RURAL LIBRARIES
=542. The Need, and Earlier Schemes.=--Until recently a rural dweller in
Canada, the United States, and some parts of Australia was better
provided with literature than the villager in the United Kingdom. It is
true that private generosity had established village libraries and
circulating collections of books in several counties; and honourable
mention may be made of the schemes of the Union of Lancashire and
Cheshire Institutes, 1847; the Yorkshire Union of Educational
Institutes, 1854; the Central Circulating Library, 1888; the Bishop of
Hereford, 1906; the Dorset Book-Lending Association, 1908; and the
extensive scheme for the Highlands and Hebrides of Mr James Coats of
Paisley; as also Sir Charles Seeley’s scheme for the Isle of Wight, and
the Westmorland scheme, which are both, however, public ventures worked
through the County Council in the first case, and, in the second,
through the Kendal Public Library. All of these (except the Coats
scheme) work on the sound method of dispatching to selected (and, in
some of the private instances, subscribing) centres boxes of books which
are changed twice or thrice yearly.
=543.= The private schemes, effective as they are, are unable to supply
that co-ordinated service which may be expected from a state, or rate,
maintained service; and as a whole the rural population is unprovided as
yet. Although the need for general library provision has been abundantly
recognized, the imagination of British legislators seems to have been
unable to compass anything practical towards meeting it. The reasons for
lack of village libraries turn upon the small product of the penny rate,
which in an average population of 400--a frequent population figure for
a village--rarely exceeds £10 yearly, a sum manifestly inadequate to
provide or maintain a library. Ignorance of even this possibility and
the traditional apathy or actual hostility of squire and parson, at
least until lately, to any scheme of rural enlightenment may also have
been factors; but, however that may be, in 1915 only seventy-six out of
all the parishes of the kingdom had libraries working under the Acts.
Co-operation alone can produce for these scattered populations the
benefits of a sound service; but although the Libraries Acts (1892,
Sections 9-10; 1893, Section 4) permit the co-operation of neighbouring
urban districts or parishes for the provision of libraries, the method
has been resorted to only occasionally, as at Workington and Harrington
in Cumberland, where some such combination exists.
=544. The County Council as Library Authority.=--The obvious authority
to establish and administer rural libraries is the County Council; but
there is no explicit legislative instruction, or even permission, for
them to do so. The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust has given careful and
sympathetic attention to this problem, and to this body the recent rapid
development of rural libraries is due. Acting on a recommendation of
Professor W. G. S. Adams, in his valuable _Report on Library Provision
and Policy_, 1915, that experimental library systems should be
established in five selected areas in different parts of the kingdom,
the Trustees invited certain County Councils through their education
committees, and certain towns well placed in regard to surrounding rural
districts, to accept grants for such work. Professor Adams advised the
provision of (1) a central library, from which the books could be
distributed at regular intervals, and from which also there should be
supervision of the whole area; (2) village libraries, usually placed in
a school, with the schoolmaster as librarian, and consisting of a
permanent collection of important reference and standard works, and a
circulating library which would be exchanged at three-monthly or other
suitable intervals. The first areas chosen were Staffordshire as a
county; Worksop, Nottinghamshire, as a town centred amongst villages;
and the Trustees themselves established at the public library of their
own centre, Dunfermline, a system to deal with the Orkneys, Shetland and
the island of Lewis, and to reinforce by circulating collections the
Coats libraries in other districts. The scheme has developed rapidly,
and at the time of writing the counties of Dorset, Gloucester, Lincoln,
Nottingham, Somerset, Stafford, Warwick, Westmorland, Wilts, York,
Montgomery, Brecon, Buckingham, Cardigan, Carnarvon, Forfar, Lewis,
Orkney and Shetland, Perth, Kerry and Limerick are all administering, or
have accepted, grants for rural libraries. The grants range in amount
from about £3000 to £7000 each, and are initial and experimental; that
is to say, the sum provided is intended to establish and maintain the
library system for a space of five years, after which it is expected
that they will be administered entirely from county funds.
=545. The Methods of Carnegie Rural Libraries.=--It is too early yet to
assess the results of these schemes or to expatiate with any certainty
upon their methods; but an account of the administration of the Trust’s
own scheme for the North of Scotland may be taken as typical, because,
with the necessary variations imposed, or considered desirable, in the
various county schemes, it is the standard for them all.
=546. The Central Repository.=--At the central repository the books are
collected, classified, catalogued, dispatched and received; and
accommodation sufficient for these purposes is provided. The extent of
the initial stock, which is intended later to be fully representative of
English and translated foreign literature, literature in Gaelic, local
industries, science, history and topography, is such as to provide a
collection of about seventy-five books for each centre to be served; and
the travelling collections consist in equal proportions of general
works, fiction for adult readers, and literature for children. Later,
however, the selection will be influenced largely by the demands made by
the local librarians. In the first case collections were exchanged twice
yearly. Certain current periodicals, not returnable, were also sent out
in boxes.
ACCESSION.--A slip suggestions record is used, one slip being written
for each title; and from this the order list is compiled. Both order and
slips are stamped with the date of the order, and when the books are
received and found to be correct the slips are stamped with the date of
receipt. The slips are then filed to form a continuous catalogue of
accessions. Accessioning is done the ordinary way; all books are stamped
throughout with a rubber-stamp impression of the name of the Trust; and
the board label reads thus:
+----------------------------------------+
| |
| RURAL LIBRARIES. |
| |
| Readers are requested to take great |
| care of the books while in their |
| possession, and to point out any |
| defect they may notice in them to the |
| librarian. |
| |
| All books should be returned to the |
| Library within 14 days from date of |
| issue; but an extension of the period |
| of loan will be granted when desired. |
| |
+----------------------------------------+
FIG. 181.--Rural Library Board Label (Section 546).
CLASSIFICATION.--The Decimal classification is used, to two places for
general works, and to four places for works on specific subjects; this
enables a fairly minute arrangement. The common adjustments are made of
removing Fiction and Biography from 900, and arranging the former in
alphabetical-author order, and the latter alphabetically by persons
biographed.
CATALOGUING.--A simple form of classified catalogue, with author and
subject indexes, is used; and the date of publication is omitted from
the bibliographical particulars, as the latest editions are always to be
presumed. Complete catalogues in this form are eventually to be sent to
all centres, but meanwhile separate typed lists, covering each
collection, are sent out with the collection.
CENTRAL CHARGING.--The method of charging books to the various centres
is simple. A card index in the usual form is drawn upon, the cards for
each consignment of books being abstracted and placed behind a guide
bearing the name of the centre. A date guide is inserted when the
dispatch is made, and the “deliveries index” thus made forms a
convenient guide to the books at any given centre, and, of course, is a
means by which returned books are checked.
DISPATCHES.--Books are dispatched in boxes, specially constructed in
deal, 18 × 12 × 12 inches inside measurements, which hold about
forty-five volumes. They are banded with hoop iron, which is secured by
screw-in iron bolts, and iron bars, screwing with nuts to the bolts,
secure the lid. The interior is lined with waterproof paper; and flush
handles are fitted to each box. The design is intended to meet the very
rough usage probable in transit to remote districts. In ordinary rural
service a much lighter box, of three-ply wood, has been found to be
quite suitable. It is probably better, too, to have smaller boxes, as
the handling of heavy boxes of books is a difficulty for both carrier
and librarian.
=547. The Village Centres.=--LOCAL ADMINISTRATION.--The local
administration of the libraries is in the hands of central committees
formed of members of secondary education and library committees, and
other interested people, with the librarians of the towns in the area as
secretaries. These committees cover each a number of parishes, and for
the immediate supervision of the parishes local sub-committees of
members of school boards, teachers, etc., have been formed, and of these
the schoolmaster is generally the secretary and local custodian of the
books. These committees advise on book requirements and on such matters
as shelving, etc.; central committees are also expected to raise the
small funds for the conveyance of the books. The average library finds
accommodation in the schools, and permanent collections, which include
the more expensive and general reference books, are deposited in village
institutes and existing Carnegie public libraries. Schools requiring
shelves are supplied with deal cases, having five adjustable shelves,
and a book-capacity of 150 volumes.
CHARGING.--The record of stock in use at the centres is on cards which
are sent out in their card-case from the central repository. These
card-cases are of cloth over strawboard, hold approximately 150 cards,
are 8 × 5½ inches in size, and are made in the shape of an ordinary
square-backed book-cover, with eyelet holes below the hinge through
which cords are laced on which the cards are secured. Inside these cases
the cards for each consignment of books are arranged in classified
order. The card used is as shown on page 482 (Figs. 182 and 183).
When books are received at the local centre the librarian checks them
with the cards and arranges them in the order of the cards on the
shelves. The charging method is obvious. The charge is made under the
name of the author, particulars of readers and date of issue and return
being entered in the appropriate columns, the word “adult” being written
in the age column for readers obviously over twenty-one. The charges are
returned to the repository at the exchange periods, and these enable
statistics to be made.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| Library .............................. Book No. .......... |
| |
| Author ............................... Card No. .......... |
| |
| Title ................................ |
+---------------+----+-----------+--------------+---------------+
| | | |Date Borrowed.| Date Returned.|
|Name of Reader.|Age.|Occupation.+----+----+----+----+----+-----+
| | | |Day.|Mth.| Yr.|Day.|Mth.| Yr. |
+---------------+----+-----------+----+----+----+----+----+-----+
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|Continue on other side | | | | | | |
+--------------------+-----------+----+----+----+----+----+-----+
FIG. 182.--Front of Charging Card--Carnegie Rural Library Scheme. The
size is 7¼ × 4¼ inches.
+---------------+----+-----------+--------------+---------------+
| | | |Date Borrowed.| Date Returned.|
|Name of Reader.|Age.|Occupation.+----+----+----+----+----+-----+
| | | |Day.|Mth.| Yr.|Day.|Mth.| Yr. |
+---------------+----+-----------+----+----+----+----+----+-----+
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Don’t write below | | | | | | | |
| this line. | | | | | | | |
+--------------------+-----------+----+----+----+----+----+-----+
| |
| |
| |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
FIG. 183.--Back of Carnegie Charging Card.
=548. Museum of Rural Library Appliances.=--The above are, in brief, the
chief features of the North of Scotland scheme, which seems to be
serving its purpose admirably; and in connexion with it the Trust is
building up at Dunfermline a small museum of rural library appliances,
to include different types of boxes, forms, and other machinery tried in
the various centres. This valuable work will in time furnish librarians
with a considerable amount of important and useful data.
=549. Other Schemes=.--As the North of Scotland scheme is continuing in
the control of the Carnegie Trust, it is on a rather different footing
from the county schemes, which are in the control of the county
education committee. In general, however, the methods are the same.
There is a central repository where books are selected, catalogued,
dispatched, and overhauled on return, and where reading courses, special
catalogues, etc., may be prepared; indeed, whence skilled advice and
assistance may be drawn by all the village centres. And, as recommended
by Professor Adams, local village schools are the deposit centres, with
schoolmasters as a rule for librarians. The smaller towns have in some
places made arrangements by which they amalgamate or co-operate with
county schemes, but the larger towns usually work independently.
A rough estimate of the cost of an actual rural library scheme founded
on a Carnegie grant may be given:
Capital expenditure:
Repository, building £800
Books 2100
Boxes 140
Accessories 100
Initial clerical labour 100
----
£3240
=====
Annual expenditure:
Salary of librarian £180
Clerical assistance 50
Heating, lighting, cleaning 50
Rates and taxes 25
Carriage of books 100
Repairs, etc. 25
---- £430
Ultimate additional annual cost:
Repairs and renewals 160
---- 160
----
£590
====
Thus the annual cost of the scheme after the initial expenses have been
met is reckoned at £590, but the salary allowed here is inadequate. It
is at this point that the legal powers of the County Councils may be
tested. It is difficult to imagine the Local Government Board auditor
ruling that they cannot provide such library maintenance out of
education funds because the Education Act of 1918 does not mention it
(although the Scottish Act of 1918 does, and permits it), but the matter
has not been questioned yet.
=550. General Considerations.=--Every librarian will see the
potentialities of this work, as completing in a large measure the public
library system of the country; moreover, its rapid and successful
development is an earnest of the immense future of libraries as a whole.
By co-ordinating this village work with such educational agencies as
University Extension, and the Workers’ Educational Association, it will
be possible to give to rural life many of the intellectual advantages
hitherto exclusively the possession, for the non-wealthy classes, of
town life, and this at a time when settlement on the land is proceeding
apace. Meanwhile the supervising rural librarian may make regular visits
throughout his area, in which he will give advice on reading,
demonstrations in the use and care of books, and exercise the undoubted
opportunities he will have of bringing people of like intellectual
pursuits, but in different villages, into touch with one another. All
this presupposes the existence of a professional librarian in control
of the entire scheme. An initial mistake has been made in some counties
in appointing teachers to this position, on the theory, no doubt, that
the training of teachers is a very suitable basis for work with
libraries which are locally administered by teachers. It may be so--the
evidence is not yet forthcoming--but we do not think so. Library
organization, especially at the outset, demands the specialist, and the
librarian differs radically in training and mental attitude from the
teacher. Further, the salaries hitherto offered have ranged from £150 to
£300 per annum--have in only one case reached the higher figure--and
these sums must be augmented considerably if the rural libraries are to
attract and retain the librarians they really need.
=551.= BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adams, W. G. S. Report on Library Provision and Policy, 1915.
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust. Annual Report, 1915 _to date_.
Farr, Harry. Libraries in the Rural Districts, 1909. Library
Assistants’ Association Series, 2.
Hetherington, A. L. Rural Libraries, 1916.
Ministry of Reconstruction. Third Interim Report of the Adult
Education Committee: Libraries and Museums, 1919, p. 7.
Wynkoop, Asa. Commissions, State Aid and Agencies. _In_ A.L.A. Man. of
Lib. Econ., Preprint of chapter xxvii., 1913.
For articles see Cannons: F 3, Village Libraries; F 4, Travelling
Libraries.
DIVISION XV
MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES