Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth General Meeting of the American Library Association / Held at Kaaterskill, N. Y., June 23-28, 1913

by Unknown

THE LIBRARY'S OPPORTUNITIES IN VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

In October, 1911, the Grand Rapids public library published in its monthly bulletin an outline of the Central high school course in vocational guidance, with a selected list of the library's books on this subject for teachers and pupils. Five thousand copies were printed, and no number of the bulletin we have ever published has received so much attention. Requests for it have come from all over the world, and a number of institutions have purchased as many as 50 copies. This bulletin is now out of print. In the near future, on the basis of our experience of the last few years, we expect to publish a revised edition of the vocational guidance list, which will include much new material purchased on this subject in the last two years.

Although this list has received so much attention outside of the city its greatest success has been in the city itself. It has brought to the library a great number of young people for the books for circulation and to the reference department for the preparation of all sorts of themes on vocational subjects as a part of their high school work in English. It is not an uncommon thing to find from 20 to 50 high school students at one time working on this subject in our reference department. Incidentally this work at the library has been a splendid training for the boys and girls in the use of the reference books, and regardless of any direct effect it might have on their choice of a career it is certain that the consideration of a number of subjects in connection with the possibility of their being followed as a vocation tends to broaden the life of any young person.

At first this work was regarded somewhat as a joke by some of the pupils but there has been less and less of this as time goes on. No work that the library has ever done in the way of making certain classes of books known to its readers has met with anything like the response as has this work of co-operation with the Central high school.

All through this work the thought of the library has been that it is a co-operating agent rather than an institution working independently, and it seems to me that in all work of this kind the teacher and the school through their intimate personal knowledge of the child are in a much better position to guide the boys and girls than is the library. The library's place is simply that of being fully alive and sympathetic with the whole situation, and in putting forth every effort to gather all available data and to supply the needs of those who can use printed material on this subject. It does not of course neglect opportunities for personal influence, but it seems to me that the library can not take the initiative in the same way nor on the same scale as does the school. Through the reading rooms the library has special opportunities to direct the "misfit" who comes to the library for a clue to a better occupation.

Along with the list in our bulletin of October, 1911, which by the way includes only things in the circulating department of the library, we published an outline of work in vocational guidance in the Central high school by Principal Davis. The following is his statement and the outline, as then in use, since modified somewhat on the basis of practical experience.

Outline of Work in Vocational Guidance in the Central High School

By Jesse B. Davis, Principal

"Vocational guidance aims to direct the thought and growth of the pupil throughout the high school course along the line of preparation for life's work. The plan is intended to give the pupil an opportunity to study the elements of character that give success in life, and by a careful self analysis to compare his own abilities and opportunities with successful men and women of the past. By broadening his vision of the world's work, and applying his own aptitudes and tastes to the field of endeavor that he may best be able to serve, it is attempted to stir the student's ambition and to give a purpose to all his future efforts. Having chosen even a tentative goal his progress has direction. In the later study of moral and social ethics he has a viewpoint that makes the result both practical and effective.

"In order to reach all the pupils in the high school this work is carried on through the department of English, which subject all pupils must take. Brief themes and discussions form the basis of the work. Pupils are directed in their reading along vocational and ethical lines and are advised by teachers who have made a special study of vocational guidance. The following outline is but suggestive of the types of themes and discussions to be used. Each teacher is given opportunity to use her own individuality in working out the details of the scheme.

"Outline

First Year

1st Semester—Elements of success in life.

1. Every day problems.

(a) The school. (b) The home. (c) The athletic field. (d) The social group.

2. Elements of character.

(a) Purpose of life. (b) Habit. (c) Happiness. (d) Self-control. (e) Work. (f) Health.

2nd Semester—Biography of successful men and women.

1. Character sketches.

2. Comparison of opportunities of ... with self.

3. Comparison of qualities of ... with self.

Second Year

1st Semester—The world's work.

1. Vocations: Professions, occupations.

2. Vocations of men.

3. Vocations of women.

2nd Semester—Choosing a vocation.

1. Making use of my ability.

2. Making use of my opportunity.

3. Why I should like to be....

4. The law of service.

Third Year

1st Semester—Preparation for life's work.

1. Should I go to college?

2. How shall I prepare for my vocation?

3. Vocational schools.

4. How shall I get into business?

2nd Semester—Business ethics.

1. Business courtesy.

2. Morals in modern business methods.

3. Employer and employee.

4. Integrity an asset in business.

Fourth Year

1st Semester—Social ethics: The individual and society—from the point of view of my vocation.

1. Why should I be interested in

(a) Public schools? (b) The slums? (c) Social settlements? (d) Public charities? (e) The church? (f) Social service?

2. The Social relation of the business man.

2nd Semester—Social ethics: The individual and the state—from the point of view of my vocation.

1. The rights of the individual.

2. Protection of the individual from the state.

3. The obligations of citizenship.

4. The rights of property.

5. The responsibility of power."

The books in the bulletin were arranged in accordance with the foregoing outline, which takes the pupil through the whole four years of high school work. Principal Davis' statement of the aims and methods of vocational guidance as it is being carried on in Grand Rapids is sufficiently clear I think, and does not require any additional explanation. It should be clearly understood, however, that vocational guidance is altogether different from vocational education and from industrial education, subjects with which it is sometimes confused.

To meet the many demands which come to Mr. Davis for information regarding vocational guidance he is now at work on a book which will discuss the whole matter fully. This book will probably be ready in the fall. It will contain a revised list of our books on this subject.

At a recent meeting of the Board of Education this work was organized and systematized for the whole city, for all the pupils in the seventh grade and upwards, with Principal Davis as director of the work.

In the light of our experience we believe that the library, in addition to printing a list of books such as given in accordance with this outline, needs a supplementary list arranged according to vocations. On account of the growing interest in vocational education and industrial education there have been many useful books published within the last few years. When this work was first begun there was a dearth of suitable material on a good many subjects, and it was necessary for the library to depend largely on magazine articles, pamphlets, etc., in the reference department, the best of which we have indexed according to subject, along with our indexing of other material such as college catalogs, to show the institutions where courses are given on particular subjects, etc.

The following are a few of the subjects called for recently, as they were noted in the reference department: Nursing, Teaching, Drafting, Social settlement work, Dressmaking, Library work, Dentistry, Music, Mining engineering, Electrical engineering, Farming, Physical training, Agriculture, Education of defectives, Forestry, Playground work, Stenography, Art, Mechanics, Magazine illustrating, Domestic science, Landscape gardening, Designing dresses, Housekeeping, Social secretary work, Private secretary work, Decorative painting, Baseball managership, Surveying, Civil service, Kindergarten work, Scientific farming, Physical culture.

The purpose in all this work is to endeavor to aid boys and girls to find a work in life that will command their best energies, their intelligent interest, and is adapted to their capacities, thus avoiding so far as possible the bane of young people drifting into the first thing that comes along, whether they are fitted for it or not. This work puts before them the widest possible range of choice of vocation, enlarges their horizon, and then endeavors to ground them in those fundamental moral qualities which are the basis of every successful life.

By putting the right sort of books into their hands in this way the library has a tremendous opportunity for influencing their lives at the most formative period, and at the same time developing in them a more or less serious attitude toward life and its work. The study of the lives of successful men and women and the study of the work and requirements of different vocations can not help but impress upon boys and girls the importance of preparation and conscientious effort as prime requisites for success in any line of work.

We of the library in Grand Rapids are of the opinion that the library alone in such work could do very little. As already stated we believe that the initiative should come from the school. On the other hand, we are firmly convinced that the school alone without the co-operation of the library would be very seriously handicapped. In the first place the school would be required to duplicate unnecessarily a large number of the books which are in our public libraries, and this of course would be an economic waste. In the second place the school would be denying the children one of the best opportunities to come in contact with an institution which aids them in the continuation of their education all through life after they leave school. It is of immense value to the child to get training in the use of the library in connection with the thinking he is giving to his work in after life. A better introduction of the child to the value of books and a public library, the library itself could hardly ask.

But the library's greatest opportunity in vocational guidance is in the fact that all this work is really constructive manhood and womanhood, or if you please, constructive citizenship. And this is not only the greatest work the library can do, but the greatest work any institution can do.

This subject proved a timely one and aroused considerable discussion. Many questions were asked concerning the co-operation of the public library in Grand Rapids with this department of work in the high school. Mr. Ranck announced that Mr. Davis, principal of the Central high school, expects to bring out a book in the fall which shall include outlines and the list of books which has been in such great demand and which is now out of print.

The discussion seemed to show that "vocational guidance" is a legitimate field not adequately covered by libraries. Miss Power now took the chair.

Miss Burnite made a motion to adopt the following resolution:

Whereas, the members of the American Library Association who are engaged in work with children feel the great bond of affection for all those who have rendered that service to child life which the achievement of efficient library service for children signifies;

And whereas, the Dayton public library has suffered the destruction of its children's department and thereby the children of the city are without the influence of good books at the time they need them most;

Be it resolved: that we express to the Board of Trustees, the librarian, Miss Clatworthy, the head of the children's department, Miss Ely, our deep sympathy and the hope that their work may be rehabilitated upon a greater plane of service.

Be it resolved also, that these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of this meeting and the secretary be empowered to forward them to the library officials mentioned with the request that the resolutions be forwarded to the Women's Clubs of the city and especially to the Mothers' Clubs as an expression of sympathy for them also, in the loss of the department of the library which has furthered their own efforts in bettering child life.

The motion was carried and the session adjourned.