Papers and proceedings of the thirty-fifth general meeting of the American Library Association, 1913

tate Library, S

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Library of Congr

sity of Michigan L

University Librar

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City Library, S

L. A. Executive Of

UN

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order by President Legle

harles Carroll Soule, and by unanimous vote of the Council the Chair appointed Dr. Herbert Putnam, R. R

chairman present

N RELATIONS BETWEEN THE L

eves that, owing to diversity of local conditions and of constitutional and other requirements in different parts of the Union, it is impossible to frame definitely a model library law or a model library section of a city ch

mple of the way in which these things may be done, accompanied by a warning that before adopting it as a model in any specific instance, it should be carefully studied by some competent person and modified to suit the necessities of the case. Your comm

rding the aims

e law, precisely as the schools should be and generally are left, no matter what changes in the form of municipal government are contemplated or have been carried into effect. If the state law is not entirely satisfactory, it is better to amend it than to try to better matters through the local charter. The charter may well contain, to avoid the

xing or governing body to establish a free public library and to tax itself for the support of that library, accepting gifts where necessary and obligating itse

provision or by the requirement of a minimum appropriation by the authorities. In no case should the existence or value of t

onal agencies and in no case treated as a group of buildings or a mere agency of recreation. The board should be a body corporate, distinct from other municipal organizations and departments, with powers of succession, power to sue and be sued, to acquire and hold propert

d's free disposal for library purposes, including the purchase of land and the erection of buildings. They should be received and held by the

on and promotion of library employees in the hands of the same board that selects clerks and mechanics for the city departments, bu

planning of buildings, its librarian being regarded both as its executive officer and as its expert adviser, to whom the choice of me

which your committee does not regard as couched in legal phraseology. Before being used in any state its prov

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he support of a free public library within its jurisdiction, and such tax shall be levied if so

public library, whether or not a tax is levied as above provided, or to enter into a contract for library s

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an nine trustees (appointed as the legislature may provide), which board shall have the powers of a public co

may contract with other public bodies within and without the city, to render library service, adding to its number, if mutually so agreed, one or more representa

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ise, shall be in custody of the city treasurer and shall be paid out by him on

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romoted for merit only, and the board shall adopt suc

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formance of certain acts annually, the municipality may obligate it

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f its work in detail, with its receipts a

ed that the above report be printed a

ncil on Thursday evening, June 26th, at which the topic, "The Quality of Fiction

be given to members of the Council to reserve hotel rooms at the annual conferences in advance of the membership at large and state

on it was unanimously voted

inate five members for the Council to be elected by the Council for a term of five yea

ilation and lighting of library buildings and recommended that the Committe

rt here

ttee on Ventila

e,

ncil of th

on and lighting can submit at this

ibility of having them, in the interest of scientific knowledge, make the necessary tests for us, at no expense to the Association. Objection developed against this line of procedure, inasmuch as it was feared th

age Foundation, both of which efforts failed. The matter was then taken up with the Department of Commerce, and we are hope

ee is strengthened in its belief reported a year ago to the effect that most of the ventilating apparatus now in use will have to be discarded as junk and that the whole ar

ble the committee could prepare a preliminary report of its findings for publication in t

of Prof. Brooks of the University of Illinois who, after years of study and experience in

fully s

L H.