Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association / Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912

by Unknown

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON LIBRARY TRAINING

After correspondence, it was decided at the beginning of the year to make another effort to obtain from the Executive Board an appropriation which would make possible the repeatedly suggested inspection of library schools. Accordingly, such a request was made at the meeting of the Executive Board at Chicago last January, and an appropriation of $200 was obtained.

About the same time, a request was presented to the chairman of the Committee on library training, signed by representatives of nearly all the library schools, requesting that the committee recommend a minimum standard admission, length of course, and curriculum for library schools.

To this the chairman replied, calling attention to the reports of 1905 and 1906, in which an endeavor had been made to meet a part of the request, and requesting that the schools indicate in what respects these reports should be modified or supplemented. The replies to this request are most interesting and will be of great service to the committee. When all the schools have answered this inquiry, the replies will be manifolded and the committee will give the request careful consideration. A thoroughly satisfactory recommendation, however, will naturally follow, rather than precede, the contemplated inspection of schools.

A tentative scheme of points to be observed in the proposed inspection has been prepared, and is being considered by persons interested. When their criticisms and suggestions have been received, the committee will consider the scheme. When approved by the members of the committee, and when the committee has found a suitable person to make the inspection, the library schools will be given the opportunity to ask for such inspection, and to the extent of the funds available for the purpose, the inspection will be made.

In the light of the facts obtained in such a careful study of the library schools, it is hoped to make some recommendations which will be of service to the schools, and to the profession.

On account of the absence of the chairman of the committee from the country since the first of February, the work has progressed slowly. For the same reason, this report is submitted without being first considered and approved by the other members of the committee.

AZARIAH S. ROOT, Chairman.