REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN 



9 



Art Room 



In the Art Room there were fifteen exhibitions, including posters 

 designed and executed by children of the public art schools of Paris, 

 which were lent by Mr. C. Edward Newell; beautiful woodblock prints 

 by Miss Helen Hyde obtained from the American Federation of Art; 

 war memorials; examples of the work of professional photographers in 

 Springfield; textile designs; rare Egyptian antiquities and Italian laces 

 lent by Mr. Guido Gavasi; Japanese and Chinese fabrics from the Put- 

 nam-Graves collection; steel engravings and Chinese paintings given 

 by Mrs. Harriet Kellogg Westcott; and a beautiful water color by 

 George Inness lent by Miss Clara M. Shurtleff. The Aston collection 

 of wood engravings now contains 1,914 proofs, of which 184 were added 

 the past year. The number of pictures borrowed from the library 

 and branches has increased from 79,998 a year ago to 111,214 the past 

 season. 



Miscellaneous 



The children's room at the main library has noted a 40% gain in the 

 Sunday attendance, and throughout the week a much larger demand for 

 books — and books of good quality. Though adults are reading less 

 about the war, children, especially boys, are reading more. The reading 

 of the older standard books has been encouraged by posting lists with 

 such headings as ^'Books Roosevelt read," ^'Lincoln's library," etc. 



The library has kept in close touch with the Chamber of Commerce, 

 and has furnished currently information for its monthly publication. 

 A special effort has been made to build up the collection of books on the 

 rubber industry, the section relating to exporting and to trade with the 

 Near East has been amplified, and material has been supplied for the 

 ''better letters" movement. 



Springfield is fortunate in having so extensive a sociological depart- 

 ment as the David A. Wells Economic library, for there has been great 

 interest the past year in industrial problems, particularly the relations of 

 capital and labor, foreign trade, finance, reconstruction, the treaty, and 

 other public questions. 



Among the many special collections of books displayed in the different 

 departments, none perhaps has been more helpful than that on thrift, 

 which was continued throughout the winter and included among other 

 subjects, books on cleaning, repairing, and remodelling garments. 



Perhaps the most common obstacle to the use of a public library is 

 indicated by the remark ''I do not go to the library because I never 

 can get the book I want." This refers not necessarily to the latest novel, 

 but to whatever work of biography, travel, or history may be engrossing 

 popular attention. To obviate this complaint so far as possible, just 

 as soon as three or four readers ask to have a book reserved for their 

 use, if the demand appears to be more than temporary, additional 

 copies of the book are bought; and to give the casual reader also a 

 chance of finding the books of the hour, one of these copies is not sub- 

 ject to ''reserve," but is placed on the shelf. The number of books in 



