The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-03

1 of government and state documents TOT special reference.
 The best law library in the city. l 5 The best medical library in the city. | 6. full up-to-date and constantly re- newed supply of works demanded by the army of teachers and students in the Bir- mngham schools.
 [ A great big beautiful; home-like chidrens department filled with such world of books and pictures and flowers as to be an all-powerful magnet to our little citizens who are in the process of making for good or for evil. It is the purpose of this article to dis cuss at length only the first special head given above-the technological depart ment.
 First, the technological department should be in charge of scholarly li- brarian who should have had special training for the work and experience in it He should know his books and have his index guides at his fingers ends, in order to be able to place before the busy seareher just what he is asking for. with out loss of time in meaningless search. He should keep up with the latest and Lest books published on all technological subjects and keep his department up-to- date. promptly discardng from the ders them unsafe guides.
 Such librarian would know Birming- ham and Birmingham needs. He would acquaint himself with all the trades in terests represented in this city through visits to factories. shops, etc, and buy his books with reference to their needs. It would be his duty to make reading lists of everything contained in the H. brary on much called for subjects and post these lists In factories where the attention of the workers in the several l trades would be attracted to them. He would also post such lists in the tech ncal reference room of the library in or der to lead the searcher, not only to the books he wants. but to the page on which he will find his subject discussed Small leafiet lists of books on technological subjects would be printed for the pur- pose of circulation through the means of the trades unions, pay roll envelopes, etc. Summing up, it would be the business of 1 the librarian of the technical department to see that the library always had the
  man, and to get them to him.
 It would be the work of this librarian to arrange from time to time, for lectures on technological subjects to be delivered in the library auditorium. At such times displays would be made of the library s stock in trade on the subject of the even- ing's discussion. For instance, if the lecture were on concrete and reinforced concrete construction, all works dealing with this subject would be displayed on the library tables for examination by those who came, and leafet reading lists Of all books and magazine articles in the library on that subject with volume and page indicated) would be distributed. | There would be in this room all that the Birmingham citizen could wish in the way of technological magazines and publica- tons of technological societies and schools. It is not stoo much to say that it might ultimately contain dummy ap- paratus, run by electricity, displaying ir miniature the workings of coal mine and other industries of vital interest here This Is already done elsewhere.
 In this room should be placed as full | coHection or Aldpdind iinerais, eS pecally those to be found in the Bir' minghain district, as is possible to make It should, of course, be well supplied with all government geological maps ant government documents on technologica subjects.
 It is the history of other cities, as wal cited by Dr. Handley in his lecture here that good libraries through their educa ticnal influence on the workingn1an, neil to bring big contracts to a city.
 Tile man behind the tool is carving tn destiny of Birmingham. No amount o money would be misspent which woul help him to better guide that tool. Your very truly.
 FRANCES NIMMO GREENE.
 Birmingham, April 2, 1910.
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