Page:The Wisconsin idea (IA cu31924032449252).pdf/241

 that newspaper clippings from all over the country, magazine articles, court briefs and letters must supplement this library and compose to a very large extent its material.

A trained librarian and indexer, a resourceful person with a liberal education, who is tactful and can meet an emergency is absolutely essential. The material is largely "scrappy" and difficult to classify and should be so arranged that it is compact and accessible. In our work we are not afraid to tear up books, documents, pamphlets, clippings, letters, manuscripts or other material, put it with the different subjects and minutely index it. Legislators have no time to read large books. The librarian has no time to hunt up many references in different parts of the library; all material upon every subject of legislative importance should be together as far as possible. Complete indexes of all bills which have not become laws in the past should be made. This saves the drawing of new bills and makes the experience of the past cumulative. Records of vetoes, special messages, political platforms, political literature and other handy matter is carefully noted and arranged.

Digests of laws of the various states on every subject of importance receiving consideration by the legislature should be made and many copies kept for distribution. Leading cases on all these laws, opinions of public men and experts upon the working of these laws or upon the