The San Francisco call., 1906-07-16
MISS SHELDON
DISCONCERTS
STUDENTS.
New York Expert Talks on Care
of Books to Summer School
Class.
Says Female Workers in Profes-
sion Accept Small
Salaries.

BERKELEY, July ID Ambitious
maidens contemplating career in Ii
brary work and with eyes fixed on a
goal located close to the very top Of
the ladder received a rude shock to-
day at the university when Miss Helen
Griswold Sheldon, a famous New York
librarian, engaged by the university to
deliver a course of lectures on expert
! library work, informed her women
hearers that women do not fill the
highest administrative positions in Ii
braries, and whether they ever will is
an open question:
This announcement, from the lips of
an authority, who also is woman,
created something of sensation
among the ambitious girls who are
specializing on library work at the
university, with a view to later round
ing out careers in important positions
in the great Libraries of the land. They
required explanation Of the reasons for
! Miss Sheldon'S dictum, and that gra-
! cious woman provided some of the rea-
sons asked for. She has given years
! of study and practice to library prob
lens, is an honored- member of the
New York State Librarians Associa-,
tion, and was deemed worthy of choice
among many to deliver the course of
lectures on library questions at the
summer school of the university this
year She was a Vassar girl. and also
took a degree from the New York
State Library School in 1898. Her
view of women's position in the field
of library work is as follows:
1 believe there is practically no dis
elimination in the matter of sex in the
American Library Association. For
~ represented on the council and ex
ecutiYe board. Any woman who has
anything to. say may be sure of a fair
chance and no undue favor in saying it.
| What she may write or do in the work
of the association is usually rated at
its real worth. may not be a fair
Judge, but it would seem TO me thas
shows a pleasing lack of self-conscious-
ness.
THEIR SALARIES SMALLER.
The broad minded attitude of the
men who have been leaders in the Ii
brary movement from 1875 to the pres
ent day accounts for the place of -wom-
en- in the American Library Associa-
Quite another question. however. is
/ her place in the library field itself.
| What proportion of women are holding
responsible positions? Are those po-
/ sitions varied or confined within mar
row lines? Are her services considered
/ valuable as tested by a money stand
ard? have undertaken to gather some
statistics which may throw light on the
relative service of men and women in
the American libraries, both as re-
CARDS the character of that service and
| it's remuneration.
| Women will accept much smaller SAL
aries than men of equal ability and
preparation. There is an abundant sup
| ply of women who will work for less
/ than men and generally can afford to
do So. Therefore women drive men
i out of the library profession. Library
4 trustees in filing position can usually
choose from larger number of women
! than of men who are fitted by natural
ability, education, training and expe-
rience to do the work. A woman thus
chosen VIII usually accept lower sal
ary and be satisfied with it longer than
a man would. If she has others depend
i ent upon her for support the burden is
and her social obligations are less in
/ pecuniary way. Women in the future
may have more people dependent on
I her for support. She will never have
/ so many as man.
WHERE WOMAN FAILS.
Women are quite generally acknowl-
edged to work under a handicap be-
cause of more delicate physique. This
calmly the heavy burdens of admins
/ tratiYe responsibility, to endure con-
tinued mental strain in technical work
or to stand for a long period. The
physical handicap of Women will be
/ reduced as greater emphasis is placed
on the Importance of athletics and out
of door life and sports for girls.
Whether women will ever hold the
/ highest administrative positions in Ii
! braries may remain perhaps an open
question. 1t is a fact that such posi-
/ tions are not now held by women.
\ Woman has not the temperamental fit
ness for the exercise Of large authori-
! tative control over a mixed staff, nor
/ is she enough in touch with the world
of affairs. She shuns rather than courts
| responsibility and lacks a sense of pro-
! portion and the power of taking a
! large, impersonal view of things.
1t is quite generally agreed that in
/ positions which do not involve the
I highest degree of executive ability or
/ business ability, but which require a
certain gracious hospitality" women
as class far surpass men.
The enthusiasm a woman generally
puts into her work is a great leaven
/ and tends to lift the most monotonous
! task out of the commonplace, and,
again, there should be at least one
woman in a responsible position on
every large staff where women are en-
/ ployed There is always a certain
amount of housekeeping and matron-
/ izing which is essential for the health
/ and comfort of all concerned.
SHOOTS TWICE To pRoTEf,r