The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-07-12
How nooKs 90 AsrRAY.
The various ways Ia Which Pebble Libra
rios Lnso MnnV NnInmns.

The various ways In Which Pebble Libra
ries Lose Many Volumes.
There are forty-nine public libraries
i'm this city, all of which do a larger
or smaller circulating business. II is
safe 60 say that the aggregate number
| of volumes on the shelves in these
forty-niuc libraries will amount to at
least one million, five hundred thou
sand. 1t is no wonder then, that
with this large number of books, and
the many who draw them and either
take them TO their homes or use them
in the libraries great many should
be lost
ut would be a matter Of surprise 20
Z layman, said the librarian OF one Of
the large libraries recently 'if he
could know by actual count the num-
Der of books which are lost strayed or
stolen in all the libraries of the city
| DO not understand me to mean that all
Of the books which disappear from the
library shelves and never find their
way back again are Intentionally
stolen; a great many people take books
to their homes, and although their in
tention is good and they mean to re
turn them they forget to do so. OF
course we keep an account of all the
books that are taken from the library.
and If a member is derelict we write TO
him and ask for the return of the book
In many instances we get them back
In some cases, however, they have been
kept so long that the fines which we
impose for keeping a book after il
is overdue have grown to such
an amount that they exceed the value
of the book, and so the borrower can
not afford to return IT, This in some
instances is made good by the borrower
replacing the book, in which case we
say nothing about the fine, being glad
o get the book back again. even
hough we do have TO put on new
cover and a new library label. In
other cases, however and these are
very many. the borrower has moved
and left no address, and has probably
sone ont Of town TO take up residence
another city. Then the book is lost
20 us forever You can readily see how
Il would not pay for MS TO spend any
-ery large amount of time or money in
looking up a book which is worth per
nops a dollar or two"
Among what class of books are tn,
diSappearances largest?'
so fiction of course, because the
largest number of disappearances are
in consequence of the reasons have
given you And I'll tell YOU very
singular thing It may astonish You.
say it with a dine respect to the in
tegrity Of clergymen but whenever we
let clergyman take IA book from the |
library we keepa more particular watch |
upon that book than upon any other /
1t seems hard TO say it, but there are
more valuable books lost by reason of /
lending to clergymen than by lending /
to any other class of people. This does /
not argue that they are exceedingly |
absent minded. 1t is certain that there
is no class of people who are so un-
businesslil1e in their methods as min |
isters Their intention is good enough |
but the books get on their shelves. and |
they are chiefly books of reference. and |
after they have worked up the particu- |
lar sermon for which they wanted the |
book they forget all about it. If they
are regular members of library it is .
easy enough to recover the book be-
cause we can jog their memories when
they come in for other books, but many
come to libraries who are
not members, and their cloth is suffi-
oient to secure for them the courtesies
Of almost any library in the city. No
body cares to refuse a minister book.
Very frequently their cards bear no ad-
tresses, and sometimes even clergymer
move.
"Ihen there are the women Forget
'ul and without an idea of business
We write, and write and
write, and get no response, and often
lave TO send one of our employees to
'all in person and secure the book"
Valuable books?'
''Well it is sometimes very easv
natter for persons who are mean
'nough to steal books to steal these. A
nan comes in with package or a
atchel In very few libraries is there
man stationed on watch on the exit.
whose business it is to see that nobody
omas in or goes out with a package.
is the easiest thing in the world. {
where man gets a book 10 use in the I
library, for him to wrap il up in the
package which he has been carving. {
md which, perhaps, contains two OF !
hrce other books. or to drOp II
nto his satchel and carry it out. and /
his is the way that most OF them are
tolen. Ev n law libraries, which are
he best guarded libraries in the city. I
utfer considerably from this method /
II stealing. IN. Y, Press.