THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY 5TO xtc Wo. 54 -5$ '3Ednr.afl0B UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN The person charging this material is responsible for its renewal or return to the library on or before the due date. The minimum fee for a lost item is $125.00, $300.00 for bound journals. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. Please note: self-stick notes may result in torn pages and lift some inks. Renew via the Telephone Center at 217-333-8400, 846-262-1510 (toll-free) orcirclib@uiuc.edu. Renew online by choosing the My Account option at: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/catalog/ MAR 8 2006 BULLETIN NO. 57 BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH COLLEGE OF EDUCATION HIGH-SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN ILLINOIS By Arthur W. Clevenger High School Visitor and Charles W. Odell Assistant Director, Bureau of Educational Research Published by the University of Illinois, Urbana 1931 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS li PRESS ii PREFACE High-school principals, boards of education, and others concerned have been giving more and more recognition to the important place that should be filled by high-school libraries. There are, however, still many high schools which, either because of lack of the proper library facilities or because of poor use of those they do have, are not yet deriving nearly all the benefits that may be obtained from their libraries. It has, therefore, seemed worth while to the writers of this bulletin to make a study of actual con- ditions in the high-school libraries of Illinois and to publish this summary of that study along with a number of sug- gestions and recommendations on library facilities and practices. Charles W. Odell, Assistant Director June 1, 1931. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/highschoollibrar57clev TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Chapter I. Introduction 7 Chapter II. Expenditures 11 Chapter III. Administration and Supervision. ... 15 Chapter IV. Training and Experience of Librarians . 23 Chapter V. Characteristics of Library Quarters . . 27 Chapter VI. Number of Books 31 Chapter VII. Public and Other Libraries 37 Chapter VIII. Two Brief Sets of Recommendations . . 40 LIST OF TABLES PAGE Table I. Median and Quartile Numbers of Books Per Pupil in Libraries Used by High-School Pupils Only 32 Table II. Median and Quartile Numbers of Books Per Pupil in Libraries Used by Elementary and High-School Pupils 33 Table III. Per Cents of Schools of Different Sizes Reporting Various Condi- tions as to Public or Other Libraries 37 HIGH-SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN ILLINOIS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Purpose of the study. It is the purpose of this study to report a number of items of information concerning high-school libraries in the state of Illinois and to offer some suggestions as to standards and the improvement of libraries. The items of information dealt with in- clude those that were considered most important in judging the prob- able efficiency of the service rendered by high-school libraries and also several minor ones that for one reason or another it seemed desirable to include. General plan of the study. Early in the school year of 1930-31 a questionnaire, the various questions of which will appear in later chapters, was sent to the principals of all the four-year accredited high schools in the state of Illinois with the exception of those in the city of Chicago. This questionnaire was prepared by one of the writers, Arthur W. Clevenger, with the assistance and advice of Miss Anna May Price, Superintendent of the Library Extension Division of the Illinois State Library. The principals were asked to supply the various items of information called for and to return the questionnaire to the office of the High School Visitor. Slightly more than three-fourths of the principals returned the questionnaires with all or practically all of the questions well enough answered that the data were usable. As is frequently the case in similar investigations a few answers were received too late to be included in the tabulations. After the questionnaires were received, the responses to the different questions were tabulated in the offices of the Bureau of Educational Research. The results of these tabulations will be presented in the later chapters of this bulletin. The reliability of the data. Because most of the questions were apparently answered with care and because the principals were in a position to know the facts, the writers believe that the accuracy of the data obtained is relatively high. All necessary arithmetical opera- tions, such as finding costs and numbers of books per pupil, totals, and so forth, were carefully checked. In a few cases there were evident errors in the responses. Whenever possible, these were cor- rected; otherwise the responses were not included in the tabulations. As is commonly the case in similar studies a greater per cent of the large than of the small schools responded. The schools were divided 8 Bulletin No. 57 into five groups on the basis of enrolment, as follows: less than 100 pupils, 100 to 299 pupils, 300 to 499 pupils, 500 to 999 pupils, and 1 ,000 or more pupils. The per cents of responses received from schools of these sizes were approximately as follows, in order: 60, 75, 85, 80, and 80. In the case of the smaller schools it is probable that those from which replies were received tended to have somewhat better libraries than have those fiom which none were received. In the larger schools it is possible that this same tendency also held, but it is not likely that it was so marked. Press of business and the greater labor involved in filling out the questionnaire in the larger schools probably played a part in preventing some of these schools from answering. On the whole , however, the per cents of responses were large enough that, in the opin- ion of the writers, the data may be considered as fairly representative of the conditions in the high-school libraries of the state, although they probably show such conditions as slightly better than they really are. It should be stated that although the high schools responding in- cluded several located at state teachers' colleges and other higher institutions the returns from these were not included if the high school did not have its own library but instead made use of that of the higher institution. Tabulation of the data. For purposes of tabulating the data received the high schools were classified in several ways. The first general classification consisted of two divisions, high schools having libraries which they alone use and those having libraries also used by elementary-school pupils. In some cases it was difficult to determine which condition existed. When it was known that both high-school and elementary-school pupils used the same building and the principal reported on the blank the whole elementary school enrolment, it was assumed that both schools used the one library. Whenever the prin- cipals reported the high-school enrolment alone, it was assumed that high-school pupils were the only ones to use it. In some cases this assumption was made when the principal reported also the elementary- school enrolment, because the elementary pupils attended separate buildings from the high-school pupils. In such cases it is not unusual for elementary pupils to be sent to the high-school library on special occasions or to make some use of it outside of school hours, but in general they use it so little that for practical purposes it may be con- sidered to be entirely devoted to high-school use. Of the total number of schools responding, slightly more than 70 per cent had libraries used by high-school pupils only, and not quite less than 30 per cent had libraries used by elementary-school pupils also. High-School Libraries in Illinois 9 Another basis upon which the data were classified had to do with public and other library facilities. Three divisions were made on this basis, as follows: no library other than the school library in the com- munity, such a library there but not easily accessible, and such a library easily accessible to the pupils. About 40 per cent of the schools reported no other library in the community, about 20 per cent, that there was such a library but that it was not easily accessible, and the remaining 40 per cent, that it was easily accessible. The third and last basis of classification was that of high-school enrolment. For this purpose the five classes mentioned above, less than 100, 100 to 299, 300 to 499, 500 to 999, and 1,000 or more, were used. The per cents of all schools responding that were of these different sizes were approximately as follows, in order: 31, 41, 13, 8, and 7. Although all the data were tabulated on the various bases of classification indicated in the preceding paragraphs, it was found that in many cases there were no significant differences between the differ- ent groups resulting. Therefore in the report of the data in the suc- ceeding chapters those for the separate classes will be reported only when differences were found that seem worth mentioning. If the different classes are not mentioned, the reader may assume that no such differences were found. In general it may be said that where high schools only were concerned, library provisions were better in proportion to the number of pupils who used them than they were where both high school and elementary school used them. The dif- ference in public and other library facilities available appeared to have little significance with regard to most of the items of data collect- ed. The size of the school was, as would be expected, quite signifi- cant in many cases although in others the differences on this basis were very slight. Recommendations. At the ends of each of Chapters II to VII suggestions and recommendations are given as to what the writers consider desirable standards. In the main these represent a com- promise between ideally desirable standards and those whose attain- ment seems reasonably practicable in view of actually existing conditions and of what at least some schools are doing. The sug- gestions and recommendations given do not represent merely the opinions of the writers, but they include also those expressed by members of the staff of the Library and Library School of the Uni- versity of Illinois and by others who may also be considered as qualified to give expert advice. 10 Bulletin No. 57 In addition to these recommendations Chapter VIII contains the complete recommendations of the North Central Association of Col- leges and Secondary Schools and of the High School Visitor's Office of the University of Illinois in so far as they deal with the subject of libraries. The two do not agree on all points, and there are also some differences between them and the suggestions given in Chapters II to VII. However, it appears that on most important points there is comparatively little disagreement. 1 CHAPTER II EXPENDITURES Questions dealt with in this chapter. The division of the ques- tionnaire dealing with expenditures asked for the amounts spent dur- ing the last year, 1929-30, and the appropriations for the current year, 1930-31, for each of the following three purposes: books other than dictionaries and encyclopedias, dictionaries and encyclopedias, mag- azines and newspapers. In tabulating the data, however, it was decided not to make use of the figures dealing with the appropriations for the current year. The reason was that in many cases such appro- priations have been made, but only partially, if at all, expended, whereas in other instances additional amounts may be appropriated and spent. The figures given in this chapter, therefore, have to do with the amounts actually spent in 1929-30. It appeared, however, that it made little difference which one of the two bases was used. In many cases the amount spent in 1929-30 and the appropriation for 1930-31 were the same. In those in which they were not the same there was a slight tendency for the appropriation for 1930-31 to exceed the amount actually spent in 1929-30, but the opposite was true in enough cases that on the average there was little difference between the two. Amount spent for books other than dictionaries and encyclo- pedias. In those libraries used by high schools alone the median amount per pupil spent was 94 cents, and the first and third quartiles, 60 cents and $1.66, respectively. 1 In schools where the libraries were used by both elementary and high-school pupils the amounts were less than half as great, the median being 44 cents, the first quartile, 22 cents, and the third quartile, 77 cents. It is not apparent that accessibility of other library facilities was a significant factor in this case. Size of school, however, was significant, the amount spent per pupil increasing as the size of school decreased. This is shown by the following figures, which are the median expenditures for the five sizes of schools, beginning with the largest, in cases where only the high- school pupils used the library: 60 cents, 63 cents, 71 cents, 87 cents, $1.63. Practically the same rate of increase existed where both J The median is that point on each side of which fall half of the cases. Thus, in the instance cited above, half of the schools spent more than 94 cents per pupil and half spent less. The first quartile is the point below which 25 per cent of the cases fall and the third quartile, that above which 25 percent fall. In other words, the two quartiles include the middle 50 per cent of the cases. In this instance, therefore, the middle half of the schools spent amounts between 60 cents and $1.66 per pupil. 11 12 Bulletin No. 57 elementary and high-school pupils used the books. Thus, in schools of the smallest size almost three times as much per pupil was spent upon books other than dictionaries and encyclopedias as in those of the largest size. Amount spent upon dictionaries and encyclopedias. The amount spent upon dictionaries and encyclopedias followed the same general trends, but in a less pronounced fashion, as the amounts spent on other books. Not only were the total amounts much smaller, as would be expected, but the differences between libraries used by high schools only and those used by elementary and high schools, and among the different sizes of schools, were less. For those used by high schools only the median amount spent was 19 cents, the quartiles being 10 cents and 40 cents, whereas for elementary and high-school libraries the median was 16 cents, and the quartiles, 8 and 24 cents. In the case of the former the amount per pupil spent by thesmallest schools was not quite twice as great as that in the largest, whereas in that of the elementary and high schools the difference was still less, the ratio being about four to three. Amount spent on magazines and newspapers. In this case also the same trends appeared as were found in the expenditures for the two classes of books. For high schools only the median amount spent was 20 cents per pupil, the quartiles being 11 cents and 29 cents; for elementary and high schools the median was 9 cents, the quartiles being 4 cents and 15 cents. The increase in the amount per pupil, accompanying decrease in the size of school, was more marked here than anywhere else. The smallest schools spent practically four times as much per pupil for magazines and newspapers as did the largest schools. Total amounts expended. Since the amounts expended for the three separate purposes mentioned above showed the same general trends, it follows naturally that the total expenditures did likewise. For high schools only the median was approximately $1.30, the first quartile, 84 cents, and the third quartile, $2.00, whereas for elementary and high schools the corresponding figures were 67 cents, 32 cents, and $1.13. In each case the smallest schools had total expenditures about three times as great per pupil as did the largest schools. In addition to the median and quartiles the unusual amounts expended by a few schools are probably worth noting. Almost 10 per cent of the schools with enrolments of less than one hundred spent $5.00 or more per pupil on books, magazines, and newspapers. Evi- dently these schools were putting forth unusual efforts to improve High-School Libraries in Illinois 13 their library facilities. At the other extreme were more than 10 per cent of the schools in this class that spent less than $1.00 per pupil. It seems readily apparent that the school of less than one hundred pupils which spends less than $1.00 for each pupil is doing compar- atively little to improve its library. Of the largest schools none spent so much as $2.00 per pupil. It is evident, however, that the expendi- ture of some thousands of dollars per year results in a considerable addition to the library even in a large high school. Recommendations. Because of the different states of efficiency and completeness of high-school libraries as they exist at present and also because of the effect of such factors as size of school upon the number of books and amount of service needed, it is difficult to make recommendations as to amounts of expenditures in specific terms. On the assumption that a library is at present approximately up to average in its facilities so that expenditures may be thought of as primarily for normal support and growth rather than to remedy past deficiencies, the writers venture to make the following suggestions. For libraries which serve high schools only it is doubtful whether any school, no matter how large, can maintain an efficient library on fifty cents per pupil and only in exceptional cases can it be done on such a small amount as this. Seventy-five cents per pupil seems a reasonable minimum to suggest for the larger schools. As schools decrease in size the amount should, the writers believe, increase, just as it does in actual practice. For schools of two or three hundred enrolment it will probably be necessary to expend at least one dollar per pupil, and for those of less than a hundred enrolment, two dollars or more. It may seem unjust that the per capita burden upon the small school for maintaining a library should be greater than that of the large school, but the writers do not see how the conclusion that it should be larger can be escaped. There are many needed publications of which a single copy suffices whether the number of pupils is very small or fairly large and many others of which there should be enough for several pupils to use at once whether the enrolment of the school be small or large. In this connection the fact may be stated that the state appropriation in New York, a state which occupies a relatively advanced position with regard to provision for high-school libraries, reflects the same belief. For libraries which serve both elementary and high schools the per capita expenditure may appropriately be somewhat less than those stated above. It is difficult, however, to be very definite in making recommendations here, since the proportions of high-school and ele- 14 Bulletin No. 57 mentary pupils using the library and also the frequency with which elementary pupils do use the library are important factors. Probably in the ordinary situation of this sort, which is represented by a rather small building containing both high and elementary schools, the sug- gested per pupil expenditures should be from one-half to three-fourths as great as those mentioned above. The actual practice of schools with regard to dividing their ex- penditures among the three items dealt with in this chapter, that is, books other than dictionaries and encyclopedias, dictionaries and encyclopedias, and magazines and newspapers, probably represents a fairly satisfactory condition. It is suggested, therefore, that the ex- penditures for books other than dictionaries and encyclopedias may well be, on the average, from 70 to 80 per cent of the total expendi- tures; that those for dictionaries and encyclopedias, from 10 to 20 per cent; and those for magazines and newspapers likewise, from 10 to 20 per cent of the total. In small schools, especially, the proportion spent for dictionaries and encyclopedias will vary considerably from year to year. Many of these schools may need to make no such expenditures for several years, since books of this sort do not go out of date from year to year, nor do they wear out frequently enough to need annual replacement. CHAPTER III ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION Questions dealt with in this chapter. Under the heading just given the questionnaire asked for information concerning the person in charge of each library; other duties, if any, assigned to her; the location of library books, and whether or not they were classified and cataloged; the instruction given pupils in using the library; and the selection of books. The responses received to the questions covering these points will be presented in this chapter. Persons in charge of libraries. The responses to the various ques- tions asked concerning this point showed that of the libraries serving both elementary and high schools only about 3.5 per cent had full- time librarians, whereas more than 11 per cent of those used by high schools alone had such persons in charge. As would be expected, most of the full-time librarians were found in the larger schools. In the case of high schools having their own libraries about 70 per cent of those enrolling 1,000 or more pupils reported full-time librarians, about 40 per cent of those enrolling from 500 to 999, about 20 per cent of those with from 300 to 499, 3 per cent of those with from 100 to 299, and none of those with less than 100. The most common plan provided for supervision of the library was that one of the teachers devoted a portion of her time to the library and had general charge of it. About 70 per cent of the schools reported that they were following this plan. Almost one-half of the libraries using this plan also employed one or more pupils in the library under the direction of this teacher; about one-third made use of other teachers in addition to the one specifically named as librarian; one-ninth used both pupils and teachers. No other one plan was reported by more than 6 or 7 per cent of the schools. Some used different teachers, no one of whom was particularly in charge; some had a librarian who also served as secretary; some used pupils only, presumably under the direction of the principal; some used different teachers and also pupils; and still others reported about twenty other plans or combinations of those already mentioned. Other duties of teachers serving as librarians. Two questions dealt with the other duties of teachers serving as librarians. These called for the number of classes and the subjects taught by such teachers. The median number of classes taught by teachers serving 15 16 Bulletin No. 57 as librarians was approximately five, the first quartile being 4.2 and the third quartile, 5.6. In the two largest classes of schools the number taught was distinctly smaller, the median being about four. Among the other three classes there were no significant differences. In no case did the number exceed six, and in only about 6 per cent of the schools was it smaller than three. As most persons familiar with the situation would undoubtedly expect, English teachers most commonly served as librarians. Of all teacher-librarians about 30 per cent taught English alone and about 35 per cent, English and one or more other subjects. No other single subject or combination of subjects appeared in the responses often enough to be worth mentioning. Library hours. The questionnaire contained two questions deal- ing with the number of hours that libraries were open — one as to the number of hours during the school day and the other as to the number of hours outside the school day. It was evident from the responses that some of the principals filling out the blanks interpreted the word "hour" as referring to a clock hour of sixty minutes as was intended, but that others understood it to refer to a school period of whatever length the particular school happened to have. In some cases it was impossible to decide which interpretation should be given to the figures reported, but these were not numerous enough to affect the results to any large degree. The most common length of time that libraries remained open during the school day was six clock hours, or eight school periods, either one of which is in most schools equivalent to the full school day. Less than 2 per cent of the schools reported that their libraries were not open at all during the school day. In somewhat more than 10 per cent of the schools the libraries were open less than the full school day, and in 15 per cent it was impossible to determine from the answers given whether or not they were opened the full school day. Forty-five per cent of the schools did not open their libraries at all outside the school day. The median outside time open was slightly more than an hour, the quartiles being approximately one-half an hour and two hours. In less than 2 per cent of the schools were libraries reported as open more than three hours outside the regular school day. For each school the figures for the two items just discussed were added to arrive at the total number of hours per day that libraries were open. The median total was slightly more than seven and the quartiles, about six and eight hours. Three out of the more than five hundred schools reporting stated that their libraries were open less High-School Libraries in Illinois 17 than one hour a day, and about 7 per cent of the schools had their libraries open four hours or less. There was some tendency for the libraries in the larger schools to be kept open longer during the school day than those in the smaller schools, the difference between the largest and smallest classes of schools being about one hour. The same condition also existed with regard to time outside of school with a difference in the medians almost as great as that for time during the school day. Instruction given pupils in using the library. In response to the two questions dealing with this topic, somewhat less than 80 per cent of the schools reported that such instruction was given. Of the re- mainder less than half answered in the negative, and the rest, not at all. It seems fair to assume that practically all of the latter should be tabulated with those answering in the negative. A slight tendency appeared for the larger schools to give such instruction more fre- quently than the smaller schools, but this was not very marked. The second question on this point asked by whom such instruction was given. According to the responses the librarians gave instruction in almost 30 per cent of the schools, the English teachers, in about 20 per cent, and the principals, in slightly less than 10 per cent. In 25 per cent two or more teachers cooperated to give such instruction. In about 10 per cent of the schools which gave such instruction city librarians were concerned, usually assisting in the work rather than doing it all. For some reason not known by the writers it was much more common for high schools of from 100 to 299 enrolment to receive assistance from the city librarian than it was in those of any other class as to size. Perhaps this was true because few of the schools of less than 100 pupils were located in communities in which there were city libraries, and such libraries in communities where the schools enrolled from 100 to 299 pupils were small enough that the librarians could spare some time to cooperate with the schools. Furthermore only 3 per cent of the schools in this class employed full-time librarians, and the per cent of teachers having enough library training to give such instruction was very small. Moreover, the size of the libraries in schools having such enrolments was quite frequently so small and their organization so incomplete or unsatisfactory that they could not be used satisfactorily for the purpose of giving instruction. There- fore, the public library was frequently preferable to the school library for tiiis purpose. Classification and cataloging of books. Ninety per cent of the schools reported that their books were classified in accordance with 18 Bulletin No. 57 some definite library system, and about 85 per cent, that they were card-cataloged. In both cases the per cents giving affirmative an- swers were distinctly larger for schools of three hundred and above than for those smaller. There were also several per cent more affirm- ative answers in the case of libraries used by high schools alone than where elementary schools were also involved. Location of books. Less than one-fourth of the schools reported that they kept all of their books in the library; about 70 per cent kept a portion of them in classrooms, and the remaining few, in other places. No regular tendency appeared with regard to the size of schools, but instead the figures indicated irregularity. High schools of more than 1,000 enrolment and those with from 300 to 499 pupils indicated that all books were kept in the library in more than one-third of the cases, whereas in the other three classes they were kept there in less than one-fourth. Selection of books. The selection of books in high-school libraries was generally reported as a cooperative affair. Usually the super- intendent or principal and a group of teachers participated therein. In a few schools it seemed to be done entirely by the principal, super- intendent, librarian, or some two of these persons. In a few others there were library committees named from the teachers. When the superintendent or principal and teachers all participated, there were two chief methods of procedure. According to one method, individ- ual teachers recommended the books they desired, and their recom- mendations were approved or disapproved by the superintendent, by the principal, or, less frequently, by the librarian. The other pro- cedure was for the group to act as a committee that considered the whole matter, rather than for each teacher to be concerned only with books in her teaching subjects. Recommendations. From the ideal standpoint it is of course desirable to have a full-time, trained librarian in charge of every school library. It cannot reasonably be expected, however, that small schools will ordinarily be able to afford the services of such a person. It has been suggested by some standardizing agencies that every school enrolling at least one thousand pupils have such a librarian and by others that this suggestion apply to schools enrolling five hundred or more pupils. The writers believe that the latter recommendation is preferable and that no high school of this size or larger should be without a full-time, trained librarian. Smaller schools should have a teacher who has had training in library science devote a portion of her time to the library. In schools of from two or three hundred up to five hundred pupils the fraction of her time given to the library should High-School Libraries in Illinois 19 be at least approximately one-half. In smaller schools it may be somewhat less. Both types of librarians, that is, the full-time, trained librarian and the teacher librarian, should be provided with a sufficient number of assistants that the library can function ade- quately. In very large high schools the assistants should include one or more persons, in addition to the head librarian, who have had library training. It also seems desirable that large schools and small schools make some use of pupil assistants, probably usually chosen from the senior class. Some schools seem to find that it works best to pay such pupil assistants for their services, whereas in others pupil assistants are given such instruction and training that they receive credit for their work in lieu of pay. In the case of teacher librarians it is probably most often feasible to combine library duties with the teaching of English. A well-trained English teacher ordinarily has occasion to learn somewhat more of library methods than do teachers of most other subjects and, there- fore, is better prepared for such a position. The writers recommend that school libraries be kept open during the entire school day and in addition that they be open during a short period, perhaps half an hour, before school formally begins in the morning, during the noon period, and for at least half an hour or an hour after school closes in the afternoon. In small schools, especially, it is not at all necessary that pupils be allowed to withdraw books for home use during all hours of the day, but instead some one or two periods, which may well come during the noon hour or immediately after school in the afternoon, may be used for this purpose. Although it is perhaps somewhat outside the general scope of this discussion, the writers wish to suggest that school libraries in com- munities where no city libraries exist, if at all possible, be open to the general public during hours in the late afternoon, evening, and on Saturdays, when school is not in session. It is sometimes possible to make an arrangement by which the school does not bear the additional expense involved. All high-school pupils should receive some instruction in how to use library facilities. This instruction is usually best given by the librarian with assistance from English or other teachers. As was suggested earlier in the chapter, schools with small or unsatisfactorily organized libraries should make use of public library facilities when- ever the public libraries are available for this purpose, and according- ly the schools should secure, if possible, the cooperation of the public librarian. Even in the case of schools having fairly large libraries it is probably desirable to include some study at the public library. 20 Bulletin No. 57 There are two chief plans followed with regard to the time when training in the use of the library is given pupils. One plan is to have a single period of instruction, perhaps a week or two weeks in length, coming at some regular time in the high-school course. If this plan is followed, the freshman year is recommended as the best time for such training. The other plan is to devote one or more days to it during each semester or year of the high-school course. During the first semester or year pupils are familiarized with such portions of library usage as they will have most occasion to know or as are easiest to learn, during the next semester or year, with those next most often useful or next easiest to learn, and so on. It goes almost without saying that all school libraries should be satisfactorily cataloged and otherwise properly organized. For the benefit of persons without adequate training in library science who are in charge of high-school libraries the following somewhat detailed suggestions are included. Except for some very minor changes these are given as prepared by Miss Anne Morris Boyd, Assistant Professor of Library Economics, and Miss Marie M. Hostetter, Associate in Library Economics, both of the University of Illinois. Suggested Methods of Organizing and Administering the High-School Library by Persons not Trained in the Technique of Library Science Cataloging is a technical process and requires definite instruction; otherwise the results are a waste of time and money. No untrained person should attempt to catalog the books in a school library. Fortunately, the very small library does not need an elaborate catalog; there are simple methods by which the books and their contents may be made readily accessible to the pupils and teachers. Until the school can employ a full-time, trained librarian, some capable col- lege graduate or some teacher employed by the school and interested in library work should be encouraged to prepare herself to devote at least part time to the administration of the library by taking as a minimum a summer course of 6 or 8 weeks in cataloging and in other subjects essential to the successful administra- tion of a library. In the meantime the school can avail itself of the following substitute for a catalog and of other simple methods of organizing the library for service. Cataloging. Until the library can be cataloged by a trained librarian, the library should use the following as a checklist: Standard Catalog for High School Libraries, edited by Zaidee Brown; New York, H. W. Wilson Company, 1928, priced on application. The Standard Catalog is in two parts. Part 1 consists of a good selection of books for high-school libraries arranged under subjects. The Dewey decimal classification number is indicated for each subject, or group of books. The Standard Catalog can be used as a checklist of the library in this manner: If in the library there is a book listed in the Standard Catalog, place a check mark, i.e. \/, opposite each entry of this book in the Standard Catalog, and label the book with the classification number assigned to the book. High-School Libraries in Illinois 21 Non-fiction. A book of non-fiction usually has four entries in the Standard Catalog- it is listed under author, under subject, and under title in Part 2, and under classification number in Part 1. Thus: Bird-life by Frank Michler Chap- man is checked first in Part 2 under title, Bird-life; then under author, ' Chap- man"; and under subject, "Birds"; and in Part 1, under division 598 of the Dewey decimal classification assigned to the subject of "Birds." Fiction. Fiction is checked in Part 2 under author, and under title; and in Part 1 under the subject, "Fiction." Historical fiction is also checked in Part 2 under the name of the country and historical period about which the book is written. Arrangement of books on the shelves. Arrange the labelled books on the shelves numerically by their classification numbers, and alphabetically by author under each class number. With this method, all books on one subject are brought together in the same location in the library. Book Selection. Part 1 of the Standard Catalog will also prove suggestive in selecting and buying new books for the library. Reference Work. Part 2 of the Standard Catalog is a dictionary catalog, i.e. an author, subject, and title list of the books listed in Part 1. With this index provided, it is not absolutely necessary for the untrained attendants to learn the classification numbers. For example : some pupil may ask for a book about birds. The attendant, or preferably the pupil himself, will consult this analytical index and find that the number for "Birds" is 598. He then finds on the 598 shelf all single books on the subject which are in the library at the time. Often a book contains valuable information on many subjects. Obvipusly such a book cannot be classified to indicate all its many and diversified subjects. It is usually given a broad classification represented by a general number. For- tunately, a chapter on birds in such a book is not lost because the Standard Cat- alog analyzes, or includes in its index in Part 2, references to these books of rather general subject content. The classification of such a book checked as being in the library may possibly bear the classification number 500— "General natural history." The book will be found on the 500 shelf; the catalog indicates the chapter or pages of this book devoted to the subject of birds. Classification of Books in the Library not Listed in the Standard Catalog. If it is desirable to keep in the library books not listed in the Stand- ard Catalog, the following book will aid in classifying these books: School Library Management by Martha Wilson; fourth edition, New York, H. W.Wilson Com- pany, 1925, $1.25. (A new edition is announced for publication in 1931.) In this book are two outlines of abridgments of the Dewey decimal classification numbers: the first, an abridgment of the Dewey decimal classification for the small library; the second, the abridgment for larger libraries. (The abridg- ment for larger libraries provides for future growth of the library more readily than does the adaptation for small libraries.) After some study of this classifi- cation, it will be possible for the attendant to assign classification numbers to books in the library not listed in the Standard Catalog. A catalog listing these books, supplementary to the Standard Catalog, should be prepared in a loose leaf notebook. One page should be devoted to one subject, i.e., one classification number, and the pages should be arranged numerically by classification num- ber as in the Standard Catalog. Place the classification number at the top of each page. 22 Bulletin No. 57 Accessioning. An accession book record is a numerical and chronological account of the entry 7 of each book into the library's collection. The lines are numbered consecutively, and since each book must bear a distinctive number, only one copy and only one volume of the same title must be on one line. As books are lost or withdrawn from the library collection, they can be checked off the accession book and the date of withdrawal, entered, as well as a notation of the reasons for withdrawing the book. School Library Management gives full directions for the purchase and preparation of the accession book. Mechanical Preparation of Books for the Shelves. School Library Man- agement contains excellent directions for various processes necessary in the prep- aration of books for the shelves. With regard to the location of books, it is highly desirable that high-school classrooms be equipped with shelves or cases suitable for books and that those books much or only used by particular classes or in particular subjects be kept in the rooms where these classes meet so as to be conveniently available to teachers and pupils. The carrying out of this policy will necessitate some duplication of books that would not otherwise be necessary, but by cooperation among teachers and the transfer of books from one room to another from time to time, the amount of such duplication can be reduced considerably. If ele- mentary-school pupils are to make use of the books, it is quite desir- able that some books be kept in each elementary room, since such pupils have a tendency to read more books when they are easily available and so located that they will attract their attention. When this plan is followed, books should be brought from the main library to the different classrooms at frequent intervals so that the supply of books available in each room w T ill be relatively new to the pupils therein. If, as is frequently the case, pupils in the upper elementary grades are organized departmen tally and move from room to room the books should be in their home rooms or study halls. In the selection of books for the library it is highly desirable that there be the fullest cooperation and consultation between teachers, principals, superintendents, and librarians. Not only should teachers prepare lists of books which they desire in connection with the sub- jects they teach, but the librarian, the principal or superintendent, and perhaps a special library committee should also be on the watch for books of a more general nature not likely to be recommended in connection with any single subject. There must, of course, be some chief authority to decide to what extent the books requested by var- ious members of the staff will be secured and to allocate the funds available. The writers recommend that for this purpose a small committee be established, consisting of the librarian, the principal or superintendent, and not more than three regular teachers. CHAPTER IV TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE OF LIBRARIANS Questions dealt with in this chapter. The questionnaire con- tained a group of nine questions dealing with the training and exper- ience of librarians. These questions asked for information concerning training beyond high school as to amount, time, place, and, to some extent, subjects carried, and as to amount of total experience and of experience in present position. Most of the principals reported the data asked for concerning the persons in charge of the libraries, whether they were librarians, teachers, or others. About 20 per cent of the principals did not answer these questions, apparently because they did not regard the persons in charge of the libraries as deserving to be called librarians. General training beyond high school. The responses indicated that about 42 per cent of the persons acting as librarians had not had any training beyond high school, that 7 per cent had had less than four years of such training, 40 per cent had completed four years, and 11 per cent had received more than four years. Those with no train- ing beyond high school were in almost all cases high-school pupils. Practically all of those with four years or more training above high school had bachelor's degrees, and about 4 per cent of all had mas- ter's degrees. Of those having degrees almost 85 per cent had re- ceived them within the last ten years, the median date being 1925, and the quartiles, 1922 and 1928. The figures reported show that those in charge of combined elementary and high-school libraries averaged about a year more training than did those in charge of libraries serving high schools only. This, however, was due to the fact that in the latter case data were reported on many more high- school pupils who did library work than was true in the case of the combined libraries. When those stated to have had no training above high school were omitted the average training of the two groups was practically the same. There was a somewhat irregular tendency for the librarians of larger schools to have had more training than those of smaller schools, but it was not very marked. Training in library science. Only slightly over one-fourth of the principals reported that their librarians had received any training at all in library science. Of the librarians who had received such training about 45 per cent had had no more than five hours, and an additional 23 24 Bulletin No. 57 28 per cent, between six and ten hours inclusive. The median amount of such training for those persons who had any was about seven hours, the quartiles being approximately three and thirteen hours. There was a very marked tendency for more of the librarians in the larger schools to have had some library training and to have had more of it than those in the smaller ones. The per cents of librarians having had some such training were, beginning with the largest schools, 75, 49, 29, 17 and 20, respectively. The corresponding medians for those who had any such training were about 19, 9, 6, 5, and 4 hours. In the two classes of schools largest in size, the librarians who served high schools only had received much more training than those who served both high and elementary schools, but among the three smallest classes there were no significant differences. Even in the very largest high schools, however, almost 20 per cent of those in charge of libraries had had no training in library science. Major subjects of college specialization of librarians. Only 285 principals reported the major subjects carried by their librarians. This represents approximately the number of teachers and librarians actually in charge of libraries. Of these only two, or less than 1 per cent, were reported to have majored in library science, whereas more than 44 per cent majored in English alone, 15 per cent, in English and some other subject also, 11 per cent, in foreign language, 8 per cent, in social science, and other smaller proportions, in about a dozen other subjects or fields. Experience of librarians. Three hundred and fifty responses were received to the questions under this heading. Slightly over two- thirds of those serving as librarians were reported to have had less than five years experience, and somewhat more than one-fifth, from five years experience up to ten. The median amount was 3.7 years, the quartiles being 1.8 and 6.6 years. For those in the largest schools the median amount of experience was 9.1 years, for the next largest it was 5.2 years, and for each of the other three groups it was not far from 3.3 years. A slight tendency appeared for those serving as librarians in high schools only to have had more experience than those in combined high and elementary-school libraries. Apparently, most of the library experience acquired was obtained in the same schools in which the librarians were serving when the data were reported. The median amount of such experience was 3.2 years, and the quartiles were 1.6 and 4.8 years. It will be seen that the median and the first quartile are not very much smaller than those for the total amount of experience. These figures lead to the conclusion stated above: practically four-fifths of the librarians have had less High-School Libraries in Illinois 25 than five years of experience in their present position; almost one- sixth have had from five up to ten years of such experience, and about 5 per cent, ten years or more. Recommendations. Before proceeding to make recommendations as to the training and experience of librarians it seems in place to give the definitions of the terms, "librarian," "teacher-librarian," and "library attendant," formulated by the Library School of the Uni- versity of Illinois. High-school librarian. The high- school librarian is a person who holds a bach- elor's degree from an approved college or university and who has had at least one full year's work in an approved library school with evidence of satisfactory completion. The librarian is recognized as a member of the teaching staff, and serves the school as librarian the entire day; or the high-school librarian is a person who holds a bachelor's degree from an approved college or university in which one year's work is in the field of library science. The librarian is recognized as a member of the teaching staff, and serves the school as librarian the entire day. Teacher -librarian. A teacher-librarian is a member of the teaching staff with a minimum of six to eight weeks' training in elementary library methods, who in addi- tion to part-time teaching duties devotes from one to four hours a day to the admin- istration of the library and to the direction of school library service. Library attendant. If, according to a temporary arrangement, library service is given by a person neither librarian nor teacher-librarian, the person serving in the library is designated as library attendant. A consideration of the definitions of high-school librarian and teacher-librarian just given, in connection with the recommendations made at the end of the last chapter concerning the size of schools that should have full-time librarians and those that should have part- time librarians, leads at once to the following recommendations: the full-time or head librarian, who should be found at least in every high school of five hundred or more pupils, should have a bachelor's degree from an approved higher institution and at least one year's work in an approved library school; instead of this, although it is not recommended, a full-time librarian may be a person with a bachelor's degree who has included in the four-years' work leading thereto a major in library science or approximately the equivalent of one year's work therein. In addition to training in library science it is desirable that a full-time librarian should have had a considerable amount of college work in English. In schools that do not have a full-time librarian there should be a teacher-librarian who has had the equivalent of at least one summer session's training in library science and in addition to this a consider- able amount of work, preferably a major, in English. Library attendants, who should ordinarily be senior students and who should always work under the direction of a full-time librarian or a teacher-librarian, cannot, of course, be expected to have had any formal courses in library science. They should, however, receive 26 Bulletin No. 57 from the person in charge of the library elementary instruction in library science at least during the first semester in which they are employed in the library. In addition, they should have received along with all other high-school pupils the training in the use of the library which was recommended near the end of Chapter III. It is rather difficult to make any specific recommendations with regard to experience. It is, of course, necessary that librarians, just as workers in any other field, begin without formal full-time exper- ience. In many cases, however, there are available persons, both those prepared for full-time positions and those who will also do some teaching, who have had some experience in library work during their college or university careers. The writers recommend that, other things being equal, such persons be given preference over those who have had no such experience. Furthermore, it seems to them that a limited amount of teaching experience is an asset to a school librarian. The writers, therefore, suggest that this also be taken into consider- ation in securing such persons. As to the number of years' experience which makes a librarian most efficient it is not possible to speak with any more assurance than in the case of teachers. The progressive and enthusiastic librarian should go on increasing in efficiency for a com- paratively long term of years, whereas the unprogressive and uninter- ested one will probably never show much improvement. CHAPTER V CHARACTERISTICS OF LIBRARY QUARTERS Questions dealt with in this chapter. About a dozen questions included in the questionnaire had to do with the locations of libraries, their sizes, and their supplies of natural and artificial light and of heat. These questions were intended to disclose information con- cerning the degree to which the library quarters were satisfactory. Location. A few more than half of the schools had one or more special rooms devoted to library purposes; about 38 per cent had their libraries housed in study halls proper; an additional 3 or 4 per cent had them in alcoves or recesses off study halls ; about the same pro- portion made use of principals' or superintendents' offices and class- rooms. The per cent of libraries serving high schools only located in special rooms was somewhat greater than that of libraries serving both elementary and high schools, the relative per cents being about 54 and 46. As would be expected, the per cent of schools having special library rooms was greater the larger the size of the schools. Ninety- four per cent of the schools with enrolments of one thousand or more reported special rooms, as did 78 percent of those in the next class, 64 per cent in the next, 49 per cent in the next, and 32 per cent in the smallest class. None of the largest schools reported libraries located in study halls, whereas for the other four classes the per cents so located were 20, 28, 39, and 58, respectively. Each principal was also asked to report whether or not the library was located on the same floor as the main study hall. An affirm- ative answer was given in almost seven-eighths of the cases. On the whole the two were on the same floor somewhat more frequently when the library served the high school only than when it served both ele- mentary and high school. Also there was a noticeable tendency for the two to be on the same floor more frequently in smaller schools than in larger ones. Size of library quarters. Principals were asked to report the length and width of the rooms in which the libraries were housed. From these figures the numbers of pupils that could be accommodated in the quarters were computed, as well as the per cents that these numbers were of the total numbers of pupils served by the libraries. The conservative assumption was made that twenty square feet of floor space are sufficient for each pupil using the library at any one 27 28 Bulletin No. 57 time. This is probably too small since, if from a space of four by five feet per pupil is deducted the proportion of the space required for book shelves, aisles, librarian's desk, and so forth, the amount left for actual use by each pupil when working is rather limited. However, if the library is well planned it is perhaps possible to accommodate one pupil to each twenty square feet even though working conditions are somewhat crowded. On this basis there existed between libraries intended for high schools only and those intended for both elementary and high schools a very distinct difference in the per cent of all pupils libraries would accommodate. In the former the median was about 11 per cent, the quartiles being 7 and 17 per cent, whereas in the latter the median was about 6 per cent, the quartiles being 4 and 9 per cent. More than 10 per cent of the libraries intended for elementary and high school use could accommodate at one time less than 2 per cent of the pupils enrolled in the schools they served. A few libraries ap- peared to be unnecessarily large, about 7 per cent of those intended for high school use alone being able to accommodate one-third the en- rolment at one time. Most of these were in small schools and probably resulted from the fact that a room originally intended to serve as an ordinary classroom had been taken for library purposes. This should not be considered a serious waste of space in such cases, since the library in any school, no matter how small, should be large enough to seat a class of ordinary size. On the whole the smaller schools could accommodate larger per cents of their enrolment in their libraries at once than could the larger schools. Indeed, the median for schools of one thousand or more enrolment was less than 7 per cent. Lighting and heating provisions. The principals were asked to report whether the portions of libraries used as reading rooms are well provided with natural and artificial light, and heat. It is probable that the principals in giving these answers were fairly liberal in their j udgments of what constitutes satisfactory light or heat. With regard to natural lighting about 80 per cent reported that it was satisfactory, only 3 per cent, that it was unsatisfactory, and 17 per cent, that it was doubtful. For artificial lighting the figures were not very different, being, respectively, about 80 per cent, 1 per cent, and 19 per cent. Heating conditions were reported to be still more satisfactory. Prac- tically 90 per cent of the principals reported adequate heat, less than .5 per cent, inadequate heat, and about 10 per cent, doubtful heat. In all three cases most of the "doubtful" answers should probably be classed with the "inadequate" ones as indicating unsatisfactory pro- visions. On the whole, conditions with respect to light and heat were somewhat better in libraries for high schools only than in those for High-School Libraries in Illinois 29 both types of schools. There did not, however, appear to be any noticeable connection between size of school and the adequacy of such provisions. Recommendations. The writers recommend that school libraries be located in rooms especially planned for that purpose. An ideal library suite should consist of at least one large general reading room, one or more smaller rooms, perhaps arranged more or less as alcoves off the large room, and a work room for the staff. Such provisions do not seem too elaborate to be expected in larger schools, at least in all those of one thousand or more pupils, and probably also in those whose enrolments are in the upper hundreds. In smaller schools probably all that can be reasonably expected is a room with perhaps an alcove or recess attached to it. If, in a small school, it is impossible to have such a room, the best substitute is to place the books and other library materials in the assembly room or study hall, preferably concentrating them more or less in one part of the room. Perhaps the most satisfactory arrangement of this type is to employ the rear of the assembly room or study hall for library purposes and to separate it from the remainder of the room by a low partition some two and a half or three feet in height. Such an arrangement renders it possible for the teacher in charge of the study hall to supervise the library at the same time. The recommendation just given that special library rooms be pro- vided should not be understood to conflict with the suggestion made in an earlier chapter that books frequently used by pupils in a partic- ular class should be kept in their classroom. It is also desirable to have some books, especially encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other general reference books, available in study halls so that pupils who need to look up brief items of information will not be obliged to spend an undue amount of time in doing so. It is desirable that a school library be located as conveniently as possible with regard to the study hall or halls. This usually means that it should be on the same floor as that on which most of the pupils study. Furthermore, it is desirable that it be placed in one of the most quiet portions of the building away from heavy street traffic, school shops, and other distracting influences. As has already been suggested, the minimum size of desirable library quarters has been set at twenty square feet per pupil for 10 per cent of the enrolment. This is a general figure that is reasonably satisfactory for schools of perhaps five hundred or more pupils. In small schools, however, it is scarcely enough. The proportion of the total library space devoted to stacks, librarian's desk, other equip- 30 Bulletin No. 57 ment, doors and windows, and so forth, tends to be greater the smaller the total amount of space. Furthermore, as was suggested earlier in the chapter, it is desirable that the library in any school be large enough that a class of the usual size can be accommodated in it. It is, therefore, recommended that in schools with an enrolment much, if any, below five hundred the amount of space allowed in the library should be twenty-five square feet for each of 10 per cent of the pupils enrolled and that in no case should the library contain less than five hundred square feet of floor space. In other words, a school library should be at least as large as an ordinary classroom. It goes practically without saying that the library has more need of satisfactory light than have many of the other rooms of the school. In most portions of this country the glass area in the windows should be from 20 to 25 per cent as great as the floor space. The rooms should be so planned and located that pupils at work therein need not sit so that they are facing the light nor so that they are shading their books or papers, and that they should not be exposed to the direct rays of the sun. Artificial light should be provided by means of an ade- quate number of outlets without too bright a glare and, if the library quarters are fairly large, so controlled by switches that a portion may be turned on without turning all on. The heat should, of course, be adequate and so arranged as to provide an even temperature for the whole room. CHAPTER VI NUMBER OF BOOKS Questions dealt with in this chapter. A portion of the question- naire called for the numbers of books of each of about fifteen kinds. In some cases complete responses were not given by principals, prob- ably because they did not have their books classified on the same basis as was used in the questionnaire. This was especially true of the sub- divisions into which books in English were divided. The data report- ed, therefore, are those of the schools reporting each of the several items dealt with. For purposes of interpreting and reporting these data it seemed best to deal with them on the basis of number of books per pupil; therefore all were changed to this basis. The median and the first and third quartiles of the numbers of books per pupil for the classes used in the questionnaire are given in Tables I and II. The first of these gives the figures for libraries used by high-school pupils only and the second, for those used by both elementary and high-school pupils. Median and quartile numbers of books per pupil. From the figures given one can see the median and quartile numbers of books per pupil for each of the five classes of schools according to size, and for each of the different kinds of books according to the classification used on the questionnaire. The first line of the first table, for ex- ample, shows that in libraries used by high-school pupils only the median number of sets of encyclopedias per pupil in schools of less than one hundred enrolment was .049, and the corresponding quar- tiles were .035 and .068, and so on for the other four sizes of schools and for all combined. From an inspection of this table it is apparent that only in fiction and, consequently, in all English, social science, and miscellaneous was there a tendency for the median number of books per pupil to exceed one. In the case of sets of encyclopedias and dictionaries, as would be expected, the number was quite small, being no more than a very few hundredths; and in that of such other books as biography, travel, and history of literature, it was rarely greater than two- or three-tenths and sometimes distinctly less than that. The total number in English ranged from 5.7 down and con- stituted almost half of all books. The median number of all books per pupils decreased from 12.1 in the smallest schools to 4.1 in the largest. The total number of books, not class textbooks, was on the average 31 32 Bulletin No. 57 0-, £> « w CL, v> M O O ts. o w j H pel «! a Q . cs eo-<*t^ ©P'}f>Ovt*5 ©Ov lOOOH«(S«\ONOOrt^MN OHt^OONlOOOiO OOOOOv OO>Olfl-tT)lHrt(«)NO\« cs»h ioio a ^h rt m ro vo vo w vo o oot-^cs OOHOOOHtooiflio«OON^O» iH T)l(*) OO^rHNtO' O cs PO •<* r-» t^. »0 f- «-* ** vo fOvOO OONO^H«)00«-H*NM(S^e0iflO> oo a> VO ©v »/■> 00 P0 Ov ■■* 00 t~» tJ< r^ \o '•OvOOOt^^(NrOr<5ioOV' to"* N^iflOOO»N i/>vOn NO 00 OOHOOHHaiflM9l^HHHlOOOl < "«H "^Jw rtrn>ONM«00N>O O O On a OOOOOOO'fNHTfNHHOK)*') 1 tH CNCN ; co s a '3 3 oom o o OOOOOHOiOiflOvj-iOOHiflrtH § HI > a o > c ©o t-< ffj © © © Tl no On iO ID Ov "* CO a QQrtrtWrtrtOOMXO^rtr-lt^eOlOlO O O xs *4 HH T* -* On co 3 oooooHHifliflaswHHHioccoo O 8 CNCN CD o o x: o »n JD O00 © © o o o in m © m inmON s 3 3 a ©©©©©©oocNm-tfcNCCOO'*'* HHH "3 o Ohm O N W On On a OOHOHrtHOvNOl^^HHtOOOOON ~H 'oo 0) NOO £ 3 ©©^©©HHvoinmNOOHHHin— io 8 hH oo O XI »HN£) •a HO«N«iONOiO ©NO00 a ooooooowNonNHOow'i'M 3 a S o o ©On o o in o »h m On On r-i no © m a OOO-HN(NNO00lflOtsNtf)^a> cs a X! co **£i rfNO©©©©©©© mo© c 8 On ©©©©©©©©©mooooocsoo© H o "* cn ih©oo 3 — iH 5i c O o ^ "*, . °?'-3 a c o cS o x:^ £ o. X! co CO o o pq *o ■a a U « a en CI 1 c c Si w a 1 t Q 1 b c i2 1 5 a h t 5 p ♦J 'o > c oi rt £ a 6 c W s c u c " o i ; : ■ a. • t ■sj ■x! o bOCfl c_ W S _'u c c 'a a 1- 1 a c s 5 3 4> . oo ; 00 * 2 £ 3 8 o o\n ..sa . o . o • .a :| ' o ; c 33 o o C 3 •H (Li 3 co—* a o 0)13 XJ co 1? 34 Bulletin No. 57 about 90 per cent of the total of all. It seemed well to compute this because in many cases the textbooks in school libraries are of little actual value. The second table, which deals with books used by both elementary and high-school pupils, differs from the first chiefly in a rather uni- form tendency for the numbers of books per pupil to be smaller. There are a few exceptions to this general tendency and a number of irregularities, but, on the whole, when schools of the same size were compared, the number of books per pupil used by both elementary and high schools was two-thirds or less the corresponding number for high schools only. For schools of all sizes the number was only half as great, but this ratio is misleading, because the proportions of schools of different sizes contributing to the two groups were not nearly the same. Relation of number of books per pupil to size of school. There was a very definitely marked tendency, as shown by the figures in both tables, for the number of books per pupil to be considerably greater in the smaller than in the larger schools. Thus, as already stated, the total number for libraries used by high schools only decreased from a median of about twelve in the smallest schools to one of only four in the largest schools. For libraries used by both elementary and high-school pupils the difference was even more marked, the corre- sponding figures being about ten and one. For almost every kind of book listed there was a corresponding decrease in average number per pupil as the size of the school increased, with the exception that in the case of high schools only the medians for the largest schools, those of one thousand or more, were in quite a number of cases larger than the corresponding ones for the next largest schools. This tendency is one that any person cognizant of the situation would expect, since an increase in enrolment does not involve a corresponding increase in the needed numbers of certain types of books. For a book that is rarely used, both large and small schools need only one copy each. Even for books that receive considerable use a school of one thousand, for example, rarely needs ten times as many copies as a school of one hundred. Relationship between number of books per pupil and public or other libraries. When the data having to do with the number of books per pupil were tabulated according to whether some library other than that belonging to the school was easily accessible, only fairly accessible, or non-existent in the community, some relationship was found to exist. It was rather irregular, varying for different kinds of books, but on the whole, especially in the smaller schools, High-School Libraries in Illinois 35 there was an undoubted tendency for the average number of books per pupil to be larger when there was no other library easily access- ible than when one was easily accessible, and still larger if there was no other library at all in the community. This tendency was perhaps most marked in fiction. In this class there was, on the average, a difference of two- or three-tenths of a book more where there was no outside library accessible than where there was not one easily access- ible, and about the same difference between the latter situation and a situation in which a public or other library was easily accessible. It did not appear, however, that most of those responsible for pur- chasing books for school libraries have been greatly influenced in the number of books secured by the presence or accessibility of the public library. It is possible that they have been largely influenced as to the particular books bought, but no data were called for in the question- naire that enabled a conclusion to be drawn as to the truth of this supposition. Use of books. One question in the questionnaire inquired what per cent of the total number of books in the library was rarely or not at all used by pupils or teachers. The median per cent so reported was 14, the quartiles being 9 and 26. A slight tendency appeared for the per cent to be smaller the larger the school, but this was not very regular. Recommendations. Since there is practically no limit to the num- ber of books of which some use might profitably be made in almost any high school, the following recommendations are more largely determined by what schools are actually doing and can reasonably be expected to do with the resources available than are those at the ends of most of the chapters. If the books have been carefully selected and enough are added to keep the library properly up-to-date the numbers represented by the third quartiles may probably be taken roughly as reasonably satisfactory. (It is suggested that there be an absolute minimum of five hundred volumes for any high school, no matter how sjrialU-with one thousand as a much more desirable minimum. For high schools enrolling more than one hundred pupils but less than three hundred the absolute minimum should be one thousand vol- umes; for those of three hundred but less than five hundred pupils, two thousand; for those of five hundred but less than one thousand, three thousand; and for those enrolling one thousand or more, five thousand. More satisfactory minima for these four classes of schools are two thousand, three thousand, five thousand, and seventy-five hundred volumes, respectively. These figures should be under- stood, as implied above, to apply to what may be called a modern or 36 Bulletin No. 57 up-to-date selection of books. Even though there is no growth in the enrolment of a high school, it is necessary to add volumes every year, in addition to replacing those that wear out, to maintain an efficient library. This can rarely be accomplished without the annual addition of at least 5 per cent to the number of books already in the library. It is probable that the present status with regard to the distribu- tion of volumes under the different headings given is reasonably satis- factory. The fraction of the total number of books that may be classed under the general head of English should probably be not very much less than one-half. Social science should have perhaps 15 or 20 per cent of the total number; natural science, about 10 per cent; vocational guidance, almost as many; foreign language, still less; and mathematics, even less than that, perhaps not more than 2 or 3 per cent. The numbers of encyclopedias and dictionaries needed can hardly be judged on the same bases as can those of books of other types. Every library, no matter how small the high school which it serves, should have at least one up-to-date standard set of encyclopedias and one unabridged dictionary. Every high school should also have at least one of each in each study hall or other room in which any con- siderable number of pupils remain for relatively long periods of study. In addition there should be several of each in the main library of every large school. Such books should be replaced every few years so that the libraries are kept up to date. In addition to books every school library should, of course, contain a number of periodicals. These should include at least one high-class daily newspaper, one or two other publications, preferably weeklies, primarily devoted to current topics of general interest, several semi- technical publications in various fields more or less connected with the various high-school subjects, and several that might be called literary in their nature. The writers suggest that a minimum of twelve weekly or monthly periodicals be set as the smallest possible number and that this gradually increase with the size of the school. For the four largest classes according to size the corresponding min- ima recommended are fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, and forty. In schools of not more than a few hundred enrolment there is probably not sufficient use made of any one of these periodicals to justify securing more than one copy regularly, but in schools larger than this there will be some of which two or more copies should be provided. CHAPTER VII PUBLIC AND OTHER LIBRARIES Questions dealt with in this chapter. The last portion of the questionnaire contained a few questions having to do with libraries other than those belonging to schools, that is, in practically all cases, public libraries. The data called for were concerned with whether or not such libraries existed in the various communities, how accessible they were to school pupils, the extent to which they were used by pupils, whether or not there were cooperative working plans between these libraries and the schools, what these plans were, and whether or not the school officials had a voice in selecting books for the public library. Accessibility of public libraries. Some data regarding the accessi- bility of public libraries were given in Chapter I, but somewhat more complete figures will be given here. It was stated that in the cases of about 40 per cent of the schools there were no other libraries in the communities, in those of about 20 per cent such libraries were there but not easily accessible, and that in the cases of the remaining 40 per cent they were easily accessible. As would be expected, there was quite a close connection between the existence and accessibility of public libraries and the size of schools. The per cents of the schools of various sizes reporting no other libraries, such libraries not easily accessible, and easily accessible, were approximately as shown in Table III. As would be expected, these showed a very marked tend- Table III. Per Cents of Schools of Different Sizes Reporting Various Conditions as to Public or Other Libraries Size of School 1-99 1 100-299 300-499 500-999 1000- All 58 17 25 49 | 25 ! 25 12 25 64 10 19 71 3 25 72 40 Libraries not easily accessible Libraries easily accessible. . . . 22 38 ency for small schools to be located in communities where there were no other libraries and for large schools to be located where there were other libraries easily accessible. The per cents of schools in commun- ities with libraries not easily accessible showed no consistent trend but tended to be about the same for all classes. 37 38 Bulletin No. 57 Use of public libraries by pupils. Naturally the data presented in this section have to do only with situations in which public libraries were at hand. On the whole, about 40 per cent of the principals reported that their pupils made very great use of public libraries, about 45 per cent, that they made frequent use of them, and about 15 per cent, that they used them very little. The general tendency was for more use to be made of public libraries by pupils in larger than in smaller schools. Very great use, however, was reported by a larger per cent of schools of from 500 to 999 pupils than of those with more than 1000 pupils. It is natural that pupils make more use of libraries easily accessible than of those only fairly easily accessible. In the former case over 55 per cent of the principals reported very great use, and practically all the rest, frequent use, whereas in the case of li- braries only fairly accessible less than 15 per cent reported very great use, about 50 per cent, frequent use, and the remaining 35 per cent, very little use. Cooperative working plans between schools and public libraries. About 30 per cent of the principals reported rather definite plans of this type, about 60 per cent, that no such plans existed, and slightly less than 10 per cent gave ambiguous answers. Of the plans reported 40 per cent consisted merely of the schools' furnishing book lists to the libraries. It was impossible to determine from the answers just what this meant in all cases. In some it appeared to refer to the purchase of desired books by the library, whereas in others it referred to segregating or making available such books as the schools desired to use. About 20 per cent more indicated definitely that the latter plan was followed. Presumably, therefore, in about half of the cases in which there were working plans, the chief element in such plans was that public libraries made available the books desired by schools. In about one-fifth of the cases of cooperation it was reported defi- nitely that the public libraries purchased books desired by the schools. Other plans mentioned more than once, but not very frequently, were the lending of books directly to the school libraries, the interchange of books between the two libraries, and the provision of special hours at which pupils used public libraries. In no case was any mention made under this heading of any plan by which pupils were trained in the use of the public library. It is, however, possible that all information available on this subject was given in response to two of the previous questions on the blank. The school's part in the selection of public library books. There was undoubtedly some overlapping between the responses to this and to the previous question. It appears that in more than one-half of High-School Libraries in Illinois 39 the cases the public-school authorities have been regularly consulted with regard to the selection of books for public libraries, and that in slightly more than one-third they have not been consulted ; in the remaining cases they appear to have been consulted but not with regularity. In most cases those filling out the questionnaire gave no information as to just how the school officials expressed their desires. Of those who did give this information almost half stated that the school, or someone representing it, prepared a recommended list of books. In almost another half some representative of the school was reported as being directly on the library-book committee. In a very few cases the representation was by means of a representative of the school who was a member of the library board. It is rather strange that in the schools of the smallest and largest sizes school officials appear to have had less voice with regard to the selection of public- library books than was true in the intermediate sizes. In both the smallest and the largest schools they were reported to have had no voice at all by slightly over half of the principals, whereas in the three intermediate classes the corresponding fractions were from one- fourth to two-fifths. Recommendations. Since the matters dealt with in this chapter are chiefly within the control of public and other libraries rather than of school officials, it does not seem worth while to offer very many recommendations or suggestions concerning them. It is, of course, very desirable that there be a public library easily accessible for the use of high-school pupils and that pupils be encouraged both by the public library and by the school to make frequent use of it. Both in order to encourage such use, and to give pupils an opportunity to learn better how to avail themselves of library facilities, there should be definite cooperation between the public library and the school. This should include cooperation in training pupils to use libraries, in the selection and purchase of books, and in the rendering of facilities available to pupils. There should be some definite plan by which the school is represented in the management of the library and by which it may offer suggestions for desired accessions. Furthermore, espe- cially in connection with the outside or home reading work of English pupils, but also for other classes, there should be special collections of volumes either kept at the public library or loaned to the school library for a considerable period at a time. CHAPTER VIII TWO BRIEF SETS OF RECOMMENDATIONS Introduction. In concluding this discussion it seems appropriate to quote in full the standards and recommendations with regard to high-school libraries set up by the North Central Association of Col- leges and Secondary Schools, and by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the High School Visitor of the University of Illinois. Standards and recommendations of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The standards and recommenda- tions given below were adopted by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in March, 1931, and therefore are the most recent ones issued by that organization at the time of writing. The standards included a single paragraph on libraries, Part (b) of Standard 2. It is as follows: (b) The School Library. The number and kind of books, reference materials, and periodicals must be adequate for the number of pupils enrolled and must meet the needs of instruction in all courses of study offered. The library must be easily accessible and the books shall be classified and catalogued. 1 Recommendation Number 5 likewise deals with libraries. It is given below: Personnel (a) Schools of 1,000 or more pupils, at least one full-time librarian who is professionally trained and holds a bachelor's degree or its equivalent. (b) Schools of less than 1,000 pupils, part-time teacher-librarian with technical library training. (c) Proper allowance for library aid. Books and Periodicals (a) Catalogued library of 800 live books chosen so as to serve school needs. (b) About 15 periodicals chosen to serve the school needs. (c) Proper allowance to be made for public library aid. Budget (a) At least $200 per year for books and periodicals. (b) At least 75 cents per pupil, according to local conditions. 2 Recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the High School Visitor. In the list of criteria employed in con- nection with the recognition and accrediting of Illinois secondary schools, Number 3 deals with the school library. It is as follows: l "Policies, Regulations and Standards for the Accrediting of Secondary Schools, Adopted March 20, 1931, by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools," p. 4. 2 Op. cit., p. 8. 40 High-School Libraries in Illinois 41 The School Library The number and kind of books, reference materials, and magazines — ade- quate for the number of pupils enrolled, and meeting the needs of instruction in all courses of study offered. The library — easily accessible to pupils and well supervised — books classified ,and catalogued. Recommendations : (a) The library or reading room should be attractive in appearance and adequate in size. (b) In schools enrolling more than five hundred pupils the high-school library should be under the direction of a high-school librarian, namely, one who is a graduate of an approved library school which requires, as a part of, or in addition to, the four years required for a degree, at least one full year of professional library training. The high-school librarian should be recognized as a member of the teaching staff and should serve the school as librarian the entire day. (c) In schools enrolling less than five hundred pupils, the one in charge of the library should be either a high-school librarian, as defined above, or a teacher librarian, namely, a person who is qualified as a member of the teaching staff and who has completed the minimum of five semester hours of training in elementary library methods. The teacher librarian, in addition to part-time teaching, should devote one or more hours daily {depending upon the size of the school) to the administration of the library and to the direction of the library science. (d) Provision should be made for an adequate number of assistants to the high, school librarian? 3 "Conditions and Criteria for the Recognition and Accrediting of Illinois Secondary Schools," p. 4. (This is a typed pamphlet that will appear later as a publication of the Superintendent of Public Instruction or the High School Visitor.)