Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-17
NEBRASKA LIBRARIANS MEET
Association Holds Eighth Annual Convention
and Has Large Attssda1cs.
MANY FROM OTHER STATES PRESENT
President J.. X HOsmer Of American
Library Association Delivers a
Lecture on Books Dead
and Books Alive"

The Nebraska Library association, com
prising in Its membership those who are
connected with the direction or operation
OF the public Libraries throughout the
state, but made up chiefly OF library en-
ployes, entered upon its eighth annual
meeting yesterday at the library build
ing in this city. This is the first time
the association has convened in Omaha, its
previous gatherings having been held ht
Lincoln. The present membership of the
association is twenty-five and there are
in attendance at this convention about
thirty or thirty-fve persons, among whom
are Several from other states who are
promintu ut throughout the entire country
in library work. The more remote por-
lions OF this state are better represented
than usual and 1t is regarded by the mem
bers as sn evidence OF greater interest in
this important work.
No formal program had been arranged
forthe morning, that portion Of the day
being left for the registration Of the WISH
tors and inspection Of the Omaah library
and its museum of curious and archaelogi-
cal exhibits.
Take Up Regular Business.
The convention took up it's business regu-
larry in the afternoon at 1870, the general
subject for consideration being: How 70
Establish a Library in a Small Town" I'm
der that head were presented papers as fol-
lows: THE Nebraska Library Law j.
Amos Barrett, librarian Nebraska State
Historical society; Report of Library Work
Accomplished Through the Aid of the Pub
lie Library Commission" Miss Edna d. Bull
lock, secretary public library commission,
Accounts Of the Establishment OF Libra
ries In the Following Towns Fremont,
Ross L. Hammond; Grand Island, Mrs. o.
A. Abbott; Valley, Mg$. W.. G.. whitmore;
South Omaha, w. .. King; Library Plans
From a Librarians Standpoint" Mrs. John
Reed, former librarian Lincoln city library.
AS a special order of business for 4;3O p.
m. Miss Laura Pfeiffer Of the department Of
history Of the Omaha High school presented
a paper on the subject. THE Use of the Lii
brary by the Schools" in which she de-
scribed the method employed in the circu-
lation Of books among the schools Of this
city.
DIR. HOsmer's Address.
Mr.. Lev S. Reed, president of the board
of directors Of the Omaha Library, presided
at last evenings meeting and gave a brief
review OF the growth Of the library interest
in Omaha from the organizing of the Omaha
Library association In 1871 up to the pres
ept time, before introducing the speaker OF
the evening, DR.. j. K. Hosmer, librarian
of the Minneapolis Public Library, and
president Of the American Library associ-
alton. DR.. Hosmer took as his subject
Books Living and Books Dead"
He spoke OF the recommendation of Pres
ident Elliot of Harvard college, to the re-
cent meeting OF the American Library as
ISOLATION. OF libraries increasing their room
by occasionally diminishing their number
OF books, those books that had not been
called for during a certain number Of years
to be taken out OF circulation and placed
in a receptacle. While he agreed With DR..
Elliot that the dead books should be dis
posed Of, he questioned his method of de-
termining them and held that the fro
quency OF the demand for a book is no test
OF its vitality.
In the various classes of literature he
spoke Of "Mr. Dooley'' and Mark Twain
as positively useful in helping people to
q hearty laugh. and said that the novel
was too generally considered the disrepu-
table member Of the family Of literature.
"A great novel;" he said, rs a great epic
and only the presentation. in concrete form,
of some great truth" Fiction. as a class,
does not deserve such condemnation sirnply
because It IL abused. He spoke OF the
libraries of IL ancient and meiiaeyal
times, of their pre- 9ervation and thnr pres
ent interest.
In speaking OF libraries &c an educative
medium. he attributed the intellectual
leadership Of Massachusetts, men to their
easy access to books, and predicted that
with the extension and increase of libraries
in other states there will be such a flow
ering of Intellectual life as the world has
never known.