Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1916-12-13
NEWARK TOWN LIBRARY

NEW AK TOWN LIBRARY
Continued from page y
found anywhere. There is not a
single book in the collection that
does not give an uplift.
Special Advantages At The New
ark Library
Among special advantages
which our Newark lib airy hes
would name the historical setting,
the background which every New
ark child has as heritage. | was
at the University of Chicago last
summer, and felt, that with all its
wonderful development, it is in it's
neWness like great rock that has
hardly had time to gather soil
whence flowers might spring. |
have spent most Of my life in one
of the other of the original thir-
teen states, and feel a sincere
satisfaction in living now in the
most original one of all.
"This town is more than two
hundred years old. Many families
have been here for three, four, or
five generations, and one at least
for seven. 1t is worth recalling
that Washington is said to have
spent a mint in the Colmery
house, and that at one end of our
library building there was form
erly blacksmith shop where he
had his horse shod. The irrever-
ent declare that Washington must
lave been a door mouse, to have
slept in so many houses, and his
horse a centipede. Certain it is
that during the war, wounded
soldiers lay on the floor of our
library room, as a makeshift hos
pital.
Il have already spoken of the
good quality of the books in the
library. We are reasonably
prompt, think, in supplying
special books to meat new de-
mands. We have the best approx
ed modern method Of allowing
books to be taken from open
shelves, and we have no prejudice
against the books being taken out.
Strange as it may seem | have
known Of libraries that were some
thing like museums, where the idea
was to collect choice books and
manuscrlf IS, arrange them prettily
behind locked doors, and be quite
veXed when people wished to use
them. 1t is we'll that we have
card catalogue, the best modern
system; and we are very up-to-
cate in having a boOk-plate, so
prettily drawn for us by Mrs. Lee
COOch.
The smallness of our field
gives US the more opportunity for
individual work. Our librarian
gets to know all her clients per
sOnally. The committee in choos-
ing books says: Mr.. So-and-So
would enjoy that book and, Such
and-suCh a group would like
those 1t can all be near and dear
and human, unlike the crowded
rooms of some of the big city
libraries where, at the popular
hours, the attendants can scarcely
press their way to the shelves.
improvements To Think About
when Joseph told his brothers
what he expected in the future,
they Knocked and said, Behold this
dreamer comethv But the boy
who was a dreamer proved to be
the man of business who served
Egypt and his brethren, and all
his fathers house.
Our first need is | judge, for
more subscribers. At present we
have thirty yearly subscribers at
a dollar year, and seventy
monthly at ten cents a month.
This sum, added to the income
from the invested fund, has to be
supplemented by the committee's
raising about $75 a year. Of late
we have gotten the bulk of this by
a rummage sale. This does not
seem the most dignified way to get
funds for library; but it brings
together a substantial sum with
out asking money from givers who
have many other calls.
Il wish we could afford to give
the librarian better salary, she
could keep the library open for
more hours a week. l wish very
much that the way might be Open
ed for her to take a brief course in
library work at the Drexel Instit-
ute or some such nearby school.
"a picture collection would be