The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1916-11-27
NORTH DAKOTA LIBRARY
REFERENCE WORK BEING
HANDLED EFFICIENTLY
Secretary Of State Commissio
Defends Present System in
Her Department

In connection with the discussion
going on Mn the press Of the state
concerning the uniting of the three IL
braries at the capitol under one man.
agement, it is interesting to note how
legislative reference work is manag.
ed in other states. Missouri, North
Dakota and Wisconsin conduct this
work under the supervision of their
public library commissions.
This is much more economical
way OF managing the work than to
carry it on as a separate bureau, as
is done in California, Illinois. Nebras-
ka, Ohio and Virginia" says Mrs. M.
C. Eudlong, the secretary. In these
five states, the expense Of the sepa-
rate legislative reference bureau is
from $4,000 to $l2,500 per year, while
in North Dakota the legislative ref
erence department costs not over
$500 year. .... ...-
In older states, the expense of leg
islative reference work approximates
| $4,000 a year, this being the amount
Of appropriation in Wisconsin. In
states like New York, having an an
nual session, it is necessary to keep
the legislative reference bureau run.
ming on a large scale In North Da-
kota, having only biennial session,
it is possible to keep the expense
down by combining this work with
the educational reference work of the
library commission. ~.
North Dakota is unique in having
an educational reference department
under It's public library commission.
Pioneer conditions in an agricultural
state demand this correspondence
work with individuals. schools and
study clubs. When the state has de.
veloped to the point where a central
county library takes care Of the IL.
brary work for individuals in each
county, the educational reference
work can be most economically com.
bined, as either department uses the
clippings prepared in the other. 1t
is q saving in books and periodicals
purchased, in stenOgraphic and clerk
hire, in preparation Of material and
in supervision. The North Dakota
legislative reference bureau, under its
present management, has given very
satisfactory service at a minimum
expense. as
"Nine states have a so.called state
library, having charge of all library
activities in the state. This differs
from the North Dakota state library,
which is entirely supreme court law
library. When other states speak of
state library they mean an agency
doing all the work done in North Da.
kota under the supervision Of the pub
library commission. In 20 states, II.
brary activities are centralized under
a public library commission. In nine
states they are performed by the
state library. Capitalization of libra
ry activities is certainly to be desired,
but it seems an impossibility in the
Capitol att present: Crowded condi.
lions forbid this. When Q new cap
itol is built, there should. be a build
ing or wing specially planned for
the housing of the various libraries
now scattered throughout the capitol,
and their supervision given to some
one specially trained for supervision
of the library activities of the state
as a whole. Until that time there
would be no economy in rearranging
the libraries" t.s.<ai4a .a1s