Evening star., 1924-11-15
The Library Table
BY THE BoOkLovEn.

e
and enlarges the scope of old institu-
tions to meet its expanding needs.
That has been emphatically true of
the public library. What has the
public library become? What place
does 1t fill in modern society? what
should society expect from II? These
are some OF the questions that are
answered by DR.. William S. Learned.
not librarian. but an educational
expert on the staff of the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching, in a little volume entitled
THE American Public Library and
the Diffusion of knowledge" This
book was not written for publication,
but as memorandum for the Car
ncSie Corporation, which, according
to its charter. was established ito
promote the advancement and diffu-
sion of knowledge and understanding
among the people of the. United
States The author points out that,
given skillful investigators and-nec-
essary facilities, the advancement
the discovery of knowledge by re-
search, proceeds apace, but that the
diffusion OF knowledge through it's
proper formulation and distribution
are much more difficult matters New
knowledge is being discovered and
heaped up at appalling rate and for
want Of a suitable distributing me-
dunn 1t often lies smothered and
useless so far as the great majority
Of the population are concerned.
meanwhile the questions it could an
swer, the ambitions and struggles
that it could promote and assist, the
unrecogniZed needs and opportunities
that II could reveal are teemnE in
the minds of men who either know
no recourse for satisfaction, or have
no time for a laborious research"
L.
thor says, huge daily losses In en-
norance on the part of otherwise in
telligent persons of how to avail
themselves of the contents of books"
The remedy offered for this situation
by this non librarian is the ultimate
development in most communities Of
an institution where d great range
of useful information available in
print may be secured authoritativcly
and quickly. 1t will be center as
familiar to every inhabitant as the
local post office and as inevitably
patroniZed. 1t will constitute the
central Intelligence service of the
town not only for polite literature.
but for every commercial and voca-
tonal field of information that may
prove practicable to enter" The in
stitution that in part at least already
meets these specifications or is striv-
ing to become the community intel
ligence service" is the public library.
In his analysis of the needs of the
adult population for education and
the place Of the public library in the
scheme of public education. DR..
Learned points out that with the
elaborate and boasted provision for
the wholesale cducat tion of youth. at
a cost which constitutes the largest
single item in expenditures from the
common funds the conscious and sys-
tematic growth in knowledge of the
adult community has been almost
overlooked. In spite of the develop
ment of Corre spondence and extern
sion courses, Chautauquas, womcn's
clubs, community forums. etc. there
is as yet no properly developed and
properly supported plan. for adult
education at, all comparable to our
provision for the instruction of youth.
DR.. Learned believes that there is a
large and increasing demand for the
organization of knowledge for adult
use and for Ihe development OF an in
stitution for the effective distrfbu-
tion of knowledge to the adult popu-
1ation- He aract erizeK- IL as alb
surd that the town that now main
tains good high ischoei and a num-
ber OF we'll educated teachers for a
small group Of adolescent, youth.
should not also make CORRESPONDENCE
provision for its entire adult pupuIa-
tion'-putting the community ;. to
school," he calls it. q; g.
= = = x. = -<@ts
DR.. Learned proceeds to outline the
features that this community intell-
gence service supplied by the public
library must have. He puts first "a
well specialized personal service"
which he regards rs just as indis-
pensable here as in successful col
lege. The purpose of an intellfgence
service is first to overcome the re-
luctance people have to seek informa-
tfon and later to Sustain their inter
est and support by furnishing exactly
the information required in the form
in which IT can be best utilized and
in such manner as to invite repetition.
Ihls Is task for an expert pos
sessing personal tact, quick intellec-
tual sympathieS and appreciation. a
thorough knowledge of a certain field
OF material. precision and discrimina-
ton OF thought, and the power prop
erly TO organize results" DR.. Learned
goes on TO say that such a commu-
nifty intelligence personnel must be
not only to answer, but to raise edu-
cative questions in as many minds as
possible; II must not only interpret
the dream. but for many persons 1t
must provide the dream as we'll" The
men ana women in such a community
ellisence service must -Drs.f.earDed
says, become diligent students of the
community they serve to the end that
they make important knowledge
through books popular, and by talks
lectures and interviews throughout
the city prove how valuable and avail.
able are the contents of books in
every held. Such counselors. constf-
tutinS a sort of new clergy of the
mind, would open a fresh career thar
could not fail to appeal powerfully
to capable men and women"
Z 3 :. :: :
Having outlined the need and .sjveh
the specifications for an institution
for the systematic diffusion of knowi.
cage among adults DIR. Learned finds
that the public tax supported public
library lis an indispensable basis for
community Intelligence service, but
In few American communities has
there g yet been realized more than
the bare outline of the potential COM
tent of this conception, and in the
great majority of cases the existing
library service is so far from such a
notion as to constitute a totally diff
ferent phenomenon" The author then
proceeds to review the services of
certain libraries that make them eff1.
cient community intelligence services,
Though he picks out as worthy of
mention by way of illustration GER
tain classes of services rendered by
l.