Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-07-14
Take These Pants at S1.05

sion, yet the most important ones of
| this fiscal year are to bring about a
uniform census of library statistics
throughout the country and to guide
| the student in the use of text books by
expert authority. Both propositions,
originating here, have been approved
| by the leading Libraries of the United
States, and both unquestionably will
! be adopted as part of the national Ii
brary economy.
1.-THE library is actively serving the
schools, teachers of the schools, the
women's clubs, the young men and
women who have an education or
would like one, the churches, the
| Christian Endeavor societies, artists,
| architects, historians, students of eco
nomics, of politics. 1t is prepared to
serve any person who wishes to study
| anything.
"Reforms made by this administra-
ton in the school department make 1t
far more useful to the schools A large
number of the teachers of the city are
already receiving these benefits. The
documents department, recently found
| ed, is of use to every business man,
every politician, city official, state Of
| fetal or student of modern problems
| The history material department, an
other invention of this administration,
is useful to every one who cares to
know anything as to what it recorded
from day to day. The reference depart
nent is the most important focus for
study in the whole west-for art, arch
itecrure, applied sciences or anything
else.
One Serious Drawback
"The most serious drawback to the
service is the constant shrinkage or
our staff, in the face of the constant
ly growing demand for service. Every
year more resign for matrimony, or
for better-paid positions elsewhere,
than our present routine can replace
1t is now more than a city block from
one end to the other of the main Ii
brary quarters. Our young women all
move as rapidly as hygiene allows.
Clearly, it would take more attendants
to cover so much ground. even II there
were no more demand. The demand,
however. has increased in proportion to
the quarters and to the accommoda-
tions We need twenty more people
simply to conduct the routine work of
the library. To carry on those func-
lions for which a public library is most
valuable-to help club women, high
school boys and girls, juveniles, stu
dents, investigators and novel readers,
still larger number is required:
"rThe condition of the ten branch Ii
braries has been much improved dur
ing the year, in spite of extraneous OBJ
stacles: and will this year be given
particular attention under competent
management. The city has already
disproportionate number of branches,
as compared with other American cit
les 1t is impossible to abolish
branches already established; on the
other hand, the obvious duty of a pub
lie library is not only to furnish books
but to make them as convenient as
possible.
Deposit Stations Urged
1.-THE best thought in the library
world at present is to supplant
branches with deposit stations In
other cities, as here, it is impossible
| to furnish enough attendants to meet
the advancing demand for branches
The deposit stations give the public
most of the advantages of the books
without undue drain on the resources
| of the library. The community fur
nishes room, attendants and other
| charges; receives a loan of so many
books, is responsible for them, and ex-
changes them at the end of fixed
| term In this way, the people con-
cerned aid the library, aid their own
self-respect, maintain proportionate
service to the institution and to the
whole public-and get the books, also
while we already have more branch
libraries than other American cities III
proportion to population, there is de-
mand for practically double this serV-
ice. We are meeting it, as other pro-
gressive libraries are meeting It, by
substituting the deposit station With
| in this fiscal year, and in ADDITION TO
our ten permanent branches, we nave
established the following deposit sta
tons: Young Womens Christian as
ISOLATION, Young Mems Christian assoc
citation, Belle White home for chlldren'
Bishop & Co.'s factories, Compton ave-
nue. and DAILY and Downey
"The two last stations are excellent
examples of the interest taken and the
use made of the public library. In
each case at least thousand readers
were represented by the petitioners for
a branch. In both cases these petition
ers have gladly accepted the alterna--
tive, have provided rooms, service anu
the responsibility of their loan OF SOU
volumes each six weeks.
1.-THE question of the open or colsed
shelf is still being fought out in all