HOME READING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9130, 1 July 1908, Page 4

HOME READING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.

An interesting feature of library work is the increased attention given to the needs of children, hot merely to the supply of books suitable for children, but to the relations of public libraries to educational institutions. In the April number of the "Libi'ary," Mr John Baliinger gives an account of the experiments madi by the Cardiff Public Library in the endeavour to provide for the reading of children. When an appeal for aid was first made to the School Board it met with'a cold refusal, but after three years' work of the library and the teachers the School Board realised that the Public Library might

well become the successor of the schools in carrying on the work of education, and a joint scheme of ' organisation was agreed to. How successful has been the circulation of . juvenile books through the school ; libraries may be judged from the following figures:— In the year preceding the new organisation the circulation/of juvenile books from the Public Library was 31,419, whereas in the year September, 1900, .to July, 1901, the loans through the school libraries were 153,528, and during the school year September, 1906, to July, 1907, the circulation was 252,771. What kind of books does the liDrary send to the elementary schools? Stories, fairy tales, tales of adventure, school tales, classic i tales, etc., and for older children travel, history, bioeraphy, - nature books, elementary applied science, books about games, etc. Again and again the teachers say the children who read are much easier to teach.