Papers and Proceedings of the Twenty-Third General Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Waukesha, Wisconsin, July 4-10, 1901
Science
Papers and Proceedings of the Twenty-Third General Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Waukesha, Wisconsin, July 4-10, 1901
American Library Association; Library science -- Congresses
It was voted that Mr. Crunden be appointed to represent the Library
Association at the N. E. A. meeting.
F. M. CRUNDEN: Touching the subject before this meeting, I want to
corroborate the statement made by Mr. Dana regarding the progress that
comes quickly if you once induce the teachers of a city to accept, even
in a small measure, the co-operation of the library. Only a few years
ago we almost had to beg the teachers to use our books. We had to offer
every inducement to them, and they did it, most of them, rather
reluctantly. Now the great majority of our schools use the library
books. Not long ago I asked three questions of the teachers using the
library in their work: What value do you place upon the library in
supplementary reading? What effect has it had thus far on the progress
of your pupils in their studies? Is it an aid to the pupils? All these
question were answered most satisfactorily to us. Several say the
library books are worth as much as any study in the curriculum, while
two of them say that the library books are worth all the rest. And
regarding discipline, the universal testimony is that the library is an
aid to the discipline. In the school where most reading is done, the
principal tells me that the problem of discipline has been practically
eliminated; they give no more thought to it, because the children are
interested and pleasantly occupied, so they do not get into mischief.
The library has aided in all studies, is the basis of language work, has
improved the language of the children, and has given an interest to the
school work that it did not have before. Now if the teachers can only
understand that this is going to lighten their work instead of
increasing it, they will accept the co-operation of the library.
Dr. CANFIELD: Just one word to express my appreciation of the fairness
with which Mr. Dewey put before you the position of the teachers and to
add this statement: You are all likely to forget that you determine the
lines of your own work and that a teacher's work is laid out for her by
other people, and it takes about all the time and strength of the pupil
to meet the immediate demands of the curriculum, which is often very
unwisely laid out. I want to add to that, as a proof of the interest
taken by teachers, I know of my personal knowledge that the teachers of
the high schools of New York have frequently placed their personal
endorsement upon library cards for the pupils they have sent to the
libraries and for whose books they are personally responsible. They
cannot prove their interest in any better way than that.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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