The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-28
FREE LIBRARY NEEDS.
Continued from 1st Page)

brary two years ago to the use of al
children who can read has been an i'm
portant factor in this result. The in
terest of the children has evidently
been catching in the homes.
The circulation figures, however. Dc
not by any means show the growth o.
the library's use. Its ample supply o
reference books. broadly and geneI
ously chosen, has always been one
its strongest features, and today, NOR
than ever, to meet the demands Of tn
schools and Of individuals, it is tn
policy of the board to add to tn
shelves the latest and best books
this class as they appear. The resul
is that the library has come to be rec
ognized as a mine of information t
which old and young may turn in a
| lines of study and research. The ide
that the library is mainly plac
where one may 60 to take out
book for mental diversion has gOn
into the discard. II has become
broadly equipped educational institu
tion, and to assist in the various line
! librarian are required for q large par
/ ol ever QdN
/ The point which we wish to max
clear is that the usefulness of the Ii
hrary and the opportunities before
/ were never SO great as now. and the
the encouragement to provide Tho
means necessary to continue the prog
ress of the past year was never Sc
great
Here arc some of the things to b
considered: That the work of the yea
/ has been done under the year 5 appro
priation is due in large part TO tn
/ fact that the librarian and her assist
ants have been willing to take up and
carry on the work for the inadequat,
pay which they receive. For the com
ing wear a reasonable increase shoul
be made. There are limits beyone
which even a labor of love cannot b
expected to 90.
Besides additional help for the rout
Inc work. competent help Is needed 70.
continuing and completing the long de
layed work Of rcarranging and recat
aloguing the books
It has become the settled policy O.
the library to work hand in hand witt
the schools by providing for Their
books for reference and for the course
Of reading which all the schools nov
require This is an added expense. bu
it saves the taxpayers duplication o
expense in buying such books for TIL
, several grades as would otherwise b
necessary.
The privileges Of the library ough
to be placed within easy reach of al
parts of the town schools as they ar
needed. In addition to this brancl
library ought to be established at Yves
Brattlcboro whenever our means xvii
permit
Most essential of all, without an in
creased appropriation it viii not b
; possible, after paying our neccssar
running expenses, to buy the ncN
; books which the library development
and progress positively require. Tn
, cost of books of more or less transfer
, interest-fction and the like-has il
creased by % to 33 Is per cent, Will
{ the cost of books of standard and pei
manent value which are the library
g strong hold. has increased from 90 I
o 100 per cent, and we are told that
!. further advance in their price mus
come. Added to the cost of books
j. bHdt OF lnulUg-tiWdNS Il idISt All
. unavoidable item-and now, like every
f thing else. greatly increased in pric
Briefly told, here are some of ii
. opportunities and the necessities whic
! lie before the library We feel that
certain way the library is at a crit
Q cal time in its historv-that the que
! ton is whether we ought not to tai
, the tide of growth at its food m
make sure of its continuance. Wit
n all other citizens we realize how Il
: town S expenses are mounting up-bl
# the library 5 expenses are no exec
II ton. An appropriation which three
It even two years ago met our ordinai
It needs, has been reduced in its pucha
ing value by at least one-third, II
e figures which are given in our repo
: IN the annual town report tell II
: story
p As servants of the town we pr
r sent to the voters this statement
/ facts, and leave to their good jud
e ment-and their own sense of respons
Ill bility-what shall be the towns att
; tude toward an institution which a
feets so intimately the life and We
. being of every family.
a s. f. LAWTON. Chairman,
For the Trustees