BY HARRIET H. STANLEY, _Brookline_ (_Mass._) _Public Library_.
Preliminary to preparing this report, a list of 15 questions was sent to
a number of libraries in different parts of the United States, from 24
of which replies were received. So far as space would permit, the facts
and opinions obtained have been embodied in this paper.
Reference work with grown people consists in supplying material on
various topics; we consider it sufficiently well done when the best
available matter is furnished with as little cost of time and trouble to
the inquirer as is consistent with the service we owe to other patrons
of the library. To a certain extent this statement is true also of
reference work with children, but I think we are agreed that for them
our aim reaches further--reaches to a familiarity with reference tools,
to knowing how to hunt down a subject, to being able to use to best
advantage the material found. In a word, we are concerned not so much to
supply information as to educate in the use of the library. Seventeen of
the 24 libraries reporting judge children to be sent to them primarily,
if not wholly, for information. One of the first steps towards improving
and developing reference work with children will have been taken when
the teacher appreciates the larger purpose, since the point of view must
materially affect the character and scope of the work. Another forward
step is for the library to have definitely in mind some plan for
accomplishing these ends. Whatever the plan, it will in likelihood have
to be modified to accord with the teacher's judgment and needs, but a
definite proposal ought at least to give impetus to the undertaking.
Six libraries state that a considerable part of the inquiries they
receive from children are apparently prompted by their individual
interests, and not suggested by the teacher. These inquiries relate
chiefly to sports, mechanical occupations and pets. This paper is
confined to the discussion of reference work connected with the schools.
_Library facilities._
In selecting reference books for the purpose, certain familiar ones come
at once to our minds. Beyond those there have been suggested: Chase and
Clow's "Stories of industry," "Information readers," Brown's "Manual of
commerce," Boyd's "Triumphs and wonders of the 19th century," Patton's
"Resources of the United States," Geographical readers, _Youth's
Companion_ geographical series, Spofford's "Library of historic
characters," Larned's "History for ready reference," Ellis's "Youth's
dictionary of mythology," Macomber's "Our authors and great inventors,"
Baldwin's "Fifty famous stories," "Riverside natural history," Wright's
"Seaside and wayside," bound volumes of the _Great Round World_, and
text-books on various subjects.
A dictionary catalog will be useful in teaching the child to look up
subjects for himself. If a separate catalog is provided for children,
the question arises whether it is wiser to follow closely the A. L. A.
headings or to modify them where they differ from topics commonly asked
for by children or used as headings in text-books. This question
suggests also the advisability of a modified classification for a
children's library.
Last and not least, children should have room and service adapted to
their needs, so that they may not constantly have to be put aside in
deference to the rightful demands of adult readers.
So far as the writer knows, the Public Library of Boston was the first
library to open a reference room expressly for children, well equipped
and separate from the children's reading room or circulating department,
and from the general reference department for adults.
_Choice of topics._
Many libraries report that they find the topics habitually well chosen.
The gist of the criticisms is as follows:
(_a_) The teacher should make clear to the child just what he is to look
up and how to ask for it. An eastern library furnishes this incident:
"I want a book about flowers."
"Do you want a special flower?"
"Yes, I want the rose."
A book on the cultivation of roses is handed her. Her companion, looking
over, exclaims, "Why, she wants the _Wars of the roses_!" The same
librarian was invited to provide something on _American privileges_;
whether social, religious, political, or otherwise, the child did not
know.
(_b_) The teacher should be reasonably sure that there is on the topic
something in print, in usable shape, that can be gotten at with a
reasonable amount of labor.
(_c_) The subject when found should be within the child's comprehension.
The topic _Grasses_ is manifestly unfit for children, since grasses are
difficult to study, and the description of them in encyclopedias and
botanies is too technical. An eight-year-old had to investigate the
_Abyssinian war_. Pupils under 16 were assigned the topic _Syncretism in
the later pagan movement_. A western librarian was asked by some girls
for Kipling's "Many inventions" and "Day's work." Both were out. "Well,
what other books of Kipling's on _agriculture_ have you?" "Why, Kipling
hasn't written any books on _agriculture_; he writes stories and poems."
"But we have to debate on whether agriculture or manufacturing has done
more for the welfare of the country, and we want a book on both sides."
(_d_) The topic should be definite and not too broad, and should be
subdivided when necessary. The briefest comprehensive description of
_Rome_ is probably that in Champlin's "Persons and places," where the
six columns, already much condensed, would take more than an hour to
copy. A young girl came to find out about Italian painters. None of the
several encyclopedias treated them collectively under either _Italy_ or
_Art_. Mrs. Bolton's book of 10 artists includes four Italians, but it
takes some time and skill to discover them, as the fact of their
nationality does not introduce the narrative. How should a sixth grade
pupil make a selection from the 60 painters in Mrs. Jameson's book?
Three names were furnished by the librarian, and the child made notes
from their biographies. The next day she returned and said she hadn't
enough artists.
(_e_) The question should preferably be of such nature that the child
can be helped to find it rather than be obliged to wait while the
librarian does the work. One inquiry was, "What eastern plant is
sometimes sold for its weight in gold?" This is not in the book of
"Curious questions."
(_f_) The topic should be worth spending time upon. The _genealogy of
Ellen Douglas_ will hardly linger long in the average memory.
_Use made of the material by the child._
Suppose the topic to be good and suitable material to have been found;
for older children there are two good ways of using it--one to read
through and make notes on the substance, the other to copy in selection.
Children need practice in doing both. The first method suits broad
description and narration, the second detailed description. There seems
to be a prevailing tendency to copy simply, without sufficient neglect
of minor points, a process which should be left to the youngest
children, since it furnishes little mental training, uses a great deal
of time, keeps the writer needlessly indoors, and fosters habits of
inattention, because it is easy to copy with one's mind elsewhere. The
necessity for using judgment after the article has been found is
illustrated by the case of some children who came for the life of Homer.
Champlin, in about a column, mentions the limits within which the
conjectures as to the time of Homer's birth lie, the places which claim
to be his birthplace, and tells of the tradition of the blind harper.
The children, provided with the book, plunged at once into copying until
persuaded just to read the column through. "When you finish reading," I
said, "come to me and tell me what it says." They came and recounted the
items, and only after questioning did they at all grasp the gist of the
matter, that nothing is known about Homer. Even then their sense of
responsibility to produce something tangible was so great that they
would copy the details, and from the children who came next day I judged
that the teacher had required some facts as to time and place and
tradition. While it is true that we learn by doing and it is well that
children should rely upon themselves, it is evident that young pupils
need some direction. Even when provided with sub-topics, they often need
help in selecting and fitting together the appropriate facts, since no
article exactly suits their needs. About half of the reporting
librarians are of the opinion that it is the teacher's business to
instruct pupils in the use of books; they consider the library to have
done its share when the child has been helped to find the material. The
other half believe such direction as is suggested above to be rightly
within the librarian's province; several, however, who express a
willingness to give such help, add that under their present library
conditions it is impracticable. We can easily see that time would not
permit nor would it be otherwise feasible for the teacher to examine
every collection of notes made at the library, but there ought to be
some systematic work where the topics are thoughtfully chosen, the
librarian informed of them in advance, and the notes criticised. A
moderate amount of reference work so conducted would be of greater
benefit than a large quantity of the random sort which we now commonly
have. Five librarians state that they are usually given the topics
beforehand. Several others are provided with courses of study or attend
grade meetings in which the course is discussed.
_Systematic instruction in the use of the library._
While a general effort is being made to instruct children individually,
only a few libraries report any systematic lessons. In Providence each
visiting class is given a short description of books of reference. In
Hartford an attempt at instruction was made following the vacation book
talks. In Springfield, Mass., last year the senior class of the
literature department was given a lesson on the use of the library,
followed by two practice questions on the card catalog. In one of the
Cleveland branches talks are given to both teachers and pupils. At the
Central High School of Detroit the school librarian has for the past
three years met the new pupils for 40 minutes' instruction, and test
questions are given. A detailed account of similar work done in other
high school libraries is to be found in the proceedings of the
Chautauqua conference. Cambridge has given a lecture to a class or
classes of the Latin school. In the current library report of Cedar
Rapids, Ia., is outlined in detail a course of 12 lessons on
bookmaking, the card catalog, and reference books. The librarian of
Michigan City, Ind., writes: "Each grade of the schools, from the fifth
to the eighth, has the use of our class room for an afternoon session
each month. Each child is assigned a topic on which to write a short
composition or give a brief oral report. When a pupil has found all he
can from one source, books are exchanged, and thus each child comes into
contact with several books. At these monthly library afternoons I give
short talks to the pupils on the use of the library, the reference
books, and the card catalog, accompanied by practical object lessons and
tests." At Brookline our plan is to have each class of the eighth and
ninth grades come once a year to our school reference room at the
library. The teacher accompanies them, and they come in school hours.
The school reference librarian gives the lesson. For the eighth grade we
consider the make-up of the book--the title-page in detail, the
importance of noting the author, the significance of place and date and
copyright, the origin of the dedication, the use of contents and index.
This is followed by a description of bookmaking, folding, sewing and
binding, illustrated by books pulled to pieces for the purpose. The
lesson closes with remarks on the care of books. The ninth grade lesson
is on reference books, and is conducted largely by means of questioning.
A set of test questions at the end emphasizes the description of the
books. In these lessons the pupils have shown an unexpected degree of
interest and responsiveness. The course brought about 400 children to
the library, a few of whom had never been there before. These were
escorted about a little, and shown the catalog, charging desk,
bulletins, new book shelves, etc. Every one not already holding a card
was given an opportunity to sign a registration slip. The following year
the eighth grade, having become the ninth, has the second lesson. With
these lessons the attitude of the children towards the library has
visibly improved, and we are confident that their idea of its use has
been enlarged.
_Bibliographical work._
The inquiry was made of the reporting libraries whether any
bibliographical work was being done by the high school. The question was
not well put, and was sometimes misunderstood. Almost no such work was
reported. At Evanston, Ill., one high school teacher has taught her
class to prepare bibliographies, the librarian assisting. At Brookline
we have ambitions, not yet realized, of getting each high school class
to prepare one bibliography a year (we begin modestly) on some subject
along their lines of study. Last May the principals of two grammar
schools offered to try their ninth grades on a simple bibliography. The
school reference librarian selected some 60 topics of English
history--Bretwalda, Sir Isaac Newton, East India Company, the Great
Commoner, etc. Each bibliography was to include every reference by
author, title and page to be found in the books of the school reference
collection of the public library. The pupils displayed no little zest
and enjoyment in the undertaking, and some creditable lists were made.
Observation of the work confirmed my belief in its great practical
value. Pupils became more keen and more thorough than in the usual
getting of material from one or two references on a subject. Such
training will smooth the way and save the time of those students who are
to make use of a college library, and is even more to be desired for
those others whose formal education ends with the high or grammar
schools.
The practice of sending collections of books from the public library to
the schools is becoming general. When these collections are along the
lines of subjects studied, it would seem as if the reference use of the
library by pupils might be somewhat diminished thereby. No doubt it is a
convenience to both teacher and pupils to have books at hand to which to
refer. The possession of an independent school library also tends to
keep the reference work in the school. But in neither case ought the
reference use of the public library or its branches to be wholly or
materially overlooked, since it is on that that pupils must depend in
after years, and therefore to that they must now be directed. We
recognize that the people of modest means need the library. As for the
very well-to-do, the library needs them. Other things being equal, the
pupil who has learned to know and to know how to use his public library
ought later so to appreciate its needs and so to recognize the benefits
it bestows that he will be concerned to have it generously supported and
wisely administered.
Even we librarians claim for our public collections no such fine service
as is rendered by those private treasures that stand on a person's own
shelves, round which "our pastime and our happiness will grow." Books
for casual entertainment are more and more easily come by. But so far as
our imagination reaches, what private library will for most readers
supplant a public collection of books for purposes of study and
reference? Is it not then fitting that we spend time and effort to
educate young people to the use of the public library? Do not the
methods for realizing this end seem to be as deserving of systematic
study as the details of classification and of cataloging? We have
learned that to bring school authorities to our assistance our faith
must be sufficient to convince and our patience must be tempered by a
kindly appreciation of the large demands already made upon the schools.
Have we not yet to learn by just what lessons and what practice work the
reference use of the public library can best be taught to children?