Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-05

the ijiCI. SIXIn. seventh anu PiSBta
grades on March 30.
Miss Trigg has compiled a most
valuable collection of magazine and
book clippings in her children's depart
ment which is meeting a new demand
upon the library from school teachers
and workers among children. Playlets
and games appropriate for certain
days or seasons, songs and recitations
and instructions for children's enter
tainments have been gathered from
many hundred sources, pasted on sub
stantial card board, filed and prop
erly indexed for the use of those
wanting such material.
Special shelves have been arranged
in the children's room at the library
for students of the seventh and
eighth grades. On these shelves are
listed books required by the public
schools for supplementary reading.
Students write reviews of the books
they read as part of their work in
English.
Lectures for Freshmen
II is not until the student has entered
high school that he is permitted to Dor
row books from the main library. This
makes an accretion of between 300
and 400 regular borrowers each year
and in order that the student may
know how to use the library intelligent
~ classes are held in the main room
twice each week when Miss Fernald
addresses the freshmen. They come in
groups of 80. accompanied by q teach
or, and each group attends two lee
lures. The first lecture by Miss
Fernald on the general uses of the Ii
brary. The second is on how to use
reference books and periodical indexes.
" avn o,l or tha rafararon roaIinn
room are several shelves on which have
been placed hundreds Of volumes which
are grouped under the names of certain
teachers in the high school. These
books are on subjects which are being
studied in different classes at school
and when placed on the special shelves
are withdrawn from general circula-
| ton until the students have completed
their work with them.
At the present time it is interesting
to note that some classes are reading
supplementary texts in history; others
in biography. others in science and still
others in Bible study.
Another important work of the Ii
brary which is of great assistance to
students in the high school is the sol
lection of clippings from newspapers
and magazines which is kept up to date
for use of those seeking material for
debates. Another collection is that of
pictures and illustrations clipped from
magazines relating to travel. to art col
lections, to history, to music, to lltera-
ture, etc.
Geological Books Popular
Books pertaining to vocations is one
of the most popular divisions of the
main library. High school students,
yet undecided as to what their life's
work is to be, are regular borrowers
from these shelves. Ex-servlce men
also frequently read these books, as
do young men who have quit school and
are earning their living by day labor.
Since the discovery of oil in Mon
tana there has been a great demand for
books relating to geology and the il
brary's collection of geologic works is
considered to be one of the best IN the
state. Books relating to electrical
engineering and the metal sciences are
more popular in this city than in other
places where there are no smelters
and big hydroelectric plants. The col
lection of m~etallurgical books IS consld-
cred to be unusually good.
The A~mericanization work which has
been done in Great Falls in the last few
years has developed a new field for
book circulation, and the library has
classified and arranged an excellent coli
of volumes for persons of for
eign birth who are preparing to be-
come American citizens.
The magazine and newspaper files
are in constant use and it is seldom
during library hours that there are not
persons there reading.
In all of the work of the Library men
so far, no refeence has been
made to the books of fiction. AS in
every public library. the Great Falls
library's fiction shelves suffer the
greatest drain. Novels are always in
demand.
John Cotton Dana. head of the Free
Public Library of Newark. \. j., said
In a recent issue of the American Mag
azine, concerning books that are called
for ~oftener than others:
Most Popular Books
Our list Of most popular books de-
velops new leaders almost every week.
best seller will flash across the
literary sky and be in theremndous de-
nand for six months or a year, only
% fall away into obscurity and neglect.
An extraordinary event in the days
news willSsend the stock of Il certain
of books skyrocketing for n little
period. The sinking of the Titanic
up a passing interest in books
lbout ships n shlpWrecks; q great
ire will stimulate interest in books on
ire protection; a starting murder mys-
cry increases the demands for books
IN criminals and detective work. So
We can hardly chart our business in
as a restaurant or a depart
nent store does. j
Nevertheless, we do have our sta
lies. A few days ago. Mr.. Crunden p,
# the st. Louis library showed by a ,
'areful study that les Miserabfes,' 4,
Fair The Three Guardsmen,' ,
md the other books that are classed =.
" common consent as masterpieces :
.mong novels are those most frequently .
cad by %borrowers. They ,
maintain their places in the front rank, !
n spite of the great temporary popu- :
arity of the novels Of the hour. |
Con the other hand, mere fame on
he part of the author does not insure {
high ratio of demand for his works. I
II an Investigation which I conducted 7
mong 81 representative libraries, the |
showed that 10000 works of t
in round numbers, were loaned I
I a typical ~three-day period. Of this g
otal business, less than 4 per cent was i
one in the works of Dickens. Scott, a
,liot and Hawthorne; and this for two v
I imagine. First, because the r
omnIpfa worke nf those autbors hava -