The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Religion
The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.
Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Sunday schools
_Managing the Library._--In a great many Sabbath-schools the manner of
distributing the books is a very bad one, and in consequence of this
some schools have improperly discarded the library altogether. The
great difficulty has arisen from the fact that the librarian has been
allowed to be on the floor and have access to and interrupt the
teachers during the teaching hour. This should never be allowed. An
interruption to the teacher while applying divine truth may peril
souls for ever, and therefore should be carefully guarded. The only
access to the teachers which the librarian ought to be allowed during
school hours is to simply hand them the books, just at the close of
school. There are several good systems for distributing the books that
conform to this idea and protect the teachers. I would never ask the
teachers to write the scholars' names or numbers for books, or do the
work of selection, during the school hours.
In the management of the library, what is called "The Check System" is
considered one of the best. We cannot describe the various good plans,
but I will detail one which seems to me to be more simple and to
obviate more difficulties than any other that I am acquainted with. It
first provides a carefully-printed numerical catalogue of all the
books, with the number of pages. Give to each scholar one of these
catalogues, and replace it when lost. If the school is a small
district-school, a written catalogue will answer the purpose equally
well. Then a "Library Card," four inches by two-and-a-half inches, is
provided for each scholar on the first of each month. On this is
written or printed--"Library Card," "Class No. 6," "John Smith." Each
scholar takes his "Library Card" and catalogue home, and there, with
aid from his parents or a friend, he selects from ten to fifteen
books, either of which he will be satisfied with during the next four
weeks. The "Library Card" is then placed in his book, and kept there
as a marker, and is returned to the librarian on the next Sabbath with
the book. Each scholar hands his book, with the card in it, as he
enters the room, to the librarian, who is always to be found at the
opening of the school at the outer door of the school-room, with a
large basket ready to receive all the books from the pupils. When the
school is opened the librarian carries these books to the library and
assorts them, as he ascertains from each book-mark to whom and what
class and name the book belongs. The book is then credited as
returned, and the new one charged. If any scholar wants one book
particularly that is on his list, he _underscores_ it, and if it is in
the library, it is given to him and charged. If any scholar is late,
and the librarian has gone to the library, he loses his exchange of
books on that Sabbath. The librarian keeps the account of all
library-books, and charges them all to each name and class according
to the book-mark, and credits them when returned, and the teacher has
no care of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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