Evening star., 1926-09-17
Library Methods
In u. S. Are Best
BY CARL III. MILAN,

Internationally Known Librarian.
The delegation of foreign librarians
which will soon reach the United
States indicates the worldwide inter
est in the popular library movement
which has developed in America dur
ing the past so years.
These visitors will observe the
promptness with which books request
ed are obtained for readers even in
the large libraries; the generous priv1
leges granted to readers, access to the
shelves. the privilege of~ borrowing
several books at one time; and some
Of our special features, such as chill
dren's rooms, branches for business
men, hospital library service, book au-
tomobiles, library schools, our schemes
of classification and our catalogues,
etc. These features are generally
thought to be more highly developed
in America than in other countries.
America is recognized as having made
an important contribution to civiliZa-
tion in placing libraries on q demo
cratic and popular basis.
But there are interesting and Inn
portant developments of the popular
library movement in other countries,
some of which have been observed
recently by the writer.
CZechoslovakia became an independent
country, a law was passed requiring
all cities, towns and villages to estab-
lish public libraries within specified
limits of time. Now, after this law
has been in operation seven years, 50
per cent of the people are said to have
access to public libraries. America
has had an active library movement
for so years and there are still So
900, 900 people in the United States and
Canada (45,000,000 in the United States
alone) who do not have access to To-
cal public libraries.
Eleven years ago the Carnegie
United Kingdom Trust established a
policy of aiding in the development of
county libraries in Great Britain. Now
we are told practically SO per cent of
the people IL. England, Scotland and
Wales have some sort of service from
county libraries. The county library
movement started in America over 20
years ago, but we now have only 223
publicly supported county libraries out
of a possible 1906.
Individual municipal and county IL
braries in America may be better than
similar institutions in other countries,
but CZechoslovakia and Great Britain
have outstripped us in the cOmpre-
1CllSlNCllSoo VI lllGlI SCl slIC.
Moreover, there are public libraries
in other countries from which Amer
lea can learn much. 1t is possible,
for example, in Glasgow, Scotland, a
city of 100000 population, to get
from any one of the many branches
within from two to four hours any
book which is on the shelves of any
other branch.
In Germany a system of interli-
brary loans exists, which makes avail
able to scholars anywhere in Germany
the resources of the university, tech
nical and state libraries, which are
scattered through the republic
A public library has been establish
to the people who wish to read only
the best books. 1t has books of all
kinds, but a very limited number in
each class an experiment which
America will watch with interest.
To supplement the collections of inn
portant books in small libraries, espe-
ciaily the types of books needed by
adult students, there has been estab-
lished in England the Central Lend
ing Library for students. The serv-
ice of this library makes it possible
for a serious student anywhere in
Great Britain to get practically any
book he wants, either from or through
his local library. Further develop
ment of service of this type in the
States and provinces OF the United
States and Canada is one of the rec
concentrations of a special commission
of the American Library Association,
which for two years mas been study
ing adult education problems from
the librarians point of view.
Copyright. 1926)