The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-09
SALARIES PAID TO LIBRARIANS
 TOO SMALL

A pleasant girl sat behind a large upon tier of books. Before her were long boxes of cards arranged by dates. A throng of people was con- stantly passing, and the list of ques- tions which she was required to an- swer would look like the annual re- port of g. general information bureau. She was the assistant librarian of a large branch library. Her counter part may be found in every city. In training for her job she had been re- qulred to spend eight years in the public schools, at least two years at college, besides some time-a year or two-in special training. Of course, the requirements vary in different li- braries but those are the averages. She must be intimately acquainted with literature from 'fCadmus, the Phoenicians or whoever it was who invented books"-indeed, before their time, from the papyuus-to William James. She must understand exactly how to look up in books of reference, in magazines, in newspapers, every subject from aam to Zythum, from
 Timbucto to Waco, Texas. She must be prepared to promptly guess what a prospective reader or student thinks he wants and give him what he ought to have. She is obliged to spend long hours every day in work which de mands the utmost expenditure of nervous energy, patience and intelli- gence. @
 More than this, an important part
 of the service is the guidance of the minds and wills of little children. A well known educator told me that not
 even the school teacher had so much influence in forming the mind of a
 child as the woman who came into
 friendly contact with him-"told him
 stoTies'' in the library and selected his
 first books, thereby initiating reading
 habits which would mold his charac-
 ter through life.
 For these services the assistant n-
 brarian-and, indeed, the head libra
 rian in small nbraries-draws from $50 to $SO a month-$100 a month is 2 most unusual compensation. The $St librarians consider themselves so for. tunate that they hardly dare tc breathe the amount of their salarie: lest a reduction speedily follow. Almost any bright day you may see standing by the door of the library where this girl is employed, a roughly
 dressed man, probably well muscled but with a face which bespeaks {
 very ordinary degree of intelligence
 He works mainly with his hands. Ht
 shovels walks, tends to the health, apparatus, cleans up and takes cart of the physical appearance of the Ii brary. He is the janitor. In prepara ton for his labors he has had nt : schooling, and probably only a weel or two of being shown how" by hi: predecessor. He may not even be . practical mechanic. He is paid $75 t \ SIPS a month One hundred dollars i ? the average for the care of a medium Q sized library building. Frequently [ too often-his wages are greater thai = those of the educated librarian unde = whom he works.
 ] It would seem that no ed1tor1a , comment is required. But it is cry r ing shame that we Americans shouk 9 justly bear the stigma of caring nor
 for material than for inteHectua things-of deeming it more valuable
 judging by the rate of compensation
 4o keep children's bodies warm tha :, to train their minds and develop thel !, souls