The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-03
BOOK.KEEPERS.
Convention of the Western Librar'
AssOeiatiOn-.-Wha They Met for
and what They Did TOday---The
People who are Present
80 This Afternoons
Pleasures.

were large number OF librarians and
others present. Mr.. W. F. Poole, of the
pubic library. of Chicago. called the meet
ing to order, and DR.. Calvin Truesdale,
of this city, gave the assemblage very
pleasant welcome. 1t was an extempore
effort, and an exceedingly happy one, as
the doctor is capable of making.
Aftes the address of DR.. Truesdale, MIR.
W F. Poole delivered his address.
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
Mr.. w. F. Poole, of Chicago, the pres
ident of the Western Library association
then delivered his address. He began by
saying;
Ladies and Gentlemen Off the Western Library AS
sociation:
We have occasion to congratulate each
other on meeting in this goodly city Of
Rock Island, on the banks of the majestic
Mississippi, and renewing the pleasant
relations we formed at Springfield three
years ago We welcome to our ranks the
new professional friends and others in
teresIed in libraries, whom We here meet
for the first time. Our purpose is TO form
more intimate personal relations with
each other; to share our experience; to
talk over the questions which come up
for solution i'll our daily work, and SO far
as we can, inspire new zeal in the liz
brary interests of the western states.
IL was the intention when this associa
ton was formed to hold its meetings an
nually, or at least once fn two years. The
American Library association had hitherto
held all its meetings on the Atlantic coast.
The year following our Springfield ses~
sion, and, perhaps in consequence Of it,
the National association came into our
own bailiwick and held its session at
Cincinnati, which most of US gladly at
tended. The next year it held its session
at Buffalo, n. Y, which is so near the di>
viding line between the east and the west
that many of the western librarians were
again i'll attendance. The present year
the appointment of the National associa>
ton at Toronto, Canada, has failed, and
it seemed proper that the Western asso
| citation should resume its sessions on its
own territory.
What is now known and recognized the
world over as the correct thing for library
economy and library management has
been developed during the past thirty
years No influence has been 50 efficient
in promoting this result as conferences of
the librarians such as this. When as a
college student in 1917, | first engaged
in library work, such helpful reunions had
never been thought of, and | could find
no book or tract which could give me the
information needed as beginner No
experienced librarian near with whom |
could consult. plodded on alone, meet
| ing difficulties as they arose in the best
manner could, and largely inventing my
| own methods.
1t was not then supposed that a lihrAr-
ian needed any training; almost
anybody could till the position,
and especially if he had tried
everything else. and failed in them
all. The librarians of colleges were
their professors who, could not teach
other librarians were administered by
ministers who could not preach, lawyer.
who had no clients and teachers whose
pupils had left them. These persons, who
were often bookworms, were supposed tC
be just the candidates to fill the position
Of librarian; for they must be taken care
of and there was nothing else they could
do. This idea still fingers in some dark
corners of the land, and in England and
on the continent is even more common
| e I,I,r
erly to keep books from being stolen, and
being used, TO discourage mcddlesOmc in
quiry on the part of readers in search OF
information, and to surround himself
with a serene and placid quietude which
would enable him to pursue his own line
of reading without interruption. All this
is now changed. The modern librarian
is q dispenser and not the keeper OF
knowledge. He is the person to whom
every body comes for information, and
who is glad to impart it. The position
has come to take rank among the learned
professions. 1t has been ascertained that
the preparations for its duties requires
years of training, and close, assiduous
labor. Whoever in our day expects to nc
quire reputation as librarian in the
larger sense must be scholar; must know
something about almost everything; must
have considerable linguistic training
must be alert; person of affairs, Of
high executive abilities, and one who
could succeed in anything which he or Shit
should undertake to do.
The revolution in the methods of libra
ry management began about the time The
first conference of Librarians was held il
New York City, in the summer of 1858
of which | had the privilege of being one
of the members. Prof. C. C. Jewett, Of
Smithson Institute, of Washington, d.
c.; DR.. J . D. Cogwell. Of the Aston libra
~, New York, and several other first
class men were in attendance
Its influence was most beneficial anC
lasting. The opening of the Boston Pub
lie Library in 1862, is the most important
epoch in the history of modern libraries
1t was the discovery of new principle
and the development Of q new idea which
now fills the land. Before that date all
: libraries of importance were established
and administered by the benefit of sin
} gle class of the communicative scholars
The new principle recognized the MASSES -
the half educated and the uneducated-es
tablished institutions for their benefit am
training, placing these Librarians upon tn
same footing and supporting them by tn
, same methods of public taxations. as tn
) public schools. Besides doing this be
; nifcent work for the people at large, the.
? are doing more for the scholars than thu
, libraries had done. To George Ticknor
5 of Boston, he was scholar and specialist
, who those who saw him daily, as / did
t looked upon as an aristocrat i'll his socia
: relations and sympathies, lis due the crcdi
) of having devised the scheme and 50 ar
G ranged it as to benefit every class Of citi
; zens in the community Public librarie
thus came into being. State after stat
e followed Massachusetts in the enaCtmen
t of laws which enable every city and town
which desires one, TO establish and main
; tain public library as an adjunct ant
! supplement to its public schools. Sue
= laws now exist IN every northern state il
r the Union, except the three middle states