Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-01-23

The recent appeals fer funds issued
by the Delaware State Library Commits.
sion and the interesting tall, of Miss
Kane, the organizer of the commission,
before the New Century Club last week,
as reported in these columns, have
brought reques' for further information
concerning this work. In erder to satisfy
these re uests for information, The
Gazette anFlied to George +. Bower
man, librarian of the Wilmington Insti-
tute Free Library for fuller statement
of the work than has heretofore been
made. Mr.. liowermaE is a member OF
the Delaware State Library Commits.
sion and ia therefore thoroughly ac-
quainted with the work which that
body is attempting, He is also fully
abreast with the latest deyelopn ents OF
library work in other PARTS of tho
country, and is thus able to draw upun
the experience of others a I'd apply the
results obtained elsewhere to local con-
ditions
BoTe man was asked to tell the readers
of The Gazette OF the extent OF this
work in other States.
~
STATES having Library Commissions or
State officers doing similar work-thRt
10 the work OF encouraging the estab,
lishment Of Libraries in small communi.
ties through the means of travelling Ii.
hraries and SINH ar agencies. Even
Massachusetts,, where every town but
two has q library, iindS il OF advantage
| to have q Library Commission to aid
struggling librar es in small communi.
| ties When the Massach usetts Com
mission was organized, II or IA years
ago. there we're about 200 towns not
having free libraries. My last informa-
tion was that only two towns remained
unsurpiied, and suppose by this time
they have libraries.
Probably the hest managed system
of travelling librar es ia that OF Wiscon.
| SIN. For the most part the energies of
! the Wisconsin State Commission are
concentrated on the lumbe ing and
other backwoods stricts of that State.
| Mr.. f. A, flutehins, the secretary and
executive Officer of that commission at
Waukesha last summer said that for
the present whom applications came fer
| Libraries from towns that were fairly
well supplied with librar es, he was
| inclined to deny them such privileges
| fer the reason that as vet they could
not supply the demand that came from
places that are almost barren of hooks
| In these cases, however, the gcommis
8 on is not content with waiting for re.
| quest for libraries but If they receive
any announcement atever that a Ii
brary would be acceptable, one is sent
on In some nases, moreover, where no
application comes, representative of
l - ,.NN,1 60 10, sci
| library OF 30 volumes strapped to D
blackboard. When the people seq the
books and are told that the privilehe Of
borrowing may he had, they are much
more likely to take to the idea than il
the negotiations are carried on by let
ter, "
Where are these libraries kept and
how are they made accessible to read
ers?"
81 suppose 10 Wisconsin there are
more travelling Libraries in country
stores than elsewhere, replied Mr..
BoWermRn. "Of course some of them
are 10 school houses but these are closed
evenings and during the summer, SO
the c1rner grocery and the village post
office both OF which are centres to
which every one in the community has
to go, are the most natural places for
these libraries Another interesting
feature of the Wisconsin system is the
fact that the State has never spent a
dollar for books for these libraries The
State makes a regular appropriation
for the support Of the secretary Of the
commission and his staff but this is all
expended for salaries, travelling ex-
penses supplies and other administra-
live needs. The books, however, have
all heen given by individuals or by
localities, Senator Stout of that State
has given at least ID or 90 libraries Of
30 volumes The little catalogues Of
these libraries us we'll las the book labels
all bear his name MS dunor. | suppose
that in many hamlet IN Visions n
where tina name Of Andrew Carnegie
has never bern heard the name of Sena
tor Stout is known and loved. Many
localities in Wisconsin have been able
to raise the funds TO buv library.
Instead oF lseeping this library Ierma
nenty, they have at the end Of sis
months returned it to the comm iot
and received another in itR place Ii
fact tho Wisconsin commission has q
, plan by which if a community will buy
tho original library OF 30 volumes, il
is sunplied with ether travelling Libraries
daring the life Of the original library,
, that Is Tor six or seven years.
= suppose the essential thing, con
, tinurd Mr.. RowermRn, is to apply
the experience of these other States tt
the work here In talking with tht
representatives of other commissions
last sammar they all agreed that il
o. der to make the Efforts of the com
i. mission successful tho most importan
0 thing was the work of organization
that is not simply the work of prepar
ing the books at the central Office bu
so the missionary work done by thu
r library organizer in arousing interest il
tine various lOca liter. For the tim
!. pa ny this state has no money through
legislative appropriation to secure tn
services Il an organizer. The regula
appropriation of Sla9 was made SO e
for the purpose of purchasing books
Inc Delaware Commission, from th
, outset, has been proceeding on the basi
. that th s work of organization is q
. rrime IMPORTANCE. 1t has. therefore
- secured the services of Miss Eiorenc
Lava Kane, whose work thus far ha
i be in high degree satisfactory. SD
g has aroused much intstes in every plac
y VII CHI she has visited and n number {
y towns are almost ready to tax them
% selves for library support Others nee
the .raEelng lpratles TO foster mi
lde. and SO long as they last these wi
be seIt Out by the commission.
With oair seven Of the g librarie
: thu prope1ty Of the State, it is obviou
y Ihas more libraries are Needed, "
Y or three Libraries have been presento
Y to the commission and il S key tht
i others will come in the sans way 1
thu need for lhen beco nes known. IL
ie most pressing need at present however