Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-27
LIBRARY As CREATEDUCATOR
Could Be Made Factor in University
Extension idea.
GROWING IN POPULARITY as IT Is
Could Help More ~ People Would
Recognise It's Full Equipment
Benefits Armies Every
Year.

As an application Of the university ex-
tension idea, the reading and reference de-
partments Of the Omaha Public library are
being overlooked to some extent. Their
popularity is growing In encouraging fash
Ion, however, and Miss Tobitt and her as
slstants feel that II those who could be
benefited would keep the complete equip
ment of the library in mind the patron.
age would be largely Increased every week
OF the year.
As an evidence Of the increasing use
made OF the library reading room. for in.
stance, during 1909 Il, A6 persons patronlzed
the file racks, using newspapers, period
icals and technical Issues OF one kind and
another. The daily average was us rs.
itors.
No library in the country Of the size Of
the Omaha Institution takes better care
Of the wants Of a Cosmopolitan popula-
ton. Daily papers from twenty-one q
the largest cities Of the land are kept 4n
file, comprising the best publications Of
the various places. OF weekly issues
twenty-five different papers are provided.
Besides papers printed in the English Ian
guage, there are also sixteen printed in
foreign languages. The use made of these
papers by patrons fully ~justifies the ex-
pense Of subscription.
Trade and Technical Papers.
In the list of weekly, monthly and quar-
terly magazines, trade papers and techni-
cal journals in many languages, are to
be found 24O different publications. These
range from journals treating of high art
to those dealing with modest matters
touching the household and the shop; from
magazines dealing with heavy philosophl-
cal and qnrinIogIno1 fonice ia0aI ord h,,gI-
ness questions to some of the most tech
meal nature and very costly production.
on any given line Of work, thought or
study now engaging the attention of the
world, in large or small degree, there is
to be found one or more magazines or
compilations at hand in the Omaha library,
They are indexsd completely and imme-
diately available for the use of any per-
son seeking knowledge; and they are used
very extensively, but the library authorf-
ties feel that there is still opportunity here
for study and the acquiring of information
which is not taken advantage OF.
Public documents, patent office reports,
congressional proceedings, drawings, medi-
cal books, reference volumes on every
imaginable live topic-all are at hand.
And the accommodations for using them
are OF the best.
Works I'm Many Languages.
Periodicals and bound volumes In the
original French. German, Danish. Swedish
and Yiddish can be found at the library,
without the need Of a tedious wait.
The willing aid OF trained people is no
small attraction to be kept In mind In
this connection. The visitor with but a
few minutes to look up some moot point
can get satisfaction no less than the serious
student or Investigator who knows exactly
what he wants, but may be somewhat at
sea as to how to find 1t. An indication of
his wants in any special field will bring
direct help from the library attendants, and
perhaps a valuable pointer born of better
education in the field Of book study.
Even granting that much good use is
made Of the reading room, the library
heads do not consider this by any means
the most satisfactory feature Of their work.
They feel the expense OF subscription would
be Justified were not the papers and maya
zines to be afterward bound and placed
among the permanent files Of the institu-
ton.
The continuing use OF the library as a
whole is the real measure OF its worth in
the view of those who direct and manage
1T. And correlated with this thought Is
the ever-growlng value to the investigator,
the student, the writer, and to tie casual
visitor even, of this depository of assured
learning and mine Of pertinent general in
fOrma tion-tha Omaha nuhIIp iihrarv