BOOKS FOR COUNTRY READERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1776, 14 June 1913, Page 25

BOOKS FOR COUNTRY READERS.

BIG HELD UNTOUCHED. ■ WHAT TRAVELLING' 'LIBRARIES MEAN. ■» ■' ■ SOME REFORMS SUGGESTED,

y7N the winter evenings in the 11 country nothing, is more welcome H than a supply of good reading, 'and it is surprising that in a progressive -; community liko New Zealand so littlo has been -done to organise a modern rural library system. The State, it is true; makes small grants in aid to country libraries, but beyond this each little community is left to its own devices. On every side the farmer is being strenuously exhorted to "wake up" and adopt modern methods, but never yet has it been realised hero hew much might bo done by an up-to-date library system to keep country dwellers in touch not only with all the latest developments in agricultural science and farming nrethods, but with the general trend of thought in the outside world. 'Americans. have long recognised that an efficient Tural library system is as good nn investment as a State can make. Thanks mainly to the efforts of Mr. Herbert Baillie, Wellington's' city librarian, an experiment—a far' too brief experiment—was. recently made in giving postal concessions to country readers. But before describing the fate of Mr. Baillie's efforts, it is worth while looking abroad pnd seeing what has been done elsewhere in library work. . What America Does.

At last year's conference of the Libraries' Association in Wellington; an interesting description of the Nebraska State library system was given in a paper forwarded by Miss Charlotte Templeton, secretary of the Public Library Commission of that State. It may be explained .that in. thirty of the American States there are now. Library Commissions, which supervise'. the library extension work in the State. The Commissions consist of from three to five members appointed) by the Governor to act for five years. The members receive no pay. It is common also for there to be one or two ex-officio members, such as the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Librarian, or the' President of the State JUniversity.

In the eastern States the work consists largely of giving financial aid to publb libraries to supplement the book funds, end in offering advice to librarians as to methods. In the Wx:st tho population is les3 dense, areas are greater, cities are few, and the towns, which are new and small, have had to concern themselves first with such practical problems as light, water, supply, and sowrerage systems, and have not had the time or tho money to establish public libraries. Here ithe efforts of the Commissions are bent on stimulating the growth of the local library and on supplying the people as soon as possible with books. Miss Templeton proceeds:— . : Portable Libraries. "While a Commission may believe that its most important work lies in fostering the public library movement, and will grant, I think, that tho ultimato end to be desired is a system of strong local libraries, each Teaching out to its own rural contingent, still its first concern is to put 'in operation a travelling library system to furnish books to people who aro without public libraries. To give these people the immediate enjoyment of books is the primary • object, of course, but the Commission has a secondary motive, for it realises that the travelling library may <be one of the most effective agents in bringing about the public library development of .the State. Many a travelling library station grows into a public library, and many a small town is encouraged to establish a public library when it finds that it can borrow from the State 150 volumes at a time until its own collection is sufficient to meet the demand.

"The travelling library is a group of books, varying in size from 20 to 150 volumes, sent out to bookless communities to be kept for three to six months; wand then exchanged for another set. The books are sent out in a strong packing--I}OX by freight or express, and the transportation charges usually paid by the borrowers. One State,-, California, pays all the transportation charges, and New Sorh pays them in part. These groups are public libraries in miniature, and are mado up of fiction, non-fiction, and children's books. ... "Travelling libraries are of various kinds and sizes. The bulk of the books are made up in 50-volumo groups for general reading. Some States have also 100-volume 'groups to send out to small public libraries and to large villages whero 50 volumes will not go around. Wo keep our groups for general reading of the same size and send two or three> at a

store, the creamery, the telephone office, the barber's shop, the private house, the doctor's office, even the railroad station have all been U9ed with good results. After all tho success of the library depends not so much on the place aa on the librarian. An enthusiastic farmer's wife, keeping the books in her own home, can do wonders in circulating them. We have one such who reads the books herself, and presses them on her neighbours, knowing just what each one will like. She picks out the books which the teacher can use in tho schoolroom and gets them to her. She has the children of foreign parents reading simple English stories aloud, at home. By persistent efforts she is creating a love of reading in that community in which there was formerly 110 0110 outside her own family who cared for' books.

"If a State can afford a field worker to devote himself entirely to the travelling library service wonders can be accomplished. "Wisconsin has such a field worker and leads us all as a result." Backward New Zealand. Miss Templeton's paper is brimful of practical suggestions, and if so much can bo accomplished in Nebraska, why not in New Zealand? The Dominion is undoubtedly in a backward state in its library work. We have no central national library, and not even the beginnings of a general system 1 of co-ordination and co-operation. The biggest library in the country is that which has been built up by tko Government for the use of members of Parliament, and from which

the public are wholly excluded while Parliament is in session, and admitted, in limited numbers only, during the recess.

In Wellington city itself there is a good municipal library of 32,000 volumes, and the only forward step of any consequence during recent years in the way of obtaining facilities for country readers is due to the activity of Mr. Baillie, the city librarian. At last year's Libraries' Association Conference it was resolved, on Mr. Bnillie's motion, to apply for reduced postage rates on books sent from one library to another and from a library to its subscribers.

Ai present" a country resident who wishes to obtain a book through tho post from a library has to pay, on an average, about eightpence per book (out and back again). It was asked that the rate should be reduced to one penny per.lb., and this the Government agreed to do for a. three/months' trial in the Wellington postal district This meant an average of twopence postage per book borrowed. The trial began on August 1 and on November 18 the Secretary to the Post Office notified tho libraries that the concession had not been taken 'advantage of in any of the' centres in the district. The letter continued: "Tho concession does not appear to have been made fully public by library authorities, as\ residents of country districts seem to be unaware' of the reduced rate. • A further trial of three months from the'lst instant will be given; and on the result of that trkl the Department's decision will be made." It will be noted that the libraries were left to advertise the scheme. It happened that Mr. Baillie was away on sick leave during a good part of the first trial period, and the Wellington City Library, the biggest public library in the postil district, was consequently not in a position to push the scheme. When the second three months' trial began on December 1, the Wellington City Library Committee, despite the fact that its library, is a purely local municipal concern, de- • cided to give the system every chance, and authorised the librarian to waive the ordinary regulations in supplying the wants of country residents asking for books through the post. Had the scheme been permanent, rules would, of course, have had to be drawn up to cover the cost to the city. . A Brief Experiment So far as Wellington was concerned, the second' trial resulted in a moderate demand; even though made in midsummer, when country dwellers have comparatively little time for reading. Letters asking for books came as often as not, however, from residents outside the postal district— Ohakune and Keefton, to give two instances—and they, of course, could not get the reduced rate. The Postal Department, however, decided not to continue the experiment, and there matters etand for the time being. Speaking the other day of tho scheme, Mr. Baillie said: "The demand would have con>e in time: the small call should not have its death warrant. Books are carried free for the blind. Magazines are carried for anyone at the rate we asked for. Newspaper exchanges are carried free. Tho call on the Wellington Public Library was quite satisfactory. Tho class of books was what I anticipated. Other libraries wrote to me, approving of tho scheme, but it was not the time of the year for the farmer. 1 should be quite willing to accept a rule that only class books—that is, non-fiction —should be accepted: yet I do not believe in a lot of the cant that is talked about fiction. Good fiction is incomparably better than poor biography or poor anything If the still-born experiment described above demonstrates anything, it is the need for a general overhaul of the Dominion's public library system. It cannot be said the experiment failed because it did not meet a want: it failed because it was not advertised, and it was not advertised because we have no central library bureau, and no one in a position to look after this class of work. . The essential thing for New Zealand to recognise is that libraries in a modern State are not institutions satisfied to deal , mainlv with town dwellers, but live centre's from which literature is got out ■ I over the whole countryside, and which , have a special eye on the needs of isolated dwellers in the back-country.

time to such stations.. We havo somo . libraries for tho special uso of schools; : and made up chiefly of children's books. ... In. addition, to general travelling libraries there are the special subject libraries, made up for the use of study, clubs and debating societies. These club libraries cover the study course of a year, and are sent out for nine months. Debating libraries are made up 1 of books, pamphlets, magazine articles, pro and con, and are sent out for six weeks. Then we Bend out a great many books to individual students. The high school boy. struggling .with an essay, the business man .looking up some public question, the professional man preparing a paper, the teacher getting ready to take up her examinations, i the farmer interested in some special pki?» of agriculture, these and many others are our patrons. To them we send from one to six books, and the time-limit is usually six weeks. In Nebraska we send out.book 3 in still another form. Wo make up fromi the open shelf collection small groups of books for general reading, ■which we send out to isolated farms or ranches, suiting, as far as wo are able, tho different tastes of the family. One old German writes for books every winter, asking for tho heaviest sort ot scientific and philosophical works, and ends his letter with a request to .throw in. some romances for the womenfolk. Another reads all the best things in exploration and travel; and still another wants books for his wife to read aloud to the children. Some of these people live forty miles from a railroad, and call a man a neighbour who lives within tan miles. These family loans seem the only means of reaching them. .. . Some Essentials, "It will be found that to circulate travelling libraries, as to carry on any other enterprise, you must advertise. Articles for the leading newspapers, articles for the country papers, articles for the agricultural and educational journals of the State must be written by the secretary regularly and often. Speeches at Teachers' Association, at club meetings, at farmers' meetings, and at any other place where the people of the State are gathered together must be made, and happy the secretary who is an orator as well as a librarian. Exhibits should be made at country fairs. In short, every device which ingenuity can conceive should bo used until the news of the Free Travelling Library has been carried to tho remote corners of the State—and then one should keep on advertising. "Plnco tho books whero they will be most accessible. Very often the rural. school is the best place. The church, the ranch, house, tho post office, tho cross-roads

THE NEED FOR PUBLIC SPIRIT. . 9 While it is of course necessary that tho farmer receive good remuneration for bis efforts, it is nevertheless true that tho money consideration is frequently too exclusive!v emphasised in farm homes. This consideration often obscures every other interest, allowing little opportunity for tho development of the intellectual, social and mora! qualities. The open country abounds in men and women ot the finest ideals; yet it is necessary to say that other ends in life than the making of more monov and tho getting of more (roods arc much needed in country districts; and that this, more than anything else, will correct the unsatisfying nature of. rural life. Teachers of agriculture have placed too much relative emnhasis on the remuneration and production sides of country life. Money-hunger is as strong in the open country as elsewhere, and as there are fewer opportunities and demands for the expenditure of this money for others and for society, there often develops a hoarding and a lack of public spirit '-ipt is disastrous to the general good. ' w>mnletclv does the money-purpos" "■'"•' control the motive, that other '•<:'-''.■■"■ '" farming remain dormant. Th" r-n-pla-cent contentment in many ri"" seighbonvlioods is itself the very evidence ot social incapacity or decay. It must not be assumed thir i.'.e.-o deficiencies are to be charged a? ". fault against the farmer a« a group. They are rather to be looked on as evidence of an uncorrelated and unadjusted societv. Society is itself largely to blame. The social structure has been unermally developed. The townsman is likely to assumo ' superiority arid to develop the town in disregard of the real interest.!" of theopen i countrv or even in opposition to them. The city exploits the country; the conn- > tr/doea.not exploit tho city—Report of I U.S. Country Lifo Commission. •