The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-11-29
GORDON TELLS OF
COUNTY LIBRARY

T. -
evening over KICK. He said j
part:
81 often think how, with man,
4 Of us, notable events of our live
n come about by chance. One day
was walking on a street in Plen
4 tywood, Sheridan county, and ent
cred what ! thought was a banl
building, but instead | found my
self inside the county library. The
: room was well lighted by bis
windows. Books, new books, were
everywhere, with a polite and eff
ficient young woman in charge
While | was thert adults and chill
dren came in with books and took
away books. Packages of books
lay on the desks just received
from the branch libraries in the
country districts and | noticed
packages ready to be sent out. The
whole atmosphere Of the library
was cheerful and inviting.
Times are changing. Each COM
ing generation is pushing on to
new modes of life, demanding to
have it's desires satisfied in new
ways, but despite radio, motion
pictures, and other modern diver
sions, Americans today are read
ing more and sounder literature
than any people in the worlds his
tory. The trend toward books OF
an informative nature has almost
tripled since the World War.
While it is true that a certain
class Of trashy magazine is In de
mand, yet a new class OF reader
has arisen. 1t reads not only nov
els, but also books on science,
philosophy, history, every branch
of knowledge because, strange as
it may seem, it wants to know?
The novels that have the great
est vogue today are not the old
fashioned romances, but novels
which reveal the problems of pres
ent day living.
"In Montana we are fortunate
in having a state law for the es-
Enlistment of county libraries.
Upon petition of 20 per cent of
the resident taxpayers to the
commissioners. The matter
be put over here, and | shall
ask the Wolf Point Herald
% mention in its columns the nee
essary requirements.
81 had the librarian at Plenty
wood, then Miss Elizabeth Baker,
low Mrs. Campbell, give me some
Information about the work Of the
Sheridan county library and
will now repeat some of what she
old me.
In Sheridan county the taxa
ion is only one half mill levy and
he marvel is how much has been
ccomplished with such a small
evy. The library maintains ten
ranches in homes and schools.
he farmers like the branches in
heir homes because people come
-ho otherwise wouldn't. 1t creates
social feeling in the commun- g.,
y. The branches in the schools
good because the children {
Ike books to their homes, there
y acq%uainting people with the
Another thing parents
all for their children at four
clock and they can at that time
1change their books. Besides
lese branches the library sup
les 1873 teachers with books.
.ch teacher is entitled to a GER =
in number of books for her
.hool. The county has six or
ven small high schools for which
county librarian does all the
ference work. Besides this she
nds out 100 packages of books
individuals living away from
ly branch library. In brief, the
of the library is to get the
ght book to the right person at
e right time. A county library
a public library which dis
ibuted books in all parts of the
unity.
Nowadays, father and mother
We gone back to school. The
ge for education has spread to
g older folks. They read more
they used to do. People DO
t have to work so many hours
they did years ago and there
-e more leisure is devoted to
We are finding u that
ere is no age limit to education:
2 elder set learns as readily as
nth. While was in the Plen-
wood library, some women, eV-
farmers wives, consulted
J librarian on subjects which
~ we're studying.
Now | have started the ball
ling. Don't you believe that a
lnty library would be a good
ng for us in this county? If you
let me repeat the Bainville y
gan, Our churches, III schools,
: business institutions, u pub
and private enterprises, our
and our future, each and
depend upon the whole-hearted
operation of every member OF
community. Let us all do our