Page:Rational Library Work with children and the preparation for it - Frances Jenkins Olcott.djvu/8

 the children, and teaches them some such art as sewing or basketry, thus giving them employment with which to fill their idle hours.

It is impossible to define the scope of home library work. Its aim is not only to take books into the home, but to carry with them every influence to make the poor into more happy and useful citizens. The library provides the books, a supervisor, and visitors; while, on the other hand, means for teaching basketry, cooking, etc., is provided by private individuals. The visitor from the library has a strong influence upon the home in which her group meets, as well as among the neighbors. She is often able to aid the families in case of illness, poverty, or lack of work, by putting them in touch with charitable institutions.

The other field of this division is that of the boys' "gangs." The "gang" element is a great feature of the social life of the lower classes of Pittsburgh, and the boys devour the trashy literature which is sold in every part of the city. Some of the "gangs" have formed themselves into clubs, and conduct circulating libraries of dime and nickel novels. In order to reach these boys we provide rooms in different parts of the city, form the "gangs" into reading and game clubs, and send visitors from the library to meet them in the evening and keep them off the streets. The use of rooms for this purpose is given us by school boards, mission houses, bath houses, the Newsboys' Home, and by a Jewish synagogue. In almost every case we are given heat, light, and janitor service.

The statistics for the use of books in this division are never overwhelming, neither is the collection of books large. The amount of good done can never be recorded in figures: it is the social side of the work that counts. The vital gains are those of the influence exerted on ignorant but eager children by good reading, reading aloud, story telling, playing games; the record of a family saved from starvation; a home found for a stray child; a boy given work; a girl kept from running away from home; the teaching of the boys chivalry, courtesy, honesty; the girls neatness, industry, deference; such a record cannot be kept by statistical figures.

The solidity of all the work of the children's department, as outlined above, depends upon not only the quality and extent of the book collection, but on the personality, training, and experience of the library workers.

This brings us to an important part of our paper, which is the preparation for library work with children. In the beginning of our department, we made decidedly unsatisfactory experiments in employing untrained help. Time was lost, irreparable mistakes made, and much of our work failed of the mark. We found it imperative to establish a training class to supply the children's librarians for our own library. This training class developed into a training school, and since the time of its organization in 1900, we have not been able to supply the demand for trained children's librarians, a demand coming from all parts of the country. This spring we had some thirty positions to fill, and not more than six children's librarians to send out into the field. It is a great pity that desirable young women do not know of this undeveloped field of work. We have a great many candidates, but comparatively few of them are accepted as students. We are continually raising our standard for admission. The ideal applicant should have the following characteristics: Sympathy with and respect for children, strength of character, a genial nature, a pleasing personality, an instinct for reading character, adaptability, and last but not least, a strong sense of humor. Her home training and education should have given her a love and knowledge of books, a fund of general information, a quick and accurate mind. These qualities are difficult to find combined in one person.

In order to have you understand fully the basis on which we train, it may be well to remind you of what has already been stated—that we consider the work with