The Washington herald., 1909-02-27
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

few years ago children were con
scienGously. sRooed away from public
libraries. and kept as far from the book
shelves as possible. An invasion from the
child world was regarded with almost as
much terror as one from the Goths and
vandRls. So far has the pendulum Of
progress now swung TO the other side
that libraries are not only opening Their
doors 10 children. but are building sep
arate rooms for their exclusive use. and
are offering every possible inducement 10
get them to come and use the books.
Some have even gone so far as 20 take
the books into the homes Of the children.
and show them how 20 best use them
So much for the growing altruisIn OF
nation that is now eager 70 use every
means available 10 improve the mental
moral. and physical condition Of its
younger citizens.
The childreR's libraries came in answer
10 a call that could not be denied. Il
was noted by attendants in free libraries
Of Leading cities that one-third OF all the
books issued were taken out by children;
that two-thirds OF the readers IN the
tenement districts were children. and
that these children were sometimes teach
ing their elders. Il was also noted that
from one-fourth 20 one-third OF all books
IN the average library are srited 70 the
uses Of children. From these observations
grew the idea that these younger readers
should be segregated in rooms with chairs
and tables suited 10 their sizes. with
books they loved best on open shelves
within easy reach. and with pictures OF
an educational nature on the wall Chill
dren naturally disturb older readers, for
II is difficult 20 keep little hands and
feet always still, and more difficult 10
keep them from calling the attention Of
ueighb0r or the attendant 10 some par
ticularly interesting paragraph or some
very funny picture. Separate rooms were
needed and they came
OF the one hundred largest free libra
RES in this country, over sixty have sepa-
rate departments for children. The ma
iority Of these have each a single room
for child readers. The Carnegie Library.
of Allegheny, Pa, conducts its chiidren's
library as an entirely separate and dis
tinct department from the rest Of the in
stitution- There are attendants. who have
been especially trained for the work. in
charge Of each reading room for child
rem Il gives the modern child a better
training. when some one can direct his
reading than when ne was allowed. ike
Charles Lamb. 20 browse at viii over a
whole closet fun Of heavy tones.
Usually the librarian for chidren's s.
room is a woman. Men have not been
able to come in such close and friendly
relations with little folks The keynote
TO this situation is said by a prominent
library worker 20 be found in Kipling-s
20 some of his chld's stories
only women understand children thor
ougEly. but if a mere man keeps very
quiet and humbles himself properly, and
refrains from talking down TO his su-
periors. the children VIII sometimes be
good 10 him and let him see what they
think about the world Pittsburg. Pa.
has a school for training Librarians for
childrens work. and with New York
shares the distinction Of having, by Q
home library system, literally taken the
library 20 the people when the people
did not care TO come 10 the library Ten
OF more cities have adopted this plan
There are 152 places in Pittsburg where
children can go and draw books. There
are $4,000 children IN all the schools Of
that city, but only 5000 juvenile books
in the Libraries. so there is a rather diff
cult mathematical problem TO be solved
The city has seven reading rooms for
children. and these are working on CO.
operation with the Society for Improving
the Poor. with the social settlements. the
juvenile courts and the newsb0y homes
The geography Of PittsbUrg has offered
room for the development OF many SMALL
circles among the street boys, and very
often a gang has been found with
sort Of circulating library Of its own
the blood-and-thunder novels that they
like 10 read. TC circumvent this form
OF reading The libraries are sending
trained workers into the homes Of the
boys and girls whom they desire 10 reach.
They know that through books, care
fully read. much good upIift work
can be done. So the workers call a few
children together and tell them a story
or t1o-usualiv stories Of heroes OF Of
fairies This so whets the appetite foI
more that when visitor suggests that
the books she has IN the box with her
have more stories like the ones she told
there is a wild scramble 10 get posses
sion OF the aEUTing volumes. The New
York CITY public library does the same
kind OF work. sending trained Librarians
into the tenement districts. where thev
form circles among the children and tell
them stories. Imagination IS one OF the
biggest characteristics Of a child and
hero tales, fairy stories. folk tales and
myths Of other lands take the minds for
awhile from the sordidness Of poverty
stricken life. give higher. cleaner ideals.
The listener, in his small way. soon
wants 20 achieve something good and
noble IN the world. Into each pair OF
willing hands the librarian puts a book.
and when she comes again she finds thst
al the family have listened 70 the read
inE. that she is no longer a. mere visitor
but friend who must hear what every
one thinks Of the story
Through the child readers IN many big
cities more homes are reached than the
average person might imagine one little
girl always seized her book and ran
home eagerly from the reading room
rarely waiting for a chat with the IL
brarian- Careful questioning elected the
Information that It was time for mothers
lesson, and she was teaching her mother
10 read English from the new book. II
was an indirect lesson, however. for the
mother hadn't time 10 leave her kitchen
work TO hold the book. so the child labor
iously wrote out a lessen on the kitchen
door ererr nlornine the rrnthor roo--,s.s