The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-10-28
By BETTY BLANCHARD

portant milestone in the annals of St. Mary's Hospital. It was on that date four years ago, the Rev. Law renee E. Skelly realized a long cherished dream and put ipto cir culation 500 books without charge for use by patients.
 The library on wheels, staffed en- tirely by volunteers, since that time has made more than 32,000 loans, and has proved, according to doc tors and nurses, of illimitable therapeutic value to the patient in brightening the patients mental at titude and in hastening his con- valescence.
 Patients select not one, but sev- eral books as the volunteers wheel the carts from room to room, on Mondays and Thursdays. Women like light fiction, romance and mys- tery novels, while the men show preference for biographies, westerns, and non-fiction.
 During the past four years, Father Skelly reports many hundreds have become acquainted once again with the enjoyment of reading good books. I've discovered mothers who are busy raising families rarely have time for extensive reading" the chaplain said Some tell me they haven't read novel in 10 years"
 The chaplain expresses a glowing pride in the fact that patients are always surprised to discover that the service is free.
 Long a dream of Father Skelly, | himself book lover, the library was begun with funds donated by | the hospital Alumnae Association and the Ladies Aid Society, in addi- tion to several private gifts. Today approximately 900 books are in cir | culation and the large library is maintained solely by proceeds re- ceived from the sale of the Catholic | Digest and by donations. Replace ments are being made constantly. l At present 50 new books are being checked and will be in circulation shortly.
 Father Skelly has devoted good portion of his time to the selection | of books, since the choice of the right books for the ailing is of vital importance. Publishers advertise ments cannot be relied upon, the chaplain explains, since many books might have a depressing effect on | the patient. He always avoids buy ing a book with a morbid theme or one which tends toward introspec- tion.
 "A book for the sick person should not only be entertaining but should supply something which will tend to change his philosophy of life for the better" he says.
 Father Ske1ly notes that tastes m books change with the times. While war books were tremendously popu- lar from 1942 to 1945, today there is g. growing demand for light f1c-
 tion and biographies.
 The chaplain also attempts tt
 feature the best in Catholic htera'
 ture. and lists the following a!
 favorites:
 Men of Maryknoll," by Kelel
 and Berger; 'The Scarlet Lily" pl
 Murphy; White Smoke over tht Vatican" by Sharkey; and "Th' Mass of Brother Michel" by Kent Biography of Mother Cabrini" ane .'The Song of Bernadette" are vel
 in the lead.
 Next week St. Mary's Hospital
 along with other organizations II the city, will observe Nationa
 Catholic Book Week, the observance
 starting Sunday night. Nov. 3, witt
 a lecture by the Rev. John L. Bonn
 S.J., author, of Boston College, th'
 program to include an exhibition O
 books from the Catholic LenolnE Library. Father Skelly, genera
 chairman of the local observance
 has arranged other events durlns
 the week of Nov. 3-9.
 That Father Skelly, former pro
 lessor at St. Charles College il
 Baltimore, Md, is book lover l , evidenced by the fact that as
 young curate in Danbury, he in
 augurated the Catholic Book Shel
 at the Danbury Public Librar which proved eminently successful ] Shortly after his appointment a ;, chaplain at St. Mary's Hospital, h . began working on the idea of a hos , pital library because of his firm be ? lief that good reading keeps tn t patients mind free of his diff1cul ties and subsequent depression, an ]. helps toward speedy recovery. ? The chaplain's library on wheel has been so enthusiastically re ceived by thousands of patients dur ing the past four years and ha n proved of such tremendous value i
 lifting patients to happier, health q fer mental realm, Father Skelly no Q dreams of organizing library com : parable to that of the Massachusett l. General Hospital in Boston, whic . distributes more than 5000 volume . and provides large rooms as readin z areas for nurses and patients.