PUBLICITY FOR THE SAKE OF SUPPORT
In every community there are scores of intelligent men—men who are well-informed on most subjects—who do not know what the modern public library does, whose conception of it is what might have been expected a generation or two ago. The word "library" to them means such a collection of books as they have in their homes, or the library they used while in college. There is no thought in their minds of the aggressive, civic and educational force that we believe the American public library to be.
These men are not found in any one particular class. Business men and public officials may seem to head the list, but there are college professors and presidents, and well educated professional men who are quite as uninformed and indifferent as any others. I could point to dozens of men and women in my own state, high up in educational affairs, and some of whom are officially in close touch with libraries, who do not realize at all what place a public library can hold in community life.
Perhaps the best evidence on this proposition, if evidence is needed, is found in the recent books dealing with civic and educational affairs. In many of them the authors speak forcibly and unmistakably in favor of the public library, and exhibit a knowledge of current library practice that is gratifying to the library profession, but there are other books—not few in number—in which the writers show an entire lack of appreciation of the public library movement.
It is very easy for us to say, when such a condition is brought to mind, that it is the other fellow's fault, that there is no excuse in these days for anybody's being ignorant of the public library movement. Perhaps that is true; but, for my part, I am inclined to wonder if the fault is not with the librarians themselves. They have been so busy working out their own administrative problems that they have not taken the trouble to keep the public informed on the progress made. They have pushed the establishment of libraries—that has been comparatively easy—but they have not yet, to any very great extent, created a public sentiment that insists enthusiastically on generous appropriations.
There is need for some advertising that will take care of this situation. It might emanate from different sources: from the state and national library associations and departments working on the public generally; and from the libraries themselves, individually working on their own communities. Most of the library association publications are professional literature; most of the speeches made under the auspices of the associations are made to librarians and others already interested.
What is needed now, if my reasoning is correct, is a publicity campaign that will cover a wider range. Let its purpose be to give concrete, up-to-date information about the public library to every man and woman who reads, to every individual who is interested in any way in civic improvement or educational affairs. Surely no better way can be found of laying a foundation for liberal library appropriations.
One great need is for popular books and pamphlets on public library work. Dr. Bostwick's "The American public library," is the one available volume of this character; there is room yet for several other publications, shorter, for the most part, and dealing with special phases of library work rather than with all phases. Many people will have to read a short article or pamphlet before they will acquire sufficient interest to undertake a whole book.
The different lines of library work that offer subjects for popular treatment are many. Most of them have been written about for librarians; why can't we have them written about now for the general public? Properly printed and attractively illustrated, a series of books and pamphlets of the sort I have in mind could be used to a good advantage all over the country. Of course, a good deal of the material distributed would never be read, but the fact that little advertising booklets are widely used by business men would indicate that in the long run they do have a good effect.
Perhaps the most promising field is that of the magazines, for practically all intelligent Americans read some monthly or weekly periodical. Some would be reached by the good literary magazines, some by the so-called family magazines; others read only the trade journals, and a few only religious. All together they offer a medium of publicity that would reach nearly everybody. If we could successfully emulate the people who have pushed some of the great movements like conservation or industrial education we should soon have everybody believing that the public library is a live issue. No other movement offers better opportunities for such publicity, for there is no other institution quite so broad in its interests as the public library.