The Yale expositor., 1913-08-28
MICHIGAN LEADS ALL STATES
IN WORK OF LIBRARY
TRAINING.
MRS. MARY c. SPENCER LARGELY
RESPONSIBLE.
Officers Whose Salaries Were In
creased BY Assembly Will Benefit
Except Those Serving
Specific Terms.
by Gurd M. Hayes.l

training and comparison OF the work
carried on by other state libraries
shows that at the present time Mich
igan is far in the lead Mrs. Mary G..
spencer, state librarian, inauguarted
the system in Michigan and has been
largely responsible for its success.
The classes in library training car
ried on by the state library and board
Of library commissioners in the normal
schools of Kalamazoo and Marquette,
have just closed with most encourag-
ing results. The attendance was con-
siderably larger than usual and great
er interest was shown, not only by
those taking the course, but by all stu
dents who were more or less interest
ed in the technical and inspirational
work which was done.
At the training school conducted at
Big Rapids under the personal direc-
tion of Miss Florence Hopkins, high
school librarian of Detroit, 81 pupils
were enrolled, the large majority be-
ing rural school teachers who were
directly interested in the care and or
gani2ation Of Libraries. The lectures
OF Miss Marian p. Green of the New
York public library, on childrens
books and story telling created most
favorable impression.
The extension work this year was
class at Bay View. The work was
carried on the Epworth League build
ing, with Miss Mabel c. True, an as
sistant librarian as instructor. Spe-
cial lectures were delivered by Miss
Whiteman, director OF children's work
in the Carnegie library at Pitsburg
The equipment for the work, as for
the other classes, was as complete as
it possibly could be. A collection of
500 of the best books for children,
carefully selected by Mrs. Spencer,
was placed for the use of the students.
A graded school travelling library, a
special library on pedagogy, hygiene
and boy scouts, together with a fine
collection of framed pictures which
are loaned by the state library to
rural schools, made a collection OF
which Mrs Spencer says any state
might be justly proud. So impressed
was one visitors with the collection
OF children's books that he wanted to
buy the entire 500 volumes.
An enthusiastic class took the
technical course in which the students
are taught how to select books for a
small library, how to catalogue and
care for the books and the numerous
other duties which go with library
work Miss Whiteman gave twelve
lectures on children's books and story
telling which were listened to by large
| audiences. Many of the temporary
residents Of Bay View are from Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois and great inter
est was manifest in the work by the
visitors who were surprised and pleas
ed with the novelty and completeness
of the exhibition. One superintendent
of schools from Illinois pleaded with
Mrs. Spencer to come to Illinois and
carry on the same work there but she
informed him that there was plenty
to do in Michigan. Mrs. Spencer has
been requested to conduct another
class in library training at Bay View
next year
$50 far as I know Michigan is the
work and it has cNtainly proved of
incalcuable benefit to the rural school
| teachers who are also librarians of
small libraries which come under
their control" said Mrs Spencer
''The loan of pictures is also unique
| AS near as I can ascertain, Michigan
and New York are the only states car
rying on this work, placing for six
months in the rural schools the best
reproductions of the old masters and
modern artists.
at is good enough for us to know
that during the present summer, 134
students took our library course and
will go back TO their work knowing
how to get the best out of their Ii
brarieS have seen and examined 500
OF the best books for schools and
have seen and can borrow libraries
for their schools and the best pictures
for the walls. Nor must the influence
Of our schools be measured by the
number OF students who took the
course The daily lectures. especially
on work with children, were crowded.
For fifteen years Michigan has
been climbing up and getting a little
higher each year. overcoming diff.
culties and step by step making
slight advance until now the state has
been so thoroughly permeated with
library enthusiasm that advance In
the future will be still more pronounc.
ed.
"The county commissioners Of
schools have been especially appre.
ciatiye and our purpose this year is TO
place travelling library in the ONCE
Of each commissioner in order that
the teachers may examine the books
AMI select Libraries more intelligenfly
"The most pleasing feature Of this
work is the fact that at least two
thirds OF tho students we're teachers