Mr. Dewey: Which one is that?
Mr. Brigham: That is the individual, or the single book as the unit, rather than the travelling library; but I believe that the shelf-listed library will always exist. The shelf-listed library of 50 or 25 books must be a necessity in the communities where there are no libraries, and I am sorry to say that there are a great many communities of that sort; but the communities in which there are libraries are increasing, and wherever there is a local library, or wherever there is a woman's club, there the single book can be used to the best advantage. There are disadvantages in the use of the shelf-listed library. Before we adopted the new system, we often had requests for library no. 38 or no. 53, and later found that the request arose from the fact that there was a single book, or perhaps two books in that library, that some one wanted, while the rest of the volumes would come back comparatively unused. That was not good business economy. We might better have sent those two books, and I became more and more impressed with this fact, and was finally able to partially adopt the other plan. We have now perhaps 2000 books on our shelves that are issued separately; but we have nearly 5000 tied up in libraries. Both classes are in use, but the expense to the local library of getting our collection of 50 books for the sake of using perhaps two volumes is unnecessary. I am more and more impressed with the fact—though the remark may be unorthodox—that there is prevalent a little fad for spending money for administration, and spending it not always economically. I believe in spending money freely for administration that is approved by good common sense; beyond that it is a woful waste of money. And so I would keep the use of the single book in mind. The women's clubs as you know, are studying more and more, and are doing less and less miscellaneous reading. Suppose we are trying to meet the wants of the women's clubs. We put up a library covering the Victorian period in literature, and we find that some one wants a certain number of books on the lake poets. What is the use of sending the entire library? We may have a library made up on the lake poets. Then, suppose one librarian or one secretary writes for what we may have on Coleridge, another wishes material on Wordsworth. Why not send the Coleridge books to the one, and the Wordsworth books to the other? In that way, make the books count. We should not be penurious in the matter of expenditure for cases or for printing, or for any other working tools, but we should always keep in mind that the essential thing is the book, and if we can get on without the book case, or without the cover that envelops it, or without the shipping case, or without the combination book case and shipping case, all the better. We cannot get along without them altogether, but we can send small packages all over the state wrapped in paper, and can get rid of a great deal of expense.
Mr. Dewey: When you send ten books, of course send them in paper, but when you send 50 or 100, send them in boxes; that is cheaper. This is a mere shipping question.
Adjourned.
[WORK OF STATE LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS AND WOMEN'S CLUBS IN ADVANCING LIBRARY INTERESTS: ROUND TABLE MEETING.]
The work that can be done by state library associations and women's clubs to advance library interests was considered in a "round table" meeting, held in the assembly room, Fountain Spring House, on the morning of Wednesday, July 10. Miss Marilla Waite Freeman presided as chairman.
Miss Freeman: At the Montreal conference last year a round table meeting of officers of state library associations was held for the discussion of questions affecting association work. Certain subjects, some of which were informally discussed at that time, seem naturally to invite our attention at the present session. We are to consider the object and functions of state library associations—whether they should attempt other lines of effort than the holding of a general meeting; what principles as to time and place of meeting, topics, and participants should govern the preparation of a program. With this general subject has been joined the allied topic of the work of women's clubs in advancing library interests. Few of us fully comprehend even yet the amount of effective library extension work which has been and is being accomplished by club women in almost every state of the Union. I have asked representative members from some of the states which have been working along these lines to tell us of their work. We shall hear first from Mr. J. C. Dana, of the City Library, Springfield, Mass., the Western Massachusetts Club, and the Massachusetts Library Club, on
WHAT THE WORK OF STATE LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS SHOULD BE.
J. C. Dana: Perhaps the chief purposes of a state library association are to arouse an interest in libraries among the public and to increase the knowledge and enthusiasm of the members of the profession. The mistake is often made of thinking that the chief purpose of an association is to hold an annual meeting. It is thought that the annual meeting once provided with a good program, and that well carried through, the work of the association for the whole year is done. There could not be a greater mistake. The benefits of a state association come largely from correspondence between members, the preparation for the meeting, and the securing of ideas, new methods and statistics by circulating letters among members, and the publication in newspapers and elsewhere of notes about the meeting which is to come and the meetings which have been. One is almost tempted to say that a library association performs its duty better if it is active during the year—carrying on correspondence and thoroughly advertising itself—and holds no meeting whatever, than it does if it holds an annual meeting and does not advertise.
Another mistake common to those who organize state library associations is to suppose that they are chiefly designed for the benefit of those who organize them. They do not realize that to help younger and less experienced members of the craft is a chief purpose of the association, and that if through it librarians generally are informed and encouraged, the profession itself is thereby improved, and they are themselves advanced in general esteem.