The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1934-02-22

nesota Library. These were ole
books and old editions no longer
used in this Library, but worth
keeping in large collection fol
historical reasons.
In small public library Their,
is no room for books which are no
of use in the community Can in
teresting exhibit might be arranged
of "Best Sellers of the eos" anC
some of the older books might be
retained for exhibit and instruction
al purposes.
Reference Books
In checking the reference collec
ton, it was found that the lates.
encyclopedia aside from Nelson's
loose-leaf which we do not advise
continuing, was dated 1905. Most 81
the handbooks for ready reference
were dated before 1900. A number
of reference sets were shelved On
the stack, and it was recommended
that these be placed in the refer.
ence room. The shelving now con.
tanning the rental collection Is high
enough to accommodate these
books. The rental collection could
be placed in the first section of the
stack. It was also recommended
that books for home reading in al
subjects for Junior and Senior High
School should be shelved in the gen.
eral reading room.
More books for younger children
are needed. The constant wear
and tear on these books makes con-
tinual requirements essential
These should all be purchased in
reinforced bindings. y
Inventory is being taken by the
CWS workers, who are finding
many books for which there are nc
cards in the shelf list. A complete
check of the catalog with the self.
list should be made, but this can
not be done by unframed workers.
Catalog
"A revision of the catalog with the
use of more analytics is needed. 1t
is also recommended that Library
of Congress printed cards be used
for new non-fction as purchased.
The shelf-list should be arranged
as books are on the shelves, refer.
ance, with children's books seper.
ate.
Organization and Staff
The recommended standards for
a school librarian in Minnesota are
four years of college including a
year of library training. Under
present conditions there are fully
qualified librarians available. Fol
such a person a salary equal tc
that of teachers with similar quail
ifications and experience should be
paid.
Hours Open
The continuous opening hours
now in force is a decided advantage
and opening in the morning is GER
tainly to be desired when the Ii.
brary is serving the school. It is
recommended that the librarian s
hours be arranged so she has time
in the morning for technical work
when Interruptions are fewer, and
for library classes.
Professional Literature
There is a lack of up-to-date Ii.
brary tools. The following are
recommended for purchase:
Sears-List of subject headings.
Wilson-Standard catalog (soon
to be issued in one volume).
Wilson - Standard catalog for
high schools. ".~ =
Wilson-Children's catalog.
It is recommended that such
tools as book-Hsts, aids in classifl-
cation and cataloging be kept in
the office, an a shelf reserved for
that purpose, where they may be
readily accessible.
Library Service
Circulation
Circulation according to the lat
est available figures was more
than 10 per capita, and meets the
A. L. A. standard, but the non-hc-
ton circulation was only a littls
more than 20 per cent, against a
standard of 80 per cent. The limit
of one book to person should also
be withdrawn. Date due slips
should be added, and pockets should
be placed in all circulating books.
Registration
No count of registered borrowers
has ever been kept. This is one
of the most important methods Of
measuring the use of the library
and should be kept-to-date by con-
tinuous re-registration every three
years. It would be advisable to
start this system during the sum-
mer months when other work OF
the library is lighter. -
Reference Service
The arrangement of all reference
sets in the reference room should
facilitate the reference work. The
library has an excellent collection
of bound magazines, and a complete
file of indexes. Some of those
least used might be shelved in the
basement store-room and greater
use made of the more interesting
volumes through the indexes.
Finance and Business Methods
The operating expenditures fol
the year ending March 81, 1888
amounted to SIC per capita, not
counting the unusual expenditure
for repairs ($955.O3). Since the
expenses of heating is paid by the
school, it would seem desirable tc
include this item in the financial
report, in order to give more &C.
curate account of cost of operation