Produced by Chuck Greif, MWS, Adrian Mastronardi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) LIBRARY ESSAYS PAPERS RELATED TO THE WORK OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES LIBRARY ESSAYS PAPERS RELATED TO THE WORK OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARTHUR E. BOSTWICK, PH. D. THE H. W. WILSON COMPANY NEW YORK 1920 PREFACE The author of these papers began his service in librarianship in April, 1895. He celebrates his silver jubilee by gathering them into a single volume. Before becoming a librarian he had worked for many years as teacher, editor and journalist, and the use of the pen having become second nature, he took it up in behalf of libraries and librarians, somewhat sooner, perhaps, than experience would warrant. However, the papers reflect to a certain extent the progress of library work during the past quarter century. A. E. B. CONTENTS PAINS AND PENALTIES IN LIBRARY WORK 3 Read at the Magnolia Conference of the American Library Association, June, 1902. (_A. L. A. Proceedings_, 1902, p. 29-34) HOW LIBRARIANS CHOOSE BOOKS 17 (_Public Libraries_, April, 1903, p. 137-41) THE WORK OF THE SMALL PUBLIC LIBRARY 29 (_Library Journal_, August, 1903, p. 596-600) LAY CONTROL IN LIBRARIES AND ELSEWHERE 39 Read before the Trustees’ Section of the American Library Association, at the Niagara Conference. (_A. L. A. Proceedings_, 1903, p. 199-202) THE WHOLE DUTY OF A LIBRARY TRUSTEE: FROM A LIBRARIAN’S STANDPOINT 49 An address before the Trustees’ Section of the American Library Association (_A. L. A. Proceedings_, 1906, p. 40-4) THE DAY’S WORK: SOME CONDITIONS AND SOME IDEALS 59 Presidential address before the New York Library Association, Lake Placid, September 21, 1903. (_Library Journal_, October, 1903, p. 704-7) LIBRARY STATISTICS 69 (_Library Journal_, January, 1904, p. 5-8) OLD PROBABILITIES IN THE LIBRARY--HIS MODEST VATICINATIONS 79 Read before the Pennsylvania Library Club, Philadelphia, May 9, 1904. (_Library Journal_, October, 1904, p. 517-23) THE LOVE OF BOOKS AS A BASIS FOR LIBRARIANSHIP 97 Read before the New York Library Association, Twilight Park, September, 1906. (_Library Journal_, February, 1907, p. 51-5)