Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-30
OPEN on CLOSED SHELVES.
Subject Under Consideration at meeting Of
Library Trustees and City Council Committee.

Library Trustees and City Council Committee.
The special committee on public IL
brary appointed by the city council t,
confer with the trustees of the Lithgow
library, agreeably to an invitation
from that board. met the latter in tn.
Offices Of Leslie c. Cornish, Saturday
afternoon, at O'clock. The request OF
the city council for the open shelf sys-
tenn in the library was the subject un-
der discussion. Alderman Dudley
chairman of the committee, stated in
response to query the purpose for which
the committee was appointed. This
purpose, generally stated. was to as
certain the attitude Of the trustees to-
ward the request for open shelves
Those present on the part of the trus-
tees We're Hon. j. w. Bradbury, j. II.
Manley, J. w. Chase, J. F. Hill, Oscar
Holway, Lendall Titcomb and Leslie
C. Cornish.
lining the work that had been done by
the trustees relative to establishing
rules and regulations, providing for a
card catalogue system, etc, and said
that arrangements We're made some
time ago to have a printed catalogue
which it was thought would be much
appreciated by the public. Mr.. Cor
nish thought the agitation over the
matter of open shelves uncalled for
He said that before deciding upon the
system to be used he made inquiries
of different librarians including those
of all or nearly all the leading libraries
in Maine. He read several of the re-
plies he received. These he read ia
vored in some form the system of en-
closed shelves.
Mr.. Cornish also presented state
books taken from the Lithgow library
since it was made public. He argued
that it would be impossible for the IL
brarian and one assistant, as at pres
ent, to do the work with an open-shelf
system where the number of books
taken out is as large as now Where
the books are handled by the patrons
they are disarranged and must be re-
placed in exact order to comply with
the system of cataloguing. This work
could not be done by the present force,
and the trustees disliked to increase
the expense. In the old library. before
it was made public, everything was
different The arrangement of the
disarranging of them was consequently
minor consideration. Besides, the
librarian occupied a position where she
could overlook the shelves: the number
of patrons was limited to subscribers,
between three and four hundred. 1t
was necessary in an institution like
the present one to have different reg
ulations and he was sure the trustees
had made the utmost endeavor to have
those regulations adopted that they
believed to be for the best interests of
the library and the public He thought
courteously in the matter
Mr.. Titcomb referred to the arduous
work org Unit p1
ciates on the board and said there had
been desire on the part of all to have
the management of the library as lib
raj as possible. In this spirit they had
decided to admit children of II years
but were compelled afterwards to
raise the age limit to IA. He did not
think it would do to allow young peo-
pie of that age freedom to handle the
books on the shelves. They would GER
tainly disarrange them and necessitate
much extra work.
Mr. Manley thought that statement
should be made to the city council
showing just what had been done, what
it was proposed to do and the existing
conditions. He thought the whole mat
ter could be adjusted satisfactorily
He thought the open-shelf system a
good one where there can be assistants
to do the work of picking up and re-
placing the books. He thought some
classes of books could be kept where
they might be examined. His sugges-
ton Tor statement to the city met
with approval.
Hon. ]. w. Bradbury. who was pres
ent and gave the closest attention to
all that was said, made few remarks
before the close of the meeting. He
has been one of the most constant
and untring friends the institution has
had from the time it was circulating