The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-06-01
library


describe though it is becoming ex-
tremely difficult to cope with. 1t is
simply that it is not physically
possible to continue adding 1000
books per year to a collection that
must be housed in a room meas
uring 20x20 feet. If it were not
for the Bookmobile's county SER
vice which takes over 5000 books
off the shelves and puts them in
circulation, plus the local situa-
ton, the saturation point would
have been reached more than a
year age.
The answer to the second prob
lem, lack of help, is, plainly, hir-
ing more workers. To get some
idea of why more library help is
needed, consider the following dis
cussions of some of the librarians
jobs.
At the Library
When Mrs. Midget is absent on
trips with the ,Bookmobile, there is
only Mrs. Harwood to attend the
circulation desk and the dozens of
other jobs to be done in the library.
On typical day this month 80
books were checked out at the Ii
brary desk. When library patrons
are ready to take out books, they
must, of course, be waited on
promptly; this means that the one
attendant has her hands tied as
far as performing duties away
from the desk when there are peo-
pie in the library.
People want help in choosing
books, and they want to be helped
to find any particular books they
seek. They want to find the an
swers to special questions and in
formation about where to look for
the answers. Sometimes they just
want to talk, about books, about
things going on in the community,
even about themselves-and no
body imagines that the efficiency
and satisfaction patrons find in
their library would be increased by
having the attendants pretend to
be deaf mutes.
Yet during the working day,
when the desk must be attended
constantly, the librarian has to find
time to examine book lists and ex-
ercise good judgment in ordering
books; once acquired, the books
have to be prepared for the shelves
"a process that requires 80 to as
minutes for each book. 1t must be
checked against the bill; must be
open properly to prevent the
spine's being broken in use; page
by page, each new volume must be
examined for imperfections, tears,
mispaging and other defects. The
classification of non-fction must be
looked up, so that it will be shelved
with other books on the same SUBJ
ject. All books are entered in a
record showing publisher, place of
purchase, when acquired and the
cost. Then there are book cards
and pockets to be made and filed;
the book is numbered on the back
and lacquered to protect it. If there
are even a small number of new
books, say fifty, on hand, it is far
easier to figure out by arithmetic
how long it will take to process
them than it is for the librarian
to find time to do the processing.
And, don't forget, books have to
be repaired and rebound, too.
Just picking out book to or
der is a real task; for, remember,
this is not to be a book that will
satisfy the taste of just one or two
people-the book to be ordered
must be selected because it is judg-
ed to be one that will give real
pleasure or be of genuine service
to the people of Dare County. This
means that, before books are pur-
chased, the book sections of news
papers and magazines, library
journals and publishers lists must
be examined critically, so that the
right books are bought. After all
this work at the library, the Lii
brary Commission must approve
the purchase list before the books
are bought.
There are all the routine chores
to be done around the library that
occur in any other business. Let
tiers have to be written; files of
pictures, pamphlets
have to be kept. A library properly
operated is a complicated organi-
cation.
The growth of the Bookmobile
service has already been cited. Ev-
erything about this service has
grown, except the number of per-
sons to cope with the greater de-
mands for the service. Mrs. Mid
gett handles 500 books on an aver
age day on the Bookmobile. With
the short stops at each place that
her schedule permits her to make,
she may be able to accomplish this
without going crazy if she's a sup
erwoman-and superwoman she
must be, for there's not saner
person in Dare County.
10000 Circulation