The Williamson enterprise. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1907-1911, 1911-03-09
PUBLIC SCHOOL LIBRARY

s
About five years ago the Pub
lie Schools undertook the enter
prise of securing a school libra
nv for the benefit of the children
Of the school. Several entertain
ments were held along during
the year and afterwards, and
some little money was raised
for the purchase of books.
For two or three years the Ii
brary was not provided with adj
equate facilities for handling the
books, in the way of shelves etc.
This year, however, the library
has been provided with a very
handsome set of cases capable Of
holding about 1000 volumes.
The first stock of books secured
has been added too each year,
until the total number of access
sions has been $50. OF these
something near 700 are still in
use, although several copies have
been lost while the books were
still over in the old building,
which has never been able to be
locked up secure enough to pre-
vent persons from entering it.
OF course some of the more pop
ular books have been worn out.
All who have been connected
with the library have noticed the
the wonderful effect it has had in
developing the tastes of the
children and their love for read
ing. The first year it was hard
ly possible to secure books ele-
mentary enough in their charac-
ter to be popular with the chill
dren; and very few children had
any knowledge or appreciation of
authors whose writings were
suited to their needs along the
line of books. Today, however,
all Of this is changed. Many of the
children have read the greater
part of the juvenile books in the
library, and are extremely in
terested in books more suited for
adults. They have furthermore
become quite well acquainted
with the works of some of the
more prominent writer's for chill
dren, as we'll as some of those
whose writings are more espe-
cially suited for adults.
The library has its books care
fully classified, and arranged ac-
cording to the divisions into
which the books would naturally.
fall. For instance, there are
several shelves of books useful to
the teacher, those touching on
pedagogy, teaching, etc. in vari-
GUS phases. There are several
shelves of supplementary read
ings in geography for the pupil;
some also in history. The col
lection of books dealing with
nature study is very good and
there is something to suit the in
terest of every child. There is
a fine shelf full Of books of ami
NAL stories, such as Black
Beauty" and others of that kind.
There are shelves of fairy stories,
| Of juvenile fiction, little children's
books, etc. Then there are
some excellent general reference
books.
Within the next few years it is
hoped that the school will be
able to again undertake the mat
| ter of increasing the stock of
books, replacing someo of the pop
ular books that have been worn
out with excessive use, and in
general, making provisions for
the continuation and extension
| of the usefulness of the library.
Two of the teachers usually
serve as librarians without any
compensation, although it in
wolves quite 4 good bit Of work,
as any pupil from the upper
rooms is allowed to secure q book
every week. The present IL
brarians are Miss Cunningham
and Miss Steptoe.
Any friend or patron of the
school who has any books that
are no longer of use to them
would be doing great favor by
presenting such books to the
school. Why not look over your
stock and see if you have not
lsuch books as would be of more
use to the school children than
they are to yourself, and notify
the librarians or the superin-
Itendent. They will call and see
the books mark them with your
name, catalog ne them, and shelve
them so that they will be ready
for use by the teachers and
lchildren. Good standard and
recent,fction, books of travel.
adventure, biography, history.
reference sets, standard authors
- III n q