Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-10-01
COLLECT FACTS ON CITIES
Experts Urging Libraries to Under
take Such a Task.
NATIONAL LEAGUE BACKS IDEA
Committee, with Miss Edith TObitt
Member, Recommends . nee
partment 20 Take Up the
work OF COmpiIinE.

That there IL need for an organization
or department for the collecting. collat-
ing and filing OF information on munici-
pal. social. political and economic ques-
tons, Is apparent to everyone who has
ever given any thought TO such questions
or has tried to find out anything about
his own or any other city government.
The Civic league OF ST. Louis, In recon-
mending such a bureau TO the Board OF
Freeholders. made the following state
ment:
The value of comparative data in deal
ing with municipal questions can hardly
be overestimated, especially when so
many new problems are constantly aris-
ing. A department OF this kind would
prevent many ill-advised measures now
advanced from becoming laws and would
often save the city an actual loss by
preventing the passage OF ordinances
which have proven unsatisfactory In
other cities.
AN officer whose duty Il will be to
keep In touch with municipal movements
everywhere and be ready to supply the
Information to those who are charged
with making the laws and administering
them should, we believe, be provided for
In the new charter"
speaking at a conference of city OFF,
cials and others soon after the organ-
nation OF the Baltimore bureau. Presi-
dent Remsen OF the Johns Hopkins uni
yerslty made the following statement ap-
propos OF the work inaugurated by the
bureau;
"It may fairly be said that that nation
which makes most use Of the scienuno
method Is the most advanced nation tax
ing everything into consideration, and IN
the long run that nation win outstrip the
others.
"yrhat the industries are dependent upon
tho cultivation OF the sciences is well
known Innumerable striking examples OF
,h,s could be given. II can also be shown
that in the study OF the problems OF
sovernnnent. whether these problems be
those OF a municipality, OF state or a
nation, the scientific method Is or vital
importance. What this method Is may be
aummed up in a few words. II Is that
method which proceeds in the most sensl-
BILE wav to solve problems. whenever
wise man has a problem TO deal with he
first endeavors to find out what the tacts
are and after he has learned the facts
he proceeds to action his conclusions ars
drawn from the knowledge OF the tacts.
That is the scientific method; that Is the
only sensible method OF going to work in
any field. whether 1t be the field OF
nature. OF business or OF government.
Progress In its broadcast sense Is Que to
the use OF this method"
Recognizing this condition, and i'm
pressed by the good results following the
establishment Of legislative reference
bureaus in several OF the states. the Ma
tional Municipal league in 1909 appointed
committee 10 report upor the feasibility
and desirablllty of municipal references
libraries, and inquiries we're made Of thu
librarians of the public libraries In all
hciries having population OF 5000 or over
The replies indicate that there 10 almost
complete unanimity as TO the great neec
for the establishment of municipal refer
ence libraries but there was not the SAM
unanimity as to how this should be done
The committee feels that these replies
are strong evidence OF the need of suel
libraries. This committee. OF which DR.
Horace e. Flack, librarian OF the Balti
more department OF legislative reference
is chairman has made n striking repor
on the whole question, which has beef
widely distributed among librarians. will
the result that an extended interest in tn
subject has been aroused.
In 1910 the committee was continued
with DR.. Flack as chairman. and the fol
lowing members: Hon. Thomas l.. Mont
somery, state librarian OF Pennsylvania
Miss Edith Tobitt. Librarian OF the Oman
public library; Hon. Oscar Lesser of Bait
more and Clarence B. Lester OF the legis
I lAtivs reference division OF the New Yor
I state library
4 TO this committee has also been az
signed the question OF the collection an