Reprint from THE ED VC AVION A L BI-MONTHLY, December m2 
 
 Library Conditions in American Cities* 
 
 HE report that I ^hall briefly present on library conditions 
 
 ^ in other American cities, is a compilation of the work of 
 others. I compiled my report from three tabulations, one of 
 which was made by each of the members of the committee, 
 and they in turn secured their information from many gener- 
 ous librarians throughout the country. 
 
 Mrs. Dracass, feeling that we had not reached the ne plus 
 ultra in library facilities in our Chicago high schools, studied 
 attentively library conditions on the Pacific Coast during her 
 trip there in July and August, 1911. A report of this trip ap- 
 peared in the Cook County School News, January, 1912. Piet 
 notes concern conditions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and 
 Sacramento, California; Salem and Portland, Oregon; Seat- 
 tle, Spokane, and Tacoma, Washington. Returning, she stud- 
 ied the work in Duluth, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, Minnesota*; 
 and Superior, Wisconsin. 
 
 No doubt her Caesarean method of going, seeing, and get- 
 ting the information she wanted was the better, but Mrs. Dra- 
 cass was not able to visit all sections of the United States, so 
 decided to reach the others by means of a questionnaire. The 
 first of these were mailed in November, 1911. 
 
 The questionnaire contained some thirty questions, some 
 of which were to be answered in two or three parts. Such a 
 blank has the merit of preventing rambling answers, and lends 
 itself readily to tabulation, although, of course, questions may 
 be unanswered if not applicable to local conditions. 
 
 These questions when answered, were intended to give in 
 concise form (1) the name of the library, (2) its geographical 
 location, the population of the city, (3) the number of students 
 and teachers in the school, (4) the seating capacity of the ref- 
 erence room, (5) the number of volumes in the library, (6) 
 the average daily circulation of books, (7) the number of 
 periodicals received regularly, (8) whether the books in the 
 
 * The second of three papers read before the English section of 
 the Chicago High and Normal School Association, May 11, 1912. 
 
 
school were all gathered together into one main; library, and 
 (9) the extent to which bulletins and bibliographies were made 
 and used. 
 
 Inquiry was further made (10) as to how the library was. 
 administered, i,e., whether by a regular librarian, teacher- 
 Eibrarianv or clerk, and (11) as- to the provision for salary of 
 teacher-librarian or clerk, (12) the assignment of the work of 
 cataloguing, book-repairing, and (13) such duties as class work 
 and required hours of library attendance. 
 
 The first group of the questions, as you will at once ob- 
 serve, give us a glimpse of where we find ourselves and what 
 we find actually being, done for the pupils. Having oriented’ 
 ourselves, we now turn to inquire what provision, has been 
 made by the administrative authorities as to eligibility, duties,, 
 and compensation, for the person or persons doing the work of 
 the library. 
 
 The next question (14), as to the length of time the libra- 
 ry is kept open before and after school, was asked because 
 every librarian in the Chicago high schools has found it neces- 
 sary to render such extra service. Attention was called to this 
 fact as early as December, 1909, when Mrs. Dracass wrote to 
 Mr. Vaile a letter that was later incorporated in her Library 
 Report read at the English Club, April 15, 1911. The answers, 
 proved of interest, as the length of time the library is open 
 bears a very constant relation to its effectiveness. 
 
 A question (15) as to whether the services of a regular 
 librarian would be of sufficient value to warrant the employ- 
 ment of one, gave smaller schools an opportunity to say frankly 
 that because of their small size, volunteer help could be honest- 
 ly accepted, and gave any persons unfriendly to the library 
 movement a chance to tell why. Our connection with our 
 Chicago Public Library can be compared with the arrange- 
 ments in other cities by a study of the answers to the next two 
 questions. 
 
 Actual instruction in the use of the library (questions 18 r 
 19, 20, 21) and the extent to which “library training” courses 
 had been established (questions 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27) were to 
 be ascertained by the next large group of questions. The in- 
 struction in Library Economics which was initiated in a volun- 
 teer class at Englewood four years ago (for which, see Mrs. 
 
 — 2 — 
 
Dracass’s paper in The English Journal, April, 1912) was 
 recognized and given a place in the course of study, February, 
 1912, by our Board of Education. Some think this especially 
 valuable as a cultural course, and some think it more valuable 
 .from a vocational point of view. Another question (28) gave 
 ;a chance to those written to to express an opinion on this, and 
 the closing questions invited those originally written to to send 
 tin the names of others who might be interested, and to give 
 any additional information they might have. 
 
 About 230 sets of questions were sent out, and the number 
 of replies received is very gratifying, especially to us in Chica- 
 go who see so much of this pedagogical correspondence reach- 
 ing the waste basket, often unread. 
 
 Some thirty of the replies received were from normal 
 schools and colleges. The general conditions, courses of study 
 in library training, and bibliography work suggested in them, 
 is of interest to the student of library science, and may form 
 the basis of a later report; but these things are not exactly 
 pertinent in this discussion of the library as the work room of 
 the high-school teacher and high-school pupil. Accordingly, 
 although the original answer papers have been preserved and 
 already carefully tabulated, they will not be presented at this 
 time. 
 
 Fourteen of the answers received showed the courteous 
 interest of the schools addressed, but the lack of facilities 
 makes their answers of no other importance. 
 
 You will recall that no sets of questions were sent to the 
 Pacific Coast or other places which Mrs. Dracass visited, as she 
 had already seen the most important public high-school libra- 
 ries there. Several of the Southern states were not written to, 
 but a list of the places that sent valuable answers will show 
 the nation-wide interest in the question. 
 
 The sixty-four sets of tabulated answers that have con- 
 tributed to this report, came from the following states and 
 cities: (The numeral following the name of a city indicates 
 the number of schools heard from.) Arizona, Phoenix; Col- 
 orado, Denver and Pueblo; Illinois, Decatur, Joliet, Paxton, 
 Springfield, Tuscola, and Waukegan; Indiana, Indianapolis 
 (2) South Bend, and Terre Haute; Iowa, Burlington, Cedar 
 Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque, and Fort Dodge ; Kansas, Em- 
 
 — 3 — 
 
poria, Kansas City, and Leavenworth ; Kentucky, Louisville : . 
 Maryland, Baltimore; Massachusetts, Springfield (2) ; Michi- 
 gan, Detroit (3), Grand Rapids (2), and Jackson; Missouri,, 
 Pittsburg, St. Louis (3), and Springfield; Montana, Butter 
 Nebraska, Hastings; New Jersey, Passaic, and Newark; New 
 York, , Brooklyn (8), New York City,. Rochester (2), and Syr- 
 acuse;; Ohio, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo; Oklahoma,. 
 Oklahoma City; Pennsylvania, Reading (2);. South Dakota,. 
 Sioux Falls; Texas, Galveston and Huntsville; Utah, Salt 
 Lake City;, Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and District of Columbia,. 
 Washington. 
 
 Now, many people are suspicious of statistics, but it may 
 be suspected that they do not like the work of making them out 
 or even of thinking of them. But certain facts which we wish 
 to emphasize appear better in statistical form. Accordingly, I 
 shall inform you that, taking all but one set of the figures pre- 
 sented, we find that in high schools replying, the averages were t 
 
 Number of pupils. .1,051 
 
 Number of teachers....- 43 
 
 Seating capacity of reference room 67 
 
 Number of volumes contained in school library. .4,186 
 
 Average daily circulation of books. ....... 103 
 
 Average number of periodicals received. ...... 18 
 
 For purposes of comparison let us reflect that according, 
 to the Directory of the Public Schools of the City of Chicago, 
 1911-1912, in our twenty-one high schools the average number 
 of pupils is 907 6/7, and the average number of teachers is 
 30 3/7. The library conditions here are known to you in the 
 schools where you have served, and have been brought to your 
 attention in other schools by Mr. Tanner’s paper, which you 
 have just heard. 
 
 In making out these averages, the City of Columbus, Ohio, 
 (population 182,000) has not been included because there the 
 Public Library administers the Public School Library. They 
 have 80,106 volumes and cater to 25,207 pupils and 781 teach- 
 ers. The average daily circulation is 1,064, and they take 24 
 periodicals. The work is administered through 37 branch 
 libraries, but enviable as their condition seems, they apologize 
 for not doing bulletin and bibliography work because of lack of 
 funds. 
 
 — 4 — 
 
In Newark and Passaic, New Jersey, by arrangement with 
 the Board of Education, the high-school libraries are branches 
 of the Public Library. In Newark the librarian is appointed 
 :and paid by the board ; in Passaic the librarian’s salary is paid 
 jointly by the Board of Education and Public Library. Under 
 ;a similar arrangement in Madison, Wisconsin, the salary of the 
 librarian is paid by the Public Library. The Manual for the 
 practical use of books and a library, compiled by Gilbert W ard, 
 makes conditions in Cleveland, Ohio, familiar to us. In 
 Cleveland the high-school libraries are all branches of the Pub- 
 lic Library, and although each of the six is in charge of a li- 
 brarian, they are all under the supervision of Mr. Ward, who 
 is supervisor of high-school libraries as well as librarian of the 
 Polytechnic High School. A similar arrangement exists in 
 Portland, Oregon, where at the beginning, the Board of Edu- 
 cation appropriated $10,000 a year for two years for books. 
 Pittsburg is the home of the admirable Carnegie Library. The 
 high schools of that city have sent no information. 
 
 Twenty-seven of the schools have all the books in one 
 main library; thirty-four have many books distributed among 
 the classrooms, especially to science teachers. Two did not 
 answer. 
 
 Thirty-four are administered by regular librarians, twen- 
 ty by teacher-librarians; three (Reading, Pennsylvania, Boy’s 
 High School Library, Waukegan, Illinois, and Emporia, Kan- 
 sas) are taken care of by a clerk ; one employs a librarian, an 
 assistant librarian, and a clerk; in Springfield, Massachusetts, 
 the school secretary is in charge, and in Kansas City, Kansas, 
 the study-hall director does the work. 
 
 The use made of bulletins and bibliographies is varied and 
 interesting. Tuscola, Illinois, a little school of 110, reports 
 “frequent use”. (It is of interest to know that the principal 
 or assistant is in charge of the 200 books.) In Cedar Rapids, 
 Iowa, they make occasional bibliographies ; in Dubuque, Iowa, 
 they make them upon request of teachers ; in Baltimore, Mary- 
 land, bulletins for the birthdays and anniversaries celebrated 
 are made out, and reading matter in connection with current 
 events is posted daily. Detroit Eastern High School makes 
 out bulletins of current events. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 
 makes bibliographies to assist in English and History. Roches- 
 
 — 5 — 
 
fer East High School makes bibliographies for civics and' de- 
 bating. The Toledo Central High School (with 1869 stu- 
 dents) has a dictionary catalog. Others answer that they do 
 this work occasionally or “some”,, while still others report little 
 or no work of this kind. 
 
 Seventeen librarians are paid on the teachers' schedule,, 
 notably in Albany and Rochester, New York, and in Joliet Illi- 
 nois, and there is very little difference in Baltimore, Maryland, 
 and Newark, New Jersey. Everywhere college graduates having 
 either library training or library experience, are preferred for 
 these positions. The answers show a peculiar reticence as to- 
 the matter of salary. One correspondent writes, “I don’t 
 know what the librarian here gets. No one knows what any 
 salary is except the one who gets the check. Our librarian is 
 advisory. I am the assistant. I do the work.” 
 
 The annual appropriation for books and periodicals, where 
 any regular provision is made, varies from $200 a year in 
 Detroit, Michigan, to $1,000 a year in Albany, New York, and 
 in Los Angeles “$1,500, occasionally, when needed”, and 
 “$600 to $2,000, according to need”. In Madison, Wisconsin, 
 the initial appropriation by the Public Library of $1,500 is 
 not likely to be continued. 
 
 The work of cataloging, repairing, class duties, and hours 
 of library attendance vary. In most instances, the librarian 
 catalogs. In few places where the library is an important 
 factor are the other duties left to the librarian. Either funds 
 are provided for the repair of books at a bindery, or assistants 
 do this work. This aid sometimes comes from the drawing 
 teacher, sometimes from pupils. 
 
 The length of time that the library is open before and after 
 school, is of interest to us — practical Chicagoans — who have 
 seen business men so eager to utilize to the fullest degree their 
 machinery that they work three shifts of men eight hours each, 
 keeping the work going twenty-four hours daily. There are few 
 of the libraries that are not open before and after school, but the 
 exact periods vary from ten minutes to two and one-half hours. 
 Five libraries are open one-half hour before and one-half hour 
 after the regular session; four are open one-half hour before 
 and one hour after; four, one-half hour before and one and 
 one-half hours after; two, one-half hour before and two hours 
 
 — 6 — 
 
alter. The others are scattering. But the figures are encour- 
 aging enough to lead to the hope that we can at no late day 
 throw open the resources of our school libraries to our night- 
 ischool pupils who are hook hungry. N*ot only is there a de- 
 mand from foreigners, but also from many native-born Ameri- 
 cans who have been attracted to our great city from the South, 
 where they have acquired the gentle courtesy of manner which 
 contact with people gives, but missed the exact bread-and- 
 butter information that should have been given in the little red 
 ■schoolhouse. They could use to the greatest advantage the text- 
 books so rapidly outgrown by the youngsters, to whom we 
 must impart not only the information in the book, but that ac- 
 cording to the latest pedagogical fashion. People who have 
 felt constraint in the Crerar Library, where they have sought 
 books eagerly, would feel that the dress that is good enough 
 for night school would do in the school library. They have 
 also found the books there too technical or scholarly for their 
 wants. The school is the natural center of the American so- 
 cial system, and what could not the sympathetic teacher, so 
 rarely afflicted with the insolence of office, do for these big 
 children ?* 
 
 The necessity for the services of a regular librarian is al- 
 most unanimously agreed upon. Oklahoma City ( 1,320 pupils) 
 says, “Yes, full work.” Reading, Pennsylvania, Boys’ High 
 School Library says, “Yes, indeed,” while the Girls’ High 
 School of the same city says, “We have the work, but no 
 money, no room.” Most of the schools whose membership is 
 over 500 return a simple “Yes”. 
 
 Plans by which books in the Public Library are made 
 available, vary. In most places both teachers and pupils have 
 their own individual cards, on which they may draw like any 
 citizen. In many, large numbers of books for reference pur- 
 poses are lent to schools. The teacher’s six-weeks card of 
 Grand Rapids would be a boon to Chicago teachers, who, with 
 their six-books cards, are constantly piling up fines doubly 
 trebled. 
 
 These libraries all do much with magazines. The maga- 
 zines are many and well chosen, and touch the problems of 
 
 * Since this paper was read, we have learned that in Los Angeles 
 the library is thrown open to the night-school students. 
 
 — 7 — 
 
practical science and domestic art in wHich the boys and girls 
 have always been interested, and which the schools have lately 
 recognized. We are not always pleased with the choice of 
 books our young friends make, but these libraries report that', 
 their pupils are interested in science, art, agriculture, current 
 history, and politics. In their public speaking: and debating 
 work, they find government publications invaluable. 
 
 From the Passaic High School comes this interesting re- 
 port : “The selection of books required great care and judg- 
 ment, for there is no such thing as a ready-made high-school 
 library. Each library must be fitted to its high school as care- 
 fully as a- coat is fitted by the tailor to the man who is to wear 
 it. Each teacher was asked to send in a list of the books* 
 which he wished his pupils to use. These books were bought 
 as far as possible, as it is of great importance that the teachers- 
 shall be familiar with the books of the library. Wherever a 
 choice had to be made between two books on one subject, both 
 equally good, the book known to the teacher was always pre- 
 ferred Several valuable sets of reference books were 
 
 bought, and more are being added gradually, although it is the 
 policy of the library to buy books on special subjects rather 
 than large and expensive reference sets, which quickly go out 
 of date. By watching the catalogs of second-hand dealers for 
 several months, many of the necessary reference sets may be 
 picked up at a remarkably low price. The High-School Li- 
 brary opens fifteen minutes before school in the morning, 
 closes for one hour at noon, and its work is over forty-five 
 minutes after the afternoon session. It has been found neces- 
 sary to restrict the number of pupils using the library during 
 any one period, so that those having work to do may have the 
 first opportunity to get the permission-slips to enter. After 
 they are provided for, those who wish to come in for general 
 reading are allowed. The freedom which the pupils are given 
 in their choice of books can, perhaps, be best described by com- 
 paring it to the old Calvinistic doctrine of predestination plus 
 free-agency. While the pupils are perfectly free to read any- 
 thing they find in the library, yet the care used in selecting the 
 books has been such that they are of necessity predestined to 
 read something that is worth while. For example, among the 
 most popular books are bound volumes of Harper's Weekly , 
 
 — 8 — 
 
covering the Civil War period. The pupils read these assidu- 
 ously, not because they have to, but because they like them. 
 At the same time, they are gaining a knowledge of conditions 
 in America at that time which can be gotten in no other way. 
 
 “Perhaps it seems that library must be nearly a syno- 
 
 nym for hard work and digging to the pupils of the Passaic 
 High School. Then, judging from the numbers in which they 
 frequent the library, they love hard work and digging. How- 
 ever, anyone looking over the pupils’ book records, which are 
 kept on individual cards, can see that much enjoyment as well 
 as profit must have been gained from the books that have been 
 read.” 
 
 In none of these high schools has library training, proper- 
 ly so called, been recognized as an independent course carry- 
 ing credit. Miss Fagge, of Los Angeles, had previously 
 trained volunteers. After her conversation with Mrs. Dra- 
 cass, who told of the course at Englewood, she organized a 
 regular class for such instruction. The syllabus of the course 
 given at Englewood, outlined for two years of two semesters 
 each, and the accompanying list of reference books which were 
 mailed to every high school in the city in December, 1911, have 
 received the full endorsement of the committee.* 
 
 But the use of the library is very effectively taught, and as 
 this instruction is at once practicable and really indispensable, 
 we shall soon cite specific examples of how it is being done. 
 Let us first say that we have found all round progressive work 
 in the following places: Boys’ High School, Erasmus Hall 
 High School, and Manual Training High School, Brooklyn; 
 Bryant High School, Long Island City, New York; Morris 
 High School, New York City; Barringer High School, New- 
 ark, New Jersey; and the High School of Passaic, New Jer- 
 sey. Much of value has been contributed by Mr. Gilbert O. 
 Ward, Supervisor of High School Libraries for the Cleveland 
 Public Library of Cleveland, Ohio. Good work in the use of 
 books is offered by Miss Hopkins, of the Detroit Central High 
 School of Detroit, Michigan, which is imitated in the Central 
 High School of Washington, D. C. Similar work is offered 
 
 * It has come to our attention that in New York such work is 
 done in one of the schools, but we have been so far unable to learn 
 details. 
 
 9 — 
 
by Miss Fagge in the Polytechnic High School of Los Angeles, 
 California. 
 
 The use of the library is taught to all first-year pupils in 
 the Los Angeles high schools, to pupils in all four years of the 
 Detroit Central High School, to pupils in various classes in the 
 high schools of Brooklyn, New York, both in the school for 
 boys (1,732 pupils — 70 teachers) and the school for girls 
 (3,000 girls — 109 teachers). This instruction is given either 
 by the teachers of English or by the librarian, more commonly 
 by the latter. Three or four sections of pupils of the same 
 grade, either in English or history, meet in some large room, 
 preferably the library. To them is given an outline of the 
 method used in numbering the books and the arrangement of 
 the library in their own building, an explanation of the card 
 catalog, magazine indexes, and the general character of the 
 reference books; such talks are followed by library problems 
 in which the pupil is required to find for himself certain things 
 in the library, using the catalog and the dictionary, and what- 
 ever other books have been discussed. In some schools, from 
 one to three lessons are given each year, in some two at the be- 
 ginning of each semester. 
 
 The teachers in the high school (academic) at Los Angeles, 
 as they make the subject-bibliographies for their classes, send 
 them in to the librarian, who, having a typewriter for the 
 special use of the library, makes copies of them so that the 
 teacher and the library each have one. Eventually analytic 
 cards for these are made and put into a special tray labeled 
 with the name of the study for which it is prepared. In the 
 Polytechnic High School, Los Angeles, this is carried one step 
 further: topics and subtopics are carefully indicated in the 
 outline prepared, these followed as in the other outlines with 
 the name of the author and the book and the page on which 
 the material is found. When the cards are made, they contain, 
 in addition to the call number of the book at the left, the num- 
 ber of the topic on which the information is desired. The 
 cards are then filed in the exact order of the topics. The ad- 
 vantage of this is readily seen. As before, these cards are in 
 a special filing cabinet. Markers bearing the main topic with 
 its number are inserted in the proper places. The best exam- 
 ple I know of such a number system is that worked out for 
 
 io — 
 
books of philosophy by Professor Mark Baldwin. 
 
 In the Detroit Central High School the inexperienced stu- 
 dent is taught how an index may refer to different volumes, 
 important pages, atlas references, magazine dates, etc. Each 
 course requires but one recitation a term, two for the school 
 year. It is given in connection with the English. English is 
 chosen for the medium of library work simply because all pu- 
 pils are required to take English. All pupils enrolled in Eng- 
 lish I reciting the first period, Monday, for example, are united 
 into one section for the Library talk, Course I. Books illus- 
 trating the points to be explained are transferred to the room, 
 and forty minutes given to an attempt to make clear a few 
 principles of cataloging, indexing, etc., in their relation to ref- 
 erence work. The class is then given a set of printed ques- 
 tions to look up in the library. It therefore becomes necessary 
 for each pupil to handle the books explained. These questions 
 are given to the English teacher at the next recitation, are gone 
 over in class, and are credited as any other recitation would be. 
 A similar method is followed in each English course. 
 
 Miss Frances M. Hopkins says, “The plan has been in 
 operation in our school for eight years. Our experience has 
 proved it to be simple, not at all confusing to the regular work, 
 and fruitful of results.” In Grand Rapids, Brooklyn, and 
 Washington, D. C., the librarians follow the outlines of Miss 
 Hopkins. 
 
 In Mechanics’ Institute, Rochester, New York, a special 
 lesson is given to each of the departments (Fine Arts, 
 Manual Training, Domestic Science, etc.) on the literature of 
 particular value in that department. 
 
 Let us quote from the Manual Training High School, 
 Brooklyn, New York: “This matter of library instruction is 
 receiving more and more attention from the high-school libra- 
 rians in Greater New York. We have not as yet any very 
 definite or uniform schedule. ... (I meet) the first-year classes 
 for an hour each — just to tell them about the arrangement of 
 the library and to introduce them to the reference books they 
 will find most useful.” 
 
 Library instruction is also given as a part of the English 
 work in Cleveland, where the English teachers give it under 
 the direction of Mr. Gilbert Ward, librarian of the Technical 
 
 — 11 — 
 
High School. The librarian of the Central High School Li- 
 brary, Cleveland, says, “I have a lecture once a week on the 
 use of the library, given to freshmen. I talk principally on the 
 encyclopedia and dictionary. I have fifteen different sets of 
 questions ; two pupils work on each.” 
 
 A specific instance of the sort of work done with ordinary 
 books of reference follows: “To use the dictionary, look for 
 the word first in the main part of the dictionary. If you do 
 not find it there, consult the table of contents at the front of 
 the dictionary to see if there is any special list which might in- 
 clude the word.”. . . . Perhaps the boy or the girl has found, like 
 the old lady, that the dictionary tells a very interesting story 
 save for the frequent interruptions, and will be glad to learn 
 that there is more to it than a main part. “To back down, 
 Fremont, Ohio, Sancho Panza, inf., abb., Deo gratias, garage, 
 Joan of Arc”, all these phrases will be explained, and the 
 heart of youth rejoices in the words that are slang of the bet- 
 ter sort, and the new words that the new inventions compel 
 into the language. These they will use with zest, and when 
 they write dictionaries themselves they will put them in the 
 main part. 
 
 The books of reference with which the freshman is sup- 
 posed to familiarize himself during his first semester, include 
 dictionaries (Standard, Webster’s International, and Century), 
 cyclopedias (New International, Nelson’s Britanica, and Cen- 
 tury Cyclopedia of Names), compendiums of literature and lit- 
 erary biography (Chamber’s Cyclopedia of English Literature 
 — English and American, Cyclopedia of American Literature, 
 and Bryant’s Library of Poetry and Song), atlases (Ginn’s 
 Classical Atlas for ancient geography and modern, the Century 
 Atlas, and the Imperial Atlas), and classical dictionaries (An- 
 thon’s Dictionary of Antiquities, and Biography and Mythol- 
 ogy by Harper and Smith). In the second semester they add 
 to their reference list.... For literature they add Brewer’s 
 Reader’s Hand Book and Allibone’s Dictionary of Authors; 
 for biography, Lippincott’s Biographical Dictionary ; for geog- 
 raphy, Lippincott’s Gazeteer of the World; for quotations, 
 Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations; and they learn the value of 
 magazine indexes — the Cumulative Index, Poole’s Index, and 
 Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature. This last is most 
 
 12 
 
particularly valuable because the swift march of invention and 
 discovery leaves many books unauthoritative before they are 
 published, and one magazine article corrects a previous one. 
 It is in these things that are changing, that are growing, that 
 adolescence is interested ; the historical growth is not as inter- 
 esting as what is now what. And yet this interest is inhibited 
 by the weariness of idly turning magazine leaves to find that 
 article to which the magazine index sends the boy straight as 
 an arrow, with the greatest possible conservation of energy. 
 
 Definite information as to the use made of the library has 
 been secured from The High School Library, Jamestown, New 
 York; The Boys’ High School, Brooklyn, New York; The 
 Girls’ High School, Brooklyn, New York (Miss Mary E. 
 Hall) ; Course of instruction prepared by Miss Jessie Haines 
 for the Polytechnic Preparatory School, Brooklyn, New York; 
 The West High School, Rochester, New York; Morris High 
 School, New York City; High School, Oak Park, Illinois; 
 High School, Marinette, Wisconsin; an outline prepared by 
 Miss Mary W. Plummer for Pratt Institute High School ; plan 
 pursued by the Newark Public Library (compiled by Miss 
 Marjorie Gibson) where the head of the school department 
 gives the lessons to the English teachers of the Senior class, 
 who in turn give the lessons to their classes ; library questions 
 from Central High School, Washington, D. C. ; High School 
 Branch of Passaic Public Library Scheme. 
 
 Some one will say, “Why go to the expense of having 
 regular librarians? There is no demand. Demand should 
 regulate supply.” But you will reflect that the law of supply 
 and demand operates in the business world in the open mar- 
 ket, and our pupils are in a sense at our mercy. Whatever 
 may be said about the American child, he does look to his 
 teacher for guidance and to get for him those facilities he 
 needs. He may not ask for the library, but the extent and 
 manner of his use of it to tell the story of the unexpressed de- 
 mand. 
 
 A well-known librarian tells the story of two American 
 youths, drummers on their first trip. This evening they stood 
 in the hotel lobby of Lonesome Town, lonesome. “Let’s go to 
 the library,” said one. He had gotten the library habit. 
 “There’s no library here,” said the other. “Let’s go to the 
 
 — 13 — 
 
saloon.” He did not have the library habit, but he wanted 
 companionship. They went to the saloon. 
 
 The report from Oklahoma City shows how the library 
 there is appreciated and is particularly pleasing, as the librarian 
 is very apologetic about conditions that to us seem good. She 
 says her library is “only a very small one of 3,775 volumes,” 
 that there is “room for only 70 pupils in the reading room, and 
 it is very seldom that any seats are left vacant. Students oc- 
 cupy seats in the window.” She goes on, “It has taken me 
 nearly the two years to catalog the library, but I cannot help 
 but feel that that is short time with my other library duties. . . . 
 The library is a great help to the school, the teachers as well as 
 the students, and anyone seeing how very much it is needed 
 and the great benefit derived from its use, could not help but 
 want to see every school, no matter how small, have its own 
 library.” This library is open daily from 8 :00 A. M. to 5 :00 
 P. M., except on Saturday, when it is open from 9:00 A. M. 
 to 4 :00 P. M. 
 
 The spirit of friendly co-operation shown in the letters is 
 the best index that these librarians deserve a high mark in 
 “social efficiency”. All the material available is generously 
 offered, and we have brought it to show you the real things 
 that are being done by real people. Miss Mary E. Hall, of the 
 Brooklyn, New York, Girls’ High School, writes, “I gladly 
 send you not only the outline of what I am trying .to do here 
 in our school, but of courses in various high schools.” From 
 Duluth we hear, “If I can be of any further assistance, I shall 
 be glad if you will let me know.” 
 
 Besides these personal letters with their “plans” for the 
 presentation of the work actually carried on, there is other 
 material available to which we shall call your attention : ( 1 ) 
 material which will assist you in organizing your library and 
 giving library instruction, (2) material which will be helpful 
 in ordering for your school library, (3) material which will 
 assist you in the work of advising pupils as to the reading of 
 books which the library cannot order. 
 
 (1) Miss Frances M. Hopkins’s “Outlines for instruc- 
 tion of high-school students in use of library” will be sent free 
 on receipt of four cents for postage. Another article, “A 
 Mental Tool-box”, shows the use which can be made of Web- 
 
 14 
 
ster’s Dictionary. The University of Washington Library 
 staff has edited “Suggestions for the organization and adminis- 
 tration of the high-school library”. The Duluth Public Library 
 has sent its apprentice course. The W isconsin Summer School 
 offers instruction in library training. 
 
 (2) Your Latin teacher will respect Meader’s List of 
 books recommended for a high-school classical library, because 
 it has been approved by Professor Kelsey. Your science 
 teachers, before ordering, may wish to consult the New York 
 State Education Department’s list of science reference books 
 for pupils of academic grade. The librarian will be interested 
 in the next two. Part II of the List of books for school libra- 
 ries prepared by the Oregon Library Commission, is devoted to 
 books intended for the high school. The Wisconsin Education 
 Department’s List of books for free high-school libraries, was 
 prepared by Mr. Henry E. Legler, who is now very efficiently 
 administering our Chicago Public Library. It contains a list 
 of 200 books “which should be considered a minimum list.” 
 The Dewey class numbers and suggestions as to cards, title, 
 author, and subject analytics, are included. 
 
 (3) There are other lists of books ready which will be 
 of interest to your pupils. You can check up your and their 
 idea of what is interesting by what has been found of interest 
 elsewhere. Lists of fiction, travel, biography, one hundred 
 best novels, etc., you might expect, but you will find more. 
 Miss Mary E. West (Cleveland, Ohio, East High School) has 
 prepared an interesting list of books and magazine articles per- 
 taining to college life. It contains college stories. Many a 
 boy has been attracted to college by a college story, who would 
 have held very lightly its cultural opportunities. Mankato, 
 Minnesota, Public Library has listed “Some books that high- 
 school girls like”, “Some books that high-school boys like”. 
 The Springfield, Massachusetts, City Library Association has 
 “A list of books recommended by teachers in the high school 
 for the outside reading of high-school pupils”. 
 
 Much other material keeps coming in, and no doubt much 
 valuable work is being done which has not been discovered by 
 our correspondence, but we have faithfully reported to you all 
 of special value or interest that months of investigation have 
 discovered. We have not included in our lists of material the 
 
 — is — 
 
publications of the American Library Association Publishing 
 Board, 78 East Washington Street, Chicago, but we have tried 
 to call to your attention valuable material you would be less 
 likely to find. 
 
 If you will stop to think of your own personal experience, 
 you will remember that the time when you came to call on 
 books familiarly for help, when you knew that there was the 
 place to look for exact facts, that this time was when the re- 
 sources of a well-equipped library were thrown open to you, 
 when you went to college, no doubt, unless you had the rare 
 fortune of attending a high school well-equipped with books, 
 or the rarer fortune of finding them in your father’s house. 
 The Detroit Central High School Library begins its question 
 sheets with this quotation from E. E. Hale, “The difference 
 between an educated person and one not educated, is that the 
 first knows how to find what he wants and the other does ‘not.” 
 Since we no longer consider the high school merely preparatory 
 for the college, but an institution which gives a well-rounded 
 preparation for life, let us not deny to high-school pupils this 
 power to find what they want. 
 
 The library movement in the high schools is well on. 
 From East, from West, progress is coming. The teachers and 
 librarians throughout the country are glad to know that the 
 teacher-librarians of Chicago are up and would be doing. The 
 action of the city second in population and first in initiative, 
 must be significant. They are looking to us, and, knowing our 
 motto, they are saying to us, “Will you, Chicago ?” 
 
 Johanna V. Ryan. 
 
 Lane Technical High School. 
 
 Formerly Librarian for Social Science Group, The University of 
 Chicago.