Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-18
IOWA LIBRARY WORK
Increasing Interest in Libraries and
Improvement in Standard of
Management.
Convention of the Iowa Association
To Be Held in Cedar Rapids
Soon.
Work of Cataloging the Iowa State
Library-The New Historical
Building.
,eeial to Times-Re Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Oct. 1S.-Library educa-
tlon is increasing in Iowa and the
STANDARD of library management has
been raised. The librarians have been
gettlng together for mutual improve
ment, as all professions and trades are
doing in these days of ambitious
progress. The tenth annual conference
of the Iowa Library Association will
be held in the city OF Cedar Rapids on
Nov and 8, and the program, pre-
pared by Johnson Brigham, state
librarian; Miss Ella McLoney. city
librarian of Des Moines, and Miss
Harriette l.. McCrory. of Cedar Rap
ids, is an attractive one for those in
terested in library work Among the
addresses to be given are:
OF the Making of Books-Mrs. Allan
Dawson. Des Moines.
Ella Bullock, cataloger of the state
Library.
Travelling Library and the Library
iCommission-Mis l.. stearns, libra
lrian Wisconsin library commission.
This paper, which presents the chief
Itopic of interest. the main purpose of
the library people of the state. will be
discussed by johnson Brigham Mrs.
/ ID. w. Norris. of Grinnell, and Newton
X. Parvin, of Cedar Rapids
The School and the Library-Miss
NJ. T.. Ahern, editor Public Libraries.
IChicago.
practical paper on Methods will be
Igiven by Miss McCrory, of the Cedar
Rapids public library discussed by
Miss Fordyce, one of the trustees of
that library.
The Relation of Trustees and Libra
rian Will be discussed from the trus-
tees standpoint by F. F. Dawley.
Cedar Rapids. A p. Fleming. Des
4 Moines; =. NJ. Grapo Burlington; ID.
&c Bloomer, Council Bluffs; Mrs. H. j.
4 Howe. MarshalItown; j. NJ. Brainard
1 Boone; Judge l.. P. Seeds Manches-
q ter: Mrs. A. NJ. Morse, Des Moines
4 and Mrs. +. NJ. Carr, Manchester. The
i Librarians View will be presented by
4 Mrs. Rose Oberholtzer, Sioux CITY;
Miss Ella McLoney, Des Moines: Mrs.
4 Laura Hurd. Audubon; Miss Clara
Smith, Burlington. and Miss Mary e.
| Wheelock. Grinnell
On the evening Of the first day there
4 Will be a reception at the home of Mr..
and Alrs. Luther A. Brewer. which
will be made an important and yet
very cordial social function. Mr.. Mel
1yil Dewey, director of the New York
state library, will be present and de-
liver a lecture on the second evening.
which is the main attraction of the
meeting, though in a business way the
i discussion and perfection of plans to
secure the establishment of library
commission by the legislature this
winter will be the main thing
*st
The work of cataloging the state
library is only we'll started, and it will
take two years to finish it. When this
card catalogue is done, when the out
line of it is finished, it will be COM
paratively easy task for one compe-
tent person to not only keep up with
4 the new books. but to enlarge it with
! numerous cross-references: to index
subjects most thoroughly, so the cata-
logue will contain many references to
the same book. where a variety of
subjects Is treated. This is being done
/ to some extent now, but can not be
perfected until the books have been
gone through with once and the rough
outline made. When Mr.. Brigham
went into the library it had no card
catalogue whatever. as all modern
libraries have The memory of the at
tendants was depended upon to un-
cover any book on any subject de-
sired, though occasionally the old
printed catalogue and the biennial
supplements with lists of new books
We're consulted. They are not scien-
/ tifically arranged. however, and it is
difficult to find books on a given sub
ject The best librarians are Very
doubtful if the printed catalogues will
ever be much used. now that the card
lsystein is so We'll understood Printed
catalogues are always behind before
they can be got into the hands of the
| printer: new books, often the ones
most useful to the inquiring student.
/ are added so fast, and therefore the
printed catalogue is unsatisfactory to
the large library. Mr. Brigham asked
the legislature for SS,0n0 to catalogue
the library. but he had difficulty in
getting $1,000. He will need that
amount from the legislature TO COM
plete the work in the most economical
manner. Then the expenditure Of SAY
/ S1,500 year for cataloger and one
additional clerk would multiply The ef-
! ficiency and usefulness of the library
by at least two. and probably by four.
MIR. Brishams good practical work is
giving him the confidence of all who
are familiar with it, and he ought TO
4 ', hat hn ~ L.,
lislature. for. he will ask for nothing
unreasonable and the state can afford
lit. And his salary should be doubled.
ut is nothing to be proud of that Iowa
pays her librarian only $1,000 year
and is now getting man worth three
times that amount. while other states
are paying what the service and re-
sponsibility are worth
The Omaha Bee shows it's apprecia-
tion of the value of the work Mr.. AL
drich is doing in his Annals of Iowa
by asking permission to publish the
Iarticle on the Tama Indians by A. ID.
Bicknell, of Humboldt, in the October
number. together with the illustra-
tions. Every number Of this publica-
X ~ q y 81 ssis 2,