Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-08-17
CHARACTER OF BOOKS
IN DEMAND CHANGES
Solid Reading Is FavOrite---
: Send Books to Libraries to
Be Sent to France


is for books Of technical nature
works on aeronautics, navigation, avia-
tion, mathematics and treatises on gas
engines, according to Miss Cornelia
Marvin, state librarian. Requests for
these books are coming from all parts
of the state. And besides the technical
books the call is for works treating on
the activities of the Red Cross.
Second to the call for works tech
nical treating on subjects brought to
the public mind by the war, is the de-
mand for historical and patriotic books
Miss Marvin says.
! The trend of public thought is first
reflected through the calls made by the
public at the state library. The pres
ent change in reading is also due to
the needs of the government for men
| of some technical knowledge especial
ly of machinery, and this is reflected
in the civil service examinations. The
civil service is calling for mechanics
and the reading is apparently to quail
| ify for these examinations.
Ordered 10000
To keep up with this demand, the
state public library is constantly buy
ing new books. The library is for the
public and about all that is necessary
to get book is to write and make the
request. The library also furnishes in
formation as to what books are pub
lished on any certain subject.
Miss Marvin yesterday completed
sending in the orders for the 10000
books to be purchased by the public
schools this year. The state law pro-
vides that each county may make a
levy to purchase books once year,
this levy to be not less than ten cents
per capita of the school children in
the district, The list from which the
counties may select is prepared by Miss
Marvin, and the publishers must de-
liver the books to each county by Oc-
tober 27.
The value of the books for the Ma
rion county schools outside of Salem is
$96049 and for the city of Salem
$423.S2. Polk county schools will or
der $399.15 worth of books and alias
will receive new library books to the
value of $125.81.
Send Books to Soldiers
Let your idle books help the sol
diers and the. best means of getting
them where they will do the most good
is not by sending them direct to the
soldiers said Miss Marvin, Fbut in
sending them to the local library,
where they will be collected and for
warded to shipping points. By this
means all books will be put up in con-
venient travelling library packages and
sent to cantonments and to France"
Circular letters have been sent to all
libraries in the state asking them to
collect books and forward to conven-
lent shipping points. Hence, those who
have books for soldiers, should send to
the local library. If there is no locol
library, send to the state, library. In
sending out these travelling libraries,
soldiers on the Pacific coast will be
taken care of first.
Any person can get book from the
state library. That the people of the
state are availing themselves of this
privilege is shown by the number sent
daily by mail and express. From 5000
to 1000 volumes are sent out every
month in response to individual re-
quests and as many more go out in the
Libraries.
Salem will be well represented at the
Pacific Northwest Library association, !
to meet in it's eighth annual conference
at Portland September 3, and 5. On
the program for the first days session
is the report of Miss Marvin, the pres
ident She will preside at all sessions.
Miss Flora NJ Case, librarian of the
Salem library, will be in charge of the
of "Public libraries ~ in
the Round Table conference. Miss Ruth
Paxson, librarian of the city public
schools will read paper on "the Ele-
mentary schools" in the conference
session.