Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-03-03
LIBRARIANS AS WORKERS FOR
PROGRESS.

In connection with the recognition Of
March 4th, 1916, as the l25th anniver
sary of the admission of Vermont to the
Union, the Greater Vermont associa
ton is sending the following letter tc
the librarians of public libraries in
Vermont:
March 4th, 1916, is the l25th annver'
sary Of the joining Of the Union by the
first State and the most unique State to
be added to the original thirteen.
Nineteen sixteen is, then, year in
which Vermonters will naturally review
the history of Vermont and the history
of their local communities. Men and
women and children will visit the pub
lie libraries.
"For they will seek material about
the history of the State of Vermont and
as well complete records of local history
in books and documents, in newspaper
clippings and printed matter published
by local organizations, in photographs
which tell pictorial story of the de-
velopment of the life of the village, the
city, the town.
whatever else a library is, it may
be a complete and absolute authority on
the local history of its region. 1t may
have every scrap of printed matter
which reflects the life of the region. 1t
may have a series of albums of photo
graphs which give pictorial record of
what has happened in the community
year by year. Since our local news
papers do not reflect local history
pictorially, it is all the more important
that the public libraries should preserve
and exhibit all pictures which will
dramatic the development and progress
of the community.
Nothing could be more helpful than
this dramatization of past and present
progress in concrete and visual way
by Libraries which keep scrap books of
newspaper clippings and other printed
matter, and which present to the citi-
zen and historian, to the pupil and to
the teacher, rich pictorial record of
what has happened and what is hap
pening.
"a definite consciousness Of progress
helps speed up progress. May not a
public library regard this as part of its
work, perhaps its supreme work in its
community? A library may well reveal
what is happening in Paris and London
and Berlin, but more important in a
practical way is vivid revelation of
what is happening at home. There is
much to inform and interest in pictures
of events on the battle lines in Europe,
but the place where an inspiring i'm
pulse is needed is on the fighting line of
progress in our own communities. If
we have a more compelling and facinat-
ing vision of tar-away things than we
have of affairs right at our doors, we
shall have active imaginations, but
dead wills. We need to see wildly and
in the large what is being done here and
now, so that we will ourselves, young
and old do something here and now.
1.-The Greater Vermont Association
feels that the public libraries can
local activities by revealing
the community to itself and preserving
the record, thus working for Greater
Vermont.
"Ifyour library has no scrap books and
albums of photographs which enable all
to study the remarkable progress of
Vermont during tie last 25 years, will
it not be possible for you to begin
work March a, 1916 on such books and
albums, so that when the 150th ami
of the admission of Vermont to
the Union is celebrated, your library
will have vivid and dramatic record of |
the development of your community for
the quarter of century 1916-1941. "