The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-03-14

a student to find these scattered por-
tions devoted to the subject in which
he is interested. 5
Helps Business Man.
Then. of course, one Of the main
things is your extension work. Quite
a number of up-todate libraries with
which | am familiar have installed a
very useful telephone service. The
telephone is kept at the reference IL
brarian's desk and any business man,
who desires information on any sub
ject whatever, needs only to call her
up and put his question. In few mo-
ments with her facilities at hand, she
can telephone him the Information he
Is asking.
"Of course it goes without saying
that 1t will be we'll for you to install
book depots in your schools and in
some Of your factories. If you succeed
in establishing social centers in your
schools, and I understand a movement
is now under way for that purpose.
you will find the opened school houses
ideal library branches. 1t would also
be easy to arrange to have deposits
Of books made in a few of your larg-
est factories, all OF these book depos-
its being under the charge of your
municipal librarian, Of whom / spoke
before.
Il am glad to report that / find you
have. in the main, very excellent
collection of books. 1t may be a bit
heavy in some special lines, art, for
instance, and it is somewhat weak in
the science departments and along
sociological lines, but as a whole your
selection is most creditable indeed.
If you can make this more available
to the people and get them to make
better use of it, you will certainly
have performed a great service to
your city.
1T is also a pleasure to say that
l find your expenditures are perfect
ly normal Your maintenance
charges and your expenditures for
books are we'll proportioned. You do
not expend enough money for sal
aries, a thing which added revenue
would enable you to do. since your
maintenance expenses will practically
remain what they now are.
Income Small.
Now it goes without saying. be-
cause you all understand it, that your
greatest handicap is insufficient rev.
enue. Your library tax rate is far be-
low the average. Only five or six
towns in Indiana, and they among
the least progressive. even attempt to
run a library with so little money in
proportion as you. Even if you lev
led the tax permitted you by your
law, your proportionate income would
still be much less than that in very
many cities in the state. The COM
munity cannot expect you to give it
the service that It is demanding I'M
/ less it gives you such financial sup
mort as is necessary to operate an eff
ficient library"
The library trustees expressed
themselves as being very we'll pleas
ed with the plan of library develop
ment presented them by Mr. San
born. Your suggestions appeal TO
me- said W. H. Bradbury, and |
believe they are all feasible and GER
tainly are all desirable | can't see
why there is any reason for us not
carrying them out. The architectural
changes are so slight and will cost so
little there is no question but that
we may find it possible to make
them
After the trustees have had est
mates made of the cost of the pro-
posed changes in the library building
and after some definite plan is agreed
on. the special library committee will
make report to the Commercial club
which will take the matter up in op-
Ell meeting sometime in the near flu
ture. Mr. Sanborn has promised to
address that meeting.