The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-18
BOOK WEEK ENDS
ON NEXT TUESDAY
Contest Is Extended One Day
at the Request of
Teachers

At the request of the English
teachers of the public schools. the
closing day OF the librarys Book
Week contest has been changed from
Monday to Tuesday.
Mrs. Myrtelle Smell. amusement in
spector. and the members of the pub
lie library staff are working together
on the essay contest OF the library's
book week for the children The
Judges of tn econtest are. Mrs. Flori-
bel Brown Ohme, Mrs. Glen Gazzam,
Miss Abbie Lou Chambliss. Miss Rosa
Strickland, and Mrs. Frank Clark.
The essays, which will be turned
In by the school children, will be on
motion pictures Of books on exhibi-
tion at the library in the children's
room this week.
While there is no work the library
does that Is more important than the
work with the younger readers in
the children's room, and through its
school visits, yet an important work
and a far more voluninous work is
done in the adults depart tent. The
taste of the reading public can be
ca lily interpreted through the titles
of the books the grown-ups call for.
Children Read Much
'"Hutchinsons This Freedom is
probably the most popular book of
the month" decided l., w. Josselyn,
director OF public libraries, after
running over the list of new books
for this month. Ethel NJ. Den's
Charles Rex comes next, and Lewis
'Babbitt will hold the third place.
There Is always a great deal of read
ing this time of year, and it is not
unusual for the demand for serious
books to increase.
school children are getting back
into their work with a full swing
by this time. Literary clubs are set
Ting down to long winter of hard
and interesting study, and far more
readers than the popular mind i'm
AGNES turn to the better class OF
books for the pleasure and profit of
the long winter evenings. OF course,
when one considers the total number
of readers who prefer the lighter
books. they will be found far more
popular. but several times each year
some Of the better authors will pub
lish something that will attract the
attention Of all readers. The library
strives to always have enough copies
of such books to supply the demand.
And we try to increase the demand
for new books by informing the
public about the new ones we add
each month.
The Age-Herald helps US in this.
and we always keep monthly list
there on the wall by the door. where
everyone can read what the newest
fiction and non-fiction books are.
An interesting study in human ma
ture could be made from tho fact
that often the same person calls for
the weightiest work of fiction will
at the same time call for something
light such as. say. Delrs Charles
Rex"
Many Odd Requests
The library makes every effort to
be OF service to the public that its
FACILITIES will permit. Nothing can
be too .-ivial. and nothing can be
too great for the librarians to come
cheerfully to the aid of any mem
Der or anyone else who may seek
their assistance.
In the course of single day their
help will range all of the way from
answering the telephone and giving
someone the pronunciation and
meaning of some word like "sabot-
age, as tHey ulu a uumDeT OF times
-the other day when the word APP
peared on the front page of The
Herald, to helping someone look
up whole list of involve refer
ences.
Few people are familiar with the
various cataloging systems, and ref
erence books that will aid them in
finding what they want by them
selves. but in spite OF the fact that
such help Is not SO freely given in
the libraries Of other large cities,
the Birmingham library offers its
borrowers and readers all ths as
sistance it's staff can find time to
give
FURTHER GIFTS TO NINE. CURIE
From the Scientific American.