The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1919-06-13
A County Library Urged
For jackson County


need free access to a good colleC
ton of books is generally reco9
nlzed, but in the smaller town:
and rural communities the library
problem has always been hare
one to solve. Many small town:
of less than a thousand inhabi
tants do maintain public libraries
and some of these little libraries
are doing splendid service. But
such small library if it is ade
auate to the needs of its commu
nifty is expensive. Books are
costly, and they are continually
wearing out and needing to be
replaced, and if the library is to
be kept at all uptodate. new books
must be frequently added. To
get the best service from a library
it must be in the care of some
one who has had training and ex-
perience which fit her for her
work, and the expense of a IL
brarian's salary is almost prohibi-
tive in the small town.
Even though the town may tax
itself to support an adequate
library, it serves only the resi-
dents of the town, with perhaps
the few people living near the
city limits. This leaves the pro-
blem of library service for the
greater percentage of the lnhab-
itants of the county, living in the
county still unsolved.
In order to make library advan-
taees possible to larger number
of people, the idea OF library
controlled and supported by the
county for the use and benifit of
all of the people living in the
county, was conceived, and in
1899, the first county library was
established in Vaa Vert, Ohio.
This library within a few years
was running successfully, and
had enrolled as patrons sixty per-
cent of the people of the county.
Other states began to pass county
library laws modelled after the
Ohio law, county libraries were
rapidly established, and today
the county Is recognised as the
best unit for the maintenance of
libraries, particularly IN a rural
state like South Dakota. While
there are a large number of coun.
ty libraries established in many
of the states, California leads in
the number of libraries establish
ed and in effective operation of
the systmn. OF her ty-eieht
counties, thirty eight have well
established county libraries and
other counties are falling into
line and working towards the eS-
tablishment of such libraries.
In South Dakota a law was
passed in 1917 permitting coun-
ties to tax themselves for library
purposes, but owing to the war
steps were not taken in any OF
the counties, until this year. to
take ADVANTAGE of the law and to
establish county libraries.
According TO the provisions of
the law, upon petition of twenty
percent of the legal voters of the
county, as shown by the last vote
for governor. the county commits
sionerS may establish a county
library board They appoint a
library board which has full
charge of the library. The board
on or before the first day of Aug
ust, makes and files an estimate
of the expense of the library for
the ensuing year and provided
that the amount needed does not
exceed a half mill tax on the as,
sessed property valuation of the
county, it is enclosed in the sept
ember levy.
The county library system con-
sists of a central library located
at the county seat or in one of the
largest most accessible towns in
the county with branches eStab-
lished at the other towns and
trading centers. These branches