ask questions. They like to be consulted as to their wants, and as
to changes in arrangements and methods. They like to feel at home in
their library.




CHAPTER XXXIV

The public library for the public


The librarian of former times was almost invariably a bookworm, and
was often a student properly so called. The older librarians of the
present day, and the librarians of the great libraries of our cities,
are also very commonly men of letters, men of learning, men who admire
the student spirit and know how to appreciate it. The librarian of
former days actually felt that the books of which he had charge were
to be used, if they were used at all, chiefly, if not only, by persons
who wished to make some careful and painstaking research; and the
older librarians, and the librarians of the greater libraries of
today, are also inclined to think that their libraries are best used,
or at least are used as fully as they need be, when they are visited
by those who are engaged in original investigation or serious study of
some sort. As a fellow librarian once wrote me, for example, of one of
his colleagues, "His whole trend is scholarly rather than popular; he
appreciates genuine contributions to art, science, and industry, but
has little taste for the great class of books that the main body of
readers care for." This view of literature, libraries, and the use
of books, and this special fondness for what may be called genuine