricultural librarians see their work in rela- tion to the policies and problems of the vari- ous departments of the institution. The pur- pose of the afternoon's discussion should be to arrive at some fundamental principles which later may be applied to individual prob- lems. Every librarian should formulate a policy and have it down in writing. It will, of course, be changed to meet changing con- ditions, and to satisfy one's growing vision of the work. A written policy helps to clarify one's own ideas, often answers unex- pected questions, and, if presented to profes- sors and heads of departments, will help to give them a sympathetic understanding of the work of the library and of its problems. Miss Barnett pointed out that there are three types of agricultural college libraries: 1. The experiment station library kept sep- AGRICULTURAL LIBRARIES SECTION 235 arate from the college library and devoted somewhat exclusively to the use of the sta- tion workers, as is the case in Virginia. 2. The agricultural college and experiment station combined in a single agricultural li- brary and kept separate from the university library. Wisconsin and Minnesota are of this type. 3. College and station collections of agri- cultural literature consolidated with the ag- ricultural college or university collections in general and administered as one unit. This is the plan in Oregon. Which of these types is the best it is difficult to say arbitrarily. Advantages and disadvantages are connected with each. How- ever, when the topography of the campus and the location of the buildings are such as to make the third type feasible, the balance of the arguments are in its favor. It was pointed out that the field of re- search to be covered in the collections of the college library is necessarily determined in a large measure by the amount of money at the disposal of the librarian for the purchase of books and periodicals. The students' needs must come first because the education of stu- dents is the reason for the existence of the college, but no librarian in an institution where research work is done, could be satis- fied not to be able to supply at least some of the needs of the research workers. The li- brarian should be a recognized member of the faculty, both for the sake of the students and the faculty. He should be a member of the committee on station, college and exten- sion publications and might well assist in the care of mailing lists. In the discussion which followed, H. S. Green of the Massachusetts Agricultural Col- lege read the library policy of that institu- tion. Grace Derby of Kansas and Lucy E. Fay both advocated centralized collections, while Olive Jones of Ohio stated that the needs of the Ohio State University are more adequately met by departmental collections. The discussion of the second part of the program, ADMINISTRATION, was led by Olive Jones. The selection and purchase of books was discussed by P. L. Windsor of the Uni- versity of Illinois who gave a helpful ac- count of the procedure at that institution. He stated that the tendency is to leave more and more of the funds assigned to the college of agriculture to the use of the library commit- tee of the college which is very desirable. H. O. Severance of the University of Mis- souri explained that in Missouri the state ap- propriates funds for the library. The Uni- versity library buys general books, and the books of special interest to a department are purchased at the request of that department until the quota set aside by the library for the department is spent. The discussion of bulletin material brought forth the fact that most libraries keep two or more sets of bulletins. Several strongly advocated keeping a duplicate set arranged by subject. Mrs. Linda E. Landon of the Michi- gan Agricultural College reported that she had a collection of duplicates and would be glad to supply missing numbers as far as pos- sible. She will also place libraries on the mailing list to receive extension publications. The discussion of the third section of the program, EXTENSION, was led by H. S. Green, librarian of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. In his introductory remarks Mr. Green stated that the publication of library leaflets or book lists is a great aid in spread- ing information about extension work. Dis- cussion brought out that county agents, home demonstration workers and college extension service workers can be of the greatest help in finding the people who need and want the extension service of the library. E. Kathleen Jones of the Massachusetts Department of Education described library extension work in that state and outlined the plans for the use next year of the new county fair method of bringing books to the attention of the visitors to the fair. There will not be, as heretofore, a book booth, but a few books, some free bulletins and some lists of books and bulletins in various exhibition booths. Poultry books will be placed with the poultry exhibit, canning instructions and garden books with fruits and vegetables. In the house- keeping equipment booth there will be novels, poems and various cultural books with a poster advocating the purchase of the equip- ment and the reading of the books. W. P. Lewis, librarian of the New Hamp- shire State College, presented a report on the 236 DETROIT CONFERENCE financial situation of the Agricultural Index, which stated that with very few exceptions librarians have paid the increased price with a good grace and have written letters express- ing their appreciation of the value of the Index and their willingness to do their part to keep it going. Miss Barnett chairman of the Resolutions Committee, presented a resolution on the death of Eunice R. Oberly which was ordered to be printed and a copy sent to the family. Miss Barnett also announced the plan for a memorial in the form of an annual or bi- ennial prize for the best bibliography in the field of agriculture or the natural sciences which will probably be administered by the American Library Association. Upon the report of Lydia K. Wilkins, chair- man of the Nominations Committee, H. O. Severance, librarian of the University of Missouri, was elected chairman for the next meeting and Mary G. Lacy, librarian, Bureau of Agricultural Economics of the U. S. De- partment of Agriculture, secretary. ANNA DEWEES, Acting Secretary. CATALOG SECTION The Catalog Section met on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, Mrs. Jennie Thornburg Jennings of the Public Library, St. Paul, presiding. Ruth Rosholt of the Minneapolis Public Library acted as secretary. . First Session The chair appointed the following commit- tees: Committee on Nominations, Adelaide F. Evans of the Detroit Public Library, chair- man; Clara P. Briggs, Harvard College Li- brary; and C. H. Hastings, Library of Con- gress. Committee on Resolutions, Harriet E. Howe, Simmons College, chairman; Wilhel- mina E. Carothers, Minnesota Historical So- ciety Library; Amy C. Moon, St. Paul Public Library; Helen B. Sutliff, Stanford Univer- sity Library ; and Agnes S. Hall, Denver Pub- lic Library. Committee on Recruiting of Catalogers to confer with the general Recruiting Commit- tee of the A.L.A., Grace Hill, Public Library, Kansas City, chairman; Esther A. Smith, University of Michigan Library; Marion I. Warden, Louisville Public Library. The chair read a letter from W. Dawson Johnston, director of the American Library in Paris, suggesting the extension of the use of printed cards in European libraries and offer- ing his co-operation. The chair appointed as a committee to consider Dr. Johnston's pro- posal, Charles Martel, Library of Congress, chairman; Mildred M. Tucker, Harvard Uni- versity Library; and Clement W. Andrews, librarian of the John Crerar Library, Chi- cago. The results of a widely distributed ques- tionnaire on cataloging were discussed in an address on THE CATALOGING SITUATION* BY FRANK K. WALTER, Librarian, University of Minnesota To the question "What recent changes, if any, have you noticed in the difficulty of ob- taining catalogers?" 40 libraries replied that they saw little or no change. Fourteen find increased difficulty in getting good catalogers while 16 notice less trouble in this respect than a year ago. Several avoid trouble by recruiting their catalog forces from their ap- prentice classes. Most of those who report increased diffi- culty in obtaining good catalogers lay the blame on low library salaries generally. On the other hand, the replies as a whole show that the salary schedule is not always respon- sible. Many libraries whose salaries are be- low average report much less trouble than do libraries who pay considerably more. The special qualifications required of catalogers have something to do with this question as the libraries which insist on high quality of work usually have more trouble finding peo- ple able to maintain the standard. Scarcity of competent help is peculiar to no special type of library. Public, reference, college Abstract. CATALOG SECTION 237 and university libraries seem to suffer in about the same degree. The range of salaries paid catalogers is wide. Initial salaries vary from $720 to $1800 for assistants, according to the kind of work required of them. Head catalogers receive considerably more though only 6 salaries from $2500 to $3000 are definitely reported. Few of the head catalogers who sent replies mentioned their own salaries and it is prac- tically certain that many of them would be- long in this salary group. There seems to be a tendency to consider $1500 a basic salary for an assistant with college and library school training or approved experience. Ap- plicants with more than usual training and experience frequently are offered $1800. Ap- plicants with less than a full college course or library school certificate or extended cat- aloging experience are often offered from $1200 to $1400 though the supply at these figures is very limited. Salaries of $2000, $2100 and $2400 for head catalogers or heads of special cataloging sections are rather com- mon. Thirty-six libraries report an increasing tendency in salary but it is not clear that all of these expect this tendency to continue. Thirty-one libraries (22 public and 9 college or university) expect their salary schedules to be stationary, at least for a while. The rest of the opinions are too indefinite to base an opinion on but there is no statement of actual or expected lowering of salaries. Neither is there any indication that catalogers are underpaid in comparison with their colleagues. They are usually graded with the rest of the staff and receive corresponding salaries. In 14 cases their salaries are relatively higher. This is due sometimes to the law of supply and demand and sometimes to the higher qualifications required of catalogers. Many of the libraries reporting an increas- ing salary scale have automatic or incremen- tal increases based on a predetermined mini- mum and maximum for specified grades of service. These increases, based on length of service or efficiency or on a combination of the two, are most common in public libraries. A distinction between professional catalog- ing and clerical service is common but the line of cleavage is often indistinct and is not always dependent on the size of the catalog staff. The use of part-time student assistants for clerical work to save the time of trained and experienced catalogers is common in col- lege and university libraries. Even where the professional status of the cataloger is recognized there is no general agreement as to grades or titles. The most common grades are, head cataloger, first as- sistant, senior assistant, junior assistant (who may, as far as the title goes, be either a clerk or a trained but inexperienced cata- loger). In the smaller libraries there is often no distinction between the two grades of assistants. In the larger libraries there may be a chief or supervisor outranking the head cataloger and a reviser or classifier outrank- ing the assistants. Again, as in the Library of Congress, the senior catalogers may be specialists in definite fields of co-ordinate rank. There may be no definite catalog de- partment, as at the University of Vermont, where, the librarian, Helen B. Shattuck, says, "The assistant librarian and myself do all the 'professional' cataloging . . . with younger assistants to do the clerical part of it." This condition resembles that found in many school, special and business libraries. The main conclusion to be drawn is that local conditions still determine title as well as spe- cific duties and that it is unsafe to appraise a cataloger by title alone. In college and university libraries the question of professional status can be rather easily measured by the academic rank given those on the payroll. Of the thirty-two li- braries in these classes from whom replies were received only 3 gave academic rank to the catalog staff generally i.e. to those who could be properly considered professional workers. At Vassar "Catalogers rank as in- structors or assistants according to qualifica- tions and length of service." At Iowa State College "The head cataloger ranks as in- structor in the college; assistants, as college assistants." In 9 others academic rank is given to some members of the catalog staff, usually to the head cataloger and sometimes to heads of sections. At Columbia Univer- sity "Academic rank is granted by vote of the trustees to supervisors of long tenure of office." At Smith College "All are assistant O 238 DETROIT CONFERENCE librarians. The cataloger in charge has an assistant professor's salary. Librarian only attends faculty meetings but staff has every academic privilege and courtesy." At the University of Chicago "Heads of cataloging and classification departments and two revis- ers have rank of associate, which is the ac- ademic rank next to instructor." At the Uni- versity of North Dakota catalogers have "Instructor's rank as far as salaries and marching in academic processions go, are not listed with teaching faculty however." In several cases the academic status is rather indefinite. In 16 cases no academic rank is given to the catalog staff. The dearth of catalogers has a direct bear- ing on the specific qualifications they are ex- pected to have. The variety of opinion on this matter is great. Most libraries prefer college graduates. Six require college grad- uation for all but the lower grades. Eight are content with high school graduation. Seven require a year of library school train- ing and many others want applicants with such training when they can get them. Read- ing knowledge of foreign languages is fre- quently expected, especially German. Many deplore the lack of experience but few li- braries actually require it from applicants. Three take graduates of their own apprentice classes. Five have no requirements except those in force for the entire library staff. There is fairly general agreement as to the deficiencies. Nineteen libraries find appli- cants lacking in general education. In 14 they are especially deficient in knowledge of foreign languages and particularly, since the opening of the war, in German. Ten find professional training rather generally lack- ing. Two assert that candidates most lack application and accuracy. Six do not get enough applicants with experience. The report of the Sub-Committee on Cat- aloging last year recommended more diver- sity of work to overcome the traditional monotony of cataloging. Many quotations would be needed to show what is actually be- ing done in this direction. The need of variety enough to excite interest is almost universally recognized. Attempts to excite and maintain this interest mostly follow three general lines; (1) Holding each member of the catalog staff responsible for the entire process or a large part of the cataloging process in special classes or types of books; (2) relieving the cataloger of those processes for which she shows little liking or aptitude ; (3) relegating clerical and strictly routine work to clerical assistants or dividing it among the staff. Miss Rosholt has emphasized a fact touched on by several others : that mere diversity may itself become as bad as monotony and that the essential continuity of the catalog- ing process must be preserved. Many libraries of all types assign or per- mit catalogers some regular service at the loan or reference desks or in other depart- ments of the library. This is usually popu- lar with the catalog staff and considered advantageous by the librarian. Many specific suggestions for improving the cataloging situation were received. In- creased salaries was the means most fre- quently suggested. More recognition of the importance of good cataloging on the part of head librarians, the library staff generally, library school faculties and catalogers them- selves, was suggested almost as often. Rela- tively few suggested better educational and professional equipment for the catalogers but this was undoubtedly implied in many replies to an earlier question. The deficiencies in catalogers which are noticed by Mr. Martel of the Library of Congress may help explain the lack of the recognition desired. He says : "The most common deficiencies are lack of intellectual curiosity and initiative ; rather limited range of information in general and even of knowledge of the subjects in which they have specialized, also ordinarily a very slender knowledge of the languages they pro- fess to have studied. Very few seem to de- vote voluntarily any of their own time to the study of library science and to the acquisition of knowledge of sources of information, which would tend to develop their critical faculty; they are too willing to be told in- stead of finding out and judging for them- selves, and to take things for granted with- out verifying." Eighteen libraries consider better teaching in library schools and greater emphasis on the importance of cataloging a very important CATALOG SECTION 239 factor in improving the situation. To those who remember the insistent and persistent attacks on cataloging courses by students and others this volte face is interesting. Longer vacations and better working conditions are frequently mentioned as needed reforms. A questionnaire similar to that sent to li- braries was sent to all library schools giving a full year of professional training and to Adelaide Hasse who conducts a special train- ing course for business librarians. Replies have been received from all but one of these schools, though Miss Hasse has answered only the parts which specifically apply to her special field. The only school noting any diminution of the demand for catalogers is the Library School of the New York Public Library which reports the demand "Probably not so strong as two years ago; this not because fewer catalogers are needed but because sup- ply has been increased through return of per- sons drawn off for war work." The demand has increased at Los Angeles, and the uni- versities of California, Texas and Washing- ton. At the others the demand has increased slightly or seems only stationary. Pratt In- stitute and the University of Wisconsin ex- plain that their training is chiefly for general positions in public libraries a line of work in which a demand for catalogers would be less marked. The Chautauqua school trains librarians for better work in their present positions and the question of filling new places seldom applies. The salaries offered library school students follow the general trend. The tendency is toward increase, especially in the positions paying from $1200 to $1800. Less increase above $1800 is indicated. Practically no. po- sitions below $1200 are filled by library school students. The increases offered seem less than a year or two ago. Initial salaries for beginners range from $1200 to $1500 with higher offers for the unusually well-equipped up to $1800. In view of the rather general feeling that candidates for cataloging positions lack many desirable qualifications, it is noteworthy that the library schools generally feel there has been no material falling off in the quality of their students in cataloging. The statement is often made, directly or implicitly, that the better type of library school student does not want to catalog. The evidence varies. The general opinion of the schools seems to be that it is not a .question of better or worse students as much as one of temperament. Most of the contributors admit that the majority of the students pre- fer other work, usually work with the public. Marion Horton, of the Los Angeles Public Library, gave the question to her class as a "project." Quotations from Miss Horton's summary of the results follow: "Of the 20 in the class, 3 prefer cataloging. Two of these are attractive and excellent students, among the best in the class. . . . Six others consider cataloging fascinating but would not want to do it all the time. The reasons they give for liking it vary; one sees the new books ; it appeals to those who have a love of system, order and neatness; there is less rush and nerve strain than at the loan desk; it gives opportunity to learn about literature and to enlarge one's stock of information; it requires imagination to choose subject head- ings and it is always fun to put one's self in another's place. 'An ideal library life would be cataloging with a few hours of desk work.' 'All librarians should do some catalog- ing because it gives intimate knowledge of books.' The other 11 prefer other work... Reasons for preferring other work are: monotonous detail in cataloging, too much routine, too tiresome sitting still for long hours, being of service only indirectly, unat- tractive and dingy quarters, lack of personal element. The cataloger does not come in contact with many different kinds of people and does not have the joy of finding the exact book for a specific purpose or of finding a bit of literature to suit the taste of a certain person; it does not appeal to one who would rather use than peruse books.' " In the report of the 1921 subcommittee, re- vision of the catalog courses in library schools was recommended. Most of the schools re- port some modification of these courses but the changes are usually not fundamental or extensive. Among the changes specifically mentioned are: closer correlation of theory and practice and of the allied processes of classification, subject headings and catalog 240 DETROIT CONFERENCE entry; more practice in real cataloging, closer attention to Library of Congress rules and the making of unit cards instead of the great variety of secondary cards with variant forms which were the staple of some of the older manuals of catalog practice. No definite action seems to have been taken on one of last year's recommendations : the differentia- tion of cataloging instruction for prospective workers in large and in small libraries. A "condensed course" has been considered by the Library School of the New York Public Library but no action has been taken. The practical character of any instruc- tional course depends primarily on the in- sight the instructor has into the way his theories harmonize with actual operating con- ditions. This, in turn, depends on the in- structor's experience and his opportunities for keeping in touch with present approved practice in his subject. Of the present in- structors in cataloging in the library schools represented, all but possibly one (whose an- swer is not clear) have had experience as catalogers for periods ranging from 1 to 25 years, aside from their instructional work This service has been in libraries of many sizes and types. Four have, in addition, been employed in reference work. Eleven of the 16 have also held administrative positions from head cataloger to public and university librarian. If library school instruction does not always follow local practice in the libra- ries to which the students go, it does not necessarily follow that that school is at fault. If the theory is based on the instructor's ex- perience and the instructor does not permit himself to get out of touch with current ten- dencies, it may be well for the librarian to see whether his practice is superior to the theory he criticizes. The whole cataloging situation is complex and adequate analysis and tabulation, as stated at the outset, would require more time and space than are possible here. Neverthe- less the following tentative conclusions may perhaps be drawn: (1) The supply of com- petent catalogers is still below the demand but the scarcity is not quite as great as a year ago and the supply seems to be slowly increasing; (2) salaries of catalogers rank with those paid other library workers of similar qualifications. There is still a ten- I dency toward increased salary but progress : in this direction is slow at present; (3) the libraries in which there is a graded scheme of } salary increases are in a minority and in- 1 creases still depend for the most part on signal ability or the offer of another position elsewhere; (4) whenever possible, libraries are likely to expect rather high qualifications in their catalogers but a large part of the applicants are lacking in educational back- ground, professional training or experience. The most common educational deficiency is ignorance of foreign languages; (5) there is a very evident attempt to maintain inter- est in cataloging by utilizing special aptitudes or tastes in the cataloger and by making the cataloger's contact with the public easier; (6) to attract enough catalogers of the right kind, better salaries and more professional recognition are necessary; (7) the library schools cannot at present supply the demand, for success in cataloging depends on a com- bination of qualities which relatively few li- brary school students (or other library work- ers, for that matter) possess in combination ; (8) the cataloging courses in the library schools are conducted by experienced cata- logers. They realize the difficulties, general and specific, of the situation and are endeav- oring to meet them. The replies of all the libraries point to the fact that cataloging is a basic process and that catalogers must be trained not only in local devices but in the principles which affect widely separated localities and widely varying types of readers. It is not really a question of cataloging for public libraries or for college and university libraries or for reference libraries. It may not be even a question of small libraries or large libraries. It is rather a question of making the catalog a reference tool for the users of the indi- vidual library. Their needs will determine its type and the kind of catalogers requisite to make it properly. Not only the catalog department but the librarians themselves are involved, for the first requirement is for the librarian to know clearly what he wants and to know the difference between the essen- tial and the accidental. Cataloging will not come into its own until the conviction sinks CATALOG SECTION 241 a little deeper that the most vociferous li- brary advertising will be of only partial effect unless the stock in trade is so organized as to be readily accessible to the average patron of the library as well as to a trained and experienced library staff. The next address was SOME ASPECTS OF THE CATALOG- ING SITUATION* BY J. C. M. HANSON, Associate Director, University of Chicago Libraries No university or reference library can cat- alog its books at an average expenditure of twenty cents a title as some of them had claimed, without grossly underpaying their assistants or by engaging help totally incom- petent for the task in hand. The latter will sooner or later mean reorganization and re- organization usually proves to be about three times as expensive as organization. University libraries require catalogers of wider and more thorough education than public libraries. Unfortunately, the univer- sity library is not in a position to pay as high salaries as the public library and for this reason, the best of the library school graduates do not enter the university library field. Universities must depend largely on apprentices trained by their own staffs. Study of foreign languages, of the world's history and literature, of political and social sciences, philosophy and art, are of greatest importance in the development of a good cat- aloger. A certain number of specialists in the sciences, technology, medicine, and the- ology will always be required for service in libraries particularly strong in these fields. The decided drift away from the classics is to be deplored. So also, the increasing number of applicants just out of school who have no knowledge of German. The latter fact is of importance because the book trades have developed in Germany more than in any other country. The comparative figures of books printed show that there are from four to five times as many books published in Germany as in France, and more than in the United States and in the United Kingdom combined. Also, when a librarian endeavors Abstract. to answer the question, What are the best books or articles on a given subject? he very frequently finds that the inquiry narrows down to works in the German language of which no adequate translations are found. Unless action is taken to check the drift away from the classics and German, the time may come when the larger university and reference libraries of America have to import catalogers from Central Europe, some- thing which may again have its difficulties, in view of the apparent tendency of the De- partment of Labor to class librarians as la- barors, for which it cannot be blamed when the original meaning and scope of the term librarii is recalled. (Copyists, the original librarii were mainly ex-slaves.) Another tendency in the schools which affects the training of catalogers is the com- petition between institutions of learning to see which shall offer the greatest number of courses and cover the most ground in a given period of time, something which leads to specialization before the student has ac- quired the proper ground work for a general education. Under this system, the student too frequently finds himself on graduation from the university, with dabs of specialized knowledge, but also with large lacunae or gaps, which should not be found in the edu- cational make-up of any person with real pretence to sound general education. Broader and more thorough courses, less collateral reading, but more intensive study of good text-books in the subjects specified, are essen- tial for the development of the right mate- rial for catalogers. If universities and col- leges can not supply such courses, it may become necessary for librarians to combine an establishment of graduate library schools which will then endeavor to give cultural training, in addition to the technical and bibliographical. A plea was made for appreciation on part of administrators, head librarians, and trus- tees of the fundamental importance of good cataloging for the success of their adminis- trations. If I were to summarize the prime requisites for securing improvement in the cataloging situation, I should give them as follows : (1) More attention to classical studies and 242 DETROIT CONFERENCE German, and in general to foreign languages. (2) Broad courses pointing to general, rather than to special education. (3) A proper appreciation on the part of our administrators, whether head librarians or trustees, of the fundamental importance of good cataloging for the success of their administration. (4) Arranging the work in the cataloging department so that as many as possible may have a chance to improve their minds through daily contact with reference books and the contents of books which are passing through their hands. (5) Let as many library assistants as pos- sible have a chance at cataloging. It is im- portant that the cataloger should have a try at reference work and similar duties, but it is even more important that the reference assistants should have a taste of real catalog- ing. There is, of course, no royal road to learn- ing and I fear that only hard, conscientious work along somewhat broad lines and extend- ing from the elementary school through the college or university, with long years of rigid professional training, will protect us against the type of assistant likely to be a constant menace to the reputation of the li- brary. It is sincerely to be hoped that the present drift toward materialism, industrialism, im- perialism, militarism, if you please, will not prove so great or so lasting as to deprive our libraries of the kind of help needed to main- tain the standards set by that generation of librarians whose work-day fell mainly in the last quarter of the nineteenth and the first years of the twentieth century. Few of these men and women are now with us, but we owe it to their devoted and conscientious effort that American library methods and ideals are now highly regarded throughout the world, and the maintenance of the high ideals of service set by them, is a duty which has descended to the generation now holding their places and which they will surrender in turn to their successors. In the discussion which followed a paper was presented on BY SOPHIE K. Hiss, Public Library, Cleve- land, Ohio In a public library where the preparation and cataloging of the books for a branch system is entirely centralized, the number of volumes and of pieces to be handled is very large in proportion to the number of new titles to be classified and cataloged. Dupli- cates and replacements bulk large and even the branch cataloging can be reduced to little more than a duplicating process. The number of new titles probably averages less than ten per cent of the total number of vol- umes that pass through the department in a single year. Obviously the number of assistants required to classify, to assign subject-headings, to do bibliographical research work, to prepare difficult catalog card copy and to perform revisory duties, is very small as compared with the number of those who attend to the other operations necessary to the complete preparation of books and records. The cat- alogers, in other words, for according to the functions just mentioned these are the true catalogers the catalogers are a small minority; and in my experience it has been for these few expert assistants only that it has been necessary to apply to the library schools. The main body of the staff can be produced with reasonable ease by the library itself, usually out of local material. This main body consists of clerks and ap- prentices, who in most, though not in all cases, have had at least a high school edu- cation. Cultural background, intellectual tastes, book knowledge, are not essentials for the efficient performance of the functions as- signed to this group. Their duties consist of the mechanical preparation of the books, of the accessioning, of the shelf -listing, of the typing or other duplication of the catalog cards, of the keeping of statistics and of any other clerical record work. Alphabet- ing and preliminary filing also belong to them. The catalog department itself trains these assistants in efficient methods of handling CATALOG SECTION 243 their work, in neatness, accuracy, etc. and in a knowledge of forms and technique. Li- brary schools please note this last ! Forms and technique are readily and quickly learned independently of instruction in cataloging principles. Further training of the apprentices is ac- complished by means of an apprentice train- ing class. Here they receive instruction not only in the elementary principles of their own duties, but in other branches of the li- brary work. This serves to broaden their outlook by showing them the relation of their work to the system as a whole. The cataloging instruction aims merely to teach intelligent use of the catalog, emphasis be- ing placed upon the information to be ob- tained from the various kinds of catalog entries. The principles and practice of al- phabeting and of filing arrangement are more thoroughly treated. The training class does not attempt to prepare the apprentice to do even very simple cataloging. From this point, however, which it usually has taken a year to reach experience takes the place of formal training, and after a few years the abler members of the group pass into positions that require some execu- tive ability and an elementary knowledge of cataloging. In other words, by a process of natural acquisition, they evolve into elemen- tary catalogers capable for instance, of tak- ing charge of the branch cataloging or of preparing the main entry for the simpler type of book that makes up the average public library circulating collection. If both accurate and alert minded they are competent to do the final filing in the catalogs. In the past but, let us hope, not in the future, there have been graduates of the one-year library schools who were no better qualified to fill these same positions and who were just as unable to progress further. For here assistants of limited education have reached their highest level in the catalog de- partment. They lack the intellectual and scholarly qualifications to become expert cat- logers, and no amount of library school training can change this condition. Neverthe- less and not infrequently one of these more poorly equipped assistants proposes to better herself by taking a library school course. This introduces a perplexing problem, per- plexing both to the library that does not want back this assistant, nor others of her like, at the advanced and somewhat fictitious value given by a library school certificate ; and presumably also to the library school that is desirous of raising our professional standards by preparing better material. And this leads us straight to the core of the train- ing question so far as catalogers are con- cerned. For if library schools are willing, or rather if they feel obliged as yet, to accept students of this mediocre type, is it not necessary and possible to differentiate in the kind and char- acter of the instruction offered to the stu- dents who are educationally qualified to be- come high grade catalogers, bibliographers and reference workers and to those whose educational and personal limitations rule them out from careers in these branches of library science? The latter need only elementary instruc- tion in cataloging, even more elementary, per- haps, than they are now receiving in the schools. The former, on the other hand, should be spared just as much of the in- terest-killing, and for them, unnecessary rou- tine and drill as possible. Their time and attention should be directed to acquiring sound and thorough research and bibliograpi- cal methods. They need more training in the expert use of reference tools and in clear and logical presentation of data and evidence. Above all they should be taught to think in terms of classification and of subjects. Ref- erence work, bibliography and cataloging are too vitally connected to be treated separately. The library schools, even those offering ad- vanced courses, cannot hope to attract or to supply us with properly equipped catalogers unless they can devise some means of effect- ing this combination. But if we ask the library schools to make an initial vocational selection among their students and to offer different courses to those who are, and to those who are not, qualified to become high-grade catalogers, bibliographers and reference assistants, it be- comes incumbent upon us in the large li- braries to co-operate, first by training our own elementary catalogers as we can easily 244 DETROIT CONFERENCE do, so as not to draw upon the supply of this grade of assistants which the schools are preparing for the small libraries; and second- ly by exercising care in the organization of our catalog departments so as not to use properly qualified and highly trained catalog- ers for duties that can be performed by lower grade assistants. If both library and library school differen- tiate between the cataloger proper and what I have called the elementary cataloger, will not the training problem be simplified? Esther Betz of the Pittsburgh Carnegie Library, in discussing WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH CATALOGING? said: Given a personality with the proper edu- cational background to make a perfect cat- aloger, why do other departments of the li- brary hold out more attractions to members of the profession? Because the instruction in library schools makes cataloging a drudgery, because catalog rooms are seldom light, airy and convenient and the folks collected to- gether in them are often a queer lot, because of the lack of variety and over-organization of the work in catalog departments, and be- cause catalogers are sometimes paid less than other library assistants and are not paid in accordance with the requirements of their positions. In the general discussion which followed, Charles Martel, Library of Congress, brought out the idea that emphasis on executive po- sitions had resulted in a scarcity of assistants and warned against too much administrative interference which cannot improve poor work and can only hurt good work. Harriet E. Howe of Simmons College discussed matters from the library school point of view and Mary E. Baker, Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh, from that of the public library. A paper was presented on THE CATALOG DEPARTMENT AND ITS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL WORK OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT* BY MILDRED M. TUCKER, Harvard University Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts Scholars using large university libraries often need the services of assistants, who Abstract have a knowledge of bibliographic method and who can make intelligent use of the in- stitution's records. This need is felt by the departments of the university and other in- stitutions. Frequently this work is done by the reference department. At Harvard, the furnishing of cards to class-room libraries and departments, the checking up of lists, the analysis of periodi- cals for The Wilson Co., etc. are done cop- stantly and seem a part of the regular work of the catalog department. The department, however, receives numerous requests for service which do not include the everyday questions which come to the reference de- partment as elsewhere. This service is fur- nished at cost. Numbered among these are the revision of the catalog of the Graduate School of Edu- cation Library, the reorganization of the En- gineering Library, the compilation of lists to be used in purchasing books for the main library, and the Union list of Scandinaviana, being prepared for the American Scandi- navian Foundation. The three things to be emphasized about our work at Harvard are these: (1) the fact that these jobs were paid for by outside de- partments and persons and made no drain 0:1 the library's resources ; (2) the advantage to the department in that it enabled us to keep together a larger force than the regular budget allowed, this force being available for any special rush of current work; (3) the mutual satisfaction in being able to obtain expert help and the satisfaction of the de- partment in being brought into live contact with the outside world. Second Session The second session met Friday, June 30, in two divisions, a large libraries division and a smaller libraries division. Smaller Libraries Division Ellen Hedrick, North Dakota Library Com- mission, presided. After a vain search for larger quarters the smaller libraries division of the Catalog Sec- tion opened its session with the disturbing realization that many times as many persons were being turned away as were packed into the small room assigned to it. Immediately CATALOG SECTION 245 upon beginning, a member rose and said, "I think that we should call the attention of the program committee to the fact that the di- vision of smaller libraries is small in name only, not in numbers," which suggestion was unanimously endorsed by all present. A round table discussion, led by Miss Hed- rick, was held on the subject, CATALOG PROB- LEMS IN SMALLER LIBRARIES. The following addresses were made : WHO CATALOGS THE SMALL LI- BRARY?* By HARRIET P. TURNER, Public Library, Ke- wanee, Illinois In the small library the cataloger never needs to face the fear of isolation, the danger of losing sympathetic touch with library pa- trons, of becoming anaemic or neurasthenic from contact with no more inspiring things than the dry minutiae of her work, or any of the hundred and one things, which vex the souls of catalogers in convention assembled. On the contrary, she who catalogs the small library must needs pray earnestly for greater isolation, for a corner no matter how small and dark, where the ever seeking public can not find her and there be free to do this im- portant work in peace. In other words the big problem of the small library is not so much how, but where, when, and especially by whom is this work to be accomplished. In actual practice, we find that if the li- brary is large enough to have a trained li- brarian, she does the cataloging, or she may classify, assign subject headings and even make the main card herself, and have assist- ants type the balance of the cards. This means a considerable amount of time devoted to supervision. Sometimes a trained assist- ant does the work or a cataloger of long experience, but these are exceptional cases. Any plan, which would relieve the librarian of the small library of the burden of the de- tails of cataloging would be a boon. The expert work of the Library of Congress, which is available to libraries at such a reas- onable cost, is, of course, the most satisfac- tory venture in co-operative cataloging. In her pamphlet on The catalog, published by the American Library Association as part of the series on library economy, Miss Howe describes the service of the Library of Con- gress and of other libraries from which printed cards may be purchased and the cards sent out by publishers as advertising material, which may be adapted to the cat- alog. Mr. Bishop in Modern library catalog- ing estimates that ninety per cent of the cards needed by a public library may now be pur- chased. There has been a movement to extend the operations of co-operative cataloging, so that every part of the preparation for the shelves of books ordered by a subscribing library would be done by a central bureau. This scheme as worked out in California would mean that books would be received by the library ready for circulation, with catalog cards ready to be filed and call numbers tooled upon the backs. (In this way one of the dreams of the public would come true.) It would necessitate greater uniformity of practice than now exists, would be more feas- ible if Cutter numbers were eliminated and these are going out of fashion, anyway and would require the working out of many de- tails before it would be a success in actual operation; but if it could be worked out suc- cessfully it would mean a great blessing to the small library. SUGGESTIONS FOR SOLUTION OF CATALOGING PROBLEMS IN SMALLER LIBRARIES* BY SUSAN GREY AKERS, Wisconsin Library School, Madison In the smaller libraries, where there is no room available, there should be a cataloging corner, with a few shelves reserved for the books to be cataloged, the aids, a desk, a type- writer and the shelf-list trays. This corner may be screened off in order that people may not interrupt by stopping to ask questions. If there is a cataloger she will spend the greater part of her time cataloging. How- ever, her intimate knowledge of books should be utilized in other departments of the li- brary. And this can be made possible by giv- ing her the help of an untrained assistant for the mechanical details of her work. An Abstract. Abstract. 246 DETROIT CONFERENCE apprentice can frequently be used for this. But where the staff is too small for such a division of labor, shall the librarian do it? When shall she do it? The librarian might plan her work so that she could give some consecutive time each week to cataloging, during the dullest period of the library day. At this time a desk attendant would be on duty at the desk and so far as possible protect the librarian from interruptions. The librarian could de- cide on the number of cards necessary for the book, the subject headings to be used and the form for the author's name; then the assistant could type the cards. Frequently assistants are interested in helping with the cataloging, and as they gain experience, more and more of the work can be delegated to them. They should be given a free hand to a certain extent and then their work care- fully revised. This gives them more inter- est in it and the library benefits through having the work pass through more than one person's hands. It seems to me that the Library of Con- gress cards are best for non-fiction wherever the library can possibly afford them. Order- ing and checking up the orders have to be done carefully and take time; but on the other hand time is saved by not having to look up and decide on the form for the au- thor's name and the information to be put on the cards. The subject headings which are given on the cards are also very helpful. A good typist can catalog, if she is given Library of Congress cards, the call number of the book, the approved subject headings and has the added cards indicated. For fiction only the author, title and number of volumes are needed; and typing them will be found quite as satisfactory as ordering the printed cards. Has the library enough aids for cataloging? Economy in this direction is inadvisable. Watch for new aids and purchase them with- out delay. There should be aids for classifi- cation, for names and for subject headings. The list of subject headings chosen as au- thority must be carefully checked for head- ings used and cross references made, and ad- ditional headings must be added. To secure uniformity some authority must be followed such as the A.L.A. catalog rules, Fellow's Cataloging rules or the Wisconsin Library School Catalog rules. Adopt one and keep it properly checked and annotated; or keep notes on cards or sheets, of the li- brary's policy, where it varies from the standard adopted. This is necessary in order to keep a catalog from becoming erratic and from showing too plainly how many people have made it. The catalog case should be mentioned, for carefully made catalog cards are of little value if they are packed into an ill-fitting case with insufficient guide cards. The case should be of the unit type, so that it may be ex- panded whenever necessary and without too much expense. Its trays should be carefully labeled, and if more than sixty, each tray and its corresponding place in the cabinet should be numbered. Guide cards should be placed at intervals of about one inch. The printed ones look very nice indeed and the words on them are well chosen for the small public library. The children's catalog should be separate from the adult and low enough for the older children to reach. The cards should be very simple; just author, title, date and number of volumes. More title and analytic cards will be necessary than for the adult catalog. Last but not least, you should teach your public how to use the catalog. Time spent in doing this will be well repaid. 1st put a sign on or near the catalog telling how to use it. 2nd have the school children come to the library by grades and instruct them in its use. 3rd when you look up some- thing in the catalog for someone let them see how you do it. The above papers were the basis for inter- esting discussions. Anna G. Hall of the H. R. Huntting Co., Springfield, Mass., spoke of cataloging standards as applied to the smallest library as well as to larger collections. Dorcas Fellows, New York State Library School, discussed the papers from the point of view of the training school. The subject of government publications was next considered. Maud D. Brooks, Olean, N. Y., Miss Weiss, Warren, Pa., Jo- sephine Lytle, Warren, O., Lucia Tiffany Henderson, Jamestown, N. Y., and others CATALOG SECTION 247 contributed to the discussion. The practice of treating government publications as real books and placing them on the shelves with other books on a subject seemed to be the practice usually followed in the smaller li- braries. The Congressional Record was ac- corded a place with other dailies. Miss Hen- derson spoke particularly of the usefulness of this publication in school debates. The care of maps, was the next topic to be discussed. Miss Hall described a device for storing maps in an ordinary bookcase by removing the shelves and having the doors hinged at the bottom. The maps are fastened to stiff cardboard (corrugated filled boards to be preferred) and placed inside the bookcase so that when the doors are opened the maps fall forward and can be readily re- moved. Miss Fellows described a very sim- ple plan in use in Albany of placing maps in large boxes one side of which are made mov- able and let down when the covers are re- moved, revealing the inscription fastened at the top of each map. DEBATE MATERIAL IN SMALLER LIBRARIES was the topic of a paper by Edith M. Phelps. Miss Phelps told about the work done in the H. W. Wilson Company office in connec- tion with the Debater's Handbook series and how the present practice was the result of years of faithful effort to give libraries what they wanted. Miss Hedrick presented the Subject Of GREATER REPRESENTATION OF CAT- ALOGERS' INTERESTS IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE STATE AND NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. Before adjourning, the question of the di- vision of the Catalog Section into larger and smaller libraries was discussed and the opinion seemed unanimous that the division was decidedly advantageous and it was voted that it be continued. The smaller libraries section then moved into the next room and joined the meeting of the larger libraries section for the consideration of further busi- ness. Large Libraries Division The Large Libraries Division met also on Friday, Mrs. Jennings presiding. The following address was made : THE CATALOGING OF RARE BOOKS IN THE HENRY E. HUNTINGTON LIBRARY. BY GEORGE WATSON COLE, L.H.D., Librarian, Henry E. Huntington Library, San Gabriel, California. Some two months ago, during the fore part of April (1922), the last steps were taken to- wards turning over to the public one of the most important collections of books and paint- ings in this country. By deeds of trust exe- cuted by Mr. Henry E. Huntington his entire country-seat at San Marino, California, was placed in the hands of a board of self- perpetuating trustees, subject only to the life- interest of the donor. These deeds cover over 500 acres of the choicest land in south- ern California, together with a palatial resi- dence filled with art treasures among which are antique bronzes, tapestries, forty or more masterpieces of English portraiture from the brushes of Reynolds, Gainsborough, Romney, Reyburn, and others. The library building only three or four hundred feet away, though not yet complete, has been built to contain one of the most important collections of books and manuscripts ever brought together in this country. This contains the finest collection of English literature in America and is only rivalled by those in the British Museum and university libraries in England. The collection of American history rivals, if indeed it does not surpass, that of the Lenox collection, now a part of the New York Pub- lic Library. Its collection of printed books relating to California and the West Coast fully equals that of the Bancroft Library at Berkeley. Its collection of manuscripts re- lating to the history of this country is un- surpassed. In fact, those best qualified to judge never speak of the Huntington Library without enthusiasm and always indulge in superlatives, no matter of what part of the collection they may be speaking. Where hundreds if not thousands of dollars have been paid for a single volume it be- comes necessary to ascertain whether or not it is complete, and whether it is as purported to be in the catalog from which it was bought This requires that it should be gone over leaf by leaf to find out whether it cor- 248 DETROIT CONFERENCE responds with or differs from other copies of the same impression. An example or two will show that more than ordinary care must be taken in cataloging books of this description. In 1869 Algernon Charles Swinburne, in order to secure the English copyright of his poem Siena, printed six copies. Of these one was sold and the others were distributed privately. This is, in consequence, one of the rarest of the first editions of Swinburne's writings (Wise, T. J., Bibliography of Swin- burne, p. 177). Soon after, John Camden Hotton reprinted the poem without authority. Copies of this spurious edition are often met with. It so nearly resembles the original that it is easily mistaken for it. Though intended to be an exact reproduction it differs slightly in the spacing of the words and in a few other minor respects. These differences can be detected only by a comparison of the two impressions side by side. The title-page of the original has a period after the word "Piccadilly" in the imprint. This is lacking in the unauthorized copy. In the sixth line from the bottom of page five, the semicolon, at the end of the line in the original im- pression is over the space between the letters s and p in the word "spears," of the line below. In the reprint it is over the letter e in the same word. In the sale of the Poor Library, a copy, be- lieved at the time to be the genuine edition (but since proved to be spurious), was sold for $11.00. The price paid for it indicates, that, even then, there may have been some doubts as to its genuineness. In the Edward K. Butler sale April 10, 1922, a certified copy of the genuine edition sold for $525.00. It is apparent that if either of these editions were cataloged by the usual rules there would be no indication whatever as to which was the genuine and which the spurious edition. Other examples might be cited. Enough to say that when two copies of a book, sup- posed to be identically the same, are sub- jected to a critical examination, differences are often found. The above example shows that the utmost care must be taken in cata- loging books, especially rare and costly ones. Books are ordinarily cataloged with sev- eral objects in view : to ascertain what works by an author are in the library, to determine how many it contains on a given subject, or to find out whether a book with a certain title is on its shelves. In order to serve readers and students quickly the books are usually labelled, numbered, and arranged on the shelves according to some definite system of classification and the shelf-numbers are written on the catalog cards. In most libraries a catalog that answers these questions is considered sufficient, espe- cially if it is desired to find out whether a certain work is in the library, and to place it in the hands of a person desiring it with as little delay as possible. One might add that, ceteris paribus, nothing more is here done than would be done by any up-to-date business house that keeps track of its stock and so arranges it that it can quickly be made to satisfy the demands of its patrons. There are libraries, however, in which it is important to have readily at command in- formation upon other subjects. Such are those that have special collections as of in- cunabula or specimens of early printing, en- gravings, maps, books covering particular periods of time, whether of printing or lit- erature, first editions, books published during the lifetime of their authors, etc., etc. In bringing together such collections vari- ous obstacles are encountered by those aiming to secure only the choicest copies. Those who have had experience in handling old books know that they are often found in shabby condition, with bindings broken or altogether gone, with the leaves at both ends missing or sadly mutilated, and showing other evidences of neglect or misuse. When such a book is found, it may turn out to be the only copy of it known, or one of a very limited number that have survived the ravages of time. When such proves to be the case it is a treasure-trove and at once becomes interesting, and every bit of information relating to it and its history becomes im- portant The Henry E. Huntington Library abounds with books of the greatest rarity. It has been brought together by the purchase of some twenty or more notable libraries en bloc, CATALOG SECTION 249 and of selections from the rarest books that have appeared in auction sales both in England and in this country for the past fifteen or twenty years. It is a well known fact that during this time more books of ex- cessive rarity have come into the market than during any similar period in the entire his- tory of bookselling. When, in addition to this, we realize that booksellers and private owners are constantly submitting their choic- est books to Mr. Huntington for his consid- eration, some idea of the treasures to be found in this remarkable library may be gained. From the first, Mr. Huntington has directed his efforts to acquiring books of English lit- erature and those dealing with American history. While remarkably strong in both these fields the chief strength of the library lies in early English literature particularly in the period prior to 1641, of which it now possesses nearly 8,000 volumes. Later periods are also surprisingly well represented. In the particular field of early English poetry and drama, it is excelled, if at all, only by the libraries of the British Museum and those of the Universities at Oxford and Cambridge. The methods of authors, printers, publish- ers, and binders in Elizabethan times differed so materially from those in practice at the present day, that copies of the same impres- sion often contain important differences. Many of these found their way into books, when, as often happened, the author was present as his work was being printed, and he caused the press to be stopped in order that he might make such corrections or ad- ditions as he considered important. Now it is evident that in cataloging works of this period, greater attention to details is called for than in libraries of a more general character. Especial care is, therefore, given in the Huntington Library to the examination and description of the various parts that com- pose a printed volume. In the first place, as a heading, the author's name is given, together with the dates of his birth and death. A short title is followed by place, printer and publisher, date, size, and edition. This done, the volume is critically examined leaf by leaf in order to see if it is complete. If two copies are at hand they are carefully com- pared to see if by any chance they contain differences. This information is entered in detail under the heading, "Collation by Sig- natures," and consists of a list of the sig- nature-marks or sheets, with the number of leaves in each, followed by the total number of leaves. If errors or irregularities in sig- nature-marks or pagination occur these are here set forth in detail. The physical make-up of the book having been disposed of, attention is next directed to its contents. This information follows the heading, "Collation by Pagination." After this caption, a minute description is given of the contents of each leaf or portion of the volume, particular attention being paid to the preliminary leaves, those preceding the text or body of the work, and those at the end, not omitting to record any blank leaves that may be necessary to complete the first and last sheets. Too much emphasis can- not be given to making this record as detailed and exact as possible, as these preliminary and end leaves are the ones most liable to be lacking. As leaves presumably blank often contain printed matter no pains are spared to ascertain their actual condition. The printed matter found in each portion of the book is set out with great particularity, title-pages, captions, and other matter being underscored, or otherwise marked, so that when printed it can be set up as nearly like the original as the facilities of the printing- office doing the work will permit. As the preliminary leaves of many books contain neither signature-marks nor page-numbers it is always well, whenever it can be done, to compare them with other copies ; or, in default of them, with the best descriptions of them to be found in reliable bibliographies. The purchase of several libraries in their entirety by Mr. Huntington necessarily brought together numerous duplicates, or those supposed to be such, thus giving an opportunity for the comparison of copies such as has seldom, if ever, occurred in any other library. This work has resulted in many surprises, for copies, which at first blush ap- peared to be duplicates, were often found to contain variations which called for their retention. As several of these libraries were 250 DETROIT CONFERENCE brought together by collectors who were par- ticularly fastidious as to the condition of the books they acquired, the choice between dupli- cate copies was often difficult. The elimina- tion of duplicates has, therefore, left the Huntington Library the proud possessor of what may be appropriately termed the crown jewels of collectors' copies. From what has already been said it will be seen that every book presents distinct prob- lems. An attempt to describe all such would result in formulating an entire code for cat- aloging and describing rare books. I have, therefore, thought best to take an example from our catalog of English books printed prior to 1641, showing the steps that are taken in cataloging a book of that period. Before doing so, however, it may be well to say a word about our general or official catalog. When a book comes into the library the author entry is first written on a card measuring 7^x4^1 inches (20x12% centi- meters). This contains considerable infor- mation not to be found in the catalogs of other libraries, as the following sample shows. HART, Sir William. 1609. The Examinations, Arraignment & Con- uiction of George Sprot, Notary in Aye- mouth, Together with his constant and ex- traordinarie behauior at his death, in Eden- borough. Aug. 12, 1608. Written & set forth by Sir William Hart, Knight, L. Justice of Scotland. Whereby appeareth the trea- sonable deuice betwixt lohn late Earle of Go wry and Robert Logane of Restalrig (commonly called Lesterig) plotted by them for the cruell murthering of our most gra- cious Souereigne. First Edition Second Issue with new title-page. sm.4to. Half russia. Title within woodcut ornamental border. Printed by Melch. Bradwood, for William Aspley, 1609. A-H in fours (the last blank and genuine). The Huth copy. At the same time a title-card is written on a standard size card 4i5x2il inches 7 l /2 centimeters), as follows: The Examinations, Arraignment & Conuiction of George Sprot. See Hart, Sir William When a book is to be cataloged, the cat- aloger's first duty is to examine every bib- liography or catalog in which it is likely that the book in hand may appear. Whenever he finds the work mentioned he records on a blue card of standard size the place where he found it. Having made an exhaustive search in all sources of information at hand and completed his record he proceeds to catalog the book with minute particularity, according to a code of rules distinctively our own. Let us suppose the book to be cataloged is : Sir William Hart's Examinations, Arraign- ment & Conviction of George Sprot, printed in London in 1609. In this case the blue card will read as follows: Huth copy. Hart, Sir William, (fl. 1608.) The Examinations, Arraignment & Convic- tion of George Sprot. First Edition Second Issue with a new title-page, sm. 4to. 1609. Huth Sale, 3. no. 3503 Huth Cat, 2 (1880), 656 Lowndes, 2:1006 2 Hazlitt, 1(1876), 203 1 1st ed. Hazlitt, 2(1882), 269* Karslake, 175 B.M.-1640, 2:776 Sayle, 2:3373 The book is then cataloged as given below, and the cards are carefully revised and filed in a cabinet especially devoted to that purpose. When in the course of time we are ready to complete the bibliographical history of the book, all the cards relating to it are brought together and what we call an editions card is prepared on a form especially ruled and printed for the purpose. Along the top, at the left-hand end is written the author's name and a short title. In the first column is given the dates of the different editions of the work down to and including the year 1709; an arbitrary date chosen because in that year the first critical edition of Shakespeare's plays was brought out by Nicholas Rowe. CATALOG SECTION 251 In the second column are given the names of the printers, stationers, or both, as given on the respective title-pages. Then follows a series of columns at the tops of which are given the abbreviated names of the works consulted, and opposite the date of each edition the volume and page where that particular edition of the work is described, recorded, or noted in some bibliography or other book of reference. In the last column are given the names of the libraries in which copies of each edition are to be found. As the preparation of editions cards is entrusted to those who have shown marked ability in running down bibliographical, bi- ographical, and critical information, these cards when filled out often contain more references than the cataloger has given on the small blue cards. When completed the editions card shows at a glance, in con- densed form, all, or at least the most im- portant sources available concerning the bibliographical history of each edition to 1709 of the volume in hand. It is, in fact, an epitomized conspectus of the bibliographi- cal history of that book. The editions card is next taken and the information there set forth is examined, classified, amplified, and arranged, as fol- lows: (1) Location of other copies. (2) References to sources of information (the fullest and most exact being preferred). (3) Provenance, that is, former ownership (when known). (4) The serial number of the edition. (5) A list of all the editions the book has passed through down to the year 1709. (6) Date when licensed, and to whom, with reference to Arber's Tran- scripts of the Stationers' Registers. (7) Reprints, usually of the nineteenth century. (8) Miscellaneous bibliographical infor- mation, not easily classified as above, followed by critical and biographical matter concerning the author. When completed the record of this particu- lar book stands as follows : HART, Sir WILLIAM, (fl. 1608.) 1609. THE EXAMINATIONS, ARRAIGN- MENT & CONVICTION OF GEORGE SPROT. LONDON, by Melch. Bradivood, for William Aspley, 1609. Small quarto. First Edition Second Issue with a New Title-page. Text enclosed in ruled borders, with separate spaces for run- ning head-lines, pagination, side-notes, sig- nature-marks, and catchwords. COLLATION BY SIGNATURES : A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, each 4 leaves (the last blank and genuine) ; total 32 numbered leaves. COLLATION BY PAGINATION: [title, within a broad type-ornament border] | THE | EX- AMINATIONS | Arraignment and Conuic- tion | of George Sprot, Notary | in Aye- mouth, | Together with his constant and \ extraordinarie behauior at his | death, in Edenborough, | Aug.12. 1608. | Written & set forth by Sir William Hart, \ Knight, L. lus- tice of Scotland. \ Whereby appeareth the treason- | able deuice betwixt lohn late Earle | of Gowry and Robert Logane of Restalrig | (commonly called Lesterig) plotted by | them for the cruell murthering | of our most gracious | Souereigne. | Before which Treatise is prefixed \ also a Preface, written by G. Abbot \ Doctour of Diuinitie } and Deane of \ Winchester, who was present \ at the sayd Sprots | execution. \ [single-rule] | LONDON : | Printed by Melch. Bradwood, | for William Aspley. | 1609. | , recto of [A] ; [blank], verso of [A] ; | [conventional head-piece | A PREFACE | to the Reader. \ [signed] | Thine in the Lord, \ GEORGE ABBOTT. | , pp. 1-38; [text, with heading] | [conventional head-piece] | THE | EXAM- INATIONS, | ARRAIGNMENT, AND | Conuiction of George Sprot, Notary | in Aye-mouth : Together with his \ constant and extraordinarie beha- | uior at his death in Edenborough, \ August 12. 1608. | Written and set forth by Sir William Hart \ Knight, L. lustice of Scotland. \ . . . | [5 lines] | , pp. 39-60; | [conventional tail-piece] | p. 60; [1 blank leaf], [H4]. CONDITION: Size of leaf, 7x5A inches, 17.9x13. centimetres. Bound in three-quar- ters russia, lettered lengthwise on back, marbled boards, sprinkled edges; by Meyer. 252 DETROIT CONFERENCE The Falconer-Huth copy, with ex-libris of each. Other Copies. British Museum; and University Library, Cambridge. References. Sayle, 2(1902), no. 3373; British Museum, Books to 1640, 2(1884), 776; Hazlitt, Collec- tions and Notes; Second Series (1882), 269; Huth, Catalogue, 2(1880), 656; Lowndes, 2(1869), 1006; Bibliotheca Grenvilliana, 1(1842), 303. The Falconer Huth (3: no. 3503) copy, with ex-libris of each. The First Edition Second Issue. Of the First (and sole) Edition First Issue (1608), "by Melch. Bradwood, for William Aspley" (Hazlitt, 1:203), there are copies in the British Museum and Bodleian. The First (and sole) Edition Second Issue (1609), "by Melch Bradwood, for Wil- liam Aspley," is that here described. Licensed to William Aspley, Nov. 10, 1608 (Arber, 3:393). Reprinted in the Harleian Miscellany, 9(1812), 560-579. "John Ruthven, earl of Cowrie, in 1600, reckoning on the support of the burghs and the kirk, conspired to dethrone James VI. of Scotland, and seize the government; and the king was decoyed into Cowrie's house in Perth, on 5 Aug. 1600. The plot was frus- trated, and the earl and his brother Alexan- der were slain on the spot." Harper's Book of Facts, p. 336. "One of the rarest tracts dealing with the Conspiracy of the Earl of Cowrie to assassin- ate James I. It contains a long preface by Dr. George Abbot, who was present at Sprot's execution." Karslake, Notes from Sotheby's, p. 175. "One noted and dissolute conspirator, Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig, was posthumously convicted of having been privy to the Cowrie conspiracy on the evidence of certain letters produced by a notary, George Sprot, who swore they had been written by Logan to Cowrie and others. These letters, which are still in existence, were in fact forged by Sprot in imitation of Logan's handwriting; but the researches of Andrew Lang have shown cause for suspecting that the most im- portant of them was either copied by Sprot from a genuine original by Logan, or that it embodied the substance of such a letter. If this be correct, it would appear that the con- veyance of the king to Fast Castle, Logan's impregnable fortress on the coast of Berwick- shire, was part of the plot; and it supplies, at all events, an additional piece of evidence to prove the genuineness of the Cowrie con- spiracy." Enc. Brit., llth ed., 12:302. "George Sprot, conspirator and alleged forger, practised as a notary at Eyemouth before and after 1600. About that year he seems to have made the acquaintance of Rob- ert Logan of Restalrig. Logan died in 1606. Two years later Sprot let fall some incau- tious expressions to the effect that he had proofs that Logan had conspired with John Ruthven, third earl of Cowrie, to murder James VI while on a visit to Gowrie House in 1600. Sprot was at once arrested on a charge of having concealed this knowledge and of being therefore an abettor of the crime. . . . Sprot was examined nine times by the council, and his depositions (of which the official copies belong to the Earl of Had- dington) are self-contradictory. In effect he admitted that he had forged three of the let- ters to Gowrie, counterfeiting Logan's hand- writing; that he had stolen the fourth letter to Gowrie, which was genuinely written by Logan ; and that he had written the letter to Bower from Logan's dictation, and then copied it in a forged handwriting. All the five letters have been accepted as genuine by modern historians in ignorance of the ex- istence of Sprot's confessions. "On 12 Aug. Sprot was tried by a par- liamentary committee, was found guilty, not without some hesitation, of complicity in the conspiracy, and was duly executed (cf. also Burton, History, 2nd edit. v. 416-20)." Diet. Natl. Biog., 18:838. Having just described a second issue of a book which differs from the original edition only in having a new title-page with the date changed from 1608 to 1609, we will now take a case in which the sheets of two vol- umes, published separately, were used in a collected edition with a new title-page and prefatory matter. CATALOG SECTION 253 [BRATHWAITE, RICHARD.} (b. 1588 ? d. 1673.) THE SHEPHEARDS TALES. LONDON. [by Richard Field] for Richard Whiiaker, 1621. Small octavo. First Edition. COLLATION BY SIGNATURES: 2 leaves with- out signature-marks (the first blank and genuine); A, B, C, each 8 leaves; total 26 numbered leaves. COLLATION BY PAGINATION : [2 blank leaves] , the first leaf without signature-mark; [title], j The | SHEPHEARDS | TALES. | [verse, 2 lines] | [single-rule] | [printer's device - McKerrow, no. 192] | [single-rule] | LON- DON, | Printed [by Richard Field] for Richard Whitaker. | 1621. | , recto of second leaf without signature-mark; [blank], verso of second leaf without signature- mark; | [conventional head-piece] | TO MY WORTHIE | AND AFFECTION- ATE | KINSMAN RICHARD HYTTON | Esquire, Sonne and Heire to the much honou- | red and sincere dispenser of judge- ment. | Sir RICHARD HYTTON Sergeant at | Law, and one of the ludges of the | Common Pleas: \ , [signed] | RICH: BRATHWAIT. | [2 single-rules], recto and verso of A; [text, with heading], | [conventional head- piece] | THE | SHEPHEARDS | TALES. | , pp. 1-45; [single-rule], p. 45; | [con- ventional head-piece] | , A Pastorall Palinod. | [sonnet] | FINIS. | p. [46]. There is no catchword on p. 11. CONDITION: Size of leaf, 6j4x4-rV inches; 15.9x10.5 centimetres. Bound in citron crushed levant morocco. Sides tooled with a series of small conventional flowers. With doublure, inside borders, marbled end-papers, and gilt edges. For Robert Hoe, by the Club Bindery. In board chemise, inserted in slip-case. The Hoe copy, with ex-libris. Other Copies. British Museum copy (noted below) and the Mitford-Taylour-Park-Utterson-Huth (1:915) copy, present location unknown. References. Hoe, Catalogue, 5 (1905), 193; Huth, Cata- logue, 1(1880), 199; Lowndes, 1(1869), 257; Hazlitt, Hand-Book (1867), 51; Brath- waite, Barnabee's Journal; Haslewood, 1 (1820), 253; ibid., 1(1876), 71. The Hoe (1:485) copy, with ex-libris. The First Edition. The First Edition (1621), "[by Richard Field] for Richard Whitaker," is that here described. This work contains three eclogues. Brathwaite in a "Pastorall Palinod" at the end, says : "THese Swains like dying Swans haue sung their last. [71ines] "But Heardsmen are retired from their shade Of Myrtle sprayes and sprigs of Osyer made, With purpose to reuisit you to morrow, Where other three shall giue new life to sorrow : Mean time repose, lest when the Swaine ap- peares. You fall asleepe when you should flow with teares" The "other three" eclogues appeared the same year (with identically the same title- page) in Natures Embassie, followed by "The shepheards holy-day," "Omphale," with a separate title-page, and "A Poem describ- ing the leuity of a woman." This is the first series of tales issued under the title The Shepheards Tales and is prob- ably the rarest of all Brathwaite's early works. A second instalment forms part of the vol- ume called Natures Embassie [our no. ]. The sheets of the two series were republished, in 1626, under the original title of The Shep- heards Tales [our no. ]. In Natures Em- bassie the present tract is referred to as fol- lows : 'His Pastoralls are here continued with three other Tales ; hauing relation to a former part, as yet obscured.' Of the cir- cumstances under which the former part was thus "obscured," we have no knowledge. This is probably the rarest of all Brath- waite's early works. The Huth copy is the only other known example. [BRATHWAITE, RICHARD.] (b. 1588? d. 1673.) 1621. NATURES EMBASSIE. [LONDON: by Richard Field] for Richard Whitaker, 1621. Small octavo. First Edition First issue. Printed with side-notes. COLLATION BY SIGNATURES: (A.) 4 leaves; B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R, each 8 254 DETROIT CONFERENCE leaves; S, 4 leaves; total 136 numbered leaves. COLLATION BY PAGINATION: [title, within woodcut border representing satyrs dancing to the pipes of Pan], | NATVRES | EM- BASSIE: | OR, \ THE WILDE-MANS | MEASVRES: | Danced naked by twelve Satyres, ^vith \ sundry others continued in the \ next Section. \ [verse, 2 lines] | Printed for Richard Whitaker. 1621. | , recto of [A] ; [blank], verso of [A} ; | [conventional head-piece] | TO THE ACCOM- | PUSHED MIRROR OF TRVE | worth, S r . TJ1. the elder, knight, pro- | fessed fauorer and furtherer of all free- | borne studies; continuance of | all happinesse. | [signed] | Yours to dispose \ Richard Brathwayt. | [tail-piece] | . recto of A 2 to verso of [A 3] ; [table of contents, with heading] | The distinct subihct of euery Satyre, contained \ in either Section : with an exact suruey or dis- \ play of all such Poems, as are couched or \ compiled within this Booke. \ , recto and verso of [A 4] ; [text, divided into 12 satires, each preceded by a type-ornament head-piece and the argu- ment, the first with heading], | type-ornament head-piece] | The first Argument. \ , pp. 1 - 56; | [quotation] | Finis Satyrarum. | [note, beginning] | An end of the Satyres composed by the foresaid | Author . . . | [4 lines] | , p. 56; | [type-ornament head- piece] | A CONCLVSIVE | ADMONITION TO THE | READER. | [3 stanzas of 6 lines each] | , p. 57; | [type-ornament head-piece] | HERE FOLLO- | WETH SOME EPY- CEDES | or funerall Elegies, concerning sundry | exquisite Mirrours of true loue. | [text continued in 3 elegies, each preceded by the argument, the first with heading] | The Argument. | , pp. 58 (wrongly num- bered 106) - 70; | AN ELEGIE VPON | THESE ELEGIES. | [6 lines of verse] j [quotation, 2 lines] | , p. 71 ; [blank] , p. [72]. II. [title] , | THE SECOND | SECTION OF ') DIVINE AND MORALL | SATYRES: | With \ AN ADIVNCT VPON THE | PRECEDENT; WHEREBY THE | Argument with the first cause of pub- lishing | these Satyres, be euidently related. | [quotation] | [printer's device McKerrow, no. 192] | LONDON, \ Printed for RICHARD WHITAKER. | 1621. | , p. [73]; [blank,]. P- [74] ; | [conventional head-piece] TO THE WOR- | THIE CHERISHER AND | NOVRISHER OF ALL GENE- rous studies, S. W. C. Knight, | R. B. \ His affectionate Country-man wisheth the increase of all honour, health, and | happi- nesse. | [signed] | Yours in all faithfull Ob- seruance, Richard Brathwayte, \ Musophylus. I , pp. 75-76; | Vpon the Dedicatorie. | [4 lines of verse] | , p. 76; [text, divided into 13 satires, each preceded by a type- ornament head-piece and the argument, the first with heading] j [type-ornament head- piece] | The Argument. \ Of Elpenor an Epicure . . . | [2 lines] | , pp. 77 - 148; | [type-ornament head-piece] | Three other Satyres composed by the same Author, treat- ing of these | three distinct subjects. | 1. Tyrannic . . . | 2. Securitie . . . | 3. Re- uenge . . . | [1 line] | , pp. 148 - 164; | [type-ornament-head piece] | The Statue of Agathocles. \ The Argument. \ , p. 165 ; | THE EMBLEME. | , pp. 166-168; [3 sat- ires, the first with heading] | [type-ornament head-piece] | A short Satyre of a corrupt | Lawyer. | THE XIIII. SATYRE. | , pp. 168 - 173; [type-ornament head-piece] | An Admonition to the Reader vpon | the precedent Satyres. | [signed] | Thine if thine owne, Musophilus. j [quotation] | pp. 173- 172 (repeated). III. [title], | THE SHEPHEARDS | TALES. | [verse, 2 lines] [ [single-rule] [ [printer's device McKerrow, no. 192] | [single-rule] | LONDON, | Printed for Richard Whitaker. j 1621. | , p. [173] (repeated); [blank], p. [174] ; | [conventional head-piece] | HIS PASTORALLS | ARE HERE CON- TINVED | WITH THREE OTHER TALES; | hauing relation to a former part, as yet ob- | scured; and deuided into certaine Pastorall | Eglogues, shadowing much delight | vnder a rurall subiect | [text divided into 3 eclogues, each preceded by 2 arguments, the first with heading], | The Argument. \ , pp; 175 - 209; | [type-ornament head- piece] | The shepheards holy-day, reduced | in apt measures to Hobbinalls | Galliard, CATALOG SECTION 255 or lohn to the | May-pole. | , pp. 209-213 ; | FINIS. | , p. 213; [blank], p. [214]. IV. [title], | OMPHALE, | OR, \ THE IN- CONSTANT | SHEPHEARDESSE. | [single- rule] | [quotation] | [single-rule] | [printer's device McKerrow, no. 210 (b)] | [single- rule] | LONDON, | Printed for RICHARD | WHITAKER. | 1621. | , p. [215] ; | [type- ornament head-piece] | To ... | [2 lines] \ The accomplished Lady P. W. wife to the \ Nobly-descended S. T. W. Knight and daughter to the much \ 'honoured, S. R. C. | [2 lines] | [type-ornamented tail-piece] | , p. [216] ; [text, with heading] | [type- ornament head-piece] | OMPHALE, | or, \ THE INCONSANT | SHEPHEARDESS. | ,. pp. 217-234 (wrongly numbered 232) ; | FINIS. | , p. 234; | [type-ornament head- piece] | A Poem describing the leuitie of a | woman . . . \ [2 lines] | , pp. 235 (wrongly numbered 234) - 236; | FINIS. | [single- rule] | , p. 236. V. [title], | HIS ODES | or, \ PHILO- MELS | TEARES. | [verse, 6 lines] | [printer's device McKerrow, 210 (b)] | LONDON, \ Printed for Richard Whitaker. | 1621. | , p. [237]; [blank], p. [238]; -- | [con- ventional head-piece] | TO THE GEN- EROVS, | INGENIOVS, AND IVDI- CIOVS I PHILALETHIST, Thomas Ogle Esquire: the | succeeding issue of his di- uinest wishes. \ [verse, signed] | R. B. | p. 239 (wrongly numbered 237) ; [blank], p. [240] ; | [type-ornament head- piece] | THE | TRAVELLOVR, \ DI- LATING VPON THE | sundrie changes of humane affaires, | most fluctuant when appearing \ most constant. | , [text, divided into 7 odes, the first with heading], AN ODE. | , pp. 241 (wrongly numbered 245) -255; | [conventional head-piece] | To my knowing and wor- | thie esteemed friend Avcv- | STINE VINCENT, all meri- | ting content. \ , p. 256; [text continued, in 7 odes, the first with heading] | [type-ornament head- piece] | BRITTANS BLISSE. | , pp. 257- 263; | FINIS. | , p. 263; | [type-orna- ment head-piece] | [verse, 4 lines] j [single- rule] | Faults are as obuious to bookes in Presse, as mis- | construction after . . . | [4 lines] | [single-rule] | Errata. \ [6 lines] j [type-ornament tail-piece] | , p. [264]. The catchword on p. 2 is "as" instead of "high"; on p. 160, "aimes" instead of "sec- onded"; and there is no catchword on p. 178. Page 9 is wrongly numbered 10; 50-50 are 98-99; 54-55 are 102-103; 58-59 are 106-107; 62 is 100; 63 is 111; [72], [74], [174], [214], [238], [240], are blank and unnumbered; [73], [173] [repeated], [177], [215]-[216], [237], and [264] are unnumbered; 79-80 are repeated; 95-96 are omitted; 172- [173] are repeated; 191-192 are omitted; 234 is 232; 235 is 234; 239 is 237; and 241-243 are 245- 247. CONDITION : Size of leaf, 6 l /. x 4iV inches ; 15.8 x 10.3 centimetres. Bound in crimson crushed levant morocco, gilt; sides tooled with two frames of three-line fillets, the inner with fleurons at the corners; with in- side borders, marbled end-papers, and gilt edges. By Lortic Freres. The Hoe copy, with ex-libris. Other Copies. British Museum ; Bodleian ; and W. A. References. Grolier Club, Wither to Prior, 1(1905), 58; Hoe, Catalogue, Books before 1700, 1 (1903), 113; British Museum, Books to 1640, 1(1884), 262; Lowndes, 1(1869), 257; Haz- litt, Hand-Book (1867), 51; Corser, Collec- tanea, pt 2 (1861), 363; Hazlewood, Intro- duction, 1(1820) ,259; ibid, 1(1876), 75, 81. The Hoe copy, with ex-libris. The First Edition First Issue. The First Edition First Issue (1621), "for Richard Whitaker," is that here de- scribed. Of the First Edition Second Issue (1623), "for Richard Whitakers," with title changed to Shepherds Tales, Containing Satyres, Eclogues and Odes, there is a copy in the British Museum. Hazlitt (H. - B., 51) says: this is "the preceding article with a reprinted title, and the early pages reset." From the description of the British Museum copy (Books to 1640, 1:263), this appears to be the sheets of the 1621 edition with the sep- arate edition of The Shepheards Tales (our no. ) inserted. It is apparently the copy 256 DETROIT CONFERENCE recorded in the Bibliotheca Anglo-Poetica, no. 44. The Shepherds Tales; 1621 (our no. ) is an independent publication and contains nothing under that title in Natures Embassie of the same date. It appears to be alluded to in the caption on page 175 as follows : "His Pastoralls are here continued with three other Tales ; having relation to a former part, as yet obscured. . . ." The Odes; or Philomel's Tears was edited and reprinted by Sir Egerton Brydges at the Lee Priory Press, Kent, in 1815. The Hoe copy, one of 80 impressions, is in the present collection. "The Odes were selected by Sir Egerton Brydges in 1815, as a specimen of the genius of our author, and as proving 'him not to have been without merit, either for fancy, sentiment, or expression' The reprint was in a small octavo, and formed one of the limited series of works, so tastefully em- bellished, that issued from the private press at Lee Priory." This is the most interesting of Brathwaite's early works. BRATHWAITE, RICHARD, (b. 1588? d. 1673.) THE SHEPHERDS TALES REVISED AND REVIVED. LONDON, for Robert Bostocke, 1626. Small octavo. First Edition Third (?) Issue. Printed with running head lines in italic, and with occasional side-notes. COLLATION BY SIGNATURES : A, 4 leaves ; A (repeated), 8 leaves (the first cancelled) ; B, C, N, O. P. Q, each 8 leaves (the last 2 cancelled) ; total 57 numbered leaves. Leaves [A 2] and [P 4] have no signature- marks. COLLATION BY PAGINATION : [title] | THE | Shepherds Tales | Reuised and Reuiued, \ By R. B. Esquire. | [single-rule] | [verse, 3 lines] | [single-rule] | [printer's device McKerrow, 392] | LONDON, | f Printed for Robert Bostocke at the | Kings head in Pauls Church-yard. | 1626. | , recto of [A] ; - [blank], verso of [A]; | [conventional head-piece] | TO HIS TRVLY | knowing and conceiuing friend M. RICHARD LOVTHER; | all select content. | [verse, signed] | Melophilus. | [type-ornament tail- piece] | , recto of [A2] ; [blank], verso of [A2] ; [conventional head-piece] | THE PRELVDE | To his | Shepheards Talcs. \ , recto of A 3 to recto of [A 4] ; [type ornament head-piece] | ILLVSTRATIONS | vpon the Prelude to his | Shepheards Tales, j [29 lines] | Finis. | , verso of [A 4] ; [the text, pp. 1-46, is identical with the corre- sponding pages of the Shepheards Tales. 1621. This is followed by pp. 175-236 which are identical with the corresponding pages of the Natures Embassie. 1621.] Condition: Size of leaf, 6J4 x 4 inches; 16.5 x 10.3 centimetres. In the original limp vellum binding, gilt; sides tooled with two frames of single-line fillets, and a center ornament with the initials P and C on either side. Leaf [C6] slightly mutilated, with loss of catchword. Other Copies. Probably Unique. We are unable to trace any other copy of this edition. References. Book Prices Current, 18(1904), no. 5851. The First Collected Edition (1626), "for Robert Bostocke," is that here described. This appears to be the Second Issue of the first three Eclogues and the Third Issue of the last three. The four preliminary leaves of this work here appear for the first time. Leaves A2 - [C8] (pp. l-[46]) are the same as the sheets of the 1621 edition of the first three Eclogues (1-3), our no.. Leaves N-P3 (pp. 175- 236), are also the same sheets as those that appeared in Natures Embassie containing three Eclogues (4-6), a poem, "The Shep- heards holy-day," "Omphale" with a sep- arate title-page, and "A Poem describing the leuity of a woman." This is the First Complete Separate Edi- tion of this work. It consists of the First Edition of The Shepheards^ Tales, 1621, and the continuation of the same work as it ap- peared in Brathwaite's Nature's Embassie, 1621, page 175 to 236; with a general title as set out above and three leaves of new pre- liminary matter added." These samples of Brathwaite's works have been selected for presentation here because they illustrate the practice of the publishers of that period in making use in later works CATALOG SECTION 257 of sheets that had already appeared in earlier ones. It can readily be seen that such meth- ods would pass unobserved except for a critical examination, as here, of the different works leaf by leaf. The collation by pagina- tion of Natures Embassie, given above owes its length to the fact that the volume contains four secondary title-pages. Corser, in his Collectanea Anglo-Poctica, Part 2(1861), devotes 120 pages to 45 works by this author. Brathwaite wrote both prose and poetry and his works were highly com- mended in his day, some of them appearing in several editions. Since that time they have fallen into neglect and are now principally prized by collectors of old English Poetry. The work here described is one of his best known productions. Corser devotes con- siderable length to it and gives several quo- tations from it. Such are the methods of cataloging rare books in the Huntington Library. With the exhaustive bibliographical and critical in- formation given of our own copies as well as of others, the scholar or student who comes to it to do research work will not only find our own copies available but will be in- formed where to go to find copies _pf every other edition known to us down to the year 1709. In no other library in the world with which we are acquainted, is such a complete and exhaustive mass of information to be found in its card catalog. When printed, it is safe to say, it will supersede all other bibliographical aids in the ground it covers. In the absence of Miss Wigginton her pa- per, which follows, was read by Marion I. Warden, Louisville Public Library: LESSONS IN AMERICANISM LEARNED WHILE CATALOG- ING A COLLECTION OF LOCAL HISTORICAL MATERIAL* BY MAY WOOD WIGGINTON, Denver Public Library What is Americanism? I found the an- swer while cataloging a collection of local historical material. It gave me a fine pano- ramic view of the American frontier. The frontier is the one experience common to all America that other races have not. Each state in turn has been the frontier. American development has exhibited a return to primi- tive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line. This continual rebirth and fluidity of Amer- ican history, offering new opportunities, en- forced equality, the simplicity of primitive society, furnishes the most distinctive force dominating American character. Each state in turn has been built by men with the spirit of adventure, hardihood, sturdy independence, fortitude and courage of the frontiersman. This is our one common foundation from which to build up a national character. If we admit this lasting and ineradicable influence of the frontier upon the American character and the character building power flowing out of the conquest of a continent and a century of struggle with the wilder- ness, the duty of the librarian is clear. We must preserve this gallant heritage. We believe in the power of books to carry on this tradition. We must see that the nation does not forget the strong lessons learned in that time when we were all Americans. And now when the American characteristic is in danger of being swamped by a different char- acteristic, we should know what it is we wish to preserve. We can find it nowhere so clearly as in these old journals, this collection of local historical material that makes such drudgy work to collect and catalog. A paper was then presented on A SELECTIVE CATALOG: PLANS FOR MAKING THE LARGE CATALOG USABLE* BY RUTH ROSHOLT, Head, Catalog Depart- ment, Public Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota With all our efforts to simplify, restrain and popularize the card catalog we still fall far short of satisfying the staff, the public, or ourselves. We have adopted various ex- pedients. Each department, music, fine arts, useful arts and juvenile, has its own catalog. We, therefore, drain into these catalogs much subject work, all but main subject cards and all analytics, which belong in the special de- partments. Abstract. Abstract. 258 DETROIT CONFERENCE Books in foreign languages are cataloged only so far as they are called for. In the less known languages an author card is sufficient. Books in French, German, Spanish and Italian are sparingly analyzed. We are conducting several experiments which may be of interest. They are really "annexes" to the main catalog which goes on its destined way unaffected by them. The circulation and reference departments, because of lack of space in an old building crowded to overflowing, are housed on two separate floors. The reference department has the main catalog. The circulation depart- ment when this change was effected needed a catalog. It was impossible to run two com- plete catalogs so a compromise was agreed upon. Here was a chance, we thought, to make the catalog the "average reader" would hail with delight. We would put into this catalog only records for circulating books, the popular titles and ignore older works, learned treatises and the like. Perhaps there is no "average reader." In any event no one likes the catalog. It "lets one down" at al- most every point. It must always be used with the reservation "Perhaps you will find that book in the main catalog." In spite of the restrictions placed upon it, it grows too rapidly for comfort. It is expensive to make and keep up and satisfies nobody. A short catalog which is popular, however, is the new book box which stands on the charging desk. It is arranged by week and shows by a short entry what has been added each day. This record is made up of the notes clipped from The Booklist, and the Book Review Digest. These notes are first filed with the Library of Congress cards awaiting new books, are used by the catalogers, are filed in this list, then used for the printed monthly bulletin and lastly filed in still an- other experiment. We started this year a revolving catalog, placed in the reference department. The plan is to show what is added year by year for the next four or five years. Each year we use a different colored card and when the end of the term is reached pull out cards of the first year's color and so on, keeping it always a record of the years agreed upon only. It does not change the plan of the main catalog but serves as a chronologic in- dex by author and main subject. We put in cards with the author's name in full, brief title, date and call number, nothing else. We put in no titles but aim to show what we have bought of an author's work and on what subjects during this period of time. We file here all notes we have cut and mounted. We include no art, music or juvenile books because the time demand is not stressed with these. We do not put in any reference books, nor the learned and rare books. So far read- ers seem to like it and prefer it to the main catalog unless doing research work. We find that for many readers the printed list is better than a card catalog and we cover this demand by the monthly Community Bookshelf and by many short bibliographies, envelope size, on the much called for sub- jects. The whole problem is complicated. We do not feel we have solved it but we are work- ing at it, shaping it here, rounding off sharp corners there, simplifying and condensing where we can, endeavoring to make one card grow where two grew before whenever pos- sible. The ideal of course is always to make the catalog a living tool, making usable the otherwise inaccessible resources of the li- brary. On the same subject H. H. B. Meyer, Library of Congress, described his "A.L.A. Catalog" based on The Booklist and supple- mented by titles recommended by experts. He urged treating the catalog as a collection of books and recommended duplicating small portions of it for special subjects. MUSIC CATALOGING AND A PROPOSED INDEX TO SONGS was generally discussed. Mrs. Jen- nings presented the results of a questionnaire on the subject, as follows : The questionnaire was sent to about thirty libraries. Nineteen answers were received. The approximate number of volumes of song collections in the different libraries varied from 60 to 1,518, the latter being the num- ber from the Library of Congress. Of the 19 libraries 7 had prepared indexes, the largest of those was estimated to contain about 18,000 entries. Ten had no index, and two reported indexes begun. Seventeen out of nineteen would support CATALOG SECTION 259 the movement for an index to songs provided the cost was not above ten dollars. These libraries which have indexes would be willing to have their indexes used for consultation and verification of entries. In regard to entries needed in such an index, the recommendations were fairly uni- form. The answers are as follows : An entry under composer, 16 yes, 3 quali- fied assent. A title entry was unanimously demanded. A first line entry when title differs from first line was favored by 16, was questioned by two and opposed by one. Opinion as to whether the title entry should be in the original or in the best known Eng- lish form was equally divided, the popular libraries preferring the English form, the others the original language. In answer to the question in regard to a special classified section under headings such as folk songs, etc., many suggestions were made : Christmas carols, college songs, na- tional songs, etc. Should collections of hymns be included in the index? Seven voted yes, nine no, and two were doubtful. The great increase in- volved in the size of the index was the chief objection. If hymns were included important collections, both denominational and unde- nominational, were suggested for indexing. Franklin F. Hopper, New York Public Library, led a discussion on the song index. He said : At Swampscott I talked with Mr. Wilson and I have talked to him since. In my opinion it is a much more practicable thing for a concern like the H. W. Wilson Com- pany to publish a song index, than for the A.L.A. to do so. The questionnaire which Mrs. Jennings has compiled is going to be an eminently useful guide. My suggestion would be that we turn over all our data to Mr. Wilson, who has promised to undertake the publication, he has the thing in hand. Mr. Wilson will, of course, put it in the hands of an expert compiler. In my opinion Mr. Wilson will need to get considerably more detailed information than has been forthcoming through the questionnaire, par- ticularly in some points. In New York, through the music division of the reference department which already has a song index on cards and in Newark, where the public library has even a larger index available, and also from the help the Library of Congress through their music division can give in a bibliographical way, and also from various other data I think Mr. Wilson will be able to put the thing together more expeditiously than we can co-operatively. May I say I feel more optimistic than ever. Mr. Wilson knows more about this than I do, but nevertheless, I am more optimistic than he is about the value and extent of the sale of the song index. I know, for in- stance, how much we need it in New York, in our forty branches, and I believe that in every medium-sized library over the country it will be found indispensable. Mr. Wilson announced that the H. W. Wilson Company plan to issue such an index in the near future and would appreciate the co-operation of the Catalog Section. Agnes S. Hall, Denver Public Library, dis- cussed the problems of MUSIC CATALOGING, bringing out the perplexing questions involved in the cataloging of a large music collection. The discussion which followed brought out practical suggestions in answer to the ques- tions raised. The following addresses were made : PRINCIPLES OF CATALOGING FOR BRANCH LIBRARIES, AS ILLUS- TRATED IN THE METHODS OF THE CARNEGIE LI- BRARY OF PITTSBURGH AND THE ST. PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY* BY AMY C. MOON, St. Paul Public Library The position of permanent branch libraries is a rather unique one, for, while each branch is as complete a unit as any small town li- brary, it is also a part of a big system and its rules and tools should be as nearly uni- form as possible with those of the central library and the other branches. This applies particularly to the branch cat- alog, which, while it shows the resources of a special collection, shows them in such a way that those familiar with the catalog of Abstract. 260 DETROIT CONFERENCE the central library should be able to use that of any of its branches with equal ease. The best way to insure complete uniformity in the catalogs of the whole system is to cen- tralize the work in the catalog department. Beside the question of uniformity there is that of efficiency and economy. It stands to reason that the specially trained catalog staff can do the same books for the central library and for the branches with more speed and efficiency than for the staff of each branch to do all or part of its own cataloging. The same decisions can be made and the same processes carried on for all at the same time, instead of being repeated several times in the separate branches. The problems of branch cataloging vary of course in different places, and in special branches, such as business or high school branches, etc. may require special treatment, but there are a few general principles, which, if followed, should make the subject simpler and easier. First To repeat what has been said, there should be uniformity and completeness in records. The branch, even though small, should have for its collection as full a catalog as the central library. The classification and the subject headings should be the same with all needed cross references. While meager records may serve as a makeshift until more complete ones be made, it must be remem- bered that the branch collection is permanent, and the work will be hampered without a full, permanent catalog. Second The official catalog card should be a union card containing names of branches having book, so that at a glance it can be ascertained just where the books are placed in the system. If there is no official catalog an alphabetical union branch list should be kept in the central catalog department. Third There should be a complete shelf list record for branches in the catalog de- partment as well as a shelf list in each sep- arate branch. Perhaps the best method of keeping the record at the main library is to combine it with the central shelf list, using consecutive copy numbers for main and branches, dis- tinguishing them by letters prefixed or added for branch numbers. This means a very close relationship between the central library and branches. It is an advantage to be able to have one card include the record of every- thing, which more than offsets the possible inconvenience of having the combined copy numbers run rather high. By this method, copy 6 for a branch book does not mean that there are five other copies there, but that it is the 6th copy in the whole system. Another method which is good is for each branch to keep its own collection entirely separate as far as copies are concerned. In this case, a union branch shelf card should be used containing separate records for each branch, this card, which may be of another color for convenience, to file behind the cen- tral shelf card for the same book. It means that an extra card must always be made and the records are not quite as easy to consult as when the first method is used. Fourth A union branch list of subject headings should be kept up. It should indi- cate branches having headings and cross ref- erences. Whenever any new cards are sent to branches the headings should be checked by this list, new headings made and needed cross references ordered. All necessary cross ref- erences for personal names should also be added. The branch author card should con- tain tracing for headings. Fifth The catalog department should keep the statistics of all branch books, not only of the additions but of withdrawals. After discards are taken from branch records they should be sent to the catalog department to be taken from its records and to be in- corporated in the final statistics of the whole system. The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the St. Paul Public Library have the same general principles of branch cataloging as those mentioned above with some differences in details. The Carnegie Library is older and its branch collections larger. It has a separate catalog for the juvenile books in each branch and a well-developed union sys- tem. It has its printing department and bindery which modify some of its methods of duplication and the mechanical processes of preparation of books for the shelves. The St. Paul Public Library has no branch older than five years and has no need as yet CATALOG SECTION 261 of a separate juvenile catalog for the branches. It uses the Library of Congress cards as far as possible and has no bindery, which cause its methods to differ somewhat from those of the Carnegie Library of Pitts- burgh. Its shelf records are not as com- plete, but, with the growth of the branches, the shelf list can easily be enlarged and de- veloped to meet the needs of an increased col- lection. Both libraries are good types of a cen- tralized system of branch cataloging. BRANCH CATALOGING IN THE DE- TROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY* BY ABBTE F. GAMMONS, Detroit Public Li- brary It is necessary to survey certain general features of the work in the catalog depart- ment, in so far as they affect our method of cataloging for sixteen branches and enable us to reduce the red tape of record keeping to a minimum. When the books come to us from the order department they are separated into two groups the new material and the old, or added copies. The order department inserts blue slips in all added copies, so that these are readily distinguishable from the new titles and may be sent on at once to the assistant in charge of this work. Library of Congress cards are ordered for the new titles from the books themselves, so they are held up for a short time until the cards come. Then the new non-fiction is distributed among the as- sistants in the department according to its subject or class. Art, technology, and mu- sic each has its own classifier and cataloger, and the same is true of the periodicals, con- tinuations, government publications, and the foreign material. The branch work is dis- tributed in somewhat the same way, though not so extensively. The greater part of the branch non-fiction is kept in the hands of one person, but the continuations, periodicals and foreign books are turned over to the assistants who handle these classes for the main library. As a rule no title is sent to the branches unless it has already been cataloged for main. So there is an official catalog card in file from which the branch cataloger gets all her data Abstract for writing up the branch cards. This offi- cial indicates the branch tracing whenever it differs from main, as it does in the case of a few subject headings and in the number of analytics to be made. Library of Congress cards are used whenever possible, but if we have to type the branch cards the form is very brief, omitting publisher, place of pub- lication and collation, unless it is more than one volume. We do not use accession numbers in our system but rely on the copy numbers to dis- tinguish one copy from another. When the first copies of a certain title are cataloged for a branch, the copy numbers are assigned in our department, and the shelf list for the branch is made. No record of the number of copies at the branch is kept in our depart- ment, however. Our branch record consists of a buff card which lists the names of the branches and to which the cataloger adds the author, title, imprint and call number of the title being cataloged. This buff card is filed directly behind its official catalog card and the branches are merely checked as their first copies are cataloged. All added branch copies, therefore, have their copy numbers assigned at the branch according to the shelf list there. This is a great time saver in our department in handling this part of the branch work as it means that our assistant has only to look up the buff card for a given title to make sure that the branch in question has been checked, and that the book is the same edition. Then she writes the call number only in the book and forwards it with the buff card to her reviser. The new fiction follows the same procedure as the new non-fiction, except that the cards are always typed. The fiction is not Cuttered, but the adult is separated from the juvenile and the latter stamped J. The added branch fiction then is ready to be sent out at once, for the buff records are not consulted in this case, but the sorting done by the order de- partment is relied upon. We are planning a reorganization of the foreign material, and have started to pool it all in the down town annex, which will serve as a distributing centre to the branches. In- stead of making cards and shelf-lists for each branch, we make one card for the down town pool, and an additional shelf -list for each 262 DETROIT CONFERENCE copy of a given title. This shelf-list is sent with the book when it is loaned to a branch and is kept on file at the branch. The down town card is a sort of joint shelf-list, which lists the names of the branches as well as the number of copies of a given title, and this is used as a record of the copies loaned. While the initial cataloging is done in the catalog department, all changes of call num- ber, subject headings, added entries, and so on, are made at the branches under our di- rection. Each week we send them a list of the changes to be made and any necessary information that will enable them to keep their catalogs up to date. The shipping of the books is done from the extension department, so we have no check in our department on the actual num- ber of books sent out. The branch librarians meet this contingency by sending in regu- larly, lists of books ordered which have not been received and these are investigated. GEOGRAPHY IN THE GROSVENOR LIBRARY* By RUDOLPH ARMBRUESTER, Grosvenor Li- brary, Buffalo, N. Y. Books, atlases and magazines are cataloged and filed in the regular manner. An extra card of each of these publications is fur- nished to the geographical department, which prepares, in some cases, especially if these publications contain maps, analytical cards. Sheet maps are accessioned, cataloged, and filed in the geographical department. The numbering system is based upon ten index maps, of which there is one of each, namely : Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America and the West Indies, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Islands of the Pacific, North Polar Regions, and South Polar Regions. On these index maps the border lines of the maps are indi- cated in colors, and the maps numbered in consecutive order, each index map beginning with the number one. The number of the map h written in the lower left hand corner of the index lines. By this system the index map 'Abstract. shows at once whether the library has maps on file covering the desired territory. The index card contains the description of the map, the name of the index map, the number on the index map and the number of the drawer of the filing cabinet, or the shelf number in case the map is another publica- tion. The card index is divided into three sec- tions: number index, author index, and subject index. This index contains also Arm- bruester's GI cards, the analytical index cards for geographical magazines. In order to save space the maps are filed according to size in a steel cabinet of 48 drawers, ranging from 18 by 23 inches to 52^4 by 64 inches, with an inside height of 2 inches. From 5 to 6,000 sheet maps can be filed in this case for which a floor space of only 45 square feet is required. The maps are marked with a rubber stamp: Grosvenor Library. Asia No. 14 Map Case Drawer No. 5. Sheet No. 3. In order to furnish people with easy access to maps which cover territories and subjects of present or daily interest, a display fixture of 35 wings, each 82 by 54 inches, equal to a display area of 2152 square feet, is used. Maps are filed flat, in strong manila paper covers, with the numbers of the maps marked on the outside. Very large wall maps are on spring rollers in Nystrom's rotary cases. The Library of Congress system is fol- lowed for the United States Geological Sur- vey topographical maps. That is, the maps are arranged by states and pasted at the top in loose-leaf manila books, size 20 by 25 inches, not more than three maps on a page, with an index map in the front. Old maps are also filed in these loose-leaf manila books, by territories and year, thereby forming his- torical atlases. The aim is, if possible, to have the official maps on file, one on a small scale as a gen- eral map, and one on the largest scale obtain- able; also maps showing special features, as political, physical, racial, historical, statisti- cal, industrial, etc. CATALOG SECTION 263 THE CARE OF MAPS AT THE JOHN CRERAR LIBRARY* BY A. G. S. JOSEPHSON, The John Crerar Li- brary, Chicago, Illinois Before 1907 the library possessed few maps other than the topographic, geological and economic maps received from government offices. These latter were kept in wooden map cases of the usual type. Other single maps of any specific interest were cut, mounted, folded and placed on the regular shelves like books. Maps of less signifi- cance were placed with the pamphlets. With the receipt of the gift of Dr. Mor- timer Frank in 1907 it was decided to treat maps, charts and similar material as distinct from the books and pamphlets. A special map accession book was made up ; and all material entered in this book received the let- ter M before the accession number. This letter is also prefixed to the call numbers. The maps were classified in 940-999 of the decimal classification, and placed in large manila folders ; these were placed in wooden cabinets similar to those already in use. When the Ehrenburg collection began to be handled, it was found that a more specific classification would have to be used; and geological maps were classed in 550, transportation maps in 656. When material in a folder became too diversified, it was broken up, so that for example the one containing the maps of Italy included, first, all maps that dealt with any part of the country; then when a number of maps of Italian cities had been added, these were taken out and placed in a separate folder marked Maps of Italy Cities; and when the number of maps of Rome had sufficiently increased, another folder was made up for maps of Rome. But until the receipt of the Levasseur collection, no maps were treated individually. When the arrangement of the Levasseur collection was taken up, it was soon found that the wooden cases would be too expensive, and on account of the mass of material on a single subject, too inade- quate. Special boxes of reinforced boards were therefore ordered, 41 in. long, 29 in. deep and 3^ in. high. These were placed on a special steel stack. The boxes contain Abstract. usually more than one folder of maps ; but in some cases the maps belonging to the same group are numerous enough to fill a whole box, or even two boxes. Although the rule has been to group the maps and put each group together in a folder, a certain number of individual maps have been placed in folders by themselves. This has been done with maps consisting of sev- eral sheets, with important maps issued by government bodies, with maps by fimile Le- vasseur and other well-known cartographers. The cataloging rules for the map collection are still being compiled. The special collec- tions are given very brief entries, as Maps of Wisconsin counties. Maps of Wisconsin railways. Maps. Transportation maps of the world. The collation consists of the single word "Portfolio," and no size is given. A com- plete list of the maps in these folders is kept in the map shelf -list. The entries for single maps follow regular cataloging rules as to heading, title, and im- print. The collation consists of a statement of the number of sheets or sections followed by the size, i. e. 1 map. HOx 114 cm. 1 map in 12 sections, each 54 x 46 cm. The size is measured from the border of the actual map and not from the edge of the margin. In case of large maps composed of many sections where the library possesses an incomplete set, the actual number of sheets on hand is given in the collation, while a note reads : Complete in 20 sections. Where the number of sections is not known, the col- lation reads: 1 map in sections, each (with small variations) 55x51 cm. with a note stating the actual sheets in the library; e.g., Library has 18 sections entitled as follows: Casa Branca, San Carlos, etc. Other notes given are scale (unless forming part of the title), engravers, inset maps of special im- portance, coloring when significant. Dash entries are used for other editions differing slightly from the main entries. In the absence of the chairman, Miss Sut- liff, reporting for the Committee on Resolu- tions, presented the following resolutions which were unanimously adopted : Resolved, That the Catalog Section heart- 264 DETROIT CONFERENCE ily indorses Mr. Hanson's contention that a thorough education, preferably four years of college, is essential preparation for good cat- aloging work, this preparation to emphasize foreign languages, especially Latin and Ger- man at this time. Resolved, That the Catalog Section urge that this matter be given consideration by all library schools and authorize the secretary to call fhis resolution to the attention of the Association of American Library Schools. Resolved, That it is the sense of the Cat- alog Section that if catalogers with the above qualifications are to be attracted to and kept in this field, the maximum and minimum sal- aries must be increased and the clerical work required of the cataloger be reduced to the lowest amount possible. Resolved, That the Catalog Section author- ize the incoming officers to carry forward the work on the proposed Index of Songs and to report progress at the next meeting. Resolved, That thanks are due to all who have labored to prepare the program, and to those who have so ably assisted in carrying it out. The Resolutions Committee also stated: As an outgrowth of the free discussion in this section, begun in Swampscott and con- tinued in this meeting, catalogers must be sensible of a better understanding and ap- preciation of their problems on the part of those not directly engaged in the work. It was moved by Miss Hedrick, chairman of the Smaller Libraries Division, and sec- onded by Miss Tucker, Harvard University Library, that the chairman appoint a com- mittee of five to prepare a report on the questions of organizing an association of catalogers and to outline a method of pro- cedure. The motion was carried. The com- mittee will be announced later. Adelaide F. Evans, chairman of the Com- mittee on Nominations, presented the fol- lowing names : Chairman, Helen B. Sutliff, Stanford University Library; secretary, Ruth Wallace, Indianapolis Public Library. Moved and seconded that the secretary be instructed to cast a unanimous ballot for the persons nominated. Carried. On motion the meeting adjourned. RUTH ROSHOLT, Secretary. CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS SECTION First Session The first meeting of the Children's Li- brarians Section was held Tuesday afternoon, June 27, with Clara W. Hunt, chairman, pre- siding. The topic for the afternoon was a series of papers on children's books and the present day interest in them. The culmina- tion of this meeting was the awarding of the John Newbery medal for the most dis- tinguished contribution to American litera- ture for children during the year 1921. The following speeches were presented: RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF FOLK TALES AND MODERN FAIRY TALES, AND THE STORY HOUR* BY MARGARET B. CARNEGIE, Supervisor of Story Telling, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh The rambling organization and the ques- tionable moral value of many of the stories found in the recent collections of folk tales Abstract. and fiction fairy tales, makes it difficult to discuss them in connection with story telling. Because of the lasting influence which the story heard in the story hour has on the child's literary taste and moral development, a careful selection is most necessary. Cer- tain criteria must be kept in mind constantly : the treatment of the story must be sincere, direct, straightforward ; the ideals presented must be such as shall be worthy of a child's admiration and imitation. Many of the recent publications of folk tales have been tales of Czecho-Slovakia and of Russia. Hero tales and legends of the Serbians, by Petrovitch, is a book worth not- ing because of its careful selection of stories and the sincerity of treatment. It is of greater interest to adults than to children however, as it includes chapters on manners and customs, and personal comments by the author. The Czecho-Slovak fairy tales by Parker Fillmore is well worth while, but later books by the same author are not so good. Wonder tales from Russia by Jeremiah Cur- CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS SECTION 265 tin has splendid folk style, but a poor selec- tion of stories. The Chinese fairy book and the Swedish fairy tales translated by F. H. Martens, are heavy and uninteresting. Padraic Colum's Golden fleece and heroes who lived before Achilles is perhaps the best of the recent folk lore collections from any nationality. The same standards by which folk tales are judged, are applied to modern fairy tales. Good modern fairy tales are rare. Seven peas in the pod, by Margery Bailey, is charm- ing. The Little man with one shoe by the same author is not so spontaneous, but is delightful reading nevertheless. Padraic Colum has given us some splendid fiction fairy tales, of which the Girl ivho sat by the ashes is typical. There are other long mod- ern fairy tales from which selected passages might be read aloud. In making up a year's program for the story hour, some of the best of these stories might be included, to give variety and color, and so help to keep alive an interest in books and reading. RECENT FICTION FOR GIRLS* BY ANNIE M. JACKSON, Children's Depart- ment, Toronto Public Library Judged beside Little women, Castle Blair and other permanently established girls' books, not many of the new publications compare very favorably. There is a lack of standards, of strong characterization, of ele- ments that stimulate the mind and the imagi- nation, and of literary excellence. Instead, there is undue emphasis on superficial appear- ances and the desirability of wealth, and an untrue presentation of relative values. In few of the out-of-door stories of which there are many, does a genuine out-of-door atmosphere pervade the story, and in still fewer do we get a real appreciation of nature for nature's self, as in Gilchrist's Kit, Pat and a few boys. Among the better books of recent publi- cation are Midsummer by Katherine Adams, The pool of stars and The windy hill by Cor- nelia Meigs and Silver shoal light by E. B. Price. These have some claim to literary merit, present fine standards and suggest broad and wholesome interests. The lack of good historical stories is to be regretted since through this means so much can be given in relating past to present and providing background for intelligent citizen- ship. For a real contribution to a literature for girls, the only title of fairly recent date is a 1919 publication, Tarn's Treasure of the Isle of Mist. This merits a place among a first selection of girls' books. RECENT FICTION FOR BOYS* BY MARION F. SCHWAB, Children's Depart- ment, Brooklyn Public Library Nick Carter is dead. His author, facing financial ruin because his books no longer sold, committed suicide a few months ago. Not only Nick, but many other books once popular with boys, are no longer finding read- ers. This is because boys are live creatures and their interests have changed. Unless the old stories have that quality of great- ness in them, they are gradually losing their appeal to the up-to-date boys of today. The old fashioned type of western story with its fighting and its shooting does not furnish half the thrills that may be had from ac- counts in the daily newspapers now, and smuggling furs over the Canadian border, a once popular theme for mystery stories, pales beside the modern account of smuggling whiskey via airplane, also recorded in our newspapers 1 The World War with its tales of real hero- ism and valor, the Boy Scout movement, the great advance in science, the schools' em- phasis upon current events and upon tech- nical training, have created a demand for a new type of books for boys. They still ask for adventure and excitement, but it must be up-to-date and realistic. The majority of the older writers have failed to recognize this change in boys, and so their books still follow the old patterns. Many of the best books for boys published in recent years are the work of new writers, who have grasped the viewpoint of the mod- ern boy, and in stories of adventure, of war, Abstract. Abstract. 266 DETROIT CONFERENCE sea and mystery, have pleased their boy readers and satisfied the demands of the boys' elders. The reason that boys like them was expressed by one boy when he said, "This is a good book because it gives you credit for having some sense," inferring that the older books were rather patronizing and did not appreciate their readers' mental abilities. PRESENT-DAY INTEREST IN CHIL- DREN'S BOOKS* BY ELIZABETH D. BRIGGS, Librarian, Parents and Teachers Room, Cleveland Public Library Wherever there are children, those respon- sible for their training for citizenship are enlisting the aid of librarians. Requests from mother clubs for speakers on children's read- ing are becoming more and more frequent. From county librarians and others doing ex- tension work come reports of calls for help from every section of the country, from school and town on the edge of the desert, the Indian reservation and the mining dis- trict. From the editor of an agricultural pa- per having a large circulation in Ohio, the request has come for a list of books recom- mended for home purchase in farming com- munities. Many residents in small country towns are awake to the fact that their chil- dren are entitled to guidance in reading, and the ministers as spokesmen for their com- munities are writing to city librarians for suggestive lists. Many of the best booksellers are requiring of their helpers a knowledge of children's books. The artist, too, is inter- ested in making children's books as attractive as possible. Howard Pyle set a standard of illustration in his books from which later il- lustrators have gained much inspiration, and through them his work and interest are per- petuated. And what shall we say of the writers of children's books? It is not difficult to call to mind certain titles which will never grow old because the authors so thoroughly en- joyed writing them that they produced books which cannot help but give pleasure to the reader of any day and generation. Lewis Carroll could not have spent many dull hours while writing of Alice's adven- tures either in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass. I doubt not that Dr. Van Loon chuckled as he placed Balboa on the mountain top making his great discovery. The children also chuckle as they read it, and remember. Innumerable incidents may be mentioned which point toward an ever-increasing inter- est in children's books. To many mothers a shopping trip always includes a visit to the library. Fathers' lunch hours are frequently shortened because the small boy or girl is showing new interests ranging from radio to poetry, and we must not let them die for want of nourishing reading matter. There are grandmothers who smilingly admit that they find much pleasure in reading children's books and really prefer them to usual modern books of fiction. Among the grandfathers is one from a small nearby town, who has been drawing for his grand-daughter since she was seven. She is now seventeen, but her grandfather is still seen occasionally in the adult department in quest, of a book for her. FICTION READING FOR OLDER BOYS AND GIRLS* BY MARY S. WILKINSON, Children's Depart- ment, Hackley Public Library, Muskegon, Michigan Fiction reading needs no justification when it is of the better class of book, but "there are things in that shape which I cannot allow for such." It seems unfortunately to be true that much of the fiction read by older boys and girls belongs to this group of unsuitable or mediocre books. The reason for it is two- fold : first, their taste is not sufficiently trained to discriminate between the good and the cheap; and second, their craving for "lots of excitement" leads them chiefly to second-rate authors whose breathless ac- tivity satisfies even the restless adolescent. The western and the mystery story are for this reason the prime favorites, but we should not so much object to them, nor to the so-called "nature" and "religious" stories if they aroused in the reader other interests in- stead of limiting him to one. Not only do these inadequate books stunt the mental 'Abstract. Abstract. CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS SECTION 267 growth but they also misrepresent life in so far as they over-emphasize the more unlovely human traits and the acts resulting from those traits. There is a healthy curiosity in the developing mind which should be sat- isfied with live, honest books not too diffi- cult for comprehension and most certainly not too easy. It is not a simple thing always to find a "good" book among the hundreds on the adult shelves, and the children who have grown up in the children's rooms of the pub- lic libraries where the books are selected with care, and where an assistant is always ready to help in a difficult choice, are only too apt to flounder hopelessly among the neces- sarily unrestricted adult shelves. Mentally immature, socially sophisticated, these boys and girls need help, patient, unobtrusive and interested, that so they may be set on the path which leads to many goodly kingdoms and realms of gold. THE JOHN NEWBERY MEDAL Interest in awarding the John Newbery medal brought a big audience to the first session of the Children's Librarians Section. The hail was full to capacity, many people were turned away. Children's librarians all over the country had been invited to send in votes for the book to receive this honor. At this meeting the result of the voting was announced and the first John Newbery medal, donated by Frederic G. Melcher to the Chil- dren's Librarians Section of the A.L.A., to be awarded annually "for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for chil- dren" was presented to Dr. Hendrik Willem Van Loon author of The story of mankind. After accepting the medal from Mr. Melcher on behalf of the Children's Librari- ans Section, Clara W. Hunt, chairman, said, "I would I had the ability to express ade- quately the gratitude which we children's li- brarians feel for the inspiration which prompted you to make this gift to the cause we love. . . . We feel strong and powerful because you believe in us and you are putting in our hands a weapon, one of the most potent of our times publicity of the best kind." Miss Hunt then presented the medal to Dr. Van Loon who made a gracious acknowledgment of the honor conferred upon him. The enthusiastic applause which greeted Dr. Van Loon gave evidence of the apprecia- tion and interest of the large audience. Second Session The second meeting of this section was held Wednesday afternoon, June 28, with Clara W. Hunt, chairman, presiding. The first paper, CHARTED SEAS, was given by Mrs. Mary E. S. Root, long associated with chil- dren's work in Providence, Rhode Island. As if in response to the telegraphic salute of twenty-one guns sent the Children's Librari- ans Section by Caroline Hewins and Annie Carroll Moore, Mrs. Root recalled the "little ship which was the children's library move- ment twenty-one years ago" and paid tribute to the early pilots and "friendly convoys" who kept the venturesome little craft on its course. Mr. Greene of Worcester, Mr. Fos- ter of Providence, Mrs. Fairchild, Albany, Caroline Hewins and Mary Wright Plum- mer, did much to launch the craft and keep it going through the years. It sailed over "uncharted seas" in those days, and some of the early pilots, Miss Hunt, Miss Moore, Miss Power, Miss Engle and Miss Dousman, still sailing the good ship, know of the tireless effort required of "all hands aboard" to make the seas charted for the children's librarians of 1922. "Appreciation has come," said Mrs. Root. "The pilot of today whose good judgment was looked upon with distrust in the past must travel early and late if she would begin to meet the demands made upon her for lectures on children's books before mother's clubs, library clubs, library schools and summer schools. She must go sleepless if she would prepare all the lists asked of her. She must check The Booklist and other co-operative lists, and, crowning triumph in the year of our Lord, 1922, she awards the John Newbery medal for the most distinc- tive juvenile published this year." The second paper of the afternoon was GIANT-KILLING IN THE CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT* BY EDITH L. SMITH, Morris County Free Library, Morristown, N. J. Giant-killing in the children's departments of the public libraries is not limited to tales in the fairy books of Andrew Lang and 'Abstract.' 268 DETROIT CONFERENCE Joseph Jacobs. A mighty giant with two heads awaits daily conflict with chief li- brarians throughout the country; one head for decapitation is lack of funds; the other, a result of the first, the lack of an adequate number of properly trained children's li- brarians. What is the country doing to train chil- dren's librarians to serve the omnivorous young readers who are waiting daily in every library for The three musketeers, or the latest wireless book, or, a good book on model sailing yachts and many other books? To answer this, a questionnaire was sent to 21 large libraries and 16 library schools. The answers revealed that an average of less than 25 per cent of the output of the library schools undertake library work with children. In a short time about 33 per cent marry. Several librarians reported that the best marry, though the supervisor of chil- dren's work of the largest library system stated that some of the best had remained from ten to fifteen years. Many of the children's librarians drift into work with adults and the attendant opportunities for executive work and the higher salaries that go with it. Others leave for business oppor- tunities with better salaries, and school work with shorter hours and long vacations. The reason most frequently given for changing is the need for better salaries. The best library service to the community goes hand in hand with the highest salaries and the largest number of trained workers. The city in which this condition exists is the fifth in population in this country and third in the circulation of juvenile books. The fourth city in size, with a population of over one million greater, circulates 500,000 fewer books to children. The program for the present National Edu- cation Association shows the teachers' grow- ing interest in the pupils' silent reading. This presages an even greater need for children's librarians. More children's librarians must be recruited but the writer of this paper feels that this must not be done by lowering the standards. Raising standards of requirements should at- tract the intelligent young college woman; reducing them will repel her. Higher stand- ards, shorter hours, if necessary, so the chil- dren's librarian may be more of a part of the life of the community, less sentimentaliz- ing about the work, and closer co-operation between schools and libraries will reveal the value of the work, and recognition in the way of better salaries should result. It is felt that the increase in intelligent use of the adult department which all li- braries show, is due in great part to the early work of the children's departments. A chief librarian whose children's department is weak because of too few and untrained assistants is truly building his work upon the sand. Jasmine Britton, librarian of the elemen- tary school library, Los Angeles, gave an interesting paper, NEW ROADS IN LIBRARY WORK WITH CHILDREN. She pointed out that it is only through the newly opened road of the elementary school library that we can hope to reach all the children and to establish an appreciation of books and a zest for reading which will carry them on to the wider interest of the public library. Miss Britton gave several "intriguing possibilities" offered in addition to the regular work with the grades. The truant-playing boys in the pa- rental schools need books. Children tempor- arily handicapped and doing special work under the guidance of the psychological ex- perts need books, there are classes of super- bright children where the children's librarian can "riotously indulge her most toplofty ideals in the best of literature," and there are part- time classes for children who must work. Sarah C. N. Bogle, assistant secretary of the American Library Association, gave a report on THE COUNTRY-WIDE DEMAND FOR CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS. She said: Every day requests come to the A.L.A. Headquarters for people to fill positions as children's librarians. A very small percent- age of these requests can be met as children's librarians are not trained in sufficient num- bers, or fast enough to meet the demand. Practically all library schools give some at- tention to children's work. Two schools specialize in it: the Carnegie Library School of Pittsburgh, Pa., and the library school of Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Their graduates have places waiting as soon COLLEGE AND REFERENCE SECTION 269 as their courses are completed; but this is only a drop in the bucket, as the number needed is many times in excess of the num- ber graduated from these two schools, and all the other library schools put together. Joint Session with School Libraries Section On Friday, June 30, the children's li- brarians and the school librarians met in a joint session at the Pattengill School. A re- port of this meeting is included in the School Libraries Section proceedings. Third Session A business meeting was held Thursday evening, June 29. After an address by Clara W. Hunt, chairman, in which she urged that the section be placed upon a more organized basis, the reports of the Publicity Committee, the A.L.A. Booklist Committee, the Resolu- tions Committee, and the Committee on Re- organization, were submitted. The report of the Publicity Committee was read by Delia McGregor, chairman, ac- cepted, and a motion was made and carried that this Committee be dissolved and its re- port submitted to the A.L.A., for further con- sideration. Effie L. Power, in the absence of Adah Whitcomb, chairman of the Committee on Re- organization, submitted a draft of the pro- posed constitution upon which to base all future business of the Children's Librarians Section. Various points in the proposed con- stitution were brought up for discussion and a motion was made and carried that the con- stitution be adopted as drafted. After the reading and acceptance of their reports all committees were dissolved prior to the adoption of the constitution. The following motion, proposed by Frank- lin K. Mathiews, librarian of the National Boy Scout Organization, was passed at the business meeting: Resolved, That the Children's Librarians Section of the A.L.A., prepare a brief list of children's books, in co-operation with the Li- brary Commission of the Boy Scouts of America, and request its publication by the A.L.A. Editorial Committee for use in con- nection with Children's Book Week. Other resolutions passed at the business meeting were as follows: Be it Resolved, That we as members of the Children's Librarians Section of the A.L.A., express our gratitude to Frederic G. Melcher for originating the idea of the John New- bery medal, an award which should be of real service to the cause of children's lit- erature in determining a future standard of excellence of workmanship and a spirit which will correspond to the ideals for which we are working. We are especially honored because we have conferred upon us a perpetual trust of se- lecting the future literature which shall re- ceive the award. And lastly, we appreciate the generosity which prompted the gift and saw it executed in so beautiful and worthy a fashion. Be it further Resolved, That we express our apprecia- tion for the delightful breakfast enjoyed at Belle Isle Park and for the many courtesies and hospitality so generously extended to the members of this section by the children's librarians of the Detroit Public Library. Be it further Resolved, That an expression of gratitude be extended to Edwin H. Anderson, director, New York Public Library, for the service rendered by the library's printing department, in sending out the two circular letters in connection with this meeting. The report of the Nominating Committee was read by Elisabeth Knapp, chief of the children's department, Detroit Public Li- brary, and the secretary was empowered to cast the vote. The officers elected were as follows : Chairman, Elva S. Smith, Carnegie Li- brary, Pittsburgh, Pa.; vice-chairman, Delia McGregor, Public Library, St. Paul, Minn.; secretary, Avis Meigs, Public Library, De- troit, Mich. ; treasurer, Grace L. Aldrich, Public Library, Madison, Wis. LEONORE ST. JOHN POWER, Secretary. COLLEGE AND REFERENCE SECTION H. M. Lydenberg for the Committee on Foreign Periodicals of the War Period, re- ported that five large packages of periodicals for American libraries are ready for ship- ment from the Notgemeinschaft through the First Session The College and Reference Section met on Wednesday afternoon, with about three hun- dred in attendance. Charles J. Barr, of the Yale University Library, presided. 270 DETROIT CONFERENCE Smithsonian Institution Bureau of Interna- tional Exchanges. Two lists of desiderata of German libraries have been received and are being sent to the various libraries which are to receive duplicates from abroad. The Committee recommends that after the dupli- cates from the Notgemeinschaft have been received, individual libraries send their de- siderata to Otto Harrassowitz. If not enough copies are found by Harrassowitz the ques- tion of reprinting might be taken up. (For full report see p. 186.) James T. Gerould reported for the Com- mittee on Revised Form for Library Statis- tics. A desire for a simpler form was ex- pressed but no definite suggestions were made. The difficulty of getting the same statistics for each year due to change in forms or organization was expressed by Dr. Andrews and Mr. Walter. J. C. M. Hanson reported for the Com- mittee on Printed Cards for Monograph Series. The Committee selected 57 series, based on the old A.L.A. list of serials an- alyzed, through co-operation of certain uni- versity and reference libraries, the cards be- ing printed and distributed by the A.L.A. Publishing Board. This work was taken over by the H. W. Wilson Company print- ing the entries in its International Index. Many of the series are made up of sizable monographs, hence the need of printed cards. This Committee has endeavored to secure subscribers for 50 cards for all titles in each series; has secured the necessary fifty sub- criptions for 25 titles; and has hopes of get- ting the required number for the titles re- maining, as considerable interest has been manifested by foreign libraries. There seems little doubt that libraries will be found to take up the co-operative analysis of the series. Mr. Barr read a letter from the Super- intendent of Documents in response to action taken by the Section at Swampscott. Mr. Tisdell reported that the manuscript for the 64th Congress Document Catalogue is in the hands of the printer and will be ready for distribution in the fall. No assurance could be given in regard to the Checklist. The first formal paper was on INTER-LI- BRARY LOANS; A POLICY, by Anne S. Pratt, Yale University. The purpose of the inter-library loans is to enable the unusual reader to have the un- usual books. This brings up the need of some form of union catalog which will make it easy to locate the unusual book. In 1916 the Committee on Standardization reported tentative suggestions on inter-library loans. Inter-library loans are on the increase. At Yale they have increased 50 per cent in 10 years. The cost of searching references, preparing for shipment and the necessary correspond- ence raised the question of possible charges to cover actual expenses. Photostatic repro- duction was suggested as one way of avoid- ing these costs. Because of the difficulty in securing refunds of postage Yale sends by express. E. D. Tweedell of The John Crerar Library reported on the policy of The John Crerar Library, mentioning the limiting of loans to two weeks without re- newal. Fannie Borden expressed the appreciation of the smaller libraries and suggested a charge of fifty cents per loan be made by the loaning library to cover necessary ex- pense. Joseph G. Pyle spoke on THE JAMES JEROME HILL REFERENCE LIBRARY at St. Paul, Minn. The library was opened to public use Decem- ber 20, 1921, and is the realization of the plans of the late James J. Hill. He provided a li- brary building, and an endowment for its permanent maintenance was provided by his family. Desiring to serve the largest public, Mr. Hill determined that his library should include reference works on every subject ex- cept medicine and law. He directed that only a limited number of the latest and most authoritative works on each subject should be included in the collection. Superseded books are to be thrown away. The library especially regards the Northwest as its field and with its liberal policy of inter-library loans it hopes to be of great service. The present collection, although small, represents the same kind and form of selective author- ity that is represented by the articles in our great encyclopedias. W. W. Bishop spoke on PREPARING FOR A BOOK BUYING TRIP IN EUROPE. Preliminary correspondence with the H- COLLEGE AND REFERENCE SECTION 271 brary's recognized agents will secure their co-operation. Procure from them a general authorization to the dealers throughout the country, guaranteeing the payment of your purchases shipped to them. This will cost 10 per cent for handling but is worth it. Take detailed record of holdings and de- siderata in fields you are purchasing. Many titles can be carried in small space by ar- ranging titles on typewritten cards in 3 columns and reducing by photostat. In this manner 4000 titles were arranged in a small space. Copies were sent to Leipzig and Paris in case original list was lost. Provide margins on lists of desiderata for notations. If properly prepared, purchases can be made to great advantage in Europe. The following paper was presented: THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN: HIS PREPARATION, POSITION AND RELATION TO THE ACADEM- IC DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY BY EDITH M. COULTER, Reference Librarian, University of California Sir William Osier in his address 1 on "The Library School in the College" remarked that "the British Museum and Bodley are themselves universities as great as Oxford and Cambridge and the London Library pos- sibly helps the education of more people than London University." It is a commonplace that the library is the heart of the univer- sity, or that the university could not exist without the library. Librarians glow with pride when they hear the institutions with which they are identified so lauded, but they are also moved to wonder that if all this be true why they are not, as librarians, the leaders in their institutions. You will agree with me that, with a few exceptions, such is not the case. Does the fault lie with the librarians or with the universities? In this consideration of the position of the librarian in American universities, I refer not only to the chief librarian, but to all pro- fessional librarians on the staff, and more An address at the opening of the Summer School of Library Service, Aberystwyth. July 31, 1917. In Library association's record, Au- gust to September, 1917. especially to the university librarian of the future. The chief librarian in the majority of our larger universities is a member of the faculty and as such has a seat and vote with the academic senate or similar body. In fewer cases the assistant librarian has the same status. In still fewer instances heads of de- partments have like honor. But with his seat and vote with the faculty the librarian frequently does not have other privileges; namely, the long vacation and the extended leave of absence. University librarians as a group have not had the time to carry on ad- vanced study, and in a university one is judged by the results of study. Original contributions to knowledge cannot be made at the end of a seven or eight hour day, or a forty-eight week year. Successful adminis- tration of a large library or of a department in a library may be appreciated and even commended by the faculty, but I think I am fair in saying that the librarian is not con- sidered a scholar or as one who is contribut- ing to the educational program of the uni- versity. The great cry in the university today is for productive scholarship and the librarian is judged by the same standard as the teacher. The case of a young man, an assistant pro- fessor, came to my attention. He was, in ad- dition to his academic duties in a western institution, given the deanship of the sum- mer session. The administrative work con- nected with this office occupied all of his time not given to his classes during the spring semester and his entire time during the vacation period. He was exceedingly suc- cessful as an administrator, but was not pro- moted with his colleagues. On requesting an explanation he was told by the president that his administrative work counted for little, and that promotion was based on the results of research. He resigned his dean- ship and is now a full professor. If I read tendencies aright in our univer- sities the demand for research will not les- sen. I further see the increased interest in bibliography, which is the parent of re- search. Bibliographies can be compiled more readily by bibliographers and librarians than by the chemist, the botanist or the economist. 272 DETROIT CONFERENCE They are now being compiled by members of our faculties and advanced students, who come to the librarian for assistance in the location of material, and who frankly admit that they are totally ignorant of bibliographic law. It is my plea that in future librarians compile the bibilographies and if necessary go to the specialist for advice as to the in- clusion of certain items. There is in addition the urgent need for bibliographic instruction to students in the universities. This work I am convinced should be offered by the library staff. We know that our faculties are not giving the instruction as it should be given. I do not refer here to elementary courses on how to use the library, which should be given in preparatory schools, but to more advanced courses on the use of important reference books, and finally, to courses in general bibli- ography offered to seniors and to first year graduate students, who plan to take higher degrees. The finer points in a particular field may be left to the instructor in that field, but our research students are woefully lack- ing in general bibliographic background, which librarians are qualified to give. Are librarians giving such courses, and if not, are they endeavoring to initiate them? Few committees on courses in our universities could indefinitely fail to see the value of bibliographic instruction given by the bibli- ographers. A program, consisting of bibliographic con- tributions to knowledge and instruction to students in general bibliography would place the university librarian in the position he merits and would greatly add to the equip- ment of the research student. To me it is not so much a question of academic rank for librarians as the recognition of equality with the faculty that we must have in order to render the greatest service to our institutions. Thus far few of us have been able to im- press the university with our ability to do other than administrative and routine duties, nor have we been able to show by published work that we are fitted by training and ex- perience to build up and make known the collections in our libraries, and to take a direct part in the education of the student. Granted that librarians are not occupying the position they should in our institutions of higher learning, how may present conditions be improved? It is my belief that they may be improved in three ways : First, the standardization of our profes- sional schools. At present in the United States to have had library school training may mean that one is a graduate of a high school with one year at a library school; or that one has had three years of college and one year of library school training, or that one is a college graduate with one year in a library school, or a college graduate with two years in a library school. There is also lack of uniformity in the granting of library school degrees. The degree of Bachelor of Library Science is granted at certain schools on the completion of a two year graduate course, at another school for a one year graduate course. Schools should be standardized and uniform and appropriate degrees granted. Li- brary schools have been unfortunate in adopt- ing the designation "Bachelor of Library Science." In academic circles the Bachelor's degree is associated with the completion of undergraduate study. I am aware that cer- tain professional schools grant the Bachelor as the first professional degree; namely, Law, but I note the tendency to discontinue this as a professional degree. I should like to see library schools drop the designations for academic and research degrees; i. e. Bach- elor, Master, Doctor of Philosophy, and adopt a professional degree, for we make no claim to research in our one and two year courses. A certificate might well be granted for the one year course and a professional degree, L. S., on completion of the two year course. It would seem to be in accordance with university policy to give a certificate for the first year of professional work. Univer- sity authorities apparently feel that a profes- sion cannot be acquired in one year. Furthermore, library schools should be connected with institutions of higher learn- ing. There is at present an encouraging tendency in this direction. The newer schools of librarianship are connected with state uni- versities, and it would seem a great advance if the present schools now under the adminis- tration of public libraries would affiliate with colleges and universities. In my opinion to COLLEGE AND REFERENCE SECTION 273 have all professional training connected with recognized universities, together with the granting of uniform professional degrees would do more than anything else to make the library profession comparable to en- gineering, law, or medicine. I further believe that there is need for one library school in the United States which would offer an advanced course leading to a higher professional degree, a degree equiva- lent to the Doctor of Philosophy. University librarians and instructors in our library schools should be holders of such an advanced degree. It is certain that if our library schools connected with universities are to hold their place with other technical and professional schools, the instructors must hold a degree higher than that granted to graduates of the school. Universities are requiring the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, or its equivalent, for appointment to instructorships. Consequently pressure is being brought to bear upon li- brary school instructors to work for a Ph. D. degree, which will take three years in ad- dition to two already spent in getting the professional degree. We cannot hope to find many who can give five years after the A.B. for this preparation and these few would, I fear, turn to teaching the subject in which the later degree was taken and would be lost to the library profession. The university librarian must perforce be a scholar. The idea is not new. We read that under the Ptolemies the head librarian held the highest post within the ancient uni- versity,* and in our own day we find the late President Oilman of Johns Hopkins Uni- versity, summing up the qualifications of the university librarian in these words : "The principal librarian should be a man of wide knowledge. . .his office should rank with that of the professor . . . He will be the better administrator if he cultivate his own special branch of study, for thus he will have a sym- pathetic relation with other investigators, and he will be the better investigator if he also is a teacher. The profession of librarian should be distinctly recognized. Men and women should be encouraged to enter it, should be trained to discharge its duties, and should be rewarded, promoted, and honored in proportion to the service they render."t The prospective university librarian will be a college and library school graduate. He will have the option of taking this higher profes- sional degree at once, or after gaining ex- perience in the capacity of assistant. We have all regretted instances when men from other professions have been called to fill the position of university librarian. I firmly believe that if library schools or a library school offered a program leading to a higher research degree, that this degree would in time be recognized as the accepted requirement for the position of university li- brarian. Until such time I see nothing for the ambitious university librarian of the fu- ture but the extra years of study for the Ph.D. It is true that without either the higher academic or the higher professional degree he will be handicapped throughout his professional life and consequently will not perform his greatest service. The second step that would improve the position of the university librarian would be raising the requirements for appointment to positions in the university libraries. The low salaries offered in many college and univer- sity libraries have resulted in their securing the mediocre rather than the most brilliant graduates of our library schools. One is amazed to find many on the staffs of college libraries who are not even college graduates. Requirements for appointment should be as high as are those for the teaching staff. If the university has a ruling on the require- ments for appointment of instructors, there should be an equivalent requirement for ap- pointment to the library staff. So long as li- braries appoint a needy student or a profes- sor's widow without qualifications, just so long do they keep back those on the staff who are capable of advancement. Equally important would be the reclassifi- cation of the present staff. There should be a well defined division between the clerical and professional assistants. Those who per- form the mechanical and routine work of *Cnitterll, C. T., History of Roman literature, 1897, p. 215. tollman D. C., University libraries, an ad- dress at the opening of the Sage Library of Cornell University, October 7, 1891. In his University problems in the United States, 1898, pp. 245-265. 274 DETROIT CONFERENCE the library should be placed on the clerical roll. Such a reclassification is in the interest of economy and efficiency. Why waste the time of the catalogers in typing innumerable cards and why attempt to teach the assistant, who is lacking in educational background, to assign subject headings in Egyptology? The requirement for admission to the professional group should be a university education and a library school degree, combined with scholar- ly interests and willingness to continue study. Several years ago a grouping of the staff into professional and clerical assistants was put into effect at the University of Califor- nia. The minimum requirement for the junior assistant, the lowest grade in the pro- fessional group, was a university degree and library school training. All others were called clerical assistants and were not con- sidered candidates for promotion to the pro- fessional roll. As a result of this reclassifi- cation, all those in the professional group have been placed on the same salary basis as the corresponding grades in the instruc- tional staff. The librarian receives the salary of a full professor, the associate librarian that of an associate professor, heads of de- partments that of assistant professor, senior assistants that of instructor, and junior as- sistants that of assistant. Promotion from one grade to another should be based on meritorious and scholarly work as is the rule in the teaching staff. The mere meeting of one's classes from day to day is not considered a reason for promo- tion, nor should be the mere performance of routine work in the library. University library executives may say that with the present scarcity of librarians stand- ards cannot be raised, that positions will re- main unfilled. If the positions are made de- sirable and it is held an honor to be appointed to the staff of a university library, there will be those in the profession who will seek these positions and others with scholarly tastes in choosing a profession will be promoted to qualify for such positions. Third, the librarian can individually aid in elevating his position in the university and in the profession by study and research. I see much to be gained by each member of the staff taking some subject for his spe- cialty. He should be familiar with books on his subject and know what the library needs to complete the collection. This as- sistant would be of immeasurable value to] the order department in suggesting desider-' ata, and to the reference department in sup-' plying information. This is especially de-i sirable in a subject which does not fall un-; der any department of instruction, or in de- partments of instruction in which from year to year there has been no attempt on the j part of the faculty to build up the library col- lection. The assistant should be encouraged to publish bibliographies and studies that grow out of his researches. The assistant who does such a piece of work should re- ceive the credit. I have in mind certain uni- versity library publications, that have ap- peared under the name of the library with no mention of those who made the work possible. There may be another member of the staff who wishes to continue university study. For him the opportunity is at hand. He can reg- ister in the graduate school and take a course a year in a department in which he wishes to specialize. His increased value to the li- brary through his broader scholarship should warrant the university granting him the time to attend the seminar or if not, at least the privilege of making up the time outside the regular schedule. There should be greater liberality in granting leaves of absence to pursue a definite piece of work or to take an advanced degree. The loss occasioned the library by his absence would be more than repaid by his increased value. Anyone interested in administrative work should be permitted to arrange with another library for an exchange of position. A plan of exchange could be worked out between institutions of similar size and between as- sistants with similar qualifications and ex- perience. In short the situation is this. University librarians are judged by the same standards as university instructors. Therefore uni- versity librarians must have an equivalent education, represented by a degree recognized as the equivalent to the Ph.D. degree. With our professional schools as they are now constituted it is impossible to obtain this COUNTY LIBRARIES ROUND TABLE 275 equivalent. Hence we are not in a position to demand privileges accorded the faculty. I see nothing for those now holding uni- versity library positions but to strive for op- portunities for advancement in their respec- tive institutions. It is for us who know the difficulties to outline a program whereby the university librarian of the future will not be hampered by present conditions. I therefore recommend to the College and Reference Section the following objectives for definite accomplishment : First. The presentation to the Association of American Library Schools of the need for standardization of courses and uniformity of degrees in our library schools. Second. A survey of universities with the view of determining (a) the status of uni- versity librarians, (b) the most advantageous location for a School of Advanced Librarian- ship. Third. The publication of the results of the survey. I hope that the idea of such a program may commend itself to the members of this section and that a committee may be ap- pointed at this meeting to carry out the fore- going recommendations. The above resolutions were approved. Second Session The section reconvened on Friday morning. E. A. Henry of the University of Chicago spoke on RENTAL COLLECTIONS FOR STUDENTS. In order to care for the large use of reserve books extra copies were purchased and rented to the students. 1. Sets of books in use in course rented for entire quarter, the charge was about J^ cost of books. 2. Single volumes rented for the quarter, e. g. dictionaries and source books. 3. Books loaned at rate of three cents a day, mainly literature. The minimum charge is ten cents. The scheme has worked well and bids fair to pay for itself. Care must be taken not to order too many sets for courses where the books are likely to be changed nor for courses which are not given twice a year. Earl Manchester discussed the subject, stating that the books were very useful for loans in extension work and the student ac- quired more from his required reading if the book was at hand at most convenient seasons. The nominating committee consisting of Earl Manchester and F. L. D. Goodrich pre- sented the name of Willard Austen of Cornell University as the third member. The other members of the Committee are William E. Henry, University of Washington, and E. D. Tweedell of The John Crerar Library. Discussion of the matter of academic rank for librarians and assistants was resumed and Mr. Keogh, Mr. Walter and Miss Jones (Ohio State) discussed the matter from various points of view, the general consensus of opinion being that at present circum- stances vary so at individual institutions that efforts along this line must be largely indi- vidual. The following resolution was moved and carried : That the executive committee of the Col- lege and Reference Section be requested : 1. To take immediate action in suggesting to the executive board of the Commonwealth Fund the opportunity for and desirability of a survey of the question of academic rank of librarians and members of the library staff (of professional grade) in college and uni- versity libraries. 2. To bring the matter to the attention of the Association of American Library Schools at their session on June 30, 1922. EDWARD D. TWEEDELL. COUNTY LIBRARIES ROUND TABLE An informal round table discussion of some of the problems of the county library was held in the auditorium of the Scripps Branch Library on Wednesday evening, June 28. Corinne Metz of the Allen County Li- brary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, presided. The problems of when and where in the county to establish stations, and where to give the larger service through the estab- lishment of reading rooms; and the advis- ability of the payment of custodians, with the basis of remuneration, developed spirited dis- cussions, and emphasized the variety of con- ditions under which the county librarians are working. It -was recommended that a similar in- 276 DETROIT CONFERENCE formal round table be planned for county li- brarians at the next A.L.A. conference and that Miss Metz act as chairman. The headquarters of the Wayne County Library, located in the Scripps Branch, were visited following the meeting. HARRIET C. LONG. HOSPITAL LIBRARIES ROUND TABLE The round tables for the discussion of hospital library problems were held Tues- day evening, June 27, and Wednesday after- noon, June 28. The meeting June 27 was conducted by Caroline Webster of the Li- brary Sub-Branch, U. S. Veterans' Bureau, and was given over to an informal discussion of the problems arising in hospital work when the libraries are administered as a part of the public library system. Representatives from the libraries at De- troit, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Evans- ville, Sioux City, all spoke with enthusiasm of the work in hospitals. Clarence W. Sum- ner of Sioux City, who is probably one of the most enthusiastic believers in the possi- bilities in this branch of the service, assured his hearers that it was always possible to get a fine response to request for funds for this branch of library work. He has two assistants giving full time to hospital work. The meeting Wednesday afternoon, June 28, was conducted by Miriam E. Carey, chair- man of the A.L.A. Committee on Institu- tional Libraries. Caroline Webster of the Veterans' Bureau was the first speaker, giv- ing a brief account of the library work car- ried on for ex-service men during the past year. Dr. C. H. Lavinder, assistant surgeon gen- eral of the U. S. Public Health Service, be- fore reading his paper on HOSPITAL LIBRARY SERVICE, said that if evidence was needed of the place that libraries are taking in hospital administration this evidence was given by the fact that a busy doctor, the doctor responsi- ble for appearing before committees of Con- gress to answer questions concerning the ad- ministration of hospitals during the coming year, would drop all of his work at the be- ginning of the fiscal year and go hundreds of miles to speak to librarians on the value of library work. HOSPITAL LIBRARY SERVICE By C. H. LAVINDER, Assistant Surgeon Gen- eral, U. S. Public Health Service As most of you are aware, the Public Health Service for the past three years has been furnishing medical care and treatment to veterans of the World War and in the discharge of this responsibility built up a large hospital system. These veterans' hos- pitals more or less recently, under an order of the President, and in accordance with law, were transferred to the newly created U. S. Veterans' Bureau for future operation. This transfer definitely terminated all responsi- bility of the Public Health Service in con- nection with the operation of hospitals for the care of veterans of the World War. During the three years in which this Serv- ice was engaged in this work it built up a large system of hospitals in which there were treated a total of about 275,000 veterans of the World War to whom were given about 14,500,000 hospital relief days. While the activities of the Public Health Service with regard to the medical care and treatment of veterans terminated with the transfer of these hospitals, there still remain under the control of the Public Health Serv- ice 24 operating hospitals. These are known as marine hospitals and will continue to op- erate under the Public Health Service as they have done for many years past. These hospitals are all general hospitals with the exception of three. One is a leper home, one is a hospital devoted to the care of immigrants and one is a tuberculosis sana- torium. Most of them are located on the coasts and navigable streams of the United States. During the past fiscal year the Public Health Service cared for in these hospitals and its relief stations a total of about 106,- HOSPITAL LIBRARIES ROUND TABLE 277 000 patients, of whom about 45,000 were treated in hospital. To these were given ap- proximately 1,200,000 hospital relief days. This work is increasing rather than dimin- ishing. The Public Health Service, there- fore, continues to carry a hospital responsi- bility of considerable magnitude. This Service, under these circumstances, is of course very keenly interested in modern hospital development of every kind. The tendency of modern medicine toward elab- orate specialization, intricate refinement of diagnosis and the inauguration of new ac- tivities of various kinds is a matter for seri- ous consideration. Every practical hospital administrator must view with some uneasiness the continually in- creasing demands of this character which are made upon hospitals. The cost of hos- pital medical care and treatment is steadily rising and it has now reached the point where ward accommodation in a hospital which sup- plies adequate care and treatment, costs from $4.00 to $5.00 per day, and yet the demands for further developments and larger costs still continue. The modern hospital assumes, of necessity, a very much larger responsibility than for- merly in the care and treatment of its pa- tients and undertakes to supply these patients with many things which, until recently, were not regarded as a necessary part of hospital care and treatment. Under these circum- stances careful discretion is required as to the adoption of new things or the perpetua- tion of many which have already been started. The war was responsible for the birth of some new ideas, and for the rapid extension of many others. Some of these must, of necessity, be eliminated. Others are too good to let go. The idea of a hospital library serv- ice was not born during the war, but un- doubtedly its development was hastened very much in the hospitals operated for the sick and wounded during that struggle. My experience is exclusively in govern- mental hospitals, and there are certain very striking differences between governmental hospitals and civilian hospitals, which it is un- necessary at this time to discuss. The in- auguration of a library service in the hos- pitals under the control and operation of the Public Health Service was begun and con- tinued for many months under the direction of the American Library Association. This organization, as a continuation of its war work, undertook the organization and admin- istration of a hospital library service through- out the system of hospitals operated by the Public Health Service. With the depletion of its funds which could be devoted to this purpose, the work was sup- ported for a time by the American Red Cross and ultimately was transferred to the Public Health Service as an official activity. This transfer was made possible largely by the interest of the representatives of the Amer- ican Library Association, through whom there was inserted into an appropriation bill $100,000 for the purchase of books and peri- odicals for the veterans under treatment in hospital. The library service carried on in our hos- pitals under the direction of a representative of the American Library Association has given an excellent experience on which to base judgment as to the value of such a service in a modern hospital, and has offered opportunity for constructive criticism and perhaps for future developments of an im- portant character. It is not my purpose to discuss at any length the question of the organization and operation of a hospital library service, nor to put in figures the volume of work which has been done. I am interested rather in the results as they have affected the condition of patients and the administration of hospitals. It might, however, be mentioned as of in- terest that at the high tide of this work there were employed some 30-odd librarians of various grades, with a total pay roll of about $50,000 a year, and there was expended dur- ing the year about $65,000 for books and periodicals. I would offer some comment from my own experience as to certain features which have impressed me in a hospital library service. In the first place, I have felt that the opera- tion of a service of this character in a gov- ernmental hospital might perhaps best be done by some reliable outside agency working in co-operation with official authorities, just such an arrangement as did exist originally 278 DETROIT CONFERENCE in our hospitals under the direction of the American Library Association. This has ap- peared to me to give flexibility to a service which is difficult to operate without a certain degree of flexibility, and to supply a need by no means easy to meet in official hospitals operated under the rigidities of law, regulation and official procedure. Such an arrangement while perhaps desirable is by no means nec- essary. I am convinced that a successful hos- pital library service can be operated under official direction. Another point of importance is the support of the superintendent or the medical officer in charge of the hospital. I would empha- size that for success this support must be both hearty and sympathetic. Nothing con- tributes more to the success of a real library service than a medical officer in charge who has comprehension and sympathy. In any organization the proper co-ordina- tion of different activities and co-operation on the part of the personnel of the different units is a matter of essential importance. There is, however, no single activity of a hospital which requires of its personnel such a hearty spirit of co-operation as a hospital library service. Above all other things the personnel engaged in this service must be adjustable and tactful. It must never be for- gotten that the complex organization of a modern hospital is a sensitive thing which can be easily disturbed. A hospital library service is an activity which lies outside of strictly professional activities and therefore must of necessity take a more or less secondary place, and yet be in position to take advantage of every opportunity in order to discharge its duty. This requires on the part of those engaged in this work a mental attitude characterized by a comprehension of the relative values of various activities in modern hospital practice and a co-operative spirit which permits ad- justments wherever they may be necessary. Any personnel engaged in work of this char- acter should give this particular feature serious consideration. It cannot be neglected. A hospital library service, like any other activity, needs, of course, to be guided and directed by persons competent to do so. In- spections from time to time by trained super- visors, especially in the management of a system of hospitals, seems to me necessary. An organization which comprehends travel- ling inspectors or supervisors to make peri- odic visits to each hospital for the purpose of looking over the hospital library service is just as essential as it is in any other de- partment of hospital endeavor, if one would maintain proper standards and a good service. The status of librarians and their compen- sation is a matter of importance. From my own experience it has been by no means easy to convince superior authority on these points. It is the desire and the purpose of librarians engaged in this work to establish a very definite status and to ask a compen- sation sufficiently large to permit the em- ployment of high grade personnel and to place such personnel on a basis entirely com- parable with other personnel in the hospital of similar proficiency. It will be the part of the librarians themselves to struggle for these things and in doing so they must of necessity more or less educate everyone as to the nature and importance of a hospital library service. Perhaps it may be unnecessary to comment on the rather obvious fact that a library service should take into consideration the character of hospital in which it operates. The Public Health Service has divided its hospitals generally into three groups, those for mental and nervous disorders, those for tuberculosis of the lungs and those for gen- eral medical and surgical disorders. Each of these types of hospitals will re- quire a rather different character of hos- pital library service. Such a thing is obvious and yet is so obvious as to be overlooked unless care is exercised. The subject is rather broad for any detailed comment, but the psychology of different classes of pa- tients must be taken into consideration, and the relative length of stay in hospital is also a matter of importance. For example, the psychology of the tuberculous patient is rather characteristic and his stay in hospital is likely to be prolonged. This would mean the selection of literature conformable to such facts. Many factors of this kind must, of necessity, influence not only the selection of books, but also the personnel and the HOSPITAL LIBRARIES ROUND TABLE 279 general arrangements for the service. Hos- pitals will require in this regard a certain amount of individual study on the part of competent persons and the adjustment of the service to meet the needs. I know of nothing which less permits of a formal, rigid organi- zation and administration than a hospital li- brary service. While librarians are, of course, not charged with any responsibility regarding the opera- tive costs of a hospital, yet they should ever have in mind that hospital administrators under whom they work must always expend time and thought upon the per diem cost of the hospital concerned. It may be safely held that all good hospital administrators will require that the service rendered shall be reasonable in its cost. Hospitals are rated in their expenditures on the cost per day per patient. To add to the activities of a hospital is, therefore, to raise this cost and since every good hospital administrator is jealous of his record in this regard, it be- hooves hospital librarians always to keep un- der consideration the cost of their service. By this it will ultimately be judged. All hospitals, of course, are supplied with a medical library including both books and medical magazines. In any well regulated hospital this is a very essential part of the hospital's activities. Such a library is not always large enough to justify the expendi- ture necessary to employ personnel for its care and upkeep, and yet without some trained personnel such libraries are inefficient, degenerate and do not serve the purpose. Personally, I can see no reason whatever why the librarian in charge of the hospital service should not likewise be charged with the strictly professional library service as well. This would help to enlist more readily, in my opinion, the sympathetic support of the medical staff, would place the hospital li- brarian in a position of more importance and at the same time would tend to reduce cost in personnel. I would urge all librarians en- gaged in a hospital library service to make a special effort to take charge also of the medical library in the hospital in which they are engaged and render in that library good service. I believe this would be wise from every standpoint. I need not stop, before this audience, to say much about the difference between a col- lection of books and a library service. To all of you this distinction carries a very evi- dent difference, but I can assure you that my experience teaches me that many men en- gaged in hospital work have been unable to see the difference which lies in such a distinc- tion. It is a part of your problem to educate people and to show them wherein this dif- ference lies. These and other matters will require effort on your part because progress will not be made unless you take pains also to educate. By this I do not mean to say that the value of a hospital library service has not been demonstrated. On the contrary, I feel amply satisfied that the modern hos- pital will be compelled to adopt a hospital library service as one of its essential activi- ties. In other words, this idea has been firmly established but it has by no means been developed and this development will, of necessity, lie largely with the librarians en- gaged in this work. I would also point out that the trend of this development and the extent of the same will largely depend upon the personnel now engaged in this work. It is one of their im- portant duties, in my judgment, to see that this development takes place along proper lines and is not marred by tendencies which are unwise. As to the results achieved by a hospital library service it is unfortunate that a state- ment of the results obtained in a service of this character cannot be made in exact terms. Such a service does not readily lend itself to a statistical explanation of its results. This is unfortunate because when one seeks to obtain funds for this purpose one is always met with the inquiry as to what has been accomplished. To those engaged in the work the results are obvious, but to attempt to place before an uninterested and unsympa- thetic individual such results is by no means easy. The things achieved are not such tangible things as can be weighed, measured or estimated in columns of figures and yet they have a value none the less important. The establishment of a hospital library service gives, of course, a great deal of pleas- ure to a great many people who are confined 280 DETROIT CONFERENCE to the walls of a hospital, idle, always un- comfortable, frequently in pain and earnestly desiring some relief from the tedium of ex- istence. To those who have a love of read- ing, books and magazines are, of course, an unbounded pleasure. To those who have not such a natural love, they may not make such a strong appeal, but when offered a selection of books and reading matter these can be also reached and their love of reading can perhaps be stimulated. Along with this there goes the opportunity for education. It cannot be doubted that patients are receptive. The testimony of li- brarians is unanimous as to the demand for something more than light fiction. One who is unfamiliar with this work always ex- presses surprise at the character of the de- mands made and the class of literature so frequently requested. A look over the titles in the libraries of the hospitals which have been operated by this service is in itself suffi- cient enlightenment upon this point. I do not stop to comment on the educa- tional value of such reading when consid- ered in connection with such activities as occupational therapy and prevocational train- ing. Opportunity for reading along certain definite lines with the idea of making use of the information thus acquired in the train- ing of the patient and ultimately fitting him for some particular field of endeavor is ob- vious although many practical difficulties in carrying out such a program can be readily appreciated. One must not overlook the enormous op- portunity presented in matters of pleasure and education through a hospital library service. For example: what an opportunity was presented in the hospitals of the Public Health Service during the past three years when about 275,000 veterans passed through these hospitals and spent there a total of about 14,500,000 days. It needs no comment tc show what a stupendous opportunity was offered under such circumstances. The materialistic view which obtained in hospitals not so long ago has given place in modern hospitals to a very different attitude on the part of the professional staff. In modern hospitals the psychology of the pa- tient has become a matter of paramount im- portance and no modern hospital can afford to neglect this point of view. This, of course, opens up a field of therapy in which a hos- pital library service must prove beneficial. The dissipation of idleness, the contentment of mind and the assistance in psychological adjustments on the part of the patient are all of prime importance in the matter of his recovery. A well conducted hospital library service is a therapeutic agent of no mean importance and would be so recognized by any modern medical man. It is an agency which renders great assitance in creating among patients a mental attitude which permits better ad- justments to hospital environment, and also helps in the creation of a beneficial atmos- phere. It may be said, therefore, that it is a useful adjuvant to other remedial meas- ures, assists in hastening convalescence and restoration to health. A hospital library service is classed as one of the morale agencies of a hospital. I fear that the term morale of late is used very glibly by many of us and has, therefore, not such a definite signification. Nevertheless, to any hospital administrator it means some- thing very material and very necessary to the successful administration of his hospital. It is the unanimous testimony of all that a hospital library service is one of the most important agencies in a modern hospital for the cultivation and the stimulation of the morale, not only of patients but also of the hospital staff. This is a matter of great im- portance to librarians and should never be lost sight of. Any agency which produces such effects will always receive the sympa- thetic consideration of any practical hospital administrator and will inevitably contribute more than any other thing to the ultimate success of the hospital. My purpose in these remarks is not entirely unselfish. Naturally I have a keen interest in retaining with the marine hospitals under my immediate supervision some type of hos- pital library service. Most of these hos- pitals are not large and the maintenance of a hospital library service is, therefore, from a financial standpoint, more difficult. Yet in these hospitals we are still able, under the law, to care for veterans of the World War LENDING SECTION 281 and have at the present time under treatment several hundred such patients. Our other patients include government employees, sea- men of the Merchant Marine, seamen of the U. S. Coast Guard, immigrants and other classes of patients. The field from the librarian's point of view is an interesting one. Our funds are more or less limited and it is my earnest hope that we may be able still to maintain some con- nection with the American Library Associa- tion and continue a modified hospital library service to meet our needs. This perhaps may be done by making contact with local public libraries and soliciting their assistance. In conclusion I wish to reiterate that a hospital library service in the system of hos- pitals which have been operated under the Public Health Service has proven to be an agency of first importance in maintaining the morale of both patients and personnel. All of us have recognized its value. It gives me pleasure to make acknowledgments to the American Library Association for their splendid spirit of co-operation and their most excellent and useful service. We feel pe- culiarly indebted to the representatives of this Association with whom we have been in constant contact. Associations with Mr. H. II. B. Meyer and Miss Caroline Webster have been unusually pleasant and the personnel en- gaged in this service under Miss Webster have shown a commendable devotion to their work, frequently under difficulties. I con- fess that I have released my relationships to this work and to this personnel with great reluctance. It is my earnest hope that a way may be found still to maintain some con- nection with an organization which has proven so helpful in the past. Dr. Lavinder was followed by Mrs. Her- bert Gurney of Massachusetts, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State Hospital at Foxborough. Mrs. Gurney spoke in an unusually delightful and forceful way of the need, not only for books but for library serv- ice in a mental hospital. Unfortunately Mrs. Gurney spoke without notes so that it is not possible to give her paper. The attendance at both of these meetings was large. At the meeting Wednesday after- noon there were between two and three hun- dred present CAROLINE WEBSTER. LENDING SECTION First Session The first session of the Lending Section was called to order at 2:30 p. m., Friday, June 30, by the chairman, John A. Lowe, assistant librarian of the Brooklyn Public Library. By consent the reading of the minutes was waived. The chairman then appointed the following committee to nominate officers for the Lending Section for 1922-23: Chairman, Jennie M. Flexner, head of circulation de- partment, Louisville Public Library; Waller I. Bullock, head of adult lending depart- ment, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh ; Mary A. Batterson, chief of circulation depart- ment, Tacoma Public Library. The first paper, read in the author's ab- sence by Leonore St. John Power of the New York Public Library, was ESSENTIAL BOOKS OF DRAMA IN IN THE SCHOOLS BY MABEL WILLIAMS, Supervisor of Work with Schools, New York Public Library In New York City the amateur stage is a common interest to people engaged in varied activities. The public library has been conscious of this for many years. We never have enough books of plays in our branch libraries. Professionals, settlements, clubs, churches, schools all want to give plays and are searching for new and original ideas. In this city there are a number of sources of information for play seekers. The New York Drama League Book Shop is unique in the country. Any play may be purchased there and expert advice obtained. Com- munity Service, Inc., has a drama depart- 282 DETROIT CONFERENCE merit which issues inexpensive lists of plays for different community groups. They also have mimeographed material for holidays and special occasions. Questions on produc- tion may be referred to their drama con- sultant. I know of no place where such practical advice can be obtained about actual production problems. There are many other organizations such as settlements, dramatic schools, etc. who are encouraging and seek- ing to improve amateur production. This year the New York Drama League and the New York Public Library planned to bring these various agencies together for a gala week, from March 25 through April 1. The exhibition was held on the third floor of the 58th Street Branch Library. This room is used as an office and conference room for the supervisor of work with schools. As teachers form one of the largest groups of people interested in the amateur drama, it was natural that this place should be se- lected and the teachers especially invited. The Drama League, through its wide in- fluence in dramatic circles, was able to gather together really worth while exhibits and ar- range an enticing program of speakers for every afternoon and evening. There was a portable stage with modern lighting arrangements ; rain, wind and rail- road machines and a thunder drum; fifteen simple stage models exhibited in a darkened corner of the room; and an elaborate exhibit of costume materials and costume plates. Among all these picturesque and spectac- ular surroundings, the library planned to place a book exhibit that would hold its own. A book committee made up of libra- rians, teachers, playwrights, producers and members of the New York Drama League, selected the books to be displayed. In addi- tion to their own knowledge, they consulted Plays for children, and Plays for amateurs, lists compiled for the New York Drama League; lists compiled by Community Serv- ice, Inc. ; and bibliographies found in nu- merous books on the drama. A children's librarian who had been un- usually successful with book exhibits took charge of the arrangement. The exhibit was arranged in two wall cases and on three li- brary tables. The wall cases were designed to attract by the color and interest of their contents. In the first case were "Suggestions for Costumes from Illustrated Children's Books." Tony Sarg had loaned us Prince Giglio, the hero of the Rose and the ring. He drew like a magnetic needle! Below were books on marionettes Mr. Sarg's, Helen Joseph's and Swedish and Italian marionette pictures. Then came illustrated editions of Mother Goose and illustrated editions of the fairy tales. The second wall case contained "Sugges- tions for National Costumes" with each country clearly labelled. Among others were Russian and Swedish picture books, Boutet de Monvel's books, Calthrop's English cos- tume, National costumes of the Slavic peoples, and McClelland's Historic dress in America. Chairs were placed invitingly near the tables and people would immediately produce note books and pencils and become absorbed in "Books on Production," "Plays for Chil- dren," and "Plays for Older Boys and Girls." Every afternoon and evening five librarians volunteered to come and be near the tables to answer questions and they worked hard! The program went through without can- celling a single lecture. The audiences were gay, interested and responsive. Each one seemed to have found something that had made his coming worth while. The same people came over and over again. In the midst of the rumbling of the thunder drum, flashing lights and laughing crowds, a li- brary trustee chuckled with joy and said, "It must be so good for you librarians !" Each speaker drew a special type of audi- ence. Many professionals came to hear Mr. Price of the Display Stage Lighting Com- pany. Children were not admitted, but al- most every afternoon an anxious teacher would appear with thirty or more eager-eyed children and beg us to let them stay. For Tony Sarg we were besieged by Girl Scout leaders. All the girls seemed to be giving marionette shows ! That evening was a very delightful one to remember. The room was crowded and Mr. Sarg made us feel the genuine pleasure and joy that he and his LENDING SECTION 283 workers find in their marionette studio. When he stood up on a table, taking Prince Giglio, and with a few movements of his hand cast off the spell that had made the Prince so still and lifeless, the audience was perfectly satisfied. The Prince coughed, sneezed, bowed, sat down, walked, and then again the evil spell was upon him, and he was only a lifeless doll. Did it pay? Some few people who are directly responsible, always have to work very hard to put over such an undertaking. This exhibition was no exception, but there was certainly never better team work and sharing of responsibility in any co-operative under- taking. Each exhibitor assumed entire re- sponsibility, so, except for some simple car- pentry, a piano, janitor's fee and publicity, there was no great expense. I feel sure that all the groups that took part have already had results. From the branch libraries have come re- ports of interest created by the exhibition. In one district the public school teachers are planning to raise money to place a ref- erence drama collection in the branch library of their own district. Teachers are asking for round tables and conferences to continue the exchange of ex- periences. We plan to arrange for something of this kind. The books exhibited are to be a perma- nent reference collection at the 58th Street Branch, and already teachers are making use of it. A list called Books on the drama for schools * has been prepared since the exhibi- tion, and represents what we learned about this subject through contact with many ex- perts. We have not listed every book ex- hibited, but have tried to bring out those most talked of and appreciated. Best of all, there is now an understanding and good fellowship between the various or- ganizations who took part which should lead to a better handling of amateur dramatic problems of the future. A selected bibliography including only the books most talked of and most appreciated A limited number of duplicates of this list have been made available through the courtesy of Arthur R. Womrath, Inc., 21 W. 45th St., New York, by whom they will be furnished upon request. during the exhibition was prepared later and multigraphed copies were distributed at the conclusion of Miss Williams' paper. Some of the. titles on this list were discussed briefly, Miss Power singling out a dozen or more for special commendation. The next paper was FITTING THE BOOK TO THE READER BY BESSIE H. KELSEY, Cleveland Public Library They say "just a look" Should give clue to the book That best fits the reader's desire. But with us, "the look" is of necessity a glance trained to quick judgments, while the apparently simple matter of following the clue involves forethought, method, and a cer- tain technique. The four elements of im- portance in fitting the book to the reader we have found to be: Staff, Equipment, Ad- vertising, Joy in service. Our main library is based upon a division arrangement according to subject, i.e. fine arts division, literature division, sociology di- vision, etc. Each division approximates a special library, and consists of both reference and circulating material. Our division is known as popular library. We are located at the front of the building, separated from the other divisions by the loan desk, entrance and exit. We are primarily the fiction di- vision, but the domestic science books are included in our collection as well as small and frequently changed groups of non-fiction. We do this partly because of our isolation from the rest of the book collection, and partly for the convenience of borrowers. Many of our readers never go beyond our shelves, and for them these small collections ot popular classed books serve as a miniature library, giving them all the non-fiction they ever read. For others, these books serve as an introduction, or a foretaste, enticing them to read more non-fiction. A borrower reads the sign that tells him, "Other books of this sort are to be found" in this or that part of the library, and liking the books he sees be- fore him, he is led to the complete collection. In reciprocation, far down our long main library room, in the technical division, we place a row of "Stories that men like." The 284 DETROIT CONFERENCE circulation of non-fiction groups from the popular library racks increases in direct pro- portion to the acquaintance of the staff with these books. An assistant whose reading is not confined to fiction is quick to connect a novel with a play or a good biography. What I have to say to.day is based wholly upon our experience in the popular library, and so does not include any remarks for instance, on helping readers with such sub- jects as drama, history or technical books. Since our division serves so frequently as a reception room for the library, an espe- cially important factor with us is the per- sonnel of the staff that first element which we have found needful in fitting the book to the reader. The one in charge studies the staff, placing each where her special talents will be of greatest value. Indispensable gen- eral qualifications of the staff member are: a genuine interest in people, a knowledge of fiction, or a willingness to learn, and an agile mind. A certain agility of mind is an ad- vantage when the reader asks for: "What to do when winter conies," or "The gadcat" when The gadfly was wanted, saying: "I knew it was some kind of animal." Or, "The man who played second fiddle" (for the Second violin') or, "I should like to get Kid- napped," to whom the tired assistant made reply : "Sorry, but you can't get Kidnapped tonight, there are several ahead of you." We try to make the most of the individual qualifications of the staff. One has artistic ability, and her posters furnish fresh view- points and inspiration in our work. Her free-hand work makes for speed and an abundance of posters. The assistant with an attractive personality, to whom nothing is too much trouble, is made accessible to the public. Another is our spe- cialist for the disgruntled and blase borrower. One member, usually the head, receives the special questions, those requiring longer or more careful attention, such as club pro- grams, tentative lists for varied needs, etc. (You may be nimbly juggling the tragic and the less austere foreign translations for a program in your largest woman's club when you will be called to the phone to answer the momentous query of your city paper for "The book the flapper considers really naughty," but that is part of the job.) The younger assistants keep the cogs of the clerical routine running smoothly. Since they are untrained in books, we aim to keep them away from questioning readers, using them for floor work only on busiest days, and when specific titles are given. To make for greater success in fitting the book to the reader, general and individual qualifications of the staff members are sup- plemented by careful training. This is done through staff meetings, guidance of the read- ing of the younger members, and the study of our clientele. After each round table meeting (at which department heads and branch librarians have reviewed and discussed the new books) we hold an informal meeting of our own staff. We discuss the new fiction which is to be added to the collection, giving a brief sum- mary of the plot, and suggesting the readers to whom the book should appeal. In guiding the reading of the younger staff members, we have suggested titles of classed books which they would enjoy or should read, and they choose books for review. The response has been gratifying in personal growth, and in the increased value of their services to the library. Studying people is one of the most inter- esting parts of our work. We must know the reader if we are to put the right book into his hand. The book card, or postal reservation enables us to learn his name, and with practice, we develop skill in drawing him out to learn something of his likes and dislikes. We find ourselves making rapid judgments of personality, as when a borrower says : "I want something deep like Oppen- heim," or "Give me something like // winter comes, or The brimming cup." He may be "easy to fit" as the man who said : "Please show me where the detective stories are, I'm a bloodthirsty man," or bewildered and floundering, as in "Would Main street help me in city planning?" or pleased with his last book from your hand, as the one who said : "I tank you, lady, for calling my at- tention to that Christopher fellow (Morley). I think I buy him. He don't write silly love stuff." Having a staff individually qualified to LENDING SECTION 285 place the right book in the hands of the reader, the equipment we use in helping them to give service, and one that is a most val- uable aid, is a subject index for fiction. This is an informal card catalog, compiled by members by our division staff, in which is listed every conceivable kind of fiction re- quest. If a call cannot be filled by the aid of this index, we make note of the call, and supply the lack. For example, a request came the other day for "nature" brought out in fiction. We had country, out-of- doors, and camp life, but nature was not there. Through inquiry among our staff, we soon had a list of thirty titles for the file, ready to give other readers of similar bent. A few of the types of subjects that have been much used are : Salesmanship in fiction, movie titles changed from those of the books dramatized, psychological novels, stories with distinctive style, Christian Science nov- els, legal stories, social settlement stories, nurses .in fiction, etc. This file reminds us that the aspirant for office will be interested in "political stories with mob reaction" as one man phrased it. That the physical di- rector will want Witwer's Leather pushers, Skinner's Big idea, and Adams' Wanted, a husband, for the "keeping fit" idea in each, etc. The sequel file is a great aid to readers enamored of one author, and desirous of completing his series. The movie portrayal of Three musketeers last fall, started a run upon the Dumas series which still continues. That particular series is so confusing with its varied editions, that we have had the series list typed and pasted in the books themselves. One day this fall a young for- eign girl would accept no substitutes for the book she wanted, saying she was reading all the books by each author just as they were arranged alphabetically on our shelves. We admired her courage, and congratulated her upon having arrived at "B." Besides the sequel file, we keep a file of references to book reviews checked from twenty-eight current book reviewing periodi- cals. This enables the staff to keep a bit ahead of the procession with a public whose appetite for fiction hot from the press is in- satiable. Lists and bibliographies also are a valued part of our equipment. These consist of printed lists from other libraries, and those of our own library compiled for special needs. Lists, printed or mimeographed, we find guide and encourage reading. Dis- tributed about the library, they afford clues to library resources which the reader might not otherwise suspect. They stimulate in- terest, and frequently save the librarian's time by taking the place of a personal recom- mendation. Popular lists of fiction this year have been: One hundred good novels. Little idylls. (Translated from foreign masters, a student's list with brief annota- tions.) Fiction 1920-1921. The American novel. (A series by periods, annotated.) The English novel. Woman : her job. (The business woman's annotated list.) South sea tales. Duplicates of lists made for special pur- poses are kept in a bibliography file. They help us to new viewpoints, refresh the mem- ory, and enable us to put into the hands of the reader books to meet particular needs. Popular lists of this kind have been : Amer- ican historical fiction, and reading lists of English and American novels, designed for the person who has been denied a college education. Occasionally no amount of printed matter will aid us, as for example with an eleventh hour request for the source of the quota- tion: "Where there is no vision the people perish," a club speaker desiring it for an address that night. Our division could not identify the quotation. The S.O.S. call went out, and simultaneously the supervisor of branches and the literature division sent back word : "The vision of Anton the clock- maker, in Dyer's Richer life." We can count upon the availability of our entire library staff in time of need, and rejoice in the team work which is at times more valuable than indi- vidual brilliancy. But no matter how complete the equip- ment of subject indexes, sequel files, lists and bibliographies, and aid from other mem- 286 DETROIT CONFERENCE bers of the staff, there still remains the necessity for . the librarian's own reading, if she is to fit the book to the reader with any degree of skill. We find that first hand information alone engenders enthusiasm and agility in that pet library game of "substi- tution." It has been claimed that the li- brarian who reads no longer exists. If she does not, she is in a sorry plight when she is confronted with conundrums such as these : "Find me the story of the island which was haunted by trees." (Blackwood's The wil- low) "The story of a big forest fire" (Jud- son's When the forests are ablaze) "What stories written by Cobb are not humorous ?" "Which of Wells' stories are the improbable ones?" "What are the best French transla- tions for the portrayal of peasant life?" An "educational tale" has often proved to be a college story. "A recent book with yellow in it" was The rider of Golden Bar. Or the conundrum may be the question of the scat- ter-brain type of borrower who says : "I want a book by the author who writes for the Woman's Companion. No, I don't know the name. Yes, I've read some of the au- thor's books, but don't remember the titles. But just show me some of the pictures, and I'll tell you if that's the one I'm after." (We guessed Kathleen Norris.) Or the question may be an eager student seeking information, and he has confidence in your judgment when he asks: "Whom do you consider the greatest American humorist?" Our open shelves and many display racks and tables give us good opportunity for ad- vertising, that third element necessary in fitting the book to the reader. We have found advertising a necessity, because it is physically impossible to give personal atten- tion to every borrower. Also many readers enjoy browsing among the books, and prefer to make their own selection. Then too, our crowded condition makes it desirable to send our readers on their way as soon as possible, so that an arrangement to some degree a ''self-serve" is a distinct advantage. Our aids in getting the right book into the hands of the right person without the medium of personal assistance have been displays, either on tables, or in racks, with posters which follow the advertising laws of : "attracting favorable attention, arousing in- terest, creating desire, stimulating favorable action, and making for permanent satisfac- tion." This last means care that the books accepted are what we claim for them. Our captions are influenced by public de- mand, by the books which require advertis- ing, and by timely movements such as humane or clean-up weeks. We seek to avoid both highbrow and undignified phraseology, and place the books with the poster so that the reader can easily make his own selection. Our poster maker does rapid work with free hand drawing, and makes many attrac- tive posters by framing pictures borrowed from the fine arts division, or by cutting out pleasing pictures, adding attractive back- grounds and suitable captions. Keeping pace with the seasons, spring has suggested : Lenten reading. Business stories. Best sellers of other days. Read a poem a day. Our home economics table displays : Tempting bits for hasty meals. Freshening up for spring. The "something different" dish. Delectable spring desserts. In hot weather days, our posters will read : Picnic lunches. Recipes for hot days. Frozen desserts and cooling beverages. When the winds blow cold, we are glad to have: Stories that cheer. Tales of valor and romance. (This for historical novels.) Supernatural and ghost stories. For the long winter evenings "Some great books of fiction" have called attention to the neglected books which belong to our educa- tional background, the books we use as stand- ards in judging newer books. Then there are: Gloom dispellers, "Type for tired eyes," and "Scenes and settings of the movies." (This display included both classed books and fiction.) "Books to help you make good in your business" circulates technical books, while the note, "Other books of this sort are at Desk 5," leads the reader to the technology di- LENDING SECTION 287 vision. "Travels from an easy chair" stimu- lates books of that class, and the additional notice, "More of these at Desk 8" locates the travel collection. Similarly, "Some people worth knowing" and "Stories from other countries" are used for our small groups of biography and history. Our most popular rack this year has been a miscellaneous classed rack for the hurried business man and the impatient club woman under captions such as "Books you ought to read," "Readable books on many subjects," "Books for your hobby," or "Books as inter- esting as fiction." Books of fiction on the open shelf display racks have reviews, or even book cover no- tices pasted within the cover to aid the reader in making his own selection according to his taste. These are clipped from our own printed bulletin, The Open Shelf, supple- mented by publishers' notices, and are greatly appreciated by the public. "Ladder lists" pasted in the first book lead the readers from one 'book to another, as for example: "If you liked this book, read: Dumas. Three musketeers. Count of Monte Cristo. Dana. Two years before the mast. Franck. Working my way around the world." Again, "If you liked this book, read: Gather. Song of the lark. My Antonia. Tobenkin. Witte arrives. Riis. The making of an American." Or a series of : Curwood. Nomads of the North. Wallace. Ungava Bob. Borup. Tenderfoot with Peary. Wallace. Lure of the Labrador wild. Rebound books, whose individuality is lost in the plain library binding are advertised by attractive book jackets on a swinging panel frame device which we call the winged frame. Non-essential parts of the book jacket are cut away, leaving only an attractive picture and an enticing publisher's note which we post beneath the cover. Near at hand stands a table upon which are placed the rebound editions labelled: "Books mentioned on the winged frame." Besides these book covers to stimulate the circulation of older titles, we advertise timely interests. Spring garden- ing books were boomed under the caption : "Mary, Mary, brisk as a fairy, How are your pinks and peas?" "With hints that I took From a library book, They are flourishing Fine as you please." The literature division, anxious to increase the reading of contemporary poetry, has kept one section of the winged frame filled with choice bits of new verse, and with poetry book-covers. "Masters of fiction" has oc- cupied a section, advertised by portraits and fine illustrations borrowed from the fine arts division. Our own printed lists are posted under the captions "Books worth reading," and lists from the bibliographies of other li- braries have a section. A close co-operation with the Cinema Club has been maintained as a phase of community work, so one section of the winged frame is devoted to a list of forthcoming scenarios approved by that body. Illustrations used in the taking of actual films have been posted, and have made that section very popular. The remainder of the frame is devoted to community announcements. While a competent staff, satisfactory equip- ment and good advertising are essential in fitting the book to the reader, we have found one more thing needful, namely, joy in the work. It is the spirit whose presence or ab- sence the public is so quick to sense, and to which it responds for weal or woe. Staff members imbued with that spirit realize in their work a satisfaction not to be found in the salary check, for the joy of service is the greatest reward. It not only makes but keeps friends for the library, and gives us the inspiration needed for successful work. If, through these various agencies the book has been properly fitted to the reader, we have gained his confidence in a way which is both distracting and appealing. With all the confidence in the world in your spirit of helpfulness and in the resources of the library, he will ask you many and diverse things such as : to give club book talks ; or personal recommendations of the books to buy for "her" or for "him" for Christmas, for Jane who is giddy and Grandma who is "getting on"; to suggest books for that five 288 DETROIT CONFERENCE foot shelf in the new home, the nucleus of personal culture and of growth. He may have been one of the book hungry little group which congregated about you that day the new books were on display (previous to their circulation) and took notes when you were giving an impromptu resume of plots to some one person, only to find yourself sur- rounded by eager listeners and answering a host of unexpected questions. The confidence of the individual remain- ing unshaken, soon that large group of in- dividuals known as the community becomes as a country town, knowing the library as an all-wise and unfailing source of information, an ever present friend in times of need. The telephone jingles more and more with S.O.S. calls such as these : " Is buttermilk fat or non-fat? I'm agonizing over reducing." A distracted bride out in the country telephon- ing long distance wails : "How long should it take jelly to jell? It's been on an hour and a half now. What do you suppose is the matter ?" Again : "My memory has played a trick on me. Can you tell me the author and title of a story that runs like this (giv- ing plot). I have a friend who should read that book." A first class hotel in our city specializes in plain salads with fancy names. A hostess bored to extinction with social affairs wants "something different" and phones for the recipe of "hearts of palm salad." "They are serving it at Hotel C. this week" she adds. The bell rings again and this time it is the cold pack method of can- ning, or "How much sugar must you use in making a spread of berries and pieplant?" The man who is about to go to California via the Canadian Rocky route phones for the name of a book of fiction which was pub- lished about five years ago, which describes the Canadian Rockies beautifully. "I want to read it en route," he adds. Or the call may be from some branch in the system which is relaying an unusual type of question to the main library, or asking for titles or angles of a subject beyond their own resources. But back of every call is a human need, the meeting of which gives breadth of vision, mental stimulus and heart satisfaction in a profession before which individual and col- lective human need stands, a field for social service, "white unto harvest." Forrest B. Spaulding, Consulting Librarian, Gaylord Brothers, in ON THE FENCE : SOME OBSERVATIONS THEREFROM described some of his experiences as a patron of public libraries. Generally, he had found it easy to prove his identity and obtain a library card. He urged the liberal use of signs to enable a reader to find the different classes of books, commended the reserve system as a necessity to the pub- lic, "bugbear as it may be to librarians." In- consistent rules, confusing abbreviations, worn-out dates and stamp pads were vigor- ously condemned. A paper was presented on THE RESERVE BOOK PROBLEM BY MARGERY DOUD, Librarian, Buder Branch, St. Louis Public Library There was a time when reserves were but a mild detail of the day's routine; no one lost sleep over them, no one asked for a transfer or threatened to resign because of them but such things are happening now. Requests for a study on reserve books show that they have become a disturbing burden to many. In attempting to find some general remedy which would prove a reserve cure-all, we sent one of those hated questionnaires to nine large public libraries. The first question was : "What do you do about reserving pop- ular fiction?" We find that Cleveland. De- troit, and St. Louis do reserve it ; New York and Philadelphia reserve it in branches but not in the main library ; Brooklyn ex- cepts "fiction in the library less than a month, and such copies of popular novels as may be determined by the branch librarian." Seattle reserves one half the number of copies, ex- cept in the case of unusual demand, and Chicago and Los Angeles do not reserve it at all. Most of these libraries reserve all copies of a book, with the exception of pay dupli- cates, and these are reserved in Brooklyn and Chicago. In regard to the duplication of copies to fill the demand for reserves, all of the libraries consulted show a willingness to order additional volumes in proportion to the LENDING SECTION 289 waiting list, but where definite figures are given, the ratio varies. Detroit buys 1 ad- ditional copy for every 3 reserves, if the book is worthy; Philadelphia, 1 for every 4, if not too expensive; St. Louis and Seattle, 1 for every 6 non-fiction and 1 for every 10 fiction ; Brooklyn buys 1 for every 10, and New York "likes to get 1 for every 10 or IS reserves but financial stringency makes it impossible." To the question : "Do you refuse to take reserves when you have bought as many copies as you can afford and could not fill further requests without a long wait?" all except one answer "No." Detroit coura- geously says, "Yes, we have recently begun this practice." There is a general custom of notifying the patron if the book is not available, or if a copy has been reordered. For this purpose Chicago has a time saving postal listing five different reasons for not supplying the book, with small squares opposite for checking that reason which applies. It is almost impossible to go far into the technique of the individual reserve systems, as it involves individual differences in the libraries themselves. A few significant facts, however, are worth remembering. For in- stance, Brooklyn takes no reserve for a book not in the branch or ready for circulation, but if a branch's own copy is not available it will borrow from another to fill the request. Brooklyn also has a special postal refusing a renewal on a book clipped for reserve, but allowing 3 days without fines for its return. Chicago excludes from reserve not only all seven-day fiction, but all open shelf fiction as well, basing its reserve system on stack copies only. There are as many (or more) copies of a title in the stack as there are on the open shelves. In St. Louis Mrs. McNiece and Mr. Parker have together invented a non-slip reserve clip a strip of paper one inch wide and 7 inches long which is folded around the book card, and held in place by a glue tipped end. In St. Louis, at the top of the dating slip in popular books of non-fiction, the reserve assistant pastes a label, originat- ing with the Library Association of Portland and printed by the Democrat Printing Com- pany, which says, "Be considerate, don't block the book traffic ! We do not want to hurry you, but remember, there are many other joint owners of this book and somebody is waiting for it this minute. The unread li- brary book on your table is doing you no good and is preventing the other fellow from getting his share. Return this book on time." Springfield, Massachusetts, has a courteously worded bookmark asking for the prompt re- turn of the book, but this is more expensive than the label, as more bookmarks are re- quired. Seattle allows only 4 reserves to be left at one time by one person and does not reserve periodicals except back numbers at branches. All nine libraries agree that the reserving of books consumes much time. As a daily average Brooklyn receives 127 reserve re- quests from 31 branches and 3 stations. At the main library alone, Cleveland's average is 70 and that of Los Angeles 75. In New York central circulation, 15 hours a day are required for an average reserve list of 85 books. In the main library of Philadelphia, one full time assistant is needed for 36 daily reserves. In Chicago, with an average of 100-125 reserves at the main library, half time of 5 assistants is required. This would seem a better plan than having 2 or 3 full time assistants, as there is less chance of missing a book in transit with five persons on the hunt for it at once. At present St. Louis in the central library can spare but four hours a day for reserves which average 40, and the time is totally inadequate. In Seattle, 43 hours weekly are used for re- serves with an average of 68 a day at the main library. The charge for reserving books varies. Chicago, Philadelphia and St. Louis charge Ic; Cleveland is about to increase to 2c which is the cost in Detroit and New York and also in Los Angeles for fourteen-day fiction (lOc is charged there for fourteen- day non-fiction). In the New York branches a "call reserve" is free, the borrower being expected to call each day to see if the book is in. Brooklyn and Seattle charge 5c, but in Seattle branches, reserves are taken without charge for persons who can be reached by telephone. With these various practices as precedents, 290 DETROIT CONFERENCE several methods of relief from the reserve affliction become obvious. First it is neces- sary to decide just what a reserve system is intended to accomplish. Surely in the begin- ning it was meant to relieve the anguish of that serious reader who, in making a study of some certain subject, was told over and over that the book he needed most was "out." That book may have been lost, or in the bindery, or out of place on the shelves, or merely being read by some one else but the reserve was the only recourse. A reserve system is justified by this type of need which, unfortunately, has been overshadowed by a volume of unimportant ones, mainly multi- plied requests for best sellers, and current periodicals. Even if there existed a library with Elysian conditions which admitted of excellently trained assistants in great num- bers, it is a question whether it would be wise to continue the reserve system as it exists now in many places. Library assist- ants are scarce, good library assistants are scarcer, but were this not true, there is better use to be made of their talents than the con- stant setting aside of certain ephemeral works for the delectation of those who pay the price (one penny 1) with a careless and fine abandon. There are those who say it is unfair to exempt fiction from reserve, but the unfair- ness of refusing to reserve it for one person is more than balanced by the fairness of allowing one additional person to read a book during the two or three days it would be standing unread on the reserve shelf wait- ing to be called for! If a copy of Main Street, for instance, were reserved steadily for one year, the accumulated time it would be unread would amount to three or four months. If we grant that the reserve sys- tem should primarily serve those readers who desire some particular volume for a fairly serious purpose, then, by excluding 7-day fiction and current periodicals, we gain two things : first, the almost double turnover of popular fiction and magazines when they are most in demand, and second, more time for the reserve assistant to fill the requests which are of greater importance. It is far better to limit the reserves and give accurate and speedy service than to allow them to grow to proportions which only increase dissatisfied patrons who are kept waiting too long a time. Fairness has again been mentioned when the question of an increased charge has been discussed. There are always kind hearted persons who rebel at the idea of raising the price "because it is discriminating against the poor." Theoretically that may be so, but actually, when one thinks of the readers who reserve books regularly in a large main li- brary, there are few or almost none of those whom we charitably enjoy calling "the poor." The very poor, in fact, those to whom three or four cents would make a vital difference, belong to that group of readers who use and enjoy the library quietly, and who seldom think of asking for anything as much in the line of a special favor as a reserve. They are the very ones who would benefit by a charge high enough to cut down unnecessary reserves, which would result in a few of the popular books occasionally finding their way to the shelves accessible to the general pub- lic. When Seattle increased the reserve charge from one to five cents, the daily reserves decreased from 102-68. The following state- ment, which Mr. Jennings wrote at that time to the heads of departments in the Seattle Library, touches upon the most important points of the reserve situation : "The fee of one cent heretofore charged for reservation of a book has paid only the post- age did not even cover the cost of printing the postal card. It has been found that the result of charging so small a fee has been that many reserves have been left by bor- rowers who did not care enough about the books to come and get them when notified that they were available. In such cases the work of looking them up, going through a tray of 20,000 book slips, reserving, mailing the postal, etc. is lost work. "It is thought that the new reservation fee of five cents adopted by the Library Board on October 4 will eliminate the reservation of books unless they are really needed and will approximate the cost of the special service. "The freedom with which books from the cash duplicate collection circulate proves that many persons are willing to pay five cents for LENDING SECTION 291 the privilege of keeping a book one week ; in the case of books reserved from the regu- lar collection the five-cent reservation fee would enable the borrower to keep the book two weeks and to renew it for another two weeks if no other person was waiting to use it. "It is thought that the new fee will reduce the number of reserves to the books actually needed by borrowers and that the reduction of books reserved will really make more books available. Under the former system of a one-cent fee many of the most popular books were standing idle on the reserve shelves waiting for borrowers 3 days for every 7 that they were charged out. "The library is trying to meet the reduc- tion of $25,000 in its income by measures which will cause the least inconvenience to the public. It is obvious, however, that with a reduced income and a steady increase in the use of the library by the public, it will be impossible to continue the same liberal serv- ice that the library has heretofore enjoyed giving." This statement was written in October, 1921, and in May, 1922, Sarah Virginia Lewis, superintendent of circulation in Seattle writes, "We consider the increase in the fee a success. It has eliminated a large num- ber of reserves and we hope that by the time our budget permits us to return to the one-cent fee, many borrowers will have lost the habit of reserving books just because they happen to be out." Mr. Jennings refers to the impossibility of continuing the same liberal service with a reduced budget. In most libraries, whether or not there has been an actual decrease in the budget, the effect has been practically the same, due to the lessened value of the dollar and the great increase in the use of the library. A readjustment is bound to come, and the natural course is to eliminate extra work which will be missed the least by library patrons as a whole. In summing up this problem, there are four suggestions which may prove of benefit to those libraries who feel that their reserves have become an unwieldy burden, yielding insignificant returns for the work involved : First Many reserved books are wanted by a certain date and are of no use to the bor- rower later. By including on the reserve postal, the sentence "Book not wanted after " with a space for the date, the reserve would be automatically cancelled if the book were not available by that time. This would do away with many reserves which stand on the shelves unclaimed. Second The exempting of seven-day fiction, pay duplicates and current periodicals from reserve, obtains from them the fullest and most timely use. Third A reserve fee of Sc is a fair charge for extra service which demands both time and trouble. Fourth At a rough estimate, from the statistics gathered, the equivalent of one full time assistant is needed for an average of 40 reserves daily. All or part of these suggestions may help to solve the reserve problem, according to the individual needs and points of view of the li- braries concerned. For the sake of completeness, we have gathered together into a scrap book the ques- tionnaires, letters, labels, rules, postals and forms which were so kindly sent to us by other libraries. Anyone who wishes to have more detailed information is welcome to this scrap book; personally, it recalls that de- licious definition of efficiency in Life, "Efficiency is the art of spending nine-tenths of your time making out reports that some- body thinks he is going to read but never does." Miss Mary A. Batterson, head of the Cir- culation Department, Tacoma Public Library, then spoke on BOOK SELECTION IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. "The librarian must keep abreast of all things being published," she said, by means of reviews, publishers' announcements, reports of readers and personal inspection. From among the best he must select those most needed, in terms of use and results, and to do this he must maintain an open-minded, unprejudiced attitude. With but few excep- tions, fiction should be read carefully by some member of the staff capable of judging, this judgment to be supplemented by book reviews. "To sum it all up, the problem is to purchase with the funds at hand those books which best supplement the library's 292 DETROIT CONFERENCE existing collection and which, for education, recreation and practical usefulness will be most valuable to the community the library is intended to serve." Miss Batterson's paper, which concluded Friday afternoon's program, precipitated a very interesting discussion of what consti- tutes morality in fiction, in the course of which a number of present-day books were analyzed. The only definite conclusion ar- rived at, however, was that morality or im- morality in books is dependent as much upon the reader as upon the book. Second Session The second session opened Saturday after- noon with an informal talk by Professor Henry F. Adams, Department of Psychol- ogy, University of Michigan, on THE PSY- CHOLOGY OF SALESMANSHIP AND ADVERTISING:* The first task in outlining any campaign, either in salesmanship or in advertising, is to analyze the commodity to be sold. In li- brary work this commodity resolves itself into at least two parts: service and books. The more searching and minute this analy- sis can be made, the greater is the probable success of the campaign. The second main task lies in securing de- mand and distribution by making points of contact between the public and the commod- ity. Again two questions are involved. The simpler is: What have we that the public wants ? The more difficult is : How can we make the public want what we have? This might be supplemented by a third : How can we give the public what they want? The answer to the first is found in informing the public. Let them know what we have and a certain percentage will be attracted by our service. The answer to the third can be sup- plied only by an intensive study of what the public demapds are, whether they are supplied or whether they are not. A lesson can be learned here from the retail seller who keeps an order book in which he jots down the nature of demands which cannot be filled. The answer to the second question offers the greatest opportunity for psychological discussion. To make the people want what Abstract. we have is indeed a problem. And once more it has two distinct sides : the conscious and the unconscious. The answer to the first or conscious side of the problem has already been given, find out what they want and get it for them. This, however, does not offer much chance for subtleness. In general we must arouse in them a desire for the commodity. Desire in turn springs from knowledge of a lack, an awareness of something we would like to have, but do not possess. Certain of these desires are prac- tically universal. Dewey says that one of the most pervasive is for knowledge. Equally fundamental is the desire for amusement. Freedom from restraint is a third important human tendency as shown by the shop keep- ers who display their goods where all may examine them and select from their appear- ance, not from a mere title or description. The peculiarities of the books themselves undoubtedly are influential in determining their selection or rejection. The color of the cover, the title, the name of the author, the newness of the volume are all factors of importance. The service rendered, the spirit in which it is given, is of no small moment. The one who can make our problems his own is the most helpful. Carolyn F. Ulrich, of the New York Pub- lic Library, in discussing PSYCHOLOGICAL CON- TACTS said: To adjust oneself to the conduct of others and to manipulate the work in connection with the conduct of others to the best ad- vantage, is the great criterion in the business world, and instruction along this line has not been a part of the librarian's training. The training of executives to be trainers in the psychological contacts of library work is the great need in order that the assistant may bo taught to meet arising situations through channels of reasoning instead of being told to be tactful. Psychology should be taught in the li- brary schools in order to equip graduates to bridge the existing gap between execution of routine work and application of the ideal re- quirements in daily relation with people. Psy- chology is a part of the training for other professions, why not for the library? LENDING SECTION 293 The loan desk is the medium between the book and the borrower and since it is the aim of the library to develop the thought of its community, it is essential that the loan desk be awakened to the realization of the important mental contacts about it. An analogy was drawn between corpora- tion management and library management in a paper on WHAT CORPORATION TRAINING HAS TO TEACH US* BY FRANK K. WALTER, Librarian, University of Minnesota It has been my privilege very recently to see parts of the advance sheets of a sales manual prepared for a very large corpora- tion and to talk with its compiler. In many parts it might almost be used as a reformed library primer or manual of library economy. Its author disclaims all ethical purpose or uplift intention but asserts that his aim is severely practical. Here are some of the characteristics he considers essential to a successful salesman : knowledge of stock; knowledge of the ter- ritory to be covered ; the suitable treatment of "prospects"; the necessity of knowing how really valuable his list of prospects is; thorough belief in the product he sells and in its suitability to his customer; and the adoption of a policy which will lead to satis- fied owners. The application of these to a lending de- partment are obvious. Speed in charging or simplification of the registration process or skill in compiling statistics can never take the place of at least an intelligent idea of the books the assistant circulates; the knowledge of his territory which a salesman must have is closely analogous to the knowledge of the community which the head of a lending de- partment must have if she is to anticipate its reading needs and to supply them. Note, too, that the salesmen know their customers as individuals. Better selling may be pos- sible in products of such general appeal that the demand for them is self-imposed. Yet even mail-order houses use circular letters which simulate, often with considerable suc- ' Abstract. cess, a personal communication to the recip- ient. The whole purpose of advertising is to make a personal contact. The news item or the advertisement which fails to do this is as futile as a sermon which touches no in- dividual conscience. The success of the lending department also depends on the personal interest shown in the users of the library. Other things being even a little unequal, the best assistant at the lending desk is the one who is most in- terested in the most people and who best re- members their individual likes and dislikes. The patron to whom you recommend a book which he asked for long since but which has not been available till now will overlook much in his gratitude at being remembered. You remember that one of the essential qualities in a salesman which were noted is "Proper treatment of prospects." This is no new thing in the lending department. The attendant who treats with dignity the digni- fied, who jokes with the jovial, who is sympathetic with the timid or even the sen- timental is simply showing her salesmanship. Would that it could more often be recog- nized in the conventional manner of the cor- poration. The librarian, unlike the corporation, can- not weed out his list of prospects and de- vote his efforts only to those who are finan- cially worth his while. He can, however, abandon experiments which do not bring re- sults and he must avoid providing products which are not suited to his market. He must even at times withdraw the privileges of the library from those who abuse them at the expense of the community which sup- ports the library. Thorough belief in the value of the product he sells is an essential to the salesman. Not only knowledge of books but a thorough belief of their value to society and a convic- tion that real social service is done by bring- ing them to everybody should be indispen- sable requisites for satisfactory lending desk work. He must also know when to give the intellectual milk to the mental babe and when to recommend the strong meat to the mental adult. He may not have any right to censor books extensively or to determine what ar- ticles in his stock his users may have. He 294 DETROIT CONFERENCE must give tonics as well as sedatives and he is no arbiter of thought. At the same time it may be remembered that the successful salesman who helps make his firm a success must consider the suitabil- ity of his product to his customer and must not influence him to make any purchase which he cannot profitably use. Overselling and misrepresentation inevitably bring their own punishment delayed though the penalty may be. Similarly, the library has no right to keep in stock anything which it cannot freely give to its users. The crux lies not in the sale, that is in lending it to those who ask, but in selecting only those things which really promote growth. The library, like the corporation, must be aggressive and con- structive. It must not depart from the idea of community service any more than the corporation may engage in the sale of con- traband goods. The corporation whose products hinder the progress of society is justly considered an enemy of society. There is no reasonable justification for the library which deliberately loads its shelves with feeble literary products which produce in- tellectual aenemia or with ill-balanced products which, instead of mental growth, cause only social colic. Miss Flexner then offered the following resolution, which was seconded and passed: Resolved, That the secretary of the Lend- ing Section be instructed to request the Sec- retary of the American Library Association that, in view of the great interest in the Lending Section, and the importance of its discussions, at the next conference its meet- ings be scheduled to take place earlier in the week. The chairman of the Nominating Commit- tee offered the following report : For chair- man, Bess McCrea, principal, Loan and Reg- istration Department, Public Library, Los Angeles; for vice-chairman, Marie L. Fisher, librarian, Lawrenceville Branch, Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh ; for secretary-treasurer, Ruth M. Barker, head of Circulation Depart- ment, Cossitt Library, Memphis. JENNIE M. FLEXNER, Chairman. WALLER I. BULLOCK, MARY A. BATTERSON. Upon motion, it was adopted unanimously and the secretary was instructed to cast the ballot of the Section. These officers were de- clared elected as nominated, and the meeting adjourned. MARY U. ROTHROCK, Secretary. LIBRARIES OF RELIGION AND THEOLOGY ROUND TABLE The Libraries of Religion and Theology Round Table was conducted by Reverend John F. Lyons, McCormick Theological Sem- inary, at the Methodist Church House, June 29, 8:30 p. m. The general subject, RELIGIOUS BOOKS IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, W3S disCUSSed as fol- lows: SELECTING RELIGIOUS BOOKS FOR A PUBLIC LIBRARY* BY FRANK G. LEWIS, Librarian, Bucknell Li- brary, Crozer Theological Seminary, Chester, Pennsylvania In most libraries it is well to set apart for religious literature a definite proportion of the income available for books and peri- Abstract. odicals and use this for nothing else except for literature of that type. In deciding this proportion it will naturally be asked what part religion properly has in life as a whole. If. it a twentieth of life? Is it a tenth? Is it a seventh? Is it a fifth? Let such questions be answered and book funds appropriated accordingly. Directly or indirectly all users of a public library are interested in religion. An enter- prising library recognizes these facts and at- tempts to respond to the varying religious views of all classes. For a public library to do less than this is to assume a sectarian position and to become a partisan in the com- munity. The religious literature of first importance is the collection of sacred books. For Chris- LIBRARIES OF RELIGION AND THEOLOGY 295 tianity these must be not only a good ref- erence edition of the Authorized Version of the Bible but a similar copy of the American Standard Edition, of the Douay (Catholic) Bible, and the modern versions such as the Shorter Bible and the New Testament trans- lations by Moffatt and Weymouth. Like- wise there must be a copy of the excellent recent translation of the Jewish Bible, with which may well be placed a copy of the Hebrew, for it has been found that those who do not read Hebrew are interested and profited by looking at the arrangement of the books in Hebrew. Equally important is a copy of the translation of the Koran (Mos- lem Bible) and perhaps of the Arabic from which it is translated. Similarly, there should be a translation of some at least of the sacred books of India, of China, and Japan, all of which are now available at relatively low cost and are essential if the community is to have the privilege of edu- cating itself religiously. There must be also the best of recent dis- cussions of religion. Every library should have a copy, for example, of the Reconstruc- tion of religion by Charles A. Elwood and the Fundamentals of Christianity by Henry C. Vedder. The enterprising librarian will be ready to order such books as soon as they appear, on the same principle that he orders the best new fiction by well known writers. Will such books be read? Of course they will not be read if the librarian takes the po- sition that they will not be read. There is little chance that the reader will get to a book if the librarian stands in the way. If, however, these books are not only placed in the library but given due publicity, put on a "new book shelf" in an attractive position, their arrival in the library bulletined as is the latest fiction, and a good reading notice placed in the local newspapers where it will catch the attention of the people who would like to go to the library for such material but now find on the library shelves nothing which satisfies their eager minds, the libra- rian will have opportunity to awake to a new day as regards the significance of religious books. PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS was the subject of a talk by Dr. Bernard C. Steiner, librarian, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Md. RELIGIOUS BOOK WEEK* BY MARION HUMBLE, Assistant Secretary, National Association of Book Pub- lishers, New York Religious Book Week, among the many "weeks" that are nationally -observed in this country, is really unique because it is reli- gious, but has no denominational or other religious barriers, and it gives each indi- vidual religious organization an opportunity to use the aims and publicity of the Week to increase interest in religious books of their own belief, as well as others. Children's Book Week, the only other na- tional book week, was started in 1919 as an educational campaign to give to people more information about children's reading, and to give to booksellers more appreciation of the importance of children's books. The first Religious Book Week in 1921 was organized with the same idea : to give to individuals a better understanding of the enrichment which religious books add to life, and to impress booksellers with the importance of strong departments and advertising of religious books. The movement immediately won the sup- port of the churches, with the co-operation of literally thousands of ministers, realizing that the power of the spoken word can be greatly extended through the printed word. The denominational publishers in preparing for the Week sent out thousands of letters and circulars to ministers throughout the country; and special sermons, special book talks and book exhibits in the churches, spe- cial notices in the church calendars were a result. The Religious Book Week Committee in- cluded a Presbyterian publisher, a Methodist publisher, a Baptist publisher, a Congrega- tional publisher, a Catholic publisher, a Jew- ish publisher, and several general publishers with religious books. President Harding's letter of endorsement of the Week this year read as follows : "It is a pleasure to endorse the program of your organization for the wider circulation Abstract. 296 DETROIT CONFERENCE of books of a religious character. I strong- ly feel that every good parent cares for his child's body, that the child may have a nor- mal and healthy life and growth; cares for his child's mind, that the child may take his proper place in a world of thinking people; and such a parent must also train his child's character religiously, that the world may be- come morally fit. Unless this is done, trained bodies and trained minds may simply add to the destructive forces of the world." This statement was read from thousands of pulpits, and copied by newspapers through- out the country. The public libraries played a large part in Religious Book Week, holding exhibits of books, distributing lists, arranging for special talks at club meetings and before church so- cieties. The third Religious Book Week will be held March 4 to 10, 1923, the second week in Lent. O. C. Davis of Waltham, Mass., read a paper on THE BIBLE IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY* BY PAUL M. PAINE, Syracuse Public Library, New York Nothing illustrates more plainly the differ- ence between school advantages and public library advantages than the recommendation which was made in Dr. Bostwick's lucid ar- ticle in a recent periodical on the subject which we are discussing here. It is that every form of religion should have its able defense in the public library. This will arouse no opposition, scarcely any comment, I sup- pose, amongst workers in libraries. The thought at the bottom of the suggestion is a common thought with us, namely, that the library is an open forum, free not only in the sense of costing you nothing unless you keep the book more than two weeks, not only in the sense that one is as free to go out as to come in, and to stay out as to do either, but free also in the sense which Milton meant in his Areopagitica, free for the other side, full of the raw material of opinion, free for opposing and contrasting views. The reasons are obvious why this kind of Abstract. freedom is not complete in the public schools. In the realm of religion in particular the difficulties in the way of furnishing the con- trasting views are so great that in New York State we avoid the subject altogether. We do not even allow ourselves the advantage of Bible reading in the school. I recently spoke to a large audience of intelligent women, all members of one particular race and creed, on the subject of "Good Reading for Americans" and among other things I reminded them of some of the treasures which the Old Testament contains : the matchless splendor of the first chapter of Genesis, a gorgeous poetic conception of the Creation which some people convert into a stumbling block by thinking it a diary ; the granite moral law embodied in the Com- mandments containing their imperishable, though negative, ethics and religion; the Psalms of David, containing amongst the dross so much pure gold ; the prophesies of Isaiah, the Book of Job, so great a classic that it has been discussed, I suppose, almost as much as the play of Hamlet. And then I went on to say that if these parts of the Bible were too precious to be ignored in public educa- tion, there were other books also, in that great sacred library which from the stand- point of culture and morality are quite as indispensable: the part known as the Sermon on the Mount, the part known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, a work of fiction suit- able to be read beside a deathbed, the part known as the thirteenth chapter of First Co- rinthians in which Paul defines charity. I asked these ladies if they thought we were doing justice to the children in the schools, children of whatever race, children of what- ever religion or no religion, in denying to them these fundamental sources of culture. "No," said one of them to me afterwards, "but I know what is in the minds of those who are advocating the Bible in the schools. Their purpose is to proselyte." That is the situation, mutual distrust and suspicion as soon as religion comes to be mentioned in connection with public affairs. One of the wonderful things about the public library is that it is practically free from this distrust and suspicion. In the li- brary where I work we have, of course, the LIBRARIES OF RELIGION AND THEOLOGY 297 Catholic Encyclopedia and other standard works upon the Roman form of Catholicism. We have not specialized in that branch of learning. But the pastor of the leading Cath- olic church in the city not long ago urged his people to come to the public library to study their own religion. It is not in the Bible itself, I am convinced, but in the inter- pretation of it that the main difficulty exists, but I have never heard any objection on the part of any reader or critic, clerical or lay, to providing freely books on the interpreta- tion of the Bible. George Hodges, that hu- mor-loving scholar and saint, offers in How to know the Bible the best simple book of biblical criticism that I know of. It is fear- less, but it is reverent. I don't see how it could make sceptics. I can see how it might answer the doubts of many who think them- selves sceptics when really they are merely un- combed, unripe and half baked. Richard Moul- ton's book The Bible as literature still covers, I suppose, that side of the subject, although it is a quarter of a century old. And I most heartily recommend William Lyon Phelps' brief address called Reading the Bible, one hundred and thirty small octavo pages of the most interesting kind of com- ment, a worthy contribution by our foremost writer on all that has to do with letters. His chapter on Short Stories in the Bible is a sparkling literary essay, in which is quoted John Kendrick Bangs' memorable utterance, that Samson was a famous practical joker and that his last joke brought down the house, and in which are many shrewd re- marks by Dr. Phelps himself, as for in- stance that Balak is one of the few men in the Bible characterized by undeviating stu- pidity. These are simple books. I am not a biblical scholar but merely a church school teacher who is striving to keep two or three jumps ahead of an uncommonly lively class of high school boys and college freshmen. But I can at least say a word for The Cam- bridge Bible for schools and colleges, a col- lection which I am glad to say we have com- pleted for our main circulation department. The true spirit of scholarship finds ex- pression in the preface to this edition in which Dr. Kirkpatrick, the general editor, disclaims responsibility for the opinions ex- pressed by the editors of the several books and adds that he has not tried to bring them into agreement with one another. While we are waiting and it may be a long wait for the common schools to find some way to get the Bible into the schools or to keep it out, to restore religion to its former place in education or to prevent any threatened approach of church and state, we can at least keep on doing in the library what cannot be done at present in the schools, that is we can give to the public an oppor- tunity for private self instruction in this great subject, we can let people know what other people are thinking and feeling about God and Christian ethics and the soul of man and the hereafter. Professor Phelps tells us that when Pres- ident Eliot was requested by the authorities at Washington to select a sentence for a con- spicuous place in the great Congressional Li- brary he selected these words : "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God?" There is nothing, Dr. Eliot thought, in the history of literature more worthy of the place than this. The words are familiar. How many librarians are there who could re- mark casually, as Phelps does, that the pas- sage is from the prophet Micah? And how many are there who could locate at once that other noble passage which ap- pears in Greek in the beautiful new library of Hamilton College: "In the beginning was the Word"? We may, then, surrounded by this cloud of witnesses, go farther than we have gone in presenting the Bible as a feature of our circulating collections, and we may safely use a portion of our time in consulting it our- selves. THE CHURCH AND THE LIBRARY* BY REV. G. G. ATKINS, D.D., Pastor of the First Congregational Church, Detroit, Michigan Historically the Christian church is built upon a library. The Old and New Testa- ments are the best and most enduring of Hebrew literature and the books of the Apos- Abgtract. 298 DETROIT CONFERENCE tolic Church. That they are all bound up in one cover makes no difference. They have grown through the centuries, been gath- ered from many different sources, they are assembled through the continuity of their his- tory and the unity of their spirit and with- out this library the church would be cut off from its own past and its message would be emptied of power. The library is simply the gathering together of what men know or have thought or have done, made permanent and accessible through the magic of type and printer's ink. The church is the interpreter of what men have known and thought and done in terms of a supreme idealism, in terms of the unseen and eternal realities. The church, therefore, is constantly falling back upon the library for the material of her message and the li- brary stands in very great need of the church for the last interpretation of all that the li- brary contains. The church is in debt to the library for what I venture to call the living content of her message. The preacher particularly needs manifold tributaries to his message; he must be disciplined by the insight, the solid reason- ing of the philosopher; he must take into ac- count the ordered knowledge of the scientist; his imagination must be enriched by the glow- ing music of the poet. He is dependent upon the library for all this. The theologian is equally dependent. A theology which is not constantly corrected by new insights and understandings becomes a constraining form instead of an enlivening force. The library is in debt to the church for services which are, maybe, more subtle but none the less real. There is in all literature, unless it be corrected by a high idealism, a power of dangerous decadence. Paganism, which is just the exaltation of the easy, pleasant or the alluring, never dies and if permitted it will always leaven literature with its corruption. We have only to take account of certain modern tendencies to see how true this is. A good deal of our poetry is simply the rewriting of the hopelessly commonplace in strange meters and a good deal of our fiction is simply undisciplined imagination playing with low themes and trying to crown with a halo things which are best hidden by a curtain. The only cor- rection for this is a high and persistent ideal- ism which relates life to the enduring and sternly subordinates its baser impulses to the mastery of the soul. Literature may deal with facts; it may be as broad as experience and imagination ; it does not need to be pious nor orthodox and it must always take account of truth, but none the less, if it be not spiritualized it ceases to be literature. This particular service of the church to the library must be exercised in large, creative ways to make itself manifest only through the generations, but none the less, it is there. More concretely still, the church may serve the library by calling at- tention to good books and using them as aspects of its ministry. There is just now amongst us a considerable tendency to do just this. There is more preaching from books than possibly ever before. Some of this is doubtless due to the stress in which most ministers find themselves to get a Sun- day evening congregation and is, maybe, a device rather than unselfish passion, but the value of it is beyond question. A notice from the pulpit will set more people to read- ing a book than possibly any other advertis- ing. If the church will justly conceive this as an aspect of its educative ministry and so commend and interpret not only the last best seller with a taking title, but those books which have a larger and more enduring value, it may render the library extraordinarily val- uable service. The library can serve the church by putting upon its shelves the kind of books which contribute to the end which the church is seeking. As has been intimated, there is al- most no limit just here. These books do not need to be specially religious or theo- logical or ecclesiastical. Real history, real philosophy, real ethics, real sociology all bear directly upon the church's task. Indeed, the church cannot do her best work save as con- gregations contribute intelligence and con- tinue in a thoughtful region the suggestion of the gospel, the program of the Kingdom of God. Our own library here in Detroit arranged during the whole of Lent books for devo- LIBRARY BUILDINGS ROUND TABLE 299 tional reading. The fact that I found one or two of my own in the list naturally made me think more kindly of the discernment of those who arranged the books, but even so, it was a real contribution to the higher life of Detroit. Such a program as this in which we are engaged tonight is itself a testimony to a new understanding, on the part of both the church and the library, of their common task for they have a common task in the enlargement and the empowerment of life, the direction of imagination, understanding and motive toward those high and changeless regions in which life is made more perfect and out of which is drawn enduring power. The program was characterized by interest, enthusiasm, and helpful suggestions. The attendance was 85. The Nominating Committee, consisting of Dr. Frank G. Lewis, George L. Hinckley, Willard P. Lewis, presented the names of candidates for the offices of chairman and secretary for the coming year; the persons nominated were unanimously elected: Chairman, Mary M. Pillsbury, General Theological Library, Boston. Secretary, Elizabeth Herrington, U. S. Veterans' Hospital Library, Tacoma. The following resolution, upon the sug- gestion of Dr. Lewis, was presented and adopted : Whereas, The efforts of the Religious Book Week Committee to spread the news of religious books among people have the commendation of the Round Table of Li- braries of Religion and Theology, Resolved, That public libraries and theo- logical libraries be encouraged to co-operate fully with the Third Annual Religious Book Week, March 4-10, 1923. The Round Table voted to request the newly elected officers to ask the A.L.A. to recognize the Libraries of Religion and The- ology Round Table as a section of the A.L.A. to be known as the Religious Book Section. GRACE J. FULLER, Secretary, pro tern. LIBRARY BUILDINGS ROUND TABLE The Library Buildings Round Table was attended by about forty people. The topic announced for discussion was RECENT BRANCH LIBRARY BUILDINGS. The chairman, Willis K. Stetson, brought to the meeting plans of branch buildings recently completed, or un- der construction in Baltimore, Boston, Bridge- port, Brooklyn, New Haven, Newark, To- ronto, West Quincy and Washington, as well as the pamphlet showing elevations and plans of recent branch buildings in Detroit. Stud- ies of the proposed building for Elmwood Library, Providence, were also shown. Town- ship libraries were represented by plans of Lethbridge, Alberta; Okmulgee, Okla. ; and Webster, Mass., libraries. Miss Drake of Pasadena showed the plans of the children's library building in Pasadena. The larger part of the session was devoted to the discussion of township buildings. Among the topics discussed was that of high windows, that is, entirely above the regular height of bookcases. It appeared that these are increasingly favored. Recent branches in Baltimore and Denver have high windows exclusively, Bridgeport low windows in front and high on the other walls, while Boston has all low windows. In some cases one third of the available wall space is lost with low windows. Various ways of putting heating radiators behind wall cases were alluded to, Balti- more, Denver and New Haven having differ- ent arrangements in details. The defects of plastic floors were men- tioned, showing that the claims of such floors need to be carefully investigated. One case was mentioned in which it was found desirable to put linoleum over the kind of composition used. Linoleum was considered to be satisfactory in place of cork-carpet and is now generally used. There was some discussion of two story branches, Newark and Toronto both building these, with adult and children's rooms on different floors. Attention was called to the fact that rooms usually placed in the basement of one story buildings are placed in the Detroit branches in a mezzanine story in the rear part of the buildings. The plan given in Dana's A library primer, 300 DETROIT CONFERENCE 1920 ed. ( p. 40-41, was alluded to as in general a good plan for township libraries. The Okmulgee library shows this plan modified for a larger building. Mr. Hadley of Denver spoke of the desira- bility of having the delivery desk near the rear of the building with working space for the library staff, and yet also having the desk not too far from the front entrance; hence a building should not be too deep. He would have the working space behind the desk shut off by partitions the same height a? the desk. It was voted that Mr. Stetson be chairman of a committee to arrange for a round table at the next meeting. Helen Sperry, of Waterbury, Conn., acted as secretary of the round table. W. K. STETSON, Chairman. PROFESSIONAL TRAINING SECTION The chairman and secretary were absent. The following paper by Ethel Sawyer of the Portland Library Association was read by Anne M. Mulheron. THE CORRELATION BETWEEN LI- BRARY SCHOOL AND TRAIN- ING CLASS INSTRUCTION BY ETHEL R. SAWYEK, Director, Training Class, Portland, Oregon At the very outset I would wish it to be understood that any plain speaking in which this paper may indulge is the result of no upstart criticism of our library schools. Those eleven young Atlases on whose harassed shoulders the weight of the entire library profession has come to rest, merit our entire sympathy in a most difficult situa- tion. To borrow another ancient metaphor, librarians in active service are asking the schools to exhibit the dexterity of institu- tional Colossi and to stand firmly erect, with one foot supported by the raw and utterly inexperienced elementary student of library affairs, while the other foot must rest upon the experienced librarian who wants the pro- fessional polish and the highly specialized instruction of the graduate school. The re- sulting angle is neither graceful nor secure; and my vision shows me only two possible ways out of this difficult situation. Either fit the legs to the required attitude or stop trying to be a Colossus. To speak plainly, I see no firm foundation for our schools unless they can equip them- selves to deal with their students in ac- cordance with their needs and qualifications, differentiating between the experienced worker and the recruit; between the under- graduate's general course and the prepara- tion for a doctor's degree or its library equivalent. Or, they must frankly turn over to other agencies the elementary training in library technique and devote themselves to truly professional education. Everyone has among her circle of friends at least one disappointed student, who, after years of practical work in a library, went to library school and there spent valuable hours in learning to do in class or in practice time what she had actually been receiving several years' salary for doing just as effectively. She had to mark time while a girl who had never been in a library until her initial library practice struggled with such elementary terms as shelf -list and corporate entry, and mastered the fact that Smith, J. M., files be- fore Smith, James. It is true that later on some one else may have had to mark time while she filled up a lacuna in her ex- perimental knowledge. But how do these two wrongs make one right? One year is too short a time to allow for much time- marking in the mastery of so vitally taxing a subject as librarian ship. Also one year is much too short a time in which to teach both technique and those literary, social, and professional matters which are supposed to distinguish a librarian from a library clerk. What becomes then of all the study of books and people, their reac- tions one on the other, the peculiar problems which devolve upon the librarian in this age, the enthusiastic and intelligent orientation of the librarian to his community, the clear vis- ioning of the possibilities and the responsibil- ities of librarianship ; well, look at any li- PROFESSIONAL TRAINING SECTION 301 brary school curriculum and see what bare bones we are compelled to substitute for all this needed substance, and how pitifully few even these bones are. No one will agree with me more heartily, I am sure, than the library school instructors here present. The fact being admitted, what is the rem- edy? There are several remedial possibilities which suggest themselves, and one is con- tained in the title of this paper : the proper correlation of library school and training class instruction. There are at present six ( ?) training classes in the country, giving definitely organized elementary library train- ing varying in time from six to nine months, and fitting their students to hold certain po- sitions in their respective libraries higher than mere clerkships. In the Portland Li- brary, graduates from the training class go into general assistant's positions at a salary slightly lower than that of a library school graduate; but everything up to first assistant- ships is open to them. Our graduates have been accepted on equal terms by the Seattle Library and throughout the state of Oregon assistantships and, in the smaller libraries, even librarianships have been offered to them, although only necessity compels us re- luctantly to accept the latter. The Univer- sity of Washington has accepted graduation from our class as an equivalent for a certain number of credits towards its library school course. And yet no other library school, so far as I know, would excuse a student of ours from elementary technical courses. I do not mean to say that a girl going from the Port- land training class to a library school might not, by judicious representation and after qualifying in some way, be released from certain glaring repetitions of courses ; but, in general, her training class year would count for very little except in enabling her to make a better school record. And why should it? What does the course of the Portland train- ing class mean to any library school? It may be very good, and again it may be very bad. Who knows? Now the first correlation needed between library schools and training classes lies just here. Somebody should know! Let the train- ing classes make the library schools ac- quainted with their work and let the library schools agree on some evaluation of the vari- ous training classes so that a student of any training class may know just where in any library school curriculum she can begin. The library schools could also tell the training classes just what portions of elementary li- brary technique, for instance, they would be willing to have taught in training classes and to give credit for in their courses. Such an arrangement would work beneficially in at least two directions. It would release some of the energies of library school instructors for more advanced teaching, and it would furnish an incentive to training classes to maintain a standard of excellence acceptable to the library schools. Even more important to the training classes, it would insure official recognition to their students for work done. This plan would fit in with the suggestion made by the library workers that the library schools' summer courses be so arranged as to allow of definite credits being earned towards a complete library school course. Such an arrangement would undoubtedly help the training classes to recruit more desirable students for their classes. Students who are unable to go to library school immedi- ately, often turn away from library work al- together because their training class year would get them nowhere that they can see up the professional ladder. Their very ambition turns them from us to some better organized profession where their activities will count toward definite advancement. This correlation of substance brings out another correlation which should be made between library schools and training classes, and that is in the matter of methods of in- struction. I cannot see why a method of teaching certain technical subjects cannot be decided upon by experienced teachers and a sort of manual prepared which should be used as a text-book by all training class and elementary library school classes at least. A manual of teaching elementary cataloging, for instance not cataloging for any particu- lar library but the general principles under- lying all cataloging. We do not teach algebra according to the algebra used in the New York public schools or the schools of Cali- fornia. We teach algebra the fundamental principles, which we can use either in New 302 DETROIT CONFERENCE York or in California. In California they may want more advanced algebra, but that comes later. Here it seems to me an inex- cusable amount of time and energy is wasted throughout the profession. Surely we have passed beyond the period of experimentation in certain technical matters and, preserving sufficient flexibility to meet varying con- ditions, we could agree upon the formulation of certain best practices for typical con- ditions. Or is the amount of imprint to be put on a catalog card so abstruse and esoteric a matter that each school and each acting cataloger must through tears and tribulation win to the ideal heaven of the perfect catalog card! I can conceive of a cataloging course which should be concerned chiefly with teach- ing its students how to use the various tools of cataloging, what sorts of cards should be made for what sorts of libraries, how to vary the normal card to meet various peculiar demands of your public, the difference be- tween fundamentals and the variabilities in cataloging, and such matters as should make our students quick at adaptability rather than grounded in formality. The student of car- pentry may not make a perfect kitchen cab- inet at first, but he knows the use of all his tools, and doesn't use a plane where a jack- knife would produce better results. Some- times I think we try to train librarians to make perfect kitchen cabinets at once before we have let them become familiar with their tools. To my mind the training classes can admirably serve to acquaint prospective stu- dents with the simpler library tools leaving the fine scroll-work and the high polish and the complexities and refinements of the pro- fession to the library schools. And here we must bring into play our powers of organization. It is a well-known psychological fact that certain habits of thinking, certain informational matters can be best assimilated by the student by per- mitting only the desired impressions to come into the brain at first. Every false impres- sion not only excludes the correct one but has actually to be overcome before the cor- rect one can find lodgment. "No false starts" should be the educational motto here. Ex- pedition is demanded in conveying to the student certain rules and facts and such rules and facts could be standardized and put into permanent concise form for distribution and for future reference at need. Yes, of course, I know there are the A.L.A. catalog rules and Kroeger's Guide to reference books. But these invaluable tools were not prepared exactly with the needs of the elementary library courses in mind indeed I doubt whether they were designed primarily for pedagogical use. They are tools of the trade rather than text-books. Now that is exactly what I mean ! We must go at our library teaching pedagogi- cally. Why should we neglect all that other educational experts have discovered and placed ready to our hand? For after all we are, or should be, primarily teachers, we li- brary school and training class specialists in the library schools ; teachers, and as special as we can be, in the training classes. We must know how to teach methods and psy- chology as well as what we are teaching. And that means, or should mean, a definite organization for educational work within our profession with the library schools at the head, and the training classes, summer classes, apprentice classes and eventually per- haps extension classes and correspondence classes though these latter would be a diffi- cult problem to meet. The little old red school house days of library education are over and we've got to function along with state universities and professional colleges. You will perhaps observe that I am not making the customary distinction between the field of library school and training class instruction, namely, that a library school gives a study of comparative library methods and a training class instructs only in the methods of one library. It is true that a library school should give a wider survey of the entire field of library precedure, but I find that it is not necessary to restrict the training class stu- dent's vision to so narrow a field. In fact comparison of her library's methods with those of other libraries makes for a more intelligent administration of local practices. I prefer to correlate the library school and the training class as elementary library in- struction and advanced education. There has sprung up a third division in library training agencies owing to the development of instruc- PROFESSIONAL TRAINING SECTION 303 tion in certain of the larger training classes, and that is the apprentice class proper. I think the distinction should be clearly drawn here between apprentice classes and training classes. The former group now is the train- ing group whose interests are entirely local, and their training period rarely outruns three or four months. From the ranks of the ap- prentices should come our clerks and clerical attendants who are not eligible for real pro- fessional library services without further training. Every once in awhile I have the uncom- fortable feeling that we librarians are en- gaged in that futile occupation of trying to lift ourselves by our own bootstraps. We urge more training and education in our members, we cry for recruits to librarianship, we deplore the possibility of the library clerk usurping the functions of true professional service but we very slowly and inadequately prepare facilities for the cultivation of that higher type of librarianship and the obtain- ing of advanced professional equipment. Dis- couragement and slackened fibre attend upon disappointed ambition. I would not, for more than I can say, appear before you in the guise of a pessimistic gloom-bringer, but I do see many indications of discouragement among librarians many of them are some of the sincerest members of our profession. I be- lieve that never before has library work had such an opportunity for development; but we shall have to bend every energy intelli- gently to the task of grasping that oppor- tunity. The library schools with their present equipment cannot do more than they are do- ing. But it is just possible that with the co- operation of the training classes they might decide to do slightly different things, and things more in accord with their high pro- fessional status. I believe dissatisfaction or discouragement with requirements for ad- mission does not operate so disastrously as dissatisfaction with opportunities after ad- mission, and the results to the profession are incomparably preferable in the former case. At one end or the other the pressure must be as severe and it seems to me that in the library schools the anguish must come at the lower end. Good training classes established and recognized throughout the country would shortly serve as preparatoo' schools and try- ing-out laboratories for the library schools, turning over to them an ever improving grade of students fit for professional work. I said above "with their present equip- ment." Of course the present equipment of most library schools is ridiculously inade- quate. Propose to any other technical or professional school a budget of $10,000-15,000 a year for total administration and note the pitying smile you will receive. And yet how many of our library schools are financing themselves on an even smaller budget ! Now it is a truism of life that you cannot get something for nothing. Someone must pay. And it has usually been the school faculty out of whose over-worked blood and nerves the deficit has been wrung, or the student body, who have not received the quality of in- struction or the breadth of training to which they were entitled. Professionalism cannot indefinitely thrive on a permanent budgetary deficit. Library school appropriations should be considerably increased to enable specialists and educators to be retained on their facul- ties, and to lift library education on to a plane with other specialized training. So long as value is directly associated with the salary status it is not fitting that library school instructors should rank with the stenographers of an institution; neither is it probable that desirable teachers, except those few individuals who can afford to be so noble, will be found willing to undertake the tax- ing duties of teaching at a salary less than that of librarians in comparatively recent service. This it not a paper on library school bud- gets fortunately. So I am not obliged to do more than exhort in general terms. How- ever, if this were such a paper, I think I should elaborate on the text "Ask and ye shall receive." I realize that "the petitioned" in the text was not a board of city or county fathers or anything of that ilk, but I like to believe that most of those old texts that are any good at all have rather a wide general applicability even to seemingly most irrele- vant cases. And the outcome is so definitely stated as a result of the asking, that some- times I wonder whether the library's no- 304 DETROIT CONFERENCE toriously small responses to financial prayers may not be due to faulty petitioning. I be- lieve "to ask" is an active verb, definite, in the imperative mode, and we are so inclined to passive, indefinite hortatoriness are we not? While we are waiting for an answer to prayer, however, we might find partial re- lief for our financial stringency in a large use of co-operation. Would it not be feas- ible to supplement the regular courses in our schools with some sort of peripatetic lec- tureships, drawing on the resources of the entire country just as now all library schools draw for outside lectures on distinguished li- brarians in the vicinity? Of course the obvious objection to that is the expense of such lecturers and their travel- ing schedules. There are desirable times for such irruptions into the orderly class routine and less desirable times. Adjustments would have to be made. I refuse to believe however that a profession which has evolved the modern American library system one of the most successful co-operative service or- ganizations in existence today cannot find a way to achieve co-operative educational aims of at least as national a character as educa- tion in general has achieved. If not by this plan then why not try "exchange professor- ships" of three, or six, or nine months, which would assist in the circulation of library ideas throughout the profession? The important point is that we shall go at this whole matter of library education from a national standpoint, deciding upon what should constitute professional education in 1922 as distinct from 1890 what part of that education the library schools must give and what should be delegated to pre-profes- sional or elementary training classes. Per- haps the profession as a whole would be most benefited by the encouragement of training classes widely scattered throughout the country giving three or six or nine months' courses planned and accredited by the A.L.A. Professional Training Section, with the defi- nite purpose of preparing suitable students for library schools later. Whatever the plan it should be something that has the en- tire library profession behind it, not a mere matter of the handful of library schools and training classes. It is the most vital matter before the library body today and demands the attention of everyone, just as the whole question of education is today demanding large national planning backed by the intelli- gent co-operation of the entire nation. Discussion: Miss Donnelly asked if Miss Sawyer meant to exclude all but training school people. Answer: No, the intention was merely to make some allowance for difference between the absolutely untrained and the partially trained. Miss Donnelly thought some allowances possible in individual cases, but not for a whole group the difficulties of administra- tion being too great. Experience has been that advanced students find it no waste of time. The person who knows the most gets most out of the most elementary lecture. Miss Donnelly advises students not to take training class work but to acquire all the academic work possible and finish with li- brary school. The question was asked whether it were possible to give any credit to training class students and so shorten the time of library school. It was thought possible only if the library school could afford to run two sec- tions, but not feasible unless library school classes are much larger. Lura Hutchinson asked if it would be feas- ible for one or two schools to specialize in advanced work and allow credit for training class work. Miss Tyler asked if there were not more than six training classes and suggested that if there were so few, it would be possible for these training classes to get together and standardize courses and present some united project to library schools. She thought that at present it would be difficult to give credit to the training class students. Miss Donnelly thought it would be neces- sary to establish standards of admission to classes. Certain schools could be placed on the accredited list and kept there as long as students keep up to grade. The library schools would welcome elimination of some of the preparatory work. If training classes could formulate the equivalent to entrance courses, correlation would be possible. Mr. Henry also thought correlation might PUBLIC DOCUMENTS ROUND TABLE 305 be possible if training classes would submit courses. He made a plea for the academic background, preferring an academic educa- tion and elementary library training to less education and more special training. The chairman of the A.L.A. Committee on Library Training made no report. The following officers were elected for the coming year : Elva L. Bascom, University of Texas Li- brary School, chairman. Marie Newberry, Toledo Public Library, vice-chairman. Blanche Watts, Iowa Summer School, sec- retary. L. L. MORGAN, Vice-Chairman. PUBLIC DOCUMENTS ROUND TABLE First Session Eighty librarians were present at the first meeting of the Public Documents Round Table held on June 27, with H. H. B. Meyer presiding. A brief statement was submitted on REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON POPU- LAR USE OF DOCUMENTS BY JESSIE M. WOODFORD, Chicago Public Library A year ago this committee was authorized to continue its work and bring to a practical finish the documents survey reported at the Documents Round Table of last year, by the preparation of a Handbook on the popular use of documents, the material for which had largely been supplied by the replies to the questionnaire. It is a pleasure to report this work as under way, after the usual delays, although not as far advanced as the committee hoped it would be. The Handbook has been out- lined and submitted for criticism to the chairman of the Documents Committee, and to the co-members of the sub-committee. Through Mr. Meyer it was also submitted to the Editorial Committee of the A. L. A. at the mid-winter conference. The Editorial Committee took no formal action, as hardly enough progress had been made to warrant it, but through Mr. Mi lam assured the sub- committee of its interest, the secretary add- ing the hope that the manuscript would be soon ready for consideration. The plan is for a small, hundred-page, bound handbook, divided into nine chapters and illustrated with a few necessary views of methods. The committee's aim is to provide a clear, simple outline of successful and prac- tical methods for carrying on popular work with documents something that will meet the existing need of the smaller as well as the larger libraries, culling from the mass of material which the survey on the popular use of documents has provided. The chapter headings are as follows : Documents in libraries ; How to obtain docu- ments ; Classification ; Cataloging ; Arrange- ment and care of documents ; Preparation for circulation ; Publicity methods ; Assist- ants for document work; Documents for popular use. It may be inferred from the chapter titles that the plans of the committee duplicate Mr. Wyer's justly famous pamphlets : U. S. gov- ernment documents in small libraries, and Government documents (state and city), which he is revising and which will shortly be issued in one pamphlet, but the aim of the committee is to treat the matter from an entirely different point of view, and to avoid all unnecessary duplication by consulting Mr. Wyer's helpful work. Your criticism and suggestions are most earnestly requested, and your chairman will welcome such, for if the Handbook is to be the guide we hope it will be, it must not only be accurate and thoroughly practical, but have the spirit which underlies dynamic force, the power to serve. Respectfully submitted, JESSIE M. WOODFORD, Chairman, EDITH GUERRIER, EMMA HANCE, ALTHEA WARREN, Sub-Committee on Popular Use of Documents. Then followed an address on 306 THE YEAR'S DEVELOPMENTS TO- WARD BETTERMENT OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS SERVICE TO LIBRARIES BY MARY A. HARTWELL, Office of Superin- tendent of Public Documents, Wash- ington, D. C. It is safe to assume that librarians who choose to come to this Public Documents Round Table meeting are interested in and familiar with United States government publications ; hence many of you may already know the year's happenings in the office of the superintendent of public documents, as the latest printing bill calls our office. How- ever, I hope you may hear something of interest, and I think I may promise you at least one or two real surprises. In preparing this report of the year's prog- ress, I have followed the lines suggested by last year's round table resolutions and by an official report of July 29, 1921 (not printed), which after my return to Washington I sub- mitted to the public printer, George H. Carter. First of all, let me speak of the CHECKLIST SUPPLEMENT AND INDEX Copies of last year's round table resolu- tion, urging the importance of bringing the document catalogs to date and of issuing at an early date a supplement to the Checklist and an index to both the original Checklist and the Supplement, were immedi- ately forwarded by the public printer and by the secretary to the Joint Committee on Printing (Ansel Nold) to the superintendent of documents for his consideration and re- port thereon. To the public printer, and through him to the Joint Committee on Printing, Alton P. Tisdel, the superintendent of documents, in August of last year submit- ted a carefully considered report which, however, is too long to incorporate in this paper. The essential feature of Mr. Tisdel's reply was to the effect that the paramount question is to print up to date the document cata- logs that are required by law, and that to do this and at the same time to lay the foun- dations for the Checklist supplement and index would require a reorganized and en- larged cataloging force sufficient to cope with the situation. This means the immedi- ate necessity of increased appropriations for catalogers in our office, as urged in your resolution of last year, which was sent to the Appropriations Committee of both houses of Congress, but which so far has proved unavailing. Neither your resolution of last June nor urgent appeals made last fall by Mr. Carter and Mr. Tisdel in personal hearings before the House Appropriations Committee and by Mr. Carter on p. 38 of his 1921 annual report to Congress have resulted in the increases asked for, nor in the reor- ganized and reclassified force absolutely nec- essary to keep our present trained force intact and to attract new and experienced catalogers to our office. In lieu of the increased budget asked for, Congress voted appropriations for three addi- tional catalogers, but made no provision for increases of salaries to hold our present trained force. We lost many catalogers dur- ing the war and resignations still continue. We cannot keep our quota full. If only one of the reclassification bills now before Con- gress might become law before June 30! Then eventually there would be hopes of catching up arrears in document catalogs and after that of undertaking the enlarged program of checklist work. You will doubtless be amazed, as were we ourselves, to learn that the number of publi- cations in the Public Documents Library (not including maps, which were not entered in the Checklist) has increased from 100,000 in 1909, when the printed Checklist closed, to approximately 300,000 in 1922; that is, an in- crease of 200 per cent. In other words, the Federal Government has in the last 13 years issued twice as many publications as it did during the first 121 years of its existence, between 1789 and 1909; hence a supplement to the Checklist would of necessity include twice as many publications as did the original Checklist. The supplement, therefore, would be a stupendous undertaking and an index to both the Checklist and the supplement would be an even greater task. When the time arrives for resuming checklist work, the su- perintendent of documents will want a defi- nite statement from librarians as to which they want first an index to the present Checklist or a supplement. PUBLIC DOCUMENTS ROUND TABLE 307 It has been suggested that as a help to librarians in the meantime, a short office bul- letin of approximately 60 or 70 pages might be compiled, giving merely a list of series titles for new classifications assigned in our library since January 1, 1910, with an indica- tion of the scheme of book numbers used in each class. It would be similar to our Bulle- tin 15, which listed new classes assigned to October 31, 1913. But office conditions are such that it does not seem possible at the present time to undertake the compilation of such a classification bulletin. PROGRESS ON CATALOGS AND INDEXES MONTHLY CATALOGS AND INDEX THERETO. During the past year the Monthly Catalogue has been issued more promptly than for many years. It has made its appearance within the month following issuance of the publica- tions it catalogs. This greater speed has meant no added rush on our part, for print- ers' copy has always been sent to the gov- ernment printing office very promptly at the close of the month ; but the present public printer's efficient administration has resulted in far greater speed in the mechanical proc- esses of printing and binding this publica- tion, which gives us the finished product in one month, instead of two. Mr. Carter and his able assistants deserve the credit. As to the annual Index to the Monthly Catalogue, work on this is also strictly up to date. May, 1922, is now being indexed. Nat- urally the index for the year cannot be finally edited until after the June Catalogue appears in July. But you may expect the next Index to the Monthly Catalogue as soon as it is humanly possible to finish it and get it printed. DOCUMENT INDEXES. These also are strict- ly up to date. Since the Swampscott con- ference, the Sessional Index for the 66th Congress, 3d session, December, 1920-March, 1921, has been issued and distributed; and the galley proof has been read on the next Document Index for the last session, the 67th Congress, 1st session, which may therefore be expected within a reasonably short time. Meantime, you have the schedule of volumes for that session. The Congressional docu- ments and reports of the present session, the 2d of the 67th Congress, are, as usual, being indexed as issued. DOCUMENT CATALOGS. At the beginning of the war work on this series was practically up to date ; but, owing to war conditions, the Document Catalogues necessarily suffered while our crippled force struggled hard to keep the more current publications going. Under pressure from within and without, our small but loyal catalog force, under the most efficient direction of Helen C. Silliman, has ac- complished this past year, in addition to our other regular duties, an amazing amount of work on the belated Document Catalogue No. 13 for the 64th Congress, 1915-17. I am de- lighted to report that the catalog is set up in galley form and that more than half of it, that is, the entries from A-Lumber had al- ready been made up into 1311 pages before I left Washington. Our estimate as to the total number of pages is approximately 2500, double column, large octavo, which is several hundred more pages than the preceding cata- log had. We expect that the finished 64th Document Catalogue will be ready for dis- tribution early this fall. WEEKLY NOTES OF INTEREST Last fall, as noted by Miss Guerrier in Public Libraries, October, 1921, p. 471-472, and by Mr. Carter on p. 37 of his 1921 re- port, arrangements were agreed upon for in- augurating a special library information service in the office of the superintendent of documents, which would take over Miss Guerrier's News Notes on Government Pub- lications. Plans for a new periodical giving infor- mation of interest concerning government publications were immediately formulated by our office and were submitted last Septem- ber to Mr. Carter for his approval. Just about that time, as you will remember, Con- gress officially put the ban on the issuance of certain periodicals, many of them of long standing and of great interest and impor- tance to the general public. On account of existing explicit provisions of law, therefore, Mr. Carter and Mr. Tisdel were forced to wait. Now the ban is lifted ; for Congress has recently passed a Senate Joint Resolution (No. 132) "to authorize the printing of jour- 308 DETROIT CONFERENCE nals, magazines, periodicals, and similar pub- lications, and for other purposes," which be- came law on the llth of May as Public Resolution 57, 67th Congress. Under this resolution the head of any ex- ecutive department, independent office, etc. is authorized, with the approval of the director of the Bureau of the Budget, to use from appropriations available for printing and binding such sums as may be necessary for the printing of whatever material of this nature the head of the department may cer- tify in writing as necessary in the transac- tion of the public business. Some of the interrupted periodicals will doubtless be resumed under the authority of this resolution ; and under its provisions Mr. Carter and Mr. Tisdel hope to launch our new periodical, providing the Bureau of the Budget approves our request for publica- tion. .We are now (June 22) waiting for authority to print and we hope that the publication may start soon after that au- thority is secured. The publication as planned by us should prove of great interest to librarians and the public generally. It is to be issued weekly and will contain pertinent information con- cerning some of the most popular and inter- esting of government publications. It will not have more than four pages a week, octavo size. In addition to the bibliographical de- scriptions and annotations it will show our library classifications and whether the pub- lications are for sale or free distribution, where they may be obtained, the price, whether or not they go to depository libra- ries, and other general information of in- terest. ADDITIONAL COPIES OF PUBLICATIONS FOR SALE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS The 2d proviso to Public Resolution 57, 67th Congress, approved May 11, 1922, men- tioned above, is very far-reaching in its ef- fect. It provides "that the public printer shall print such additional copies of any other government publication, not confiden- tial in character, as may be required for sale to the public by the superintendent of documents at the cost of printing and bind- ing, plus 10 per centum, without limit as to the number of copies to any one applicant who agrees not to resell or distribute the same for profit. ..." Our office may hereafter sell more than one copy of a government publication to a single individual. The proviso is of still greater importance to libraries, because under its authority ad- ditional copies of bills, resolutions which heretofore you could not get and also any other publications not confidential in char- acter, may hereafter be printed for sale by the superintendent of documents. The superintendent of documents cannot distrib- ute such hearings, etc., free, not even to depositories; but from previous urgent re- quests for such publications, we assume that librarians of depository and non-depository libraries may all be glad to pay a reasonable price for them. Of course I cannot fore- tell what effect this new provision may have on future printing legislation. SELECTIVE PLAN. By this time every de- pository knows that the selective plan is to be put into effect under the act making ap- propriations for the office of the superin- tendent of documents (Public Act 171, 67th Congress, approved March 20, 1922). The act carries a provision that "no part of this sum shall be used to supply to depository libraries any documents, books, or other printed matter not requested by such libra- ries." Only a few words, but they effect a wholesale change in depository distribution. A selective list entitled Classified list of United States public documents for selec- tion by depository libraries, July 1, 1922, is ready for distribution. Depository libraries may on application receive an extra copy of this list; but the list is not for the non- depositories. In order to receive shipments under the new plan a depository must return the list checked with series of publications wanted. Shipments will be made as usual under the old plan until sufficient time has been given librarians to return the checked list. The checking should, however, be done promptly. Of course those who desire to receive every- thing may continue to do so by giving sat- isfactory proof of their ability and willing- PUBLIC DOCUMENTS ROUND TABLE 309 ness to make such government publications available for public use. No more storing of public documents in the basement or attic or other inaccessible place. Paragraph 2 of one of the Public Docu- ments Round Table resolutions passed last June, in asking for selection of public docu- ments, indicated your desire that state libra- ries "shall receive everything published." Present legislation grants to state libraries, as well as to other depositories, the full power of selection. It is, however, devoutly to be hoped that all state libraries, or state university libraries, will elect to receive everything; for there should be in every state at least one library which continues to receive a complete set of federal publica- tions. DAILY DISTRIBUTION TO DEPOSITORIES. It may not be generally known that another radical change becomes effective when the selective plan goes into operation. Ship- ments to all depository libraries will here- after be made as the publications are issued. No longer will they be held up until a sizable package accumulates, or until the end of the month. During the past year this daily service has been given to six depository libraries that had made formal application to the superin- tendent of documents. The experiment worked so well in these cases that the super- intendent of documents was just on the point of extending this daily service to all depositories, when he learned that Congres- sional action was then being taken toward putting the selective plan into effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year. It was deemed wise to inaugurate both changes at the same time. The depository invoices will be sent as usual at the end of the month. DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS In response to many requests from libra- ries, the superintendent of documents hopes to develop at an early date a plan for de- posit accounts, upon which libraries may draw in payment for documents ordered. Limited appropriations for clerical force have heretofore prevented us from main- taining a sufficient number of bookkeepers to handle such accounts. Meantime many libra- rians find convenient our coupons, which are issued in sets of twenty for $1.00, each coupon having the face value of 5 cents. LAST YEAR'S ROUND TABLE RESOLUTIONS This paper has already shown what action has followed some of your resolutions. I am forced to add, however, that your reso- lutions on questions 7 and 10 of Miss Wood- ford's questionnaire relating, respectively, to "changes in covers, printing and decorations of covers" and to "documents needed in popular form," cover matters which are en- tirely outside of the jurisdiction of the su- perintendent of documents. In my report of last July to the public printer I suggested that these two resolu- tions "relate to matters which might nor- mally be considered by the permanent con- ference of government officials in charge of publications," which body functions in con- nection with the Bureau of the Budget. But so far as my observation goes I have failed to notice any radical changes in the form of publications. PRINTING LEGISLATION The new printing bill is still in the hands of the Joint Committee on Printing. It has not yet been introduced in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. Construc- tive criticisms of the committee print of the bill were submitted a year ago by the su- perintendent of documents to the Joint Com- mittee on Printing. The intervening year has seen radical changes in printing and dis- tribution and the chances are, therefore, that the new bill may largely be redrafted before it is finally presented to Congress. The following report explanatory of Miss Hartwell's speech was submitted and, with consent of those concerned, is printed with the minutes of this session: BETTERMENT OF PUBLIC DOCU- MENTS SERVICE TO LIBRARIES A report to the Hon. George H. Carter. Public Printer, July 29, 1921 BY MARY A. HARTWELL, Superintendent of Documents Office, Washington, D. C. Great interest in government publications was displayed at the conference, not only at the two sessions of the Public Documents 310 DETROIT CONFERENCE Round Table (presiding officer, Herman H. B. Meyer of the Library of Congress), but also at several other sectional meetings and in personal conversations. The general consensus of opinion seemed to be that there is now a golden oppor- tunity to accomplish definite results, an op- portunity brought about by a timely com- bination of circumstances, the principal elements in which are: (1) The appoint- ment a year ago at the A. L. A. Colorado Springs conference of a committee to survey the popular use of documents in libraries and to report at the Swampscott meeting of the Public Documents Round Table; (2) The fact that now we have a public printer and a superintendent of documents, both of whom are vitally interested in the library situation and will sympathetically bring li- brary needs and desires before the Joint Committee on Printing and other members of the Senate and House of Representatives ; (3) The fact that a new printing bill is about to be introduced and that such sugges- tions of the American Library Association as meet with your approval and the ap- proval of the Joint Committee on Printing can be incorporated in that bill or in regu- lations of the Joint Committee on Printing. The most important of those suggestions are summarized in the following paragraphs. A. L. A. SUGGESTIONS ON PRINTING AND DIS- TRIBUTION WHICH MAY AFFECT NEW LEGISLATION OR REGULATIONS (1) COMPENDIUM s. Repeated and urgent were the calls for the resumption as a gov- ernment publication of the weekly and monthly Compendium* formerly edited by W. Ray Loomis. These Compendium^ are absolutely essential to facilitate the Con- gressional reference work in libraries of all sizes and kinds federal, state, law, special, business, public, college, reference. Can anything be done to hasten Congressional action on House Concurrent Resolution 19, providing for the publication of a compen- dium showing the status of legislation of Congress, which was referred to the House Committee on Printing on May 26, 1921? (2) CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS. There is a crying need in libraries for the hearings printed by committees of Congress. The A. L. A. wants legislation which will dis- tribute them automatically to libraries. The Association also asks legislation which will provide that the text of bills shall be in- corporated in the hearings themselves. (3) PRIVATE REPORTS. Libraries ask that committee reports on private bills be sent to depository libraries as well as reports on public bills, and that the law be changed accordingly. (4) SELECTIVE PRIVILEGE. My announcement that libraries are soon to be allowed the privilege of selecting what documents are wanted was greeted with hearty applause. Evidently this new principle fills a long- felt want and the A. L. A. approves legis- lation to this effect. However, the Asso- ciation makes an important suggestion. Many libraries see a grave danger in the selective principle, namely, that it might, and doubt- less would, sometimes happen that nowhere in a particular state could a complete set of public documents be found. The Round Ta- ble passed a resolution to the effect that the new printing bill should be so amended as to provide that state libraries shall continue to be depositories of all public documents, as heretofore. George S. Godard, state librarian of Con- necticut, suggested a combination of the designation and selective principles, namely, that every state library, or state university library, one or both, should be required by law to continue as designated depositories to receive all government documents, other libraries being allowed the selective privilege. (5) LIBRARY CIRCULATION OF PUBLIC DOCU- MENTS. Under existing law public docu- ments are supposed not to circulate. But at both sessions of the Round Table and on many occasions in private conversations I was asked for a ruling on this point. I am sure that you, as well as Mr. Tisdel, will support me in my replies to the effect that the present administration stands for the widest possible use of documents and that no library would be challenged if it cir- culates documents. But there is a growing demand that the new law shall permit their circulation like other books. It seems most desirable that the law should be changed. (6) Too MANY SOURCES OF SUPPLY. Librar- ians complain that there is "too much machin- ery about ordering"; that "libraries which PUBLIC DOCUMENTS ROUND TABLE 311 are not depositories now have to write to congressmen, then to issuing office, and finally have to purchase." That there shall be one source from which all documents can be obtained, whether free or by pur- chase (preferably from the superintendent of documents) seems to be an urgent need. (7) CHARGE ACCOUNTS FOR LIBRARIES. Sev- eral requests appear for the establishment of charge accounts for libraries. (8) DAILY DISTRIBUTION TO DEPOSITORY LI- BRARIES. Several requests for a daily dis- tribution to depository libraries were made on cards submitted to the committee ap- pointed at the Colorado Springs conference. These requests are in addition to the four official requests which I have already re- ported to Mr. Tisdel. I recall one request for a weekly distribution ; but many others ask for "prompt delivery as published." (9) SUGGESTIONS BY H. W. WILSON OF NEW YORK CITY. Mr. Wilson made impor- tant suggestions which are worthy of consid- eration as coming from a highly successful business man and publisher of library ref- erence books. Mr. Wilson wants the gov- ernment to make it easy for our public to get what it wants. To help in accomplish- ing this purpose he suggests some radical changes. In the summer of 1920 Mr. Wil- son traveled in Europe and found that in Germany post offices are required by law to handle subscriptions for German government publications. And in London he noticed on a single street, not far apart, two stores where English government publications could be bought. Mr. Wilson therefore makes the suggestion that our government sell its wares through the post offices. He advocates that stamps be accepted in payment, and that an arrangement be sought with the post office authorities whereby the post office will buy stamps back in quantities at a slight reduction. Another of his suggestions is that all free congressional distribution be stopped and that a charge of at least a penny be made to prevent waste. He goes so far as to suggest that there be no free distribution at all, not even to libraries ; however, I am sure that the suggestion to stop the free distribution to libraries would meet with much opposition from the libraries them- selves. PUBLICATIONS OF THE DOCUMENTS OFFICE Requests from the A. L. A. for our office publications were made as follows : (1) That issuances of Document Cata- logues be hastened as much as possible. (2) That a supplement to the Checklist and also an index to the Checklist and sup- plement be compiled and issued. I quote from a personal letter to myself from George S. Godard, dated July 20: "I cer- tainly hope that provision may be made for the Checklist supplement and index to be published in the near future. Such pub- lications would be a long step in populariz- ing and making accessible the publications of the government, which in many cases to- day are not accessible, because unknown." (3) That a compilation be prepared show- ing new classes assigned from the close of our Checklist, 1909, to the present time, a publication similar to our office Bulletin 15, which covers from January 1, 1910, to Octo- ber 31, 1913. (4) That the "Notes of General Interest" be resumed in the Monthly Catalogue. One prominent librarian suggested that they might be syndicated for newspapers. The A. L. A. requests are for "Notes" as were written by Mr. Crandall for several years, ending with the November, 1914, issue. They want general information, not just advertising material such as was included in the "Notes" which appeared for a while longer, but which were eventually discon- tinued with the August, 1917, issue of the Monthly Catalogue. RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THE A. L. A. Among the resolutions passed by the A. L. A. and affiliated bodies meeting with it, the following are the ones which have the most important bearing on the work of the office. PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. (1) Resolution based on replies from libraries to question 7 of a question- naire sent out by a committee appointed at the last A. L. A. conference at Colorado Springs to survey the popular use of docu- ments in libraries. Question 7 reads: What 312 DETROIT CONFERENCE changes in covers, printing and decorations of covers would simplify and lessen cost of preparation for circulation? (Passed by Public Documents Round Table June 25, 1921.) (2) Resolution based on question 10 of the above-mentioned questionnaire, which reads : What documents are needed in popu- lar form? (Passed by Public Documents Round Table June 25, 1921.) (3) Resolution based on question 11 of the same questionnaire, reading: Distribu- tion of government publications to libraries (please give suggestions and criticisms). (Passed by Public Documents Round Table June 25, 1921.) It seems to me that the first two resolu- tions, on questions 7 and 10, relate to mat- ters which might normally be considered by the permanent conference of government officials in charge of publications, which I understand has recently been inaugurated as a result of your suggestion to the Budget Bureau. The third resolution concerning question 11, about distribution, contains a suggestion for the new printing bill as stated on p. 2, under (4). For further information relative to the three resolutions mentioned in the preced- ing paragraphs, it seems to me essential that an examination be made of the replies from libraries as shown by about 300 cards which were temporarily loaned me by Jessie M. Woodford and which are at your disposal in case you wish to see them. Miss Wood- ford is head assistant in charge of docu- ments at the Chicago Public Library and is chairman of the committee which sent out the questionnaire and reported thereon June 22 at the meeting of the Public Docu- ments Round Table at Swampscott. Her committee is continued for the following year with instructions to prepare a hand- book on the popular use of documents. SALARIES OF CATALOGERS IN THE OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS. Reso- lution asking for increased appropriations for catalogers in the office of the superintendent of documents, in order to bring up to date the series of Document Catalogues and to create a new force to compile (1) a supplement to the Checklist from 1909 to date and (2) an index to the original Checklist and to the supplement. (Passed June 24, 1921, at a joint meeting of the two associations of State and Law Libraries. Passed also the next day, June 25, at the final session of the Public Documents Round Table.) Similar action was taken June 24 at a meeting of the College and Reference Sec- tion, which voted that the chairman of the section should write letters to the proper authorities in Washington and that the in- dividual librarians be requested to write to their Congressmen relative to the necessity for more money to compile these particular publications. SALARIES IN THE CATALOG DIVISION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Resolution show- ing deplorable conditions also in the Cata- log Division of the Library of Congress and proving the necessity for increases in catalogers' salaries there. (Passed by the Catalog Section of the A. L. A., approved by the A. L. A. Council, and passed by the A. L. A. at its last general session on June 25.) RECLASSIFICATION OF GOVERNMENT EM- PLOYEES. Resolution favoring the general principle of reclassification and giving ap- proval to any bill which will provide a proper status and classification for librarians and catalogers in the government service at Washington. (Approved by the A. L. A. Council and passed by the A. L. A. at its general session on June 25.) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. Resolution for the creation of a Department of Education as an independent executive department. (Approved by the A. L. A. Council and passed by the A. L. A. at its last general session on June 25.) NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE. Resolution for the establishment of national library ser- vice in the Bureau of Education. (Ap- proved by the A. L. A. Council and passed by the A. L. A. at its last general session on June 25.) DOCUMENT SURVEY The charts and graphs which for lack of time to prepare did not accompany the re- port of the Sub-Committee on the Popular Use of Documents in Public Libraries when presented at the Swampscott Round Table PUBLIC DOCUMENTS ROUND TABLE 313 were exhibited and briefly explained by the chairman. The maps, charts and graphs pictured viv- idly the findings of the survey, and brought the following vital points before the meet- ing: That there is a deplorable need for li- brary extension, and that there are hun- dreds of counties in the United States with- out a public library of even 7,000 volumes. That there is a great waste of time, money and energy on the part of libraries to ob- tain free documents for circulation, and that this is shared by the government de- partments and Congressmen; that 43 per cent obtain free documents; that only IS per cent purchase. Hence libraries should be able to obtain material through only one bureau. That educational circles are the largest users of circulating material; that business comes second with agriculture and social life far below. That two-thirds of the government de- positories are in other than public libraries and give only a specialized service not to the general community; that a little more than one-third are in public libraries where the entire community is served. This ac- counts for the over-balanced proportion of use by educational circles which is directly traceable to the depositories in college and school libraries. Hence the tremendous need of more government depositories in public libraries to increase the service to entire communities and to increase the practical and popular use of governmental publica- tions. The discussion of the daily distribution of documents was opened by President Azariah S. Root, who had found it extremely satis- factory because he was able to produce a document as soon as news notice was given. The use of documents has been increased and inquiries for document material has been greatly stimulated. Francis L. D. Goodrich of the University of Michigan Library also favored the plan of daily distribution and had found it a great help in reference work. Miss Woodford spoke on the increased confidence on the part of the public, espe- cially business men, which had come as a result of receiving documents daily. The Chicago Public Library is receiving docu- ments even earlier than newspapers and in a few cases before release to the executive departments. F. Mabel Winchell testified that the use of documents has doubled in Man- chester, N. H., and Mr. Brigham said that he had been saved much money for tele- grams, through the daily distribution. The Congressional Digest was described by one of the editors, Mabel Gram. Mr. Meyer warmly commended the magazine, which is strictly non-partisan, presenting both sides of all questions. It aims to give accurate information on Congressional mat- ters. The need for a petition to Congress to pass a law to allow depository libraries to circulate documents was brought up. Miss Hartwell, in this connection, read a letter from Mr. Tisdel regarding present practice. A resolution in regard to the dis- continuance and changed form of various government periodicals, was asked for. The chairman appointed Mr. Severance, Mr. Goodrich and Miss Woodford as a commit- tee on resolutions. Second Session . The first address of the second session was On CENTRAL DISTRIBUTING DEPOSITORIES FOR UNITED STATES DOCUMENTS, by George F. Winchester, librarian Free Public Library, Paterson, New Jersey. Mr. Winchester's paper made some suggestions which are likely to go far in solving the difficulties librarians encounter in securing documents, especially those which are out of the way, scarce or difficult to handle. His suggestion is that the gov- ernment maintain a few lending depository libraries or collections located in various parts of the country, these collections to be made as complete as possible, and the libra- rians or custodians be prepared to lend the documents on requisition from any library within their districts. This plan would do away with the hope- less efforts of the smaller libraries to take care of large collections of public docu- ments, while at the same time it places a practically complete collection at the disposal of even the smallest library. A moment's 314 DETROIT CONFERENCE consideration will show that the saving to the government, to libraries throughout the country, and to students and investigators is so great, and the possibilities of develop- ment so likely to meet all future needs that it is hoped Mr. Winchester will develop the plan more completely in a revision of his paper. The next paper was THE SCHOOL AND THE LIBRARY: THE NEW CIVICS AND THE USE OF DOCUMENTS BY JOSEPHINE LESEM, Teacher of Commu- nity Civics, Senn High School, Chicago, Illinois Educators are agreed that the aim of the new schools' curriculum shall be teaching citizenship and that the core of material shall be furnished by the social studies. They are also agreed that the courses in com- munity life, world history, United States history and problems of democracy (includ- ing social, economic and political problems) shall be taught; and that any method of class-room procedure that fails to interest young people in the forming of the habits of good citizenship, of initiative and lead- ership is a failure. But here agreement ends. Text books are either non-existent or are only partially adapted to courses for which they are designed. The relative time to be given history, civics, economics and sociology is also in dispute. The national asssociations of education, of political science, political economy and sociology have all put forth programs. And, finally, in order that discussion might proceed in more scientific fashion a new organization, the National Association of Teachers of Social Studies, has been formed. It will act as a sort of clearing house for all ideas and pro- grams and attempt to develop a more com- monly accepted opinion than now exists. Enough has been said, I think, to show that the situation in the educational world is somewhat chaotic and that this paper, based as it is upon one teacher's experience and unaccompanied by anything resembling what Mr. Rugg of the Teachers' College, Columbia University, would call a "meas- ured result", can do nothing more than state the difficulties confronting the teacher of the new civics and trust to the future for solution. The second phase of our discussion grows out of the fact that two years ago Chi- cago high schools started upon a reorgani- zation of their curriculum by instituting a social studies course in the second year that was to be required of all students as soon as experiment proved it successful and teachers were available. I was one of the teachers commissioned to inaugurate the ex- periment. The content of the course was to be similar to that usually given in stich books on community civics as Dunn's Com- munity and the citizen, Nida's City, state and nation, and Hughes' Community civics which were the best available texts. But the course was not to be essentially a text book course. It was to begin with pupil experience, with the things that could read- ily be made a part of pupil experience, and gradually lead boys and girls to an appre- ciation of great world problems. It was to begin with home, church, school, com- munity; our home, our church, our school, our neighborhood, our city, our state, our nation, and aim toward developing responsi- bility for the preservation of these institu- tions because of the great services they ren- der the individual. In addition to teach- ing facts and mental attitudes, it was to give opportunity for student initiative and co-operative activities. Such a course you will readily see is not a text book course and never can be. That text book makers realize this is evi- denced by the fine long reference lists con- tained in the two latest and best texts pub- lished thus far: Hill, Community life and civic problems (Ginn & Co.) and Dunn, Community civics for city schools (D. C Heath). These lists should be in the pos- session of all schools as well as documents librarians, because they furnish reliable sug- gestions on certain phases of library equip- ment for social studies courses. Where shall the teachers dealing with such a mass of changing fact turn for help? What are the sources to which teachers and pupils searching for truth may go when text books are incomplete, inadequate or not in PUBLIC DOCUMENTS ROUND TABLE 315 line with the latest opinion and informa- tion on topics with which they deal? Because pamphlet material is cheap, be- cause it is often to be obtained in abundant supply at little or no cost, because it is one of the most direct approaches to many problems, the documents librarian has been called on for help. Is the material he has to offer us satisfactory? Will boys and girls use it? Do they like it? What types of documents meet their approval? Boys and girls will and can use pam- phlet material. Some pupils like it and in- deed prefer it to any other. One reason for this is that it appeals to three very human emotions: (1) the love of collecting; (2) the love of owning; (3) the love of get- ting something for nothing. I have known children to gather stacks of material and read none of it. Many students admit that documents are "too hard," "too dry" and "too long" or not easy to handle because the thing they want is a kernel of wheat that must be ferreted out from what to them is a bushel of chaff. But the pupils who like documents do so, they tell me, "because they are clearly written," they "are brief," they have "real facts," they contain "more up-to-date, more accurate material" than does the text. Because I happened to have 40 copies of the Illinois Constitution, I handed it out for study during two consecutive study peri- ods to each of four classes. Are the documents now available suited to the demands made upon them by the new social studies courses? Some of them are naturally more usable than others and the pupil comments I have just quoted give us some idea as to the qualities usable documents should possess. They must be in- teresting, clearly, and concisely written. They must deal with initimate, first hand in- formation, and answer accurately questions that every citizen ought to know about his government and how it serves. But available documents do not always Jo these things. Besides, many of them, {specially those issued by local governments, are written with a purpose of showing how well a particular official or party adminis- tration has done its work, are political propa- ganda rather than reference material for searchers after truth. Others are too tech- nical and are of value to the expert or city administrator, but almost unintelligible to the layman, certainly beyond the powers of boys and girls. Vague rumors of an existing list of docu- ments serviceable for school use and par- ticularly for the purpose of this course have reached me but neither I nor the two docu- ments librarians I have consulted have been able to discover it. Therefore I feel jus- tified in saying that no exhaustive investi- gation has been made as to which docu- ments now available are best suited to school use. A. W. Dunn in his Community civics for city schools has the longest list of refer- ences to government documents and pam- phlet material issued by private organiza- tions that has been published, in any text on community civics. It is worthy of the attention of the librarians as are also his preface and the preface to Mr. Hill's book. Both books are, I believe, available for ex- amination by those here this evening. I fear, however, that Mr. Dunn has not tested out his list with children. For example I quote this interesting bit from page 106: "The complete official record of the Senate debate on the Treaty of Peace is to be found in the Congressional Record, a file of which should be in your public library." It is good for boys and girls to know that government publishes and publishes lav- ishly; it is good for them to know that this material is available and that no American citizen need be ignorant of what govern- ment is doing and how it can serve him. But it is indeed a remarkable ninth or tenth grader who can find his way through the Senate debates on the Peace Treaty or who has the time and energy to do such vol- uminous reading on a single topic. We must consider too the supply of documents. Mr. Dunn suggests that but one member of a class be permitted to write to Washington for each document needed. In the case of certain documents one is enough, but of others there should be a sufficient supply for all or most of the class. Libraries usually have one or two copies of each pamphlet. What will they do on the days when twenty 316 DETROIT CONFERENCE high school teachers each interest ten stu- dents in looking up material on the same topic? When every high school class in the country begins to write for documents to Washington and to the state capitol, will government officials continue to be courteous in their responses to these pupil appeals? Have I made it clear that the new civics and the problems of finding suitable refer- ence material for both teachers and pupils opens up a vast field for research, for class room experiment, and co-operation among educators including college professors, prin- cipals, teachers and librarians? If I have, may I close by listing the points that seem to be vital if co-operation is to be secured and is to lead somewhere? (1) Text books are inadequate and much of the reference material now available un- satisfactory. (2) Teachers are untrained in both the method and the subject matter of the new civics. Yet circumstances are forcing them into teaching it. They must reorganize and add large masses of new material to their store of information. They need help and because the new education and the new civics have great social possibilities, means must be found to lighten the burden of the teach- ers who are carrying the torch that is to illuminate the new day. I perhaps paint the situation somewhat gloomily, for promising things are happen- ing. The texts published this year show a real advance. The newly organized Na- tional Association for Teachers of Social Studies plans to make a nation-wide survey of the situation and to operate through local and sectional branches as well as through a national executive committee. This year, the Chicago Principals' Club and the Chi- cago Boosters' Club printed two usable pam- phlets on the Chicago school system and Chicago as an educational center. Next fall the Chicago Board of Education will pub- lish five thousand pamphlets dealing with institutional and local governments in Chi- cago and Cook County. Some documents librarians believe that the government should come to our aid and publish di- gests of, or excerpts from, certain of its reports. But there are dangers connected with asking government to print for schools : (1) Will it keep its pamphlets and bulle- tins up to date? (2) Will it be willing to take advice from documents librarians and teachers as to what is interesting and worth while? (3) Will it refrain from using its great power to propagandize the community? We must not build a new Austria or a new Russia on this side of the Atlantic. If government publishes for information it must speak of things that are and ought to be and not give glowing descriptions of what is not, nor ignore what is deplorable and requiring change. The exact relationship of the documents and school librarians to the reorganized so- cial studies courses will be, I think, closer than any that has ever existed be- tween the two great educational institutions in our democracy the library and the school. The work of clipping from newspapers, from magazines, of supplying book and document reference material falls to the librarian. It is the teacher's task to see that her pupils are interested in using what the librarian has gathered. Some day we may have local, sectional and national committees composed of class-room teachers, college professors, business men, and librarians whose task will be one of constantly revising material for class use and who with the co-operation of boards of education, publishers, national edu- cational societies, state departments of edu- cation, and the United States Bureau of Education, will supply published results of their work in a form that can be broadly circulated. The time is not yet ripe for dogmatic statements as to the solution of the difficulties I have sketched. But it is clear that the librarian and the teacher must recog- nize themselves as co-operating in meeting a very real problem. In commenting on the paper Mr. Meyer spoke of the need for revision of certain documents and for adequate indexing, espe- cially the Congressional Record, for which the Library of Congress has found it neces- sary to make its own subject index. He added that the suggestion for a special con- densed edition indicated a lack of perspective on the part of the teacher, since the gov- ernment publications are not prepared pri- marily for school use, but for department purposes. Miss Woodford pointed out that SCHOOL LIBRARIES SECTION 317 such an edition would also be useful to any citizen. A short time was devoted to the discus- sion of the topic, THE ATTITUDE OF THE LI- BRARY ASSISTANT TO DOCUMENTS HOW CAN IT BE IMPROVED? The question of whether the documents survey be carried further to cover college, reference, school and special libraries, was discussed at some length. Miss Woodford stated that to complete the survey a similar questionnaire, conducted by a committee of specialists would be highly advisable. Dr. Carr suggested a survey from Washington. Mr. Meyer thought that the matter should wait, especially since he could no longer re- tain the chairmanship of the Public Docu- ments Round Table, and preferred to have such an understanding begun by his suc- cessor. The following resolutions were adopted : Whereas, The distribution of public docu- ments by the office of the superintendent of documents in the past year has wit- nessed many improvements in the service which have been entirely for the benefit of libraries, therefore be it. Resolved, That we express our hearty ap- preciation of these constructive measures and improvements, especially the daily dis- tribution of documents to the depository li- braries. Whereas, Through the necessity for economy the government has suspended sev- eral periodicals of importance and special interest to the public, such as : Public Roads, Vocational summary, and School life, there- fore be it Resolved, That the Documents Round Ta- ble in session request the early considera- tion of the resumption of these and other similar periodicals because of the demand for them, and their practical and educational value, and be it further Resolved, That copies of these minutes be sent to the public printer, the superin- tendent of documents, the Joint Committee on Printing, and to the various govern- ment offices concerned. SCHOOL LIBRARIES SECTION First Session The first session of the School Libraries Section which was held in the Hutchins In- termediate School Library, June 27, at 2:30 p. m., was called to order by the chairman, Marion Horton, principal of the Los An- geles Library School, Los Angeles, Cali- fornia, who after a word of welcome apt pointed the following committees : a Nom- inating Committee and a Committee to Draft a Constitution for the School Libraries Sec- tion. The chairman announced that instead of having the reading of the minutes of the last conference Martha Pritchard would sum- marize the achievements of the School Li- braries Section for the last two years. Miss Pritchard reported that the results of the investigation in training for school librarian- ship, made during the two years that she was chairman, had been incorporated in the re- port of the Library Training Committee (see p. 206), and would be the basis of further recommendations of that body. The chairman told briefly about the voting contest being held for a two-foot shelf for a county school and urged everyone to vote. The following paper was read: OPPORTUNITIES IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WORK By MARION Lovis, Librarian, Hutchins In- termediate School, Detroit, Michigan The Hutchins Intermediate School library is only four months old, but already it is beginning to show definite characteristics and tendencies. It is because this library is typi- cal of intermediate school libraries that I wish to speak of it, and because it may in- terest you to know what the uses of these various rooms have come to be. The things which are daily revealing themselves to me as significant may, however, be already com- monplace to many of you. Those of us who have gone as librarians into schools of the old tradition have often felt oppressed by the rigidity and formality of the system, and by the supremacy of those facts and subjects represented in the course of study over all other knowledge. We have found often little comprehension that our work was educational, except as it fol- lowed and stressed those subjects. We have had our solemn debates with the authorities over whether or not magazines and fiction should be read in school time, and we have 318 DETROIT CONFERENCE learned either directly or indirectly from our principals that their chief concern was that the library should not prove to be the spot where discipline broke down. From the start, however, we have 'had the approval of the children, and most of the time, their co-operation. And in every school with the development of the library it has come to be accepted by faculty and students alike as an essential department of the school, and as a liberalizing and socializing agency. The intermediate, or junior high school, however, has no traditions. It starts with well defined educational principles, and so- cial aims. The five objectives of junior high school education, as outlined by Professor Briggs in The junior high school are, briefly : 1. To continue common education, in a gradually diminishing degree. (That is, those basic subjects taught in the elemen- tary schools.) 2. To ascertain and reasonably to satisfy pupils' important, immediate, and assured fu- ture needs. (Note here that we do not as- sume to know within the immutably fixed limits of a course of study, what these needs may be. The school is to "ascertain" them.) 3. To explore, by means of material in itself worth while, the interests, aptitudes, and capacities of pupils. (Here certainly is an objective which might well be taken as a library slogan and the next is in the same spirit.) 4. To reveal to them, by material other- wise justifiable, the possibilities in the major fields of learning; and 5. To start each pupil on the career, which, as a result of the exploratory courses, his parents and the school are convinced is most likely to be of profit to him and to the state. Here then, the library finds itself in a congenial atmosphere. The school work is avowedly to "explore", to "ascertain", to "reveal", and to "start". The junior high school period is experimental and explora- tory, and the method by which these ob- jectives are to be approached is social. What could be more essential or more in the spirit of such a program than a library! The school spirit and organization so de- termines the use of these library rooms that I have taken the time to indicate it. Pu- pils have no study periods, and no library periods, which means that all pupils who use the library come directly out of a class. Theoretically this is ideal : that the need to use the library should be the stimulus to an immediate visit to the library. Inci- dentally, it demands the most skilful type of class-room teaching. The class-room work is socialized so far as possible. Pu- pils are divided into groups, each group with a leader. The groups work on sepa- rate or related projects, or unite in class project or discussion as the teacher may choose to direct her recitation. So it hap- pens that any, or several groups may reach a point in their plans where it is neces- sary to visit the library. This they may do, with the permission of the teacher. The group comes here, then, with well de- fined purpose. That is the keynote of ef- fective use of the library. You will prob- ably recognize, as librarians, that that is the note the librarian has to sound continu- ously in the ears of class-room teachers, especially in the organization stage of the work. The group enters under the guidance of its leader, and it is a very stern guidance in most cases, I assure you ! Generally, they ask for a conference room, and tell me what they are to work on. The leader and I proceed to the shelves to get books. Some- times they are preparing a program on some subject. One such consisted of the "mak- ing of the book" suggested, by the way, by the general lesson given in the library on the care of books. One member of the group took the making of paper, another the printing process, another the binding, etc. The books are placed in the conference room and the door is closed, the books and topics are distributed by whatever means the chil- dren choose, and the understanding is that when each child has his book and topic he is to emerge into the main room and work alone. Many groups come to dramatize an inci- dent from a story and to assign parts. We have had the slave auction from The crisis selected and dramatized by children for a United States history class. We have had the rules for "circles" put into rhyme by SCHOOL LIBRARIES SECTION 319 three girls inspired by some arithmetical verses in St. Nicholas. The group work with library materials brings out some in- teresting and original results, which must contribute surprises to class-room teachers. One type of use which we are developing is the method followed by a history teacher who had reached the industrial revolution in United States history. (The class had a student-librarian as all English and many other classes have.) The librarian came to me in advance, and asked what books I could provide on the period. We gathered all we could find on early inventions, lives of inventors, westward expansion, travel by early steamboat, canal and railroad, and placed the books on reserve in one of the conference rooms. The next day the class of fifteen pupils came, under the leadership of the librarian, and, on the first visit, with the teacher also. Books were chosen from the conference room collection, then the pu- pils came with their books out into the main room, where they read the entire period. As the end of the period approached, the little librarian collected the books, replaced them in the conference room, formed his charges in a line at the door, and they van- ished silently. All this took place without a word from me, and with only the general suggestions of the teacher at the beginning of the period. This class came independ- ently of the teacher twice a week until each pupil had read and reported in class on one book, and many had made several re- ports. These groups using the conference rooms are the most astonishing and amusing fea- ture of the library. They are secondarily preparing some subject for presentation in class, but primarily they are selecting and evaluating material for their purposes and meeting all the problems of personality and co-operation that one encounters in any com- mittee or club work. There is the worker who wants to "boss"; there is the one who doesn't like his part; there is the one who isn't interested; and there may be the one who is cynical about the whole project. From my observation, there is keen and vigorous interest in the work in hand. The loud voices that penetrate the glass parti- tions at times are generally, I find upon investigation, only a climax of enthusiasm or of exasperation. The conference rooms are used constantly, and, I think, well. I am tempted to go on with particular in- stances but must stop only to state my be- lief that they fit the psychology of the junior high school child. A large proportion of the users of the main room are from the English classes. Our English literature classes have no texts. Their literature work is entirely with li- brary books. We have four copies of each title on the English course of study. The class-room teacher, according to our latest experiment with this problem, may have one copy of each of twelve titles in her class- room. One copy in the library is for cir- culation, and two are reserved for library reading. Each teacher f English literature sends part of her class to the library for a whole period twice each week for general reading, while she works with the smaller group which remains. So the library may have in it at any time individuals or groups from all classes in session. Group work is usually confined to the conference rooms, but each child is ex- pected to leave the group when the work becomes individual preparation of some part. There are individuals sent from classes to look up special points, and there are the general readers of books and magazines who come either from an English class, or with special permission from other classes. The library class-room is planned to ac- commodate a class at any time a teacher wishes for illustrative or visual work, books, pictures, lantern slides or victrola records. It seats 40 in fixed opera chairs, and has book shelves and bulletin boards. Pupils have pointed out that one end of it, with the folding doors makes a good stage, so it may be used for class-room dramatics. It is also intended for the courses in the use, of books and libraries which will be given. One more room, besides the obvious office and work-room is the teachers' study-room, which is the largest and most remote of the conference rooms. Here will be shelved the professional educational books and magazines. Teachers may bring books of their own recreational or otherwise which 320 DETROIT CONFERENCE they are willing to exchange and any plan which the teachers themselves suggest will be tried out. This is a brief description of our li- brary rooms, and these are some of the things that have been developing in them during our few strenuous months of ex- istence. To me, the intermediate library shows promise of being a most vigorous and progressive type of school library. The meeting was then turned over to May Ingles, librarian, Technical High School Library, Omaha, Nebraska, who presided at the Round Table of high school libraries. First High School Session The general subject for discussion was THE RELATION OF THE HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIAN TO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF THE SCHOOL. The first paper was THE WORK OF THE HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY WITH THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT* BY RACHEL BALDWIN, Librarian, DetrMd- Shields Township High School, Highland Park, Illinois. No up-to-date high school would be con- sidered complete without laboratories for the sciences, and work-rooms for the voca- tional courses. As for history and Eng- lish, it used to be thought that when a school had provided class-rooms and teachers for these important branches, it had done its whole duty. But now, modern teaching methods demand a laboratory for these also, and that laboratory is the library. History in modern high schools is a broad term, including civics, and often a smatter- ing of economics and sociology. This group, the social sciences, should open the eyes of the future citizen to his place in the scheme of things; and to this end collateral read- ings are assigned in books, magazines and daily papers, all of which are to be found in the library. The wide-awake librarian keeps all such material instantly available, and moreover, is able to stimulate interest in many ways. A bulletin board filled with clippings and cartoons from the morning paper opens the 'Abstract. eyes of many to whom the newspaper has meant only the sporting sheet and the "fun- nies". Often, when asked to suggest debate sub- jects or current topics, the librarian can in- fluence the student to select something of vital, timely interest, thus keeping him in touch with the history that is being made today. A word in the school paper will often set students to reading magazine articles which, to their surprise, they find as inter- esting as the latest "best seller". And this is a very vital point in the functions of the high school librarian ; for we are preparing these boys and girls to go out into a world in which, according to Mr. Arthur Pound, they will have an increasingly large margin of leisure. We can have no small part in developing socially-minded people, who will use that leisure well. Edith M. Schulze, librarian, High School, Redondo, California, discussed HOW THE LIBRARY CAN BE OF SERVICE TO THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT and pointed out that first of all the librarian must study the aims of the scientist and the spirit in which he works. She must read scientific periodicals and be able to show the teachers the wealth of material available, and the students how to use this material. An up-to-date well bal- anced collection of books, periodicals, pam- phlets, clippings, pictures and if possible slides and films to furnish background, should supplement and enrich the course of study. Definite suggestions were made of lists which might be studied to acquire bal- ance in the collection. Miss Schulze stated also that there should be a regular and sys- tematic procedure for getting rid of old ma- terial, as well as for acquiring new and up to date lists from other organizations, much of which may be procured free. Bertha Carter, librarian, Oak Park and River Forest Township High School, Oak Park, Illinois, talked on THE RELATION OF THE LIBRARY TO THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT. In brief she stated that although the high school library is indispensable to all depart- ments, it is the English department which leads all in its variety of demands upon the library, one reason for this being, that most SCHOOL LIBRARIES SECTION 321 of the outside school activities, such as literary, drama and debate clubs, school pub- lications, etc., are conducted under the aus- pices of the English department. Miss Car- ter told of the value of having the assistance of high school teachers in book selections. Emphasis was laid also on the importance of securing the teacher's aid in investiga- tion of the voluntary reading done by the students for helpful insight into the varied interests of the boys and girls. Reference was made to a suggestive article in The Illinois Association of Teachers of English Bulletin, for January 2, 1922. The next paper was THE SERVICE OF THE LIBRARY TO THE HOME ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT BY MARY JOSEPHINE BOOTH, Librarian, East- ern Illinois State Teachers College, Charleston, Illinois Books on home economics, in common with those of other subjects, do not in- clude all the material needed in the class room and consequently supplementary ma- terial must be used. Pictures, lantern slides, educational exhibits, clippings, pamphlets, books, all these may be put to use in widen- ing and deepening the instruction in the home economics department and in creat- ing a greater interest on the part of the students in preparing assigned topics. Sources for pictures may be found in duplicate copies and odd numbers of old magazines, picture sections of newspapers and sets sent out by manufacturing firms. The picture collection, added to almost con- tinuously by a librarian on the lookout for needed pictures may become one of the most valuable adjuncts of the library. There may be found pictures of different com- modities as tea and coffee, showing the cul- tivation and the various processes in manu- facture, pictures of the furnishing of differ- ent rooms in the house, pictures of costume, particularly historical. Charts are issued by different firms and by the United States gov- ernment Sometimes the history and geography de- partments have lantern slides which can be used by the home economics department to illustrate interior decoration, costume and the cultivation and manufacture of differ- ent commodities. It is advisable to look over the catalogs of different firms dealing in lantern slides for available material. In teaching textiles and food products it is advantageous to have educational exhibits. Some firms manufacture exhibits of many kinds at various prices ; many firms manu- facture exhibits of their own products which are sent free or for a moderate charge. Exhibits of cotton, silk, tea, coffee, cocoa, and flour are interesting and instructive. Clippings from newspapers and maga- zines will increase the resources of the li- brary especially on many small, relatively unimportant subjects or on new subjects about which there is little information. When more information is available these clippings may be thrown away. Pamphlets offer a mass of material sin- gularly useful as they usually deal with a small subject and give it a more extensive treatment than is accorded in books. Manu- facturing firms, the federal and state gov- ernments, all issue worth-while pamphlets. Many of the editions are limited and only those applying early can secure them. It is well to be on the watch for notices of valuable pamphlets. The Monthly Catalogue of United States Public Documents and the Monthly Catalogue of State Publications, both obtainable from the superintendent of documents, Washington, D. C, are invalu- able. The Booklist each month has a list of pamphlets ; and the Journal of Home Economics includes pamphlets in its section, bibliography of home economics. Claudia Quigley Murphy is the author of the Art of table sftting, and Cocoa. These may be obtained from her at 41 Union Square, West, New York City, and are quite useful. Many manufacturing firms is- sue booklets describing their industries and products. Booklets on chocolate, cocoa, cof- fee, flour, salt, spices, sugar, tea, cotton, silk, wool and canning may be procured. If one fakes the trouble to ask the grocer about pictures, educational exhibits, and pam- phlets, valuable material for the collection may be obtained. Both the federal and the state govern- ments issue dependable publications. The 322 DETROIT CONFERENCE federal government seems especially inter- ested in home economics, as authoritative bulletins dealing with different phases of the subject are issued by the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Education and the Federal Board for Vocational Education. Recent Farmers' Bulletins which should be of use to the home economics department are: Home laundering, 1099; Pipcless fur- naces, 1174; House cleaning, 1180; Operat- ing a home heating plant, 1194; Rice as food, 1195; Milk and its uses in the home, 1207 ; Home canning of fruits and vege- tables, 1211; Floors and floor covering, 1219; A week's food for an average family, 1228, which gives suggested bills of fare and tables of the fuel values in terms of approximate hundred-calorie portions of many of the common food materials ; Chimneys and fire- places, how to build them, 1230; Agricul- tural Department bulletin 975, Food values; how foods meet body needs, gives explana- tions and charts of 50 common foods, show- ing how far a pound of any one of the foods goes toward supplying the fuel, pro- tein, calcium, phosphorus and iron needed daily by a man at moderate muscular work, and Agricultural Department circular 189, The well-planned kitchen. Twelve home economics circulars have been issue by the Bureau of Education. Number 11, January, 1922, is entitled, Equipment and rooms for home economics department. This bulletin gives space requirements, with plans, adapted to schools of different sizes and a list of cooking utensils and other supplies. Home economics circular 9 gives detailed home economics courses for junior high schools, for each quarter of the school year. The last home economics circular, number 12, March, 1922, State certification of home economics teachers gives the certification re- quirements in the various states. The Fed- eral Board for Vocational Education also has a home economics series. Bulletin 71, Home economics series 6, by Genevieve Fisher is entitled Home project; its use in home-making education. This is a useful publication. School of home economics connected with state universities occasionally issue bulletins. The University of Illinois has published a number of home economics bulletins in its series of university bulletins. Sometimes state agricultural experiment stations issue similar bulletins. Catalogs of firms dealing in refrigerators, heating apparatus, and other household equipment may be kept for use of home economics classes and should prove of prac- tical value. To save space, when the new catalog of a firm is received, the old one may be thrown away. The question of magazines is sure to come up in any discussion of a home economics department. Certain magazines, as the Jour- nal of Home Economics and Good House- keeping, should be subscribed for regularly, provided the funds of the department war- rant this, and the back numbers kept on file as they are both indexed in the Readers' Guide. Many of the magazines, devoted exclusively, or almost exclusively, to fash- ions, are quite expensive and of only tem- porary use. It is entirely feasible, much less expensive, and probably more satis- factory, especially with limited funds, to buy at local new stands only those numbers needed. Three or four different magazines thus obtained for fall, winter and spring use would give a wider choice than if only one such magazine were subscribed for regu- larly. Books must be bought for the home economics department. The several volumes of the United States catalog will give the author, title, and publisher of books pub- lished some time ago; price is also given but this must be looked up in the Pub- lishers' Trade List Annual, latest edition, to get the corrected price. The Cumulative Book Index will help in selecting recent books. The Book Review Digest, with its descriptive note of the book and abstracts of book reviews, which have been published in a selected list of magazines and book sec- tions of newspapers, is an almost indis- pensable aid. Plus and minus signs are used to show whether a review is favorable or unfavorable. Pictures and clippings may be kept in a vertical file, classified by the decimal classi- fication or arranged alphabetically by sub- ject, using the subject headings of the Read- er's, guide. Pamphlets may be kept in pam- phlet covers and cataloged, provided they SCHOOL LIBRARIES SECTION 323 are likely to be in rather constant demand ; those of less value may be kept in a pam- phlet box with books on the same subject and entered under the general subject only in the catalog ; or they may be kept also in a vertical file arranged like the pictures and clippings. If the library is to be of the highest value to the students in the home economics de- partment each one must know how to use not only the catalog but some common ref- erence books. Just how to get the time for this is a problem that has been worked out in different ways in different schools. Some- times the English and history departments give half or whole recitation periods to the librarian for this instruction, and why should not the home economics department share this also? Surely the ability to use a library in these days when libraries are so general should be a part of the common education. The librarian, not the teacher, should give the instruction in the use of the library. In the early lessons the rules of the library and the location of books should be explained, the use of the catalog, including author, title, subject cards, and call number, and how to find books on the shelves. Every entering class needs at least this instruction given with problems to work out embody- ing the points brought out in the lessons. Later on in the high school course, the use of common reference books and of maga- zine indexes should be explained and prob- lems given. Learning how to use the maga- zine indexes is particularly important. In home economics, especially, there is much usable material in the magazines. By means of this instruction, the students are able with little waste of time to look up material for topics not only in the high school li- brary but also in the public library, which must be used to supplement the school li- brary. This building up of the home economics department is an endless quest but it is worth all the time and thought and energy it costs. Owing to the fact that it was necessary to adjourn the meeting at four o'clock to get to the dinner for school librarians ar- ranged for by the Detroit school librarians, it was necessary to postpone Miss Cook's paper on TECHNOLOGY AND MANUAL TRAINING, as well as any discussion until the Friday session. The secretary was instructed to receive the annual membership dues of fifty cents from all members of the section. The meeting adjourned. After a very delightful dinner party, ar- ranged for the School Libraries Section, by the school librarians of Detroit, informal speeches were made by the guests of honor, among whom were schoolmen of distinction : Dean Courtis of Teachers College, Detroit; Dr. Hillegas of Teachers College, Columbia; C. C. Certain, supervisor of language in- struction, Detroit City Schools; Harriet Wood, St. Paul, Minnesota; Annie Cutter, Cleveland, Ohio, and Martha Wilson, Spring- field, Illinois. Adeline B. Zachert was re- quested to draft a greeting to Mary E. Hall, librarian, Girls High School, Brook- lyn, New York, without whom it was felt a meeting of this group was incomplete. Second Session The second session of the School Li- braries Section was held in the large ban- quet room of the Hotel Statler, Wednesday evening, June 28, and was called to order by the chairman. The following papers were presented : THE OLDER BOY AND THE BOOK WILLIAM HEYLIGER, Author of High Benton Several months ago, while on a lecture tour of the middle west I walked into a bookstore to talk shop with the proprietor. Two rows of Tom Swift, the rover boy and other sweet characters of juvenile fiction ran half the length of the store. "You must have quite a call for that sort of stuff," I observed, and the proprietor shook his head. "The demand," he said, "is falling off. All those books should have been sold during the last holiday season. I haven't placed a spring order." I walked out of that store with a deep feeling of satisfaction. So boys were turn- ing away from the heroes of the impossible and improbable ! It was cheering news ! But as I went on from day to day, talking to groups of boys of the high school age, I slowly began to realize that older boys at 324 DETROIT CONFERENCE least as I found them were not only in rebellion against the tawdry rot of the cheap series books but were also questioning what some people sometimes call "the high-priced book" as though price, per se, created style, feeling, imagination and sincerity by some magic power all its own. After the first shock of this discovery wore off, I found that I was not surprised. I do not know how any person who has had any contacts with juvenile fiction I dare not say literature could have been made uneasy or apprehensive by the modern boy's attitude. It was bound to come. An adult world cannot go through the tremend- ous unheavals that have shaken society with- out the tremors recording some reaction in the adolescent. The older boy of today is a different boy from the older boy of yester- day. Forces unknown when I was a lad have given him a wider contact with life. To me a seven-mile ride on street cars to a picnic ground overlooking the Hudson river was an adventure. But the boy of today looks upon seven miles as a mere fifteen- minute run in an automobile. We thought we were mechanics if we could mend a bro- ken bicycle chain ; today's boy is familiar with the mysteries of the six-cylinder gasoline en- gine. The morning paper brought us the baseball scores of games that had been played fourteen hours before; today's boy gets the score by radio fifteen minutes after the last man is out. Magazines devoted to mechanics have reached a circulation un- dreamed of. The boy builds model aero- planes and assembles his own wireless. We were of our own village, content with small things, going our small rounds ; he is of the world with the world before him. He has come out of a boy's groove and is roaming at large; his books are, for the most part, still in the groove and rather unaware that he has left the scene; or if aware that he has gone off on a new trail, his books stupidly wonder why he deserted the old homestead, why he went away, and how soon he'll be back. He'll never be back not unless his books light a candle, sweep the house and con- sign to the rubbish heap all the hackneyed, outworn, tottering old fossils that have been meandering through juvenile fiction and mas- querading as plot, counter-plot and incident. The same old stories of school and sports, the same old adventures in short the same