South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-18
CLAIM POWER To
PICK LITERATURE

That the library board is the men
tai board of health of the community
and therefore has a right To prescribe
the kind of reading matter which is
best for circulation, was the conclu-
sion of the librarian of Section A of
the state association at their confer
ence Thursday afternoon at the South
Bend public library.
This conclusion was reached in
formally after an interesting discus
sion of the right of librarians to ex-
clude from their shelves certain
classes of namby pamby fiction, which
is demanded, nevertheless, by pOr-
tons OF the reading public The dis
cussion was merely incidental to
conference on the reading circle plan,
but aroused considerable warmth and
brought out some interesting COM
ment. There were 10 librarians pres
ent at the conference, including as a
special guest, Henry A. SanbOrn, sec
rotary of the state library commission.
In debating upon the extent of the
rights of the librarian in selecting the
books to be circulated, one of the dele
gates suggested that so long as the
librarians were expending public
money il was a questionable right when
they took it upon themselves to eX-
clude from the library shelves fiction
that tends to lower standards of liter
III ldclC, WAlCll pOl llOllo VI tllt lCebu-
ing public demand such reading.
The librarians" replied Mr.. San
born to this. constitute d kind of
mental board Of health, in my estima-
ton and / think we are not only just
flied, but il is our duty TO prescribe
the reading just as it is the duty of the
medical board of health to prescribe
what is physically best for the COM
munity. That certainly does not
mean the exclusion from the shelves
of the library all popular fiction, but
only that class which is mentally
Vitiating."
Gary Man Talks.
Mr.. Bailey of the Gary library gave
a talk on the merits and defects of the
reading circle plan which consists Of
a list of books published by a COM
mittee of writer's and librarians, who
award diploma to those, who have
read at the end of a certain period
every book in the list.
\ lively round table discussion en-
sued, the majority of those present
maintaining that while the reading
circle idea is excellent and accom-
plisheS in many communities, espe-
cially rural communities, where there
are no library facilities, they are not
adaptable to every community.
discussion of the merits of pre-
scribed reading in general rose out of
this and brought out a great deal Of
amusing repartee. Mr.. SanbOrn and
Miss Virginia Tut of the local library,
in speaking on the subject, held that
any system of prescribed reading is
perniciOus, no matter what the source
from which requirement comes re
marking that with grOwn-upS as well
as children cOmpulsiOn usually defeats
its end-that to tell a person he has
to do thing is usually the sign that
he will not do it.
The question Of rural circulation
comes up for considerable serious dis
cussiOn as to method and expense and
the fact was brought out that the
state commission Is greatly limited as
to means in this matter, that where
Wisconsin has $4,000 to expend for
books annually, Indiana has $4,000.
Section A will meet again the latter
part of February, when the meeting
will be held at Hobart the new
branch library of Gary, which will be
dedicated at that time.