The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-05
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
A Protest Against the Flew Regulations
for the Reading Room.

TO the Editor Of the Pres:
The reading room at the Public Library has
come to be an important means of public edu-
cation. Its usefulness has been noticeably
checked, however, by the change in methods
which went into effect three weeks ago.
The periodicals which were formerly left for
general inspection upon two large tables. nave
been removed to an inner room, and must be
called for separately when wanted by the
reader.
Three reasons for this change are offered by
the librarian. The one which would suggest
itself first-protection of the magazines and
papers-is given least weight, for the reason
that there have been few instances of theft or
defaceinent The difficulty in finding some
particular issue, which was experiencad now
and then under the old system. il more than
onset by the Inconvenience of taking ones
place behind crowd at the desk. and then
waiting for the periodical wanted to be brought
from an adjoining room.
The reason given as the chief one will hardly
commend itself to the public or to the busy as
sistants at the desk "Every book called for
may now be recorded, - it is said. sand data
thus furnished to the librarian, SO that he NAV
judge what ones are most in demand IN
doubtedly the record will be effectual in show
ing that many of them will not be e'called for,
at all, so long the present system continues:
but statistics of the diminished interest in cur-
rent literature will hardly he forthcoming.
Inc practlcai results OF the change are still
more significant. AT hours of the day when
the magazines, weeklies and reviews were in
almost constant use, the reading room is now
practically deserted. 1t was amusing al first
to see the young people come in look in blank
aslonlsnment at the bare tables andlthen after
glance at the few papers ltill remaining at
tne SIDE OF the room, walk sadly out There
will be more ground for concern than for
amusement, however, If this unwise procedure
Is not soon remedied.
Our old plan for making the literature of the
day easy Of access to everybody might be inn
practicable for large library like that in Bos-
ton; but it has worked admirably with MS and
should be restored without delay.
vigorous protests against this new reguia-
ZION are heard on all sides from those who fire.
quent the room and in view of the courtesy
and thought, fulness which characterize the
administration of the library, one NAV safely
expect that they will not be persisted in after.
1t becomes apparent that the practical result is
to discourage resort to the room on the mart OF
those for whom it is maintained at publie ex-
pense.
Another Complains with "A Suggestion.
The reason assigned in SATURDAYS issue for
the removal of the periodicals from the reading
room of the library seems to some of Us very
insufficient reason. Some of the foreign peri
odicals are rarely called for, and the librarian
proposes to discover just how rarely by with
drawing from the reading-tables aU the periodi-
Gals, even Harper's, The Atlantic, The Gen.
fury, The st. Nicholas and The Popular
Science Monthly, with perhaps two or three
more, whose very covers bear witness to their
constant usage, and which the librarian would
surely never dream of striking from his lists.
1t may be that there is no delay in handing
out any periodical asked for, but most people
don't know what to ask for. With misceI.
laneous magazine, nothing but a personal
examination will decide the question, You
see man glance through half-a-dozen period-
cals before he hndS an article he cares to read.
NOW, to have to perform this operation with
the intervention of even the readiest of deliv-
cry clerks is--a nuisance, if nothing more. A
bashful man isn't equal to il, and goes meeklv
away unsatisfed. The reading room used to
be almost constantly occupied, and its deserted
appearance nowadays is proof sufficient that
the new plan doesn't work well. If Mr.. Wat
son wishes to save visitors the trouble of look
ing through disorderly heap of periodicals
Tor any particular issue, the best plan would be
70 put the magazines in covers, and have a
place for each, as is done in public libraries in
other cities. This plan would save the dis
graceful dog-earing to which the magazines
are now exposed, and it would require no
more time to keep the magazines in their
proper place on the table than it would to
deliver them as proposed. Let us have the
old way again, with the addition of a little
system In the arrangements of the reading
room. r.. ri n