The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-23
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

] Dear Sir: According to a recent news paper article you are scheduled to talk ] to the efficiency class at the Y. M. c. A. am writing to say that the library has fairly good collection of books on ef- ficiency and scientific management and to express the hope that you will find it convenient to recommend the use of these books to the men in the class. If you have any suggestions. or if we can serve you in any way, please let us know. Yours very truly, CARL H. MILAN, Director Birmingham Public Library.">
 
 In this letter was a pamphlet con taining bibliography on books on scien- tific management by c. Bertram Thomp- son (reprinted by courtesy of the Harvard University press) with the statement that these books and others are in the Bir- mingham public library.
 
 Now. this is real, sure-enough service. If our business men were as quick to keep in touch with the things touching their affairs and go out to land contracts
 
 the district. Let's quit laying down on our jobs and go after everything that rightfuiiy belongs to Birmingham. I remember the time when it was nearly as hard to get a book out of a library as 1t was to get money out of a bank. There was whole lot of red tape about it. I also remember the time when the books were fenced off from the public. No one was permitted to go inside of the rail.
 I have among my letters formal docu- ment upon the request of Americas am bassador to France giving me permission to use the famous National library in the Rue Richelieu with it's 100000 volumes also. during my residence in the Latin quarter. spent many evenings in the beau tiful St. Genevieve library. As student at the University of Ber- lin, I was allowed to work in the Royal library. with it's 100000 volumes, 5000 manu- scripts, and many rare old books and maps.
 One of the most interesting of the great libraries, of course, was the British mu- scum. Its great reading room was a con- stant source of pleasure to me. It wasn't quite, but almost, as much so as cooper's union in New York.
 
 Iftook great pleasure in the Boston pub lie library. I read somewhere that Mat thew Arnold. the great English educator and literary celebrity, on his visit to our great buildings or business enter prises, but was swept out of his English calm on finding a newsboy fin the Bos- ton public library reading a Life of George Washington"
 It's nothing unusual to find the chill drens room in our public library here filled with happy, eager, but studious schoolboys and girls with sprinkling Of newsies and street urchins. Tho uncle for whom I am named. the late Dr. Francis T. Willis of Richmond.
  Ga, a library building situated in large grounds with a fund for books This was before libraries were Carnegieized- His idea was to make it a social center. I believe for years it held the record for the number of books taken out per capita of any library in America. It is the most homelike library I know, and l is truly the social center of Washington. ~ss The first time ever knew that there was such a thing as 8 library was dur | ing my boyhood, when some public spir- lited citizens of Eufaula got together. hired two rooms over a store, donated a l few books and invited the public to use them. It lasted for few years The books were finally sold at auction. I re- member a copy of Moore. bound in caif brought only 25 cents. It was blow to l my feelings that the poet who wrote so beautifully of love should be sold at such & discount.
 1 Today Eufaula boasts of a beautiful | Carnegie library. The building and grounds would be credit to a much larger city My home town has within l it's borders many men and women of tho highest culture.
 | I forgot to say a word about the Con- gressional library, the finest of them all. It's hard to give any idea of it as won derful bit of architecture, as a model in handling books, or in the number of vol umes it contains.
 | Just this week I got bright letter | from an Alabama woman who lives in Washington and spends much time in the Congressional library. It seems she re- sented the colored peoples making such lone callel for The Age-Herald, she got over her indignation. for. wrote she "Ev- iidently he was one of our darkeys and )not Yankee nigger." All the difference in the world to her.
 | We'll, I'm glad libraries hays taken down the rails and let the people get to l the shelves I'm glad they use as little 1 red tape as possible, and try to get the books into the hands of the people |
 1 If you don't use the library here, it's your own falt. for the library is free. Any resident whose name is in the direc- itory or who can be identified may beccma a borrower by simply signing his name. l want to see it outgrow it's quarters on the top floor of the city hall. I want to see it housed in & home that will be one of the architectural features of the city. | = IL -y~.-< -k~ y-<J ~~rIk |. h z