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rural schools, study their needs, place traveling libraries suitable thereto, and give informal talks to the teachers.

The Rochester (N. Y.) Public Library investigated what 1,500 school children did between Friday and the following Monday, and found that reading claimed more of their time than any other recreation. The Rochester Board of Education has cooperated with the public library by turning over to the latter its collection of about 16,000 grade library books. These are managed by the library for the schools, the school board retaining the title to the books, buying new ones, and keeping the old ones in repair. Instead of changing the collection occasionally, as is done in most places, each grade has a permanent collection of 70 volumes.

The Council of the American Library Association, at its meeting in Washington, D. C., in May, 1914, passed resolutions on library service in schools and on the qualifications of school librarians.1

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.

The 1914 conference of the American Library Association was held in Washington, D. C., May 24-29. The attendance was 1,366, the largest in the history of the association. Delegates were present from 37 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada. For the first time in several years there were no representatives from abroad.

The principal consideration at the various sessions was the service performed by the National Government through its many departments to the library interests of the country, and the value of the conference largely lay in promoting the coordination of Federal, State, and other agencies.

The conference was held under the presidency of Edwin H. Anderson, director of the New York Public Library. In his presidential address, "The tax on ideas," he emphasized that the United States is one of the few enlightened countries to place a tariff on books. J. Franklin Jameson spoke on "The need of a national archive building," and said that the United States is one of the few civilized nations which does not possess adequate housing for its archive material. Commissioner Claxton, of the Bureau of Education, advocated greater extension of library facilities among the rural population, outlining a plan for supplying every county in the land with a free public library. John Foster Carr, director of the Immigrant Education Society, of New York, presented the needs of the foreign born and the influence of good reading in making good citizens. Katharine H. Wootten, librarian of Atlanta, Ga., presented a paper on library development in the South since 1907-the year when the association last met in that section-and said that approximately 91

1 Bulletin Amer. Lib. Assoc., 8: 186.

libraries had been built in 14 Southern States at an expenditure of more than $1,500,000 since 1907. Mr. Carlton, of the Newberry Library, Chicago, warned librarians that the modern demands of administration and business in their library work were robbing them of the old-time prestige possessed by the librarian who actually knew his books. He feared that "at present, intellect is dragged like a captive behind the chariot of utility." Mr. Bolton, of the Boston Athenæum, spoke on "The present trend." He said the movement of the time was toward beautiful and useful branch libraries; that the immigrant population now utilizing the libraries occasioned a movement toward laying quite as much stress upon having standard books in new dress as upon having new books in the stacks; that plans to "push books" would result in putting the best books in the hands of those who might not otherwise read them. The temper of the time toward the moving-picture and whatever is easy-going must be met by the librarian by plans for high endeavor.

The secretary's report reviewed the work at headquarters office in Chicago. The membership was nearly 3,000; increased efforts for publicity had been made; addresses had been made at various State meetings and before library schools. The endowment funds of the association amount to about $108,000. The sale of publications issued by the association amounted to $11,560.79.

Reports were presented by various committees: Administration, binding, work with the blind, cooperation with the National Education Association, coordination, public documents, library training, etc. The various sections conducted meetings at which different phases of Government service were prominent.

The four affiliated organizations, the National Association of State Libraries, the American Association of Law Libraries, the League of Library Commissions, and the Special Libraries Association, held sessions also in Washington in conjunction with the meetings of the larger association.

The officers elected for the coming year were: President, Hiller C. Wellman, librarian of the Springfield (Mass.) City Library; first vice president, W. N. C. Carlton, librarian of the Newberry Library, Chicago; second vice president, Mary L. Titcomb, librarian of the Washington County Free Library, of Hagerstown, Md.

The council expressed the appreciation of the association to the Postmaster General for the inclusion of books in the parcel post, with the hope that further facilities may be afforded as rapidly as experience and revenue justify, especially by the inclusion of all printed matter within the parcel post; by an arrangement for the collection of book parcels; by adoption of a fractional scale for quarter pounds above the initial pound; and by the ultimate establishment of a rate not exceeding the old book rate of 8 cents a pound.

for the farther zones. The council also passed resolutions cordially approving the efforts which have been made toward the erection of a national archive building.

STATE LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS.

Thirty-nine States and the District of Columbia have some form of voluntary organization to which the principal libraries belong. These associations generally hold meetings yearly, sometimes more frequently, at which prearranged programs are carried out. A library association was formed in Wyoming in October, 1914, and the first meeting was held in Laramie. Plans for a State library commission are being prosecuted. Several State teachers' associations have departments of libraries, among the number being Indiana, Maine, Michigan, and New York.

The constitution of the American Library Association was revised in 1913 to permit any State library association to affiliate with the national body, and the following States have thus far availed themselves of this opportunity: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pacific Northwest (includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia), South Dakota, Tennessee.

GIFTS.

For the year 1913 the American Library Association reported1 gifts to United States and Canadian libraries aggregating $4,428,241.68. Of this amount, $2,371,642 was received from the Carnegie Corporation. In addition to money gifts, there were recorded 168,655 volumes, 12 sites for library buildings, 10 buildings presented for library purposes, and a number of miscellaneous items.

AMERICAN LIBRARY INSTITUTE.

The meeting of the American Library Institute for the year 191314 was held in New York City, December 1, 1913, with an attendance of over 100. It was full of interest and showed serious consideration of the problems discussed.

Dr. W. Dawson Johnston, librarian of Columbia University, read a paper on "Recruiting college men and women for library work." "Physical efficiency" was discussed by Dr. George J. Fisher, of New York City. "Book storage as affected by thickness of paper," was presented by Dr. Harry L. Koopman, librarian of Brown University, Providence, R. I. Melvil Dewey gave an address on "The library's opportunity." There was live discussion of all these papers.

1 Bulletin Amer. Lib. Assoc., March, 1914, pp. 37-48.

Dr. Paul Otlet, of the Institute of International Bibliography of Brussels, described a "roll book," by which copies of certain parts of books could be thrown on a screen for use in schools, extension lectures, etc.

Mr. Charles H. Gould, of McGill University, Montreal, presented the question of the standard of valuation for books that have been in the library for a long time, particularly periodicals that have become scarce in the market. The consensus of opinion in the meeting was that no standard of value could be set.

PENSIONS.

The city council of Omaha has approved an ordinance establishing a pension system for city library employees, who may be assessed not to exceed 1 per cent of their salary, to which the city is to add a sum at least 11⁄2 times this amount. The fund may also be increased by private donations or bequests. Any employee who has been at work 35 years, 20 years of which have been in the Omaha Public Library, may be pensioned at the rate of $420 a year. Any person who has served 40 years, 20 of which have been in Omaha, shall be retired on a pension.

A library pension law was recently before the Ohio Legislature, but did not pass, owing to the crowded condition of the calendar. The Brooklyn Public Library and the Boston Athenæum are considering pension schemes. Pratt Institute Free Library, Buffalo Public Library, and Chicago Public Library already have pension systems. The Chicago plan was described by the librarian at the trustees' section meeting of the American Library Association at Washington, in May, 1914.1 The Boston Public Library is proposing to establish a pension fund on the receipts from fines for overdue books, which amount to about $6,000 a year.

WORK WITH FOREIGNERS.

From 60 to 75 per cent of those who patronize our large city libraries are either foreign born or the children of foreign-born parents. Traveling libraries in nearly every European language are sent out by the leading library commissions, and foreign book lists have been compiled in most of these tongues. The Boston Public Library gave a series of free illustrated lectures in Italian.

The work done for foreigners in our large city libraries is illustrated by the Cleveland (Ohio) Public Library, which has collections of books in Bohemian, Croatian, Danish and Norwegian, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew and Yiddish, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Roumanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and

1 Bulletin of the Amer. Lib. Assoc., 8: 250-252,

Swedish. The first Chinese library to be established in the United States has headquarters in Chicago. Many Chinese students are availing themselves of it. Buffalo has the largest Polish library in the country, containing about 15,000 volumes.

In Massachusetts the work has been extended under the guidance of the new educational director of work with foreigners. Miss Campbell, the director, visited 25 libraries and spoke at six meetings in the furtherance of this work. Lists of books in 12 foreign languages were compiled.

Buffalo, Springfield (Mass.), and other libraries report that this past year special attention has been given to this department of library work. Nearly all important public libraries have compiled reading lists of books in foreign languages, and are from time to time. adding to their collection.

LIBRARIES IN COMMERCIAL HOUSES.

Business libraries in commercial houses have been growing in number and in activity during the past few years, until there are now hundreds of corporations, firms, and business men who maintain research and business libraries as regular departments of their plant. The following are a few of the fields covered by these "special libraries": Accounting, architecture, chemistry, civics, commerce, electricity, engineering, finance, gas, insurance, law, philanthropy, public service, railways, sanitation, social service, taxation, telephone, etc. A magazine, Special Libraries, is published in Indianapolis in the interests of these libraries and the work they are doing.1

NEWER FORMS OF SERVICE.

Public and university libraries and library commissions, in increasing numbers, are lending both lantern slides and lanterns. The extension division of the University of Minnesota has organized a free lantern-slide bureau. The extension division of the University of Wisconsin is taking steps to promote a library of educational films to lend to schools and social centers throughout the State. The new library building in Los Angeles, Cal., contains a sound-proof music room, equipped with pianos, so that music may be tried by those who wish to hear it before purchasing. Many libraries loan music rolls, graphophone records, material for reflectoscopes, etc.

The public libraries of St. Paul, Minn., and Wilmington, Del., have arranged with the Western Union Telegraph Co. for home delivery of books, the charge of 5 cents a volume being borne by the borrower. Some libraries, St. Louis for example, have arranged for

1 See report on 50 representative special libraries, by R. H. Johnston, in Lib. Journ., 39: 280-84, April, 1914.

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