第37章 THE GROWING TENDENCY TO OVER-EMPHASIZE THE CHILDRE

Second,far and away the most interesting phase of this library work in North Carolina is that the whole movement lies outside of the hands of professionally trained librarians.To understand why this is so it is necessary to turn to the Department of Education.Education in North Carolina is a state affair and centralized,the state being for all practical purposes autocratic in every educational matter.Decentralization has set in to the extent of admitting local taxation;otherwise education in North Carolina to-day is as highly centralized as it is in France.There is no difference whatever between the power of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction at Raleigh,and that of the Minister of Public Instruction in France.Such being the case it is but natural that the rural library movement should be absorbed by the state,incorporated into the Department of Education,and administered by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.Neither would it be wise to change this.It would be wise,however,to appoint as one of the county superintendents of public instruction a trained librarian,having as his charge the entire supervision and administration of library interests.

Third,all responsibility for the care of these libraries rests with teachers.The teachers should never have such responsibility.It is entirely beyond and outside of their proper work.I feel sure that this problem of how to care for school deposits of library books,a problem which is an issue North as it is South,is not so difficult of solution as library workers would have us believe.Disabuse yourselves of the notion that it is the teachers'work,and a way out of the difficulty will be found.

Fourth,not only is there a growing dissatisfaction with the library act as administered,but there is actually active opposition to it--on the part of some teachers,and on the part of certain public-spirited citizens.So much so is this a fact that a counter movement is already in progress.This consists in the establishment of rural libraries by private gift,by the citizens at large,and by certain societies.Tryon has such a library,a delightful building with two rooms and an ample supply of standard books;Lenoir has one;Boone has one.Yet these are small towns,two of them not exceeding 300inhabitants each.An interesting feature of one of these libraries is that it serves largely as a social center for community life.Afternoon tea is served in it;musicals held;club papers read;even the Woman's Exchange meets and exhibits once a week.I had no means of discovering how general this movement was,nor yet of determining the ratio of emphasis laid on the social side of the work.But I want you to note one point--the movement starts with the adult and with standard works,and only by means of the adult,or through the parent,is the child reached.It is the exact antithesis of the state movement.

Fifth,the libraries are neglected.In no school did I find a well-appointed one,and where there were bookcases they were tucked aside in corner or entry,thick with dust,unused.

The state statistics as to the growth of this movement ignore absolutely the facts I have mentioned.Therefore,I claim that in no true sense are these statistics representative.The movement,however,has interest.It is alive.It is sweeping through the state.It spends thousands of dollars a year.It concerns itself wholly with children.These are its characteristics.There can be no two opinions as to its lack of balance,for the adult is not even considered.There can be no two opinions as to its intellectual and educational values.Buying only "juvenile literature"they are of the smallest.There can be no two opinions as to its morality:the people are taxed,yet only a fraction of the people,only those who have children below the seventh and above the first grades,receive a return.

How far North Carolina was seeking guidance of the North,how far the North was also over-emphasizing,if it was,the children's side in library work,I next wished to determine.

This brought me back to Boston,and to my second and final year of service on the Examining Committee.The chairmanship of the sub-committee on branches gave me opportunity for studying library work as it touched the child and the school in cities.

This I supplemented by a less intensive study of library conditions in towns,in Massachusetts,Connecticut,New Hampshire,seeking to make my knowledge comprehensive.

The first impression I received was that of the many interpretations put upon library work.These were almost as numerous as were the librarians and custodians.Viewing the work as a whole such divergence in practice seemed an error.There is power in unity;results worth while follow.There is loss in the frittering away of time caused by casual experiment;moreover,it bears heavily on the child.To this you may be inclined to answer that social and moral conditions vary so in each city and town that the individual condition must be faced individually.

Granted,but not to the extent you might wish.To illustrate:

there is wisdom in allowing a certain station of the Boston system complete liberty of action.But the situation at this station is unique.It could not be duplicated even in Boston.The work is in the hands of a skilled leader,and it forms part of a large private work,financed by a philanthropist noted for leadership in wise experimentation.The library shows breadth in accepting the situation.But it is not wisdom to allow the introduction of the story hour,or,as is the case in a neighboring town,the throwing wide open of the children's room to tots so tiny that picture blocks have to be furnished them to play with--before the educational authorities have pronounced such work necessary and just.