Gratifying, however, as are the results of this movement, there
is something more that needs to be done. Libraries must be
purified from objectionable literature; new books must be
properly selected; but after this kind of work has been done, a
very important work remains to be attended to, namely, that of
helping children to find out the books in the library that will
interest them and pleasantly instruct them. Every child should be
aided to get books suited to its age, its immediate interests,
and its needs.
The Library Journal, in its number for June gave the title of a
catalogue of the books in the Sunday-school library of the
Unitarian church in Winchester, Massachusetts. In this catalogue
short notes are added to the titles of some of the books to show,
when the titles do not give information enough, what subjects are
really treated of in the books annotated.
Something beside this is desirable, however. Children need much
personal aid in selecting books.
I have been conservant of the work of a minister who, about a
year since, after examining carefully all the books in the
Sunday-school library of his church, and after taking out such
volumes as he considered particularly objectionable and adding
others which he knew to be good, set himself the task of talking
with the children of his school about their reading. The school
has a superintendent, but he, as minister, also takes an interest
in it and has spent the time he has given to it, recently, in
talking with the children, one at a time, about books, finding
out from them their tastes and what they had been reading, and
recommending to them wholesome books to read and interesting
lines of investigation to pursue.
My principal object in writing this article is to show how books
are selected and how children are interested in books in the
Sunday-school in which I am a teacher. It seems to me that its
methods are wise and worthy of being followed elsewhere. The
Sunday-school referred to is that connected with the Second
Congregational (1st Unitarian) Church in Worcester,
Massachusetts.
Thirteen or fourteen years ago the library of this Sunday- school
was carefully examined and weeded. Every book was read by
competent persons, and the poorest books were put out of the
library. This weeding process has gone on year by year; as new
books have been added others not representing a high standard of
merit have been removed from the shelves. Great care has been
taken to examine conscientiously new books before putting them
into the library. The result is that the Sunday- school now has
an excellent library. It has found the catalogue of the Ladies'
Commission of great aid in making selections, but has not found
all the books recommended in it adapted to its purposes. A
competent committee has always read the books recommended by the
Commission, so as to make sure that such volumes only were
selected as would meet the actual needs of the Sunday-school we
have to provide for.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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