, 1904-03-10
SHELVES
IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES TO BE LEFT
OPEN THE RECOMMENDATION
OF DENVER READERS.
Hundred and Fifty Book Lovers
Of That City Pass Resolutions Fav.
orin0 Plan-Oiscussion Of Matter
Under Way in This City. With
Other Subjects.

Under Way in This City. With
Other Subjects.
Open shelves in the carnegie library
Is receiving a good deal of attention
here. as well as at Denver. n with
this proposition the discussion of an
other when the new library building
shall be open-the one of quiet in the
there should be no talking, another
that a room for reading should be pro-
vided apart from the stack room, and
people. when they meet at the libra.
rial's desk. should be permitted to
discuss whatever subject they please.
Inc following from the beaver Repub.
!ican shows the drift of sentiment in
that city from the present system OF
closed shelves to the open shelf sys-
tem in vogue there until recently. 1t
IS believed that the question will find
just as warm support wherever there
is a public library:
ABOUT $50 booklovers met at tic
Woman's club last night and passed
resolutions favorilg the open shelf for
the public library. Half a dozen men
ana women spoke during the evening.
1t had been planned to hold a debate
On the question of open or closed
shelves, but considerable difficulty was
experienced in finding anyone willing
&C take the closed shelf side. The
club members invited the library board
to present its e of the question, blu,
it evidently felt that the occasion was
unpopular from their standpoint. Mrs.
Jharles Dickinson spoke in favor of
ne closed sheIl. She brought out ali
nc reasons favoring s~eclusion of the
books and exclusion OF 49, puuiic, the
principal ones being that books were
stolen from the open shelves AMI that
the system made less work for the EN-.
ployes.
DR.. Minnie c. T. Love followed Mrs,
Dickinson. She took the ground that
t.e books belong to the people. as the
people pay taxes and should have open
shelves If they prefer. open shelves,
she said. were for people who loved
books n wish to browse among
en-. She suggested that detectives
be hired to prevent thieves from steal.
ing the volumes, If necessary. At the
close of her address Ut. Love an.
nounced that Mrs. Dickinson had
agreed to speak in favor of closed
shelves because no one else was will.
ing, and that she was really in favor
OF open shelves. Mrs. DicKinson veri.
fed this statement later in the evening
Rev. David =. er said lie mad learned
love the open shelf system since
coming to Denver and expressed re.
gr6 rat the plan had Ueen abolished.
Il prefer wasting the time of library
employees to was..ng my own" he said,
"as long as l help pay for their ser.
vices" He spoke Of the knowledge
to be gained by the mere handling OF
books. and said closed shelves prac.
IDEALLY imprisoned them. .1e said ever
the catalogues were glued down and
reminded him of the days when bibles
were chained to the desks. Prof. Fred
Dick spoke of the advantage tt young
people in being allowed to go among
the books and make their own selec.
ton of reading material. He declared
that the present plan MAKE young
people unwilling readers.
Olher spea.ers during the evening
who spoke strongly in favor Of the
open shelf system were Mrs. w. S
Decker and Mrs. Dora Phelps Buell..
A resolution presented ny DR.. Utter
was adopted. 1t reads:
Resolved. That it is our conviction
that the people of Denver desire the
open shelf system to be again used in
our public library. 1t is our BELIEF
that the losses which have been as
signed as the chief reason for closing
the shelves to the public may be min
imized, but we also feel that with
even greater expense it is better
worth while to have the books where
people can e and handle them"
A communication was received from
the Denver Teachers club, in session
last evening at East Denver high
school. as follows:
THE Denver Teachers club, regard
ing the public libraries of America a;
an educational factor which Is ant
should be second only to our public
schools, are naturally solicitous of tho
welfare and usefulness Of our ow.
public library. We therefore unani
nously recommend to our honorabl,
board. and invite your club to join u;
in this recommendation, that as a frs
great reform in administration, the
shelves Of u library be open ant
free to the public"
The communication from the Teach.
ers' club, signed by A. j.. Flynn, presi.
dent, and Chastabel Campbell, secre
tary, was received with much enthu.
siasm.
On motion Of Mrs. Buell., the chair
was empowered to select q committee
of three to carry both resolutions to
the library board and bring before II
the unanimous expression Of both
bodies for the open shelf system. DR..
Utter and Prof. Dick were appointed
on this committee and the third mem.
--.NN