Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-28
THE AMERICAN LIBRARY
1.-The Free Public
Library.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

To tell little girl fairy tale, to
teach a housewife how better to bake
a pie. to aid a carpenter the better to
build house. to help the student with
MS mathematics and the preacher with
MS theology to train the Boy Scout
and to help young mother to care for
her babe-these are the undertakings
of the free public library in the Amer
lean city.
The American Library Association
Will hold its annual conference in
Washington from May % to 80. 1t is
the largest organization of librarians
IN the world, and these Librarians have
caught the true spirit of the Ameri-
can lfbrary-they are not merely Gus
todians of books, they are evangelists
of learning
The American library is no longer a
mere house OF books. sleepily reposing
on a side street waiting for people to
come to 1t. 1t is no longer static 1t
- no longer an aristocratic institu-
tion. Kept by scholars for scholars. The
american library is dynamic. 1t is
kept by scholars, indeed, but it is for
all the people.
Remote from the cloistered institu-
ton of the past though they are, the
American libraries
High Standards especially tn e
of Scholarship. r un,vsrsisS ,,,a.I n
and the Library of Congress) have Just
as high standards of scholarship as the
older libraries of Europe. yet they are
all feven the most highly specialized)
IN close relation with the vital affairs
Of everyday life. The American library
IS highly efficient in its technical equip
ment. 1t recognizes guardianship to
nc a profession and insists that its af-
fairs be administered by trained ex-
perts. who are at the same time human
beings IN close contact with The COM
mon life of the common people.
Its most important work Cbeing as it is
III fact, a university for the people in a
democracy is to supply to all the means
Tor studying all sides of every question
In aooition to its we'll located central Ii
brary. literally stocked with books de-
signed to satisfy the voracious annette
OF all-pervasive American curiosity, eff
ciently administered. Hospitality open at
convenient hours. the American public Ii
brary is force that goes out to all
parts OF the city, utilizing branches in
separate buildings or in schoohouses al
lotments of books to social and civic CEN
tiers, and on.
The free library in every American city
shapes itself to the special requirements
or that particular city. and therefore
there is no absolute type. In general
principles. however, the whole library
movement has gone forward at an even
pace, and so, for the purposes of this
artcle. We may make composite por-
trait OF a library that will represent all
the libraries IN cities of. say, more than
10000 people. The libraries in the small
tr cities are the same. except that their
activities are necessarily less extensive.
Tho chief care of the librarian is not
He wishes the
Cnle1 EnOrt Is TO maximum possible
Circulate Books. uro ION ana n
book he has Therefore he has always on
his mind the problem of how better to
advertise the library and its resources
He sends out monthly bulletins of new
books; he has these printed in the daily
papers. He sends out typewritten lists
of special books on special subjects He
and his assistants utilize every oppor-
tunity TO advertise the library by deliver
ing lectures and addresses before clubs
and schools He is careful that school
teachers always are possessed of lists
of books to help the pupils in their work.
Some of the advanced Enthusiastically
that at Washingron-send out each month
a social service bulletin. which announces
public meetings of individuals and So
cfeties interested in social service work,
and then appends lists OF books and arti-
cles in periodicals bearing on the subjects
10 be treated.
Carrying out this social service work,
the library assists by reference work,
wemen,s clubs debating societies and
sociological organizations. 1t furnishes
them with books, with periodicals., both