USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1949 > Part 22
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23
6. "The Public Library is urgently in need of additional qualified personnel";
7. "The present personnel scheme should be amended to include in- ducements for staff members to participate in study courses related to their work";
365
PUBLIC LIBRARY
8. "The Library should be in financial position to engage the services of graduates of recognized schools of library science, to the extent at least, that satisfactory in-service training programs can be established and also so that the Library may be accepted as a center for professional field work students";
Be it noted, that we took care to emphasize that:
"The insufficiency in our library buildings now prevailing did not develop overnight. We are presently experiencing the final stages of a long process of decay. Accordingly, we should not and do not expect a sudden and simultaneous rectifica- tion of all the existing deficiencies. But some approach to- wards correction should begin immediately, with gradual but persistent progress as the recognized goal. The interest of the public is at stake and the capital investment in library build- ings should not be allowed to diminish further because of sheer callousness. It would be a manifestation of wise statesman- ship if the authorized officials taking into consultation the Library Trustees, after careful study of all phases of the sub- ject, laid plans for a truly creditable modern library system worthy of a municipality as potentially great as is Somerville."
Insofar as building renovation is concerned, the only sub- stantial advance made in the course of the year 1949, accord- ing to the Librarian, was the refurbishing for the first time in decades, of the Staff Rooms at Central Library.
First of all, therefore, we again recommend that the proper authorities undertake a full-scale survey of the structural and technical needs of the various building units housing our public libraries. Architects and construction engineers may well be able to evolve plans whereby the spatial expansion of the Central Library could be achieved so as to furnish the additional space required there.
If the proposed new Planning Board becomes a reality, we urge that it enter early into an examination and appraisal of the extant library buildings and include in any master plan for urban redevelopment adequate provisions for our libraries As in the case of other public buildings, such as school build- ings, replacements could be made gradually and the costs amortized over a period of years.
If that age of progress is ever attained when new library buildings are actually being planned, provision should be made for some lecture halls and auditoriums when as in other
366
ANNUAL REPORTS
communities, civic forums, pertinent exhibitions, and spon- sored lectures can be held. Such projects should also contain study cubicles designed to prosper the concentration of patrons engaged in research work. In other words, functional archi- tecture should be substituted for the old style structure dis- tinguished more for grandeur than for utility.
Relevently, we would like to focus attention on the fact that convenient library facilities (now entirely non-existent) are of pressing importance to two distinct sections of the City:
1. There should be a Branch Library or Station in the upper Spring Hill district to serve that populous area:
2. There should be a Branch Library or Station in the Ma- goun Square region.
Both new outlets should be so located as to be attractively prominent and easy of access.
In the internal administration of our Somerville Public Library certain specific objectives also appear highly desirable to us. Our convictions are based upon our experience during the past sixteen years as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Our book collections have not kept pace either with the growth of the community or with the advances in library science and professional standards. The appalling deficiences which mark the department which may be comprehended under the heading "The Social Sciences" were brought to the fore during the past year while we were endeavoring to as- semble suitable listings for the "CLASSIFIED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR SOCIAL WORKERS" which was published by the Library under our Editorship. Incidentally, we may remark in passing that this work (containing some fifteen hundred titles) which as far as we know is unique in the field, has despite the in- trinsic difficulties, been received wtih enthusiastic favor by other libraries, both public and collegiate, by schools of library science and schools of social work, by social agencies, pro- fessional people and other interested parties. In fact, there are multiple reasons for believing that our precedent will be imitated elsewhere.
In collecting and collating the titles for the publication under review, two significant facts became starkly apparent:
367
PUBLIC LIBRARY
1. The presence in the library of an immense number of works long since archaic which should have been discarded years ago, and the retention of which serves no useful purpose except the questionable one, of inflating the number of books reportable;
2. A significant dearth of contemporary works recognized as authoritative or at least accepted as representative of current scientific thinking. The meaning of this latter condition is enhanced in view of the fact that during the past three years we, personally, have expended considerable effort in coopera- tion with the Librarian to build up this vitally influential de- partment of the Library collection.
There is every reason to conclude that the condition pre- vailing in the Social Science Department is not peculiar but rather is typical. Accordingly, under competent auspices, there should take place as soon as possible a total examination of all the Collections or Book Departments of the Library. This procedure should issue in action calculated to remove the quantities of obsolete material, and the development of listings which must be acquired in order to bring the Library up to date. An estimate of the costs should be made and the facts made known. It is irrational to continue to promote by silence the current illusion.
A very rough estimate indicates that advisable eliminations would reduce the existent Library collection of approximately 128,000 by at least one-fifth of this gross figure. A minimum collection for a modern American city of 100,000 people, ac- cording to professional standards, would be 150,000 books. A more nearly ideal figure would range from 175,000 to 200,- 000. Using the minimum figure, the facts reveal that at least 50,000 new volumes are needed. At the lowest average price per volume of $1.50, this means very simply that the Library would need at least $75,000 to bring its collections up to date now.
While any such amount as that mentioned as a basic re- quisite may appear unthinkable in view of the present state of general municipal financing, the realities of the situation should not be suppressed. Furthermore, it should be stressed that if the current rate of decline continues year after year, our Public Library will in the ultimate analysis reach a position rendering untenable its original purposes. As in the case of the library buildings the present state of deterioration is the resultant of years of decadence so also the actual state of our book collections manifests above all the accumulated effects
368
ANNUAL REPORTS
of successive years of insufficient appropriations for book re- placements. The main hope of remedying the situation lies in progressive liquidation of the defects over a term of years by gradual improvement.
As in so many other instances, the problem of communit! spirit and civic pride are at the heart of this subject. We are compelled to confess that insofar as the Library is concerned. little has been done to arouse or sustain interest in the people as a whole. Our civic, fraternal and benevolent organizations might to the benefit of all, demonstrate their interest in the common good by becoming practical benefactors of their own Public Library. In scores of large cities throughout the nation one can study the excellent results of such constructive in- terest
Apropos of enlisting the support of both social groups and affluent individuals for our own Public Library, we renew once more our oft-repeated recommendation that the Library should institute a continuing program of public relations de- signed to provide the tax-paying public with all the factual information and educational insight to which it is entitled. This program should be implemented by the use of all the modern media of communications available. A qualified staff member given enabling powers and guided by clearly delin- eated policies should be specifically assigned to this work Indeed, we think that these duties could be effectively and harmoniously correlated to those which we outlined last year in suggesting the creation of the position of "Supervisor of Social Agency Relations."
Our Library should be equipped with a micro-filming ma- chine. Such machines are now standard equipment in all modern libraries. Their use proves invaluable in preserving historical records, often irreplaceable and naturally subject to attenuation by age. Moreover, the micro-filming of news- papers can save an appreciable amount of shelf space annually These fundamental uses only intimate the numerous possibili- ties of this highly advantageous machinery.
At a risk perhaps, of appearing imprudent, honest candor impels us to express the conviction here that the structure of the Board of Library Trustees should be revamped. In our opinion, which is merely personal, the number of the Trustees should be reduced from the present nine to five members This would undoubtedly increase the efficiency of the Board
369
PUBLIC LIBRARY
While the Board, as everyone should be aware, is purely honorary, appointive by the Mayor and subject to confirmation by the Board of Aldemen, our experience during the past sixteen years may be deemed sufficient warrant to validate a few suggestions. In this regard we think that considerable care should be exercised in the selection of Board members to insure the appointment only of qualified persons who have a genuine interest in assuming this particular type of civic and social responsibility. The attendance records of the Board during the past several years may reasonably be construed to indicate a grave lack of interest on the part of some appointees By virtue of the Municipal Charter the Board of Library Trus- tees is charged "with the care and management of the Public Library", and even though the actual operation of the Library reposes from day to day in the hands of the Librarian, the Board was assuredly intended originally to establish policies subject to the approval of the Chief Executive. It is logical to infer, therefore, that those only should be appointed who are both qualified and interested in carrying out the defined duties of such an office.
Whether or not the Board is reorganized by Ordinance recent experience indicates the necessity for revision of the By-Laws of the Board of Trustees. Written years ago, the By-Laws should be brought into conformity with present-day circumstances and in the perspective of easily visualizable problems.
Some years ago the practice of furnishing members of the Board with typed copies of the minutes of the meetings was jettisoned. At first, this was done on the plea that sufficient clerical help was not at hand. In our opinion, the discontin- uance of the typed minutes conduced to a decline in both the morale and efficiency of the Board. The minutes over a period of time furnished each individual member with an invaluable sheaf of references and tended also to record more fully information pertaining to the initiation of motions than is now the case. It would be a relatively simple process to produce all the copies required by mimeographing. Hence, we strongly recommended return to the traditional custom prevalent in virtually all formal official bodies of typed min- utes of meetings. In this connection, we think it would facili- tate the work of the Board, if Book Lists were mailed to mem- bers so as to reach them at least three days in advance of the meetings at which action on them is scheduled. It is scarcely
370
ANNUAL REPORTS
possible to give even cursory attention to a lengthy list of titles at a Board meeting.
Changing times and shifting organizational requirements suggest the necessity of reviewing periodically the Library's Personnel Practices Plan and Salary Schedule. Our experience inclines us to the decision that our employment standards have perforce, been somewhat abitrary. A relaxed labor market may provide opportunity in the near future to clarify and sys- tematize the Library's hiring policies. Revisions of the Per- sonnel Practices Plan and Salary Schedules should be made in accordance with the best interests of the Library and the City. Every possible incentive should be utilized to obtain and to retain personnel of sound character and high calibre.
Libraries, it may be worth restressing by way of conclusion, have a long and glorious history. They are traceable back to the primeval days of recorded history. Why? Because they are an expression of the very nature of human personality.
Man is distinguished from all other creatures on earth by possession of an immoral soul endowed with intellect and will. Inorganic and animal creation are without freedom because lacking intellectual life. Liberty is rooted in rationality. Man acts as man, the human being is a personality, precisely inso- far as the life of the intellect and the will dominates the senses and the lower appetites. The intellect is ever searching for the fullness of truth and the will is always reaching out for the Absolute Good.
Hence, man is primarily and supremely an intellectual being. The appetitive power of volition is correlative to the intellective faculty of perception. Thus is he made, as the Sacred Scripture tells us, "to the image and likeness of God." Thus in the essential constitution of the human spirit (as the Founding Fathers so admirably promulgated in the Declaration of Independence) "all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights-among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Because man is rational and also because he is social, we have community and culture. The art of writing remains the principal instrument by which men communicate the thoughts of their minds. Indeed, even the most modern media of mass communication, the cinema, radio, televison, depend on the
371
PUBLIC LIBRARY
written novel. Above all, writing, especially writing enshrined in books, abides as the chief instrument of receiving endur- ingly the intellectual fructification of human persons.
The Library, therefore, is a natural expression of man's character. It is at once an earnest of man's intellectual life and a testimony to his mental liberty. It constitutes simul- taneously a reservoir and a source-spring of culture.
The modern public library is especially ordered to supple- ment our educational institutions. It is, accordingly, as we remarked last year, very definitely a social agency. We are gratified to note that our thesis in this respect has received historical verification and corroboration in a book published within the last few months namely, "Foundations of the Public Library-A Social History of the Public Library Movement in New England from 1629 to 1885" by Jesse H. Shera, pub- lished by the University of Chicago Press-1949.
Our Public Library, therefore, has both magnificent po- tentialities and tremendous responsibilities. The public library was founded in America to inherit the treasures and to convey the concepts which gave unparalleled richness to Western Christian civilization.
As barbarism is the absence of standards and civilization their exaltation in practice, so our American Public Libraries should be not only dynamic centres of true culture but bastions of representative government in a world overshadowed by a totalitarian hegemony. The Public Library can serve no nobler purpose than to sustain the God-given patriotic traditions of our American Republic rooted as they are in the Christian concepts of the dignity of the individual person and the ac- countability of government under God to a free citizenry. Its grand function embraces the guardianship of intellectual, moral, and historical truth. To this end, despite any agitation on the part of carping critics who would have it subserve the vile ends of perjudice, it should evolve high standards of eval- uation and selection in order to guarantee the integrity of its acquisitions.
The Somerville Public Library has a record of achievement too splendid to allow its passive abandonment now to an un- certain fate. It can and should receive the development it
372
ANNUAL REPORTS
deserves. Positive constructive steps should be taken immedi- ately to insure for it a prosperous future.
A final word of gratitude to our Librarian, John D. Kelley, with whom we have enjoyed the privilege of working closely during the two terms of our Presidency. He has recently brought prestige to our municipal institution by his election to the office of the Presidency of the Massachusetts Library Association. We feel confident that his success augurs well for the future and we sincerely hope that just provisions will be made whereby he can advance the cultural interests of all the people of Somerville by placing in effective operation the recommendations which we respectfully submit in this intro- duction to his Annual Report.
Sincerely,
JOHN J. GRIFFIN, President of
The Board of Public Library Trustees
373
PUBLIC LIBRARY
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN
January 10, 1950.
To the Board of Trustees:
The year 1949 continues the trend prevalent during the closing months of 1948, of an increase in circulation which naturally results from an increase in the use of our library facilities. The attendance in all our locations has shown a definite upturn, a condition which we are certain will continue with the gradual return of more normal world conditions. With the trend to normalcy we find our personnel situation improving, helped materially by the more equitable salary ad- justment of recent years, yet still holding room for some fur- ther improvement. The absence of applicants of college grade who now are attracted to the more lucrative teaching profession is notable. However, we observe that the staff members em- ployed in recent years are of such calibre that their desire for self-improvement and promotion has induced several to con- tinue studies for their degrees. We hope that sometime in the near future the recommendation of the Board of Trustees, to award increments to staff members for extra curricular study, will be approved by the city administration. This policy is the established procedure of the School Department, which policy has worked to the benefit of the system. I humbly be- lieve the extension to the Library Department as a part of the educational system of our community, would result in benefits to all concerned.
Unfortunately, though one of the major yardsticks of de- termining the progressiveness of a community is its educational system, the library, which serves the public from early youth through old age and is a part of this system, is very often considered by our City Fathers as a department which would be politically unsound to eliminate, yet not of sufficient im- portance to finance to the extent it merits. To my knowledge there is no department of the city government which offers as much service at so little cost to the taxpayer serving not only the preschool, the interim, but also the postschool educational and recreational needs of our citizenry. Yet we are expected to carry on year after year, notwithstanding higher replacement cost, the same services with approximately the same budget allowance.
374
ANNUAL REPORTS
With the advent of television, fast becoming one of the apparently necessary fixtures of household equipment, the responsibility of our library to maintain its importance as an educational and cultural agency of our community becomes more and more apparent. Television in itself, the most mag- nificent of all forms of communication, has fast become such an assault against the human mind, an attack upon the imagi- nation, an invasion against good taste, as no other medium of communication has known, not excepting the motion pictures or the radio. Juvenile delinquency has been discussed from our platforms, spread over the pages of our newspapers and yet each day love triangles, murders, gangster scenes, and thrashy, sexy episodes are performed via the magic screen before the very eyes of our youth, without a voice raised in opposition, when it is a well-known psychological fact that children are imitative.
Realizing this competition and the resultant influence, we have made a concerted effort this year to furnish a larger and more attractive collection in our children's department. Our efforts have been repaid as evidenced by the increase in circulation of children's books. We realize we must continually strive to attract the children and introduce them to the in- fluence of books to develop their reading habits. The coopera- tion of the School Department has been excellent, yet the circulation of books in the school classroom is not our main objective though we employ this medium to create the desire for more books and thereby encourage attendance at our var- ious library locations.
A survey of the circulation records of our stations-Ten Hills, Teele Square and Union Square-provides interesting food for thought. These locations, economical to operate, are proving extremely popular with our borrowers, each station having an average annual circulation of 30,000 or over. The facilities of Teele Square are adequate and the Ten Hills Station with refurbishing, ventilating and heating improve- ments would be satisfactory, but the Union Square Station, as has been previously reported, is sadly in need of improvement and much larger quarters. The crowded conditions of this location are almost unbearable. Daily at the close of St. Joseph's High and Elementary Schools, the Southern Junior High School and the numerous Public Grade Schools in this vicinity, there are lines of youngsters sometimes extending to the sidewalk, waiting their turn to return or borrow books. Furthermore, there is no opportunity for study by these chil- dren in a section of the city where home conditions are not
375
PUBLIC LIBRARY
always conductive to the school requirements. A relocation in the center of Union Square in larger quarters would be money well spent, thereby alleviating a serious community deficit.
The Central Library is still in a deplorable condition neces- sitating, because of years of neglect, a large outlay of monies to permit the urgently needed improvements. We have re- quested the Building Department to make a survey of our lighting facilities which is far from satisfactory. A complete refurbishing of walls, floors, and ceilings throughout the build- ing is a must. The elimination of the massive bronze doors at the front entrance would be greatly appreciated by borrow- ers of all ages. The installation of oil burners in our boilers would eliminate the dust accumulation which we suffer throughout the building. The replacement of broken furniture is an absolute necessity. We regret that year after year we must report these same conditions. But, since by our city charter all buildings being under the control of the Buildings Department, it becomes the case of one city department asking for something which is important for its proper functioning of another department which considers it just another request. A major accomplishment this year was the excavating and re- laying of the water mains from Walnut Street to the Central Library, thereby correcting an unhealthy and unsanitary con- dition. We are indebted to the Water and Buildings Depart- ment for this work.
"A Classified Bibliography for Social Workers" was pre- pared under the sponsorship and direction of Mr. John J. Grif- fin, President of the Board of Trustees. This bibliography, a comprehensive work containing with few exceptions all the books in our collection on the social sciences and allied sub- jects required considerable time and effort in its preparation and we are indebted to Mr. Griffin for his supervision and ad- vice in its preparation.
Because of a new city ordinance granting cumulative sick leave to city employees, the Board of Trustees have granted the staff members privilege of accumulating their annual twenty-five days sick leave.
We were saddened on January 23rd by the death of Dr. Thomas E. Leonard who served on the Board of Trustees for the past four years. Mrs. J. Helen Clough, former President of the Board, was appointed to serve for another three year term after a lapse of four years.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.