Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-09-12
WORK
IS INCREASING
BIENNIAL REPORT OF COM
MISSION SHOWS ASTON
IsHING FIGURES.
RESULTS ARE FAR REACHING
Public Library Commission Finds
Gratifying Response to Fl
nancial Needs of Organi-
cation.

LIBRARY COMMISSION REPORT.
The biennial report Of the Pubic
Library commission shows a remark
able increase in the work of its varl'
Gus departments.
The Educational Reference depart,
ment has loaned 1910 books n 500
clippings, against 45I0 books and lo4-
clippings for the preceding biennlum'
This is a gain of 50 per cent in o
and l44 per cent in clippings. These
books are mostly study and reference
works and indicate the use made OF
the library by students. Owing to
there being no fund for the purchase
OF books. few additions could be made
to the collection, only +e6 books v
ing been purchased for this depart
ment in two years.
The work of the Travelling Library
department has also been mulch ham
pered by lack of Docks, many OF the
old ones wearing out and there being
no fund to replace them no. to pro
vide for new requests; 20S z sta
tons were established for school 4
community libraries and as q sta
tons for Farmers libraries, making
a total OF s49 stations July i, 1914
To these 749 stations Il42 libraries
have been sent since the commission
was organized, in 1905. OF tS4 II this
biennial period.
North Dakota loans books TO its cit
liens with no charge whatever. sx-
cept for transportation. Not even the
guarantee or cash deposit customary
in older states is demanded. Il is III
~tereSting to note how few books have
been lost under this honor system
In seven years. since the commission
was established, only s. volumes have
failed 10 be returned or paid for. Sew
enteen OF these were lost through 4
man, who skipped 10 Canada. The
remaining 20 were distributed among
20 borrowers, and their loss is at
tribuTed TO accidents and emersen-
cies, such as death or removal from
the state, rather than 10 ca1eleSsness
OF dishonesty of borrowers.
Widely Used.
1t is impossible b show in figures
the full use nlada Of these books
tthrou ghout the STATE. q book is Dor
rowed by a club woman and used by
the 20 OF more members Of her club
and yet the statistics show only as
the one borrower TO whom it was
mailed. Books are sent to school
teachers and used by all their pupils
in the class room and taken home by
some OF them, where they are enjoy
ed by whole families, and yet the rec
ords show only one loan Many II
brarians Of Travelling libraries do not
return complete statistics; go libra
ries sent by the Commission, in which
full record were kept, show S945 Dor.
rowe-s and a circulation OF 1858.
his averages - borrowers for each
library and 81 books 10 each borrow
er. At this rate the AS libraries sent
by the Library Commission in this
bienniun would have 1855 borrow.
ers and a circulation of 40.S75. Re
membering that each OF these books
is liable to be used by 10 TO 20 people
besides the one TO whom it is sent il
is seen how fa-reaching and bench.
cial is this work.
The expense TO the state is Iriding
since it buys al the lowest figure and
keeps the books constantly in use
until worn out There IS II capital
tied up in books standing idle after
one or two readings. as is the case
when individuals purchase books for
their Owl use only. Ten Travelling
libraries report z circulation OF over
200 books each. making the cost 10
borrower tfreigh-) for each book less
than one-fourTh Of a cent.
The work OF the Legislative Refer
ence department has moved steadily
onward in PREPARATION for better ser,
vice to the Fourteenth legislature
than ever before. The accumulation
of clippings OF timely topics has been
kept Up and the Legislative librarian
has compiled Z number OF digests OF
laws Of interest 10 legislators. TWO
of these have been printed by the
-rincing Commission and have had {
wide circula1io1: widows Pen.
sions." and "Budgetary Laws" The
clippings and digests from this de
partment are much used between ses
sions by debating clubs, high school:
and individual Students
Libraries Increase.
Tie number OF libraries has grown
in the state from q to 50. an in
crease of q per cent There have
been few new buildings. but man!
reading rooms opened in a central 10
caticn- where q library can take it:
proper place as the center OF the com
munity's social and intellectual life
Usually these small libraries are start
ed by club women and later are hand
ed over to school boards and cit.
councils until such time as public sen
tinlenr votes the tax which makes o
them a department of city administra
ton The Importance of these small
libraries cannot be overestimated
since they furnish a social center, al
occupation for leisure hours, an OF
p%ortunity for good reading and dis
cussion- They are reminders and in
spirers Of ideals amid the materia
surroundings of new towns, and t
children and adults are a %necessit,
in Intellectual development
The list OF gifts and requests t
libraries in North Dakota. aggregaI
ling sS1.210 in ls12-1914. shows tn,
growing realization nf their impor1