The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-13
LIBRARIANS TO CONFER.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Association Will Hold a Con-
vention at Atlantic
City.

The New Jersey Library Association
was organized in this city December 20,
1890. The first president was the Rev.
William Prall, Ph.D.. who. while a mem
Der of the Legislature some years before,
had succeeded in securing the adoption
of an important addition to the library
laws of the State.
For five years the society devoted itself
chiefly to furthering the excellence of
the libraries and the culture Of the libra
rians in the State. Then it began its ef-
forts to secure the establishment of
are held two or three times a year in
various localities. and topics bearing
upon the different branches of the subject
are discussed.
A Joint meeting of the New Jersey and
Pennsylvania Library Associations is to
be held at Atlanti City on Monday,
April 5.
There will be two sessions, one in the
afternoon and the other in the evening.
AT one session the president of the Penn
sylvania State Library Association,
Henry ]. Carr, librarian at Scranton,
will preside, while President J. B. Thomp-
SON of Trenton will nave charge of the
other. In the afternoon it is expected
that Professor Richardson of Princeton
will describe in detail the new University
library now in process Of erection. Pa
pSfS VIII dlSO De T6dQ by MISS ADAMS,
librarian at Plainfield; by Librarian Hill
of Newark and Miss Wfnser of the New
ark Library In the evening there will be
g discussion on the topic: What the
State Could Do for Free Public Libra
ries." The discussion will be opened by
Librarian John Thomson of the Philadel-
phia PUBLIC Library and Thomas L. Mont
gomery of Wagner Institute, for Penn
s~ylvania, and william r. Weeks and Lii
brarian Hill for New Jersey.
The discussion promises to be n of
the most interesting features Of the en-
tire convention, since in the progress of
it the agitation in both States for the
appointment of a Library Commission
will be rehearsed n reviewed. AS is
well known the movement In this State
last year to secure a commission was a
failure. 1t had been hoped to secure the
passage of a bill that would permit of the
expenditure of small sums in towns
where libraries were not established, the
people of those towns having. first raised
a certain sum themselves. The Commits
sion was also to act as a sort OF bureau
for the dissemination of Information per-
tanning to ibraries-the kind of books de-
sirable, the way to loan them, and, in
fact, to furnish all advice and counsel
needed by young and struggling libraries
which by the means Of intelligent advice
in the beginning might be saved much
money Inc might be put upon the high
road to popularity in their community at
the start, instead of having to pass
through divers slow and painful stages.
- A@AS ~ oI+&4 L2AS 0AAA ~ pass
and the matter has been dropped for the
time being. 1t is said that Governor
Griggs is not in sympathy with the idea
of a Library Commission, contending thai
towns that do not take enough interest
In public libraries to start them on their
own responsibility would not accomplish
much by the aid of a commission: or, at
least, II the town is not wiling to help
itself in this regard the State ought not
to be expected to help 1t. To this the an
swer is made that It does not necsssar-
library of its own does not deserve assist
ance to get one. The library folk main
tain that a vast deal of good can be done
by a commission, and that the towns
ought to be stimulated to see the advan-
tages of a library, and that once they get
one and see the benefit of IT they Will
take good care that they do mot lose ii.
and in nearly every instance will see to 1t
that their library grows from year to
year. In other words, they take a dia-
metrically opposite view. from that of the
Governor, but as the Governor has the
say his view has more weight thar theirs.
Another feature will be the presenta-
ton in some form or other Of the claims
OF Atlantic City for a public library. The
city is DESTROYS OF obtaining one and it is
confidently expected THAI the convention
will be q decided help toSthe local govern
ment. An effort Will he Amade to get
prominent citizens to be present at the
meeting, so that they may get an idea
Of what is being done IN the Interest II
public libraries in other places and have
their interest in the local movement
a local reception committee, headed ~
Mayor stoy d with TT ssnas a. sec