The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-31
NOW 5000 BOOKS.
Kansas Travelling Library Has Be
come a Big Institution.

During the past IS months, the trav-
cling library books of Kansas have
been read by more Kansas people than
ever before. The total circulation of the
books of the library is shown by the
report of the librarian, Miss Nellie
Armentrout, to have been sc, 165.
As secretary of the travelling library
commission, Miss Armentrout has pre-
pared the third biennial report, for the
years 1908 and 1904. The members of
the commission are James L. King,
chairman; Mrs. w. A. Johnston, Mrs.
James NJ. Lewis, Edward Wilder and
Harry 6. Larimer.
The library has 5000 volumes. Fifty
books make up a library. They are Sc
lected with care and shipped out in
small trunks. Clubs applying for Ii
braries have the privilege of giving
their first and second choice of books.
If these are all out, the librarian sub
stitutes something as near like them as
possible. In the period covered by the
report, 401 libraries were shipped out.
A club is allowed to keep a library six
months. No club can have two libra
ries at once. According to the report,
each library has an average of 80 mem
berS, and each member read an aver
age of five OF the books. This makes
165 books read out of each library, or
66,155 out of the 401 which were sent
out The library has 1872 trunks now
and will give an order for more this
winter.
We reach a class of people who do
not have access to the city libraries"
said Miss Armentrout. I'VE go into the
homes OF the farmers and the people
OF the little hamlets and towns. Clubs
can be formed among farmers and the
books obtained upon application. OF
course we want to know that the par
ties asking for the books are RESPONSE
BILE and that the books Will be return
ed. 1t is remarkable how few books
We lose. The fact is we don't lose one
out of a thousand, except in case of
railroad accidents or floods. We lost
several cases in the floods last year,
but it was not the fault of the farmers
to whom we shipped. They were
caught in transit. Two or three cases
have been destroyed in wrecks. When
ever a trunk is returned we check up
the books and if one is missing we
send for it. We most always get it.
Another peculiar feature is the big
circulation our books have among the
ranchmen of western Kansas. You
wouldn't think it, but cattlemen are
great readers. 1 never knew it until
l got into this work. And they want
the best books, too. It seems that they
read to drive away lonesomeness. I
take it thai this is the reason, because
one of the ranchmen in returning a
batch of books 4 short time ago in
closed a note saying: These books are
mighty good reading for us lonesome
fellerc.
Another remarkable thing is that
where a library goes once it goes al
ways. l don't know of q single case in
the past four years where any club has
quit patrOniZirg Us. This shows that
they Ike the travelling library.
Not many of our books go to the
big towns. for the reason that they
have libraries OF their own. We make
many shipments to the small towns
and hamlets which have limited libra
ries. They use our books to FURNISH
up their shelves Every county in the
states gets our libraries"