BY E. A. BIRGE, _President Board of Directors, Madison (Wis.) Public
Library_.
The relation of the state to libraries may be considered from three
points of view. The first and oldest library function of the state has
been the maintenance of a state library, usually begun for the
convenience of the legislature and in many states enlarged into a
general library. With this function has also gone the indirect support
of libraries for historical and scientific societies, incorporated by
the state and in some degree representing it. Much might be said on
possible lines of work for the state in this direction, but as this
function is the oldest and best understood, it may be named and passed
without further discussion.
Second, the state holds a relation to the local libraries in communities
which are supporting free libraries without aid from the state. The
state aids these libraries by enacting proper laws for their
organization. In general, the statutes should be such as will give the
local library the best opportunity for organization, and will leave it
when organized the largest amount of freedom in doing its work. The
earlier library laws of the states have very generally contained the
provision that, in order to establish a library in a community, the
proposition must be accepted by a majority of the voters at an election.
This provision has been found disadvantageous in Wisconsin, and was
eliminated from our library law in 1897. Experience has shown that it
is better to leave the establishment of a library, like other public
works of necessity and utility, to the common council, or other
representatives of the people in the larger towns and cities, rather
than to commit the proposition to the chance of a general election.
The third function of the state with reference to libraries is that
which may be called library extension. Here the state acts directly to
aid in the establishment of libraries and the extension of library work
in the communities which would otherwise lack libraries. The necessity
for this work has become apparent to the more progressive states of the
Union within recent years. The justification of this work lies in two
main reasons. First, libraries continue for the older youth of the
community and for adults the education which the state requires for
children. It is neither fair nor right for the state to maintain a
system of education which develops a love of knowledge and of reading,
and then leave the community without the means for continuing in later
youth the development begun in childhood. Second, it is known that the
intellectual isolation of the rural communities is one of the main
reasons for the much-lamented drift from the country into the cities,
and it has been found that the establishment of libraries affords one of
the most important means of bringing these small communities into
intellectual touch with the world.
The states then which have undertaken this work of library extension
have usually done so by means of the library commission. The first
commission was established by Massachusetts in 1890. Seventeen states
had established such commissions by the end of 1900--more than half of
them in the two years preceding that date. I have no statistics
regarding the establishment of such commissions in 1901. The work of
these commissions may be either advisory or missionary, aiding in the
establishment of libraries in the smaller communities which are able to
establish and maintain them under the guidance and advice of the
commission, and directly furnishing library facilities to the smallest
and weakest communities. In certain states direct state aid is given to
the smaller libraries, notably in Massachusetts, where each town library
established under the rules of the commission receives books to the
amount of $100. In some states aid is given in the purchase of books.
The direct furnishing of libraries is done mainly by means of travelling
libraries. So far as I can learn, these are now distributed by six
states. The system has grown throughout the Union, in various
manifestations, and its influence in bringing books to the communities
that most lack and need them has been of the utmost value. This work is
one of the greatest importance, and yet I believe it is one which will
ultimately pass into the hands of the counties or smaller governmental
bodies than the state.
Lastly, the commissions are aiding in the library work by the
establishment of library schools. In Wisconsin a summer school for
library training has been held for the past seven years, and represents
a class of work which it seems important that each state should
undertake, namely: the training of librarians for the smaller libraries
in which the salaries paid are necessarily so small that the librarians
cannot afford the expense of a complete course in library training. This
instruction applies especially to persons already in charge of small
libraries throughout the state, who have not had the opportunity to
secure professional training for their work, and it is of great value in
bringing them in touch with library effort and setting higher standards
of purpose and efficiency. Experience has shown that in a two months'
summer session instruction can be given of the greatest value to those
who are to have charge of this class of libraries.
In this department of library extension which the states have been
entering upon during the past decade lies the most important work which
the state can undertake for libraries. The work of the library
commissions means a systematic employment of the library as an
educational and social factor in the progress of the people. This is the
true mission of the library, and the most important function of the
state lies in effectively aiding it to perform this work.