CHILDREN'S COTTAGE LIBRARIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 3

CHILDREN'S COTTAGE LIBRARIES.

' The children's section ,is now-a feature of every modern library. From America now comes the idea that many tiny libraries, each to supply a-few children with books, are better than a central big library,- They like there to establish, these libraries'.in some pri-vate-house,.a cottage if-need be, or. in connection! .with 1 some . kindergarten, and once a week the children who bclong tolit. go to change their books and have, a-.: talk with , the lady in charge. , : ■ ■- '

it'., Ono "of the public .librarians in Sydnoy, a lady who the whole library courso in America, and who watched the workings lof the little ■libraries in Boston, has started 'similar ones in several of the Sydney suburbs, under what is' technically called " the group system." Kindergarten methods .obtain here, and. the name of each group is carefully chosen with a view to its providing somo inspiration to the child.For instance,' the Victoria group library' has a little picture of Queen Victoria wi th one of her baby grand-children, perhaps the ~ most charming picture of the late Queen ever taken, and the children are 'taught to loqk at this with admiration aiid reflect' on! tho.goodness that brought her Majesty so much love and respect. I went to this library one afternoonwith the lady'in charge, to,watch tho,distribution jof the books, which in this, ca.se ; were, kept at-'the Newton Free' Kindergarten. Several little girls .were waiting for us when we arrived, and during -the hour fifteen'or so camc themselves for books or.seiit. friends in their.place. They arranged themselves around •• tabtc where the books were placed, and the. .proceedings opened with a little talk.from the lady in charge, but only a very little talk. Then the* girls leaned far across tho table and became Tory much absorbed in the question of the next book to be borrowed, or the •merits of the one they returned. Oiie child told how she had read her book right through the day she got it.. She had had to sit up late, but she got io the end of the story. Now,-she said, all tho family Lad read it. There are about seventeen children belonging to this group, and their.library contains thirty books given by. friends. They are not anxious to have a larger collection, because it will take along time for them to exhaust this storo at the, rate of one per week. or rather, in this case, one a fortnight. '•. When the boobs' are finished they can bo exchanged for tboso belonging to another group. . The. children are. encouraged to say just wliat they think of a book, and if it is not liked it can be banished from the library.

These libraries are really excellent little institutions,, as .they enable the director to get into very'close touch with oach child,in a way. that, could not bo dono by anyone in charge of a largo affair. The lady who took mo could toll me stories about the homelifo and • the characteristics of oach child, and it was evident that she valued the educational opportunity that the distribution of tho books afforded, much less than tho chanco it gave to become a friend to. the childicn, and to insinuate here and'there, in almost, unnoticed ways, suggestions that would bo useful to thorn.

"When tho books had been given out there, was. an impromptu - entertainment. Wo had songs and-a recitation, and it was protty to sco liow eager the performers, were to do something, and how quickly nervousness overtook thorn once they began. Ono child was anxious to sing a song, and • urged another child who knew it to " come along and sing it, too." Number Two was vory relncitant, and it was oiily after repeated,urging from the songstress already standing in position on tho floor that she at last consented, and tho two struck up a woeful ballad about a soldier and his unkind sweetheart. Almost immediately tho eager child lost heart, and remained silent while Number Two went through it valiantly. This example stirred up tho others, and until it grew too'dark to see. There was nothing cheorful about tho selections, except in one highly-coloured music-hall song the words of which could only bo imperfectly beard, though enough was understood to call for the'kindly sugges-. tion that perhaps it was;not a verypretty song. I do not know whether a really jolly song would-have had any chance of popularity, but after "all generations of children have loved tho morbid talc of Rosalie the Prairio JHower probably better'than any more lively ditty. Tho librarian gave mo to understand that the songs tho children sang were nothing to tho ones they did not sing, and she considered this part of the programmo one of the most important, because in choosing the songs they instinc-, tivcly realised, perhaps for the first, time, that there were some they mustnot sing, and from what they came to understand why they must not; they unconsciously, though slowly, acquired a standard ,of taste. - ■'

One point about these libraries scorned to me curious. They jvere for boys alonoor for girls alone, but never TOT tlio two tioiiibined. The question ef having mixed libraries had been submitted to the mothers' meetings held in connection with the kindergartens, and after due consideration tlio mothers hud decided it was better to keep them separata. ,