REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN 



9 



schools or for various organizations. Among the exhibitions were plates 

 of landscape architecture from the Massachusetts Agricultural College 

 arranged for the Convention of Women's Clubs; dehghtful designs for 

 back-yard gardens furnished by the Society of Little Gardens, for the 

 Springfield Garden Club; pottery, metal work, etc., lent by the Technical 

 High School; excellent posters from the New York School of Fine and 

 Applied Arts, and later a fine collection of English posters obtained from 

 the American Federation of Arts, both for the High School of Commerce; 

 textile designs for the Technical High School; photogravures showing 

 composition in landscape, for the Central High School; autographs, 

 documents, and other relics relating to Napoleon lent by Mr. William 

 C. Stone at the hundredth anniversary of the Emperor's death. Besides 

 displays of material from the library's own collection, there was a highly 

 creditable exhibition of orginal drawings by Springfield artists, and an 

 exhibition of quaint, old-time valentines which proved unexpectedly 

 attractive. Altogether, there is seldom a day when the visitor to the 

 library will not find, besides the books, some lecture, meeting, display or 

 exhibit worthy of his attention. In the report submitted by the 

 head of the Art Department is a long list of projects that would be de- 

 sirable to attempt whenever the staff and funds are available. The art 

 section of a library is one of those which is perhaps most frequently sup- 

 ported by endowment. In Springfield, however, aside from the generous 

 fund bequeathed by the late James A. Rumrill for the Grace Rumrill 

 Department of music, and the fund of $1,000. which has made possible 

 the Aston collection of American wood engravings, no endowment has 

 been received specifically devote-d to the purchase of art books. The rich 

 and extensive collection, which is constantly used by designers, adver- 

 tisers, illustrators, and artists, as well as by students of the fine arts, has 

 been built up entirely from the general funds. 



Children's Department. 



The work of the Children's Department has been conducted on much 

 the same lines as heretofore. Four hundred class rooms in the schools 

 have been supplied with collections of books to the number of more than 

 41,000 volumes. The summer reading clubs to encourage good reading 

 by children were notably successful, a contributing factor being the 

 buttons which the juvenile members who completed the course wore with 

 especial pride. An important feature in the work of the department is the 

 instruction given classes from the junior high schools, which come with 

 their teachers to learn about the library and the methods of gaining 

 access to its resources. This teaching is given at the main library and at 

 all of the branches. In addition, this year about 150 girls from the Con- 

 tinuation School came for instruction in the use of reference books which 

 would be helpful in their particular lines of work. These schools contain 

 young people engaged in industry, but required to continue part-time 

 schooling. Besides the general instruction given, sets of practice ques- 

 tions to be looked up were made out related to the special trades of each 

 group; and the practical benefit was so apparent to the State supervisor 

 of girls' continuation schools that it is reported similar library instruc- 

 tion is to be introduced in these schools throughout the Commonwealth. 



