The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-19
LIBRARY COURSE
 COMES ID CLOSE
Held In Senate Chamber of the
 State Capitol
CLASS OF TWENTY PUPILS
pr. Thomas M. Owen, Under Whose Direction Instruction Was Given, Thanks Pupils and Assistants
 For Their Effective Work.

Montgomery, August Specially J. The free summer course in library in struction, which has for the past five weeks been given at the capitol under the direction of the department of ar ch1ves and history, came to close yesterday at 2 o'clock. By all who kept watch over the progress of this work it has been pronounced success far beyond the expectations of the most sanguine.
 The course was opened July 15 in the historic senate chamber in the state capitol with 20 pupils and six in structors in attendance. At the open ing were present Gov. B. B. Conner, Harry c. Gunnels, state superintendent of education, and Dr. Thomas M. owen, director of the department of archives and history well as more than score of other state officials and clerks.
 The closing exercises yesterday found the entire class present, with one ex ception. Miss Nimmo Green, head in- structor, and Miss Alice Wyman, in structor in refrence work, as well as pr. Thomas M Owen were p;,esent. Dr. Owen, under whose department the course has been conducted, made the final address to the class, in which he spoke briefly of the dignity and i'm portance of the work. He also dwelt at length on many points of importance to the librarians and counseled them to further prosecute their studies until they had rounded out and fully ma tured tn emselves.
 The speaker reminded them that the course which they were just concluding was only beginning, and that it would require many months of hard and painstaklng labor to master fully the numerous details of the library pro- fession.
 We are on the eve of a great library awakening in Alabama" he declared. You should congratulate yourselves that you enter the field at the begin ming of this awakening. The profes sion you have chosen is one of great dignity and importance, and Alabama looks for much in your loyal develop ment of the field of endeavor which you have chosen. There is no nobler calling than that of librarian"
 pr. Owen Talks.
 pr. owen assured the members of the class of his interest in them in dividually, and reminded them that they could at any time call upon the division of library extension of his de- partment for cooperation. He formally thanked Miss Greene, Miss Wyman and the other instructors for their work.
 At the conclusion of his address, which was warmly applauded, at the suggestion of Miss Sophia Holmes, rising vote of thanks was extended pr. Owen as director of the department of archives and history, for installing the course and for his cordial cooperation in supporting 1t.
 Thanks were extended the Carnegie state and supreme court librarian, for sympathetic and continuous co-opera- tion.
 Miss Martha Armstrong then arose and, In very graceful speech, ex- pressed the thanks of the class to Misses Greene and Wyman, the resi- dent instructors of the class, for their sympath etic work during the term. She then presented, in the name of the class, to Miss Greene beautiful leath- CT handbag, and to Miss Wyman a gold belt buckle. These ladies re- sponded in feeling terms to the evil dences of regard shown by the class.
 Miss Greene, as h cad instructor, then addressed the class, declaring her pleasure at having presided over heir studies for the term and she thanked the individual members for their cour- tesy, zeal and enthusiasm with which they had prosecuted their work.
 The class then was dismissed, after which they went over the capitol and paid calls to the officers of the de- partment of archives and history the secretary of state, and the governor. They were sh own every attention by the officials in charge.
 Earlier in the day the class spent two hours at the Carnegie library in practice work. They then came to their places at the capitol, where de- ligh tful lunch was served by Miss Mary Cleveland Barnes of Montgomery, a member of the class.
 On the exercises being resumed Miss Greene made some closing suggestions with reference to certain features of the mornings work.
 The class was also addressed in the morning by Hon. w. b. Fort, private sec retary of the governor and by Capt. A. c. Sexton, deputy insurance commissioner of Alabama This was in line with the plan of the class to hear addresses of all de- partments of the state government
 MT. Fort was unusually happy in his congratulations extended the class for their successful work. He spoke encourag- ingly of library work, confirming earnestly the support of the work by the governor which had been expressed by that official when the class first assembled In July
 Captain Sexton talked for few minutes Interestingly of the relation of the depart ment of insurance to the state govern ment. It was declared to be an integral part of the state and Is designed to protect the vast interests of invested capital of Alabama citizens. The speaker encour- aged the class to take a more careful in terest in insurance of all kinds, to make