The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-05-03
SCOPE Of LIBRARY WORK.


Louisiana, and the Possibilities
for Development, Discussed by
President Of State Association.
Following is the full text OF the
interesting address delivered by
William Beer, librarian of the How
ard Memorial Library in New Or1e-
ans, and former president Of the
Louisiana statA Library Association,
at the opening session of the annual
convention of that organization held
in this city April IL and s12::
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men:
i beg tos thank you for your kind
words OF welcome to the members of
the Louisiana Library Association.
We are not numerous, but We repre-
sent movement of great importance
to the non urban population of the
state. We come among you to dis
cuss various features of our work
which Nay be generally described as
the prediction Of library interests in
the state outside of the communities
already provided for.
'sThe principle OF free education
has long been a part of American
llfe. That OF free reading was not
generally accepted till the middle OF
the nineteenth century, but it has
grown so rapidly that in one state,
Massachusetts,. there is no town
however small which Is not provided
free nll bic and ~
nome which IS not reached through
travelling libraries.
The larger cities throughout the
United States are now all supplied
with good free libraries supported by
municipal taxation The wants of
the population not residing in tIsese
! towns are in some states supplied
through the agency of the state Il
library The powers of which have been.
extengsd to cover the provision OF
| eithef permanent or travelling libra
| RES for the use of every inhabitant.
n other states have been appointed
library commissions. to which has
been given complete control Of all
matters pertaining to libraries and
| the provision of books for the peo-
PIE,
| In these happy states the staGe IL
| brary association exists only for The
Interchange of ideas on and susges-
tions for the progress of library
| work. Organization of libraries m
struction in library work, provision
of travelling 1libraries, all these are
taken charge OF either by the state
library or the library commission.
tion Of 941,o86 whites, thfrty-tWo Ii
braries provide 41S,00o books for
towns having 3357 ,002 white inhabi-
tants. Of these, thirteen Libraries
having 325,00O books are in. New Or
leans, with its population Of 24a,S1a
whites.
The libraries supported by mssnici-
ipal taxation or dedicated to public
use in the state are tWelVe--six in
New Orleans and six in lesser cities
supplying 100000 books to 27S,9I5
whites
This leaves unprovided for by
public taxation a rural white popslIa-
ton of 667,171 whites scattered over
50 parishes.
The State Library, which al we
have seen in some states makes pro-
vision for the reading of the whole
state, is in our case absolutely use-
less for general reading purposes.
In its origin it was, as in every
other state, a collection of law books
FOR the use of the lawyers attending
the supreme court and of the legis-s
tatiFe documents of the states. To
this in the time of Mr.. Gayarfe was
added a fine collection Of historical
and other books which might easily
lave been made the nucleus OF
splendid general library In the.
course of years the State Library has
been the victim OF many vicissitudes
and today it is housed magnificent
ly in the new courthouse building,
but consists only of books OF law
and state legislation. We have no
library commission, and it rests with
the State Library Association to.
create agencies for the provision Of
that library accommodate which is
found in other states.
Up To the present we have been
able to do but little. Under the
energetic management Of my prede-#
lessor, Mr.. Hathaway, a bill was
passed authorizing the formation af
Libraries, and through the activity
and enthusiasm Of the secretary.
Miss Helen Dodd, 1000 books haze
5een prepared for circulation in the
shape of travelling libraries.
fTsnu oie oh s.