12 The American Museum of Natural History 



The circulating loan collections are carried to the libraries by 

 the Museum messenger and are returned by him after a period of 

 four or six weeks. They are arranged in the exhibition cases by the 

 librarians themselves, who understand best the needs of their neigh- 

 borhood. 



When placed on exhibition the collections are used in various 

 ways. In some of the adults' and children's departments, they are 

 designed to add attractiveness to the rooms and to increase the circu- 

 lation of the books selected to explain the specimens. In many of 

 the children's rooms, however, there is a more definite plan of action. 

 Sometimes the exhibit is made the center of interest about which the 

 story hour legends are grouped; sometimes a member of the Museum 

 staff explains the material. More often, however, the collections 

 form the basis of definite cooperation between the schools and the 

 libraries. Children who are studying Mexico in their classrooms are 

 taken by their teachers to the library, where they examine the Mexi- 

 can material loaned by the Museum and read the books describing 

 that country; children who are studying The Song of Hiawatha visit 

 the library to see the Indian collections, and boys and girls who are 

 learning the principles of design go with their notebooks to copy the 

 decorations on Indian basketry and pottery. 



The field is an unlimited one. The exhibits give to children 

 and adults who have not the necessary car fare an opportunity 

 to examine natural history objects of broad educational value, and 

 to do this in a library where they are surrounded by well chosen 

 books of information. Oftentimes, moreover, these exhibits awaken 

 the spirit of research; they lead the student to understand the corre- 

 lation possible between a library and a museum; they bring him to 

 the Museum to see the extensive collections here, and then send him 

 back to the library for further reading. 



Through personal acquaintance with the teachers, brought about 

 by the establishment of the circulating nature study collections, we 

 learned that there was a widespread desire for illustrated lectures for 

 children, which would supplement the classroom 

 lectures work in geography, history and natural science. The 

 for pupils question of special lectures for school children was 

 brought to a focus when in February, 1904, the Com- 

 mittee on Children's Interests of the New York City Teachers' Asso- 

 ciation (through its Chairman, Miss Alida S. Williams) requested the 

 Museum to give a series of lectures for children illustrative of the 

 studies pursued in the public schools, and offered to submit for ap- 

 proval a plan of lectures adapted to and suitable for the various 

 grades of the school course of study. This request was acted upon 

 favorably by the Museum authorities and in cooperation with the 



