Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912
Science
Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912
American Library Association; Library science -- Congresses
Library reading clubs are a great power for influencing the reading
of high school pupils. It is the age of clubs and organizations. In
the books the pupils choose while browsing the librarian finds a point
of contact and by the reading clubs can direct the voluntary reading.
Interests unsuspected by teachers are revealed to the school librarian.
An interest in art by a pupil thought hopeless in mathematics and
physics and only a fair student in other things. The librarian in the
school has expert aid in this club work. For the library reading club
on art she selects the most inspiring and sympathetic art teacher on
the faculty. For those who are reading Darwin and Spencer and Huxley,
the finest teacher in biology who thoroughly knows the literature and
can make the reading mean much. For those interested in civic and
social questions, clubs for discussion and debate are formed with
English and history teachers for advisers, but all center in the
school library and meet there after school. After school, also where
the library is large or there are two rooms, students may stay to
study,--tenement homes and apartments are often difficult places for
quiet work. For our own school a biography reading club has been a
great success, the students reading interesting biographies of famous
women, Alice Freeman Palmer, Carla Wenckebach, Jane Addams, Florence
Nightingale, etc. Also lives of great explorers, artists, musicians,
statesmen, etc.
5. Vocational guidance.
This is coming to mean great possibilities. If the librarian is
sympathetic and has won the hearts of the students they will come
naturally to her as a source of information on what a boy or girl
can do to earn a living. It is a serious problem to the high school
pupil,--often there is no one at home to help. The librarian must be
ready with books, pamphlets, clippings to lay before the student the
many possibilities in choosing a vocation. The books on these subjects
are the most popular books in the library of a large boys high school.
Catalogs of technical and trade schools, etc., should be on file for
reference for students desiring to plan special courses in high school
to meet their entrance requirements. Where there is a committee of
teachers on vocational direction the librarian can be of great service
in aiding in collections of books, magazines and pamphlet material.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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