University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1912-10-21

A NlSltOr from small town was
going through the University library.
Unused to the workings of a large
library, he was asking questions
about everything he saw.
The long, well-lighted room was
full of people, most of them too busy
reading to even look up as the visitor
and the librarian walked back and
forth between the tables and the
bookshelyes. The visitor really
wanted to watch them study as much
as he wanted to hear about the books
on the walls. He was interested TO
see how many were actually concen-
trating their minds on what they
were reading, and how many others
were keeping an even balance of at
tention between the printed pages and
the doings of others i'm the room.
You see. many of the students do
great deal of their studying in the
library" said the librarian, following
/ his look. "They are using there ref
erence books which are not allowed
10 be taken from the room in the day
time. No conversation is permitted
in the library, SO they are enabled
to work here and get the benefit o.
the books, without removing them and
causing loss of time to the next one
who wants to use the book"
But do you never lose book in
this way, when you have no record
of who was reading it last?" asked
the visitor, looking at the shelf after
shelf of volumes running all around
the room. There were five thousand
books. Were they all always re-
placed?
"Oh, occasionally a book is lost,
sometimes by accident, sometimes
purposely. but we lose comparatively
few in this way. The majority of
the students here are about as care
full with library books as they are
with their own. Though there are
some here who care nothing about
the rights of others. the majority of
those who use the books seem to ap-
preciate their library privileges, and
do not abuse them.
"The other books. those not in such
general demand for reference in class
work. may be kept out of the library
for two weeks. While they are clas-
sified according to card-indexing |
system, which makes them easy to /
find. sometimes new students do not !
know just how to go about finding
some special work. The library has
just published little handbook with
detailed information about how to
find books on any subject in the in
deX
For those who are looking for all
the information obtainable on a sub
ject. such, say. as "Workingmen's In
surance". we have indexes to all the
bound and current volumes of period
icals in the library, which often con-
tain the most valuable discussions of
present-day topics. Then we have a
member of the library force who is
always ready to help in finding every
thing obtainable that has been said
on any one subject like this 4
This room contains only the gen.
eral library. The department libra I
ries are in the various buildings {
where they are used. We have ten
members of the library staff and nine I
teen or twenty student assistants who
work in the library a part of the time. |
This includes the collections of books |
in all the buildings. about 10000
books and pamphlets. 6
Eve have magazines. too, and news {
papers. You see them at that end
Of the room. In all the departments,
about 400 periodical publications are
in the library
The visitor was thinking about the =
benefit as well as pleasure to be
found in large library, even where +,
,ne is not in the University. 4;
"The use of these books is not lin
ted to University students. said the
librarian. Citizens of Columbia as
we'll as the families of the faculty and
'fcers of the University may draw :.
books for reading, as well as the :
student"
"But there are SO many people who
i've in small places and at long
distance from such collection of
books. They cannot afford to have n