Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-05
What the Great Falls Public Library Is Doing

.URING THE LAST YEAR, 49,

0NIliilllllIlllHlIil
DURING THE LAST YEAR, 49,.
- 1856 books have been borrowed
from the Great Falls public library
This means that the per capita circu
lation has been seven and one hall
books for each man, woman and chile
in the city-a per capita circulation
that equals, if it does not exceed. the
per capita circulation of the most
erudite city in the United States.
But equally important is the fact
that in the Great Falls public library
there are only 2S,0SS volumes-a frac-
ton of IA book more than one volume
for each of the city's inhabitants
and of these 2S,0SS volumes. less than
two thirds are what may be termed
real live material. Speaking in the
terms of a merchant. the Great Falls
library has turned over its stock
more than six times in the last year
A store keeper or manufacturer would
say, Some business"
And though Great Falls, during the
last four years of droutb, has lost
somes of its population. the number of
book readers within its limits have
continued TO increase. This can be ex-
planned. only in the fact that Miss
Louise M. Fernald. the city librarian.
and her assistants. have developed
their territory-have created a greater
demand for their wares-for more
people are reading books today in this
city than ever before.
The library has developed IA score of
methods to arouse an interest in books
but perhaps the most effective
method. n that is building for the
:. continued growth of the library. is the
work among little children when they
first reach the age that book reading
and book borrowing becomes possible.
Much credit for this is due Miss
Josephine Trigg, in charge of the chill
dren's department.
incentive for School Work
In February of each year, after pro-
motions lave been made in the second
grades of all of the city schools, and
hundreds of children are advanced from
the 3 classes to the A classes of that
grade. they are brought to the chill
drep's room of the library by their
teachers where Miss Trigg explains the
purposes and use of such an insti-
tuition.
IT is a proud day in the lives of these
little folk when they make this ex-
cursion to the spacious. coy chiidreD's
roo of the library where the walls
are lined with books. statuary and
paintings. The prospect of the trip is
one of the incentives that spurs the
youngster to his best effort that he!
may be promoted at the beginning of
the second semester.
This initiation into the mysteries of
a public library is supplemented in
various ways, the more important be
ing the loaning of books through the
public schools and the story hours"
which are held once in two weeks at
the library.
Children who live in the outer sec
tons of the city borrow books on a
certain day of each week from library
workers who visit the schools. There
are 2.100 volumes distributed through
the Hawthorne school in Black Eagle,
the Lowell school in Boston Heights.
the Franklin school in West Side, and
the Mckinley and Longfellow schools
closer in.
Students in the second and third
grades are required to tell. when they
borrow a new book. the name of the
book which they read the week
previous. AS they are not in possession
of that book at the time they are
queried, it trains them to fix book
titles firmly in their minds.
The Story Telling Hour
From the fourth grade up. students
are asked the author of the book in
addition to it's title. Teachers in the
public schools further cooperate with
the library by asking the smaller chill
dren to tell the story they nave read
in the book borrowed from the library
as a part of their class work. In the
higher grades. students write compost
tions. not only giving the plot of the
hnn1r tLnr u yn rnnI h,f fnilirn Gonna
thing of the characters in the story
and it's descriptive material.
Tn April of each year, the library
collects all of the books from the pub
lie schools and from then on during the
summer the children come in to the
library. Before school closes, ea,h
child is advised Of a list OF books rec
commended for his summer reading and
the number of youngsters who con-
tinue reading during the vacation
period is surprisingly large.
The "story telling hour conducted
by the library, is probably n of its
most interesting features. At stated
periods, competent persons relate
stories which have become classics for +
children. These periods are attended
by hundreds of young folks, and in
order that all children may have an
opportunity of attending, the series is
classified for different grades.
Miss Clara Christison opened the
1929 series on October 20 by tell
ing Jungle Book stories. "Mowgli's
Brothers and "kaa's Hunting to
students from the fourth and fifth
grades. On November 3, she told
Tiger, Tiger" from the Jungle Book
for these same grades.
Miss Lovina Stenson will tell stories
for the third and fourth grade chill (
dren on November II. Snow White
and Rose Red and "Bremen-town {
Musicians" are her subject.
For the seventh and eighth grades, :
Miss Melvina Harvey will tell Shake /
speare's COMEDY of Errors on De !
]. )
Miss Christison will tell Christmas /
stories on December II and %. These .
will be for all grades and are THE I
Fir Tree. THE Great Walled Coun- =
''roinetta and the Elves" !
For the fifth and sixth grades Miss d
Charlotte Sherard will tell the Uncle 7
Remus stories on January IL. I
On January 26 Miss Christison will /
tell Red Dog from the Jungle Book {
series. q
Miss Helen Hill will tell japanese /
fairy tales for the third and fourth r
grades on February 2: Her subjects c
y- ~ sVr1 l.