Evening star., 1900-07-14
What Has Been Done for Them in
Public Libraries.
SPECIAL ROOMS FOR READING
Every Effort Made to Attract and
Interest Juveniles.
SPECIAL LIBRARY SYSTEM

| Katherine Louise Smith in the Review Of Reviews.
A well-known sociologist has said that the
| greatest successes OF social reform lie in the
work for children. If the children of the
| present are taught Alright. the coming gen.
| erations will tend in the same direction,
| and, by unconscious evolution, good will
be wrought.
| The children's library is gradually being
| recognized a great factor in sociological
| questions for the young and the incom-
| pleteness of any educational system which
does not provide this is being forced upon
US. What more influences the character IF
child than the IDEAL he strives to follow !?
Nothing creates ideals sooner than books,
ard if the public is to profit greatly by its
| library it must be trained from childhood
into the use of proper reading.
1t is said that 30 per cent of our children
! leave school before the age of twelve. How
| to reach these children with good and at
the same time. educational influences is Il
| problem that is agitating the workers in
cities. 1t is quite as serious those which
confront earnest thinkers in regard to the
betterment of men and women.
What to do with the children in the free
public libraries las been one of the un-
settled questions. For the comfort of the
elder readers it IS desirable that the chill
| dren should not come in large numbers into
the main part of the library, and yet it IS
of vital importance that they should feel
at home in some part of the building.
| Children's Room.
| The separation of children from the adult
users of the library, by means of a room of
| their own, originated in the public library
| of Brookline, Mass, which in 1890 set aside
| an unused room a children's reading
| room. In 1893 the Minneapolis Library fit
| ted up a room for the young people, which
has the largest number of children's books
provided by any public library in the coun-
| try. The Denver Public Library also opened
a circulating library for children, and by
1896 Boston. Omaha, Seattle. San Francis
| co. Detroit, New Haven. Buffalo, Pratt In
stitute (Brooklyn), Pittsburg and Kala-
mazoo had followed suit. The Chicago LII
b1ary has no special room for children
and they are expected to use the branch
libraries. Out of 125 libraries thirty-one
have some sort of chldrens reading room.
At present there are four principal kinds
of children's libraries:
1. That represented by the New York
Free Circulating Library, in which children
are served with adults.
2. That of the Utica Library in which
juvenile literature Is given a special set of
shelves.
g. That of the Pratt Institute Free Ii
brary, in which the children have a sepa-
rate room opening out of the room for
adults
f. That of the Minneapolis Public Lii
brary, in which the children have room
on the ground floor entirely separate from
the part of the building devoted to adults,
ana need not enter the main part of the
building.
One Of the signs of improvement is the
TACT that libraries are not simply interested
in children, but are devising ways to do
more effectual work. The building and fur
niture of the chi!dren's department are i'm
portant factors, and the children's librarian
must have the best scholastic training.
Most of all. she must be in sympathy with
the little ones and be in every way their
guide, philosopher and friend. The IL
brartan in this department in the Kala-
maZoo Library is a kindergarten of many
years experience. Besides the books and
periodicals for use in this library they have
d1ssected maps, pictures and drawing cards;
also pictures that the children can cut up
and paint. On cold and stormy Saturdays
the room is crowded to its utmost capacity
and the sight of two boys on one chair is
not an uncommon one.
Demands of Children.
The demands Of children are almost as
various as the children themselves, and a
sympathy with child nature is needful to
understand their wants. AS rule one at
tendant is kept in the room to give the
children personal attention. Some libra
ries have an age limit for borrowers, and
the admission of children under twelve
to membership is of recent date. Cases of
notwithstanding are rare, though the temp
tation to carry off an interesting book is
strong one and the number reported lost
in a year is surprisingly small.
The childrens room is open daily and in
some cases evenings. 1t has been thought
desirable that children be allowed to have
access to the shelves and select their own
books. The disadvantage of the of the
general catalogue by children is illustrated
by the boy who wanted to read something
besides fiction and walked off with Mrs.
OHphantS Annals of a Publishing House.
under his arm. Happily, he was discovered
in time: but the only remedy is a room
where the children can examine the books
on the shelves. Other requisites for a
chidren's room are plenty of sunshine,
plenty of books and penty of assistants.
One of the successful features of the work
for children in the past six months in the
Cleveland Public Library has been the dis
play in the open rack from week to week
of books upon various subjects. Among
the subjects thus displayed have been Arbor
weather dishes. humor, Lenten reading,
music and war. Successful exhibits have
also been given of original drawings for
book illustration and book-cover design,
the work of the Cleveland Art School.
An experiment has been started in the
organization of the Children's Library
League, which originated in Cleveland.
Children in the league are pledged to the
loving care of the books and brought into
relationship with the library. Badges are
proudly worn by members. A short time
ago mass meeting was held in the Music
Hall of Cleveland, over 5000 children being
present. This league exists in jamestown.
N. Y, Dayton, Ohio. Minneapolis and
other places.
Corner for Juveniles.
1t is the opinion of the people of Evans
ton. ILL.,, that much has been done by the
establishment of a children's corner. Find
ing they could not devote a room, they set
aside corner of the general reading room
for the children. and the good results out
weigh any matter of inconvenience. So
successful have they been that the attend
ants feel It is certainly worth while, even
at the risk of crowding, to have chill
dren's corner if a separate room cannot be
provided.
Cedar Rapids. Iowa, also has children's
corner. An innovation Is the children's
club, divided into chapters. which the chill
dren join according to age. The Eugene
Field Chapter is for the little ones from
six to eight years Of age, and the Lowell
Chapter for those from fourteen to six
teen.
The Pratt Institute has register pledge
as follows by writing my name in this
register I pledge myself to take good care
of all the books 1 draw from the library
and pay all fines and damages rightly
charged against me-" In new books is