The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-29
THE LIBRARIANS.
Miss swans Plea for Travelling Lii
brarian System.

The annual meeting of the Indiana Libra
ry Association, which began yesterday
morning in the lieutenant governors room
in the Statehouse, is of much more inn
portance than the public usually believes.
This is an organization composed of the IL
brarians of most of the public and school
libraries of the State, and the members
are working earnestly for the broadening
of the field they occupy. Their main efforts
now are directed towards increasing the cir
culation of their books-not SO much to Sc
cure a larger circulation among the present
patrons of the libraries as to secure new
readers. They count an increase in the
number of readers worth more than twice
as much as an Increase in the number of
books read by the present patrons For
several years the librarians have devoted
much thought to securing a system or
means whereby they can get a circulation
outside of the immediate town where a IL
brary is located and get books into the
hands of readers i'm the country. In this
they have not been very successful, but
they are not discouraged, and will continue
the effort until success crowns their ef-
forts.
The meeting yesterday was fairly well
attended. Governor Mount had been in
vited to address the melting at it's opening.
He spoke for few moments but to the
point. He said the libraries of the State
might be the means of a great good-how
great could scarcely be estimated. In TACT,
the good that might be done is so great
that it can scarcely be measured in words.
He said that while it is important that
the cities have libraries it is much more
important that the CIRCULATION be extended
to the country districts, for IT, the city
the minds of the people are .onstantly be-
ing frightened by friction with others and
by the many advantages thar are impossi-
BILE in the country. "A home without Il Ii
brary.' he said, lis home without a soul,
and is not a fit place in which 10 rear men
and women.
Miss Elizabeth Day Swan, librarian of
Purdue University, is president of the asso~
citation. In her annual address she gave an
State maintained for the benefit of the
district schools 1t was sixty years ago
that the first authority was given 10 town
ships TO maintain libraries in connection
that any authority was given to levy a tax
for this purpose. Under that law $50 libra
rieS were established and izl.T0 volumes
were placed in them in the next four years.
A few years later about q 900 more volumes
were added. and I'm 1857 the law was
pealed, since which time there has been no
means for maintaining these libraries.
Miss Swan also considered the Indiana
Reading Circle. organization which in
ten years of it's life has acquired a member
ship OF over 100000. The rules require the
the rate of a given number of books each
year. While this does not take the place
of the circulating library. 1t has the ad-
vantage OF giving an ownership in the books
read for each member must purchase his
own books. This organization was a crea-
ture of the State Teachers Association and
has been a great help TO the teachers of
the State Miss Swan made a strong plea
for the assistance of men of means In eStab-