Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-01-11
STATE LIBRARY COMMISSION
Review of Work Done during the
Year 1911.
Six New Travelling Libraries aud ~
school Libraries t!stabIished, Dring-
ing Totals IN 10 III and ~.
Respectively.

The State library commission. which
has charge of the expenditure of the
approximation made by the state in n
campaign of education through the Ia
stalling and circulating of libraries in
the rural parts OF Vermont, held its
annual meeting Tuesday afternoon IN
the parlofs Of the Van Ness House, with
the chairman. NJ NJ Wilson of Randolph
presiding. An extraordinary amount of
work was shown by the reports to have
been accomplished during tho past year
ny the commission, which receives 10
salary from the state hut does its work
without charge.
Among the new things accomplished, as
shown by the SUPERINTENDENT of travelling
libraries. Miss r. w Wright of Mont
pelic". is tie establishment of six new
traveliCC libraries. bringing tho total
number mp to 81 and the starting Of Is
new school libraries. making Il total Of
IS now in use. In addition to these there
arc now - libraries dealing with special
subjects For the Use of etudT clubs. ana
four farmers libraries. Two now l!rrarios
were acdcd outside of any of thcse classes
dvrins the year one dealing with South
America. ana tho other with Panama and
the car1l. Both Of these are accompanied
by numerous pictures One Of the most
interesting del ar;nents+ of the work done
during the year OF 1911 was tho Installing
of iiNr'ries in -four Vermont institutions
r9mclr. The state hospital for the insane.
the house of correction. the industrial!
school ard tho States prison.
Tie primary objcc. of the commission
ana tho apl ropriation ~ to reach the
sparsely settled regions Of The stat inl
To furnisi th'm with the literature ...hc,
hey would not otherwise he able ia
procure. IN this much good has bec.
Gone. The travelling libraries include
nbow y hooks each. and may be obtained
~ any r!ac" which will pay the trans.
'o'tatipn TO and from Nontpeier The
library may he kept >X months. or longer
II desired. Until each resident has had
IN opportunity Of reading T. Then an
OTHER library vii! replace IT, Over 19n
shipments of this class of library wc-c
n'ado during tho voar.
TIL" y school libraries were also kont
in constant circulation. They consist
or about - volumes each. arc made ,p #
chi'dren's story boots and are distributed
in the rrral schools. There IS n very
lively de:nand for this class of books. The
special study libraries consist of about
30 books. dealing with some snocial sub
icct The different study r,ubs and
sranses us" these as we'll as the arri.
cultural liA.alics
The of'lcals of the different State
Institutions all report that much en-
iovment and profit has resulted from
the establishment of libraries n. those
places \ ~
'or during the past year % books
nave been added. making in all a total
OF about 500. The inmates show an
'hclination to read heavy books. and
among those most used arc books deal
lhg with science ana similar subjects
~ Waterbury fiction with some books
OF travel form the substance Of tne
library. and at the other two state in
stItNtlors the main object Striven fo,.
in the selection of hooks is to amuse
ana eieVat" In the last three lihra~-
les substantial increase ha. also
heon made in the past 10 months.
IN the work Of starting new lthrar-
'"s. the commission gives 500 wortn of
books at first and this is followed by
an annual contribution Of s2h worth s,
long as tn" library Is kept aliv" and
we'll managed. There are now g in
siitutions receiving thi. aid annually.
New Libraries were established dur
ing the past year in Middlehury vii
Jamestown R"xbury, Grand Isle. Troy
and Wcathersfrld.
THO only appropriation mazda hv the
stat" for the usc Of the commission
Is about $1,000 annually and during the
past year no contributions r.a,o made
~ in'iVidualF. little over q yea
ago. hoWcN"r contr hEtion or SIN
Gao WIS made by Miss Corinnc In,i,r-
wood Of st. Jo'inshury ANA thi, did
much good work.