The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-11-20
The Public Library.


THE Public Library: How Founded and
! Maintained BY a Club"
(Above is the subject of paper read at
the meeting of the Seventh District FEEDER
| alton. at Kingman, the paper following):
In the very incipiency of our club work
a few of our most progressive members
advanced the idea that we must" own
library. But how?-that was the question.
Our town Is not more literary than the
average. Several libraries had been born
at different times, to struggle along, exc
out a precarious existence, and at last
die of inanition. The churches then started
a movement to establish a reading room,
but the movement was not placed in the
hands of any particular ones, and the old
saying, What is everybody's business is
nobOdy's business" was again proven
true. So finally it was decided that have
a library We must. A committee was ap-
pointed to solicit the remains of the pre-
ceding effort in that direction, and it Sc
cured about one hundred volumes Small,
1t is true, in numbers and worth, but
something TO work from. Then came the
tCg-of-war: how best to frame rules and
! regulations. Very few of us had had any
actual experience in library work. and
found before we got through with I that
one prick from the thorn of experience Is
worth more than a whole pine forest of
counsel.
We labored over our rules. for. of course.
we wanted our library to be popular, and
we wanted it to pay its way. And, last
but not east believe me. we wanted it TO
do good
Then we must make additions to our
stock of books our numbers were few:
the times were hard. but when woman
will she will" so We made candy aid
sold it. gave socials and tried the nuner-
Gus other ways women have OF making
money.
We had all sorts Of experiences in buying
books. the ones we so much wanted being
beyond our reach in price. especially the
best class of juveniles. But we are grad
ually adding to our stock until now we
have a considerable supply of Juvenile
classics We are also trying one OF the
State Social Science Federation travelling
libraries. which will. We think. be a great
help TO US, as it viii give US fresh books
every six months. a a comparatively
small cost.
Our library was finally ready for public
use. We used our club room and it was
kept open one day out of the week Our
membership fee was low-within the reach
OF all who desired 70 possess one. Our
cub members personally solicited member
ships to the library. The fines the first
wear nearly paid expenses. but as time
goes on the fines are less and less numer
Gus. proving that one benefit of a public
library is in teaching its patrons 10 think.
We now own about 500 volumes; have
never had one destroyed or stolen. We
have a room for our use: keep i open
every Saturday: own our OWN tables.
shelving. etc. and feel that while we are
few in numbers We are in some slight
measure accomplishing our desire, esps-
cally as more than one-fourth Of cur
readers are young people.
We know that the worlds work-the
higher part Of il at least-is done by think
ing; and education is not the impar,ins ot
knowledge. but the teaching % think.
knowledge can be obtained BY special ef
fort al special times. when Il is nes6ed;
bur the ability TO use *, the ability -
think rightly. comes only by exercise and
discipline
Thus you see the public library has a
1 large field in which % work BY encour-
aging the young 10 read systematically;
( By directing TO ths right kind OF utevs-
/ turs: by en1iciRg them 70 do the RICH,
( kind Of reading. what a world OF good We
/ can do And We can co this There is
never 4 Saturday that someone does TOT
| say: rs this good2" or rs this interest
iug?'' And the times are rare ii which Il
/ 1 say: "Oh. I don't think you will Ike
/ that" that the book 5 taken. or i l say:
This book is especially interesting. =
| good. 'fthai they do not conclude 70 ~ il
| Then what a responsibility rests upon your
| librarian upon your board % directors:
that they do not buy trash that may