The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-10-07
OPEN SHELF PLAN
MAKES A BIG HIT
PATRONS LIKE TO SELECT THEIR
OWN BOOKS.
The 5000 Books With Which Open
Shelves Were Originally Equipped
Prove Too Few-This New Feature Is
an Added Benefit, Not Conflicting
With Main Library Work.

"What have you on China?' is the
question, varied only by changes of the
titles inc uired about, that the librarians
at the public library have heard a hun
dred times day, ever since the library
pehearse list of bo nGy Mef the oD ng
be reader. This list in most cases
meant but little to him for the titles
were apt to DO unfamiliar and in the
end a page was sent to bring the books
thought most promising by the librarian.
Even where much time was spent in
satisfactory to either the reader or the
| librarian. :, .-- ~, IS.
Conditions are wholly changed since
the opening of the open shelf bookroom
few days ago. The inquirers are di-
rected to the, proper shelf and told to
help themselves. All the principal
there, and all can be examined e'7 Without
any waste of time or trouble in sending
| for them. This is great economy Of
effort and the wider range afforded in
sures the choice being much more salts
factory.
The ,open-shelf room opened with 5000
volumes on the Shelves The yawning
caverns on some of the shelves and
other shelves, completely bare, show
i very plainly the way the new plan has
struck the public. No such proportion
of these books ever went into circula-
ton in the same length of time before
the supply of books available for the
new room was entirely inadequate Miss
Countryman at once went to work to
meet the new demand, and as rapidly as
the resources of the library will permit
the supply will be raised to about 10000
by the purchase Oh. duplicates and OF
other books of a similar nature.
One of the imDOrtant library oybibitc
in st. Louis and one whose influence
will be wide is the model library pre-
pared by the collation. Of the experience
of most Of the great librarians of the
country under the auspices Of the
American. Library association. The
library is practically duplicate of that
library. Miss Countryman secured adj
vance sheets of the model library cata
log and besed her selection of books fol-
the new room on that, following it in
every important particular. 4. -
/ The books in the new room are all
duplicates and do not in any way i'm
pair the efficiency of the main collec
ton for students using the bookrooms
for reference work or for persons ia
miliar with books who find it preferable
to order by catalog. The open shelf
room has it's separate card catalog fol
the convenience of it's patrons and the
-.'.
An installment of 500 recent books
in the most popular classifcations has
been received and will be on the shelve:
in a few days and another large order
of similar books has been made These
will greatly strengthen the new collec
ton: As heretofore, the latest books
are kept in a separate case where they
can be readily examined and the Seen
duplicate books are in the new room
The older and standard books which
make up the bulk Of the, collection ar,
classified in the same manner as tn,
main ibrary..r,. 49,. sI> ,'5Hn III
One Of the most interesting points OBJ
served in the operation of the new room
is that books considered PRACTICAL,
dead, especially in standard fiction
seem likely to be given new life b,
being put into the readers hands. TIL
books are just as valuable as ever, blu
not being matters Of current comment
people forget about them. Who'll
shelves of standard novels that hav
been called for but rarely went out a
once when put in the open shelfrO0m: