Unfortunately, the librarians who are ignorant of the financial condition of their libraries, except their own salaries and the fines, are not all found in the country towns and are not all without library school training.
I know of one librarian in a city of nearly one hundred thousand population who never knows the amount of the library income, for either the current or the past year.
I know of another library, this one in a small town, that has been running for several years on a very limited income although the board has absolute power to more than double the library levy. Recently the librarian, a library school graduate, resigned, because, she said, there was no future. A few weeks later a candidate for the position met with the board to talk things over. She went armed with a p-slip full of figures. She knew the assessed valuation of the town, and the present and possible library income. She knew something about the city finances and whether the town could afford an increase for the library. She had similar figures for the adjoining townships and was prepared to tell how township support might be secured. In fact, she went to the board meeting prepared to discuss the financial possibilities of the library in a business-like way, to tell what ought to be done, how much it would cost to do it and finally, what she would take to shoulder the proposition.
Of course, she was employed. She was employed at her own salary and on her own conditions, and the board agreed to follow out her recommendations.
Such a librarian is a perpetual advertisement for the library of the very best sort. His reputation for a good business administration will win the business men, and his knowledge of city finances will win the respect of public officials and others interested in city government.
The library and the librarian also need a reputation for being interested in all civic improvement societies and other organizations that have for their business the public welfare. Agreeable professional relations with the men and women who are members of these societies will make friends for the library of the best and most active people of the city. The librarian can without difficulty, secure an invitation to address such organizations on matters pertaining to the library and if he is the right sort, he will be allowed to present his cause when he is asking for more money.
The librarian who does all these things ought not to have any great difficulty in securing the money necessary to run his library properly. It will be an added advantage, however, to keep the name of the library before the people. We ought not to be satisfied until everybody knows that there is such a thing as the public library and that it is situated at a certain place. The mere fact that a man knows a thing exists will make him approachable when the time comes to ask his support.
In order that people who do not use the library may nevertheless know something about it and be prepared to play the part of intelligent citizens when appropriations are discussed, there is need for a continuous series of newspaper articles that will tell, frankly and fully, what the library is doing. These articles should appear as news items whenever possible and should be readable. The librarian who does the largest part of the reporter's and editor's work is likely to get the best results. If the papers are accustomed to getting something from the library regularly, they will be willing to print financial reports and budgets with explanations when the time comes. If for any reason the library cannot get its items printed as news, then the same material can be used in paid "talks" to the public.