Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-05-16
Meeting Of the State
Library Commission
with 40 Members Present
Interesting Instructive Reports and Addresses Monday at
Library HaI-New Officers Named with Gerald G.
Wilder of Bowdoin New President

In closing he gave an interesting ac-
count Of the making up Of the travel
ling libraries which are now being
used in various schools.
He said that the work Of selecting
these books was one Of great difficulty,
but that the books selected have been
Of the utmost assistance to teachers
and scholars, adding that the work
| ought to be extended largely. He feels
| that the more the pupils use these
books, the easier it will be to get ap-
preparations for new ones.
New Officers
| His address was very interesting to
all the members, and was followed by
the report Of the committee on nom!-
nations, who presented the following
| list Of new officers for the considera-
ton Of the meeting: President, Gerald
G. Wilder Of Bowdoin; vice president,
c. H. Flagg of Bangor; cad vice pres
ident, Miss Julia Clapp, Augusta; sec
rotary, Miss Marion Braine-d; treasur-
er, Miss Edna Goodier of Thorntoa
Academy.
Resolutions Report
Pending the consideration Of this re-
port, the committee en- resolutions
| read a report, which contained the
following statements: 1t is the opinion
Of the committee that the State lip1a-
ny should be housed in a building Of
its own, and that the James G. Blaine
site is the best and most desirable 10
cation for such a building. The COM
mittee also recommends tina. the Office
Of State librarian be taken cut Of pol
itics, and that salary sufficient to at
tract competent librarians shall he
paid the said librarian. The commit
tee advocates the insp acti0n of libra
ries throughout the State, and that a
certain per cent of the State stipend
be given to those libraries which shall
maintain certains standard of ex-
cellence. that such libraries shall be
graded in somewhat the same manner
as the high schools of the State.
These resolutions were referred to
the committee on legislation. The new
library organizer, Miss Marion Brain
erd then read the following address:
Maine Library Situation
AS foundation upon which to base
it's future activities the Maine Library
Commission decided at the beginning
of this year to make a survey of the
library situation in Maine, and it is to
a report of this survey that your at
tention is called this afternoon.
Dictionary authorities are agreed
that survey" is a "scrutinizing
-
anime closely or critically inspect.
Such a careful analysis must mean
more or less statistical data, and fig
ures are sometimes tiresome things
So, to relieve what might be monotony
and to bring the situation before you
as clearly as possible we have here
two charts. One of these is an outline
map of Massachusetts with illustra
tons of its public libraries Massachu-
sets has 35 cities and 319 towns, or a
total of 354 municipalities. All, except |
one town. have free public libraries
and this one enjoys free library priv
ileges in an adjoining town to which |
it makes appropriation. In 1910 Massa-
chusetts had a population of over g., |
100000 and in it's public libraries over |
100000 books with an annual circu
lation of over 12.000.G00.
Our other chart is a rough outline !
map Of Maine, showing the county di-
visions and the public library centers. |
There are 107 free public libraries in
Maine. Two towns appropriate money
for the use of the library in an ad-
joining town, so that there. are 1O9
towns and cities with free public IL
brary privileges.
But, there are All towns and cities
which do not enjoy this privilege. ex-
elusive of the unorganized townships |
This means that over 100000 of tho |
100000 people in Maine do not enjoy
these privileges. These 100000 are not |
all living in scattered communities Of
l. or II people each-102 towns Of
ever 1000 population each have no free
public Libraries. and included in this |
number is one city with population !
of 5000.
These figures are not pleasing to a |
people burning with desire for lead |
ership, but they are evidences Of a |
wonderful opportunity for constructive |
and cooperative work. for the library |
fever is one disease from which no |
person or municipality is immune. !
They are all bound to catch it some
time. But the ease and rapidity with |
which the spirit of library service IS
spread throughout the State will de-
pend to a very large degree upon
those Of US who are now actively en-
gagged in the work
The librarians job is, as has so often
been said, largely labor Of love- Only |,
in a very few Of the larger cities is
the salary at all commensurate with |
the work done or to be done. and no
one person could possibly be censured
for failing to properly till the barrens
of public opinion in the expectation
that someone might sometime drop
therein some fruitful seed.
While local library officials for the
most part are working to the limit of
their capacities and knowledge, may
it not be possible that there is mate
rial readily available which they have !
overlooked and with which the libra
rvs usefulness to the community |
would be increased?
The average individual early ex-
hausts Cor thinks he has exhausted) u
the resources of a sna library and ii \