New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-18
WOMEN AS LIBRARIANS
THEY MUST BE WELL EDUCATED AND
WELL READ.
POINTS RDGARDING OPENINGS AND EQUIPMENT
NECESSARY GIVEN BY MISS PLUMMER

POINTS REGARDING OPENINGS AND EQUIPMENT
NECESSARY GIVEN BY MISS PLUMMER
AND OTHER PROMINENT LIBRARIANS
With the announcement that sixteen new branch
libraries are be added to Brookyn's equip
ment in the near future and that in this city IL
braries and reading rooms are soon 10 be opened
at night In every school building whose neghbor-
hood shows a wish for such facilities. the sub
feet OF women librarians and the training neces-
sarv TO gt them for the place become OF partcu-
lar interest Miss Mary W. Plummer librarian OF
the Pratt Institute Library and Training School,
in speaking upon the schools of library training In
the United States. says that the majority OF the
students in these schools women who must
OF necessity be well educated and well read. Sal
aries she says are upon much the same scale as
those Of professors in colleges and teachers IN
schools Women willing TO accept more modest
salaries than mensn the wage seems just In COM
parison with the work
The School Of library Economy was opened AT
Columbia College. New-York. in 1887, and two
years later was transferred 20 the New-York State
Library. at Albany. From this school others have
arisen and the success Of the movement Is I'M
doubted Miss Plummer declares that the special
adaptation OF a well educated refined woman 10
q particular educational work means raising the
level OF a whole calling II means putting nj
the service of the student Of the etered and inlet
tered. cultured persons. whose delight IL to serve
Upon this same question OF women as librarians
Miss VI. s r. James the woman librarian or
Peoples Palace and later Of the Library Bureau
Boston declares that librarians are waiting TOT
the right woman 10 rise 70 post at the head or
her profession She advocates the entrance OF
women 20 library boards. Tho difficulty IN nndihs
EMPLOYMENT for women, Miss James declares. IS
owing In great degree to the lack Of training.
Some detailed Information on women librarians
has been afforded by Miss Toulmin Smith librarian
OF Manchester College. oxford. as follows:
The number Of public libraries in the United
Kingdom IA 3g while OF miscellaneous libraries the
| estimate varies from $40 TO nearly llO. Thus'
there are about libraries. exclusive OF those
belonging to private families. The colonies IN 1877
showed total OF 426 Libraries II Is the puoI It. u,
10 the profession OF Workmanship which If or Dut
recent date. whether for men or women Libraries
Of two classes the hrst com9r1"s co i and
social libraries belonging learned societies and
| various Institutions OF all kinds
| WOMEN LIBRARIANS FAVORED.
In connection with this subject Mrs. Smith quotes
Mr. Tedder Bodley's librarian and others In favor
| Of the employment OF women In libraries ana say
chat the chief opportunities for them at present Hes
! among public libraries as assistants and Librarians
| Women have been employed at Bristol ana Man
| chester for the last twenty years thir'y-hVe OF
| various grades being now at Bristol and eighty
| five at Manchester ,
|
| employed women assistants and about t"ehty-ohe
| or tv4ntv-tyo women were librarians. In advance
1 upon these are the present figures Women are
assistants in cbaTEe of otyfour Of these 81
libraries Of the special class aoout
! Mrs smith thinks that this class might AFFORD
many various openings 70 educated wGme enn "no No
| the individual needs OF the institutions. .,. {,
Miss Peherbrdge who studied he no b
Committee OF the Library Association OF me uhl'ea
kingdom in speaknFB T IpGP ranns
| women 10 enter some good library as assistants.
,si on library science held by the Library
| Association during the summer months
Miss Marta Lura Mason who has spent severa
| wears IN Berlin Paris and Boston. is the first
woman be given place In the Natlonal hdprary
She is from Chicago and received ner appointment
| from the new librarian, Herbert putnam.
Tho latest OF the free libraries to be established
| n prooklvn is the Tompkns Park Branch. The
building in which the library is quartered Is neal
the Lafayette-ave side Of the Park and is decidedly
! picturesque 1t was designed by and erected under
| The supervison Of J. de Wolf one Of the Landscape
| artists of the Park Department 1t is Of colonia
! nattern the woodwork inside and out being o
| ouartered oak. There are rafters in generous mum
bars and the bricks visible on the inside of I'M
building The whole effect instead Of being severe
~ nloin as might be expected is decidedly artistic
nd
| rear the windows OF which there are many ar
| nIaced reading tables with the local papers and cur
| rent weeklies and magazines . .
| ai,bough scarce two months old, the names OF
tho library list reach up into the thousands. Will
| contributions of books and magazines are con
| stantiy coming in from the neghboring residents
who see the value OF the work and the aydity VIII
Hhich The benefits of the library being graspet
by many who would otherwise be without goo
reading. - .o.,....a ,rAro-,. -
Miss Grace Donaghy, an experience librarian
Who until recently connected with the Flushln
Eree library rs in charge. Beside attending TO m
exnressed wants OF her growing clientele, MIS-
| Dnnaghy keeps a watchfu eye on the little one
70 see that they literature suitable to thei
| e"I wonder what that small child has got ho
| of7' she calculated the other day, pointing 70
| Sininutiye specimen who seemed painfully ploddin
| through a plethortc volume with much scoWlin
ot"f 40 believe It's the Koran" hurried descen
| unon the small Ltudent who looked as though word
| ~ one SYLLABLE would be about all she could grasp
| showed her suspicion correct -, ,.
| why my dear little girl she said. I'm afrai
| ,hat sfory isn't very interesting for YOU Is it?'
| wen not so very" came the reply-then politel
| "but some OF II seems 10 be nice
| Ali the bows of the neiRhborhood are deeply In
| terested in the success OF the library, aff1rms Mis-
| nonachy and have proved OF much assistance II
| rIe cling the chairs looking after the good behavo
| ~ wonld be irrep-essibles and extending the hos
| ni,aIity OF the building TO newcomers.
| PRETTY GIRL STRIKERS.
| The two hundred shirt waist makers strik