Normal School Bulletin ‘PUBLISHED BY THE EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL Entered March 5, 1902, as second-class matter, at the Post-office at Charleston, Illinois, Act of Congress, July 16, 1894. CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 1, 1903. No. 7. THE SCHOOL LIBRARY \ By FLORENCE M. BECK, B. L. S. Librarian The development in the student of the power to continue his education after leaving school is of cardinal importance. The means for the attainment of this end are the cultivation of the student’s reading habit and the development of his literary taste. The privilege of intimate companionship with good books should, therefore, be given in every school and the inevitable desire for reading thus turned toward the best literature. It is the purpose of this paper to set forth the importance of the library in schools; some of the principles to be observed in the selection of books; the mechanical manage¬ ment of books and a list of books recommended for such a library. Many teachers do not appreciate the necessity of a school om library. To some it seems a luxury and to others an EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE impossibility. They do not seem to realize that while the child is confining his reading to a limited number of text¬ books, dog-eared and pencil-marked, handed down from older brothers or sisters, he is starving for that which might be supplied by a little exertion on the part of the teacher. President Eliot says that lifelong happiness and increasing intelligence are best assured by the foundation in early youth of the taste for good books. He explicitly states that “School¬ ing which results in this taste for good reading, however unsystematic or eccentric the schooling may have been, has achieved a main end of democratic education, and that schooling which does not result in implanting this permanent taste has failed.” In December 1901, The Outlook published ten short articles on the subject—Best Books for Children. These articles were written by successful writers of children’s stories, or by those who by reason of special study of the subject are qualified to speak with authority. Though some wide differences occur, there is substantial unanimity among the writers in the recognition that the mind of the child ought to have almost unrestricted access to the reading which it craves. The healthy child may be allowed to browse in a well selected library with entire safety. His curiosity will carry him far and wide and his innocence will protect him from that knowledge of life which at his years would be harmful. He will do his own selecting and not unwisely. He will probably not make more mistakes than we should were we to select for him. In selecting the books for a school library care should be taken that they are not wholly for the upper grades. Lively, wholesome books must be furnished for the young children. In primary grades where the object is to cultivate a taste for reading, the books must obviously be interesting. —2— NORMAL SCHOOL BULLETIN This encouragement of book reading is the most important service performed by the library of the primary school, where the traditions and methods so often keep the children from first hand acquaintance with real literature. In the secondary school, the object in selecting books for the library is not so much the forming of a taste for reading as it is the guiding or cultivating of the taste already formed; and for this reason, great care should be taken to put nothing but good literature upon the shelves. When the children and parents have fairly grasped the idea that books are a means of pleasure and that they inspire to better living, the library will grow. If the teacher must choose for the first purchase between a few entertaining and inspiring stories and a few books of information like the children’s encyclopoedias he should choose the former. The necessity for books of reference arises from the reading of other books. The wholesome books that are read for pleasure will produce the desire to buy books of information. The teacher who would secure a school library should therefore know the children’s classics. If he does not know them and cannot find time to read them he must learn of them through those who do. Every child ought to know Homer. Professor Palmer’s prose translation of The Odyssey is a story of adventure and action which lends itself to the appreciation of the child as readily as would the same narrative told with inferior skill. Shakespeare is interesting to boys and girls of school age. They fasten upon the story-element long before they under¬ stand the poetry; but into their imagination the poetry unconsciously passes to become a part of their intellectual capital for the future. Care should be taken in selecting books for the youngest children. Folk-tales and fairy stories of all literatures were —3— EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE not written for children; but many of them are enjoyed by the very young and belong pre-eminently to them; for they express the mind of the race in its childhood, dealing with the things which are of universal interest. It is a great mistake to limit the reading of children to books especially prepared for them; to children as much as to their seniors belong the best books in the world. Lowell says, “There is a choice in books as in friends and the mind sinks or rises to the level of its habitual society.’ ’ In art and music the best is given from the beginning. This should be no less true of literature. Tinkered classics and mutilated plays and poems blunt the appetite for the complete works. It is quite as easy to interest children in the best lyric poems of Wordsworth as in the imitative jingle which is so often imposed upon them because it is supposed to be inter¬ esting to them. The divine language of “The Brook/’ “The Skylark” and “The Cloud” is destroyed by putting them into the language of the child. A library should always contain matter just a little beyond the present ability of the school to understand. A collection made up of books within the comprehension of those who use them will fail in one of its chief purposes, the suggestion of a field of attraction beyond the customary commonplace. It is from the book that is a little hard for him that the child learns most. If, then, the child’s best culture demands familiarity with books, the schools should furnish libraries to supply the lack in the home. Beside fostering a love of reading the library should be such as to aid the routine work of the school, encourage vol¬ untary work, and make the pupils in the higher grades acquainted with the best intellectual work of the day. 4 NORMAL SCHOOL BULLETIN In selecting the books for a library, teachers, for the ask¬ ing, may obtain printed lists which have been prepared with much care. The Catalog of the “A. L. A.” Library, five thousand vol¬ umes selected by the American Library Association and shown at the World’3 Columbian Exposition, may be obtained of the U. S. Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C. Several of the State Departments of Instruction have pre¬ pared lists, among the best of which are those from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Catalogues and finding lists may be obtained from public libraries. These are often classified lists and are an aid in classifying the books of a school library. Every library must be equipped with a certain amount of material to aid in its usefulness and secure its preservation and there is little use in accumulating books until this is provided. A record of the accessions to the library should be kept in a permanently bound book. This may be a blank book ob¬ tained from any stationer but better than that is one prepared for the purpose by the Library Bureau. The teacher in charge of a library should at any time bo able to tell who has a certain book and how long it has been out. For this purpose there must be a charging system which may be simple or complex according to the size of the library and the funds at its disposal. For greater facility in charging as well as for better ar¬ rangements on the shelves, the books should be classified. A school library should choose a system which has a short and simple notation. The Dewey Decimal Classification is appropriate for a small library and is capable of extension as the library grows. It also has the advantage of being generally used; so that the —5— EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE child once familiar with the principles of the system will find them of service when he uses the books of other libraries. In the Dewey Decimal Classification all literature is divid¬ ed into ten classes. 000—General Works. 100—Philosophy. 200—Religion. 300—Sociology. 400—Philology. 500—Natural Science. 600—Useful Arts. 700—Pine Arts. 800—Literature. 900—History. These classes are each divided into ten divisions and the divisions divided into ten sections. By continuing this proc¬ ess places are made for the almost infinite variety of subjects upon which books are written. The small library may have volumes of collected essays and scattering volumes of periodicals that contain much ma¬ terial which is valuable if accessible but not likely to be used unless indexed. Often these articles are the only material which a small library has on these subjects. To supplement the books on these subjects the small library should index under subject valuable articles in these odd volumes. If this indexing is done upon cards obtainable for such work a very simple card catalogue will be the result and will be of great value as the library increases. More or less formal administration lends dignity to the library and insures its protection. There must be system and a certain amount of formality in the treatment of the libraries to enlist the intelligent interest of pupils. The de¬ vices of larger libraries should be employed, not in the way of encumbering the administration but of making it orderly. — 6 — NORMAL SCHOOL BULLETIN There is always some mechanical work to be done if the library is operated successfully. Much of this may be put in the hands of the more trustworthy pupils. After the books have arrived from the dealer they should be checked with the bill before anything else is done as that is the time to rectify errors if any have occurred in filling the order. The books should then have the name of the library stamped or written in two or three places, a label put on the back and the leaves pressed open carefully to avoid breaking the binding at the back. Then follow in order the processes of classifying, acces¬ sioning, and cataloguing and the book is ready for circulation. Work upon the books does not end here, however, for leaves will get torn and bindings will loosen. With a coarse needle and linen thread one can often tighten a loosened back before replacing the cover. The back may then be strengthened by putting a strip of adhesive cloth along the inside where the leaves had loosened from the cover. Torn leaves can be mended by the use of adhesive parch¬ ment paper and a single leaf which has become loose is most easily replaced by a little paste.* A new back needed to replace the old one can be made of book cloth which may be obtained of any binder at very slight expense. Within the past year we have had the pleasure of select¬ ing and organizing a school library in one of the schools of Coles county. The list of books ordered is appended to this article and the library was organized upon the same princi¬ ples as those prescribed herein. The teacher, through whose zeal the required funds were raised, reports that the library ♦Adhesive Cloth, 20 c an envelope, and Adhesive Parchment Paper, 15 c an envelope, in strips, may be obtained from Gaylord Bros., Syracuse, N. Y. Transparent Adhesive Tissue in sheets, 10 c an envelope, and Adhesive Mending Tape in 100 -yd. rolls, 75 c, may be obtained from The Multum in Parvo Binding Co., Philadel¬ phia, Pa. 7 EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE has already had an influence in the school and in the com¬ munity and that the work of adding to the library will be comparatively easy. In every library there should be few restrictions in the use of books. One of the strongest arguments for the existence of a school library is that the books are at hand when wanted. A student who does not at first care for books will be more or less unconsciously influenced by their presence and if allowed to rove among them will surely find something to interest him and will absorb many other things by the way. Lowell says: “Formerly the duty of a librarian was con¬ sidered too much that of a watch-dog, to keep people as much as possible away from the books and hand these over to his successor as little worn by use as he could.” Fortunately the spirit has changed within the last few years and librarians look with pride upon the book which has been worn by much use. Access to the shelves will, however, save work for the one in charge and will serve as a protection against loss by theft by inculcating a sense of ownership and of pride. The most valuable result of open shelves for young people is that it develops a desire to own books, at first per¬ haps for furniture but later for their companionship. These suggestions are offered to the school librarian who is supposed to be a teacher with limited knowledge of library methods. They are offered because of a knowledge that many schools are without any collection of books Which may be termed a library and that most of those that do contain such a collection fall short of their usefulness because the teacher lacks the knowledge necessary for their most efficient care. It is hoped, however, that the library movement will not as ITorace Scudder fears, “Be started with enthusiasm and then gradually lose its impetus.” NORMAL SCHOOL BULLETIN A SUGGESTIVE LIST OF BOOKS SUITABLE FOR A SCHOOL LIBRARY. FICTION. LIST. PRICE. Alcott, L. M. Aldrich, T. B. Allen, J. L. Anderson, H. C. Andrews, Jane. *Little men. Little, Brown & Co., Boston. Little women. Little, Brown & Co., Boston. Story of a bad boy. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. Kentucky Cardinal. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. Fairy tales. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. Each and all. Ginn &Co., Boston. Seven little sisters. Ginn & Co., Boston. Ten boys. Ginn & Co., Boston. Bullen, F. T. Cruise of the Cachalot. D. Appleton & Co., N. Y. Burnett, Mrs. F. H. Little Lord Fauntleroy. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. Carroll, Lewis. Clemens, S. L. Cooper, J. F. Alice’s adventures in Wonder¬ land. A. L. Burt, N. Y. Tom Sawyer. Harper & Bros., N. Y. Last of the Mohicans. A. L. Burt, N. Y. Pilot. A. L. Burt, N. Y. Dana, R. H. Two years before the mast. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. $1.25 1.25 ‘.70 1.00 .50 .50 .50 .50 1.50 1.25 .75 1.75 .75 .75 .70 ♦The capitalization of the list is in conformity with the rules adopted by library schools in preparing library lists and not in accordance with rules generally laid down by grammars and rhetorics. 9 EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. .60 Dickens, Charles. Christmas carol and Cricket on the hearth. Dodge, M. M. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. .50 David Copp8rfield. Thomas Nelson & Sons, N. Y. 1.00 Tale of two cities. Thomas Nelson & Sons, N. Y. 1.00 Hans Brinker. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. 1.50 Eggleston, E. Hoosier schoolmaster. Orange Judd Co., N. Y. 1.00 Eliot, George. Romola. A. L. Burt, N. Y. 1.00 Goldsmith, Oliver. Vicar of Wakefield. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. .60 Grahame, Kenneth. Golden age. Hale, E. E. John Lane, N. Y. 1.00 Man without a country. Little, Brown & Co., .50 Harris, J. C. Uncle Remus. D. Appleton & Co., N. Y. 2.00 Harte, Bret. Luck o’ Roaring Camp. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. 1.00 Hawthorne, N. Grandfather’s chair. A. L. Burt, N. Y. .75 Wonderbook and Twice told tales. Houghton, Mifflin & Co , Boston. .70 Hughes, T. F. S. A. Tom Brown’s school days. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. .60 Irving, Washington. Sketchbook. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, N. Y. .75 Kingsley, Charles. Waterbabies. A. L. Burt, N. Y. — 10 — .75 NORMAL SCHOOL BULLET I N Kipling, Rudyard. Jungle book. Century Co., N. Y. 1.50 Lamb, Charles & Mary Tales from Shakespeare. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. .50 Lang, Andrew. Blue fairy book. A. L. Burt, N. Y. 1.00 Lytton, E. G. Bulwer- Last days of Pompeii. Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 1.25 Mulock, Dinah. Adventures of a brownie. A. L. Burt, N. Y. .75 Munroe, Kirk. Flamingo feather. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 1.00 Ollivant, Alfred. Bob, son of Battle. Doubleday, Page & Co., N. Y. 1.50 Page, T. N. Two little confederates. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. 1.50 Poe, E. A. Gold bug and The raven. Houghton, Mifflin &Co., Boston. .40 Pyle, Howard. Merry adventures of Robin Hood. Chas. Scribner’s Son’s, N. Y. 3.00 Rame, Louisa de la Dog of Flanders. J. B. Lippincott &Co., Philadelphia. .60 Reade, Charles Never too late to mend. Harper & Bros., N. Y. .75 Richards, L. E. Captain January. Estes, Dana & Co., Boston. .50 Ruskin, John. King of the Golden River. Ginn & Co., Boston. .25 Saunders, Marshall. Beautiful Joe. Amer. Baptist Pub. Soc’y, Philadelphia. .60 Scott, Sir Walter, Ivanhoe. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. .70 Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty. A. L. Burt, N. Y. .75 Smith, F. H. Tom Grogan. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. —11— 1.50 EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE Stevenson, R. L. Kidnapped. A. L. Burt, N. Y. Treasure Island. A. L. Burt, N. Y. Stowe, Mrs. H. B. Minister’s wooing. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. Uncle Tom’s cabin. A. L. Burt, N. Y. Thackeray, W. M. Vanity fair. Thomas Nelson & Sons, N. Y. Waterloo, Stanley. Story of Ab. Doubleday, Page & Co., N. Y. White, W. A. Court of Boyville. Doubleday, Page & Co., N. Y. Wiggin, Mrs. K. D. Birds’Christmas Carol. Houghton, Mifflin &Co., Boston. Timothy’s quest. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston Zollinger, Mrs. G. Widow O’Callaghan’s boys. A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago. POETRY. Field, Eugene. Love songs of childhood. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y, Longfellow, H. W. Poems. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. Riley, J. W. Rhymes of childhood. Bowen, Merrill & Co. Indianapolis. Stevenson, R. L. Child’s garden of verses. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. Fiske, John. War of Independence. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. Gilman, Arthur. Rome. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, N. Y. Gould, S. Baring- Germany. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, N. Y. —12— .75 .75 1.00 .75 1.00 1.50 1.25 .50 1.00 1.25 1.00 1.00 1.25 1.00 .40 1.50 1.50 NORMAL SCHOOL BULLETIN Harrison, J. A. Story of Greece. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, N. Y. 1.50 Hart, A. B. Formation of the Union. Longmans Green & Co., N. Y., 1.25 Source book of Amer. history. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. .60 Higginson, T. W. Larger history of the United States. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 2.00 —-and\ English history for Americans. Channing, E. J Longmans, Green & Co., N. Y. 1.20 Lebon, Andre. Modern France. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, N. Y. 1.50 MacCoun, Townsend. Historical geography of the United States. Silver, Burdett & Co., N. Y. .90 McLaughlin, A. C. History of the American nation. D. Appleton & Co., N. Y. 1.40 Parkman, Francis. Pioneers of France in the new world. Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 1.50 Quincy, Josiah. * Figures of the past. Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 1.50 Starr, Frederick. American Indians. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. .45 Thwaites, R. G. Colonies. Longmans, Green & Co., N. Y. 1.25 Wilson, Woodrow. Division and reunion. Longmans, Green & Co., N. Y. 1.25 Baldwin, James. Four great Americans. Werner School-Book Co., Chicago. .50 Eggleston, Edward. Stories of great Americans for little Americans. American Book Co., N. Y. .40 Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, N. Y. .50 —13— EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE Hubbard, Elbert. Lodge, H. C. Carpenter, F. G. Shaler, N. S. Tarr, R. S. and 1 McMurry, F. M. j Danaj Mrs. W. S. Frye, A E. Harrington, W.M Long, William. Little journeys to the homes of good men and great. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, N. Y. 1.75 George Washington, 2 v. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. 2.50 GEOGRAPHY. Geographical readers. N. Amer., S. Amer., Asia., Europe. American Book Co., N. Y. 3.10 Outlines of the earth’s history. D. Appleton & Co., N Y. 1.75 Story of our continent. Ginn & Co., Boston. .85 Geographies, 3 v. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. v. 1. Home geography. .75 v. 2. North America. .75 y. 3. Europe and other continents. .75 SCIENCE. Plants and their children. American Book Co., N. Y. .63 How to know the wild flowers. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. 1.25 Brooks and brook basins. Ginn & Co., Boston. .89 Child and nature. Ginn & Co., Boston. .89 About the weather. D. Appleton & Co., N. Y. .65 Secrets of the woods. Ginn & Co., Boston. .50 Ways of wood folk. Ginn & Co., Boston. .50 —14 NORMAL SCHOOL BULLETIN Wilderness ways. Ginn & Co., Boston. .45 Mathews, F. S. Familiar features of the roadside. D. Appleton & Co., N. Y. 1.75 Thompson, E. Seton- Lives of the hunted. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. 1.75 Wild animals I have known. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. 2.00 Wilson, L. L. W. Nature study in elementary schools. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. v. 1 & 2. .70 v. 3. Teacher’s manual. .90 Wright, M. O. and\ Citizen Bird. Coues, E. / Macmillan & Co., N. Y. 1.50 MISCELLANEOUS. Beard, D. C. American boys’ handy book. Chas. Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. 2.00 Rocheleau, W. F. Great American industries. 3 v. A. Flanagan & Co., Chicago. 1.05 James, J. A. and ) Government in State and Nation. Sanford, A. H. j Chas.Scribner’s Sons, N. Y. 1.00 Scudder, H. E. Children’s book. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. 2.50 Webster, Noah, ed. Collegiate dictionary. G. & C. Merriam, Springfield, Mass. 3.00 —15— The School Calendar. 1904. WINTER TERM. January 5, Tuesday January 6, Wednesday March 22, Tuesday Entrance Examinations and ] Classification Class Wirk begins Winter Term ends SPRING TERM March 29, Tuesday June 17, Friday. June 20, Monday June 21, Tuesday June 29, Friday SUMMER TERM Class Work begins Spring Term ends Classification Class Work begins Summer Term ends 16—