As the responsible head of the institution, he should be consulted in
all matters relating to its management. The most satisfactory results
are obtained in those libraries where the chief librarian is permitted
to appoint assistants, select books, buy supplies, make regulations,
and decide methods of cataloging, classifying, and lending; all
subject to the approval of the trustees. Trustees should impose
responsibility, grant freedom, and exact results.

To the librarian himself one may say: Be punctual; be attentive; help
develop enthusiasm in your assistants; be neat and consistent in your
dress; be dignified but courteous in your manner. Be careful in your
contracts; be square with your board; be concise and technical;
be accurate; be courageous and self-reliant; be careful about
acknowledgments; be not worshipful of your work; be careful of your
health. Last of all, be yourself.




CHAPTER VII

The trained librarian in a small library

Julia A. Hopkins, of the Rochester (N.Y.) Public library, in Public
Libraries, December, 1897


The value of training for the man or woman who shall take charge of a
large city library is now so firmly established that no one thinks