The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-10-08

AN Nl1IN-NIE w -
Secretary thu North Carolina IL
brary Commission.
In an address delivered at the dedi-
cation of the hail of the Boston Aiedl-
cal Library Association December 3,
1873, oliver Wendell Holmes said:
"A great portion Of the best writ
ing and reading-literary, scientific,
professional, observation-disclosures TO
US nov, at stated intervals, in paper
covers. The writer appears, as II
were, in his shirt-sleeves.'
Since 1878 the Importance and
quantity Of such literature has in
creased yea by year. Now any in
stitution, organization, society, aSso-
citation, or library commission which
has a doctrine to prOmulgate or that
would win converts to a cause. be 1t
Christian science, wOna suffrage,
free public libraries, or what not, re-
sorts to print; and practically all Of
this tremendous output makes ITS hrst
appearance in paper coNerS-1n It's
shirt sleeves The problem Of Sc
lecting. collecting, and preserving the
best, that which is really important,
becomes more and more difficult
every year. 1t must not only be pre-
served, but 1t must be arranged in
such a way that a newspaper or maya
zine article, a pamphlet Of q few pages
or Of many pages, may be found as
easily anu DIS 1ulCk as AL CIl-
~cyclopedia. a work in many volumes,
or a single bOok
The great wealth Of valuable ma
terial contained in periodical litera-
ture was first made available by the
publication Of PoOle's Index to
Periodical LITERATURE in 1898. AS
this edition was limited to d thousand
copies, the use of the index did not
become general until the appearance
Of the well-knoWn edition of 1882.
This work indexed 6,205 volmes Of
magazines and has been supplemented
by qu%inQuennial and annual volumes.
The Readers Guide to Periodical
LITERATURE an index to over ninety
periodicals, has been issued monthly
since 1900: there are also quarterly,
annual, and five-year cnmulatiOns.
Thus the student, the research worker,
or the casual inquirer, is able to dis
cover quickly and easily all the litera-
ture on q given subject which has
appeared in the best magazines. The
publishers of the Headers Guide
have established d Cumulative Refer
ence Library through which may be
rented any Of the articles indeXed in
the Guide" Another firm issues
AN Index to Dates by means OF
which material in newspapers may
be readily located. All these publ
cations, indexes to pamphlets. period
Gals and other unbound material, bea
eloquent testimony to the quantity
and TO the value Of much, Of tht
"shirt-Sleeve' literature of today.
In a recent issue Of the lndepen'
dent is an article emitted "WisCOn
sins Package Libraries These II
braries are made up entirely Of 'shirt
sleeve literature-of respectable pre-
pared bulletins, carefully chosen mas
aZine articles INC newspaper clip
pings, association and federal reports
Political questions OF tn. ut
most Importance are discussed. bu
never in a partisan way. for the Ii
hrary Is composed Of the best ma
terial on both sides"
The following extracts from tn
article above referred to give an ex
cellent account Of the purpose. man
agement. and operation of packag
libraries in Wisconsin:
THE package library compose
Of from two to n hundred article:
is sent out In response to any re
quest from within the State, Whethe
the petitioner be the district schoc
pupil or the president Of the Mi
waukee Civic Association. There ar
no charges except the payment of eS
press one way, and material may b
kept three weeks and then renewed
From June, 1911, to June, 1912, Their
were 2,450 of these little ~torch-beal
erS loaned to 313 different IocaIitie
and they covered 6S4 different SUI
jects; 2,4"0 groups. not individual
were made acquainted With the mo.
authoritative literature on impOrtal
questions, literature chosen from tF
most reputable sources. No wOndC
Wisconsin lawmakers come to tt
state House we'll equipt To cope wit
the problems of the day, No wond,
a legislature composed largely
farmers can pass intelligent laws c
primary election. WOrkmen's compel
sation and forestry, when they are
the habit of discussing and hearir
their children debate those very su'
lects in the district school guided
me States highest institution
learning.
THE ten libraries receiving Il
most calls during 1911 and 1879 a
very significant Of the trend of m
lie interest: Wonan Suffrage. Tav
tion, Income Tax; Commission 90
ernent: Initiative and Referen6u,
Parcels Post: Immigration, Eestr;
ton: Recall OF Judiciary: Schools