Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 66.djvu/142

138 result in steady growth and an increased efficiency in this field. It is equally certain, I think, that more efficient and widely extended state inspection and advice to libraries are likely to be had in the near future. Library legislation is tending to become more uniform in the several states, and perhaps the enabling acts which now permit public libraries to be supported by taxation may be exchanged for mandatory acts compelling their establishment after the manner of public schools. The greatest internal improvements which can be foreshadowed will probably be the growth of a scholarly spirit among librarians, and an increased emphasis on bibliographical work. A large measure of cooperation in the technical details of library administration and the consequent cheapening of its cost may also confidently be expected. Finally, it is entirely probable that the educational value of libraries in the community will come to be greater both by reason of the conscious efforts of the librarians to increase their efficiency, and by the recognition of those efforts on the part of the public whom they serve.