100 Helen A. Becker, W. L. Brown, Emily S. Coit, Mrs H. L. Elmendorf, Mary E. Standbridge Harriet R. Peck, Irving Wynkoop P. M. Paine, F. K. Walter, J. I. Wyer, Jr Mrs Kate D. Andrew, Clara W. Bragg, I. T. Smith A. D. Dickinson, Mrs F. N. Doubleday, Mary L. Sutliff J. W. Livingston, N. Louise Ruckteshler Clara W. Bragg, Anna R. Phelps Mary L. Davis, Margaret M. Lewis, F. K. Walter. W. R. Watson Mrs H. L. Elmendorf, Lucia T. Henderson, Sabra W. Vought Anna C. Crawford, Anna R. Phelps Josephine A. Rathbone W. B. Styles, Mary K. Van Keuren, W. R. Watson, Anna R. Wells Elizabeth P. Clarke, Elisabeth G. Thorne, Adaline B. Zachert Elizabeth L. Foote, Asa Wynkoop Emily S. Coit, Anna R. Phelps Marion Herbert, Annie C. Moore, Mary L. Sutliff, W. R. Watson Alice G. Higgins, Anna R. Phelps, W. R. Watson Miss Armstrong. Harriet L. Burgess, E. W. Gaillard, Mary K. Hasbrouck, S. A. Hayt, Caroline Webster Mary S. Crandall, Harriet R. Peck, Sherman Williams E. S. Hall, Anna O'Brien, Anna R. Phelps of the New York State Library School was resumed this year. A general course of six weeks, covering the most important subjects of value to librarians of small libraries, was given from June 4th to July 18th. As the arrangements were made before the exact measure of resources in the matter of instruction and room could be definitely determined, no special attempt to secure a large attendance was made. In spite of this, 20 students representing many sections of this State and several other states were admitted. A special feature of the session was the course in work with children, given to the regular school, by Miss Clara W. Hunt, Miss Ethel P. Underhill and Mrs Edna Lyman Scott, to which the members of the summer school were invited. Five lectures on Work with schools were given by Dr Sherman Williams, Miss Ida Mendenhall and Miss Mary E. Hall. Miss Jean Hawkins, Miss Jennie D. Fellows, Miss Mary E. Eastwood, Mr James I. Wyer, Jr, Mr Walter S. Biscoe and Mr Frank K. Walter, all members of the State Library or the regular library school staff, conducted various courses. In addition, special lectures were given as follows: Bookbuying, Miss Elizabeth M. Smith; Bookbinding, Mr A. L. Bailey; Book repairing, Miss Jane Crissey; Library in an industrial town, Miss Mary G. Peters; Making the library count and Local history for the small library, Miss Caroline Webster; Visual instruction, Mr A. W. Abrams; Educational Extension Division, Mr W. R. Watson; Study clubs and traveling libraries, Miss Grace L. Betteridge. It is probable that next year's session will be divided into two separate parts of three weeks each, to permit rather more extended instruction in fewer subjects, and a special effort is already under way to relate more closely, through the summer school, the work of the public libraries and school libraries throughout the State. Suggestions for improving the course by making it more directly helpful to the smaller libraries of the State will be gladly received by the Vice Director, State Library School, Albany, N. Y. A list of those in attendance, with their library positions, follows: ANNUAL MEETING OF NEW YORK LIBRARY ASSOCIATION The association will hold its 23d annual meeting, September 22-27, at the Sagamore, Lake George. The following special hotel rates have been offered, and the railroads will grant the usual reduced fares: Librarians attending should buy tickets on the certificate plan thus securing a three-fifths return fare. Green island, on which the hotel Sagamore is situated, is a mile long, wooded and picturesque. It is connected by bridge with the mainland, so the place can offer all kinds of water sports, and in addition, golf, tennis, and the attraction of beautiful walks, rides and drives. "Library week" in such charming surroundings, affords much of recreation. It is hoped that many will avail themselves of the opportunities offered. The Executive Committee has planned a program which it is hoped will prove interesting and helpful to the Association. The program is still somewhat tentative, but the following speakers have promised to be present. Mr Richard Rogers Bowker has consented to make the opening address on Monday evening and Dr John H. Finley, the newly appointed Commissioner of Education, will speak on this occasion. The "Exposition of Heresies" will be treated by Dr Arthur E. Bostwick, Adelaide R. Hasse, William H. Brett and Sarah B. Askew. Miss Annie Carroll Moore will talk on "What the community is asking of the department of children's work in the public library," Miss Cutter on "What I should do in starting or developing a children's room in a town or country library." Alfred H. Brown, a dramatist and a prominent lecturer of the Brooklyn Institute, has agreed to present the subject "The reading public and dramatic art." William F. Yust will present a paper under the title "In the Morning Glow," under cover of which he will tell us what Rochester has been doing and what is and may be done for the larger libraries in the State. Miss Caroline Webster, state organizer, will treat "Certain phases of field work in New York State." The usual circular setting forth in more detail arrangements that have been made for the meeting and traveling accommodations offered, will be sent in August to all members of the association and to all the public libraries of the State. ADELAIDE BOWLES MALTBY, Secretary WHY THE FREE LIBRARY SHOULD BE SUPPORTED BY PUBLIC TAX I Such a tax puts the library on the right basis as a public institution. The purpose of the library is the same as that of the school, the enlargement and enrichment of the intellectual life of the community, and it should therefore be supported on the same grounds and by the same methods as the school. 2 The State as a whole raises money by taxation for the aid and encouragement of libraries and thus establishes the library tax as a State policy. It is an anomaly that a village should receive the aid of a State tax for its library while refusing a local tax. It is as if a school district were to receive public school money from the State without itself bearing a tax for school support. 3 The library supported by a general tax ceases to be a charity, contributed by the few to the many and becomes the right and property of all. When one uses a library supported by private gifts, he is accepting a favor; when he uses a library supported by public tax, he is using what is his own by right. The tax thus promotes a feeling of independence and selfrespect in the library's patrons. 4 Taxation is the easiest and fairest way to raise the money needed. Money raised by entertainments, subscriptions, sales etc. means a great burden of labor, care and expense to a few, and usually to net the sum desired a very much larger sum must be expended. The required amount spread over the tax rolls is hardly felt even by the largest taxpayer. 5 It adds dignity to the library and increases the respect in which it is held. To be made each year an object of charity for which private subscriptions are solicited and rummage sales held tends to bring it into contempt, and greatly lowers its influence in the community. 6 A stated tax, yielding a known and fixed income, enables the trustees to pursue a consistent and constructive plan of library development, which is impossible where the income is dependent on fluctuating impulse or effort. 7 There is perhaps no tax levied from which the people can get so large a return for so little money. A $500 tax in a village of 2000 people is equivalent to an average of 25 cents a year for each resident. For this insignificant sum each person in the village is offered a pleasant reading room, as good as that supplied by many a club, a dozen or more of the best periodicals, a collection of books such as perhaps the wealthiest person in the community could not possess as an individual, and about $200 worth of new books to read every year. QUESTION BOX Women's right to vote on library appropriations Please give the law of this State as to the right of women to vote at town or village elections, on the proposition to appropriate money from taxation for a free or public li brary. Is a married woman whose husband is the owner of real estate in the community, to be regarded as a taxpayer under the terms of the law? If a proposition is submitted at a town meeting to appropriate money for a free library, a woman who possesses the necessary qualifications as to age and residence and who is the owner of property in the town assessed upon the last preceding assessment roll thereof, is entitled to vote upon such proposition. The same rule obtains as to village elections. A woman is not regarded as a taxpayer whose husband is the holder of real property in which the wife has merely a dower interest. The law requires actual ownership in order to entitle the woman to vote. FRANK B. GILBERT Sectarian books and the public library The people are divided here as to the wisdom or expediency of admitting books and papers on Christian Science to the public library, and we have agreed to refer the matter to you. Please give us your judgment regarding the matter. We think it entirely proper for a public library to have on its shelves books setting forth in a seemly, dignified and rational way the beliefs, doctrines, and arguments representing any religious sects. But if such books are to be admitted, there should of course be no discrimination between different denominations; all should be treated alike. The library must not be a place for the propagation of any particular religious doctrine. For this reason it is usually not advisable for a very small library to purchase books representing any particular sect, because it is impossible with its small funds to represent adequately the other sects. The small library should spend its money mainly on books which represent the more or less fundamental and common ideas of the community. If, however, the books come to the library as gifts and it is generally understood that similar gifts will be treated in the same way when other denominations or beliefs are concerned, our advice is to receive them, give them their natural place on the shelves, and have inscribed in them that they are gifts and have been donated by such and such persons or societies. Even in this case, however, do not allow much shelf space to any one denomination, and be sure that the books represent in the best way the thought and doctrines they assume to set forth. A. W. Something besides fiction You have criticized and disapproved our list of recent book purchases on the ground that it is made up almost entirely of fiction, stating that your rules do not permit approval of a list representing an expenditure for fiction of more than 65 per cent of the total. Shall we then disregard popular demand and use and put books of nonfiction on our shelves just for the sake of making a certain showing? Fiction represents more than 90 per cent of the demand in this community, and most of our books of nonfiction, even that included in your "Best Books" is left unused. We desire to promote good reading, but can not force the public to read what it does not want. Why then should we spend our money for such material? Your statement in regard to the relative demand for fiction and nonfiction is one which reaches us not infrequently. Admitting the facts, the question arises whether the people have as good an opportunity to see and become familiar with the new books of nonfiction as with the new fiction. Certainly unless the new and attractive books which are being issued are given an equal chance with the new fiction to make their appeal to the reader they will not receive the attention they deserve. We are not opposed to the circulation of good fiction, but we do think the public should at least have an opportunity to select books from the other classes of literature. Quality of reading is of more importance than quantity, and the one book of real merit carefully read should count for as much as the reading of half a dozen books of ephemeral fiction so far as the real usefulness of the library is concerned. We know from experience that it is not easy in many cases to induce people to read anything but fiction, but we do not consider that a library which caters excessively to that class of readers is fulfilling its function as an educational institution, it can in fact make very little claim to being an educational institution at all. In addition to recreation a library should provide help for the people in their daily work and business. The percentage of the State grant and the local equivalent which we require to be spent for books other than fiction is far less than the percentage recommended in the American Library Association catalog which contains only 16 per cent of fiction. It should be borne It is It is of course impossible to make people read any particular class of books, but it is certain that if nothing but fiction is available nothing but fiction will be read. We do not consider the expenditure of more than 65 per cent of the State money and the local equivalent for the purchase of fiction by your library as fulfilling the requirements for State aid. To add annually a preponderance of this class of literature would soon overbalance your library so that it would no longer fulfil the minimum requirements for proper library standard. W. R. W. Library tax in villages of about 1500 population We are endeavoring to secure a tax appropriation for our free library. As a possible aid to us in this effort we would like to have information as to library conditions in other communities of from 100 to 2000 population, and the amounts appropriated by them for free library support. 1 Population is given for villages in which library is centered. The area voting appropriations noted is not always coterminous with the bounds of the village, representing in some cases the school district and in others the town. The combined population of the above places is 55,969; the total of their tax appropriations for the library is $14,105; the combined collections number 161,169 volumes and their combined circulation last year numbered 359,408. NOTES AND NEWS OF NEW YORK LIBRARIES Akron. By the will of the late Mrs Eunice Denio, her estate valued at about $20,000 is left to the town of Newstead for the erection of a combined town hall and library building. Albany. A set of the Troy Weekly Times, numbering 248 bound volumes, covering the years 1851-1912, has been given to the New York State Library by Mrs Francis whose |