426 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



traditions of being a Keeper of Books are to a large extent still with 

 him, and the impossibility of ever lending a book which characterises 

 the older libraries — such as the Bodleian — is a custom which it is 

 hard to break away from; and it is this tradition and this custom 

 which makes the Reference Library- so large in England. In 

 England the desire of the librarian is to have the best books on every 

 subject,' and to keep them if possible on the library premises. In 

 America the ideal seems to be to obtain the most popular books, 

 those that will circulate best, and many an up-to-date committee will 

 buy no book, keep no book, that is not a good circulator. More 

 often than not the American Library is a club for the reading of new 

 books — frequently only of new novels. I fear that the same charge 

 may with truth be levied against many a South African Library, and 

 though Kimberley does its share in this respect, it is not quite so bad 

 as Sir Frederick Young pictured it, for we certainly do not issue a 

 greater percentage of fiction than any other librarj' ; indeed, it 

 would be hard for any library to beat Johnny Gilpin's Edmonton in 

 this respect, which issues 98 per cent., according to the last available 

 figures. But though English libraries do circulate much fiction, 

 there is yet set before the libraries of the Old Country a very lofty 

 ideal, and they do attempt a great deal of educational work. 



This is true of but few of the American libraries, for the 

 majority of these are run on business lines, and on these lines alone. 

 There is less formality about the better libraries of the States — less 

 red tape — and in all there is an attempt on the part of the library to 

 reach down to the special needs of the people. The library seeks 

 to be the centre of literary feeling in the town — it seeks to attract 

 the children, and to lead them into the use of better books. 



The South African libraries can with advantage adopt the best 

 points of both systems. We should attract the public, and not 

 attempt to discipline it; but yet we should endeavour to lead the 

 younger generation tow^ard the right use of the best books. 



The American and the British peoples are not exactly alike, and 

 our South African public probably differs from both. For example, 

 American productive scholarship is far less than British, while South 

 African can hardly be said to have come into existence. The sale 

 of popular books is tremendous in America, less in Great Britain, and 

 small indeed in South Africa. 



American libraries seek rather to be recreative than educational, 

 British libraries toi be educational rather than recreative — South 

 African are at present more recreative than educational — yet the 

 enormous impulse that was given and is given to American progress 

 by her school system has been largely helped by her librar>' system. 

 The first stride that America made towards " licking creation " was 

 when Franklin founded the Philadelphia Library, and her present 

 liberal policy in all educational matters is only its continuance. 



The modern American cheerfully taxes himself for his libraries, 

 but he does not largely use any but the Lending Departments. Yet 

 he frequently endows his library — and certainly his women-folk and 

 hi= boys and girls make good use of the librar}'. The Englishman 



