LIBRARY SCIIOOLS AND TRAINING. When near the close of the last century librarianship was recognized as a profession, it became clear that it had the same need for professional schools as law, medicine, or teaching, but. nowhere was there offered systematic training for this impor tant field. Alay 7, 1883, Melvil Dewey's plan for a library school with a statement of need of it was presented to the trustees of Colombia Univer sity. There was a growing call for trained li brarians animated by the modern library spirit. There were in the United States 5000 public li braries, large and small, whose efficiency experts agreed could be doubled by skillful administra tion. Young college graduates of unusual prom ise were ready to enter the new profession, but DO adequate facilities for training were offered. In 1884, after a year's consideration, Columbia voted to establish the school, which was opened January 5, 18S7. The three months' course was by petition lengthened to four, and then to seven months, and then at once to two years, thus proving a demand for technical training not only larger than estimated, but also for broader and more thorough work than that originally planned. On ,April 1. 1889, by agreement between Columbia and the State, the school was trans ferred to the State Library at Albany. Library schools in charge of graduates of the parent school were opened in 1890 by Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, in 1892 by Drexel Institute, Philadelphia, in 1893 by Armour Institute, Chicago. When in 1897 the University of Illinois erected its finest building for the library and determined to make library training a special feature, it arranged for the transfer to the State of Armour Institute School with its faculty and collections. The New York School since 1902 requires for admis sion a degree from a registered college. The Illi nois State School in 1903 raised its requirements from two to three years of college work for ad mission. The degree of B.A. in library science is given at the end of four years' college work. the last of which is devoted to library science. The degree of bachelor of library science requires two full years of work besides the three years of col lege work. Pratt and Drexel Institute schools admit high-school graduates, and In not offer de grees. Like law and medical schools, a library school offers only a technical course, making no attempt. to give general culture or supply de ficiencies in earlier education. It gives only an outline treatment of historical and antiquarian topics, devoting its time to preparing it students for as valuable service as possible in their chosen field. A course includes bibliography. catalogu ing, classification, work of accession. loan and
shelf departments, bookbinding, library buildings, administrative, supervisory, and State conuMs sion work, selection of books, general library methods and appliances. As practical training is the chief end, seminars, problems. study of li braries in operation, and other features art used in such proportion as experience has shown to give the best results. Practice work in all the different departments under careful supervision is an important factor.
The arduous work of the modern librarian de mands more than ordinary capacity and execu tive ability, and also health. energy, and tireless industry. Besides these natural qualifications, the candidates should be college-bred because: (1) They are a picked class, selected from the best material throughout the country: 12) col lege training has given them a wider culture and broader view with a considerable fund of informa tion, all of which is valuable working material in a library as almost nowhere else: 131 a four years' course successfully completed is the strong est voucher for persistent purpose and mental and physical capacity for protracted intellectual work: (4) experience proves that college disci pline enables the mind to work with a quick pre cision and steady application rarely otherwise gained.
Several large libraries have regular training or apprentice classes. Younger staff members and sometimes applicants for positions are or ganized in a class, assigned a teacher. and trained for several months in order to make them more efficient. Such classes are not open to the public, and do not pretend to be library schools; but in a large library systematic class instruction is much cheaper and more effective than to have high-priced assistants losing time in individual explanations. Many colleges and normal schools give library and bibliographic courses. not to train librarians. hut to teach their students how to utilize a large library. how- to care for their own private libraries, and to give them a knowl edge and interest that will qualify them to serve intelligently as library trustees.
Another form of instruction is for library or ganizers, members of commissions, or missionary librarians to meet for a day librarians needing assistance and answer questions and make sug gestions. The name 'institute' has been used for such 'round table' work. but should properly be limited to work corresponding closely to ordinary teachers' where most of the week is given to systematic short courses under expert conductors. In 1902 New York was divided into 11 districts and the first systematic institute work successfully begun.