Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-08-26
BRANCH LIBRARY
PLAN CRITICISED
BY SCHOOLMEN
Board of Education Members
Declare 1t Would Take Space
Needed for Pupils.
SYSTEM WOULD MEAN
STEADY UPKEEP COST
Mr.. Sommer Against the Dana
ldea-Miss Winser Supports
Library Suggestion.

That branches of the free public
library should not be established in
public schools where such arrange
ments take away needed school room
was the chief argument advanced
against the school branch library
plan at a meeting of the instruction
committee of the BOARD of Education
last night
A letter written by Librarian John
Cotton Dana to each member of the
Board Of Education started the dis
cussion on the subject. The letter ex-
planned how the city library trustees
sought to stimulate the circulation of
books by establishming the branch
libraries and to this end sought tha
cooperation of the educational board.
The proposition as submitted to the
board was as follows:
IF your honorable body will provide
library rooms in the two schools
mentioned Belmont and Lafayette
and care for, light and properly equip
them with simple library furniture,
the library will supply competent
librarians during school hours every
school day of the coming year.
"If, later, you find 1t advisable to
open these branches on Saturdays,
holidays, vacations and Sundays,
such an arrangement will be entirely
agreeable to the trustees of the
library"
Cost of Equipment.
The letter explained that Lafayette
school is already equipped with much
of the material needed for a branch
| library. Only $50 would be necessary
to complete the outfit there, II was
said. The cost of properly fitting out
a branch in Belmont Avenue school
would be $25670, concluded the letter.
Commissioner Frank III. Sommer,
who revolutionized the 1915 school
building plans of the board by having
special school, plans dropped and
advocating more room for half time
pupils, spoke against the library
scheme.
II would be in favor of Mr. Dana s
plan If it did not interfere with the
school system" he said. "You will
remember we are still facing the
problem Of providing proper accom-.
modations for many of our pupils.
If the branch libraries in the pub
| lie schools means taking away room
needed for teaching purposes. sucf
branches certainly should not be
| sanctioned by us"
! Commissioner Charles p. TAYLOR also
advised the committee to go slow in
acting on Superintendent Addison b.
| Poland's recommendation that such
j branches be established. He pointed
out such a step would mean consid-
erable added expense to the school
board, which board must practice
economy in view of the pairing which
the 1915 budget received at the hands
of Mayor Thomas l.. Raymond and
the Board of School Estimate.
Othor Expense Later
we must consider everything be-
fore we act on this recommendation, -
continued Mr.. Taylor. There is the
initial expense of equipping a room
as library branch. Then. also, we
must take into consideration the
the added expense which will neces-
| sarily follow in the way of mainte-
nance.
'At present we have no assurance
that II we enter in TO any wholesale
agreement with the library trustees
fit up our schools to suit them, that
the trustees later may inform us they
wish to drop the plan. Where will
we be them"
Miss BEATRICE Winser, a membe
of the Board of Education, and ais,
Continued on Page T. Column 81