The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-14
YOUNG MEMS INSTITUTE.
LIBRARY DEPAR-
 TURF CREATES INTEREST.

Usefulness-Experim is being Copied in Many Distant Cities-Idea Was That of Woman, Who Mainly Worked it Out.
 The Young Mems Institute, for many years most important factor in New Haven, recently has broadened it's lines to where librarians throughout the state are taing special notice of it's methods and innovations. A full ac- count of the scheme has been given in the New York World and is as follows: It is distinguished as the first, and as present the only subscription library in America possessed of juvenile de- partment. This, started last year as an experiment, has not only gone be- yond the fondest expectations enter talned for it, but has increased the popularity of the reading-room for adult members to a marked degree.
 The story of it's inception is interest," ing. Miss Abigail HenseyN Farren, the daughter of E. F. Farren, of the New Haven post-office, took the appren- tice's' course of the library, and on her graduation last year was made an as- sistant of the institute.
 At that time there was lot of juve- 1 nile books at the institute that some of the younger members occasionally se-, lected from to take home and read.
 Miss. Farren, who is a most observing q 16 cfi11intfc cri, ,I ,afina5 fhat younger members of the institute ssl dom used the reading room, but al- ways seemed anxious to get their books and leave the place as quickly as pos sible
 Believing that perhaps they felt out of place in room distinctly reserved for the older members of the library, she suggested to MT. Borden, the li- brarlan in chief of the institute, that a juvenile department be organized. AL though this experiment, to MT. Bor- den's knowledge, had never been tried ! at any other library in the country, so eager Is he for the advancement, or as | some one expressed it. infusion of new | blood" into everything connected with his work, that he immediately consent cd to the experiment. being made. l Two rooms were secured directly over those occupied by the institute l and the idea was carried into effect at once. This was last September-only six months ago-yet already the good work done by the department is being felt. One remarkable feature Is that since the juvenile department was ar ranged the increase in the circulation of non-fictlon books is 1000 per cent. over that of January, 1906. Mir. Borden attributes this to the personal effort on the part of Miss Farren to interest the young mind in subjects of greater value to 1t than those found in mere story books.
 The juvenile department is exceed ingly attractive with its hardwood floors and its large open windows where plenty of sunshine and fresh air give it cheerful appearance. The weekly bulletins arranged by Miss Farren are all built along educational l lines, yet while essentially to instruct, are so attractive that the children not only read them with avidity, but after studying all their points invariably ask l Miss Farren for books that will help them to learn more of the subject.
 Last month Wordsworth, Washing ton, Lincoln and the origin of St. Val entine's day, together with other in teresting and useful subjects, were the topics discussed in the juvenile bulle- tins. There Is a gymnasium in the corner of the front room that interests many of the children, and several loan exhibitions have been made by friends of the enterprise that have called for the taking out of many books of the non-fiction order.
 The way in which the children whose attention has been brought to the juve- nile department of the institute have responded to its call for recognition is sufficient proof to Mir, Borden and his assistants that Miss Farren's sugges- tion was most happy one. Inquiries from libraries in different parts of the state as to the success of the venture show the interest displayed elsewhere in the innovation, and it is believed Miss Farren is the pioneer of a move ment that will soon be generally adop- ted by subscription libraries over all the country
 ANOTHER FEATURE.
 Another splendid feature of the Young Mems Institute of New Haven, while not confined to this city, was in troduced here by Mr. Borden-the ap- prentice system. This is a course in fundamental library training that fits the pupil for the position of library as- sistant. Applicants are eligible from anywhere in the state, the only re- quirement being a high school diploma or its equivalent. At present the num- Der is limited to three at time, the course covering a year and half, tui- ton being free. There is possibility that later the institute may charge for the course, as the number of applica- tions that comes from all over the state each year makes it seem a feasi- ble plan to require a fee.
 The course aims to give the general work of an assistant, including the classification and routine work of li- brary and, what is very important, the reason why these things arc done in all well-regulated libraries. MT. Bor- den, who has been with the New Ha- ven Institute twenty years, except for period of three years when he was at the Yale library, celebrates the anni- versary of his coming to New Haven the 18th of this month.
 It Is conceded by all who have watched the growth and progress of his institute that he has done great l thinEs fOr its natrOnS
 His general assistant during all the years he has been there is J. P. Shell lev, a man. in his way. fully as inDor-