One great reason for keeping open through the year is that many parents are obliged to work all day, and the children run the risk of getting into all sorts of crime. As an instance, not long since I found a little girl in our department who had been frequently caught pilfering. At last we thought it necessary to send for the mother. She burst into tears and said: "What am I to do? My children are alone after school hours until I return, and I do not know what they are doing." I asked if the children had tickets for the reading-room, and here found another difficulty. "Not on the same day," she said. We had been obliged to send the girls on three days of the week, and the boys on two days, because of the lack of room, and of helpers. Several teachers have since come forward and offered their services. Two teachers in our department have gone every Monday, and two others every Friday, and appeared to take great pleasure in the work. All honor to such young, earnest workers, for they deserve it! We have recently received a box of books, toys, etc., from the "Little Helpers" in Elyria, Ohio, and Columbia College is taking an active interest in our work. We are leaning upon our friends of the college library for support and help, in time to come. All our meetings are held at Columbia College. We hope for liberal donations, and we feel quite sure--yes, as sure as we felt on that gloomy evening last winter, when we decided to go on--that from the kind words of encouragement, and the liberal gifts that we have received in the past, the gifts are coming in the future; and when we are resting from our labors, others yet unborn shall rise up and call those blessed who have strengthened our hands. And we believe that when this comes the prison doors will open less frequently. THE WORK FOR CHILDREN IN FREE LIBRARIES In the following paper, read in 1897 before the Friends' Library Association of Philadelphia, and the New York Library Club, Miss Mary W. Plummer discussed some of the "experiences and theories" of a number of libraries and the "requisites for the ideal children's library." Mary Wright Plummer was born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1856, was graduated from the Friends' Academy there, and was a special student at Wellesley College, 1881-1882. She entered the "first class of the first library school," and in 1888 became a certified graduate of the Library School of Columbia College. For the next two years she was the head of the Cataloguing department of the St. Louis Public Library. She was Librarian of the Pratt Institute Free Library from 1890 to 1904, and Director of the Pratt Institute of Library Science until 1911. She then became Principal of the Library School of the New York Public Library, the position she held until her death in 1916. Miss Plummer was President of the A. L. A. in 1915-1916. She contributed many articles to library periodicals, and has written numerous books, several of which are for children.