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uestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


JANUARY  1955 


THE     QUESTION     MARK 
Published  by  the   Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 


Volume  X,   Number  1 


January  19  S$ 


Publications  Committee!     Gerald  L.   Ball,   John  J.   McCafferty,  Sheila  V/.   Pierce, 

Sarah  M.  Usher,  Charles  J.  Gillis,  Chairman 


Publication  date ; 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  submitting  material: 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  CORNER 

Another  publication  year  has  passed, 
swiftly  but  pleasantly.     The  year  1951| 
saw  nany  important  library  events  take 
place,   so  many  that  a  recapitulation  of 
them  would  fill  many  pages  of  this   issue. 

We  cannot  finish  our  editorial  work, 
however,  without  mentioning  the  event 
of  195ii — the  Centennial  Celebration,     In 
May  we  settled  down  to  our  regular  duties 
after  a  hectic  round  of  dinners,   parties, 
meetings,  radio,  TV  and  newspaper  pub- 
licity,  the  Centennial  Fair,  and  a  very 
successful  campaign  for  a  staff  gift* 

Now,  after  most  of  us  had  relegated 
the  Centennial  to  the  happy  past,  we  re- 
port that  a  Professional  Staff  Associa- 
tion group  has  been  working  diligently 
upon  a  Centennial  project  for  many 
months~"Free  to  All",  a  musical  revue, 
A  staff  effort  of  considerable  proportion,' 
the  revue   is  of  professional  caliber, 
although  the  original  book  and  lyrics,   the 
entire  cast  and  the  members   of  the 
orchestra,  are  Boston  Public  Library  staff 
members . 

An  exciting  and  nsmorable    evening  is 
in  store  for  those  attending  the  opening 
night,   Jan\jary  29,     In  addition,  this  will 
be  the  last  opportunity  to  add  to  the 
Centennial  gift,  as  all  proceeds  are  to 
be  contributed  to  the  Centennial  Fund, 

As  this   column  is   the  swan  song  of 
the  present  Publications   Committee,   may 
we  extend  our  thanks  to  everyone  who  fes 
worked  for,   or  contributed  material  to, 
The  Question  Mark  during  the  past  year. 
We  also  wish  every  success  during  the 
coming  year  to  the  new  Publications  Com- 
mittee, 

Publications  Committee 


CALENDAR  OF  EVENTS 

January  29.     "Free  to  All",    Nerr  England 
Mutual  Hall,   8:30  p.m. 

January  31,     S.LJi.,,   Boston  Chapter, 

B,U,  College  of  Education, 
7:30  p.m.     Dinner  at  B.U. 
Faculty  Club,   6:15  p.m. 

PERSONAL  NOTES 


Transferred 

Isabelle   G.  Finn,  West  Roxbury  to 

Charles town. 
}i\rs  Rhea  L.  Freeman,  Charlestown  to 

West  Roxbury. 
Mrs  Elizabeth  F,   Howard,  from  Jeffries 

Point  to  South  End, 
Mrs  Patricia  Iseman,  Central  Charging 

Records  to  Brighton. 
lirs  Phyllis  R.  Kallman,  South  End  to 

Jeffries  Point, 
Mrs  Katherine  L.  Williams,   Brighton 

to  Central  Charging  Records . 

Resignations 

Mrs  Francina  C.   Gelzer,  South  End,   to 

remain  at  home 
Mrs  Shirley  Waters ,  Adams  Street,   to 

remain  at  home. 

Retirements 

May  L.  Crosby,   Cataloging  and  Classifica- 
tion Department,  Division  of  Reference 
and  Research  Services,  on  December  31, 
19514., after  forty  years   of  service 

Rebecca  Millraeister,  West  End,  on 

December  31,   195U  after  fifty-three 
years  of  service. 

Married 

Bernardine  Grace,  Uphams  Corner,   to 
Arnold  Smokier,  December  19,   19514 


B.P.L.P.S.A.  Annual  Busines 
Reports   of 


3  Meeting,   January  21,   1955 
ommittees 


Election  of 


Officers 


Polls  open  from  9  a.m.  to  2  p.m.,   Lee tur el  Hall,  Central, 


Don't  forget  to  vote. 


-2- 


ENGAGEMENT 

On  Christmas  Day  Rita  E.  Susi,  East 
Boston^  became  engaged  to  John  A. 
Pennachio  of  Wilmingtonj  Massachusetts, 

BIRTHS 

Mr  and  Mrs  Richard  Waters  have  an- 
nounced the  birth  of  a  son,  Geoffrey, 
born  on  December  17.  Mr  Waters  works 
in  Open  Shelf  and  Mrs  Waters  formerly 
worked  in  Open  Shelf  and  Adans  Street. 

RETIREMENTS 

May  Crosby 

May  Crosby,  v/ho  retired  from  the 
staff  of  the  Library  on  December  31, 
after  forty  years   in  its  service,   is 
already  very  much  missed  by  her  co- 
v;orkers.     This   is  not  only  because  of 
her  cheerful  and  friendly  personality, 
nor  her  capable  and  conscientious  vrcrk, 
but  also  for  v/hat  she  represented  in 
the  library  tradition. 

Miss  Crosby  joined  the  library  staff 
on  November  l6,   ipiU,     At  that  time, 
while  it  was  no  longer  exceptional  for  a 
young  vraman  to  earn  her  living,   to  ob- 
tain such  a  position  pre-supposed  a  cer- 
tain high  level  of  character  ard  in- 
telligence, and  to  maintain  it  certified 
them.     She  entered  the  Cataloging  Depart- 
HBnt  after  assisting  v;ith  card  vrark  for 
a  time,  and  held  the  position  of  Cata- 
loger  at  the  time  of  her  retirement. 
Cataloging,   particularly  without  the 
standardized  aids  nov/  furnished  by  the 
Library  of  Congress,  required  real 
pioneer  ingenuity.     Such  catalogers  as 
Miss  Crosby  helped  establish  the  standards 
which  more  recent  members  of  the   staff 
regard  v:ith  such  high  respect. 

During  her  years  in  the  library,  Miss 
Crosby  enjoyed  consistent  good  health, 
arid  in  her  vacation  time  travelled  ex- 
tensively,  in  Europe,  South  America,   &rd 
the  Orient.     Her  most  recent  long  trip 
vas  to  the  West  Coast.     It  has  become 
almost  a  matter  of  course  for  staff 
members  planning  trips  to   compare  notes 
and  seek  advice  from  Miss  Crosby. 

Her  post-employment  years  promise 
to  be  extremely  busy  ones.     She  intends 
to  spend  much  of  her  time  typing  manu- 
scripts in  Braille  for  blind  readers. 
She  has  already  done  several  of  these  in 
her  spare  time,   including  Thomas  Merton's 


Seven-Stcry  Mountain. 

Miss  Crosby's  many  friends  on  the 
library  staff  vfish  her  well  in  the  years 
ahead,  v;hich  it  seems  will  be  fruitful 
and  very  enjoyable.     They  also  hope  she 
will  not  forget  to  come  back  frequently 
and  report  to   them  on  her  new  activities, 

l^rjorie  A.  Brovm 

Rebecca  Millmeister 

On  December  31,  Rebecca  Millmeister, 
Second  Assistant  at  West  End,  retired 
after  more  than  a  half  century  of  service 
in  the   Library,     Most  of--her  professional 
life  was  spent  at  West  E  d.     During  those 
■many  years  she  vas  an  unfailing  source 
of  laelp  and  friendship  to  both  public 
and  staff.     She  has  seen  literally 
thousands   of  children  grow  to  adulthood 
and  raise  families   of  their  ofm.     She 
knew  them  all,  and  they  in  turn  all 
knew  her,   and  came  to  share  v;ith  her 
the  ups  and  downs  of  their  lives.     And 
for  each,   she  alvjays  had  a  word  of 
praise,    encouragement,  and  hope.     The 
same  was  true  about  her  relationship 
with  the   staff.     Toward  each  and  all 
she  V7as  ever  courteous  and  friendly,  and 
many  of  her  closest  and  dearest  friends 
today  are  former  colleaguee  at  West 
End. 

Rebecca  Millmeister  is  that  rare  and 
fortunate  human  being  "i=;ho  is  forever 
young  in  heart.     This  precious  quality 
has  enabled  her  to  laugh  at  the  advancing 
years  and  to  keep  her  mind  and  spirit 
ebullient  and  receptive  to  revi  ideas. 
Indulging  her  favorite  hobby,  travel, 
she  has  visited  every  corner  of  the 
United  States,  and  almost  every  country 
on  the  face  of  the   earth.     On  these 
travels  she  formed  many  lasting  friend- 
ships and  broadened  her  intellectual 
horizona,  v;hich  nake  her  the  under standir 
and  tolerant  person  she   is. 

Her  many  friends  in  the  Library  will 
miss  her  cheerful,  stimulating  presence. 
They  wish  her  much  joy  and  happiness  in 
her  new  life,   and  they  are  sure  that  she 
\7ill  continue  to  find  opportunities  to 
help  and  comfort  others. 

To  paraphrase  a  well-known  quotation, 

"None  knew  her  but  to  love  her, 
None  named  her  but  to  praise," 

Nura  Globus 


-3- 


IN  MEIvDRIAM 
Mrs   Laura  Cross  Fletcher 

Mrs  Laura  Cross  Fletcher  passed  away  ; 
at  the  Hahnemann  Hospital  on  January  7»  I 
She  vras  on  the  staff  of  the  Boston  Publii 
Library  from  January  22,  1900,  until  her, 
resignation  on  October  2$,  1929.  Begin- | 
ning  as  an  extra  assistant  at  Central  li- 
brary, she  was  successively  in  charge  of' 
Stations  C  and  T,  and  from  1911-1916  ifsas  ', 
First  Assistant  at  North  End,  At  the  '■ 
time  of  her  marriage  to  Alfred  Fletcher  ■ 
in  1929,  she  vras  Branch  Librarian  at  ! 

East  Boston,  a  position  v.iiich  she  had        j 
held  for  thirteen  years,  ; 

Several  of  tlie  present  branch  librar-  ' 
ians  were  trained  by  her,  and  her  inter- 1 
est  in  their  success  and  in  all  the  j 

affairs  of  the  East  Boston  Branch  Li-        j 
brary  continued  throughout  the  years,        ; 
She  possessed  high  ideals   of  service  and  j 
loyalty,  and  although  her  active  parti-    j 
cipation  in  Boston  Public  Library 
affairs  ended  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago 
thosfc  vvtio  knew  her  during  her  years  of 
devoted  service  remember  her  v.lth  warmth 
and  affection, 

PRESIDEMT'S  lOTES 

On  Friday,   January  21,   the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Association  and  election 
of  officers  v/ill  take  place.     It  mil 
not  be  possible  for  each  and  every 
member  of  the  Association  to  be  present 
at  the  meeting  but  every  member  can  and 
should  vote.     Absentee  ballots  are 
available  through  year  staff  representa- 
tive  and  president.     If  you  have  any 
doubt  about  being  able  to  visit  the 
polls  in  the  Lecture  Hall  from  9  A.M. 
to  2   P.M.   on  next  Friday,    obtain  an 
absentee  ballot  and  return  it  in 
accordance  v;ith  instrnctiotiB  by  next 
Wednesday.     Less   than  a  handful  of   votes 
separated  some   of  the  candidates   last 
year;  many  of  the  contests   promise  to 
be  as  close  or  closer  this  year.     Your 
Vote  could  be  a  deciding  one;  use  it  1 

I  feel  that   the  incoming  officers  will 
be  fortunate  in  being  able  to  serve 
so  fine  a  group  as  our  Association,     The 
Association  is  truly  representative, 
comprising  over  95%  of  those  eligible 
for  membership,     I  am  sure  that  all  the 
other  members   of  the  Association  will 
join  with  me  in  expressing  appreciation 


for  the  high  degree  of  willingness   to 
cooperate  and  assist  we  have  experienced 
from  individual  members,   staff  representa- 
tives,  committee  members  and  chairmen, 
and  from  the  Board  of  Trustees,   the 
Director,  and  their  assistance. 

This  spirit  is   being  exemplified  to 
the  nth  degree  in  the  present  preparation 
for  producing  the  Centennial  Kfusical 
Revue,  Free  to  All,  v/hich  seems  more  and 
more  exciting  as   the  big  night  approaches. 
Don't  miss  it.     You  will  never  forgive 
yourself.  g^   Joseph  0 'Neil 

BLOOD  DONOR  PROGRAM 

How  many  pints  of  blood  do  you 
suppose  vrould  be  needed  if  a  disaster 
such  as  the  Coconut  Grove  fire  befell 
Boston?     Hov;  many  lives  do  you  suppose 
would  be  lost  because  of  a  shortage  of 
blood  available  for  immediate  trans- 
fusion? 

Help  to  make  s\ire  that  there  Y/ould 
be  no  such  shortage.  Become  a  mernber 
of  the  City  of  Boston  Employees  Blood 
Donor  Program  by  pledging  a  donation 
of  a  pint  of  blood.  Call  Mrs  Wollent 
at  Extension  2Uii  for  further  details. 

MEN'S  a USE  COtfflgTTEE 

The  Men's  House  Committee  wishes  to 
extend  its  thanks   to  all  those  individuals 
who  so  ably  and  vallingly  assisted  in 
the  planning  and  the   carrying  out  of  the 
Men's  Annual  Christnas  Open  House,     Their 
contributions  helped  make  the  Party  a 
big  success,  and  7,-6  hope  that  future 
house  committees  will  be  able  to  share 
in  our  good  fortune.     Thanks  again  to  all 
of  you, 

George  Earley,   Chairman 

NEWS  FROM  NORWAY 

The  following  excerpt  from  a  letter 
received  from  Berit  Lambertsen  Fretheim, 
Terrak,   Bindel,   Norway,  will  be   of 
interest  to  those  v/ho  remember  her  so 
pleasantly  from  her  viork  in  the  BPL  a  few 
years  ago: 

"It  is   so  strange  to  think  of  it,   nov;' 
it  is  h  years  since   I  was  in  Boston. 
Still,   I  remember  it  all  so  clearly  as 
if  it  T/ere  yesterday,      I  always   look 
forward  to  getting  news  from  the  B,P.L, 
at  Christmastime, 


-u- 


"For  the  time  being,    I  am  not  in  the 
library  profession.     After  having  finish- 
ed my  exams  at  the  Library  School ,    (on 
July  2li)   I  married  the  Norwegian  student 
I  met  in  Boston,  Arne  Fro the im.     He  is  a 
dentist  now,  practicing  as  a  district 
dentist  in  the  northern  part  of  Norway  in 


ordered,   it  seems  that  some  hot,  sunny 
day,  still  a  long  ^yay  off,  Christmas  will 
surely  comeg 

We  have  a  few  ornaments  with  us  that 
we  brought  from  the  Christmas  tree  we 
had  in  France  tvro  yeirs  ago,  and  from 


„r.4..„-n  r.       J4.-J.      „,.   ^    Affierica  when  Berry  v/as   there  with  Fern 

a  State   social  program   for  dentists.  Ho  ias    -,      ,    ^,     .    ,  ,,,   • 

.  ,    ,  XT       X  •  J  ^       last  Christmas,     We're  keeping  our 

to  work  here  at  least  one  year,   m  order    »  j         u  %       xu 

,,.      ,.  „  -x  X--       '  eyes  open  every  day,  hovrever,  for  the 

to  get  his  license  for  private  practicing.,;  ,  *' .    ,  .'  tjj         tvx       v^ 

„  ,^.,    .  ,,  ,^,     ,         xu  4.     4  brightly  colored  wooden  elephants,  buf- 

But  it  IS  a  rather  good   deal  on  the  part     !  ^  ,  j   x-  j   xu     t-xxt      f    -u 

]^.,       ,..,  7         -,.,       -x  V,  t  haloes,  and  tigers,  and  the  little  fish 

of  the  dentists,  and  v^  like   it  very  much     ^^^  J  ^^^^^^  ^^^^  ^...^^  ^^^^  ^^^^ 

up  here.     We  live  m  a  small  community  Christnas   ornarrisnts. 

about  500  people,  most  of  them  living  by    '^  "=  ■' 

lumber  trade.     Our  apartment  is  srrall, 

but  nice,  we  think,  although  a  little 

primitive.     People  are  very  friendly,   and 

we  expect  to  get  a  house  of  our  ovjn  next 

year.     That  \vill  be  even  nicer,   of  course. 

There  is  a  lot  of  v\'lnd  here,   last  Saturday! 

even  storm,  but  it  is   nothing  like  your 

terrible  hurricanes,  though," 


GREET  INaS  FROM  THAIUND 


5  We'll  probably  have  to  imagine  a  lot. 

j We'll  imagine  that  the  piles  of  sand  from 

]  the  new  roads  now  being  constructed  are 

'  snov/  banks.     We'll  imagine  that  the 
flames  that  leap  out  of  our  kerosene 
stove  or  our  neighbor's  charcoal  stoves 
are  flaming  fireplaces.     We'll  imagine 

•that  the  green  mold  on  our  clothes  is 

' Christmas  decoration* 

I  But  vre  won't  have  to  imagine  every- 

thing.    Our  little  house  has   so  many 
windov/s  to  let  in  the  cool  breezes   that 
received;  the  Chj'istmas   tree  lights  will  be  seen 


BeloviT  is  a  part  of  a   letter 
from  Fern  Ingersoll,  a  former  staff  memberifrom  outdoors  no  matter  where  vre  put  it. 


vifho  is  now  living   in  Thailand  vdth  her 
husband  and  babyj 

Merry  Christnas,  Everybody: 

How  fast  this  year  has  gone  I    We 
came  out  here  to  Thailand  last  January 
to  work  together  in  a  nevf  "Fundamental 
education"   center  v.iiich  trains  teams  of 
young  Thais  to  help  improve  the  lives  of 
the  village  people.     In  May,   the  center 
opened  and  the  finishing  touches  viere 
put  on  our  little  three  room  cottage. 
Nov/  the  center  is  viell  underway,   though 
there  are  occasional  discouraging  days 
among  the  many  inspiring  ones. 

Berry  is  almost  a  year  and  a  half  old 
noviT.     What  joy  she  finds   in  everything, 
v»'hether  it's  playing  with  her  little 
friends,  or  trotting  over  to  the   library 
to  create  havoc  among  the  cards  Jay  uses 
to  keep  a  research  file  of  the  teams' 
experiences   in  the  villages  or  among  a 
display  of  pictures  and  pamphlets  ■v^iich 
Fern  has  itade  on  rural  libraries. 

And  no v/ Christmas   is  coming!    We've 
just  arranged  to  have  a  little  artificial 
tree  sent  up  to  Ubol  as  soon  as  they 
come  into  Bangkok.     We  tried  to  figure 
out  hov7  wo  could  use  a  banana  tree  or  a 
mango  tree,  but  it  seemed  that  they  just 
viTouldn't  vjork.     So  nov;f,  vdth  our  tree 


I  The  stars  here  are  so  bright  when  we  sit 
lout  on  our  porch  at  night  that  it  seems 
'as  though  almost  any  one  of  them  might 
jbe  the  Christmas  star.     The  teachers   sent 
I  here  by  Unesco  and  the  World  Health 
! organization  from  Australia,  Holland,   the 
lUnited  States,  and  Finland,   the  three 
!missionary  families  vforking  in  Ubol,   and 
{several  of  the  Thai  people  here,  vfill 
Iknov;  vfhat  Christmas  m,eans, 
j         The  library  will  have  a  Christmas 
idisplay  using  prints  of  great  nativity 
•paintings  because  vre  v/ould  like  to  share 
'with  the  Thais  the  best  of  our  traditions 
since  we  have  been  learning  about  Thai 
(festivals  and  Buddhist  ceremonies. 
I         Chalum-si,  our  Thai  cook,  and  Molee, 
[who  does  the  housevrork  and  looks  after 
jBerry  vifhile  Fern  is  v;orking  in  the   library 
•mornings,  v^ill  help  to  make  animal  cookies 
'for  Berry  to  give  to  her  friends.     There'll 
jbe  some  to  tike  to  the  four  little  girls 
jof  the  missionaries.     Then  Berry  will 
thave  to  take  a   tricycle  taxi,   the  way  most 
[people  get  around  in  Ubol,  to  deliver  her 
[cookies  to  the  six  children  of  Tong-In, 
jo\ir  Thai  librarian, 

i         School  and  buffalo  tending  ivill  be 
over  for  the  Thai  children  by  the  time 
Berry  gets  home  from  cookey  delivery,   so 
[probably  her  little  friends  vdll  come 
jrunning  along  the  sandy  road  from  their 


-s- 


thatched  roof  house  just  boyond  the  trees 
in  front  of  ours.  The  play  of  these 
children  is  so  happy,  so  undenanding, 
and  to  us,  so  almost  unnn.turally  free 
from  tears  and  shrieks.  It  really  seems 
to  be  the  spirit  of  ChristiiHS. 

We've  tried  to  put  just  a  little  bit 
of  these  children  into  our  wish  to  you 
for  a  Merry,  Merry  Christmas,  ,,, 

Please  give  my  greetings  to  Miss 
Gordon  and  Mrs  l"right  when  you  see  them — 
and  I.'Iiss  McJfenus — and  everybody  I  knew 
in  the  B.P.L. 

CONGRATULATIONS 

Frederick  Danker,  Book  Stack  Service, 
son  of  J.  J.  Danker,  Head  Electrician, 
was  awarded  a  John  Harvard  Scholarship 
on  January  12,  This  scholarship  is 
awarded  to  upper  classmen  for  work  of 
such  excellence  that  they  are  deemed 
worthy  of  very  high  academic  distinction. 

CARE 

Food  Crusade  packages— I4. 02  of  the  ml — 
totaling  $201  were  ordered  d^jring  our 
recent  campaign. 

Congratulations  and  sincere  thanks 
to  our  many  contributors. 

Special  Committee 
for  CARE 

BOUQUET   TO  THE  BPL 

Belo\T  is  the  text  of  a  letter 
received  by  President  0 'Neil  in  response 
to   the  Association's  request  for  sponsors 
of  the  Musical  Revue,  FREE  TO  ALL: 

Dear  Mr  O'Neil: 

I  believe  that  I  am  in  tune  vri.th  most 
of   the  people  in  the  city  when  I  say  that 
we  are  very  proud  indeed  of  the  Boston 
Public  Library.     Its  accomplishments  and 
its  far-flung  importance  cannot  be  over- 
stated. 

Therefore  we  are  pleased  indeed  to 
share  with  you  some  of  the  expense 
necessary  for  the  promotion  of  your 
festival  as  of  January  29th  and  to  this 
end  we  enclose  our  modest  check  for  $25, 
which  I  am  sure  will  assist  a  very  rrorthy 
cause  indeed. 

Sincerely  yours, 


TALKS  BY  STAFF  METERS 

December  20,  Fanny  Goldstein,   Branch 
Librarian,  West  End,  and  Curator  of 
Judaic  a,   spoke  on  Literat\ire  of  the  Ter- 
centenary at  the  Jevri-sh  Community  Center 
of  Belmont, 

Three  members  of  the  staff  have  given 
talks  at  Simmons  College  recently:     On 
December  7,   Virginia  Haviland,  Readers 
Advisor  for  Children,  spoke  on  Children's 
Librarians hip;  on  January  h,  Charles  L, 
Higgins,  Chief  of  General  Reference,   spoke 
on  Reference  Services;  and  on  January  11, 
Mrs  Muriel  C.   Javelin,  Deputy  Supervisor 
in  Charge  of  Work  with  Adults,   spoke  on 
The  Role  of  the  Library  in  Adult  Education, 

Edna  G,  Peck,  Chief  of  Book  Selection 
for  Home  Reading  Services,  has  talked  on 
Books   and  You — on  December  30  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Never  Too  Late  Group j   on 
January  6  at  a  dinner  meeting  of  the 
Quota  Club  of  Boston,   at  the  Women's 
Educational  and  Industrial  Union j  and  on 
Jan-uary  13  at  a  luncheon  meeting  of 
Women  Supervisors  of  Boston  Post  Unit, 
Branch  U3,  at  Steubens  Restaurant, 

THE  SOCIAL  WHIRL 

On  December  31,   in  the  afternoon, 
the  staff  of  Cataloging  and  Classification 
(R,  and  R,  S.)   gave  a  surprise  farewell 
party  for  May  Crosby,  whose  retirement 
from  the  library  service  took  effect  on 
that  day.     Ice  cream  and  cake  were  served 
in  the  Typing  Room,  and  Miss  Crosby  was 
presented  with  a  corsage  of  tvan  baby 
orchids, 

Rsbecca  Mllmeister,  West  End,  who 
retired  from  the  Boston  Public  Library 
on  December  31,  vvas  guest  cf  honor  at  a 
small  formal  luncheon  at  Hampshire  House 
on  Saturday  afternoon,  December  18,     The 
staff  presented  Miss  Mllmeister  mth  a 
turquoise— a nd-gold  brooch  with  earrings 
to  match  as  a  gift.     A  special  surprise 
was  the  presence  of  a  photographer,   arranged 
by  Fanny  Goldstein,   so  that  each  guest 
might  have  a  pictorial  memento  of  the 
occasion, 

A  more  informal  and  im.promptu  party 
was  the  staff's  last  "au  revoir"  to  Miss 
Millmeister  at  the  branch  on  December  30 
when  Miss   Goldstein  played  hostess  to  the 
entire  staff. 


~6- 


CHRISTMS  FESTIVITIES 

It  was  anticipated  by  the  Committee 
that  every  unit  in  the  Library  would 
send  in  detailed  writeups  of  the  Christ- 
mas parties  which,  according  to  Darce 
Rumor,  were  given  enthusiastically  by 
and  for  s  taf f  members .     There  were 
parties  inside  library  buildings  and 
parties  outside  the  fields  of  labor; 
there  were  luncheon  parties,  dinner 
parties,  daytime  parties,  evening 
parties,   open  houses  for  the  communities 
(Jamaica  Plain,  Phillips  Brooks,  South 
End — those,  we  know  for  sure  I) — all 
held  during  the  weeks   immediately  pre- 
ceding the  holiday.     And  then  the 
surprise — only  three  vifriteups  I     So,   here 
they  are: 

Christmas  Tea 

The  Women's  House  Committee,  under 
the  chairmanship  of  M.   Jane  Ifenthorne , 
had  made  the  Women's  Lounge  most  attrac- 
tive with  gay  Christmas  decorations   for 
the  afternoon  of  December  twenty-second 
v;hen  the  annual  staff  tea  took  place 
there.     The  committee  in  charge,   under 
the  chairmanship  of  Mary  M.  McDonough, 
had  seen  to  it  that  there  was  food 
aplenty  and  efficient  corps  of  vrorkers 
to  prepare  it  and  to  dispense  it.     The 
staff  had  cooperated  to  the  fullest  by 
coming  in  such  numbers  that  those  v/ho 
wanted  a  more  or  less  quiet  conversation 
with  friends  betook  themselves  to   nearby 
corridors.     The  result? — "The  biggest 
party  ever". 

The   storm  v^'hich  came   the  day  before 
prevented  some  of  the  alumni  from  re- 
turning, but  others  braved  the  icy  side- 
vralks  and  vrere  cordially  vre loomed j 
George  H.  Earley,  Mrs  Frances  M,   Kelley, 
Alice  Hanson,  Alice  M,   Jordan,  William 
F,  Quinn,  Morris   J,  Rosenberg,  William 
A,  Swann,  ani  fery  C.  Toy, 

Men's  Open  House 

On   Thursday  morning,  Decemiber  23, 
open  house  was  held  in  the  men's   qxiarters 
in  Stack  1,  an  event  viiiich  has  now  be- 
come tradition  and  ^vhich  is  anticipated 
■vd-th  keen  pleasure  by  all.     The  same 
"silent  hostesses"  must  have  been  in 
league  with  the  men  for  there  was  food 
in  abundance.     The  Men's  House  Committee, 
under  the  chairmanship  of  George  E« 
Earley,   had  transformed  the   rooms   into 


attractively  decorated  "party  parlors". 
The  same  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the 
staff  kept  the  rooms  filled  to  capacity. 
The  features  of  the  morning  vrere  the 
carols   rendered  on  his  recorder  by  Henry 
Bowditch  Jones,  and  social  dancing, 

R.  and  R.S,  Catalogers '  Party 

On  Monday,  December  20,   the  annual 
Christmas  party  was  held.     Under  the 
leadership  of  Edward  X,  Casey,  Chairman 
of  the  Committee,  the  staff  departed 
from  its  usual  tradition  of  holding  the 
festivities   in  the  department  offices, 
and  instead  had  luncheon  in  one  of  the 
private  dining-rooms  of  Joseph's 
Restaurant,   on  Nev.'bury  and  Dartmouth 
Streets,     In  these  attractive  surround- 
ings, with  a  varied  menu  offered,  they 
spent  a  most  enjoyable  hour.     At  its 
conclusion,  a  few  remarks  appropriate 
to  the  season  vrere  made  by  Richard  G, 
Hens ley,   who  was  a  guest  of  honor, 

Ng-y  BOOKS   IN  THE  STAFF  LIBRARY 

Non-Fiction — Library  Science 

Audio-Visual  Workshop,  Chicago,   Illinois, 
195U»     A  pre-conference  workshop  on 
audio-visual  materials  and  library 
education, 
Chicago,   Illinois,   19^\x 

Audio-Visual  Workshop,  University  of 

Southern  California,  19?3»     Proceedings 
of  the  Audio-Visual  Workshop,   prior 
to  the   1953  conference  of  the  American 
Library  Association, 
Berkeley,    1953 

Carnovsky,  Leon,  ed»     International 
aspects  of  librarianship, 
Chicaeo,  University  of  Chicago  Press, 
195U 

Chicago  Teachers  College  and  Chicago 
City  Junior  College,  Wilson  Branch, 
Library,     Staff  manual. 
Chicago,   1953 

Cundiff ,  Ruby  E.     Manual  of   techniques 
in  library  organization, 
Chicago,  Wilcox  and  Follett,  1953 

Des  Moines,   Public  Library,     Personnel 
handbook 
Des  Moines,   1953 

Joint  Committee  on  Standards  for 
Hospital  Libraries,     Hospital  li- 
braries j   objectives  and  standards. 
Chicago,  American  Library  Association, 
Hospital  Libraries  Division,   1953 


-7- 


Vollans ,  Robert  F.     Library  co-operation 

in  Great  Britain, 

London,   National  Central  Library,   1952 
Vormelker,  Rose  L.     The  company  library] 

what  it  is  and  what  it  does. 

Brooklynj  Engineers '   Book  Gervice,   19$1 
BRANCH  rPTES 
West  End 

The  closing  program  in  observance  of 
Jevdsh  Book  Month  vtas  a  reception  to 
Eliezer  Greenber?  and  Irving  Howe, 
editors   of  the  new  anthology  A  Treasury 
of  Yiddish  Stories   on  Friday  evening, 
Deceinber  17>    sponsored  jointly  by  the 
Boston  Yiddish  Culture  Club  and  the 
Boston  Public  Library. 

Both  authors   spoke  on  how  the  book 
came  into  being,     Mr  Greenberg  gave  a 
summary  of  the    introduction  to  the  book 
in  Yiddish,   presenting  the  historical, 
social,   and  religious  backgrounds  of 
this    literature  and  the  intellectual 
forces  which   shaped  it.     Mr  Howe  dwelt 
on  the  special  problems  faced  by  a  trans- 
lator— the  selection  of  the  story  vfhich 
reads  best  and  then  the   choice  of  words 
which  Tri.ll  most  exactly  express  the 
spirit  of  the   original  text. 

Ludwig  Levd-Sohn,  interr^tionally- 
known  author,   added  to  the  guests'  words 
on  the  vitality  of  the  Yiddish  larxguage 
and  its  literature* 

John  M.  Carroll,  Chief  Librarian, 
Division  of   Home  Reading  and  Community 
Services,  extended  official  greetings 
from  the   library, 

■«■ 

Count  Your  Blessings  vras  the  theme 
of  Hiss  Goldstein's  Nevir  Year's  Party 
held  at  West  End  on  Wednesday  evening, 
December  29,  with  nany  former  members 
of  the  staff  attending  as   hostesses. 
Even  those  guests  who  had  shared  many 
times  in  Miss  Goldstein's  feasts   of 
good-vdll  were  amazed  and  delighted  with 
the  warm.th  and  responsiveness  of  the 
dignitaries   and  ordinary  folk  wtio  vrere 
sharing  in  these  holiday  festivities. 
Jfeny  B.P.L,  staff  members   joined  vdth 
local  civic  leaders,  educators   and  social 
workers  from  Greater  Boston,  and  the 
West  End     in  particular, 

Richard  G,   Hensley,   Chief  Librarian^ 
Division  of  Reference  and  Research 
Services,   extended  greetings  from  the 
Library, 

Mrs  Arthur  A,  Shurcliff  and  her  Beacon 
Hill  bell-ringers  furnished  one   of  the 


highlights  of  the  evening  with  their 
beautiful  music, 

Herbert  B.  Ehrmann,  as  chairnan  of  its 
Committee,   brought  a  brief  message  on 
the  current   observance  of  the   Jewish 
American  Tercentenary  in  v.-hich  Miss 
Goldstein  and  the  Judaica  Collection 
of  the  Boston  Public  Library  are  taking 
an  active  part. 

Surprise  of  the  evening  v/as  the 
introduction  of  Dr  Fritz  Lipirann,  fdnner 
of  the  1953  Nobel  Prize  in  Medicine 
and  Physiology  for  his  discovery  of 
"Cocnzyne",   as   guest-of-honor,     A  more 
modest  and  charming  man  would  be  difficult 
to  find.     He  especially  endeared  himself 
to  his   audience  by  his  renarks   on  Boston 
and  the  West  End, 

The  program  ivhich  included  a  presenta- 
tion of  Israeli  songs  and  of  Yiddish 
dranatic   songs,  ended  with  refreshments 
and  an  opporturdty  to  meet  tdic  special 
guests  of  the  evening. 


SOAP  BOX 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  r^ame  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  to- 
gether \dth  the  name  of  the  Branch  Li- 
brary, Department,  or  Office  in  which  he 
or  she  is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld 
from  publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if 
the  contributor  so  requests,  Anonynous 
contributions  are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  contributor  and  to  the  Editor- 
in-Chief,  The  contents  of  articles 
appearing  in  the  Soap  Box  are  personal 
opinions  expressed  by  individual  Associa- 
tion members  and  their  appearance  does 
not  necessarily  indicate  that  the  Pub- 
lications Committee  and  the  Association 
are  in  agreement  with  the  vievv's  expressed. 
Only  those  contributions  containing  not 
more  than  300  words  will  be  accepted. 


Another  year  «  •  c 

Another  chance 
Join  now 


•  A.  L.  A. 
"Your  professional  friend" 


For  application  blanks, 
see  Sarah  M.  Usher 
Office  of  Records,  Files,  Statistics 


o 


^^ 


,^     ^      l«iifMlgM 


^ 


Q  \=A 


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xiTO 


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uestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


FEBRUARY  1955 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 


Volume  Xj  Number  2 


Febrvtary  19^5 


Publications  Committee:  John  J.  Hallahan,  Sheila  ¥.  Pierce,  B.  Gertrude  Wade, 

Robert  C.  Woodward,  John  McCafferty,  Chairman 


Publication  date: 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  submitting  materialt 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  KDTES 

It  seems  that  editorial  subject-matter,  like  the  weather,  is  a  thing  -w^iose  comings 
and  goings  do  not  admit  of  prediction  or  regulation.  I  was  sure  when  I  accepted  the 
position  as  Chairman  of  the  Publications  Committee  that  when  QHf  time  arrived  I  would 
have  great  mouthfuls  of  things  to  say  on  a  variety  of  subjects.  Unhappily,  the  event 
proved  false  to  the  expectation  and  I  found  myself  faced  with  a  deadline  and  a  blank 
mind  simultaneously.  I  resorted  to  reading  some  old  Question  li'Sarks  to  steal  some 
ideas,  but  nothing  there  pleased  me.  I  finally  found~The  ansi/ver  to  ny  problem  in 
some  remarks  made  some  years  back  by  one  of  the  early  editors  to  the  effect  that  the 
Soap  Box  contributions  offer  a  rich  field  for  editorial  comment.  There  having  been 
no  Soap  Box  to  speak  of  lately,  I  have  chosen  to  apply  this  method  somewhat  liberally, 
and  will  call  attention  to  a  couple  of  hot  numbers  sent  to  the  Soap  Box  for  this 
issue.  The  two  letters  I  refer  to  display  what  must  be  acknowledged,  in  the  Con>- 
mittee's  opinion,  as  a  frame  of  mind  characto-'istic  of  a  considerable  number  of  Staff 
members.  It  is  not  an  active,  rebellious  spirit  so  much  as  a  sort  of  smoldering, 
restive  anxiety*  There  are  so  many  rumors  about  vital  subjects  (especially  the  ogre 
REORGANIZATION.   .  «)  that  many  people,  aware  of  the  uprootings  and  inconveniences 
that  reorganization  might  inflict  upon  them  and  their  Uveilihoods ,  have  justifiable 
grounds  for  worry.  Most  of  these  stories  are  probably  unreliable  distortions  that 
get  worse  as  they  pass  from  mouth  to  mouth,  but  the  effect  is  nevertheless  de- 
moralizing. The  obvious  answer  to  the  problem  is  getting  more  information  to  the 
staff.  The  more  we  know,  the  less  we  will  have  to  speculate  about. 

Speaking  of  information,  we  have  had  little  material  from  the  various  branches 
and  departments  for  this  issue.  It  is  difficult  to  get  news  about  births,  weddings, 
etc.,  and  often  such  items  are  left  out  merely  because  we  don't  hear  about  them. 
Staff  representatives  are  urged  to  keep  us  informed. 


FREE  TO  ALL,  the  big  musical  hit  of  the  season,  still  has  tongues  wagging.  This 
issue  has  a  special  section  on  the  show.  The  lively  co-operative  spirit  of  the  company 
and  the  generous,  co-operative,  happy  spirit  of  the  audience  and  patrons  show  that 
occasionally  the  Library  does  behave  like  one  big  happy  family. 


CALT^NDAR  OF  EVENTS 


February  17. 
Febmary  19. 


M.L.A.  Mid-winter  meeting. 

Hotel  Somerset. 

Catholic  Book  Festival,  New 

England  lAitual  Hall. 
February  20-26.  Catholic  Book  Week  Fair, 
New  England  liitual  Hall, 
February  25.  Reception  to  new  B.P.L.P.S.A. 

Officers  and  to  the  FREE  TO 

ALL  cast  and  company.  (See 

back  cover) . 


PERSONAL  NOTES 

Resignations 

Mrs  Phyllis  R.  Kallman,  Jeffries  Point, 

to  remain  at  home. 
Garth  B.  Henzler,  Bookmobile  I,  to  attend 

Boston  University. 
John  Vif.  Hoffman,  Audio-Visual,  to  accept 

another  position. 
Mrs  Norma  Dalton  Young,  Book  Stack  Service, 

to  live  in  New  Jersey.  Mrs  Young  has 

been  on  Military  Leave. 


-2- 


Retirement 

Mary  E.  Mulvaney,  Assistant-in-Charge, 
Central  Charging  Records,   January  31« 

Transferred 

Richard  J.  Waters,  from  Open  Shelf  to 

Dorchester. 
Patricia  0.  Leonard,  from  Open  Shelf  to 

Bookmobile  I. 

Marriages 

In  Rome,  Italy,  on  December  27,  Laura 
V.  Abate,  Office  of  Division  of  Reference 
and  Research  Services,  to  Angelo  Abate. 
Mr  and  iJlrs  Abate  honeymooned  in  Spain  for 
the  month  of  January, 

Birth 

Announcement  has  been  made  of  birth  of 
a  daughter  to  JSr  and  liJrs  Roger  Hunt  on 
February  9.  Mrs  Hunt  is  on  leave  of 
absence  from  the  Office  of  the  Division  of 
Home  Reading  and  Community  Services. 

FREE  TO  ALL 

FREE  TO  ALL,  the  Centennial  Revue,  was 
unveiled  on  January  29.  It  was  warmly  and 
generously  received.  The  work  that  went 
into  the  show  seemed  worthwhile  to  the 
entire  cast  and  con^Dany  during  those  warm  } 
moments  when  the  large  audience  so  en- 
thusiastically applauded  their  efforts. 

We  present  for  all  the  Staff  to  enjoy 
some  of  the  congratulatory  letters  the 
Association  has  received  concerning  FREE 
TO  ALL. 

Frank  W.  Buxton 
29  Sutherland  Road 
Brookline  U6,  fiass. 


■A  most  gratifying  aspect  to  he,  a  humbled 
: trustee,  was  the  strong  implication  of  a 
fine  morale  among  the  members  of  the  Pro- 
fessional Staff  Association.  No  dis- 
gruntled or  perverse  or  caviling  group 
could  possibly  have  originated  and 
organized  and  executed  such  an  event.  I 
think  it  is  the  best  evidence  I  have  ever 
seen  in  a  long,  long  tenure  as  a  trustee, 
of  the  admirable  spirit  of  devotion  and 
cohesiveness  which  characterizes  the 
staff  individually  and  as  a  xinit. 

I  doubt  that  any  other  branch  of  the 
city  government  or  any  library  department 
of  any  city  could  equal  this  accomplish- 
ment. I  feel  proud  to  be  associated,  even 
indirectly,  with  such  a  group. 

Sincerely, 

(Signed)       FRANK  W.  BUXTON 


Mr  B.  J.  O'Neil, 

President 

B.P.L.P.S.A. 


U  February  1955 


January  31,   1955. 


Dear  Mr  O'Neil, — 


Congratulations,  vmqualified  congratula- 
tions to  the  Professional  Staff  Associa- 
tion on  the  "Free  To  All"  musical  revue. 
The  performance  glowed.  It  had  a  fresh- 
ness, a  spontaneity  and  a  fondness  of 
touch  -Biriiich  were  delicious — and  all  throu^ 
it  ran  a  truly  wholesome  quality. 

Just  as  enjojrable  as  the  performance 
itself  was  the  obvious  hearty  enjoyment  of 
all  who  had  a  part  in  it— and  the  pleasvire 
of  those  not  on  the  stage  or  in  the  or- 
chestra who  had  a  hand  in  the  preparation 
of  the  revue  was  evident  from  their  works. 


Mr  Frank  W.  Buxton 
29  Sutherland  Road 
Brookline  li6 
Massachusetts 

Dear  Mr  Buxton s 

Your  very  gracious  letter 
of  congratulation  was  most  heartwarming. 
We  are  all  proud  of  the  excellent  spirit 
shown  by  the  staff  supporting  and  par- 
ticipating in  the  production  of  FREE  TO  ALL . 

To  make  such  an  enterprise  successful, 
we  needed  the  good  will  and  cooperation 
of  the  staff,  of  the  Director  and  the 
administrative  officers,  of  the  many 
friends  of  the  Library,  and  of  the  Trustees, 

We  should  have  been  very  hesitant 
about  embarking  on  so  ambitious  a  project, 
if  we  had  not  received  encouragement  and 
support  from  the  Trustees,  including  the 
very  substantial  loan  to  help  us  with 
expenses  until  we  could  expect  some 
revenue  from  the  sale  of  tickets. 

I'jy   successor,  the  new  president  of 
our  Association,  Mr  Louis  Rains,  joins 
me  in  thanking  you  for  your  wonderf\il 
letter,  and  we  would  like  to  have  yotir 
permission  to  publish  it  in  The  Question 
Mark  so  that  all  the  staff  would  have  an 


-3- 


opportunity  to  read  and  enjoy  it. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

(Signed)  B.  JOSEPH  0'^EIL 

B.  Joseph  0 'Neil 


Boston  Public  Library 
Office  of  the  Director 

10  February  1955 


Dear  }&r  Rains: 

Since  I  had  to  be  aiivay  from  Boston 
for  the  days  immediately  follov.dng  the 
production  of  the  Boston  Public  Library 
Professional  Staff  Association's  nnisical 
revue  "Free  to  All"  I  did  not  have  an 
opportunity  iumedia-tely  to  send  my  warm 
congratulations  upon  the  very  fine  pro- 
duction. It  was  an  unusually  interesting 
undertaking  from  beginning  to  end.  That 
it  came  out  so  well  is  a  tribute  to  all 
concerned. 

As  Director  of  the  Library  I  can  not 
think  of  any  other  undertaking  which 
could  have  brought  so  thoroughly  deserved 
tribute  to  so  many  individual  members  of 
the  library  staff,  I  am  certain  that  a 
similar  undertaking  could  not  have  been 
mounted  in  any  other  library  in  the 
country. 

In  addition  to  writing  to  you  in 
your  capacity  as  President  of  the 
Association  I  wish  to  salute  you  per- 
sonally in  your  role  of  Production 
Manager  also. 

Hearty  congratulations  1 

Yours  sincerely, 
(Signed)  HLTON  E.  LORD 


Director 


To 


Mr  Louis  Rains 

President,  Boston  Public  Library  Pro- 
fessional Staff  Association 


February  7,  1955 

To  the  Cast,  the  Composer,  Authors, 
Director .and  Producers  of  "Free  to  All" : 

On  behalf  of  the  Centennial  Gift 
Committee,  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to 


thank  each  and  every  one  of  you  for  the 
splendid  performance  of  "Free  to  All". 
From  beginning  to  end  the  undertaking 
showed  how  much  thought  and  effort  went 
into  naking  it  a  finished,  and  enjoyable 
perfornance.  Orchids  to  all  of  you  I 

And  to  all  those  who  worked  untiringly 
to  make  the  fine  program  book  such  a 
financial  success,  thanks  again. 

All  of  us  can  well  be  proud  of  the  many 
talented  people  on  our  staff  and  their 
willingness  to  give  so  generously  of  their 
talents.  The  Bostai  Public  Library  has 
reason  to  be  proud  of  its  employees  and 
the  contribution  they  have  made  to  the 
Library's  general  welfare. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  ADA  A.  ANDELL5AN 

Chairman, 

Centennial  Gift  Committee 

Notice  of  Additional  Sponsors 

The  following  names  were  not  included 

in  the  list  of  sponsors  of  FREE  TO  ALL 

either  because  they  arrived  too  late  or 
through  omission: 

Mr  George  F.  Booth 
Miss  Emilia  DeFerrari 
Mr  Sidney  R.  Rabb 
A.  Warren  Stearns,  M.D. 
Jfr  Joseph  T.  Teahan 
lliss   Julia  Zaugg 

PRESIDENT'S  NOTES 

On  behalf  of  the  newly  elected  officers 
and  Executive  Board  I  wish  to  convey  our 
thanks  for  the  confidence  you,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Professional  Staff  Association, 
have  seen  fit  to  place  in  us.  We,  in 
turn,  pledge  that  we  will  do  our  utmost 
to  carry  out  the  objectives  of  our 
Association.  The  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties of  the  officers  and  Executive  Board 
are  outlined  in  the  constitution,  but  the 
duties  of  the  members,  although  not 
spelled  out,  are  even  more  important.  You 
are  the  Association  and  the  Association 
is  what  you  make  it.  It  is  the  duty  of 
the  members  to  serve  on  committees  when 
asked.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  members  to 
bring  to  the  attention  of  the  Executive 
Board,  the  committee  chairBcn,  or  the  busi- 
ness meetings,  any  problem  or  project 
that  lies  within  the  scope  of  our  objectives, 
It  is  your  duty  as  members  to  attend 


4i- 


meetings,  to  present  your  views,  and  to 
vote  on  motions.  Our  Staff  Association 
has  been  successful  because  it  has  been 
active.  Let  us  all  work  together  and 
insure  continued  success.  End  of  lecture. 

Speaking  of  working  together,  the 
Centennial  musical  revue,  was  an' outs tandr luncheon  and  a  pleasant  social  hour,  the 


honor  to  one  of  its  most  faithful  members, 
Mr  Richard  Sullivan  of  Lawrence  Public 
Library.  A  special  guest  at  the  luncheon 
was  Ifr  Sullivan's  bride-to-be,  Mary 
Santaliquido  of  the  Division  of  Library 
Extension.  After  a  very  satisfying 


ing  exaii5)le  of  what  cooperation  can  do. 
Too  many  people  worked  too  hard  to  permit 
the  singling  out  of  individuals  for 
special  commendation.  Thanks  are  due  to 
the  Trustees  for  lending  us  sufficient 
capital  to  enable  \xs  to  get  started. 
Thanks  are  due  to  the  Administrative 
officers  for  enthusiastic  support.  Our 
thanks  to  the  division  heads,  the 
departnBntal  chiefs  and  branch  librarians 
for  cooperation  in  arranging  working 
schedules.  Thanks  to  all  you  anonymous 
individuals  who  helped  with  the  corres- 
pondence and  advertising  solicitation. 
Thanks  to-  our  many  generous  friends  and 
sponsors  who  made  our  production  a 
financial  success.  Thanks  to  you  vitio 
paid  for  and  served  the  most  VirelconE 
coffee  at  rehearsals .  Thanks ,  of 
course,  to  the  composer,  the  writers,  the 
director,  the  cast,  the  orchestra,  the 
stage  manager  and  his  assistants,  the 
scenery  designer,  the  production  staff, 
the  costume  committee,  the  sound  recorders 
the  photographers,  and  the  make-up 
committee.  Thanks  to  the  custodians, 
the  painters,  the  carpenters  and  the 
electricians  for  their  cheerful  helpful- 
ness. Thanks  to  the  enthusiastic 
whose  friendly  applause  made  the  effort 
worth  while.  Thanks  to  all  you  kind 
people  who  sent  kind  expressions  of 
-appreciation  to  the  Association.  Most 
of  all,  thanks  to  you  extra  service 
personnel  who  gave  so  generously  of  your 
enthusiasm,  talents,  energy,  and  time. 
In  a  word,  thanks. 

Incidentally,  although  a  final  account- 
ing cannot  be  made  at  this  time,  it 
appears  that  the  proceeds  from  "Free  to 
All"  will  be  approximately  fifteen  hundrec 
dollars . 


group  repaired  to  a  meeting  room.  Jir 
Sullivan  and  his  bride  were  presented 
with  an  electric  deep-fryer,  on  behalf 
of  the  group.  An  hour  spent  on  current 
fiction— which  is  scarcely  worth  an  hour — 
interrupted  the  festivities. 

Best  wishes  go  with  Mr  Sullivan  and 
his  bride  as  they  take  their  vows  on 
Febniary  19  and  then  go  to  New  York  for 
a  round  of  sight-seeing  and  theatre- 
going,  including  an  appearance  (as 
background)  on  Ed  Sullivan's  famous  TV 
show. 


Louis  Rains 


RICHARD  SULLIVAN  HONORED 


Edna  G.  Peck 


CATHOLIC  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION  MEETS  AT 
BOSTON  COLLEGE  UW  SCHOOL 


The  New  England  Unit  met  at  Boston 
College  Law  School  on  Saturday,  January  19. 

Although  the  weather  laas  not  favorable 
(cold  and  snow  flurries)  80  members  and 
guests  were  present.  They  were  welcomed 
by  Rev.  John  A.  Tobin,  S.J. 

Jfeiry  Alice  Rea  spoke  at  length  on  plans 
for  Catholic  Book  Week,  February  20-26, 
and  of  the  special  feature,  the  annual 
audienc^Book  Festival  to  be  held  in  the  New 

England  Mutxial  Hall  on  February  19.  The 
principal  speakers  will  be  Jacqueline 
Cochran  and  Fary  Reed  Newland. 

Thomas  ¥.  Reiners,  Chairman  of  the 
Unit,  called  attention  to  an  article  in 
the  Catholic  Library  World,  CATHDLIC 
BOOK  VJEEK,   A  HISTORY.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  this  week,  which  has  achieved 
national  importance,  was  founded  principally 
by  members  of  the  B.P.L.  staff  at  the 
instigation  of  Cterles  L.  Higgins. 

The  speaker  for  the  afternoon  iwas  Rev. 
Martin  P.  Harney,  S.J,  of  Boston  College. 
His  subject.  Catholic  traditions  in  New 
England,  '/as  an  outline  of  the  grovrth 
and  development  of  Catholicism  in  New 


The  Greater  Boston  Book  Review  Club 
held  a  luncheon  meeting  at  The  Pioneer 
on  Wednesday,  February  9»  This  deviation 
from  the  Boston  Public  Library  Temporary 
Conference  Room  as  a  meeting  place  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  group  was  paying 


England  from  the  days  of  the  explorers, 
Champlain  and  Cabot,  to  the  beginning 
of  the  19th  century.  The  talk,  which  was 
too  short  in  the  opinion  of  all,  -vas 
interspersed  with  anecdotes  and  legends 
told  as  only  Father  Harney  can  tell  them. 

The  members  of  the  faculty  who  were 
present  were  most  generous  in  showing  and 


-5- 


explaining  the  different  features  of  their 
beautiful  new  building. 

After  the  meeting  a  social  hour  and 
luncheon  was  enjoyed  in  the  college 
cafeteria. 

Anna  L.  Manning 

W.  N.  B.  A> 

A  dinner  meeting  of  the  W.N.B.A. 
(Wonan's  National  Book  Association)  was 
held  at  the  Hotel  Gardner  on  Thursday, 
January  27.  Despite  the  howling  winds 
and  ten  degree  temperature  both  outsid4^ 
and  inside  the  hotel  (or  so  it  felt) 
twenty-five  hardy  souls  gathered  to  enjoy 
a  social  hour,  partake  of  an  excellent 
dinner  and  listen  to  Mrs  Lydia  Davis 
describe  life  in  New  Zealand  as  seen  by 
a  native. 

Mrs  Davis,  who,  with  her  husband  Dr  Tonij 
is  the  author  of  Doctor  to  the  Islands , 
is  a  lady  of  rare  charm,  wit  and  vivacityi 
Assuming  that  her  audience,  being  women 
of  the  several  aspects  of  the  book  trade, 
knew  about  the  Davis '  recent  experiences 
from  reading  Doctor  to  the  Islands,  she 
decided  to  talk  about  her  life  in  New 
Zealand.  Her  descriptions,  highlighted 
by  many  anecdotes  of  personal  experiences, 
did  not  create  the  possibility  that  the 
Boston  book  field  would  be  minus  twenty- 
five  members  by  a  sudden  exodus  of  those 
present  to  New  Zealand.  In  fact  Mrs 
Davis  made  Boston,  even  at  a  ten  degree 
temperature,  sound  decidedly  appealing 
by  contrast  with  those  supposedly  sunny 
islands.  In  New  Zealand  socialism  is 
carried  to  an  extreme ,  which,  according 
to  Mrs  Davis,  "creates  a  worker's  paradise 
but  robs  the  people  of  individual  incen- 
tive and  takes  from  the  crafts  all  crea- 
tive impetus".  The  bleak  pictxire  which 
Itrs  Davis  painted  of  her  native  land  was 
Softened  by  the  humor  and  understanding 
of  her  graphic  descriptions. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  W.N.B.A.  will 
be  held  on  Bferch  10.  All  vramen  working 
with  books,  in  any  capacity,  are  invited 
to  attend.  ^^^  ^^  p^^^. 

TOU'LL  BE  SORRY 

if  you  miss  seeing  the  exhibit  of 
decorative  tiles  currently  being  shown 
at  Central  in  the  main  lobby.  The 
Exhibits  Office  has  done  it  again  I  Con- 
gratulations to  them,  and  to  E.  Stanley 
Wires  for  lending  the  tiles. 


TALKS  BY  STAFF  MEMBERS 

The  twenty-sixth  in  the  series  of 
Pitcairn-Crabbe  Lectures  was  delivered 
by  Milton  E.  Lord,  Director,  Boston 
Public  Library,  on  Friday  evening, 
February  11,  in  the  Stephen  Collins 
Foster  Ifemorial  at  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh. 

The  series  is  on  the  general  topic  of 
"Modern  Education  and  Human  Values". 
Mr  Lord's  lecture,  under  the  title  of 
Arsenal  of  Democracy,  discussed  the 
relationship  of  libraries  to  the  general 
topic,  treating  of  the  human  values 
to  be  found  in  the  library  as  a  complement 
to  the  formal  educational  process  and 
suggesting  some  of  the  potentialities 
in  the  library  that  can  affect  all 
individuals  as  human  beings  in  some 
manner  or  other  soon  or  late. 


Fanny  Goldstein,  West  End,  spoke  on 
January  18,  at  the  regular  semi-monthly 
meeting  of  the  Business  and  Professional 
Women  of  the  Boston  Chapter  of  Hadassah, 
on  False  Messiahs  in  Jewish  History, 
at  West  End J  and  on  January  31 >  at  the 
PTA  of  Temple  Emeth,  Maiden,  on  The 
Jewish  Child  in  Bookland. 


Despite  the  bitter  weather  on  January  17 
a  cold  (physically)  but  cordial  (emo- 
tionally) audience  enjoyed  a  talk  on 
current  books  by  Edna  G.  Peck,  Chief  of 
Book  Selection  (Div.  of  H.R.  and  C.  S.). 
All  available  books  on  the  list  distributed 
by  Miss  Peck  were  circulated  and  many 
others.  The  favorable  comments  received 
at  that  time  and  in  the  following  weeks 
makes  a  repeat  perfornance  a  command  for 
next  year. 

Edna  G,  Peck  has  reviewed  books  at 
recent  meetings  of  two  Friends  of  the 
Library  groups — at  Charge  stown  on 
February  3  and  at  Egleston  Square  on 
February  7» 

UND  MARK  FOR  HUNGRY  BOSTONIANS 

One  of  the  sager  members  of  the  staff 
who  must  go  unnamed  has  pointed  out  that 
when  they  put  the  tiles  back  on  the  roof 
the  Library  will  look  like  the  world's 
biggest  Howard  Johnson's  ! 


ALUMNI  NOTES 

Marjorie  Ferris,  formerly  assistant 
in  Open  Shelf,  has  been  appointed  Librariar, 
of  the  Waylard  Free  Public  Library,  effec- 
tive January  1,  1955.  Since  leaving  the 
BPL  in  19U6  Miss  Ferris  has  been  Li- 
brarian at  the  Harvard  Law  School  Library. 

Marianne  Morse,  formerly  of  l&isic,  and 
more  recently  on  the  staff  at  Yale 
University  Library,  is  the  new  Librarian 
at  the  Eastern  Gas  and  Fuel  Associates, 
250  Stuart  Street,  Boston. 

STAFF  IN  PRINT 

Leonard  J.  Macmillan,  Book  Purchasing, 
editor  of  the  Boston  Chapter  Bulletin 
of  the  S.L.A.  has  his  editorial  from 
the  November  19$U  issue  quoted  almost 
in  entirety  in  the  January  1955  issue  of 
the  national  publication  of  the  associa- 
tion, "Special  Libraries", 

Mary  Alice  Rea,  also  of  Book  Purchasingj 
has  an  article  entitled  Paris,  Rome  and 
Pakis tan  in  the  February  1955  issue  of 
CATH3LIC  LIBRABY  TTORID, 

B.P.L,  IN  PRINT 

The  December     195U  issue  of  the  New 
England  Quarterly  has  an  article  by 
Walter  1/Iuir  Whitehill  entitled  "The 
Vicissitudes  of  Bacchante  in  Boston". 
This  article,  as  the  author  points  out, 
contains  a  much  fuller  account  on  the 
Bacchante-courtyard  problem  than  will  be 
found  in  his  forthcoming;  Centennial 
History  of  the  Boston  Public  Library* 


The  Sunday  HERALD,  rotogravure  section 
February  13,  included  several  photographs 
of  members  of  the  cast  of  FREE  TO  ALL. 
Don't  miss  it  I 

CARE  SAYS  THANK  TOU 

Thanks  to  our  many  contributors,  1951+ 
was  an  outstanding  year  for  CARE  in  the 
BPLPSA. 

We  have  received  word  from  the  CARE 
organization  that  the  "Food  crusade" 
packages  are  available  for  an  indefinite 
period.     At  present  all  our  funds  are 
being  used  for  this  purpose.     Let  us 
endeavor  to  help  the  needy  as  effectively 
in   '55  as  we  did  in   '5U. 

SPECIAL  COMMITTEE  FOR  CARE 


RETIREI-ffiNTS 
Mary  E.  Iflilvaney 

On  Thursday  morning,  January  27,  Mary 
E.  Mulvaney  was  the  guest  of  honor  at  a 
coffee  party  in  the  Women's  Lounge  at  the 
Central  Library.     This  party  was  not  only 
an  expression  of  appreciation  of  Miss 
Iftilvaney's  long  years  of  service,  it  was 
also  a  demonstration  of  the  genuine 
affection  viiich  the  staff  both  at  Central 
and  in  Branch  Libraries  have  for  Marie. 

For  fifty  years  she  had  served  the 
Library  faithfully  and  loyally  in  Book 
Stack  Service,  and  in  Registration — 
later  Central  Charging.     No  detail  in  her 
day's  work  was  too  trivial  for  her  care — 
no  task  was  too  difficult.     The  most 
characteristic  feature  of  her  make-up 
TOis  cheerfulness  and  friendliness.     Miss 
?ftilvaney  had  a  pleasant  word  for  everybody. 

At  the  Party,  John  M.  Carroll,  Chief 
Librarian,  (Div.  of  H.  R.  and  C.  S.), 
nade  a  presentation  on  behalf  of  Miss 
Mulvaney's  friends  of  a  wishing  well, 
whose  tiny  bucket  contained  a  gift  of 
money.     Wjss  Milvaney  accepted  it  with 
graciousness  and  spoke  of  her  happy 
years  in  the  Library  and  of  the  many 
friends  she  had  made. 

Three  of  Marie's  cousins  were  present 
and  were  happy  to  join  other  friends    in 
the  enjoyment  of   Irish  bread,  coffee  cake, 
doughnuts  and  cookies.     Coffee  and  tea 
were  poured  by  the  Misses  Swift,  Picciulo, 
Cufflin,  Zaugg,  Munsterberg  and  Toy. 

We  will  all  miss  Mary  Jfiilvaney,  even 
though  7»e  have  not  seen  so  much  of  her 
hidden  away  in  the  new  department.  Our 
best  wishes  go  with  her  in  her  retire- 
ment and  we  hope  that  soon,  and  often, 
she  will  find  time  to  visit  us. 

WEDDINGS 

On  Saturday,  Febniary  12,  Ifeiry  Kenny, 
Personnel,  became  the  bride  of  Richard 
McNamee,  at  a  nuptial  Mass  at  Sacred 
Heart  Church,  Roslindale.     A  reception 
at  Ripley  Hall,  Dorchester,  followed. 
Mr  and  Mrs  McNamee  are  now  on  a  wedding 
trip  to  New  Hampshire. 

BEST  WISHES  TO  SOffi  FRIENDS  OF  OURS 

Congratvilations  to  Mr  and  Mrs  Edward 
Muir  on  the  arrival  of  son,  Charles,  on 
January  17.     The  newcomer  is  the  third 
son  in  the  Muir  family.     Mr  Muir  is 
working  at  Central  with  the  Great  Books 
Foundation, 


-7- 


Best  wishes  to  Joan  Maclnnis,  em- 
ployed at  the  Coffee  Shop,  vriao  was 
married  on  Saturday,  February  12,  to 
Ralph  Reddy,  at  Sacred  Heart  Church, 
North  Quincy, 

A.LJl.  MID-TONTER  MEETING 

There  were  some  1,300  people  in 
attendance  and  the  mornings,  afternoons, 
and  evenings  were  given  over  to  in- 
numerable meetings  of  divisions,  sections 
boards ,  round  tables ,  and  committees ,  as 
well  as  to  meetings  of  the  council  itsel4 

At  the  three  meetings  of  the  Council, 
a  great  number  of  reports  of  definite 
interest  were  presented.  For  the  first 
time  reports  of  the  activities  of  the 
divisions  were  made  by  the  President 
of  the  Divisions  to  the  Council  at  a 
public  meeting. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  council  was 
presided  over  by  John  S.  Richards, 
President-elect.  The  nominating  com- 
mittee's report  was  quickly  accepted. 
The  finance  committee's  report  contained 
a  recommendation  of  closer  accoxxnting 
and  integrating  of  the  finances  of  all 
A.L.A,  units.  The  committee  found  that 
the  budget  was  eminently  satisfactory 
and  that  the  balance  was  anticipated  in 
all  accounts  except  in  the  publishing 
budget,  A  report  on  the  work  on  Notable 
Books  of  19$h  was  made  by  Grace  Vi[.  Oilman 
who  pointed  out  that  the  195U  list  was 
the  shortest  ever  compiled,  A  report 
of  the  Photoduplication  and  Multiple 
Copying  Methods  Committee  was  submitted 
to  the  council  emphasizing  that  the  com- 
mittee was  offering  a  guide,  not  a  set 
of  standards,  since  the  establishment  of 
standards  was  pretty  much  the  concern 
of  the  American  Standard  Association, 

A  report  of  the  acti'/ities  and 
potential  relationships  of  the  ALA — NBA 
joint  committee  was  made  by  Louise 
Galloway.  The  joint  cojnnittee  publishes 
a  monthly  list  of  "distinguished"  books 
except  in  certain  months.  During  the 
year,  the  joint  committee  sponsored  the 
reprinting  of  a  very  useful  out-of-print 
issue  of  the  NEA  yearbook,  got  out  a 
pamphlet  advising  school  administrators 
how  to  advise  architects  on  vihat   the 
library  should  be  in  a  school.  It  got 
a  favorable  response  to  a  recommerdation 
that  a  librarian  be  given  a  place  on  the 
NEPC. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  council 
reports  were  made  by  the  Hospital 


Libraries  Association,  Association  of 
College  and  Reference  Libraries,  and 
the  Cataloging  and  Classification 
Division's  work  on  the  new  edition  of 
Dewey,  Reports  were  also  made  by  the 
Division  of  American  Association  of 
School  Librarians ,  the  Division  of 
Libraries  for  Children  and  Young  People, 
and  the  Public  Libraries  Division  all 
reporting  efforts  of  the  immediate  past 
and  plans  for  the  future. 

The  third  council  meeting  was  devoted 
largely  to  the  United  States  Book  Exchange 
and  Radio  Free  Europe. 

A  open  meeting  of  the  executive 
coTincil  created  great  interest.  In  it  a 
progress  report  on  the  survey  of  the 
A.LJL.  by  Cresop,  McCormack  and  Paget 
was  made.  The  survey  showed  how  the 
original  concept  of  the  ALA  of  enlarging 
library  service  (1879)  has  now  grown 
to  include  international  implications 
and  now  touches  upon  the  use  made  of 
and  the  usefulness  of  books  as  well  as 
the  promotion  of  libraries  and  librarian- 
ship.  They  found  that  the  strength 
of  the  ALA  seemed  to  be  its  broad  member- 
ship throughout  the  profession,  the  wide 
interest  among  the  membership  and  the 
alert  conscientious  leadership.  They 
described  as  weaknesses,  the  exceptional 
conqilexity  of  the  organization,  the 
inadequate  coordination  of  the  Divisions 
to  achieve  broad  ends,  and  the  lack  of 
clear  cut  internal  organization  along 
with  some  duplication. 

They  did  speak  very  favorably  of 
the  growth  of  membership.  They  felt  that 
the  American  Library  Association  should 
not  live  in  any  conflict  with  its  divi- 
sions but  should  have  purposes  that  went 
beyond.  They  felt  that  there  was  need 
of  a  statement  of  policies  of  organiza- 
tion and  methods  of  sharing  information. 
They  felt  that  each  unit  should  be 
strengthened  by  the  definition  of  its 
scope,  responsibilities  and  inter- rela- 
tions hips. 

At  the  end  of  this  presentation, 
suggestions  were  made  from  the  floor.  It 
was  suggested  that  the  survey  be  extended 
to  include  the  proMem  of  duplication  of 
effort  and  overlapping  organization  at' 
the  state  and  local  level  as  well  as  in 
the  special  library  association.  It  was 
also  pointed  out  that  the  A.L.A,  might 
be  considered  to  be  carrying  some  burdens 
that  should  be  met  through  support  at  the 
federal  level  of  government.  The  surveyors 
indicated  that  these  commerrts  represented 


-0- 


new  points  of  view  that  they  might  not 
be  able  to  encompass  vdthin  the  time  and 
means  available  for  the  suirvey. 


John 


Carroll 


Children's  Library  Association 
Division  of  Libraries  for 
Children  and  Young  People 

At  Ilidwinter  board  and  committee 
meetings  a  number  of  specific  plans  and 
projects  were  discussed  as  completed  or 
under  way. 

Plans  for  Philadelphia  conference  in- 
clude the  following: 
CLA  program  meeting — Monday  morning, 
July  h — speaker,  Elizabeth  Nesbitt, 
Associate  Dean,  Carnegie  Library  School, 

CLA  Book  Discussions — Tuesday,  Wed- 
nesday and  Thursday  at  8:30  a.m. 

Group  I— A  NEVr  LOOK  AT  THE  0 ID  BOOK 
(criteria  for  re -evaluation;  dis- 
cussion of  the  new  BOOiS  ^RTH 
THEIR  KEEP  LIST) 
Group  II— "SELLING"  YDUR  BOOK  COL« 
LECTION  (introducing  the  "special" 
book,  presenting  book  talks  to 
children,  using  radio  and  TV) 
Group  III— ADVERTISING  YOUR  BOOK 
SERVICES  (to  schools,  parents  and 
other  community  groups) 
Advance  registration  for  the  group 
chosen  for  the  three  days  may  be  made 
to  Virginia  Haviland,  Boston  Public  Li- 
brary,    Groups  will  be  limited  to  dis- 
cussion size. 

At  the  Division  board  meeting,  re- 
ports indicated  the  preparation  of  a 
number  of  valuable  lists  prepared  by 
Committees : 

1.  BOOKS  TORTH  THEIR  KEEP~to  be 
printed  after  discussion  in  Phila- 
delphia.    (Mary  E.  West  of  this 
library  is  on  this  CLA  conanittee). 

2.  RECOM'IENDED  CHILDREN'S  BOOKS— 
current  titles  listed  regularly  in 
TOP  OF  THE  NEWS,  quarterly  bulletin 
of  the  Division.     Parallel  listing, 
RECENT  ADULT  BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 
(Jane  Manthorne  is  on  this  com- 
mittee) 

3.  DISTINGUISHED  CHILDREN'S  BOOKS  OF 
1951a.     To  be  published  in  the 
April  ALA  BULLETIN  and  March  TOP 
OF  THE  NElfS  (reprints  to  be  avail- 
able ) . 


1|.     FOREIGN  CHILDREN'S  BOOKS  AVAIUBLE 
IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  Rev.  ed.   195U. 
(2$<!  a  copy). 

5.  CHILDREN'S  BOOKS  RECOMraNDED  FOR 
TRANSLATION  INTO  FOREIGN  LANGUAGES. 

6.  Selection  of  titles  for  CARE 
children's  book  packages,  and  for 
packages  of  foreign  children's 
books  available  for  libraries  in 
this  country. 

7.  NE'.'TBERY-CALDECOTT  winners  and 
runners-up  selected  by  the  Newbery- 
Caldecott  Committee j  to  be  announced 
on  I/iarch  7. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Children's  Li- 
brary Association  reported  on  the  approval 
by  ALA  Executive  Board  in  an  October 
session  visited  by  her-  of  three  CLA 
projects:   (1)  the  continuing  plan  for  the 
Laura  Ingalls  Wilder  Medal,  to  be  pre- 
sented every  five  years  for  a  substantial 
and  lasting  contribution  to  children's 
literature;  (2)  the  Survey  Committee's 
proposal  asking  ALA  to  seek  foundation 
funds  for  a  survey  of  children's  work; 
(3)  the  establishment  of  a  scholarship  fund 
for  children's  librarians hip. 

Virginia  Haviland,  Chairman 
Children's  Library 
Association 

Special  meeting  on  AIA  Conferences 

During  the  past  years  there  has  been 
a  growing  concern  about  the  ALA  Annual 
Conference,  about  the  number  of  meetings, 
the  duplication  of  content,  and  the 
difficulty  this  presents  for  the  member. 
At  the  request  of  the  ALA  Executive  Board, 
the  ALA  Program  Committee,  on  Monday 
evening,  January  31,  called  together 
members  of  the  ALA  Executive  Board;  the 
Presidents  of  Divisions;  the  Chairmen 
of  Boards,  Committees,  Joint  Committees, 
and  Round  Tables;  and  the  ALA  Head- 
quarters Professional  Staff  to  discuss 
these  problems.     L.  Quincy  Mumford, 
ALA  Presiden'^  presided  at  this  meeting. 
Among  the  panel  irerabers  vrere:  Flora  b, 
Ludington,   Past  President;  John  Richards, 
President  Elect;  David  Clift,  Executive 
Secretary;  and  Emerson  Greenaway,  Li- 
brarian of  the  Philadelphia  Free  Library. 

Three  major  questions  were  discussed: 

1.  What  are  the  objectives  of  an 
ALA  Annual  Conference? 

2.  Conference  mechanics   (scheduling 
meetings,  physical  facilities,  etc.) 


-9- 


3«-  Vi/hat  kinds  of  Conference  program 
planning  patterns  might  be  con- 
sidered for  the  futxire? 

Following  the  panel  presentations, 
questions  and  comments  from  the  floor 
indicated  th?t  there  were  many  diverse 
opinions  concerning  the  patterns  ALA. 
should  adopt.  There  were  some  who  wanted 
fewer  small  group  meetings  and  more  gen- 
eral sessions.  Others  favored  more  small 
group  meetings  and  fewer  general  sessions. 
There  was  considerable  discussion  also 
as  to  whether  conferees  expected  to 
learn  new  techniques  and  methods  or 
whether  they  were  satisfied  if  they 
gained  inspiration  from  the  meetings 
and  had  an  opportunity  to  meet  and  talk 
with  other  librarians.  The  plea  was  for 
fewer  meetings.  But  vrtien  it  came  to 
deciding  what  meetings  should  be  elimi- 
nated no  one  had  the  answer.  However, 
there  was  general  agreement  that  there 
should  be  a  more  concerted  study  of 
ALA  Conferences  and  that  at  the  Miami 
Beach  Conference  in  1956  ample  time 
should  be  allowed  for  relaxation  and 
sight-seeing. 

Audio-Visual  Activities 

The  Audio-Visual  Board  and  the  Audio- 
Visual  Round  Table  spent  considerable 
time  in  planning  the  Pre-Conference 
Audio-Visual  Institute  scheduled  in 
Philadelphia  on  July  2  and  3.  A  series 
of  small  group  meetings  on  many  aspects 
of  the  audio-visual  program  in  libraries 
will  be  of  interest  to  school,  college 
and  hospital  librarians  as  well  as  to 
adult,  young  adult,  and  children's  li- 
brarians from  public  libraries.  Showings 
of  new  films  and  a  banquet  on  Sunday 
evening  will  be  features  of  the  Institute. 

The  Committee  on  Cooperative  Film 
Service  in  Public  Libraries  is  preparing 
a  questionnaire  to  be  sent  to  all  Public 
Libraries  engaged  in  any  type  of  co- 
operative film  service.  This  study  meets 
an  expressed  need  for  information  in  this 
field.  It  is  hoped  that  it  will  prove 
useful  to  existing  cooperative  agencies 
as  well  as  to  those  planning  to  initiate 
this  service. 

The  new  catalogue  of  Films  for  Public 
Libraries  attracted  much  favorable 
comment.  This  is  an  annotated  list  of 
some  five  hundred  films  recommended  for 


Public  Library  purchase. 

In  accordance  with  the  request  from 
ALA  Headquarters  to  keep  program  meetings 
at  a  minimum  at  Itldvrinter,  the  Audio- 
Visual  Round  Table  held  only  a  business 
meeting.  In  addition  to  Committee 
reports,  announcement  was  made  that 
evaluative  film  reviews  would  appear 
regularly  in  the  ALA  Booklist,  beginning 
in  the  late  fall  of  1955.  Plans  are  also 
underway  for  the  preparation  of  two 
manuals — one  on  films  which  will  include 
basic  information  on  the  establishment 
of  Library  film  service,  and  on  selection, 
evaluation,  and  utilization  of  l6mm  films, 
and  one  on  recordings. 


As  to  be  expected  at  lELdvrinter,  many 
long  hours  were  spent  at  Committee  and 
Board  meetings,  but  I  came  away  from  ray 
first  Kiidwinter  Conference  with  a 
feeling  of  accomplishment,  with  new  friends 
among  the  Library  profession,  a  strengthen- 
ing of  old  friendships,  and  an  increased 
understanding  of  the  ALA  structure. 

Muriel  C.  Javelin,  Chairman 
ALA  Audio-Visual  Round  Table 

W!^   BOOKS  IN  THE  STAFF  LIHIARY 

Non-Fiction 

Adams,  James  T.  Frontiers  of  American 

culture . 

New  York,  Scribner,  19l)h» 
Allen,  Fred.  Treadmill  to  oblivion. 

Boston,  Little,  Brown,  195U. 
Bro,  Margueritte  H.  Indonesia. 

New  York,  Harper,  195U. 
Costain,  Thomas  B.  The  white  and  the  gold. 

Garden  City,  N.  Y.,  Doubleday,  195U. 
Davis,  Thomas.  Doctor  to  the  islands, 

Boston,  Little,  Brown,  19Sk» 
Doss,  Helen  G.  The  family  nobody  wanted, 

Boston,  Little,  Brown,  1951^. 
Gilbreth,  Frank  B.  Inside  Nantucket. 

New  York,  Crowell,  195U. 
Koestler,  Arthur.  The  invisible  writing. 

New  York,  Jfecmillan,  195U. 
Lie,  Trygve.  In  the  cause  of  peace. 

New  York,  Macmillan,  195t|.. 
J-iaugham,  William  S,  llir,   Maugham  himself. 

Garden  City,  N.  Y,,  Doubleday,  195U. 
Maxwell,  Elsa.  R.S.V.P. 

Boston,  Little,  Brown,  195i;. 
Roth,  Lillian.  I'll  cry  tomorrow. 

New  York,  F.  Fell,  1951. 


-xu- 


Rimyon,  Damon.  Father's  footsteps. 

New  York,  Random  Hoiase,  195U. 
Vining,  Elizabeth  G.  The  world  in  tune. 

New  York,  Iferper,  19Sh» 

Non-Fiction — Library  Science 

Leigh,  Robert  D,  Jfejor  problems  in  the 

education  of  librarians. 

New  York,  Columbia  University  Press, 

19Sk. 
Queens  Borough  Public  Library,  New  York 

Woods ide  does  read  I 

Jamaica,  N.  Y. ,  1935. 
Roos,  Jean  C,  Patterns  in  reading. 

Chicago,  American  Library  Association, 

19$U. 
Smith,  Helen  L.  Adult  education  activities i 

in  public  libraries, 

Chicago,  American  Library  Association, 

19Sh. 
Temple,  Phillips  L.  Federal  services  to 

libraries . 

Chicago,  American  Library  Association, 

195U. 
Thompson,  Anthony,  Vocabularium  biblio- 

thecarii,  English,  French,  German, 

Paris,  UNESCO,  1953. 
U.S.  Library  of  Congress.  Subject 

Cataloging  Division. 

Classification.  Class  T;  Technology. 

I|.th  ed. 

Washington,  U.S.   lovt.   Print.  Off,, 

19U8. 

Fiction 

Carroll,  Gladys   (Hasty).     One  white  star. 

New  York,  Macmillan,  195U. 
Dinneen,   Joseph  F.     The  anatonor  of  a  crime. 

New  York,  Scribner,  195U. 
Faulkner,  William.     A  fable. 

New  York,  Random  House,   195U. 
Gann,  Ernest  K.     Soldier  of  fortune. 

New  York,  ¥.  Sloane  Associates,  195U. 
Gay,  Ifergaret  C,     Hatchet  in  the  sky. 

New  York,  Simon  and  Schuster,  1951;. 
Hyraan,  Mac.     No  time  for  sergeants. 

New  York,  Random  House,  195U 
Jennings,   John  E.     Banners  against  the 

wind, 

Boston,  Little,  Brown,  19 5U. 
Lugt,  Arie  van  der.  The  crazy  doctor. 

New  York,  Random  House,  195U. 
Marshall,  Edison.  American  captain. 

New  York,  Farrar,  Straus  and  Young, 

195U. 
Seton,  Anya.  Katherine. 

Boston,  Houghton  Mifflin,  195U. 


Steinbeck,  John,  Sweet  Thursday, 
New  York,  Viking  Press,  195U. 

Stone,  Irving.  Love  is  eternal. 
Garden  City,  N.Y.,  Doubleday,  19514. 

Zara,  Louis,  Blessed  is  the  land. 
New.  York,  Crown  Publishers,  1951;. 

BRANCH  NOTES 

Jfettapan 

" Brotherhood?'  was  the  theme  of  the 
January  meeting  of  the  Friends  of  the 
Jlliattapan  Branch  Library  held  on  Thxirsday, 
January  27.     The  speakers.  Rev.  Francis 
Fish,  CM.,  Chaplain  of  the  New  Carney 
Hospital J  Rabbi  Sidney  Steiraan,  Temple 
Beth  Hillelj  and  Rev.  R.  William  Shaub, 
St  Paul's  Presbjrterian  Church,  are  all 
prominent  clergymen  in  the  Mattapan  area. 
Each  brought  out  the  need  for  respecting 
one's  fellowman  and  his  beliefs.     Using 
the  Old  Testament  to  illustrate  his 
thesis ,  Rabbi  Steiman  indicated  the 
essentially  similar  potentialities  of  all 
men  as  exemplified  in  the  Biblical 
stories.     The  Rev,  Mr,  Shaub  made  the 
significant  statement  that  fear  is 
frequently  the  cauee  of  prejudice,  and 
the  Rev,  Father  Fish  emphasized  that 
true  brotherhood  consists  in  being  a 
brother  to  one's  associates— not  in 
talking  about  it.     A  question  and  answer 
period  concluded  the  program,  following 
which  a  coffee  hour  gave  those  attending 
opportunity  for  further  discussion  on  an 
informal  plane, 

■«• 

On  Wednesday,  February  9,  sixty  girl 
scouts,  members  of  five  troops  in  the 
area,  together  with  their  leaders  met 
in  the  Children's  Room  for  a  demonstra- 
tion and  lecture  on  knot  tying  given  by 
Edward  Wolf re,  leader  of  Boy  Scout  Troop 
1|85.  In  this  project  evolved  in  con- 
junction with  the  library's  observance 
of  Boy  Scout  Week,  Mr  Wolf re  was  assisted 
by  several  members  of  his  troop. 

North  End 

On  Tuesday  evening,  January  25,  about 
175  young  adult  sports  enthusiasts 
filled  the  lecture  hall  for  a  "GALA 
SPORTS  NIGHT"  sponsored  by  the  IDUNG 
ADULTS  COUNCIL.  It  was  the  first  time 
that  an  educational-recreational  program 
of  this  type  was  ever  attempted  and  the 
results  were  most  gratifying.  The 
purpose  of  the  "GALA  SPORTS  NIGHT"  was 
threefold:  to  acquaint  the  youngsters 
with  outstanding  local  athletes,  to 


-li- 


st imulate  good  sportsmanship  and  to 
familiarize  the  young  people  with  books 
on  sports  and  books  by  and  about  famous 
sports  figures. 

The  program  consisted  of  a  panel  on 
"Youth  and  Sports"  with  Tony  Segadelli, 
a  North  End  former  athlete  himself  and 
now  a  recreation  advisor  for  the  Boston 
Park  Dept,,  as  moderator  for  the  evening, 
Mr  Segadelli  also  introduced  eight 
outstanding  local  young  adult  athletes  anc 
tiAD   popular   idult  recreation  workers  from 
the  district.     The  panel  consisted  of 
Joseph  Costanza,   often  called  "The  J&n 
Behind  the  lian  Behind  New  England  Sports 
News",  Curt  Gowdy's  chief  statistician 
at  station  T;JHDHj  Fred  Ciampa,   sports 
editor  of  the  BOSTON  TR'lVELER  and  Sam 
Pino  J   BU's  star  athlete  and  ivinner  of 
the  Lowe  aT*rard  as  the  "Most  Outstanding 
Football  Player  of  the  Year  195U".     Both 
Mr  Pino  and  llir  Ciampa  are  former  North 
Enders  and  they  had  many  encouraging 
words  to  offer  the  youths  interested  in 
amateur  or  professional  sports.     A 
question  and  answer  period  ended  the 
panel  part  of  the  program. 

An  informal  social  hour  followed  with 
the  viewing  of  special  exhibits,  private 
sports-chats  and  autograph-hunting 
between  the  guests  and  the  youth.     The 
exhibits  were  prepared  by  the  Young  Adult 
Councillors  themselves  and  winners  of 
the  Poster  Contest  were  Councillors, 
Patricia  Sasso  and  Connie  Horns by  who 
prepared  the  Autumn  Sports  display  and 
Nellie  Danieli  and  Joanna  Dellagona  with 
their  Spring  Sports.     Judges  of  the 
contest  were  special  guests,  Mrs  liuriel 
C.   Javelin,  Pauline  Winnick,  Duilia 
Capobianco  and  Anne  Twomey,  a  former 
Y.A.  Councillor  and  part-time  worker  at 
North  End,     The  entire  program  was  under 
the  direction  of  Young  Adult  Council 
Advisor,  Linda  M.   Pagliuca  and  of  the 
Branch  Librarian,   Mrs  Geraldine  S,  Herrick 

South  Boston 

South  Boston  is  proud  to  announce  that 
the  Spring  issue  of  The  Packet  contains 
a  featiire  section  on  ihe  work  of  the 
InHgination  Club  including  original 
drawings  and  poems  made  by  the  children. 
The  Packet  is  an  educational  publication 
of  the  D.  C,   Heath  Company,    Boston,   of 
professional  interest  to  teachers,     Ann 
Bov.man  is  the  editor* 

■»■ 

On  Saturday  morning,  January  29,  the 
Teen  Age  Reporters  Club  made  a  trip  to 


the  Isabella  Stewart  Gardner  Museum 
accompanied  by  the  children's  librarian, 
tiartha  C,  Engler.  The  Reporters,  a 
book  review  club  for  junior  high  school 
girls ,  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  col3e  ction 
of  antique  furniture,  art  objects  and 
fresh  flowers,  the  high  points  being 
carefully  explained  by  a  guide  provided 
by  the  museum  staff.  In  preparation 
for  this  trip,  the  Reporters  had  read 
books  from  a  specially  selected  list  of 
titles  on  art,  artists,  mythology,  and 
Bible  stories. 


SOAP  BOX 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  to- 
gether vrLth  the  name  of  the  Branch  Li- 
brary, Department,  or  Office  in  which  he 
or  she  is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld 
from  publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if 
the  contributor  so  requests.  Anonymous 
contributions  are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  contributor  and  to  the  Editor- 
in-Chief.  The  contents  of  articles 
appearing  in  the  Soap  Box  are  personal 
opinions  expressed  by  individual  Associa- 
tion members  and  their  appearance  does 
not  necessarily  indicate  that  the  Pub- 
lications Committee  and  the  Association 
are  in  agreement  with  the  views  expressed. 
Only  those  contributions  containing  not 
more  than  300  vfords  will  be  accepted. 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

On  January  2U,  1955,  a  notice  was  sent, 
under  the  Boston  Public  Library  heading, 
to  all  departments  of  the  library  re- 
garding the  forthcoming  Communion  Break- 
fast to  be  held  by  the  St  Jerome  Guild  on 
March  6  of  tias  year.  In  the  memory  of 
this  writer,  activities  of  non-professional 
associations  v;hich  have  no  direct  connec- 
tion with  the  library  have  never  before 
been  announced  by  means  of  an  official 
library  bulletin.  Several  staff  members, 
representing  a  wide  and  diversified  range 
of  opinion  and  interests,  have  questioned 
the  wisdom  of  sponsorship  of  denomina- 
tional groups  by  either  the  library  ad- 
ministration or  the  Boston  Public  Library 
Professional  Staff  Association.  ITould  it 
hot  be  best  for  all  non-library  groups 


-12- 


to  be  required  to  give  notice  of  their 
activities  by  means  of  their  own  official 
bulletins  only?  In  this  instance  the 
St  Jerome  Guild  is  certainly  a  group 
worthy  of  the  support  of  those  staff  mem- 
bers qualified  to  join  it.  But  is  it  not 
unwise  to  establish  a  practice  which  may 
lead  us  into  difficulties  when  unworthy 
organizations  seek  similar  library  endoise- 
ment?  And,  ireanwhile,  would  it  not  be 
better  to  emphasize  the  unity  rather  than 
the  diversity  among  cur  own  members? 

Dear  Editor: 

A  look  at  the  names  and  address  of  the 
new  Examining  Committee  reveals  how  far  the 
B.P.L,  is  progressing  in  the  matter  of 
metropolitanization.  Twenty  of  the 
forty-four  members  of  the  committee  do  not 
live  in  Boston.  It  would  be  good  if  we 
Could  draw  as  freely  upon  the  treasuries 
of  our  suburbs  for  our  support  as  we  do 
upon  their  citizenries  for  our  inspection. 
Incidentally,  for  all  this  remark  may  be 
worth,  in  eighteen  years  on  the  staff  here, 
I  (personally)  have  never  been  talked  to 
by  an  Examining  Committee  meniber, 

Eamon  KcDonough 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

The  further  swelling  of  the  Staff's 
Centennial  Gift  by  the  proceeds  of  "Free 
to  All",  according  to  what  one  can 
ascertain  from  hearsay,  should  bring  the 
amount  of  that  gift  to  about  nine  thousan 
dollars.  That  is  a  lot  of  money,  and 
very  likely  one  of  the  very  largest  singl 
contributions  unde  to  the  Centennial  Fund.' 
Which  leads  to  the  question,  "Yeah,  how 
about  that  Centennial  Fund?"  Yeah,  how 
about  th;it  Centennial  Fund? 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Soap  Box: 

Month  by  month  the  number  of  Boston 
Public  Library  staff  members  is  dwindling 
dwindling,  dwindling.  According  to  the 
Personal  Notes  in  the  QM  for  the  past 
few  years  back  in  1951,  seventy-nine  new 
members  joined  our  staff j  in  1952, 
seventy-seven;  in  1953,  fifty-three. 
Since  January  195ii,  on  the  other  hand 
there  have  been  fifty-five  resignations 
and  ten  retirements,  but,  as  we  all  know, 
not  a  single  replacement.  During  the 
same  period,  funds  for  extra  service  have 


been  slashed  to  small  bits.  By  now  many 
of  our  departments  are  critically  under- 
staffed. In  some  units  one  person  is 
trying  today  to  do  the  work  which  two 
people  performed  a  fe^^'  years  ago.  In 
some  branches,  I  understand,  the  person 
in  charge  often  finds  herself  v/ith  two 
rooms  or  even  two  floors  to  cover  over 
a  period  of  hours.  Rush  hours  leave  the 
reduced  staffs  of  all  open  departments 
completely  exhausted. 

Apparently  there  is  as  yet  no  end 
in  sight  regarding  this  lamentable  situa- 
tion, ifeanv.'hile  both  staff  morale  and 
the  physical  health  of  many  people  is 
being  impaired.  Wouldn't  a  word  or  two 
of  thanks,  given  in  (Tublic,  to  the  over- 
worked be  in  order  at  this  time? 
Certainly  an  expression  of  appreciation 
for  extra  effort  expended  by  department 
heads  and  assistants  alike  might  help 
literally  drooping  spirits. 

Might  we  not  have  a  report,  too,  on 
what  progress — or  lack  of  it — is  being 
made  in  regard  to  overcoming  City  Council 
resistance  to  hiring  new  employees?  If 
our  administrators  would  explain  to  us 
their  plans  for  meeting  this  emergency, 
I  am  sure  we  would  be  even  more  willing 
to  pitch  into  doubled  assignments  as  long 
as  necessary, 

B,  Gertrude  Wade 


™ 


hestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


MARCH  1955 


THE     QUESTION    MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional     Staff  Association 


Volume  X,   Number  3 


March  1955 


Publications  Committee:  John  J.  Hallahan,  Sheila  W.  Pierce,  B.  Gertrude  Wade, 

Robert  C.  Woodward,  John  McCafferty,  Chairman 


Publication  date; 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  suhnitting  material; 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  NOTES 

Take  a  look  at  the  February  1$   issue  of  Library  Journal  in  which  there  is  an 
interesting  cartoon  dramatically  pointing  up  the  plight  of  the  San  Francisco 
Public  Library.  The  situation  shown  there  is  hardly  peculiar  to  San  Francisco. 
We  have  much  the  same  problem  here  at  the  B.P.L.  and  there  are  probably  dozens 
of  municipal  libraries  throughout  the  country  vrfiich  are  similarly  fixed.  Ours  is 
not  a  question  of  budget  cuts — as  San  Francisco's  apparently  is — but  one  of  budget 
inadequacies.  Boston  enjoys,  or  better,  suffers  from,  a  Tinique  position  among 
large  American  cities,  in  thit  the  city  proper  contains  only  a  third  of  the 
metropolitan  population.  Because  of  this  unusual  situation  the  central  c  ity  has 
to  maintain  many  facilities  which  are  used  by  non-residents  and  residents  alike — 
often  at  much  greater  expense  to  Boston,  and  at  considerable  savings  to  the 
governments  of  neighboring  cities  and  towns.  This  is  a  problem  that  needs 
straightening  out — if  only  from  a  sense  of  fair  play. 

*  *    -s*-    ■«■ 

Econony  is  apparently  the  watchword  these  days — in  municipal  matters  at  least — 
and  after  reading  Dean  Swift  recently  we  have  arrived  at  some  modest  proposals 
of  our  own  to  help  out  in  the  matter  of  economy  here  in  the  Library  Department,  as 
follows:  (1)  that  the  Library  buy  no  more  new  books  until  all  the  books  we  have  are 
worn  out;  (2)  that  the  Library  replace  no  furniture,  equipment,  etc.,  until  all 
the  f\irniture,  equipment,  etc.,  we  have  are  worn  out;  and  (3)  that  the  Library 
replace  no  Staff  members  until  all  the  staff  members  we  have  are  worn  out, 

*  -St-    -;«■    * 

Is  State  Aid  like  the  weather — something  tbdt  everybody  talks  about  but  nobody 
does  anything  about?  ?/e*d  like  to  try  to  settle  this  question,  or  at  least  to  talk 
about  ^frtlat   is  being  done  in  this  direction,  in  next  month's  issue.  Individual  li- 
brarians and  Library  Associations  on  all  geographical  levels  have  traditionally 
long-ed  for  the  day  when  extra -municipal  support  could  be  counted  upon.  Other 
states  have  actually  enacted  such  legislation,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  more  are 
about  to  follovj^  suit.  Active  work  is  being  pushed  here  in  Jilassachusetts,  and  we 
hope  to  have  some  information  on  this  important  topic  for  you  in  the  April  issue. 


PERSONAL  NOTES 

Resignations 

Patricia  0.  Leonard,  Open  Shelf 

Itrs   Virginia  J.  Spencer,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  (Div.  of  H.R.  and  C.S.), 

to  accept  a  position  in  Vne   library  of 

Mount  Holyoke  College. 
Mrs  Marie  A.  Walsh,  Book  Preparation,  to 

remain  at  home. 

Retirement 

Elizabeth  B.  Boudreau,  Chief,  Information 


Office,  retired  on  January  2$,   1955. 

Transferred 

Tirs  Dorothy  B.  Clark,  from  City  Point  to 

South  Boston 
Mrs  Mary  E.  Obear,  from  Bookmobile  II 

to  Bookmobile  I 
Pasquale  A.  Vacca,  from  Bookmobile  I  to 

Bookmobile  II 


-2- 


YOUNGER  GENERATION 

Mr  and  Mrs  George  E.  Earley  have  adop- 
ted a  baby  girl,  Elizabeth,  born  February 
10 J  1955.     l>1r  Earley  is  Reference  Assis- 
tant in  General  Reference. 

Annoimcements  have  been  made  of  the 
folio-wing  births! 


CONGRATULATIOI^ 


Mr  and  Mrs  Frank  Donahue,  a  son  (Mark 
Edward),  on  February  26.     Mrs  Donahue 
(Dorothy)   is  a  fonner  assistant  at 
Charles town  and  late  at  South  Boston. 

Ifr  and  lljrs  Sanaiel  Maloof ,  a  son 
(Edviard  Joseph), on  Jiarch  2.     Mrs  Bfeloof 
(Fdldred  Fischer)   is   on  leave  from 
Jamaica  Plain. 

J&-  and  Mrs  Joe  Hart  in,  a  son,  on  J/krch 
ISr  Hartin  is  employed  in  the  Shipping 
Room  at  Central* 


Virginia  Haviland,  Readf^s  Advisor 
for  Children,  has  been  select^i  by  the 
New  York  Herald-Tribune  as  a  judge  of 


older  girls'  and  boys'  books  for  its 
Spring  Book  Festival. 

PRESIDEMT'S  ROTES 


At  the  regular  monthly  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Board  on  February  7,   1955^,  a 
motion  was  made  and  carried  that  the 
President  write  a  letter  to  the  Director 
requesting  information  about  the  "plan 
for  reorganization  of  the  Library  Depart- 
ment" as  reported  in  Joseph  Keblinsky's 
column  "At  City  Hall"  in  the  Boston 
Sunday  Globe  of  January  I6,   1955.     In 
I  accordance  with  the  instruction  of  the 
7^ Executive  Board,  the  following  letter 
was  sent  to  the  Director: 


llSr  and  J/irs  George  Hulme,  a  daughter^on 
i^'farch  8.     Mr  Hulme  is  in  Printing. 

VISITORS 

Hideo  Ifekane,  Tatsuo  Yoshida  and 
Joseph  Yoshioka,  all  from  the  National 
Diet  Library,  Tokyo,  Japan. 

John  Purdie,   Librarian,  Clydebank, 
Scotland. 

With  the  International  Relations  Board 


^■p  A    T    A      ^         J  J?       J.,      T,  r,     «j.  ^     tT "■'■  '-'-Lii  nHjji,  menx.ion  was  maae  01  the 

of  A.L.A.  formed  for  the  U.S.  State  Depaxt-  proposed  reorganization  of  the  Library 


Mrs  Anniki  Aro,  Lauritsala,  Finland 
Madhet  Adel  Kazam,  Cairo,  Egypt 
Pieter  J.  van  Swigchern,  The  Hague, 

Netherlands 
S.  F.  Santiapillai,  Jaffna,  Ceylon 
Mrs  Stella  Xefiouda,  Athens,  Greece 
Mrs  Graciela     Bellucci,  Tegucigalpa, 

Honduras 


February  16,  1955 

Mr  Milton  E.  Lord,  Director, 
Boston  Public  Library, 
Boston  17,  Ifessachusetts 

Dear  !&•  Lord: 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the 
Executive  "loard  of  the  BPLPSA,  the 
attention  of  the  Board  T?as  drawn  to  an 
item  which  appeared  in  the  Boston  Sunday 
Globe  of  January  I6,  1955.  In  the  column 
AT  CITY  HALL  mention  was  made  of  the 


*r,i™^r  "•  °-  ''  ^^'''''   "-*=-<'--**  vitruyalfe^t  tL  staf?/S  wculd 


Uraguay 
Velia  Silva,  Managua,  Nicaragua 
Elvia  B.  Blasquez,  Mexico  City,  Mexico 
Luz  JIaria  Uribe-Ortiz,  Mexico  City, 

Mexico 
Beatriz  Tavano,  Rosario,  Argentina 
Isaura  Salazar,  Panama,  Panama 
Eenjamin  Godoy,  Guatemala,  Guatemala. 
(This  group  made  the  B.P.L.  a  stop  on 

its  tour  of  U.  S.  Libraries  on  February  21. 

Next  month  a  second  team  will  be  coming 

under  the  International  Relations  Board 

auspices.) 


Department • 

Since  tMs  was  the  first  mention,  eithe 
in  the  public  press  or  otherwise,  that 
any  of  the  Board  had  seen  of  such  a  re- 
organization plan,  it  was  suggested  that 
I  write  to  you  and  ask  if  you  had  any 
information  you  could  let  us  have  con- 
cerning the  proposal.  It  was  the  feeling 
of  the  Board  that  since  such  a  plan 


be  the  duty  of  the  Board  to  gather  as 
much  information  as  possible  and  pass  it 
on  to  the  membership. 

I  would  be  most  grateful  for  any 
assistance  you  can  give  us  in  this  matter. 


(Signed) 


Sincerely  yours, 

LOUIS  RAINS 
Louis  Rains 
President 


-3- 


In  reply  to  our  letter  the  Director 
invited  the  Executive  Board  to  meet 
with  him  on  Monday,  February  28.     At 
this  meeting  Mr  Lord  informed  the 
Executive  Board  that  there  would  shortly 
be  submitted  to  the  Ivkyor  a  report  on 
the  Library  by  the  Ilayor's  Citizens 
Committee  on  Municipal  Finance,  that  he 
had  not  yet  seen  the  final  report,  and 
that  until  the  ifey or  released  it  and  sent 
it  to  the  Trustees  he  viias  not  at  liberty 
to  discuss  it. 

On  the  3rd  of  Iferch  most  Boston  Noivs- 
papers  carried  news  items  concsrning  the 
closing  and  consolidation  of  several 
Branch  Libraries.     VJ^ith  the  consent 
and  approval  of  the  members  of  the 
Executive   Board,  except  one  who  could 
not  be  reached  but  who  later  expressed 
approval,  the  President  sent  the 
folloTiing  letter  to  the  Director: 

3  Jilarch  195? 

Mr  Milton  E.   Lord,  Director 
Boston  Public  Library 
Copley  Square 
Boston  17,   Massachusetts 

Dear  Mr  Lord: 

Since  our  letter  to  you 
dated  l6  February  1955,  asking  for 
information  concerning  the  news  item 
that  appeared  in  the  Boston  Sunday 
Globe  of  16  January  1955,  the  Boston 
papers  cf  3  March  1955  have  carried  news 
items  concerning  the  same  subject. 
Therefore,  the  Executive  Board  of  the 
Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff 
Association  would  appreciate  your  bring- 
ing to  the  attention  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Boston  Public  Library 
the  following  statements 

In  viev;  of  the  fact  that  information 
concerning  the  proposed  closing  and 
consolidation  of  several  branches  of 
the  Library  has  appeared  in  the  newspapers 
of  3  March  1955,  the  Professional  Staff 
Association  Executive  Board  wishes  to 
transmit  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  their 
concern  that  information  which  is  of  such 
vital  importance  to  the  staff  is  first 
made  known  through  the  public  newspapers 
rather  than  through  direct  coramanication 
with  the  staff. 

The  Staff  Association  does  not  intend 
nor  imply  any  criticism  of  any  plans 
which  would  result  in  better  library 
service  to  the  public.  It  is  the  belief 


of  the  Association  that  the  morale  of  the 
staff  depends  to  a  great  extent  on  its 
being  kept  informed  of  najor  policy 
changes  in  order  to  avoid  disquieting 
rumors. 

Sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)  LOUIS  RAINS 
Louis  W,  Rains 
President 

At  the  regular  monthly  meeting 
on  March  10,  the  Executive  Board  voted 
unanimously  to  publish  this  correspondence 
in  She  Ques-tion  Marko  Any  reply  which 
may  be  received  in  answer  to  our  letters 
will  also  be  published  in  the  issue  of 
The  Question  ferk  immediately  following 
receipt o 

We  regret  that  due  to  an  unfortunate 
series  of  events  involving  those  concerned 
with  the  financial  business  of  "Free  To 
All"  the  final  report  on  the  Centennial 
I'iiusical  Revue  has  not  been  corrpleted. 

Copies  of  the  BPLPSA  constitution  in- 
corporating the  nevj-  amendments  vd.ll  soon 
be  ready  for  distribution. 

The  inevitable  call  for  annual  dues 
will  go  out  just  as  soon  as  the  Treasurer 
has  completed  his  work  in  connection  with 
the  Centennial  Revue. 

Committee  Reports 

The  following  is  a  brief  digest  of 
some  of  the  Association  Committees ' 
Reports : 

Treasurer's  Report 

Balance,  January  21,  195ii— 1702  .  19 

Receipts -^553089 

Expenditures —  592*73 

Balance,  January  21,  1955—4663,35 

The  Membership  and  Hospitality  Committee 
reports  that  as  of  Jaiuary  21,  1955  there 
were  U33  members  representing  9S%  of  the 
employees  in  the  bibliothecal  services. 

The  Staff  Library  Committee  spent  #330 
for  87  books  and  .'iii70  for  Library  Science 
material. 

The  CARE  Committee  turned  over  $310,50 
to  CARE. 

The  Centennial  Gift  Committee  reports 
a  balance  on  hand  of  f7,6a9.5y. 

Louis  Rains 


-il- 


M.L.A.  COLLEGE  GROUP  ADDRESS 

The  talk  before  the  College  Group  of 
the  M.L.A.  ira.s  given  by  Lyman  H.  Butter- 
field,  -who  edited  the  Adams  papers.  Mr 
Butterfield's  talk,  curiously  enough, 
-mas  entitled  "The  Adams  Papers".  The 
papers  are  held  in  a  trust  which  is  the 
property  of  the  Adams  family,  and  are 
in  such  a  state  of  confusion  that  no 
one  really  knows  the  richness  of  the 
holdings.  To  date  papers  of  original 
drafts  of  letters  have  been  uncovered 
which  vere  formerly  neglected  because 
they  were  labeled  "Copies";  also  a  copy 
of  a  treaty  of  the  United  States  not 
in  the  possession  of  the  State  Department^ 
and  a  full  account  of  a  neglected  but 
important  phase  of  American  history, 
the  Freeze  Rebellion,  have  been  found. 

The  papers  are  being  placed  on  micro- 
film for  the  benefit  of  scholars.  The 
editorial  expense  is  being  undervrritten 
by  Time,  Inc.,  and  subsequently  such 
material  as  is  selected  will  be  published 
in  Life,  as  ?bs  done  with  the  Churchill 
and  Truman  papers.  It'  is  interesting 
to  note  that  while  the  universities 
hesitated  to  embark  upon  such  a  task. 
Time  has  sufficient  confidence  in  the 
interest  of  the  American  people  to 
finance  it.  Selected  material  will 
later  be  published  in  book  form  by  the 
Belknap  Press  and  Harvard  University 
Press. 

In  brief,  the  papers  consist  of  diaries, 
family  letters,  non-family  correspondence 
and  miscellaneous  material,  much  of  which 
vrill  be  left  in  microfilm  form.  The 
diaries  are  prodigious,  due  to  the  fact 
that  all  members  of  the  family  kept 
extensive  diaries  and  wrote  about  each 
other.  At  one  time  three  generations 
were  writing  lengthy  comments  on  con- 
versations and  correspondences  The  men 
were  all  faithful  correspondents,  and 
influenced  their  wives.  In  fact,  it  was 
said  that  to  become  a  letter  iwriter  all 
one  had  to  do  was  to  marry  an  Adams.  The 
family  kept  not  only  all  letters  received, 
but  also  such  items  as  account  books, 
legal  notes,  petitions,  broadsides, 
literary  notes  and  all  drafts  on  such 
correspondence.  The  diaries  will  be 
published,  as  well  as  some  faoily  and 
other  correspondence.  However,  much  of 
the  memoranda  -vdiich  John  (>uincy  Adams 
appropriately  called  "rubbish"  will 
appear  only  on  microfilm^ 

Gerald  L.  Ball 


ST  JEROIIE  GUILD 

111  spite  of  the  quite  inclement  weather 
on  Sunday,  lilarch  6,  nearly  1^0  staff 
members  and  friends  attended  the  First 
Annual  Communion  Breakfast  of  the  St 
Jerome  Guild  at  10  A.M.  at  the  Hotel 
Lenox.  Members  and  friends  had  attended 
the  9   o'clock  Mass  at  St  Cecilia's 
Church  and  received  Holy  Communion  in 
a  body.  Monsignor  Charles  R.  Flanigan, 
formerly  an  assistant  in  the  Branch 
Catalogue  Department ,  was  the  celebrant 
of  the  Bfeiss,  and  welcomed  the  Guild  and 
congratulated  the  members  on  the  occasion 
of  its  inauguration. 

After  breakfast  had  been  served, 
James  P.J,  Gannon,  President,  as  toast- 
master,  presented  John  J.  Connolly, 
Assistant  to  the  Director,  and  Chief 
Executive  Officer,  Patrick  F.  McDonald, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
James  M.  Connolly,  Vice-Chairman  of  the 
Examining  Committee,  and  Francis  B. 
Masterson,  former  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  each  of  whom  addressed  the 
gathering  briefly, 

A  letter  from  the  Most  Reverend  Richard 
J.  Gushing,  Archbishop  of  Boston,  giving 
his  greeting  and  blessing  to  the  Guild, 
was  read  by  Mr  Gannon.  A  letter  from 
Milton  E.  Lord,  Director,  and  Librarian, 
an  invited  guest,  expressing  his  regrets 
and  good  wishes,  was  also  read  by  the 
toastmaster, 

Mr  Gannon  noted  that  the  St  Jerome 
Guild  was  to  be  comprised  entirely  of 
members  of  the  staff  of  the  Boston  Public 
Library.  Members  of  the  Program  Committee 
who  Yfill  meet  with  the  President  and  the 
Spiritual  Director  of  the  Guild,  Monsignor 
Flanigan,  were  appointed  by  the  President 
as  follows:  Mrs  I^feirgaret  Butler,  Periodic, 
and  Newspaper,  Bernard  Doherty,  Biniing, 
and  Gerard  Hottleman,  Book  Purchasing, 

lEc   Gannon  then  introduced  the  principal 
speaker,  Ifonsignor  Flanigan,  -who  explained 
the  ancient  origin  of  the  Communion  Break- 
fast, and  outlined  the  purposes  of  a 
Gtiild,  emphasizing  that  its  primary 
purpose  should  be  spiritual,  but  that  it 
should  also  include  social  and  cultural 
aims  as  well. 

After  his  talk,  Monsignor  Flanigan 
remained  to  chat  with  those  who  had 
worked  with  him  in  the  "old  days"  gnd 
to  meet  the  newer  arrivals. 

B.  Joseph  0 'Neil,  Secretary 


-5- 


MISS  KIRKUS  COi'ffiS  TO  TOV.rN 

On  Thursday,  February  17,  the  Book 
Selection  Department,  Home  Reading 
Services,  had  an  unexpected  call  from 
the  lady  whom  "they  cut  and  paste." 
Virginia  Kirkus,  who  iras  in  toiim  for  the 
Amsrican  Booksellers  Association  Meeting 
at  the  Sheraton  Plaza,  dropped  in  to 
check  on  her  services  to  the  Library, 
After  a  pleasant  chat  with  the  Book 
Selection  staff  she  visited  Ye  Olde 
Coffee  Shoppee,  the  ideal  place  to  find 
one  and  all  who  might  want  to  meet  this 
charming  lady  who  is  only  a  name  to  most 
of  the  staf/.     Duly  fortified  she  then 
visited  the  Open  Shelf  and  Audio-Visual 
Departments  and  appeared  to  be  properly 
impressed  with  these  modern  additions, 
new  since  her  last  visit  to  the  Library. 

Edna  G.  Peck 


THE  SOCIAL  iraiRL 


Time! 


Six  o'clock  Saturday  evening, 
February  26 
Place:  The  Toby  House 
Occasion:  Surprise  Party  for  ''filma 

Lyons,  Book  Stack  Service 
Reason:  Miss  Lyons  left  to  enter 
Nurses  Training 

By  devious  methods '  Miss  Lyons  was 
persuaded  to  accompany  one  of  her 
friends  to  the  Toby  House  for  dinner » 
Upon  arrival,  she  was  greeted  by  four 
other  friends  from  the  Book  Stack 
Service  who  had  gathered  there  to  wish 
her  "Good  Luck"  in  her  new  career.  Jliss 
Lyons  was  presented  with  a  corsage  of 
petite  pink  carnations  and  a  number  of 
other  gifts  from  the  members  of  her 
department.  After  a  dinner  consisting 
of  roast  chicken,  potatoes,  vegatables, 
dessert  and  coffee,  the  party  came  to 
an  end  with  the  wish  extended  to  Wilma, 
that  she  find  luck  and  happiness  in 
her  new  career  as  V/ilma  Lyons,  R.N. 

Miss  Lyons  had  already  had  another 
pleasant  surprise  party  in  her  honor 
on  February  22  iirtien  some  of  her  friends 
gathered  at  Kevin  O'Brien's  house  for 
an  evening  of  fun  and  dancing.  Highlight 
of  the  party  was  the  attempt  by  some  of 
the  boys  to  learn  the  Charleston.  Wilma 
received  two  record  albums  as  a  gift 
from  those  attending. 


CCO-'S  Rides  Again 

The  suave  and  svelte  section  of  the 
Epicure  Department  of  the  Chowder, 
Chatter  arri  Marching  Society  descended 
like  a  plague  of  locusts  on  the  Continental 
Restaurant  in  Saugus  on  the  evening  of 
February  21.  A  most  delicious  repast 
of  punch  and  cook — oops,  irrorig  meeting — 
a  variety  of  very  appetizing  dishes  was 
devoured  by  the  intrepid  gourmets  and 
gourmettes.  (You  really  niust  try  their 
anchovy  ice  cream  with  hot  mayonnaise 
sauce^)  The  conversation,  which  started 
out  brilliantly  enough,  positively 
sparkled  aftor  the  first  round  of  tomato 
juice.  Merry  quips,  witty  retorts,  gay 
repartee  and,  oddly  enough,  several  hot 
rolls  flew  back  and  forth  across  the 
festive  (cliche)  board.  All  present 
pronounced,  with  slight  differences  of 
accent,  the  session  an  outstanding 
adventure  in  fine  fressing. 

And,  while  we  are  in  the  mood,  let 
us  remind  all  you  gnetle  readers  that 
the  annual  picnic  will  be  rolling 
around  come  June  17.  Of  course,  if 
June  17  is  pleasant,  warm  and  sunny, 
the  picnic  will  be  postponed  until  the 
next  cold  and  rainy  day.  Oh,  I'm 
telling  you,  we  are  a  good  group. 
Qualifications  for  membership  in  the 
Society  will  be  discussed  in  our  next 
bulletin. 

STAFF  ASSOCIATION  PUBLICATIONS  RECEIVED 

We  have  received  a  number  of  Staff 
Publications  recently  (from  the  Cincinnati, 
Brooklyn,  Milwaukee  and  Vancouver,  B.C., 
public  libraries...)  and  have  enjoyed 
looking  them  over.  One  of  the  most 
attractive  is  the  Vancouver,  B.C.  Public 
Library's  Viev/points — a  very  nice  piece 
of  work.  One  interesting  item  from 
Viewpoints  is  about  the  Medical  Services 
Association  (Canadian  for  Blue  Cross): 
"..the  cost  per  month  is  ^i)1.26  for  single 
employees,  $3,7d   for  married,  ferried 
women  are  treated  as  single.." 

Oh,  yeah? 


RETIREMEOT 

Ethel  M.  Hazlewood 

A  cofl'ee  hour  was  held  in  the  Women's 
Lounge  on  Tfednesday,  I'larch  2,  in  honor 
of  Ethel  Hazlewood  who  retires  on 
ferch  31.  Mss  Hazlewood  has  been 
in  the  Library  Service  for  almost  forty 
years.  She  is  a  graduate  of  Smith 
College  and  came  to  work  here  in  the 
Catalog  Department  in  1915.  During 
many  of  her  early  years  she  worked  from 
time  to  time  at  a  number  of  Branch 
Librar''.es  and  on  Sundays  and  evenings 
in  some  of  the  Reference  Departments 
at  Central,  For  almost  thirty  years 
she  has  been  in  charge  of  Branch 
Cataloging, 

Miss  Hazlewood  will  be  remembered 
as  a  lady  in  whom  many  fine  qualities 
are  combined.  She  was  pleasant  and 
friendly  to  those  who  came  into  contact 
with  herj  was  a  capable  and  conscientious 
worker;  and  enjoyed  the  genuine  respect 
of  people  who  knew  her.  Her  relations 
with  her  own  staff  were  especially 
harmonious — it  was  really  a  "happy 
department" , 

The  party,  from  10:30  until  noon,  was 
extremely  well  attended  as  literally 
hundreds  of  staff  members  dropped  in 
to  pay  their  respects  to  Mss  Hazlewood, 
and  to  have  a  chance  to  see  old  friends, 
notably  such  Alumni  as:  M.  Florence 
Cufflin,  Annie  J.  Daley,  Mrs  fiargaret 
C.  Donaghue,  Vjcs   Minerva  Elliott, 
Chester  Fazakas,  Katherine  J,  Gorham, 
Edith  Guerrier,  Alice  E.  Hanson,  Alice 
H.  Jordan,  Wsrs   Kitty  McGarr,  Mrs  Anna 
Pepi  Lima,  Rebecca  E.  Hillis, 

Light  refreshments  were  served  by 
Edna  G.  Peck's  very  capable  and  very 
hard-working  Committee  members.  John 
H.  Carroll,  Chief  Librarian,  Div,  of 
H.R,  and  C.S.,  on  behalf  of  friends  on 
the  staff,  presented  Miss  Hazlewood  with 
a  wallet  and  a  gift  of  money,  for  which 
she  made  at  that  time  very  warm  remarks 
of  gratitude  to  those  within  hearing. 
In  addition  we  reprint  her  letter  of 
larch  6  addressed  to  the  Staff  members 
who  were  so  kind  to  herj 

lit  Maxfield  Street 
West  Roxbury 
March  6,  19^5 

Dear  friends  far  and  near: 

This  is  a  little  thank-you  note  for   f 


all  of  you  very  nice  people  vTho  gave  me 
;  that  wonderful  party  on  Wednesday  mornine 
;  March  2,  •/      6> 

It  is  a  happy  task  to  express  to  you 
all  my  deep  appreciation  for  your  kindness 
I  and  to  assure  you  that  I  shall  always  re- 
member  the  festive  occasion. 

It  was  grand  to  talk  with  so  many  of 
I  you  and  to  receive  your  many  good  wishes. 

In  case  some  of  you  are  interested  in 
I  what  I  plan  to  do  with  the  quite  un- 
I  expected  stupendous  contents  of  the 
1  handsome  wallet  Tn*iich  you  gave  me,  it  may 
buy  a  Hi-Fi  which  I  have  been  wanting, 
or  it  may  be  used  for  LP  recordings, 
I  still  can't  believe  in  my  good  fortune, 
nor  can  I  thank  you  adequately. 

Please  do  drop  in  to  see  me  if  you  are 
out  my  way,  I'd  like  to  keep  in  touch 
with  my  Library  friends.  Thank  you  all 
again  so  very  much. 

Gratefully  and  cordially, 
(Signed)    ETHEL  M.  HAZLEWOOD 


On  ISatrch   10,  Miss  Hazlewood  was 
treated  to  another  party,  this  time  when 
she  was  guest  of  honor  at  luncheon  at 
the  Sheraton-Plaza.  The  entire  staff 
of  her  department  attended  and  presented 
the  retiring  Chief  with  a  gift  of  money 
ae  a  goodwill  gesture  and  as  a  testimonial 
to  many  pleasant  years  of  Association, 

Thank  You 

The  Committee  responsible  for  the 
coffee  hour  given  for  Ethel  M.  Hazlewood, 
m  honor  of  her  forthcoming  retirement 
extends  cordial  thanks  to  all  staff  mem- 
bers, retired  and  otherwise,  who  so 
generously  and  graciously  gave  of  their 
time,  talents,  and  money  to  make  the 
occasion  a  happy  one. 

COMMITTEE  IN  CHARGE 

Jfedeline  D.  Holt 

Jean  B,  Lay 

Evelyn  Levy 

Esther  Lissner 

Mary  M.  McDonough 

Sarah  M.  Usher 

Edna  G.  Peck,  Chairman 


-7- 


NEWS  FIOM  SAN  FRANCISCO 

The  following  quotation  from  a  message 
to  the  San  Francisco  Public  Library  Staff 
Association  from  its  newly-elected  presi- 
dent seems  to  ma  to  be  something  which 
Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff 
Association  members  might  read  with 
interest  and  profit  (N.B,  $2.00  annual 
dues  !) : 

"The  Staff  Association  is  that  or- 
ganization that  bridges  the  gap  between 
home  and  work,  through  which  each  voice 
may  be  heard,  by  which  we  better  working 
conditions,  substantiate  evidence  for 
higher  compensation,  and  raise  our  morale. 
There  is  none  among  us  who  is  required  to 
work  at  the  San  Francisco  Public  Library. 
We  do  so  because  we  reap  certain  benefits 
and  achieve  desired  goals  culturally  and 
materially.  It  is  our  way  of  contribut- 
ing our  bit  to  society  and  to  ourselves. 
This  is  our  choice.  We  can  make  it  a 
pleasant  period  in  our  lives  or  we  can 
allow  it  to  be  a  9-6  affair.  Second  to 
home,  we  spend  most  of  our  time  here. 
Ilinus  the  job,  the  time  at  home  might  not 
be  as  pleasant  as  it  is,  possibly  because 
of  the  job's  existence.  We  expend  much 
'5n;3rgy  in  maintaining  our  homes,  wherever 
cr  whatever  they  are.  Does  it  not  follow 
that  we  should  expend  some  energy  in 
Hiaking  our  second  home,  the  library,  in 
all  its  ramifications  the  place  we  want 
it  to  be  and  the  Staff  Association  ihe 
kind  of  organization  of  which  we  can  be 
proud?  We  shall  hardly  build  any 
baildings,  although  other  similar  associa- 
tions have  spearheaded  drives  for  money 
to  do  so,  nor  will  we  guarantee  a  20 
hour  week  and  six  months  vacation.  We 
will  prove  through  the  Association  that 
ws  can  have  fun  together,  acknowledge 
e?.ch  others  talents,  sympathize  with  and 
ti'y  to  alleviate  our  mutual  problems. 

"No  outsider  can  make  the  Association 
an  effective  unit.  The  Administration 
can't  do  it  nor  can  your  Executive, 
Salary  Standardization  or  Social  Com?" 
mittees.  The  task  lies  with  each  member. 
If  the  constitution  is  faulty,  only  you 
can  change  xt;   if  we  have  the  wrong 
officers,  your  vote  can  change  them;  if 
a  project  is  proposed  with  vrtiich  you 
disagree,  suggest  a  different  one.  Our 
aim  is  to  serve  the  greatest  number  and 
those  who  wish  to  be  served.  If  you 
are  a  non-member  because  of  some  policy 
you  dislike,  don't  remain  outside  and 
criticize  unfavorably,  become  a  member 


and  change  it  constructively.  The  two 
dollars  per  year  will  send  noae  of  us 
scurrying  for  the  aid  of  public  wel- 
fare. Paying  dues,  however,  is  not 
enough.  We  need  your  tiire,  some  of 
your  energy,  your  talents  and  your 
ideas.  If  you  feel  that  you  do  not 
benefit,  find  out  why  and  make  it  an 
organization  from  vrtiich  you  can  benefit." 

From  STAFF  SPECTATOR,  February  1955 

SARAH  M.  USHER 

BRANCH  NOTES 

East  Boston 

A  very  enthusiastic  audience  attended 
Aviation  Night  on  Tuesday  evening, 
February  8.  Angelo  Alabiso,  Public 
Relations  Director  at  Logan  International 
Airport,  was  Chairman  of  the  Program. 
He  spoke  of  the  many  oppor trinities  in 
aviation  for  high  school  graduates  and 
stressed  the  very  important  requisite, 
the  ability  to  speak  and  write  correct 
English.  Gloria  Goltz,  airline  stewardess 
at  Northeast  Airlines,  completely  cap- 
tivated the  young  adult  audience  of 
boys  and  girls  with  her  charming  per- 
sonality and  even  more  charming  appearance 
as  she  discussed  requirements,  salaries, 
and  experiences  of  an  airline  hostess. 
George  Brennan,  President  of  the  Aero 
Club  of  New  England,  talked  of  the 
personal  qualities  which  determine 
acceptance  into  airlines,  such  as  tact, 
sincerity  and  sense  of  humor.  Following 
each  speaker  iwas  a  question  period  in 
•vAiich  the  genuine  interest  of  the  audience 
was  apparent.  The  program  ended  with 
two  appropriate  films ,  A  GREAT  DAY  FOR 
FLYING  and  MR  BARNABY  GOES  FLYING  AT 
NIGHT. 

On  Thursday,  February  17,  the  Yankee 
Doodle  Club,  a  group  of  U-7th  graders, 
presented  a  program  entitled  "Pageant 
of  America." 

Their  first  sketch  was  performed  coii>- 
plete  with  original  costumes.  In  it 
each  of  the  children  represented  a 
famous  American  historical,  legendary, 
or  literary  character. 

This  was  followed  by  a  movie,  "Pony 
Express",  an  episode  from  American 
history* 

The  highlight  of  the  program  was  a 
square  dance,  complete  with  blue  jeans 
and  neckerchiefs,  and  a  very  capable 
(and  audible)  sixth  grade  caller. 


-8- 


The  final  presentation  consisted  of 
singing  J  led  by  Mrs  Colarusso,  of  the 
club's  thenie  song,  "Yankee  Doodle"  and 
"Sacramento",  after  a  few  explanatory- 
phrases  about  each  by  one  of  the  children. 

All  of  the  boys  and  girls  then  pro- 
ceeded up  to  the  Children's  Room  and 
examined  books  about  pioneer  cliildren, 
American  folklore,  and  famous  Americans, 
which  had  been  put  on  display. 

South  End 

Thursday  evening,  February  2^,  was  a 
festive  occasion.  Friends  from  India 
and  the  Philippine  Islands  graciously 
accepted  the  invitation  of  the  Library's 
Thursday  Night  Teen  Club  to  speak  in- 
formally to  the  group  about  their  home- 
land, Arcadia  Inpelido  spoke  about 
the  Philippines,  while  Dr  Sukidhankar, 
Lakshini  Malladi,  and  Jitendra  Jha  told 
about  India.  The  club  members  and  the 
library  staff  were  very  much  interested 
in  learning  about  schools,  family  life, 
customs,  food  and  dress.  The  ladies  were 
indeed  charming  in  the  beautiful  coatumes 
of  their  respective  countries. 

The  Story  Hour  corner  of  the  Children's 
Room  Ti«as  attractively  arranged  for  the 
occasion,  with  chairs  grouped  to  lend  a 
cosy  living  room  atmosphere.  Pictures 
and  books  about  the  two  coxintries  were 
displayed,  along  with  a  special  exhibit 
on  the  Philippines  on  loen  from  the 
Children's  Museum,  Jamaica  Plain.  Cookies 
and  punch  were  oerved  to  close  a  most 
enjoyable  evening. 

South  Boston 

The  Teen  Age  Reporters  Club  visited 
the  Egyptian  Gallery  of  the  Boston 
Museum  of  Fine  Arts  on  Thursday,  Februaiy2b. 
They  were  accompanied  by  the  Children's 
Librarian,  Martha  C.  Engler.  A  member 
of  the  Musexim  staff,  Eleanor  Randall, 
provided  a  most  interesting  commentary  on 
the  tour.  Previous  to  the  visit,  the  club 
menijers  had  read  books  ahoat  the  lAiseum 
and  Ancient  Egypt, 


SOAP  BOX 


Ar^  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  nan«  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  to- 
gether with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Li- 
brary, Department,  or  Office  in  which  he 
or  she  is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld 
from  publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if 


the  contributor  so  requests.  Anonymous 
contributions  are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  contributor  and  to  the  Editor- 
in-Chief.  The  contents  of  articles 
appearing  in  the  Soap  Box  are  personal 
opinions  expressed  by  individxxal  Associa- 
tion members  and  their  appearance  does 
not  necessarily  indicate  that  the  Pub- 
lications Committee  and  the  Association 
are  in  agi'«*ement  with  the  views  ex- 
pressed. Only  those  contributions  con- 
taining not  more  than  300  words  will  be 
accepted* 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

The  failtire  of  the  Powers  that  be 
to  make  appointments  this  year  has, 
to  put  it  mildly,  reached  ridiculous 
proportions.  There  certainly  must  be 
a  point  where  econony  stops  and 
niggardliness  begins.  If  adequate  li- 
brary service  to  the  public  is  to  be 
maintained,  there  will  have  to  be 
something  done  about  replacing  staff 
members  who  retire  or  resign  from  the 
service.  It  wo\ild  appear  that  failure 
to  make  appointments  is  either  an 
admission  that  the  Library  was  formerly 
terribly  overstaffed,  or  a  decision  has 
been  made  to  curtail  library  service. 

The  shortage  of  trained  personnel  has 
certainly  made  itself  felt  in  several 
areas  of  which  I  lave  personal  knowledge. 
It  is  an  injustice  to  those  of  us  who 
remain  to  have  to  assume  the  burden  of 
increased  work  loads  occasioned  by  the 
lack  of  assistants.  Is  it  fair  that 
professional  staff  members  are  forced 
to  shelve  books  and  perform  many  other 
non-professional  tasks? 

Dear  Soap  Boxs 

During  the  past  week  I  observed  two 
members  of  the  staff  slip  on  the  floor 
of  the  Stack  IV  corridor.  If  memory  serve 
me  right,  I  recall  a  bit  of  verse  in  the 
Soap  Box  some  time  back  calling  attention 
to  the  hazardous  conditions  that  exist  in 
the  same  area.  Cannot  something  be  done  t 
correct  this  situation  before  serious  in- 
jury occurs?  I  should  think  that  unpoSshe 
floors  would  be  preferable  to  unsteady 
librarians. 


-9- 

CARE  i 

What  can  a  dollar  buy?     Materially, 
about  2a  lbs.  of  food.     Phys ically , 
nourishment  for  some  very  hungry  people. 
Spiritually,  hope  for  many  who  have  ex- 
perienced much  of  the  harshness  of  life, 
and  little  of  love.     And  to  you  who  have 
given  to  CARE,   the  blessings  of  these 
who  remember  the  needy. 

Contribute  to  CARE  nowi 


Special  Coinmittee  for 
CARE 

Talks  by  Staff  Jfembers 

On  lilarch  1,  Mrs  Ifuriel  C,  javelin. 
Deputy  Supervisor,   In  Charge  of  Vfork 
with  Adults,  spoke  on  Au(f  io-Visual  Pro- 
grams and  Techniques  ii~  Publi'J"  Libraries 
as  a  part  of  the  three^eek  training 
program  conducted  by  Simmons  College, 
School  of  Library  Science,  for  the  group 
of  foreign  students  on  tour  of  United 
States  Libraries. 

On  March  3,  Mrs  Javelin  also  spoke  to 
the  Home  and  School  Association  of  the 
Sarah  Greenwood  School  on  the  Library's 
services  to  parents. 

VISITORS 

Dr  Bruno  Sauer,   Chief,  Department  of 
Hiamanities  and  Geography 

Dr  Fritz  Skurnia,  Chief,  Department 
of  Natural  Sciences  and  Technology 

AJ/ERICAN  JffiMDRIAL  LIBRARY 
BERLIN 


Have 

you 

joined 

yet?????? 

A^; L.  A, 

For  application  blanks,  contact: 

Sarah  M,  Usher 

A.L.A.  Membership  Committee 

Office  of  Records,  Files, 

Statistics 


-in- 


BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 
Officers  and  Committees — 1955 


President 
Vice  President 
Corresponding  Secretary 
Recording  Secretary 
Treasurer 


Executive  Board 


Harry  Andrews 

Mrs  Margaret  D.  Butler 

Standing  Committees 

Constitution  Committee 

A»  Phyllis  Freeman,  Chairman 

Mary  Crowe 

Entertainment  Committee 
Genevieve  Moloney,  Chairman 
15ary  Ellen  Brigante 
Frances  Landrigan 
Pasquale  Vacca 
Richard  Waters 
Jean  Watson 

Bertha  V«   Hartzell  Memorial  Lecture  Committee 
Sarah  W.  Flannery,  Chairman 
Louisa  S.  Metcalf 
Dorothy  P.  Shaw 
Gladys  R.  VJhite 

House  Committee  for  Men 
Michael  Venezia,   Chairman 
^Hfl/Talter  Coleman 
^William  Donald 
Frank  Donovan 
Paul  Mulloney 
Paul  Smith 

House  Committee  for  Women 
Marie  Cashman,  Chairman 
■t^Pearl  V.  Bryant 
Alice  Cray 

Frances  Landrigan  • 

Margaret  Lewis 
Louise  K.  Murphy 


•Jaflelen  Schubarth 


Louis  Rains 
Duilia  Capobianco 
Rosemarie  De  Simone 
Barbara  Cotter 
William  Casey 


Eamon  McDonough 
Ellen  Richwagen 


Jfettapan 
West  Roxbury 


Boolonobile   II 
Alls ton 
Open  Shelf 
Bookmobile  II 
Dorchester 
Business  Office 


History 

Open  Shelf 

Periodical  and  Newspaper 

Godman  Square 


Book  Stack  Service 

Buildings 

Bulldisgs 

Book  Stack  Service 

Science  and  Technology 

Book  Purchasing 


Open  Shelf 

Buildings 

Book  Preparation 

Open  Shelf 

Open  Shelf,  Children's  Section 

Cataloging  and  Classification, 

Division  of  Home  Reading  and 

Community  Services 
Accounting 


■»-;.<• 


Representative  of  the  Boston  Public  Library  Building  Service  Employees 

International  Union,  Local  #l|09,  (AFL) 
Representative  of  other  groups  not  represented  in  the  Association  or 

the  Union, 


-11- 


Membership  and  Hospitality  Committee 

Elvira  Lavorgna,  Chairnan 

Anne  Doherty 

Daniel  Kelly 

Mary  IIcNamee 

Marion  MacWilliam 

Faith  Minton 


Fine  Arts 

Charles  town 

Audio-Visual 

Personnel 

Fine  Arts 

Book  Stack  Service 


Personnel  Committee 
Sidney  Weinberg,  Chairman 
Geraldine  M,  Altman 
Charles  Gillis 


Geraldine  S.  Herrick 
Gerard  Hottleman 
Isabel  Wkrtino 
B.  Joseph  O'Neil 
David  Sheehan 
Pauline  TiTinnick 


Patent  Room 

Jamaica  Plain 

Cataloging  and  Classification, 
Division  of  Home  Reading 
and  Community  Services 

North  End 

Book  purchasing 

Hospital  Library  Service 

Periodical  and  Newspaper 

Book  Stack  Service 

Open  Shelf 


Program  Committee 
llay  McDonald,  Chairman 
Albert  Brogna 
Iphegenia  Fillios 
B.  Joseph  O'Neil 
Irene  Wadsworth 


Charlestown 
Audio-Visual 
Brighton 
Periodical 
School  Issue 


Publications  Committee 
John  IfcCafferty,  Chairman 
John  J.  Hallahan 
Sheila  ViT.  Pierce 
B.  Gertrude  Wade 


Robert  C.  Woodward 


General  Reference 
Open  Shelf 

Central  Charging  Records 
Book  Selection,  Division  of  Home 
Reading  and  Community  Services 
Hi  story 


Special  Services  Committee 
Robert  C.  Woodward,  Chairman 
George  T.  Armstrong 

Bettina  M.  Coletti 


History 

Office  of  Records,  Files, 

Statistics 
Open  Shelf 


Staff  Library  Committee 
George  Adelman,  Chairman 
Emilia  Lange 
Rose  Moorachian 
George  Pahud 
Sarah  Richman 


Special  Committees 


General  Reference 

Print 

Uphams  Corner 

Music 

Mattapan 


Book  Selection  Policy  Committee 

Representing  the  Division  of  Home  Reading  and  Community  Services 

William  Casey  Open  Shelf 

Mary  Langton  Hospital  Library  Service 

Evelyn  Levy  Egleston  Square 

Jane  Ivknthorne  Open  Shelf 

¥ay  J.iDonald  Charlestown 

Euclid  Peltier  Audio-Visual 

Irene  Wadsworth  School  Issue 


-12- 


Representing  the  Division  of  Reference  and  Research  Services 

Sarah  Flannery  '  Tji^TE^F^F 

Charles  Higgins  General  Reference 

Prise  ilia  f'lacFadden  Fine  Arts 

Anna  Manning  Teachers 

CJeorge  Pahud  5^^,.^^ 

Dorothy  Si;3w  Pe-iodical  and  Newspaper 

Loraxne  Sii:iivan  Science  and  Technology 

Harriex  &r_ft  ^^^  B^ck 


CARE  Committee 
Walter  Blu'ia,  Chairnan 
Iferie  Hastis 
Minna  Steinberg 


Centennial  Gift  Committee   (Staff) 
Ifrs  Ada  A.  Andelican,  Gliairman 

Mrs  Geraldine  M.  Altraan 
Charles  J.  Gillis 


Jeanne  M.  Hayes 

Bradford  M.  Hill 

Prise ilia  S,  MacFadden 

ThorAs  J.  JIanning 

Pauline  A.  Ifalker 

Pauline  Winnie k 

Representing;  Quarter  Century  Club 

Wrs  (jL'aca  M.   Caivol.orT"' 

Daniel  W,  Sj:i3eran 

Represent? r  t  Employees  Benefit  Association 

(nowdis :  .rided)  ~ 

Franlc  P,  Br'ino 
J.   Joseph  Banker 
Catherine  A,  Farrell 
Geor^i-B  W,  GHllaghar 
Patrick  J.  Re illy 
Representing  Arnavets 
John  J.   Ililey 
Sidney  Weinberg 


Concession  Committee 
Catherine  tf-i 
Catherine  T. 


;ild.  Chairman 


-JfSumner  Fryhon 
•5«{-Michael  C,  Langone 
Louis  M,  Ugalde 

Insurance  Committee 
Harry  Fletcher,  Chairnan 


Periodical  and  Newspaper 

Parker  Hill 

Catalog.-' 'g-ianr'  Classification, 

Division  of  Reference  and 

Research  Services 


Office  of  the  Division  of  Home 
Reading  and  Community  Services 

Jaiaaica  Plain 

Cabalogia^  and  Classification, 
Division  of  Home  Reading  and 
Comnranity  Services 

Book  Purchasing 

Periodical  and  Newspaper 

File  Ar'.o 

Exir_bits  Office 

West  Roxb-ory 

Open  Shelf 

Accounting 
Binding 


Science  and  Technology-Patent  Rooi. 

Eiildings 

Accounting 

Binding 

Buildings 


Fire  Control  Center 
Science  and  Technology- 
Room 


-Patent 


Personnel 

Book  Selection,  Division  of  Home 
Reading  and  Community  Services 
Buildings 
Eiudeiy 
Rare  Book 


Cataloging  and  Classification, 
Division  of  Reference  and 
Research  Services 


fWfMWVMHIBM 


--    Representative  of  the  Boston  Public  Library  Building  Service  Employees 
International  Union,   Local  #[i09  (aFL) 
'"'    Representative  of  other  groups  not  represented  in  the  Association  or  Union. 


-13- 


Pensions  Coimnittee 

Louis  Polishook,  Cha irma n 

Abraham  Snyder,  Special  Advisor 


Catherine  MacDonald 
B.   Joseph  O'Neil 


Patent  Room 

Cataloging  and  Classification, 

rivision  of  Reference  and 

Research  Services 
Personnel 
Periodical  and  Weivspaper 


Publicity  Committee 
Helen  Sevagian,  Chairman 
Jfery  M.   Burns 
Josephine  A.  Waldron 


Information 
Mattapan 

Office  of  Records,  Files, 
Statistics 


—  —"—"»" 


X 


™ 


uestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


APRIL  1955 


THE  qUESTION  MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 

Volume  X,  Humber  3  April  19S6 

Publioations  Connnittee:  John  J.  Hallahan,  Sheila  W.  Pierce,  B.  Gertrude  Wade, 

Robert  C.  Woodward,  John  McCafferty,  Chairman 

Publication  date;                           Deadline  for  submitting  material ; 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month The  tenth  of  each  month 

EDITOR'S  HOTES 

Throughout  the  twentieth  century,  the  function  of  the  American  public  library 
has  been  expanding  in  many  directions.  Today  the  librarian  is  expected  not  only  to 
supply  reference  materials  and  "the  right  book  to  the  right  person  at  the  right  time"' 
but  also  to  help  expand  the  horizons  of  our  public  by  means  of  children's  story  hours,, 
motion  pictures  and  other  visual  aids,  young  adult  councils,  discussion  groups  and  the 
provision  of  lecture  halls  for  the  use  of  various  commimity  groups. 

It  should  go  v,rithout  saying  that  such  a  widened  program  demands  a  staff  larger 
than  the  minimvun  numbers  needed  to  carry  on  ever-essential  floor  and  desk  work.  But 
here  in  one  of  this  country's  oldest  and  largest  public  libraries,  we  are  rapidly 
reaching  the  point  where  a  shortage  of  staff  will  inevitably  force  us  to  retrogress 
to  nineteenth  century  library  concepts  because  of  sheer  lack  of  nuaibers  rather  than 
lack  of  desire  to  serve  our  patrons  adequately.  Already  many  department  heads  find 
it  necessary  to  spend  hours  covering  the  desk  or  even  shelving  books.  They  are  find- 
ing it  impossible  to  attend  meetings  of  committees,  including  those  upon  which  our 
brsuach  book  s&eleotion  is  based.  In  their  spring  planning  of  next  year's  activities, 
they  are  faced  with  the  realization  that  in  many  cases  it  will  be  necessary  to  drop 
both  relatively  nev;  projects  and  some  programs  which  have  long  since  become  tradi- 
tional in  their  communities.  During  recent  months  many  branch  activities  have  been 
made  possible  only  through  the  willingness  of  professional  and  non- professional 
workers  alike  to  donate  their  own  time  -  as  well  as  their  own  money,  in  some  cases. 
Since  these  assistants  do  not  receive  the  remuneration  accorded  workers  in  older, 
established  professions,  a  continuing  acceptance  of  such  generosity  is  unthinkable 
since  it  established  a  precedent  dangerous  to  our  profession  as  a  w*iole  and  keeps 
these  staff  members  from  outside  activities  which  could  broaden  their  own  interests 
and  outlook. 

What,  if  anything,  can  we  do  about  this  situation?  Isn't  our  first  and  most 
legitimate  means  of  approach  a  united  request  that  our  administrators  meet  with  the 
Professional  Staff  Association  to  explain  why  the  situation  has  arisen  and  what  we 
are  expected  to  do  under  these  circumstances.  Today  the  shortage  is  critical;  to- 
morrow it  may  be  fatal  to  our  reputation  among  libraries.  Ylhat  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it? 


Since  the  first  issue  of  the  Question  Mark,  back  in  1946,  the  Office  of  Records, 
Files  and  Statistics  has  done  all  of  the  work  involved  in  the  preparation  of  stencils 
and  in  assembling  the  QM.  This  month  due  to  the  loss  of  a  member  of  her  staff,  . 
Miss  Usher  is  no  longer  able  to  carry  on  with  this  vrork,  and  the  Publications  Commit- 
tee is  taking  over.  The  Committee  wishes,  on  behalf  of  the  Association,  to  thank 
Miss  Usher  and  her  staff  for  the  cheerful  and  co-operative  spirit  that  they  have  al- 
ways shown  in  helping  turn  out  the  Question  Mark. 


In  the  February  issue,  one  of  the  Soap  Booc  correspondents  closed  with  the  query, 
"Yeah,  how  about  that  Centennial  Fvind?"  A  call  to  the  Treasurer's  Office  at  City 
Hall  got  the  answer.  The  present  level  (April  12,  1955):  $49,067.72. 


-2-. 


PERSONAL  NOTES 


HeBignatione 


Dorothy  L.  Dodworth,  North  End,  for  rea- 
sons of  health. 

Catherine  H.  Doherty,  Office  of  Records, 
Files,  Statistics,  to  accept  a  posi- 
tion in  the  Civilian  Personnel  Office, 
First  Naval  District  Headquarters,  in 
the  Fargo  Building. 

Wilma  A.  Lyons,  Book  Stack  Service,  to 
enter  nurse's  training, 

Mrs  Janet  B.  Schlein,  Brighton,  to  remain 
at  home. 

Mrs  Deidre  B.  Smith,  Central  Charging 
Records,  to  remain  at  home. 

Ifrs  Susan  E,  Trunfio,  Audio-Visual,  to 
remain  at  home. 

Retirement 

Ethel  M.  Hazlewood,  Chief  of  Cataloging 
and  Classification,  ER&CS,  retired  on 
March  31,  1955  after  forty  years  of 
sei*vice. 

Transferred 

Mary  Z.  lynch,  from  Central  Charging 

Records,  Division  of  Home  Reading  and 
Community  Services  to  Book  Stack  Ser- 
vice, Division  of  Reference  and  Re- 
search Services, 

Births 

To  Mr  and  Mrs  Girard  D.  Hottleman,  on 

on  March  25,  a  son,  Girard  David,  Jr. 
Mr  Hottleman  is  in  Book  Purchasing, 

To  Mr  and  Mrs  Michael  Venezia,  on  March 
30,  a  daughter,  Nancy  Marie.  Mr 
Venezia  is  in  Book  Stack  Service. 
Mrs  Venezia  is  the  former  Patricia 
VJ'ilson  of  Egleston  Square. 

To  Ifr  and  Mrs  Charles  R.  Meehan,  a  daugh- 
ter, on  March  26.  Mr  Meehan  is  in  the 
Teachers'  Department, 

Belated  announcements : 

To  Mrs  Janet  B.  Schlein,  Brighton,  on 
February  4,  a  son. 

To  Mrs  Hollis  Smith  (the  former  Deidre 
Barry  Smith,  Book  Stack  Service)  on 
February  13,  a  daughter,  Christine 
Louise . 

*  *  BON  VOYAGE  *  * 
l¥e  understand  that  some  45  members  of 
the  staff  are  off  to  Europe  this  sicnmer. 
To  conserve  space  we  are  hereby  offering 
a  blanket  BON  VOYAGE  TO  ALL, 


HffiSIDENT'S  MOTES 


On  Iferch  24,  1955  your  president 
and  several  of  the  past  presidents  of 
the  Association  wore  invited  to  meet, 
one  at  a  time,' vdth  mombGrs  of  tho 
Personnel  Sub-Committoo  of  the  Examining 
Committee,  During  my  talk  v/ith  tho  Sub- 
committee, I  v/as  afforded  tho  opportunity 
to  present  my  views  on  what  I  considered 
to  be  the  major  morale  problems  con- 
fronting the  staff  at  this  time,  I  am 
happy  to  be  able  to  report  that  the  mem- 
bers of  tho  Personnel  Sub-Committeo  were 
ivero  well  informed  and  apparently  con- 
cerned with  such  major  problems  as  the 
number  of  vacancies,  curtailment  of 
extra-service,  delay  in  permanent  ap- 
pointments for  qualified  menibers  of  the 
staff  and  the  promotion  system.  It 
would  appear  that  the  members  of  the 
Personnel  Sub-Committee  had  read  several 
issues  of  the  (Question  Ifiark  -  an  addi- 
tional reason  v^y  menbors  should  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  express 
their  feelings  in  the  Soap-Box» 

In  connection  with  the  question  of 
permanent  appointments,  the  Executive 
Board  has  requested  of  the  administra- 
tion a  statement  of  policy  to  clarify 
the  situation  and  explain  vdiy  such 
appointments  have  not  been  made. 

No  final  report  on  proceeds  of  the 
Centennial  Revue  as  yot  since  there  are 
still  a  few  bills  to  be  paid  and  one 
account  receivable  to  bfe  collected, 
H  owever,  the  final  figure  will  be  within 
a  few  dollars  of  §1740,00. 

The  annual  dues  of  50/  per  member 
are  now  due.  Please  pay  your  dues  to 
your  staff  representative  vfho   will  for- 
ward the  money  together  with  the  names 
of  the  members  to  I.ir.  William  Casey, 
Treasurer,  Open  Shelf  Department,  New 
membership  cards  will  be  issued  as  soon 
as  the  necessary  records  are  made, 

Louis  Rains 


ACRL  NEWS 

Mr.  Charles  L.  Higgins,  Chief, 
General  Reference,  is  one  of  two  can- 
didates for  election  as  Director  of  the 
Association  of  College  emd  Reference 
Libraries,  a  Division  of  the  A.L,A, 
His  opponent  is  Jfe,ry  N,  Barton,  Head, 
Reference  Department  of  the  Enoch  Pratt 
Free  Library,  Baltimore,  Maryland, 


I 


■3- 


T.TffiITHER  STATE  AID? 

In  preparing  some  remarks  on  State 
Aid  here  in  llassachusetts,  I  enco\mtered 
same  interesting  information  in  the 
American  Library  Directory.   (N.Y., 
Bovj-ker,  1954.  20th  ed.)  I  thought  that 
thej--  might  make  interesting  reading, 
for  they  indicate  %vith  all  the  cold 
authority  of  the  statistic  a  picture  of 
library  service  here  as  it  compares  with 
such  service  elscxvhcrG.  First  of  all 
there  is  a  table  of  volumes  per  capita 
in  public  libraries  in  those  states 
v.'hich  furnish  this  information: 


I. 

4.8 

■  Vermont 

2. 

3.9 

New  Hampshire 

3. 

3.39 

Maine 

4. 

2.7 

I'lassachusctts 

5. 

2.0 

Rhode    Island   ** 

6. 

1.9 

Connecticut 

7. 

1.8 

Tfisconsin 

8. 

1.8 

Wyoming 

9. 

1.72 

Ohio 

10. 

1.63 

i' linno  s  ota 

11. 

1.6 

. Indiana 

12. 

1.59 

llontana 

13. 

1.5 

Iowa 

14. 

1.5 

New  Jersey 

15. 

1.49 

California 

16. 

1.4 

Nebraska 

17. 

1.35 

New  York 

18. 

1.34 

Hissouri 

19. 

1.3 

Oregon 

20. 

1.27 

Utah 

21. 

1.26 

Colorado 

22. 

1.2 

Dclcwarc 

23. 

1.1 

ilichigan 

24. 

1.0 

Idaho 

25. 

1.0 

Kansas 

26. 

1.0 

South  Dei: ota 

27. 

1.0 

Washington 

28. 

.9 

Illinois 

29. 

.82 

Maryland 

30. 

.69 

Florida 

31. 

.69 

North  Dc.l-ota 

32. 

.65 

Geor3ia 

33. 

.61 

North  Carolina 

34. 

.59 

Nev.'-  Ibxico 

35. 

,58 

Louisiana 

35. 

.56 

Arkansas 

37. 

.43 

Virginia 

38. 

.4 

Alabama 

39. 

.38 

Mississippi 

40. 

,35 

Kentucky 

41. 

.3 

■/est  Vir-inia 

**  My  ovm  cstimCvte.  Rhode  Island 
fi?;urcs  arc  incomplete. 


Note  that  the  New  England  states  rank 
first  to  sixth  -  that  the  South  definitely 
dominates  the  other  end  of  the  scale  - 
that  the  middle  of  the  list  has  no  dis- 
tinct regional  flavor. 

Next  I  compiled  a  list  of  per  capita 
expenditures  for  public  libraries,  again, 
for  those  states  for  whioh  this  informa- 
tion is  given,  as  follov/s  j 


1. 

$2,10 

Massachusetts 

2. 

1.84 

California 

3. 

1.71 

Ohio 

4. 

1.55 

Michigan 

5. 

1.51 

Minnesota 

6. 

1.51 

Wisconsin 

7. 

1.50 

Now  York 

8. 

1.47 

Connecticut 

9. 

1.32 

Missouri 

10. 

1.29 

New  Jersey 

11. 

1.28 

Ncvr  Hampshire 

12. 

1.15 

TJyoming 

13. 

1.14 

Indiana 

14. 

1.11 

Maryland 

15. 

1.07 

Oregon 

16. 

1.00 

Utah 

17. 

.96 

lov/a 

18. 

,95 

Illinois 

19. 

,89 

Montana 

20. 

.85 

Colorado 

21. 

,84 

Nevada 

22. 

.77 

Vermont 

23. 

.72 

Louisiana 

24. 

.70 

South  Dakota 

25. 

,55 

Nebraska 

26. 

.57 

Georgia 

27. 

.56 

Florida 

28. 

.55 

Kansas 

29. 

.46 

North  Carolina 

30. 

,44 

South  Carolina 

31. 

.43 

Alabama 

32. 

,40 

Texas 

33. 

.38 

North  Dakota 

34. 

,36 

Arkansas 

35. 

.35 

Kentucky 

36. 

.34 

Now  Mexico 

37. 

.34 

Virginia 

38. 

.31 

Tennessee 

39. 

.30 

Jtississippi 

40. 

.24 

West  Virginia 

Lo,  Massachusetts  leads  all  the  rest, 
and  by  a  sizeable  margin.   In  fact,  if  I 
remember  certain  A.L.A.  recommendations 
correctly,  this  is  a  figure  some  40^  over 
v;hat  that  organization  calls  "satisfac- 
tory" support.  For  the  moment,  however, 
let's  look  at  a  third  table,  one  v/hich 
gives  actual  state-aid  figures  -  the  fig- 
ures in  parentheses  are  per  capita  grants. 


-4- 


1. 

Wc^  York 

82,156,036 

2. 

Georgia 

500,000 

3. 

Michigan 

362,025 

4. 

North  Carolina 

350,000 

5. 

Ohio 

320,000 

6. 

Maryland 

269,184 

7. 

Vermont 

237,830 

8. 

Pennsylvania 

206,000 

9. 

Missouri 

200,000 

10. 

Tonnes sec 

200,000 

11. 

Mississippi 

119,300 

12. 

Louisiana 

84,000 

13. 

Arkansas 

80,000 

14. 

Virginia 

72,500 

15. 

Alabama 

72,298 

16. 

South  Carolina 

70,000 

17. 

Rhode    Island 

20,000 

18. 

Novj-  Mexico 

18,100 

19. 

Connecticut 

17,250 

20. 

Maine 

12 , 724 

21. 

Now  Jersey 

10,000 

22. 

Delaware 

6,350 

23. 

Now  Hampshire 

1,500 

.144 
.146 
ft. 056 
^.086 
5.04 
0.117 
!ji  .628 
|.02 
;|.05 
'$.064 
'.f?.054 

;$.03i 

i|.042 

;$.o2i 

'0.024 

;o.o33 

;$.025 
■$.025 
S.009 

;o,oi4 
;§.oo2 

0.O2 
$.003 


Tvro  things  arc  noticed  here  -  less 
than  half  the   states  give  aid  -  and  even 
though  some   of  the  total   grants   look  im- 
pressive,  they  do  not,  v;ith  one  exception 
(Vermont),    substantially  alter  the  amount 
of  money  spent  per  capita  for   the  support 
of  public  libraries.  Without  state-aid, 
Massachusetts   still   spends  far  more  than 
any  other   state,  with  or  without  such 
help. 

Is   such  a  situation  not  likely  to 
je-OpRrdizc  the   chances   of  getting  money 
from  the  Commcnvroalth?     It  may  appear 
reasonable  to  most   of  the   legislators  who 
are  to  malcc  the  ultimate  decision  in  this 
matter  that  Massachusetts   libraries   do 
not  need  state -a  id.      It  v/ill  bo  the   pro- 
fcssion's   problem  to  convince  them  that 
this   is  not  true. 

[Lack  of  time  and  space  make  mo   call  a 
halt  at  this   point.      In  next  month's 
QI>J  v/o  will  try  to  have  more  on  speci- 
fic action  already  taken,    or  being  ta'i- 
ken  in  Massachusetts.] 

John  MoCafferty 


NKI  BOOKS   IN  THE  STAFF  HBRi^EY 


American  Library  Association. 
Membership  directoiy.      1954. 

Institute   on  Public  Library  Manage- 
ment,   5th,    Univ.    of  Wisconsin, 
Madison,    1953.   The   public   library 


building.     Madison,   Bureau  of 
government.   University  of  "?is- 
consin,   1953. 

Manlcy,   l&xrian  C. 

Handbook  for  library  trustees. 
New  York,   R.  R.   Bowker,    1955. 

Nov;  York.     Public  Library. 
Books  for  the  teen  age. 
New  York,   1955. 

Simmons  College,   Boston.  School  of 
Library  Science.      Books  and  pub- 
lishing lecture   scries.  1953-4. 
Boston,    1954. 

Taubcr,  Maurice  P.,   ed« 

Technical  services   in  libraries. 
New  York,   Columbia  Univ.   Pr.,   1954. 

The  Staff  Library  Book  Selection  Com- 
mittee will  welcome   suggestions   or  recom- 
mendations for  purchase   of  professional 
and  general  material.     Staff  members  wish- 
ing to  make   such  suggestions  may  send  them 
to  the   Committee  Chairman,    George  Adclman, 
General  Rcforcnco. 

LIBRARY   PLACSlvlENT   EXCHAi\'GE 

The   personnel  Office  has   subscribed 
to  a  ne\-/  semi-monthly  publication  enti- 
tled Library  placement  exchange,   v/hich 
tcgan  publication  in  Washington,   D.   C, 
in  March  1955.      It   is   sponsored  by  Foster 
E.  Mohrhardt,   Librarian  of  the  U.  S.   Dept. 
of  Agriculture.     This   publication  lists 
positions   open  and  positions  wanted  in  the 
Library  profession  on  a  national  basis. 
As   copies  are  received  they  vj-ill  bo  posted 
on  the  Staff  Bulletin  Board  in  the  Central 
Library  Building.  

THTminrTOriRL 

On  Monday,  I&irch  28,  Miss  Catherine 
M.  Doherty,  Office  of  Reoords,  Files, 
Statistics,  who  is  so  pleasantly  identi- 
fied as  one  of  the  "Sailors  on  the  Tcvm" 
in  the  recent  production  FREE  TO  ALL, 
\'Ki.s   guest  of  honor  at  a  farev/cll  li;inchcon 
at  the  Darbury  Room.  Iflss  Doherty  left 
the  Library  the  next  day  to  begin  vrork 
in  the  Civilian  Personnel  Office,  First 
Naval  District  Headquarters,  at  the  Fargo 
Building.  She  v;as  the  recipient  of  BCV» 
eral  gifts  from  her  many  friends  through- 
out the  Central  Library,  whose  good 
wishes  go  vath  her  to  her  nev/  position. 


a^p* 


RET  nffllffilJ  T 


On  ;?8daead»3ni!  AprJ.1' 13,  friends   of 
Miss  Elizabeth  B.   Boudreau,   Chief  of  the 
Information  Office,   Emeritus,   gathered 
to  honor  her  at  a  ooffec  party  at  the 
Women's   Lciingo,  Central  Library  Building, 
from  10:30  until  noon.     The   party  vnxs 
•./ell  attended  as  many  of  Miss  Boudrcau's 
vfcll-v/ishcrs   dropped  in  to  say  hollo  to 
her.     Hiss  Boudreau  had  been  away  from 
Central  for  some  time   duo  to  an  unfortu- 
nate accident  r/hich  incapacitated  her. 
'"/hen  she  resigned  from  the  Library  scr- 
TTico   on  January  Z6   rf  this  year  she  was 
v/ith  the  Library  for  thirty  four  years. 
Among  the  alumni  vhe  stopped  by  v/crc 
L'icsdamcs  Ethel  M.   Hazlevroodj   Alice  M. 
Jordan,   Catherine  C.   Kelly,   Frances  H. 
Kellcy,   and  Marjorio  Martin,   and  Messrs. 
Chester  A,  S»   Fazakas  and  Harry  M.  Bra<l- 
stroct.     On  behalf  of  those  attending, 
lir.   John  J.   Connolly  presented  Miss  Boud- 
reau vdth  a  gift  consisting  of  a  bouquet 
of  money  and  a  book. 

The   conr.ittec  i^ich  arranged  this 
party  vp.s  headed  by  Hiss   Helen  H.   Scva- 
gian.   Information  Office^ 


IN  THE  MATTER  OF  SLIPPERY  FLOORS 

Last  month  in  the  Soap  Box,   there 
1.VUS  an  anguished  cry  about  the   slippery 
flocr  in  the  Stack  Four  Corridor*     Since 
that  time  there  have  boon  at  least  three 
accidents   in  that  scjne  area.     One   of 
these  vns  rather  serious,    involving  a 
fractured  hand,  and  a  long  absence  from 
v;ork.     Wc  arc  told  that  stops  arc  being 
taken  to  rough  up  this  treacherous   sur- 
face somehc;v  so  that   in  the   future   peo- 
ple may  venture   into  that  part   of  thi> 
v/orld  vdth  more   composure.      In  vicvr  of 
all  that  has  happened,  vro  cann'^t  resist 
reprinting  a  contribution  to  the  Soap 
Box   in  the   July,   1952    issue   cf  the 
Question  Ifcrk.     This  i.^k?.s  a  collaboration 
of  the  Dolly  Sistors   of  Ilcggcrcl,  to  vit : 

A  Let   of  Gloss   is   a  Dangerous  Thing 

or 

Yffi  ;VAX  POETIC 


0,   lately  v.'hon  the  doctor  comes 

A-lcnocking  at  our  doer 

The  ansvrcr  airways   seems  to  bo 


"I  slipped  in  CI'  Stack  Fovir" 
From  ankle   sprain*  and  black- 
And-blucs   our  dignities  are  saro 
And  all  because  there  has  to  be 
A  gloss  upon  the  floor. 

REFRAIN: 

A  gloss  upon  the  floor 
A  gloss  upon  the  floor 
As  time  goes  by  our  ranks  may  be  depleted 

mere  and  more 
But  be  that  as  it  may,  there's  still 

a  gloss  upon  the  floor. 

Clare  0 'Toole 

and 
Sheila  ViT,  Fierce 


Statistic  I 

How  many  librarians  are  there  7 

There  arc  55,749,  of  v/hom  49,355 
are  women  and  6,394  arc  men. 

(Stat.  Abstract,  1953  p. 198) 

HcTRover,  in  some  cases  its  still  a  man's 

world,  since: 

Of  the  plumbers  in  this  country  - 

There  arc  293  875  men  and  only 

1,480  wononJ 

(Stat.  Abstract,  1953  p.  201) 


A  SHORT  ESSAY  ON  CAIJDLEPOVffiR 

Tho  April  1955  B.P.L.Wows  carries  a 
glo\7ing  account  of  the  nc-.'/  lights  in 
the  mr'.in  staircase  at  Central.  These 
nevj-  fixtures  consist  of  a  "magnificent 
spherical  luminairo"  and  several  little 
luminaircs,  vjhich  do  a  vrondcrful  job  ef 
lighting  up  the  stairs  and  the  P.  Puvis 
do  Chavanncs  paintings. 

It  is  a  good  and  fitting  thing  that 
the  Hall  bo  well  lit,  but  it  is  more  im- 
portant and  salutory  thing  that  Bates 
Hall  be  better  lit,  if  an  editorial  opi- 
nion may  be  inserted  hero.  Bloodshot- 
eyed  patrons  will  no  doubt  soon  be  going 
out  into  tho  Chavanncs  Gallery  to  read. 

Yfc  suggest  you  tako  a  look  some  eve- 
ning at  tho  remarkable  difference  in 
lighting  in  these  two  places. 


-6- 


BRAITCH  NOTES 


Despite  bad  weather,  over  a  hundred 
people  attended  the  Tenth  Annual  Open 
House  at  East  Boston.  The  Library  had 
a  festive  air  with  its  Hobby  Show  on 
display  in  both  the  Adult  and  Children's 
Rooms.  Embroidered  tablecloths,  wax 
candles,  china  painted  dishes,  woodcar- 
vings,  autograph  and  bookplate  oolleo- 
tions,  pencil  sketches  and  watercolors 
were  but  a  few  of  the  many  hobbies  re- 
presented. A  very  striking  feature  was 
the  large  stained  glass  screen  which, 
set  up  against  the  windows,  filled  the 
Adult  Room  with  warm  colors  as  light 
streamed  in  during  the  afternoon. 

Miss  Duilia  Capobianco,  Assistant- 
in-Charge,  opened  the  program  in  the 
Lecture  Hall  with  a  brief  introduction. 
Guest  speaker  was  Mr  Leslie  B.  HThelan, 
Manager  of  the  Joseph  H.  Barnes  Evening 
School  Center,  who  spoke  on  Recreational 
Education  in  East  Boston.  Then  followec 


the  musical  portion  of  the  program. 
Highlights  were  the  violin  solos  by 
Angela  Alabiso,  and  selections  by 
Matilda  Cerulli,  soi)rano,  and  John 
Guazzerotti,  bass-baritone. 

Refreshments  wore  served  in  the 
Children's  Room.  An  ©njoyable  evening 
was  had  by  all* 

Ifettapem 

During  the  Passover  holidays,  the 
Mattapan  Bremoh  featured  a  display  ap- 
propriate to  the  season,  loaned  by 
Hecht  Housd.  The  Exhibit,  arranged  by 
Eva  Joseph,  Director  of  the  Jvmior 
Department  PSrogram,  consisted  principal- 
ly of  handicraft  prepared  in  the  Arts 
and  Crafts  Shop,  by  the  children  work- 
ing under  Mr  Sam  Midman,  Instructor. 
As  an  example  of  mural  and  clay  work, 
one  section  of  the  display  oas©  was  oc- 
cupied by  a  three-dimensional  scene 
made  up  of  olay  figures  against  a  back- 
ground suggesting  Egypt  in  the  time  of 
the  Pharaohs.  The  scene  was  most  ap- 
propriate for  the  Passover  season,  show- 
ing the  Jewish  slaves  at  work  on  the 
h\ige  pyramids,  begging  their  masters  to 
have  pity  on  their  wives  and  children. 
Other  murals,  completing  the  Rissover 
Story,  depicted  the  coming  of  the  pla- 
gues upon  the  Egyptitms,  Moses  leading 
his  people  from  bondage,  and  the  pre- 
sent-day commemoration  of  this  event. 
Illustrated,  explanations  of  the  Passovei^ 


Service,  including  a  discussion  of  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  Seder  Plate  tflgether  vith 
a  beautifully  wrought  Seder  Plate  and  Pass- 
over "Beoher"  completed  the  display  most 
effectively. 

North  End 

on  Thursday,  April  14,  Dorothy  Dod- 
worth,  former  Children's  Room  Assistant 
at  North  End,  was  honored  at.  a  l\zncheon 
party  given  by  the  staff  at  Girc»s  Res- 
taurant in  the  North  End.  At  the  party 
she  was  presented  with  a  gift  of  crystal 
imported  from  Murano,  Italy.  Miss  Dod- 
worth  recently  resigned  to  devote  her  time 
to  creative  work  in  art  and  children's 
literature. 

BON  VOYAGE  to  Mary  L.  Dennis  on,  tiho 
will  sail  from  Boston  on  April  88,  for  a 
visit  to  France  and  Italy,  on  the  S«S.  New 
York  of  the  Greek  Line. 

West  End 

The  Judaica  Department  assisted  in  the 
Fassover  Exhibit  at  Jordan  Marsh  Company 
this  year.  It  lent  several  rare  Hagaddahs^ 
special  books  used  for  the  Seder  sej*vioe8, 
which  tell  the  story  of  the  deliverance  of 
the  Jews  from  slavery  in  Egypt;  it  lent 
paintings,  both  traditional  and  classic,  by.; 
Jewish  artists,  telling  the  story  of  the 
holiday.  The  exhibit  was  shown  at  Jordan»« 
from  March  22  through  April  5. 

Awarding  of  prizes  for  the  essay  con- 
test sponsored  by  the  Branch  took  place  at.- 
a  special  program  in  the  Lecture  Hall,  on 
March  15.  Children  of  grades  4  to  8  at  St ? 
Joseph's  school  participated;  the  topic: 
MY  PATRON  SAIIJT  AND  MIAT  HE  MEANS  TO  ME. 
Judges  were  Msgr.  Timothy  J.  O'Leary,  Su- 
perintendent of  Parochial  Schools  in  the 
Archdiocese;  Mr.  Patrick  F.  McDonald,  Presi- 
dent, Trustees  of  the  BPL;  Dr.  Cecilia 
McGovem,  President,  Archdiocesan  Council 
of  Catholic  Women;  and  Mr.  John  M.  Carroll, 
Chief  Librarian,  HR&CS.  Mr.  Carroll  broughl 
as  his  guest  Miss  Jeanette  Pritsche,  of 
UNICEF,  Tfiio  was  visiting  Boston. 

Msgr.  O'Leary,  addressing  the  children 
and  their  parents^  stressed  the  value  of 
worthvdiile  books,  such  as  lives  of  the  her- 
oes of  the  Church,  as  guides  for  living. 

There  was  also  an  address  by  Msgr. 
Francis  Lally,  editor  of  the  Pilot,  who 
drew  attention  to  the  fine  co-operation  be- 
tween library  and  school,  and  the  vital  rolt 
of  the  Nuns  in  chemneling  children's  read- 
ing, and  encouraging  vrritten  expression 


-7- 


of  their  ideas. 

Miss  Mary  A.  Reardon,  artist  and 
writer,  discussed,  with  several  examples 
from  her  own  work,  the  process  of  pre-  . 
Taring  illustrated  children's  books. 

Mr  Dsitrick  F.  McflonAld,  President  of 
the  Trustees,  then  spdce^  emphasizing  the 
democratic  character  of  what  he  terms 
"the  public's  library,"  and  the  role  of 
the  Trustee  as  the  representative  of  the 
citizen  in  determining  library  policy. 
As  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Judges  who 
gave  so  generously  of  their  time  emd 
effort  in  reading  and  grading  the  essays, 
Mr.  McDonald  also  presented  the  prizes. 

Refreshments  were  served  to  a  largff 
gathering  of  children,  parents,  and  a 
few  grandparents. 

The  greetings  and  good  wishes  of  Miss 
Fanny  Goldstein,  Branch  Librarian,  ware 
conveyed  by  Jirs.  ¥eronica  Lehane,  Chil~ 
dren's  Librarian. 


BUSINESS  BRANCH  SILVER  ANNIVERSARY 

The  Business  Branch  this  month  is 
observing  its  silver  anniversary.  On 
Jfey  7,  1930,  the  door  of  the  then  new 
building  at  20  City  Hall  Avenue  was 
opened  without  fanfare  by  Ifrs.  Mary 
Watkins  Dietrichson,  first  Business 
Branch  Librarian.  By  noontime,  business 
was  brisk  and  has  continued  so  ever  sincoo 
In  1955,  Ifrs.  Dietrichson  kindly  oblige<*. 
by  rnce  again  opening  the  door,  but  this 
time  for  a  publicity  photograph. 

The  building,  with  furnishings,  was 
presented  to  the  city  of  Boston  by  Louis 
E.  Kirstein,  outstanding  merchant  and 
trustee  of  the  Boston  Public  Library,  as 
a  memorial  to  his  father  Edward  Kirstein. 
The  need  for  a  business  library  had  been 
recognized  as  far  back  as  Yforld  War  I, 
when  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  advo- 
cated the  bringing  together  of  such  a 
ocllection.  Today,  the  staff  wonders, 
between  phone  calls,  how  Boston  ever 
transacted  a  day's  business  without  it. 

The  grovrbh  in  reference  work  is  re- 
flected in  the  increase  in  telephone 
calls,  from  an  average  of  12  a  day  in  1930 
to  as  many  as  200  in  1954.  The  number  of 
patrons  has  risen  from  about  500  tc  100© 
a  dayi  and  the  bonk  collection  from  8,000 
to  40,000. 

In  1930,  back  runs  of  financial  ser- 
vices, periodicals,  and  directories  were 
eagerly  accepted  to  stock  the  empty 
shelves.   In  1955,  with  three  floors 
instead  of  two,  we  are  hard  pressed  for 


shelf  space.  The  extra  floor  was  ac- 
quired in  1940  when  the  general  branch 
on  the  third  floor  Viras  closed.  Today 
much  time  is  spent  in  weeding  out  out-of- 
date  material,  the  emphasis  being  always 
on  vjhat  is  current. 

The  Business  Branch  has  had  only  two 
Branch  Librarians  in  its  quarter-century 
Cf  cervioe.  Mrs.  Diotrichson  organized 
and  headed  it  until  1947.  She  was  suo- 
oeodod  by  Mrs.  Dorothy  M,  Lovott,  who 
resigned  in  September'  1953.  Since  then, 
Rita  M.  Dosaulniers  has  been  carrying  on 
as  Assistant-in-Charge. 

The  other  day  a  businessman  from  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota,  stopped  in  between 
planes  to  settle  an  argument.   It  seems 
cur  fame  had  spread  to  St.  Paul,  and  ho 
turned  naturally  to  us.  Reference  letters 
from  all  over  the  country,  addressed  to 
the  branch  by  name,  attest  to  its  fame. 

This  is  in  large  part  due  to  tho 
standards  set  by  Mrs.  Dietrichson  who 
would  go  to  unusual  lengths  to  traok  dovm 
needed  information,  and  taught  hor  staff 
to  do  likcvdso.  Today  the  present  staff 
strives,  if  it  docs  not  always  succeed, 
to  carry  on  in  this  tradition. 

Winifred  F.  Root 


ARNAVETS  OFFICERS  1955-1956 

Commander  -  Samuel  Green 

Vice-Commander  -  Henry  F.  Barry 

Adjutant  &  Quartermaster  -  James  P. J. Gannon 

(21st  term) 
Chaplain  -  Charles  L.  Higgins 
Officer  of  the  Day  -  Thomas  J.  Daly 
Trustees  -  Tfilliom  Di  Rosario 
John  T.  Kyle 


STAFF  IN  PRINT 

Mrs.  Phyllis  L»  Barclay,  Children's 
Librarian  at  Uphams  Corner,  had  an  article 
entitled  "Film  Selection  for  Children's 
Library  Programs"  in  the  January  1955 
Wilson  Library  Bulletin. 


DUES   DUES  DUES  DUES  DUES   DUES  DUES 

Association  dues  (50  oonts)  aro  now 
payable  1  Sec  your  staff  rcproscntativoi 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  to- 
gether with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Li- 
brary, Department  or  Office  in  ■which  he 
or  she  is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld 
from  publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if 
the  contributor  so  requests.  Anonymous 
contributions  are  not  given  consideration! 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  Editor-in-Chief.  The  contents  of 
articles  appearing  in  the  Soap  Box  are 
personal  opinions  expressed  by  individual 
Association  members  and  their  appearance 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  that  the 
Publications  Coimiittee  and  the  Associatior. 
are  in  agreement  with  the  views  expressed. 
Only  those  contributions  containing  not 
more  than  300  words  will  be  accepted. 


To  the  Soap  Box : 

Since  the  Soap  Box  has  frequently 
accorded  space  to  me  for  comments  on 
situations  vAich  were,  in  my  opinion, 
unjust,  I  would  like  to  ask  the  privilege 
of  using  space  to  cite  and  express  ny 
appreciation  for  the  rectifying  of  one 
situation  which  over  several  years  caused 
conflict.  Remember  in  "the  goocl  old  days' 
when  holidays  fell  on  your  day  off  and 
you  "lost"  that  day?  The  comforting 
thought  was  advanced  that  it  "would  all 
come  out  in  the  v/ash"  and  equalize  itself 
over  the  years.  But  that  didn't  help  any 
when,  for  instance,  your  day  off,  year 
after  year,  was  on  Thursday  -  and  Thanks- 
giving kept  popping  up  annually  on  Th\irs- 
day.  So  inconsiderate  of  Thanksgiving. 

Now  working  schedules  of  weeks  in 
which  holidays  occur  are  based  on  number 
of  hours  vrorked-  thus  everyone  is  treated 


alike.  "That  is  a  good  thing."   (1066 
and  all  that  by  Walter  C.  Sellar  anK 
Robert  J.  Yeatman  -  827  S46t) 

Edna  G.  Peck 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

Our  family  paper  here  is  beginning 
to  desejrve  the  extravagant  claim  made  in 
an  advertisement  of  the  NEW  YORKER  - 
nearly  everybody  reads  the  QUESTION  liiARK. 
Ovir  bright  young  man  who  wrote  a  letter 
complaining  about  never  having  spoken' to 
any  member  of  the  Examining  Committee, 
was  called  to  such  a  talk  the  very  next 
week.  At  the  intervievrs  conducted  by 
the  subcommittee  of  the  Examiners,  the 
QUESTION  MARK  was  mentioned  as  the  best 
place  to  air  grievances,  and  a  copy  of 
the  paper  was  in  the  hands  of  the  sub- 
committee at' one  of  the  meetings. 

The  subcommittee's  interviews  vd.th 
the  President  of  the  Association  and  4 
ex-presidents  are  a  step  in  the  right 
direction.  That  our  morale  is  ailing, 
in  slings,  and  on  crutches,  is  no  longer 
a  rianor  started  by  troublemaking  staff 
members,  but  a  fact  now  obvious  even  to 
outsiders.   It  is  encouraging  to  find 
public  spirited  citizens  getting  them- 
selves interested  in  our  affairs,  but 
they  will  have  to  listen  a  lot  longer  to 
a  lot  more  people.  And  even  then  the  ' 
causes  will  be  very  hard  to  determine. 
It  is  tempting  to  have  recourse  to  the 
devil  theory,  to  blame  one  administrator, 
one  Trustee,  or  one  employee;  but  the 
chief  cause,  to  my  mind,  is  the  same  as 
the  one  given  by  Plato  ages  ago,  that  no 
social  organism,  be  it  a  state  or  a  Lib- 
rary can  really  be  v/ell  run  until  philo- 
sophers are  kings.   It  is  no  dark  secret 
that  there  has  been  a  lamentable  lack  of 
philosophers  on  all  our  summits.   I  tried 
to  remedy  the  situation  last  year  by 
offering  myself,  against  my  instincts, 
for  such  a  summit  position  (see  my  "jello" 
letter  last  year),  but  I  didn't  get  the 
job.   I  took  it  in  good  part,  and  I  sug- 
gest that  a  good  many  of  our  difficulties 
here  will  -^et   righted  if  more  of  us  have 
recourse  to  LAPIRISMO,  that  new  word  not 
yet  in  any  dictionary,  but  which  vj^ill 
siArely  get  into  the  dictionaries.   I 
found  it  on  page  8  of  the  Maroh  28  issue 
of  the  New  York  Times. 

Harry  Andrews 
(Ed.  Note:  LAPIRISMO,  a  new  Italian  word 
from  the  name  of  Florence's  Mayor  La  Pira, 
■who  believes  that  Christian  love  can  con- 
quer all  of  man's  problems.) 


o9*> 


To  the  Soap  Bcas 


It  would  be  interceting  to  know  hew 
many  large  libraries  in  the  United  States 
are  open  to  the  public  on  Easter  Sunday. 
Our  library  is  closed  on  Good  Friday  and 
other  lesser  holidays.  Why  is  it  kept 
open  on  Easter  Sunday? 


Curious 


To  the  Soap  Box; 


Bildad's  friend  once  moaned  "How  long, 
0  Lord,  how  long?"  or  words  to  that  effect 
As  the  "no  personnel  replacement"  progrsun 
continues,  the  staff  joins  the  moan  of 
Job»  As  retirements  and  resignations 
pile  up,  and  the  staff  becomes  more  de- 
pleted daily,  we  wonder  how  much  longer 
this  cam  go  unchecked.  The  present  va- 
cancies are  much  too  nesir  the  hundred 
mark  for  comfort.  If  just  overworking 
the  remaining  staff  members  were  the  so- 
lution, there  are  few  of  us  who  are  not 
willing  to  be  overworked!  we  have  been 
for  years;  tw  are  used  to  it.  But  an 
overworked,  tired  staff  is  but  one  of 
the  by-products  of  this  diotum.  The  ma- 
jor tragedy  is  the  fact  that  the  services 
to  the  public  are  being  cvirtailed  or  en- 
tirely abeindoned.  New  areas  of  service, 
long  needed  if  the  citizenry  is  to  bo 
adequately  served,  are  being  abandoned 
before  they  have  been  given  sufficient 
opport\aiity  to  test  their  merit;  other 
services  long  proved  iaiaihible  are  be- 
ing cvurtailed.  Is  the  Staff  Association 
going  to  make  a  study  of  this  deteriora- 
ting situation  auad  present  a  plan  of  pos- 
sible action  to  the  Trustees  -  or  do  we 
just  "fade  away"  like  old  soldiers  xmtil 
there  is  no  staff  left  and  the  empty 
buildings  echo  with  past  activity  and  the 
public  have  only  stone  statues  to  sei^e 
their  unending  demands? 


Edna  6.  Peck 


To  the  Soap  Box: 


Have  you  noticed  how  bright  and  shiiy 
our  Open  Shelf  Department  looks  after  its 
spring  cleaning?  Or  how  prraiptly  worn- 
out  bulbs  are  replaced?  Or  how  effici- 
ently building  repairs  are  being  made 
where  needed?  If  you've  ever  slipped  on 
the  highly  polished  wax  corridor  of  the 
Stack  Four  level,  you  may  be  glad  to  note 
too,  that  something  is  being  done  about 
that  situation.  Naturally  we  all  miss 


Mr  Quinn,  but  it  is  reassuring  to  know 
that  he  has  such  a  fine  successor. 
Thanks,  Mr  Danker,  for  a  job  well  done  J 


B.  Gertrude  Wade 


To  the  Soap  Boxi 


Annually  a  "situation"  is  created 
which  tends  to  accentuate  religious  and 
racial  differences  and  to  cause  tension 
among  staff  members.  In  one  year  cfcaff 
members  of  the  Jewish  faith  were  granted 
more  them  five  days  in  which  to  observe 
their  wiUgious  festivals.  Staff  members 
of  the  Christian  faiths  (and  of  the 
Jewish  faiths  since  the  Library  is  closed) 
are  granted  only  frcan  twelve  noon  Good 
Friday.  Services  in  most  Christian 
churches  begin  at  twelve  noon  Good  Fri- 
day. TJafortunately  most  staff  members 
are  still  too  material  to  be  transported 
f:Pom  their  Library  posts  to  the  churches 
of  their  choice,  often  located  miles 
away,  within  seconds.  Also  many  Chris* 
tian  churches  have  'serH.oes  on  Maundy 
Thvursday  evening  but  staff  members  sche- 
duled to  work  on  that  evening  cannot  go 
irrespective  of  how  much  they  might  wish 
to  attend.   It  is  not  the  granting  of 
tine  for  religious  services,  rather  the 
inequity  of  the  situation  that  is  dis- 
turbing and  especially  so  when  the  ob- 
servances coincide  as  happens  this  year. 

Since  this  ordinance  comes  from  out- 
side the  Library  it  may  be  that  nothing 
can  be  done  to  rectify  the  situation. 
Surely  those  who  issue  such  directives 
must  realize  the  inequities  they  create. 
If  not,  should  they  not  be  informed? 
There  may  be  no  solution,  but  may  I  sug- 
gest one,  guaranteed  to  eliminate  inequi- 
ties and  to  be  lOOjS  unpopular?  Allow 
all  staff  members  of  every  creed  the  pri- 
vilege  of  taking  time  off  for  the  neces- 
sary observance  of  religious  holidays  - 
the  time  to  be  taken  from  pay  or  vacation. 
I  may  be  underestimating  the  spiritual 
calibre  of  ny  associates,  but  I  suspect 
that  under  these  conditions,  even  when 
the  religious  observances  coincide,  there 
would  be  sufficient  staff  members  to  man 
the  gims  and  to  keep  the  Library  open  for 
routine  services  on  all  religious  holidays. 

Edna  S.  Peck 


i 


[ 

I 


I 


m 


uestion 


MA\^K 


m  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


MAY  1955 


1 


TEE     qUESTION     MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professionjil  Staff  Association 
Volume  X,    Number   5 ^ _         _    May  1955 


Publications  Committee:     John  J.  Hallahan,   Sheila  VY,   Pierce,  B.   Gertrude  Yfade 

Robert  C.  'Toodward,    John  McCafferty,    Chairman 


Publication  date; 

the   fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  submitting  material : 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  NOTES 


Not  too 
expressions 
Editor's  Not 
pervaded  the 
good  fortune 
quieting  the 
vacancies  on 
on  the  staff 
will  be   part 


many  months  ago,   readers   of  the  Question  Mark  were  likely  to  encounter 
of  dismay  and   complaint  when  they  turned  to  the  Soap  Box  page.     As  the 
es   of  February,    1955  put   it,    "a  sort  of  smoldering,   restive  anxiety" 
staff.     \7e   should   certainly  congratulate   ourselves  this  month  on  our 

The  recent  decisions   of  the  Trustees  should  go  a  long  way  toward 
minds   of  those  who  were  anxious  about  the  growing  number  of  unfilled 
the  staff  and  the   curtailment  of  extra  service.     Needless  to  add,  those 
•viiio  will  be  qualified  for  permanent  appointments  or  salary  increases 
ioularly  pleased. 


It  is   perhaps  enougjh  that  we  express   our  gratitude  to  those  who  populate  tlie 
sumnits  vrfiere  decisions  such  as  these  are  made  for  righting  situations  yrtiich  have 
gone  Icaig  unattended.     It  may  be  that  we  should  oootaSt  ourselves  with  the  improve- 
ments ajid  not  inquire  as  to  the  reasons  which  made  the   improvements  necessary. 
Enough  then  it  shall  be  that  we  will  weloome:  replacements  where  thay  are  needed, 
extra  service  where  Department  Heads  must  shelve  books  emd  type  order  cards,   appoint- 
ments to  the  Permanent  Service  where  they  ha -to  been  earned,   and  increases    (i.e.   in 
salary,   one  may  assume  -  althou^  administrative  language  can  be  remarkatly  ambi- 
guoxis;   in  accordance  with  established  procedures  and  meriti 


CALENDAR  OF  EVENTS 


after  thirty  years   of  service. 

Gertrude  E*  Leufgre'o*  Hyde  Park,  re- 
tired on  April  30,  1955,   after  forty«two 
years   of  service. 

Transferred 

Jean  Sates,  fpom  Bookmobile  II  to 
Mattapan. 

Mrs.  Jfe.ry  M.  Burns,  frc«n  Idattapan 
to  Bookmobile   II. 

Elizabeth  C.  Dcwling,   from  Dorchester 
to  Parker  Hill. 

Mrs.   Joyo©  P.  Ellis,   from  Bookmobile   I 
to  City  Point. 

A.   Phyllis  Freeman,   from  Mattapan  to 
Codman  Square. 

C.  Marjorie  Groves,  from  Mt»  Bowdoin 
to  Mattapan. 

Elizabeth  Kernaohan,  from  Parker  Hill 
to  Hyde  Park. 

Katherine  I,   LaMooitagne,  from  Roslin- 
dale  to  Mt.  Bowdoin. 

Mrs.  Bernadine  G.  Smokier,   from  U^ams 
Comer  to  Biillips  Brooks. 

Mrs.  Christine  J.  Tinano,  from  City 
Point  to  Bookmobile   I. 

******* 


Boston  Public  Library 
Professional  Staff  Association 

MAY  BUSINESS  1-aEETING 

Friday,  May  20,  1955  at  9  a.m. 

All  Association  members  who  can  pos- 
sibly do  so  are  urged  to  attend  this  im- 
portant meeting. 


PERSONAL  NOTES 


Resignations 

Mrs  Rhea  L.  Freeman,  lYest  Roxbury, 
to  teach  in  the  Newton  Public  Schools. 

Mrs  Elizabeth  M.  Svirsky,  Central 
Charging  Records,  to  remain  at  home. 

Retirements 

Beatrice  M.  Flanagan,  Chief,  School 
Issue,  retired  on  April  30,  1955,  after 
forty-four  years  of  service. 

Jean  B.  Lay,  Cataloging  and  Classi- 
fication, HRtCS,  retired  on  April  30,  1955 


-2- 


BIRTHS 

Christopher  Weal   Carroll,   son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.    John  LI.   Carroll,  bom.  April  27, 
1955. 

Deborah  Rahilly,  April  8.   1955.     Debo- 
rah's father,  Uauric*  "Ifoe"  Rahilly,  has 
many  friends  in  the  B.P.L.  dating  baolc 
to   the  years  of  hia  lervioe   in  Audio- 
Visual,  Periodical,  and  Owieral  Refereno©. 

Twins,  Elisabeth  Ann  and  Daniel  J.  Ahem 
were  born  May  3,  1955,     Their  mother 
Shirley  Borden  Ahem  worked  in  the  History 
Department* 

wWDms 

Thomas  J.  Nolan,   Jr.,  formerly  of  the 
Periodioal  &  Newspaper  Department,  was 
married  to  Miss  Doris  M«  MacLeod,  at  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Family  in  Rockland* 
After  a  wedding  trip  to  Canada  and  New 
York  State,  the   couple  vrill  reside   in 
Rockland. 

BEST  V/ISHES  PQR  SPEEDY  RECOVERY 

Mrs,   Laurelle   Cole,  who  has  been   in  the 
hospital,  for  an  operation,   and  ^rtio  will 
be  at  home  convalescing  for  several  weeks 
before  returning  to  work. 

'    I/)ST  AND  POUND 

The   following  articles  may  be   claimed 
in  the  Personnel  Office : 

1  silver  earring  -  modern  design 

1   gold  earring  -  single   pearl,   drop  hoop 

1  silver  earring  -  center  brilliant  and 

surrounding  brilliants 
1   lipstick  -  Dorothy  G^ay 
1  white  silk  scarf 

1   silver  rosary  erucifio  amd  one  bead 
1  key  -  Independent  Lock  Company,  No. 

L1054B   (found   in  the  Lien's  Smoking 

Room) 
1  key  -  Curtis  Key  Company,  No.   P2 

VISITORS  TO  Tii^  LIBRARY 

The  McOill  Qaiversity  Library  School 
of  Montreal,    Canada,  visited  the  Library 
on  May  10.     Professor  E.   C.  Astbury  and 
Lecturer  Mrs.  V.   Coughlin  accompanied  the 
22  students  to  Boaton.     Jfrs.  Wright  wel- 
comed the  visitors  to  the  ;i,ibrary  in  the 
mpming,    following  which  they  were  taken 
en  a  guided  tour  of  the  Central   Library 
Building  and  the  Bookmobiles  by  llr.   Ed- 


ward X«   Casey  and  Mr.   Paul  V»  Mcqmihan. 
At  the  end  if  the  tour  they  were  served 
coffee  and  dougjhnuta   in  the  Women's   Lotuige 
and  were  given  the  oppertunity  to  meet  the 
Chief  Librarians  arjd  the  Supervisors  who 
for  three  quarters   of  an  hour  answered 
their  many  questions.     In  the  afternoon, 
lira*  Andelman  escorted  our  Om^dian  visi- 
tors by  bus  to  the  Adcuns  Street  and  Eglea- 
toQ  Sqv*'re  Bra^oh  Libraries* 
Other  visitors  included i 

Mr*  Carlos  A.   Castane,   Consul    of 

Colombia. 
]lr*  Brnesto  Galliano-Meneburu,    Chief 
of  th*  Cpyri^t  Office  and  Secretary- 
Oener^l  of  the  National  Library, 
Santiago,  Chile. 
Mrs*  Maruja  Pelaez   de  Johnson,   Medellin 
Pilot  Library  Project,   Colombia. 
Miss  Aloira  Ruis-Larre,  Librarian, 
Central  Library,   University  of 

Caracas,  Venetuela.  

HBlf  BOOKS  I»  Tffi!  STaFT  LIBRAR7 

Ass'n  of  College  and  Re. 

ACRL  monegraphs,   no.  12,   Library  co- 
operation in  the  British  Isles,  by  R.  T» 
Bsterquest*     Chicago,  1955. 

Enoch  Pratt  Free  Library,   Baltimore 
Ref  ronee  Books.     3d  ed* 
Baltimore,   1954 

Library  literature,  1956 


New  York,  H, 


Wilson  Co.,   1956. 


Trautman,  R«y 

A  history  of  the  school  ef  Library 
Service,    Columbia  University. 

New  York,   Colvimbia,  1954. 

U.S.  Library  of  Congress,   Subject  Cata- 
loging Division. 
Subject  Headings;  a  practical   guide, 

by  D.   J.   Haykin. 

'Tashinjton,  Govt,  Print,  Off*.  1951. 

Wilson,  H,  W. ,  publishers 

Standard  catalog  for  high  school  lib- 
raries. Supplement  1955. 

New  York,  1955* 

^Tilson,   H,  W«,   publishers 

Standard  catalog  for  public  libraries. 
Supplement  1954* 

New  York,   1955. 

THE  STAFF  LIBRARY 
m  AN  EMBARRASSING  aiTPATION 
Free  oiroulating  libraries  were  developed 
relatively  late  historically.  A  »ajer  fae- 
tar  causing  thi^  lateness  of  develepaent 


wa»  the  fear  that  people  might  not  return 
what  they  had  borrowed.     Despite  this  fear 
libraries   came   into  being,   anyway  -  as  we 
know.     But  the  fear  proved  to  be  a  v/ell- 
grounded  one,    as  we   also  know.     And   one 
of  the  librarian's  basic  duties   is  to 
protect  his  book  oolleotion,   to  seek  out 
and  point     he  finger  of  scorn  at  book-non- 
returners,     y/hich  brings  us  t     the  embar- 
rassing situation  promised  above.     Tfe  have 
a  staff  library,  a   convenience  that  many 
library  staffs   do  not  have.      It  seems  that 
we   guardians   of  the  books    in  the  use   of 
this,    our  own  little  library,  are  worse 
offenders  than  the  general   public   in  this 
matter  of  returning  books.      There  are  up- 
wards  of  two  hundred  books   on  the  Staff 
Library  missinf  list)      It's  a  small   lib- 
rary, but  there  are  those   of  us  who  love 
it,   and  its   privileges  may  have  to  be 
withdrawn  unless  we  can  learn  to  use   it 
properly.     Let's   get  the  books  back  and 
not  have  to  send  Ur,   Carpenter  after  them* 
\7hile  were  at  it,  we  would  also  appreciate 
a  little  more  attention  to  the  proper 
checking  out   of  staff  library  material. 

Staff  Library  Committee 


Library  Men  Honor  a  Library  Lady 

On  Thursday,  }iay  12,   l.lrs.   Grace  B,    Lough 
lin,   Chief,  Open  Shelf,   was  taken  to  lunch 
by  members   of  her   staff  and  by  friends  and 
Open  Shelf  Alumni.     The   surprise  send-off 
party  wr.s  held  at  Salmagundi's  and  one  un- 
usua  1   aspect   of  it  was  that  the  party 
consisted  of  fourteen  male  members    of  the 
Library  staff  andl&s,   Loughlin.     Later 
in  the  day  the  entire  Open  Shelf  staff 
presented  lirs.   Lau^lin  with  a  gift  to 
help  her  enjoy  her  trip. 

Mrs,   Loughlin  sails  for  Europe   on  the 
He   de  France   on  May  18th, 


A  Note   of  Thanks  to  a  Staff  Member 

Vfe  take   pleasure   in  quoting  the   follow- 
ing letter  recently  received  by  a  member 
of  the   staff.      It  seems  to  reflect  favor- 
ably not   (Mily  on  the   individual  who  re- 
ceived it  but  also  upon  the  reputation  of 
the  Library  and  its   staff  as  a  whole* 

"I  wish  to  express  lay  thanks  for 
your   comprehensive  raemorandvim. 
I  am  delighted  with  its   complete- 
ness and  the   information  that  it 
furnished  will,  with  rry  notes   on 
the  subject,   enable  me  to  finish 


the   skotch  I  had   in  mind,     J  take 
pleasure   in  aoknowledgifeg  this 
practical  demonstration  of  the 
ability  of  the  Library  to  find  the 
right  ansv/er  provided  the   inquirer 
knows  yftiat  he  wants,   and  is  forti- 
fied with  the   good  fortune   of 
knowing  vihom  to  ask. 

With  sincere  assurance  of  my 
appreciation  of  your  prompt  and 
kindly  interest,    I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 

John  A»  Murj*iy 


CARE 

Receipts  and  letters  from  recipients   of 
CARE  packages   ccine   in  from  time  to  time. 
We  recently  received  one  from  Vietnam,  a 
fine  long  one,   in  excellent  handwriting, 
'«ut,   unfortunately,    it  was  untranslated. 
?fe  are  sure,  hovrever,  that  It  surely  said 
a  heartfelt  "thank  you".     This  and  many 
other  letters  assure  the  Association  of 
the  gratitude  of  those  who  receive  our 
gifts.     We  urge  you  to  keep  supporting 
this   program,   no  matter  how  small  your 
contributions  may  bo.     The  excellent  val- 
■uc,   CARE  Food  Crusade   Packages,   at  50  / 
are   still  available,  and  our   CARE  funds 
are  being  used  to  purchase  those   packages 

Walter  Bluhm 

Care  Committee 


STATE  AID  -  CONTINUED 

As  wo  vrorc  saying  -  Massachusetts   spends 
more   per  capita  -  $2.10  -  on  publio  libra- 
ries than  any  other  state,    perhaps  a  dan- 
gerous  sovinding  remark  to  air  while  dis- 
cussing this  subject,  but  there  arc  a 
couple   of  tag-on  considerations  to  think 
about   in  this  matter.     In  the  first   place 
not  all   states  oan  claim  lOOJ.     library  sor* 
vice,  as  Massachusetts  can.     The  per-capita 
expenditure  tabic  of  last  month,  however, 
was  arrived  at  by  dividing  the  entire   pop- 
ulation into  the  money  spent.      In  some 
states  20^,   30^,  ^0%  even  60^  of  the   people 
have  no  publics  libraries    (of.  South  Dakota). 
Bringing  library  service  to  all  the  oomrm*- 
nlties   in  those  states  will  raise  average 
expenditures   considerably. 

The  second  thing  to  remember  about  the 
high  figure  here  is  the  handsome  support 
given  libraries   in  certain  cities  and  towns 


(such  aa  Boston,  Brooklinc,  Finohostor        i 
and  Milton)  whoro  cxpcndituros  rvin  to 
about  $4.00  por  porsdaf     In  addition  to 
those  thoro  aixj  many  other  eonmunitios 
^oro  library  support  runa  throe  dollars 
or  moro.     Tftiusually  good  library  budgets 
in  those  places  are  most  responsible  for 
that  $2.10  figure. 

Lot's  talk  about  state  aid  legislation 
now.     In  the  post-war  period  there  has 
been  actually  only  one  attonpfc  at  suoh 
legislation.     This   ocourrcd  in  January, 
1947,  when  the  B.P.L.  Employees'   Local 
Ifeiion  No.  731,  A.P.L.,  filed  a  bill  seek- 
ing a  measure  of  st*tc  aid.     This  bill 
was  being  discussed  before  the  Ways  and 
Means  Committee   of  the  State  Senate  with 
intoi\>stcd  parties   in  attendance,  and 
thoro  was  OTidenoo   of  disagreement  be- 
tween members  of  the  Library  profession 
•vAo  vrore  present.     Because  of  this,  the 
Ways  and  Means  Conmittoo  suggested  that 
the  bill  be  withdrawn  vrith  an  eye  to  fur- 
ther discussion  of  the  matter  among  lib- 
rary oircles  and  to  preparation  of  a  bill 
that  would  be  more  aocoptnblo  to  evcry- 
body  interested. 

Accordingly,   in  October,  1947,  there 
was  a  committeo  set  up  under  the  joint 
Bjftscrship  of  the  State  Library  Commis- 
sionors.  The  B.P.L.  Union  and  the  Massa- 
chusetts Library  Association,  vAiioh  was 
composed  of  a  number  of  people   in  the 
library  field,  and  which  was  to  undertake 
a  th»rou^  study  of  all  aspects   of  the 
librai^  situation  in  IJIassachusetts .     Du- 
ring the   remaining  months   of  1947  and  all 
through  1948  these  people  vrore  busily  en- 
gaged in  preparing  data.      In  January,   1949 
it  v/as  held  by  those  directing  this  work 
that  the  great  bulk  of  tho  preparatory 
labors  were   out  of  the  vreiy,  and  that  if 
all  went  well,  there  v:ould  be  a  bill  be- 
fore the  legislature  ct    its  next  meeting 
(January,   1950).     As  wc   all  know,  there 
was  no  suoh  bill  brought  forth  in  1950, 
nor  has   it  been  brought  forth  since  then. 
There  has  been,  this  year,   a  meeting  with 
the  Governor  in  this  matter,  and  tho  Gov- 
ernor has  set  up  a  Commission  to  study 
the  matter  further,  v^atcvor  that  means. 

The  end  result   of  all  this   is  that 
oi^t  years  after  the  ill-fated  bill  of 
the  B.P.L.   Iftiion  vra.s  submitted,    and  seven 
and  a  half  years  after  the  Committee  was 
set  up,  nothing  has  happened. 

Apparently,   not  many  people   on  this 
staff  or  in  tho  library  profession  gene- 
rally throughout  the   state  ate  very  upset 
by  this  remarkable  history  of  inaction. 


One   is  almost  tempted  to  wzxx   impudent 
about  tho  vAolo  thing  and  suggest  that 
the  state  aid  movement  take   one   of  the 
two  follovriLng  possible  courses t   (l)  that 
its  achievements  bo   inscribed  on  a  suita- 
bly mounted  plaque  6tti  that  tho  plaque 
bo  placed  in  tho  Abbey  Room,  where  they 
socm  to  be  oolleoting  dead  dreams  these 
days,    or  (2)  that  it  display  some  signs 
of  life,  and  push  vigorously  toward  real 
action.     Tho   planning  stage  seems  to  have 
lasted  an  awfully  long  time. 

Meanwhile  it  is   pleasant  to  sit  back 
and  plan  what  to  do  with  our  share   of 
the  money  when  it   is  made  available .     A 
program  as  generous,   proportiotjatoly  as 
Now  York's  state  aid  would  give  B.P.L, 
enough  monoy  each  year  to  build  at  least 
one  and  perhaps  two  of  those   proposed 
branches.     iThioh  is  an  interesting  obser- 
vation. 


Bon  Voyage 

On   Tuesday  eveninr,  iir.y  17th  irs.  Grace 
Lou^:hlin  loni^-timc  member  of  the  Adult 
Book  Selection  Conmittoo  vrxa   the  guest 
of  that  Committoo  past  and  present  o.t 
the  Tovvn  Lyno  Houso  in  Lynnficld.  Tho 
pleasure  of  tho  exoollcnt  food  vros  en- 
hanced by  the  beautiful  sunset  on  the 
Lake  (Sunta;];)  as  each  sucoooding  minute 
seciBcd  to  accentuate  tho  splendor  of  the 
hour  by  tho  constr.nt  ch^n;;Gs  in  the  colors  | 
~.nd  reflections.  Between  courses  lirs, 
Lou  hi  in  "fovaid"  an  onvolope  oontr.ining 
a  token  ift  to  be  usjd  for  tho  purohcsc 
of  sor.'.othinc;  oxtra  spocic.l  on  her  forth- 
coming trip  to  Prc.ncc  and  Italy. 

E.  G.  Peck 


BIRTH 

Dr  and  Mcs  Walter  Cotter  have  announced 
the  birth  of  a  son,  David,  on  April  25. 


-5- 


RETIREMEMTS 
"^  Jean  B«  Lay 

Jean  B.  Lay  retired  from  the  Library 
Service   tn  April  30>   1955  after  twenty- 
f»ur  years  as  a  member  of  the    etaff  of 
the  Branch  Departmsnt  and  later  of  the 
Brandi  Catalog  -  except   for  short  periods 
spent   in  branches. 

In  honor  of  this  occasion.   Miss  Lay 
was  guest  of  honor  at  a   coffee   party  in 
the  Women's  Lounge   ©n  Wednesday,   Jky  11th, 
Flowers  tr^sh  from  the  ga  rtlaiis   of  Mr.    and 
Mrs,  Ronald   Keswiclc  (Branch  Issue)}   breadi 
fresh  from  the  ovens   of  Edna   G,   Peck 
(Book  Selection),   Louisa  S,   Metcalf   (Open 
Shelf),   and  Geneva  '"Jfetson   (Branch  Libra- 
rian,  Emeritus) — supplemented  by  other 
tempting  foods;   waitresses  and   pourers 
cordial  and  eager  to  serve;   a  committee 
busy  and  untiring  behind  the   scenes--all 
these  helped  to  make  this   party  a   happy 
memory,   not   only  for  the   guest   of  honor 
but  for  all  y*io  attended. 

The  highlight    of  the   morning  vjas  the 
presentation  by  John  IIU   Carroll   of  a 
wishing  weil   (decorated  by  Mildred  R, 
Somes,    Book  Preparation).      Close  examina- 
tion of   it    revealed  that   it  tnbs  not   green 
moss  which  clung  to  the   old   oaken  bucket 
but   instead  green  bills  given  to  Miss  Lay 
with  the    good  wishes   of  her  associates. 
The    short   speech  of  thanks,    delivered  in 
an  eesy,    gracious  menner  and   in  a    refresh- 
ingly humorous  vein,    delighted  all  who 
hea  rd  it . 

And  they  included   "Pamily" —  Mrs.   Hazel 
Gormley,   Helen  Pease,  and  Nancy  Poole 
from  the  Pioneer,  and  Mrs.   Harriet  S. 
Hemenway  and  Edith  Wadsworth;   and   B.P.L. 
Alumni — K.    Florence   Cufflin,   Minerva 
Elliott,    Chester  A.   S,    Fkzakas,    Beatrice 
M.    Flanagan,   Ethel  M.    Hazlewood,  Alice  M, 
Jordan,    Sara  A.    Lyon,   Mrs,    Florence  Stan- 
ley St  urges,   Geneve  Watson,   and   Rebecca 
E.  Willis. 

It   is   her  graciousness   of  manner,    her 
friendliness   of  epirit,  and  her  rare 
sense   of  humor  which  will  help   Jean  Lay 
to  enjoy  the   years   of   leisure  which  are 
ahead   of  her.     As    she   continues  to  travel, 
to  attend   concerts,    the   opera,   and  the 
theater,  end  enters   into  the  many  areas 
of   service   open  to  those  who  have   leisure 
time  to   share  their  talents  with  others, 
her  many  Library  friends  wish  her   long 
life,    good  health,   and   great   happiness, 

Sarah  M.    Usher. 


Note   of  Thanks 


To  My  Library  Friends: 


The   Pioneer 

Boston 

May  12,    1955 


How  kind   of  you  to   give  me   the t  de- 
lightful Coffee  Hour/      I  enjoyed  every 
minute   of   it  and  hope  you  did,  too.      The 
eift,   the  book,   the   fltwers —  all  were 
wonderful.      But  more  than  these  I  appre- 
ciate the   friendliness  and  the  many 
kindnesses  you   havo  always   shown  me.      My 
thanks  to  each  one   for  a   very  happy  day. 

Sincerely, 

JuAN   p.   LAT 

BEATRICE  M.    flANAGAN 

On  Wednesday,   Iifey  4,    friends    of  Miss 
Beatrice  M.    Flanagan  tendered  the    retir- 
ing Chief  of  School  Issue  Department  a 
farewell  luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Vondone 
Dining  Room.     As  a  testimonial   of  their 
well-wishes  the   guests  presented  Miss 
Flanagan  with  a    gift   of  money.     The 
follcwing  oxprosaes  Miss   Flanagan's 
thanks. 

Dear  friends: 

I  want  to  oxpross  my  sincere  apprecia 
tion  for  the    lovely  luncheon  pa  rty  given 
ma   on  Ifey  fourth.      It  was  the   source    of 
much  pleasure  to   greet   old   friends  and 
recall   happy  and  memorablo    instances   in 
the   past,      Jfy   retirement   cannot   help   but 
be  a   happy  one,   knowing  that   I  havo   so  . 
m&ny  wi4 11 -wishers. 

Since   some    of  you  wore  not  able   to   be 
present  at  the   luncheon  to   receive  my 
porsone.l  thanks,    I  wish  to  gratefully 
acknowledge  your  part   in  the    gone rous 
gift   presented  to  me. 

My   retirement   promisos  to   be  a   busy  ont^ 
but   I  hopo   to   go  on  seeing  all   of  you  at 
othor  such  pluasant   occasions   in  the 
f utu  re . 

Sincerely  yours. 
Boat  rice  M,    Flanagan 

MISS    PCUDRilAU  SJ^YS  THAN^-YOU 

Dorr  Helen, 

iiThile  tho   party  spirit   is   still  with 
me,    I  am  writing  this   brief  note.      It 
was  G   wonderful  pc  rty.' I      Tho  best   part 


-6- 


of  it  all  YTO-s  the   good  wiahos  cxtcndod  by 
my  many  friends,    some   of  whom  were  not 
present.      The  pretty  bouquet  has   found  a 
permanent  p!la  ce   on  the  T7  sot,  r.nd  the 
memory  book  I  shell  always  treasure. 

Plaose  extend  my  deep  apprecic.ti  on  to 
everyone  viho  participated.      If  you  will 
send  me  the   list   of  names,    I   shall  write 
directly  to  each  member  of  the    committee. 

As  for  the   rest   of  my  friends,   peiiiaps 
later  I   can  write  Jho   Odyssosy  of   Boudroau 
in  Retirement.      I  miss  my  colleagues  and 
the   good   old  BPL. 

Best  always, 
Elizabeth   B.    Boudroau 

GfiKTRUDB  LEUFX?REN 

The    staff  of  the   Hyde  Park  Branch  Lib- 
re ry  entertained  Miss  Gertrude  Loufgron 
at  a    luncheon  at  the  Hi-Da-7feiy  on  Satur- 
day afternoon  May  seventh.     Miss  Loufgren 
•was   retiring  after  forty-four  years  of 
service   in  the  Libit  ry.     After  a   delicious 
lunch,   during  Trtiich  the   staff   raminiscod 
about  events  which  had  taken  place  at  the 
birnch   over  the  years.  Miss  Loufgren  was 
prosjntod  with  a   gift  and  a   corsage   of 
cimbidium  orchids.      Miss  Loufgren  spent 
her  entire   career  at  Hyde  Park   Branch 
and  her  many  friends  will  miss  her, 

BLOOD  DONOR  PROGRAM 


General  Administrative  Notice,    1953- 
No.    114   is  quoted  below  for  the   informa- 
tion of  members  of  the    staff: 

"To  Mumbors   of  the   Staff: 

The  Mayor's   Blood  Donors  Progmn 
in  which  City  of  Boston  employees  arc 
urgently  renuosted  to  participate    remains 
on  a   continuing  basis.     Doners  must  have 
passed  thoir  18th  birthday  and  not  have 
reached  thoir  60th  birthday.      Minors  must 
have    signed  pe mission  from  parents   or 
guardians. 

Blood  donations  may  be  made  at 
any  time  by  appointment  at  the  American 
Rod   Cross   Blood   Center,    314    Dartmouth  St., 
Boston.      Blood  Donor  cards  may -bo   obtaind 
in  the   Staff  Hospitel.      Four  hours  will   bo 
allowed  to  individuals  whoso  appointments 
are   scheduled  in  working  hours. 

It   is  understood  that   City  of 
Boston  employees  and  their  families  while 
in  any  I&ssaohusetts  hospital  will  be 


furnished  without   charge,    such  blood  as 
may  be   needed  in  whatever  amounts  are 
a-veilable. 

John  J.    Connolly 
Assistant  to  the    Director, 
and  Chief  Executive   Officer 

24  November  1953" 

At  present  the    Blood  Donor  Center  is 
open  for  taking  blood   donations   on  Tuetday 
and  Thursday   from  2  PM  to  7:45  PM,  and  on 
Vfednesday  end   Friday  f ran  11  AM  tb  4  PM, 


PRESIDEWS  NOTES 

In  a  notice   issued  by  the   Director  on 
9  April  1951  and  entitled  Appeal  Procedure 
for   Bibliothocal  Smployoos,  there   is  pro- 
vided under  tho  "Panel  Method"  that   "oach 
year  there  will   bo  constituted  a  panel 
of  ten  individuals  to  sorro  for  one  year 
beginning  on  Jfey  kt*^  and  that  "the 
bibliothecal   employees    (acting  through 
thoir  formal   organization  or  organizations 
comprising  a   substrntial  majority  of  thjir 
number)  may  name   five    individuals    (and  pn 
alternpto  for  each). 

Accordingly  the  Executive   Board  of  the 
Boston  Public  Librt  ry  Professional  Staff 
Association  hr. s  authorized  the  naming   of 
five   individuals   (and  en    alternate   fb  r 
each)  to  serve   on  this  pe.nol  until   30 
April  1956.      The    follomng  persons  have 
indicated  their  willingness  to  be  members 
of  the  panel: 

Dorothy  Becker,    Centrrl   Charging  Records, 

Alternate:    Geraldine  Herrick,  North  End 
M»    Jane   Ifenthomo,   Open  Shelf 

Alternate;      Grace  Jfervln,  Approval  Roan 
William  Lewis,    History. 

Alternate:     landa   Cariani,  Science  and 
Technology 
M,    Florence  Connolly,   Fine  Arts, 

Alternate:      Euclid  Peltier,  Audio-Visual 
Rose  Moomchian,   Uphnms   Comer. 

Alternate:      Prsquale  Vacoa,    Bookmobilell. 

We  urge  all  who  can  possibly  do  t€  t» 
attend  the    May  business  ncoting   on  Friday 
morning.   Hay  2Dth  at   9{00. 

Louis  Rains 

President 


^1^ 


CATHOLIC  LIBItf.RY  A3S0CIP-TI0N 
ANNUA.L  CONFERENCE 

The    31st  Annual   Coaforanco   of  the    Cath- 
olic Library  Ass ocicti  on  mot    in  Milv.'uukeo 
April   12  to  15th,    1955.      Five  members 
from  tho   Now  England   Unit  woro  c.mong  tho 
500  present. 

Tho   thomo    of  the    Conference  -kus  Living 
tho   Later  Years. 

Tho   President   Rev,  A.   Homo  r  Mattlin,   3. 
J.    of  Loyola   College,    Chicago   elabcrDtod 
on  the  thomo  by  pointing  out  that   leisure 
tiite    is    resulting  from  shorter  working 
days  and  early  retireiront.      Ho   said  that 
libraries  by  themselves   or  in  cooporction 
with  other  groups   should    stimulate    reeding, 
discussion  meetings  and  workshops  among 
adults.      Libraries  must   develop   good 
reading  habits  among  young  people   - 
habits  which  will  carry  them  through  the 
leisure   hours   in  later  years. 

The  founder   of  tferillao  House   in  Chicago, 
a  honB    for  tho  aging,    conducts  a    group  on 
Thursdey  afternoons,   very  much    like    our 
Novo  r-too-late   group.      She    has  found   that 
a  program  of  storytelling,   pictures,   and 
poetry   is   enjoyed   immonsoly  by  those 
lonesome  old  people. 

Another  speaker  suggested  un   idea   for 
broadoning  library   sorvico.      His  thought 
WES  for    specialized  libreries   in  differ- 
ent parts  of  a    city — an  art   center,  a 
drairatic  center,  a    scientific  center, 
with  books,    discussion  groups,   exhibitions 
and  opportunities   for  creativo  work. 

All  tte    speakers   stressed  tha   necessity 
of  encouraging   children  to    road  at  an 
-ja  rly  age  and   pointed  out  the  nood  for 
more  c  lementa  ry  school   libraries. 

The    C.    L.  A.    Corf  rrcnce    in   1956  will  be 
in  Boston,  and  all  with  irhom  I  talked, 
whether  from  Ndw  Jersey  or  Texas   or 
Oregon  were  enthusiastic   in  tho    choice 
of  Boston  and  expressed  a    finn  desire  to 
attend. 

Miss  I&ry  Alice  R?/.a  is  in  charge  of  tho 
Local  Arrangements  Committse  for  the  1956 
Conference. 

An  addod   item  of  interest  \%-&s  tho 
choosing  of  St.    Peter   Canisius  as  the 
patron  of  thi3    Catholic  Libra  ry  Associa- 
tion. 

Anna   L.   Jferjiing 


ANNCUNCE^ffiNT 

Mr.    Earaon  fcDonough   reports   ths-t   ho 
will   propose  at  the   r'iay  meeting  the 
Association's   endorsement   of  the 
following  law. 

"That   Section   3   of   Chapter  114   of  the 
Acts    of  1878  be  amended  as   follows-- 
by  striding  out    in   lines  17  to  21   the 
sentence  beginning,    'And  annually  there- 
after'  and   substituting  for  it  the 
following: 

'The  trustees    of  tho   Roston  Public 
shall  be  elected  biennially  at  the 
rogulsirly  scheduled  municipal  elections 
of  the   city  of  Boston  from  among  the 
citizens   of  Boston.'" 

3CAP  BOX 
(Supplement) 

To  the  editor: 

The  month    of  ?4iy   is  al-^uys  welcome    for 
there  the   fat    robins  are   bursting  with 
song,   the  tulips   sprinkle  tho   landsctpc 
with   riotous      color  and  the   long  night 
of  winter   gives  wpy  to  daylight    saving. 
This  May,    however,    something  now  has 
been  added — robins,    tulips,   aunshine 
plus   Gencrr.l  Administrative   Notice  #35 
nxikes   this  an  unusually  hopeful   spring. 


E.   G,   Peck 


To  the   editor: 


Many  people   h^ve    spoken   or  written  to 
mo  about  tho   letter  in  the  April  Ques- 
tion  >Jark   relative  to  the   granting   of 
time   for  the   observance   of   religious 
holidays. 

Some    of  those   comments  have   led  me  to 
believe   thf  t   I  did  not  irake  my  point 
clear  in  the   original   letter  and  thus 
loft    it    open  to  misinterpretation. 

I  am  not  against   those  to  whom  tho 
time   is    grr.nted — I  am  against   th?   policy 
of  unequal   distribution   of  privilege, 
tha.t   policy  by  vfhich  privileges   for  simi- 
lar observances  aro  not   grrnted  to  those 
of  all    religious   faiths.      It   is   policy 
not  people   with  which   I  take   exception. 

E.   G.    Peck 


i 


BRAICH  NOTES 


Je  f  f r  ies_Po  int 

Rosalie  Tutela,  an  extra  assist- 
ant at  the  Jeffries  Point  Branch  was 
the  winner  of  the  Sears  Roebuck  Foun- 
dation Leadership  Award  of  C'SOO.   East 
Boston  High  was  chosen  this  year  to 
receive  the  award  for  one  of  it's 
seniors.  The  scholarship  award  will 
be  presented  at  a  dinner  at  a  dinner 
at  the  Hotel  Somerset  on  May  31. 

North  End 


The  Branch  played  host  to   several 
well-known  musical   personalities  on 
April  26  when  the  Young  Adults   counoil 
presented  its  final  large-scale  edu- 
cational-recreational program  for 
local  youth,   "PLATTER  CHATTER". 

Several   local   "disc  jockeys"   and 
three  young  recording  artists  delight- 
ed a  large,  enthusiastic  audience  of 
North  End  young  people.     The   panel, 
which  was  moderated  by  Bill  Sherman  of 
WMEX  and  the  Boxton  Post,    consisted  of 
Bob  Clayton  and  Ray  Dorey,   Ed  Penney, 
John  Scott,  Larry  Welch,    and  Jay  Mc- 
Master.     The  discussion  was  based  on 
questions  prepared  by  the   Councillors 
and  covered  many  phases  of  recorded 
music  with   special  emphasis   on  the 
currently  controversial   "new   sounds 
such  as  the   "rhythm  and  blues"  re- 
cordings. 

Mr.  Al  Natale,    former  North  End 
resident  and  well-known  name  band 
musician.   Miss   Pat  Dale,  young   singing 
co-star  of  the   "Pat   and  Ray"    shown  on 
station  WHDH  and  WBZ-TV  singing  star. 
Miss   Cindy  Lord,    spoke  briefly  about 
their   careers  and  also  of  opportunitie 
in  the  musical   fields   for  young  people 
today. 

Among  the   special  guests  at 
"PLATTER  CHATTER"  were   Miss    Barbara 
Cotter  and  the  members  of  the  Young 
Adults   Council  of  Connolly  Branoh,   Mis 
Grace  Alfe  and  Miss  Duilia  Capobianco 
of  East  Boston  Branch,  and  several 
young  radio  and  recording  personalitie 
from  the   North  End  district. 

A  highlight  of  the  program  was  a 
special  exhibit  prepared  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  North  End  Youth  Council. 
The  book  display  captioned  "OF 
MUSICAL  NOTE"   featured  many  books  and 
pamphlets  on  the  various  facets  of 


popular  music   to   career   and  music  ap- 
preciation handbooks  to  biographies  of 
famous   musical   people. 

The   purpose  of  this   special  program 
was  to   stimulate  a  keener  understanding 
of  popular  music  among  young  people,  to 
introduce   them  to  the  men  behind  the 
records  being  played  on  the  air,   and  to 
familiarize  the   local  young  people  with 
the  Library's   ool loot  ion  of  many  books  by 
and  about  musical   people  well-known  to  all.' 
CONGRATULATIONS  TO: 

Miss  Geraldine  D'Amico,   extra 
assistant  who  was  recently  awarded  a  Fellov, 
ship  in  the  Department  of  Zoology  at  I 

Wellosley  College.      Its  D'Amico  is  at   pre- I 
sent  a  senior  at  Emmanuel   College. 

The  Young  Adults  Counoil  was   cited    I 
on  Sunday,   Ifey  8,   1955  in  the  Boston  POST 
in  a  special   feature   article   for  their 
work  in  promoting  better  community  rela- 
tionships  among  young   people  in  the   dis- 
trict.     It  was  tho    first  timo   that   such  a 
group  has  been  featured  in  the  POST's 
series,   "TEENER  OF  THE  WEEK". 

Miss  Mary  L.   Dennison,  Adults  Assist- 
ant  at   North  End  was   tendered  e  Bon  Voyage 
Party  by  the   staff  on  Monday,  April   25. 
She  was  also  presented  with  a  gift,   a 
traveler's  alarm  clock.      Miss  Dennison 
left  on  tho  Greek  Line's  S.   S.   New  York 
from  Boston  on  April  28,    for  a  trip  to 
Europe.      She   plans   to  tour   Italy  and  France 
and  hopes  to  visit  many  historical  and 
cultural   spots  in  Italy.      McLss  Ellon  C, 
Rjterson,   formerly  Branch  Librarian  at 
North  End,  and   Miss  Dorothy  Dodworth,   for- 
mer assistant,  were  among  the   guests  who 
came  to  honor   Jdss  Dennison  at  the  Bon 
Voyage   Party. 

Parker  Hill  i 


I 


On  Sunday,    ffey  first,  Ifiss  Elisabeth 
M.    Kornaohan,  Adult   librarian  at  Parker 
Hill  was  guest  of  honor  at   a  colorful  toa 
given  by  lfi.ss   Jfery  A.  Hackett,   Branoh 
Librarian,   at  hor  home   in  Jamaica  Plain. 
M.SS   Kernachan  has  recently  been  trans- 
ferred to  tho  Hydo   Park  Branch  after  twelv* 
yoars  of  service  at  Parker  Hill. 

Tho  entire   full-time  and  part-time 
staff  was  present  as  well  as   special 
guests   -  Ifrs.   Frances  Holland,    sister  of 
Miss   Kernachan;   Mr.  Raymond  E.    Lundborn, 
Senior  Building  Custodian,  and  Mrs.    Lund- 
born;  and  Mrs.    Janes  O'Neill,   formor 
children's  Librarian  at  Parker  Hill,   and 
now  Branch  Librarian  at  Phillips  Brooks. 


-9- 


'  "'5.r.s   lOornnchon  was   pfcsontcd  v;ith 
">   lov  ly  Dcllia  Robia   AtidonHa  "plaque   as 
a  gift   from  tho  ontiro  Parker  Hill 
staff.      Delicious  rofroshmc-nts  wcro 
sorvcd.     Along  with  the  many  farewell 
wishes  of  GOOD  LUCK,   there  was  much  en- 
joyment  by  all  of  Ifiss  Kernachan's  de- 
lightful  sense   of  humor,  which  made  it 
easier   for  tho   staff  who   indcod  feels 
it  will  miss   a   loyal  colleague   and 
friend  in  the   Parker  Hill  community. 

West  End 

The   Saturday  Evening  Girls,    a 
former  North  End  Branch  Library  group, 
held  their  meeting  at  the  West  End 
Branch  on  Saturday  afternoon,   Ifay  7,    in 
the    form  of  a   strawberry  festival. 

Following  the  business   mooting. 
Miss  Goldstein  talked  briefly  on  the 
Tercentenary  of  the    settlement   of  the 
Jews  in  America  and  revio^vcd  the 
tivcnty- second  anniversary  of  the   Burn- 
ing of  the   Books  in  Germany  on  Jfay  3, 
1933,    spotlighting  the   gift  of  the  en- 
tire  set  of  the  Talmud  known  as   "Tho 
Talmud  of  the   Last  Remnant"  published 
in  Nurnbcrg,   Germany  less  than  a 
generation  after  the   infamous  book 
burnings. 

She   a   Iso   called  attention   to   tho 
fact  that  tho   Boston   Public  Library  had 
rooontly  acquired   tho  35  volume  edition 
of  tho  Talmud   in  English,    published  by 
the   Soncino  Press,  which  is  one  of  tho 
great   scholarly  achiovemcnts  of  this 
generation.      Miss   Goldstein  displayed 
various  ono-volumo  editions  of  tho 
Talmud  o specially  edited  for  tho    lay- 
man. 

Tho   last  volume   of  tho  S.   E.   G. 
News,   the   Cherry  Troo  edition,  was  dis- 
tributed at  the  mooting. 
STAFF  NOTES 

Round -robin  letters,   always  some- 
thing entertaining  to   create,   are   a  wel- 
come relief  from  boredom,  especially  to 
an  invalid.     Vfcst  End  recently  conjured 
up  such  a   letter  to  tho   joy  of  Ws* 
Lehand,  its   recipient,  who   is  recovering 
from  an  automobile   accident. 

A  nine-yoar  old   patron  of  tho  West 
Ehd  Children's  Room  wanting  to  send  her 
best  v/ishos  to   Jfrs.   Lchane,  tho 
Children's  Librarian,   pasted  a  picture 

on  a  piece  of  paper  and   scribbled  a 


verse  beside  it.     From  this   small   be- 
ginning grew  a  round-robin  greeting  that 
snowballed  in  size   until   it  was   13   inches 
high  and  35  foot   long. 

Tho   children  wrote   personal  messages 
and  rhymes   and  drew  pictures  or  clipped 
them  from  magazines  to  illustrate   their 
sentiments.      Jfombers  of  the   staff  added 
some  opic  poetry  and  appropriate   prose. 

Mr.    Jacques   Jfoon,    former  West   End 
employee,   doing  graduate  work  at  Hainrard, 

is  again  going  to  Greenland,    land  of  tho 
midnight   sun,    to  work  as  a   government 
geologist. 

Ifr.   David   Goldman,   also   a   former 
West  End  Branch  alumnus,   now  a  graduate 
student  at  Harvard  BuHinoss  School,  re- 
cently married   Miss  Anno  Salvin  of 
Chestnut  Hill. 


QUOTATION 

"Thie  Benson  woman  -  what  was  she  like?" 

"She  was  nioo,"   said  Stolla.     "But  of 
course  she  was  a   cataloguor." 

"Cataloguer?" 

"Youhre  not  a  librarian.     You  wouldn't 
understand  T.vhat  that  moans.     Bvrfc  I  gather 
vfhcn  people  go  to  Library  School  -  I  never 
did,    I'm  just  a  junior  -  most   of  them  suffer 
through  cataloguing,  but  a  few  turn  out  to 
be  born  cataloguers.     Thoso  are  a  race 
apart.     They  know  a  little   of  everything, 
all  the   systems   of  classification,  Dewey, 
Library  of  Congress,  ri^t  down  to  the  last 
number,   and  just  how  many  spaces  you  indent 
each  of  them  on  a  typed  card,   and  all  about 
bibliography,  and  they  shudder  in  their 
souls  if  tho  least  little  thing  is  wrong. 
They  have  eyes  like  eagles  and  memories 
like  elephants. 

"With  that  oquipinont,"   said  MacDonald, 
"sho  might  really  have  spotted  something 
for  the  F.B.I." 

(Fromj  Bond,  R#   T. ,    od.   Famous   stories   of 
code  and  either.     Nevx  York,   Rinehart, 
1947,    p.   87....  qL696.C9) 


-iU- 


OAP 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  together 
with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Library, 
Department  o-r-Cffice  in  which  he  or  she  is 
employed.  The  name  is  withheld  fron  pub- 
lication, or  a  pen  name  used,  if  the 
contributor  sc  requests.  Anonymous 
contributions  are  not  given  consideration. 
The  authoi-  of  the  article  is  known  only  to 
the  Kditor-in-Chief.  The  contents  of  the 
articles  appearing  in  the  Soap  Box  are 
personal  opinions  expressed  by  'ihdividual 
Association  members  and  their  appearance 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  that  the 
'Publications  Committee  and  the  Association 
are  in  agreement  with  the  views  expressed. 
Only  those  contributibns  containing  not 
more  than  300  yfords  ^-dll  be  accepted. 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

'Tiere  once  the  shadows  shed  their  night 
On  masks  of  marble,  seeming  mourners 
The  corridors  are  crammed  with  light 
Which  floods  the  former, furtive, comers. 

But  in  the  reading  rooms  about, 
Where  students  spend  their  study  hours, 
The  darkened  shadows  creeping  out 
Impunge  all  light  like  thunder  showers. 


J.J.H. 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

On  reading  the  April  1955  Question 
Mark,  I  wish  to  state  that  Miss  Peck's 
letter  concerning  the  observance  of 
religious  holidays  was  offensive  not  only 
to  staff  members  of  the  Jewish  faith,  but 


to  many  non-Jews  as«well. 

Few  individuals  will  argue  the 
point  that  time  off  should  be  given 
impartially  for  the  observance  of 
religious  holidays,  whether  it  be 
excused  or  charged  to  pay  or  vacation. 
But  for  Miss  Peck  to  question  the 
"spiritual  calibre"  of  her  associates — 
that  is  too  rauchl 

She  professes  to  be  concerned  about 
accentuating  religious  and  racial 
differences.  I  can  think  of  no  better 
way  to  accomplish  this  end  than  by 
writing  a  letter  of  this  nature,  for 
since  its  publication,  such  differences 
have  been  emphasized  to  a  greater  degree 
than  beforei 

INDIGNANT 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

The  granting  of  days  off  for  the 
observance  of  the  Jewish  holidays 
emanates  from  the  office  of  His  Honor 
the  Mayor,  who  is  not  of  the  Jewish 
faith.  It  seems  that  a  most  appropriate 
admonition  to  anyone  challenging  such 
decisions  would  be  to  "Go  fight  City 
Halll" 

Abraham  Snyder 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

Miss  Peck's  letter  of  last  month 
ignores  the  background  of  religious 
observances  and  toleration*  Before  the 
Protestant  Revolution  religious  feast 
days  commonly  were  observed  publicly,  and 
such  celebration  was  enjoined  by  the 
Church  for  holy  days  of  obligation. 

Even  after  the  Revolution  many 
Protestant  countries  observed  some  of  the 
feast  days  as  public  holidays  and  do  to 
this  day.  However,  the  small  sect  of 
Protestant  dissenters  who  founded  this 
state  considered  the  celebration  of  holy 
days  as  Romish  and  consequently  evil, 

'"^en   the  Catholics  first  came  here 
they  discovered  that,  there  being  no 
Protestant  holy  days  of  obligation,  the 
prevailing  culture  was  not  in  sympathy 
with  such  celebrations.   Catholics  were 
expected  to  work  just  as  their  colleagues 
did. 

At  first  from  economic  con^ideji^ipiis. 


4 


-11- 


and  latterly  either  from  timidity  or 
overweening  delicacy  tovTards  the 
prevailing  culture,  the  Church  authorities 
have  excused  Catholics  from  the  obligation 
of  abstaining  from  servile  works  on  most 
of  the  holy  days  of  obligation. 

Into  this  watered-dovm  Christian 
culture  has  come  a  group  of  people,  who 
have  shown  time  and  again  that  despite 
personal  economic  loss  and  social  dis- 
comfortthat  they  vd.ll  celebrate  those  days 
which  they  consider  holy  to  God.   . 
True,  many  of  them,  also  affected  by  the 
secularism  of  the  day,  have  fallen  by  the 
wayside  as  woefully  as  ourselves. 
Nevertheless,  the  group  has  shown  a  desire 
to  make  public  celebration  of  religious 
feasts  and  such  is  a  tenet  of  their  faith. 
In  recognition  of  this  fact  and  following 
the  democratic  process  of  majority 
deference  to  minority  feelings,  the  mayor 
has  granted  time  off  to  people  of  the 
Jewish  faith. 

Insofar  as  I  know,  this  excused  time 
was  not  asked  for  by  any  member  of  the 
Jewish  faith.  If  any  large  segment  of  any 
other  faith  had  shown  an  equal  desire  to 
celebrate  properly  the  holy  days  of  their 
faith,  the  mayor  would  undoubtedly  make 
equal  provision  for  them. 


Eamon  E,  McDonough 


To  the  Soap  Box: 


Miss  Peck's  suggestion  concerning  the, 
use  of  vacation  for  religious  purposes 
might  prove  very  useful  as  a  measure  of 
the  sincerity  of  the  religious  beliefs  of 
all  concerned.   (Catholics  would  then  be 
obliged  to  take  time  off  on  holy  days  of 
obligation.  If  I  am  wrong,  the  Archbishop 
can  correct  me.)  However,  such  a  r\ile 
might  be  interpreted  as  further  evidence 
of  the  growing  tendency  in  some  quarters 
to  secularize  this  country. 

In  view  of  the  alarming  shoirtages  of 
help,  I  would  suggest,  also,  that  all  this 
year's  conventional res  attend  the 
conventions  during  their  vacation  periods. 
Inasmuch  as  some  have  indicated  their 
willingness  to  take  days  for  religious 
observance  as  vacation,  I  am  sure  that  the 
same  fine,  cooperative  spirit  will  be 
shown  in  the  matter  of  library  association 
conventions, 

Eamon  E,  McDonough 


FALDERAL 

There's  lighting  for  the  ceiling 

And  lighting  for  the  hall, 

Lighting  for  the  courtyard 

And  the  murals  on  the  wall. 

But  lighting  for  the  reading  rooms? 

Later  -  or  maybe  not  at  all. 

The  budget  won't  allow  it. 

Besides  you  may  be  moving 

In  a  year  or  two  or  ten. 

So  what ' s  the  use  of  improving 

Lights  that  may  be  outmoded  then? 

There's  lighting  for  the  ceiling 

;\nd  lighting  for  the  hall, 

Li 'hting  for  the  courtyard 

And  the  murals  on  the  wall. 

But  lighting  for  the  reading  rooms? 

That  wouldn't  be  bibliothecal 

•Twould  just  be  falderal. 

It '  s  only  temporary*]?' 

Not  an  emergency^  you  know, 

In  such,  we  always  must  go  slow. 

There's  lighting  for  the  ceiling 
And  lighting  for  the  hall. 
Lighting  for  the  courtyard 
And  the  murals  on  the  wall. 
But.  lighting  for  the  reading  rooms? 
T^ell  -  maybe  Hi  the  Fall, 
But  it  seems  so  non-ancillary 
That  we  may  be  forced  to  call 
It  something  quite  subsidiary. 
In  ttie' meantime,  brethren, 
.Better^ half  a  foot  candle 
Than  no  -foot  candle  at  all, 

■«■  Definitions  from  Webster 

Emergency  -  an  unforseen  combination  of 

circumstances  calling  for 

immediate  action. 

Temporary-  lasting  for  a  time  only; 

existing  or  continuing  for  a 
limited  time;  not  permanent j 
ephemeral;  transitory;  as 
temporary  relief;  a  tempo raiy 
situation. 


LUCIFER  WkJTYES   YOKUT/I 

Wo  ask  you  navr  to  turn  to  page  7,  where 
thcro  arc  additional  Soap  Box  letters, 
received  too  late  for  insertion  here. 


-12- 


M.  L.  A.  ANWAL  MEETING 

June  9,   1955 
Sturbrldge  Village^  U&ssachusetts 

"Meet  and  Eat"  in  the  Governor's  Manaion 

Morning  Session;  10  o'clock 

Dr  Robert  Leigh,  Acting  Dean  of 
Columbia  Library  School,  will 
speak  on  the  very  ixnportant  sub- 
ject of  STATE  AID  for  libraries. 

Business  Meeting. 

Luncheon  Speaker:  To  be  announced 

Afternoon;  Tour  of  Village. 

See  you  thTeXJ 

Sarah  M.  Usher,  Chairman 
M.LJl.  Public  Relations 
Committee 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  PROFESS  ZONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 
INVITES  YOU  TO  ATTEITO  THE  FIFTH  ANNUAL 

BERTHA  V  HARTZELL  MEMORIAL  LECTURE 

TO  BE  PRESENTED  IN  THE 
YflGGIK  GALLERY  -  CENTRAL  LIBRARY  BUILDING 
FRIDAY  EVENING,  MAY  T17ENTY  SEVEN.  1955  AT  8;00  0« CLOCK 


THE  SPEAKER  MILL   BE 


cR 


SON    bREENAVv'/V, 


Director,  Free  Library -f  Philadelphia 

Dr.  Greenaway,  who  before  coming  to  Philadelphia,  had  served 
as  Director  of  the  Enoch  Pratt  Library  of  Baltimore,  and  cf 
the  Worcester  Public  Library,  is  considered  one  of  the  fore- 
most experts  on  large  public  library  administration.   In 
addition  to  the  posts  mentioned  abcre.  Dr.  Greenaway  has  also 
served  as  a  consultant  in  Public  Libraries  for  UNESCO,  from 
1947  to  1950.  Dr.  Greenaway 's  lecture  will  be  entitled: 


"^•-^^  Phi  LADE  LP 

The  Free  Library 


A 

IN 


RAN5ITI0N 


// 


Dr.  Greenaway's  remarks,  dealing  with  a  library  of  the  size 
of  the  Free  Library  of   Philadelphia,  should  be  of  especial 
interest  to  members  of  the  Association. 

AFTER  THE  LECTURE,  REFRESHMENTS  yv"ILL  BE  SERVED,  AW   AN  OFFOR- 
TUIMITY  OFFERED  TO  &IEET  DR.  GRESNAYiAY  AiTO  TO  ASK  HM  QUESTIONS, 

Bertha  V.  Hartzell  Memorial  Lecture  Ccmmittee 
Louisa  S.  Metcalf 
Dorothy  F.  Shaw 
Gladys  R.  TiVhite 
Sarah  W»  Flannery, 
Chairman 


TO 


uestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIOm  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


JUNE  1955 


THE     QUESTION     MARK 
Published  by  the  Bcstroi  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 
Volume  X,  Ifuinber  6       June  1955 

Publications  Comnittee:    John  J,  Hallahan,  Sheila  W.   Pierce,  B.   Gertrude  tfede, 

Robert  C.  Woodward,    John  McCafferty,  Chairman 

Publifation  date;  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  ef"~eaoh  month The  tenth  of  «aoh  month" 

EDITOR'S  NOTES 

Another  June  is  come,  another  year  has  passed  and  another  Examining  Comnittee *8 
Report  has  been  submitted.     This  year's  report  has  arrived  -  how  shall  we  put  it?  - 
not  without  comment.     For  specimens  of  this  comment,  more  qualified,   incidentally, 
than  any  we  could  ever  muster  here,  we  respectfully  suggest  that  the  reader  glance 
later  into  the  Seep  Box,  where  some  of  our  more  eloquent  and  experienced  contributors 
hare    come  through  beautifully. 

We  felt  that  one  of  the  most  provocative  reisarks  In  the  entire  report  was  that 
concerning  a   strong  ireoommendation  of  the  previous  Examining  Committee  which  had  gone 
unheeded.     The  matter  in  question  was  the  leasing  of  desirable  space  in  a  city-owned 
building  for  Federal  use  while  branch  library  quarters  in  the  same  building  were  un- 
eatisfiaotrry.     Previous  Examining  Committees  have  objected,  the  Report  says,  but  the 
situation  has  continued  for  mamy  years  and  "tends  to  make  members  of  the  Committee 
feel  that  their  work  of  visiting  libraries  and  making  suggestions  has  not  great 
influence," 

It  is  not  right  tiat  the  Examining  Crnaaittee  should  have  to  entertain  such  sentij- 
ments,  but  it   is  the  way  of  the  werld.     All  of  us  have  at  one  time  or  mother  felt 
pretty  muoh  the  same  thing.     Nothing  injures  a  man's   (or  a  committee's)  pride  more 
l-"mn  indifference  to  what  was  lovingly  executed,  was  hopefully  presented  -  and  indlf- 
farenoe  is  the   sort  ef  treatment  that  Is  less  likely  to  stir  a  man  (•?  a  oommlttee) 
to  an  open  fight  than  to  dispirit  ftnd  silence  them.     We  appreoiato  the  fear  they  have 
expressed  -  it  is  the  fear  of  all  who  have  had  opinions  or  done  a  piece  of  work.     No 
•ne  among  us  wants  to  feel  that  what  he  has  done  "has  not  great  influence." 


After  the  approved  fashion  of  onasading  newspapermen  we  recently  made  so  bold  as 
to  conduct  a  telephone  Interview  with  City  Councillor  Frederick  C.  Haller,  whose  re- 
marks about  our  roof  and  our  ferty-six  proposed  recruits  -mere  quoted  in  srnn©  «f  the 
papers  after  last  week's  City  Council  meeting.     Councillor  Biailer  had  the  following 
questions  put  to  him:    (l)  Did  he  ■tiilnk  the  new  roof  was  needed?   (2)  Wfes  he  ainare 
that  -the  forty-six  appointments  were  provided  f*»r  in  the  budget  already  in  effect? 
and   (3)  Did  he   object  to  the  appointment  of  more  new  staff  members  te  bring  the 
staff  back  up  to  the   size   (647  members)  that  It  had  in  Jknuary,   1954? 

To  Ifae  first  question  Mr.  Hailer  replied  that  he  did  not  obje«t  t«  the  Idea  ef 
a  new  roof.     He  said  that  he  and  the  other  Councillors  felt  that  the  Library  is  oa« 
of  -the  city's  greatest  arohiteotuml  works,  and  should  be  kept  in  geed  repair  and 
appearanoe.     However,  he,  and  they,  felt  that  there  wore  more  important  weeds  at  the 
mcment,  and  that  the  proposed  cost  of  the  roof  was  prohibitive.      If  a  core  reasonably 
priced  substitute  for  expensive  tile  o#»uld  be  found,  without,   of  course,  harming  the 
building's  appearance,  Mr.   Biailer  thought  that  it  should  be  used.     T**  the   se*«nd 
question  he  replied  that  the  number  wf  staff  members  called  for  by  the  budget  had 
been  nade   clear  to  him.     His  answer  to  the  third  question  was  that  he,  and  in  his 
opinion  the   other  Ceunoillors  as  well,  woul*  not  question  or  object  to  an  Increase 
in  the  number  of  staff  members.     He  pointed  out  the  legislative,  n«t  administrative 
function  of  the  City  Council  in  its  dealings  with  the  Library,  -vbioh  the  Council  re- 
gards as  an  especially  independent  structure,  being  suoh  a  highly  speoialized  acti- 
vity.    After  this  brief  question-end-answer  peried,  Mr.  Hailer  expuessed  his  cordial 
best  wlAes  to  the  Asaooiati'^n  and  aoknawledgBd  the  lmpoTtft»<^  »f  suoh  orgaMizations 
among -xai^ilx^frs  of  the  ■vb-vIvvlm  olty  ddp«.rfcm©nto. 


PERSONAL  NOTES 
Resignatioiia 

Ifrs.  Doris  1I»  S.  Brimmer-,  Codman  Square 

Branch  Library  -  To  move  to  New  York. 
Ers.  Elizabeth  S.  Good,  Central  Charging 

Records  -  To  move  to  Maine. 
Catherine  Hannon,  Codman  Square  Branch 

Library  -  To  attend  college  in  the 

fall. 

Retirements 

Katherine  J.  Collins,  Binding  Department, 
retired  on  Hky   31,  1955  after  thirty- 
three  years  of  service. 

Births 

John  and  Louise  (Miraldi)  LaFontaine 
announce  the  arrival  of  daughter 
La\ira  (8  lbs.  9  oz.)  on  Jxaxe   10»  Mrs. 
LaFontaine  is  on  leave  of  absence 
from  Supervisor's  Office,  Division  of 
Reference  and  Research  Services. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Cataldo  annoimce 
the  birth  of  daughter  Hary  Grace,  on 
May  21.  Mr.  Cataldo  is  employed  in 
the  Stock  &  Supply  Room. 

Vincent  and  Susan  Shelvin  Trimf io  an- 
nounce a  daughter,  Michele  Susan, 
on  April  19.  Mrs.  Trunfio  is  on 
leave  of  absence  from  Audio-Visual 
Department. 


VISITORS  TO*  TES" LIBRARY 

Mr.  Ernest  H.  Clark,  Librarian,  Univer- 
sity of  I'klaya,  Sin^apoi-e. 

Professor  Takimo  Kaigo,  Dean,  Department 
of  Education,  Tokyo  Iftiiversity. 

Miss  Isobel  Sunio,  Librarian  of  the 
Normal  School,  Philippines. 

Miss  Lucille  N.  Tsai,  TJSIS  Library, 
Kaohsiung,  Formosa. 


NEIl"^  OF  PROFESSIONAL  INTEREST 


It  seems  that  every  time  the  post 
of  Librarian  in  a  large  university  lib- 
rary comes  up  vacant  nowadays  a  history 
professor  is  called  upon  to  take  over. 
Mvether  this  is  only  a  temporary  pheno- 
menon or  a  lasting  departure  from  the 
good  old-fashioned  way  of  getting 
ahead  in  librarianship  (i.e.  by  being 
a  librarian)  is  difficult  to  say  -  who 
knows,  next  year  they  may  bo  appointing 
chemists  or  lawyers  when  some  of  the 
fn-t-.+-.fiT'   lihrarv  nosts  are  beine:  filled. 


At  any  rate,  the  situation  bears  eo  close  re- 
semblance to  that  of  Sir  Joseph  Porter  in 
Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  E.M.S.  Pinafore,  who 
stuck  to  his  desk  and  never  went  to  sea,  but 
got  to  be  the  ruler  of  the  Queen's  Navee, 
that  the  following  adaptation  of  his  famous 
song  is  offered  for  the  staff's  edification, 
with,  of  course,  humblest  apologies  to  the 
shades  of  the  original  author.  .  . 

liThen  I  was  a  lad  some  time  I  pass'd 
As  a  junior  instructor  in  a  hist'ry  class. 
I  gobbled  up  whole  volumes  of  archival  lore. 
Memorizing  dates  until  my  brains  grew  sore. 
And  I  did  all  this  so  skilfullee 
That  now  I  am  Director  of  the  Libraree  - 
Yes,  I  did  all  this  so  skilfullee,  etc. 

*  *         * 

As  junior  instructor  I  gained  such  fame 
That  all  the  University  soon  knew  my  name 
And  to  shovj-  that  I  subscrib'd  to  academic 

creed, 
I  wore  a  leather-elbov/'d  jacket  made  of 

tweed. 
And  I  flunked  dull  students  so  relentlesslec 
That  Loi  I  am  Director  of  the  Libraree I 
Yes,  I  flunked  dull  students,  etc. 

♦  *         * 

Professor's  rank  was  ny  next  advance  - 
I  looked  for  self-aggrandizement  at  every 

chance. 
And  lest  my  meteoric  rise  meet  some  sad  sli 
I  made  sure  that  I  had  a  paid-up  membership 
In  every  paedogogical  societee 
And  thus  became  Director  of  the  Libraree. 
Yes,  in  every  paedogogical,  etc. 

*  *         * 

I  lectur'd  far,   symposiiun'd  wide; 
I  left  no  road  to  my  success  untried. 
I  always  spoke  well  of  the  President's  wifi^ 
And  I  led  a  most  exemplar:y-  and  pious  life. 
Just  see  how  they've  revra,rded  me. 
By  making  me  Director  of  the  Libraree 1 
Yes,   see  how  they've,   etc. 

tk  *  * 

So  Librarians  all,  xvherever  you  may  be. 

If  you  ever  want  to  be  a  great  success  like 

me  - 
Then  take  this  vrise  advice  -  Don't  be  a  foo 
And  waste  your  time  by  going  to  Library  Sch 
But  infiltrate  by  way  of  teaching  historee 
And  you  may  be  Director  of  a  Libraree I 
Yes,   infiltrate  by  way  of  t^a-ohing  histor 
And  you  may  be  Director  o±  a  Libraree  I 

♦  *  * 


B.P.L.   IN  PRIOT 

Commentary  for  June ,  1955  contains  an 
article  by  James  Rorby  entitled  "The  At- 
tack on  Our  Libraries"  in  which  B.P.L.   is 
mentioned  at  some  lenerth. 


NEVT  BOOKS  IN  THE  STAFF  LIBRARY 
Non-Fiction 

Bainbrid  ge ,   John 

Garbo, 

Garden  City,  New  York,  Doubleday,  1955 
Bishop,  James  A. 

The  day  Lincoln  was  shot. 

New  York,  Harper,  1955 
Buck,  Pearl 

Ify  several  worlds. 

New  York,  Day,  195U 
Davis,  Elmer  H. 

Two  minutes  till  midnight. 

Indianapolis,  Bo bbs -Merrill,  1955 
Fadiman,  Clifton 

Party  of  one, 

Cleveland,  World  Pub. Co.,  1955 
Hanson,  Lawrence 

Noble  savage. 

New  York,  Random  House,  1955 
Lindbergh,  Anne 

Gift  from  the  sea. 

New  York,  Pantheon,  1955 
Lippraann,  Walter 

Essays  in  the  public  philosophy. 

Boston,  Little,  Brown,  1955 
Mure hie,  Guy 

Song  in  the  sky. 

Cambridge,  Riverside  Press,  19 5U 
Peale,  Noriran  V, 

The  power  of  positive  thirJn'.ng. 

New  York,  Prent ice-Hall,  1955 
Rice,  Grantland 

The  tumult  and  the  shouting. 

New  York,  Barnes,  19 5U 
Salisbviry^  Harrison  E. 

American  in  Russia. 

New  York,  Harpar,  1955 
West,  Rebecca,  p?2T^» 

A  train  of  powder. 

New  York,  Viking  Press,  1955 

Non-Fiction  —  Library  Science 

Association  of  College  and  Reference 
Libraries.  ACRL  monograph,  no, 13 

Library  -  instructional  integration  on 

the  college  level. 

Chicago,  1955 
Esdaile,  Arundel  J.K, 

A  student's  manual  of  bibliography, 

3d  rev,  ed, 

London,  Allen  ^   Dnvdn,  195U 
Indiana  Library  Association 

To  the  county  line;  a  manual  on  county 

library  extension  in  Indiana. 

Indianapolis,  1953 


!  Maxf ield,  David  K, 

Counselor  librarianship. 

University  of  Illinois  Library  School 

Occasional  papers,.  no.38» 

Urbana,  111.,  195U 
Sloane,  William 

Children's  books  in  England  &  Ajnerica 

in  the  seventeenth  century. 

New  York,  King's  Crown  Press,  Columbia 

University,  1955 
Who's  who  in  library  service.  3d  ed. 

New  York,  The  Grolier  Society,  1955 
Wilson,  H,W, ,  firm,  publishers. 

Fiction  catalog*  Supuioment  195l/53 

New  York,  195U 

Fiction 

Angoff,  Charles 

The  sun  at  noon. 

New  York,   Beechhurst  Press,  1955 
Basso,   Kain.-'jton 

The  view  from  Ponpey's  Head, 

Garden  City,   N.Y„,  Doubleday,  1955 
Forescer,   Cecil  S. 

The  good  shepherd. 

Boston,  Little,   Brown,   1955 
Hcbart,  A13 7e  T. 

Vent"iire  into  darkness. 

New  "''ork,  Longmans,  Green,  1955 
Maclnnes,  Helen 

Pray  for  a  bra\'e  heart. 

Nev  York,     Hare  curt.   Brace,  1955 
MarG/j^and,  John  P, 

Sincerely,  Willis  Wayde. 

Boston,     Little,  Brown,     1955 
Patton,  Frances  G. 

Good  mDrr-*.iigj  Miss  Dove, 

New  York,  Dcdd,  Mead,  195U 
Quoirez,  Francoisa 

Bonjour  tristes-je. 

New  York,  Button,  1955 
Roberts,  Dorothy  J. 

Laancelot,  my  brother. 

New  York,  Apple ton-Century-Crofts,  195U 
Van  der  Post,  Laurens 

Flamingo  feathere 

New  York,  ?'orrow,  1955 
Yourcenar,  Marguerite 

Memoirs  of  Hadrian. 

Nevj  York.   Farrar,  Straus  and  Young,  195U 


EXCHANGE  CORNIER 
We   clipped  the  following  from  Horth^res- 
tem  University  Library  Staff  News:-Vr"er; 
Information  Please  Almanac   lists  alT  kinds 
of  abbreviationc   of  academic  degrees,   but 
neither  ELS,   Iffi.LS  or  DLS,   or  equi-valents 
(All  Library  Science  degrees).      It  does, 
however,  contain  one  reference  to  our  pro- 
fession.     It   reads:    "Colors   of  Academic 
Degrees.     Library  Science:    Lemon." 


RETIREMENTS 

Katherine  J.  Collins 

JB.SS  Katherine  J,  Collins,  Forelady  in 
the  Binding  Department,  retired  after  3U 
years  service  on  May  31,19^$.   Miss  Collins 
entered  the  library  service  on  Jxily  21, 
1921  and  was  appointed  forelady  on  Nov.  1, 
1929. 

On  May  17  friends  of  ItLss  Collins 
tendered  her  a  birthday  and  farewell 
dinner  in  Steuben's  Vienna  Room,  As  a 
testimonial  of  their  well  wishes,  her 
friends  presented  her  v/ith  a  gift  of  money 
and  a  morocco-bound  book  with  the  auto- 
graphs of  her  marQr  library  friends. 

Miss  Collins  is  also  a  fifty  year 
member  of  Local  $6,   International  Brother- 
hood of  Bookbinders,  and  for  that  occasion 
was  honored  at  a  bookbinder's  dinner;  on 
February  12, 

Her  many  library  friends  wish  her  long 
life,  good  health  and  great  happiness, 

James  P.  Mooers 


Beatrice  M.  Flanagan 

On  April  30,19^5  Beatrice  M,  Flanacan 
retired  from  the  library  after  forty- 
eight  years  of  service,  eighteen  as  a 
Branch  Librarian  and  seventeen  as  Chief  of 
the  School  Issue  Department, 

Those  of  us  v/ho  have  had  the  good 
fortvme  to  call  her  boss  and  friend  will 
never  forget  her  and  the  qualities  that 
made  her  special  -  rare  understanding  of 
human  nature,  a  realistic  attitude  tov^ard 
life  and  work,  resolute  fciirness, boundless 
generosity  and  courage,  and  a  cheery 
optimism  that  produced  a  spontaneous  flow 
of  good  spirits. 


Best  Direction  -  Her  direction  was 
superb  and  for  all  of  us  who  needed  it 
she  imparted  that  sense  of  direction 
Best  Design  -  Her  design  for  living,  in 
and  out  of  the  library,  was  a  thing  to 
be  admired  and  copied. 
Best  Music  -  She  leaves  us  ^Tith  a  song 
in  our  hearts  because  of  having  known 
and  worked  with  her. 
May  summed  it  up  by  saying  that  Miss 
Flanagan  wins  all  the  awards  -  the 
difference  being  that  all  the  other  Oscar 
candidates  have  to  compete  whereas  she  has 
always  run  co  far  ahead  of  the  rest  of  the 
field  she  has  no  competition. 

We  wish  her  the  best  of  all  good  things 
in  her  retirement. 


IJW 


School  Issue  Honors  Miss  Flanagan 

In  honor  of  her  recent  retirement  from 
the  library  Miss  Beatrice  Flanagan  was 
given  a  farewell  party  on  Saturday  after- 
noon May  21,  by  present  and  past  staff 
members  of  School  Issue  Department,  After- 
noon tea  was  served  to  about  forty  people 
in  the  Candlelight  Room  of  the  Sherry 
Biltmore  Hotel,  some  of  the  guests  coming  i 
from  as  far  away  as  Nexv  York,  New  Jersey   • 
and  Vermont,  Many  others,  great  distances 
away,  sent  greetings.  Miss  Flanagan  was 
presented  with  a  white  orchid  corsage  and 
a  unique  gold  loving  cup  inscribed  'To  a 
Champion  Boss ' ,  inside  of  which  was  a  gift 
of  money.  She  was  also  given  a  huge  framed 
tribute  in  verse  (done  by  a  former  'extra') 
to  her  outstanding  qualities  of  good  humor 
and  friendliness.  It  was  a  very  jovial 
gathering,  one  which  will  be  pleasantly 
remembered  for  a  long  time,  partly  because 
of  the  many  pictures  taken  by  a  professional 
photographer  friend  of  Miss  Flanagan's, 


Presenting  her  with  a  pftrting  gift  from 
present  and  former  staff  members  in  a 
loving  cup  inscribed  TO  A  CHAMPION  BOSS, 
Ifey  McDonald  aptly  expressed  all  our 
feelings  when  she  said  that  the  cup  brought 
to  mind  an  Oscar  and  the  awards  for  which 
they  are  given: 

Best  Performance  -  Her  performance  as  a 

boss  has  been  luiequalled. 

Best  Supporting  Role  -  She  gave  us  her 

support  at  all  times  and  ^Tas  a  prop 

when  we  needed  a  prop. 


I 


THE  PRINT  DEPARTMENT 
The  current  exhibition  in  the  Albert 
H,  ^"iggin  Gallery  is  "Recent  Acquisitions", 

In  view  of  the  interest  shown  in  the 
Boston  Art  Festival,  the  staff  may 
appreciate  seeing  what  is  being  produced 
in  the  world  of  print  making, 

A  number  of  outstanding  prints  in  the 
exhibition  are  by  rising  young  artists 
of  France  and  reflect  today's  emphasis  on 
imagination. 


■""'orks  by  some  of  the  earlier  French 
masters  are  included,  and  the  ever-popular 
lithographs  by  Stow  Wengenroth  are  also  to 
be  seen. 

The  current  issue  of  one  of  our  national 
pictorial  magazines  features  the  work  of 
Jlarc  Chagall  depicting  scenes  of  the  Old 
Testament,  Part  of  a  complete  set  of 
etchings  of  the  Old  Testament  by  this  same 
artist  are  displayed  in  one  of  t'oe  show- 
cases, and  another  set  of  Old  Testament 
v/ood  engravings  by  Fritz  Eichenberg  are 
included. 

The  piice  de  resistance  of  the 
exhibition  is  a  draviring  by  Jean-Louis 
Forain,  done  as  a  study  of  his  world- 
renovmed  etching  "The  Return  of  the 
Prodigal  Son". 

It  will  be  worth  while  to  make  a  trip 
to  the  upper  regions  of  our  Italian  Palace 
to  see  the  exhibition,  and  it  seems  safe 
to  say  that  almost  everyone  vd.ll  see 
something  vfhich  will  give  him  pleasure. 


From:  Mrs,  Muriel  C,  Javelin,  Secretary 
Film  Council  of  Greater  Boston 
Boston  Public  Library 
Boston, 17,  Mass, 

The  Film  Council  of  Greater  Boston  held 
its  Fifth  Annual  Film  Festival  at  the 
Sheraton  Plaza  Hotel  on  May  lU,1955. 
Fifty-five  films  from  the  many  submitted 
had  been  selected  for  Festival  showing  by 
five  Selection  Committees — (1)  Adult 
Education,  (2)  The  Arts,  (3)  Classroom, 
ik)   Religion,  (5)  Indvistry— (a)  Public 
Relations  and  (b)  Safety. 

Among  the  registrants  at  the  Festival 
were  representatives  from  a  variety  of 
industries,  including  film  producers,  film 
distributors,  and  dealers  in  audio- visual 
equipment,  librarians  and  educators  from 
public  and  parochial  schools,  other  private 
schools  and  colleges. 

From  nine  to  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  festival  audience  enjoyed  the  coffee 
hour  and  viewed  the  audio-visual  exhibits. 
By  ten  O'clock  the  screenings  were  under 
way.  Each  viewer  rated  each  film 
individually  on  its  own  merits.  The 
balloting  was  extremely  close  in  many 
instances  vfhich  indicated  V-'at  the  films 
were  worthy  Festival  choices. 


Presiding  at  the  Festival  luncheon  was 
Council  President  jp  Alan  F,  Lydiard. 
Right  Reverend  Timothy  F.  O'Leary,  Dept, 
of  Education,  Archdiocese  of  Boston, 
offered  the  invocation.  Mr.  Paul  Radar 
was  the  luncheon  speaker.  Mr,  Radar 
chose  as  his  subject,  A  New  Approach  to 
Educational  Filming. 


BOSTON  DRAIM  ^?ORKSHOP 

A  Summer  Theatre  group  has  been 
organized  by  members  of  the  library  stafJ? 
led  by  Paul  J.  Delahanty,  of  Branch  Issue, 
and  Ruth  V.  Sherry  of  Allston  Branch, 
The  group  will  present  a  series  of  five 
plays  this  Summer  in  the  parish  hall  of 
the  Arlington  St,  Church,  Each  play  will 
run  for  two  nights,  and  a  new  play  will 
be  presented  every  other  week,  beginning 
July  5th  aid  6th, 

Among  other  members  of  the  group, 
which  will  be  known  as  the  Boston  Drama 
'■'orkshop,  are   Miss  Faith  Minton,  Book 
Stack  Service 5  Jeremy  Hughes,  Bates  Hall 
Ref.j  Joseph  Bondi,  formerly  of  Central 
Charging;  and  Mrs.  Constance  Delahanty, 
formerly  of  Book  Stack  Service, 

Plays  to  be  presented  will  include: 
"Bell,  Book  and  Candle"  by  John 
Van  Druten;  "Outward  Bound"  by  Sutton 
Vane;  and  an  original  play  by  Ifr, 
Delahanty  titled  "The  Judgement  of  Joan", 

i 

The  entire  series  vd.ll  be  staged  and 
directed  by  Mr.  Delahanty, 

For  information  regarding  tickets  and 
reduced  rate  season  subscriptions,  please 
contact  Mr,  Delahanty  at  the  Branch  Issue 
Department, 


MORE  BIRTHS 

Mr.   and  lirs.    Edward  F,  Gumett,    Jr.  are 
the  parents  of  a   son,  Edward  F.   Gumett   I 
bom  on  May  26,  1955,  the  third  oh:nd  and 
first   son.      Mrs.   Gumett   is  the  fo  Tar 
Julie  Manning  of  Rare  Book  Deparfcm'- iv;. 
The  proud  godparents  are  Bill  and  i-krgaret 
Butler. 

Mr.   and  Mrs.    Jiames  P.    J.    Gannon  also 
announce  the  birth  of  a   son,   JiBimes  PatrioV 
Gannon,   on  May  26,   1955.     Mr.   Gannon  is 
in  the  Binding  Department. 


«»Otu 


CHILDREN'S  ROOM  NEWS 

Children's  Section,   Open  Shelf  Department 

In  honor  of  Ifi.ss  Dennis'  beautiful 
exhibit  of  dolls  in  the  library,   the 
girls  were  invited  to  bring  their  dolls 
to  story  hour  on  May  24th.     Even  our 
story  tellers,  Mr.   and  ?i&*s.   John  Cronan 
and  Mrs.   l&rgaret  Bowers,  had  dolls  to 
illustrate  the   stories  told.     Among  the 
children's  dolls  were  guests  from  as  far 
away  as  Puerto  Rico,  Africa,  Austria, 
Scotland,   Spain  and  Poland.     Of  course 
they  were  dressed  in  their  best  and  very 
well  behaved  indeed.     The  boys  who  came 
were  as  interested  and  listened  as  de- 
lightedly as  the  girls.     Each  child  went 
home  with  a  list  of  books  about  dolls. 


^     ORCHIDS  TO  MSS  DOHERTY 

If  you  were  in  the  Central  Building 
on  June  9,   1955,  we're   sure  you  noticed 
Ttiss  Bessie  L.  Doherty,  Assistant  in 
Charge  of  Branch  Issue.     She  was  the  lady 
with  the  orchid.     On  that  Day  Jfi.ss 
Doherty  was  honored  with  a  luncheon  at 
Joseph's  Restaurant  by  the  members  of 
her  department.     The  occasion  commemorated 
Ifi.ss  Doherty' s  fiftieth  year  in  the 
Library's  service.     After  a  pleasant 
lunch,  her  friends  presented  her  with 
gifts  of  jewelry  and  perfume. 


BRANCH  NOTES 


Ifettapan 


Miss  Theodora  Sooff,  Bi*anch 
Librsirian,  is  recuperating  at  her  home 
149  Kittredge  Street,  JRo«lindate,  after 
three  weeks  -spent  at  Pratt  Hospital. 

Two  forii^r  members  of  the  Mattapan 
Branch  were  feted  at  a  luncheon  held  at 
Dinty  Bfoore's  on  If&y  21,   1955.     The 
honored  guests  were  Ifiss  A.   Phyllis 
Freeman,  now  at  Codman  Square  Branch,  and 
Mrs.    Mary  Mehlman  Burns  on  the   staff  of 
Bookmobile   II.     As  her  gift,   ?fi.s8  Freeman 
received  a  red  wallet;   Ifrs.   Bvurns  was  the 
recipient  of  a  dainty  nylon  blouse. 

Present  at  the  party,  besides  members 
of  the   staff,  were  two  former  Mattapanites 
Ws.   Nancy  Stipiarko  Kiernan,  and  £G.ss 
Helen  Connell  of  Neponset  Branch. 


South  Boston 

The  members  of  the  Teen  Age  Re- 
porters Club  of  South  Boston  wound  up 
the  yeeir's  activities  with  a  party  held 
in  their  honor   in  the  Children's  Room  of 
the  Branch.      Book  quiz  games  and  re- 
freshments were  enjoyed  by  all  present. 
The  club  members  sxirprised  J&rtha  C. 
Engler,   Children's  Librarian  in  charge  o  J 
activities,  with  a  beautiful  corsage  of 
spring  flowers.     During  the   past  year  the 
Teen  Age  Reporters  visited  the  Central 
Building  of  the  Boston  Public  Library, 
Mrs.   Jack  Gardner's  Fenway  Court  and  the 
Egyptian  Gallery  of  the  Boston  Museum  of 
Fine  Arts,   after  having  prepared  them- 
selves by  reading  from  a  list  of  special- 
ly selected  books  on  the  place  to  be 
visited. 

West  End 


I 


I 


Professional   interest 
The  account  of  an  interesting  experiment 
conducted  at  West  End  last  Spring  appears 
in  the  I&y  issue  of  "Junior  Libraries." 
How  the  children  in  the  Spring  Festival       ^ 
Reading  Club  decided  on  their  own  list  of 
Honor  Books  is  described  in  the  article 
"Young  Readers   Know  KVhat  They  Like" ,  by 
Veronica  M.   Lehane,   Children's  Librarian  . 

Miss  Fanny  Goldstein  was  one  of 
three  national  judges  for  the  awarding  o  f 
the  Jewish  Book  Council  of  America's 
Isaac  Siegel  Memorial   Juvenile- Award  for 
the  best  Jewish  Juvenile  j>ublish«d  dur- 
ing the  current  year.     Nora -Kubie  was 
recipient  of  the  award  for  her  book  "King 
Solomon^s  Mines",  published  by  Harper. 

In  accordance  with  her  usual  custom. 
Miss  Goldstein  went  to  New  York  to  at- 
tend the  National  Jewish  Book  Council 
annual  meeting  on  May  17,  where  the  a- 
wards  were  -made. 

Staff  notes 
Miss  Veronica  Lehane,  Children's  Li- 
brarian at  V\/est  End,  has  returned  to  ^ork 
after  a  prolonged  illness  due  to  an  auto- 
mobile aocident. 

Miss   Fanny  <Jr)l <!»+:© in,   JD»  «noli  Li- 
brarian at  West  End,   Miss  Ethel   Kimball 
of  Allston,  and  Miss   Minna  Steinberg  of 
Central   Cataloging  Department  will  fly  to 
Europe  on  July  7  -  objective:   Israel. 
They  will  tour  Great  Britain,  France, 
Switzerland,   Italy  and  Greece,   flying  from 
Greece  to  Israel  where  they  will  spend 
twelve  days.     Flying  back  by  way  of  Naples, 


-7- 


Nioe,   and  Madrid,   they  will  return  to 
the  States  for  Labor  Day.     En  route  they 
expect  to  meet  many  distinguished  people 
in  addition  to  the  usual  sight-seeing  and 
the  busman's  holiday  of  visiting  libraries 
abroad. 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,   to- 
gether with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Library, posit ion,  who  due  to  his   (or  her)  af- 


Still,   PSrogress  must  go  on,   they  say 
Though  horrid  to  the   sight 
And  the  bones  that  don't  get  broken 
tlay  resign  us  to  the  blight??? 

AN  ENEtlY  OF  PROGRESS 
C.  O'Toole 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

Since  the  Soap  Box  has  been  more 
than  generous  in  allotting  space  when  I 
wished  to  "let  off  steam"  regarding  con- 
ditions which  I,  in  ny  limited  concept, 
thought  to  contain  the  seeds  of  unjustice, 
discrimination  of  inequities,  I  should 
like  to  take  this  opportunity  to  note  two 
recent  incidents  which  seem  to  evidence  a 
forward  look. 

First,  the  recent  notice  stating 
that  library  aid  beyond  the  original  five 
grants  now  in  operation  for  several  years, 
has  been  expanded  to  include  a  wider  range 
of  recipients  was  indeed  welcome.  Cer- 
tainly any  staff  member,  irrespective  of 


Department  or  Office  in  which  he  or  she 
is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld  from 
publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if  the 
contributor  so  requests.  Anonymous  con- 
tributions are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  Editor-in-Chief.  The  contents  of 
the  articles  appearing  in  Ibhe  Soap  Box 
are  personal  opinions  expressed  by  in- 
dividual Association  members  and  their  ap- 
peeirance  does  not  necessarily  indicate 
that  the  Publications  Committee  and  the 
Association  are  in  agreement  with  the 
views  expressed.  Only  those  contributions 
containing  not  more  than  300  words  will 
be  accepted. 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

As  I  enter  in  the  portal 
And  glance  up  at  the  stair 
The  sight  I  see  is  sad  enough 
to  raise  up  every  hairl 

Three  brazen-hued  excrescences 
Obsctare  the  marble's  view 
Giving  horror  to  the  many 
To  support  the  shaky  few. 


filiation  with  the  Boston  Public  Library 
is  required  to  attend  professional  con- 
ferences, or  who  as  the  chairman  of  ein 
American  Library  Association  committee  is 
required  to  be  present  at  any  given  con- 


ference should  have  his  expenses  paid. 
Surely  if  anyone  needs  an  assist,  it  is 
the  President  of  the  Boston  Public  Library 
Professional  Staff  Association.   His  (or 
her)  presence  at  national  conferences 
brings  essential  inspiration  and  added 
information  relative  to  staff  organiza- 
tions, by  contact  with  members  ftom  other 
organizations  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try and  from  attendance  at  SORT  meetings  . 
The  recent  action,  a  most  commendable  one, 
puts  the  Boston  Public  Library  more  in 
line  with  other  large  libraries  in  this 
respect.   Congratulations  to  those  re- 
sponsible. '» 

Secondly,  we  now  have  a  public 
telephone  in  our  staff  quarters  -  and  is 
it  welcomel  By  now,  it  is  so  much  at 
home  that  I  understand  it  has  already  been 
"out-of-order." 

Lest  we  become  complacent  with  ouj» 
many  acquisitions,  how  about  starting  a 
drive  for  the  installation  of  a  stamp 
machine?  That  too  can  get  "out-of-order" 
and  keep  the  telejiione  from  being  lone- 
some. 

Edna  G.  Peck 


-B*« 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

The  narble  foyer  ablaze  with  light, 
Exhibit  oases,  gleaming  brass  and  tubes 

fluorescent ; 
Through  the  corridor  to  the  right, 
The  Newspaper  Room  twilit  by  yellow 

incandescent. 
The  dim  and  antique,   19th  oentiury 

Periodical  Room, 
Studies  in  dingy,    cavernous  gloom. 

I\a"blind. 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

Would  someone  please  explain  to  me 
wl^  certain  Assistants-in-Charge  have 
been  granted  generous  increases  in  pay 
in  recent  months,  while  others  are  still 
on  the  payroll  with  merely  a  ^50  increase? 
I  should  like  to  know  on  what  basis  this 
discrimination  is  made. 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

The  Ebcamining  Committee's  Report  makes 
very  interesting  reading  this  time,   par- 
ticularly the   section  submitted  by  the 
subooTnmit--3e  on  Parsonnal.      It  is  a  strong 
and  outspoken  ste+;emei.t,  and  pinpoints  re- 
lentlessly the  one  major   step  nececsary 
to   steady  the  Library  back  to  ncrme.lcy  and 
sence.      It  is  time  the   Library  was  given 
back  to  its  lawful  Director.     Except  for 
th'3  professional  bellyachers,   and  those 
who  profit   ftrom  disturbances,  most  mem- 
bers of  the  Staff  now  see  to  what  near 
disaster  the  Library  was  brought  by  ir- 
responsible int3rf?reno9s  in  direouion. 
It   is  true  the  Djraotcr  has  made  sone 
large  mistakes,  and  scire  people  have  been 
pushed  around,    including  me.      But  any 
fair  observer  of  the  over-all  picture 
will  concede  that  he  has  had  the  future 
interests  of  the  whole  Librai-y  always   in 
his  sights,   and  that  he  wantad  us  to  take 
that  place  among  the  groat   libraries  of 
tho  world  which  is  rightfully  ours.      In 
the  process  he   too  oftsn  contented  him- 
self with  a  card-index  knowledge  of  the 
Staff,  forgetting  that  wo  are  a  flesh 
and  blood  family,   600  strong,  with  special 
talents  pearled   in  us  by  attrition  and 
time,  and  idiosynoracies  eng'  uierdd  by 
disappointment  and  age.     Six  hundred  is  a 
negotiable  number,  and  twenty-  years  are 
long  enough  for  any  manager  to  have 
learned  how  best  to  dispose  the  human  as- 
sets in  his   charge,  to  put  roxind  pegs  in 
round  holes,  and  how  not  to  be  over  ten- 


der,  at  the  Library's  expense,  with  Squares 
All  the   same,   the  most  constant  and  in- 
temperate critics  have  been  actuated  by  the 
basest  of  raatives,   and   in  the   immemorial 
custom  of  their  kind,   they  have  borne  falsp 
witness.  ';  | 

The  members  of  the  Examining  Com- 
mittee have  exhibited  responsible   citizen- 
ship of  a  very  high  order,  and  I  hope  the 
Staff  will  express   its  appreciation, 

Harry  Andrews 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

Below   is  a   copy  of  a  letter  which  I 
have   sent  to  Rt.    Rev.   Edward  G,   Murray. 
Similar  letters  were  sent  to  Dr.   Leon 
tiedalia  and  ilr.    Paul  Buck.     Since  the  mat- 
ter concerns  the   staff,  they  may  be  in- 
terested  in  reading  the   letter: 

Right   Reverend  Honsignor: 

I  have  just   finished  reading  the  re- 
port of  the  Sub-Committee  on  Personnel  of 
the  Examining  Committee  of  the  Boston  Pub- 
lic Library.     The  report  mentioned  the  in-r 
tervi'sws  with  members   of  the    staff  of  whio- 
I  was  one.      I  am  s^hh^r  startled  by  some 
of  the   conclusions.      I  trust  that  nothing 
I   said  led  to  these   conclusions. 

For  oxamplo,   the  report  says,    "None 
questioned  the  equity  of  its   (the  exenin- 
ation  system's)  operation."     On  the   con- 
trary,  Jtontignor,  I  most  definitely  do 
quertion  it.      But,   if  you  will  recall,  yoxu 
grt-iu;"  asked  me  what   I  thought  was  the  most 
imp-rtart  norele  problciii  and  trying  to  fcee: 
firivJ'-virVnr,;   first,   I   told  you  the   shortage 
of  help,  wi.ich  we  discussed  at  length.     As 
I  was  leaving,   I  also   indicated  that  there 
were  innumerable  other  problems  which  I 
would  be  glad  to  discuss  with  you  ad 
naur.Gam  when  you  weren't   so  pressed  for 
timo.     None  of  you  indicated  any  interest 
in  8.ny  further  discussions.     Therefore,   I 
gathered  you  were  not   interested  in  any 
morale  problem  that  might  concern  the  Ad- 
ministrator's attitude  to  the  staff. 

Apparently  ny  asstmiption  was  correct, 
for  you  spcr-d  your  entire  report  on  one 
facet  of  mcrale,  the  Trustees'   attitude 
toward  the  Administrator  and  at  that  eithe: 
misunderstand  or  distort  the  problem.      I 
am  keenly  disappointed   in  your  committee. 
I  am  making  public  to  the  staff  this  lettei 
Sincerely  yours  in  Christ, 
(signed)  Eamon  E,  McDonough 


-y» 


Dear  Editor: 

Tflien  I  read  General  Administrative  No. 
30,   1955,    I  too  shared  the  perplexity  of 
the  members  of  the  City  Covmcil.     I 
oould  not  see  hem  the  trustees,  even  if 
they  managed  to  squeeze  half  a  year's 
pay  for  46   people   out   of  the  present 
budget,    intended  to  support  those   people 
in  1956,    inasmuch  as  the  personnel  bud- 
get of  the  Library  has  been  on  the  de- 
crease since  1953. 

Then  I  thought  to  betake  myself  to  the 
present  budget  as   it  appears   in  the 
Uayor's  presentation  to  the  City  Council 
on  February  7,   1955.     Sure  enough,  there 
was  the  personnel  budget  figure  of 
02,600,000  based  on  a  total  of  600  po- 
sitions.    Apparently  the  trustees  were 
in  a  position  to  fill  44  jobs  since 
January  1,   1955.     Knowing  the  acute 
shortages  that  existed  on  the  staff, 
they  have   sat  idly  by  and  will  do  nothing 
until  July  1,   1955.     Hovf  cruel  and  cyni- 
cal they  must  be  I     VJhat  is  the  money 
that  has  been  saved  to  be  used  for? 

DISILLUSIONED 


To  the  editor: 

It  has  been  said  that  there  was,   and 
that  tlaere   is  now,   a  certain  and  defi- 
nite indication  that  all,   and  even  the 
entire  amount  that  was  believed  to  have 
been  made  up  from  previous  possibilities 
could  not  have  been  so  arranged,   at  a 
time  when  other  actually  active  inci- 
dents  of  passivity  were  pressing  for 
perusal,   unless  factors  heretofore  vm- 
recognizable,   though  in  reality  eqoially 
as   importent,   as  more  noticeable  negative 
influences  vrere  farced  by  their  very 
nature,  as  that  may  be,  to  activate,  at 
least  in  small   identifiable  way,    the  un- 
conscious  currents,  Trhich  in  all   proba- 
bility though  not  essentially  of  neces- 
sity,  seem  to  lead  the  trend  toward  that 
Y*iich  in  the  past  had  been  referred  to 
.  but  not  defined  as  merely  motivating 

foroes. 

DISGUSTED 


The  pleasant  part  about  typing  up  this 
last  Soap  Box  item  was  the  complete  free- 
dom from  worry  about  leaving  out  a  word 
or  two.     We  hope  that  none  will  suspect 
a  ivaggish  note  in  putting  DISGUSTED 's 
remarks  innediately  before  the  Presi- 


dent's Notes  for  this  month's  issue.     It 
is  no  sugi^estion  of  kinship,  but  merely 
the   cold  result  of  the  accident  of  format. 


HffiSIDEIff'S  MOTES 

The  response  to  our  letters  asking  Cong^ 
ressmen  from  Massachusetts  to  support  the 
Librarj'^  Services  Act   (S.  205)  has  been  mos 
encoxiraging.     The  replies  we  have  received 
to  date  indicate  that  this  legislation 
will  receive  very  close  attention  from 
our  Congressmen,   sind  that  several  Repre- 
sentatives will  be  active  in  support  of 
the  Act  v4ien  it  reaches  the  House.     IJay 
w©  urge  that  you  write  to  your  Congress- 
men from  your  hoxm  districts  asking  their 
active  support  of  this  pending  legislation 

The  June  issue  Of  the  ALA  BULLETIN  in- 
cludes several  items  on  the  Library  Servi 
ices  Act,    including  a  chart  showing  the 
actual  amounts   of  money  to  be  allotted  to 
each  state  and  territory. 

The  decision  of  the  Trustees  to  allow 
an  additional  grsmt  toward  the  expense  of 
attending  the  ALA  convention  to  your  Pre- 
sident is  indeed  gratifying.     It  is  our 
belief  that  this  gesture  was  made  in  re- 
cognition of  the  many  positive  contribu- 
tions the  staff  has  made  to  the  Library 
and  to  the  library  profession,  and,  there- 
fore we  extend  our  thanks  not  only  to  the 
Trustees  but,  also,   to  all  ovir  members, 
past  and  present. 

There  has  been  scane  small  tumult  and 
shouting  about  a  statement  contained  in 
the  Exemining  Committee's  Subconmittee  on 
Personnel  Report.     In  referring  to  the 
examination  system  the  statement  was  made 
that  none  questioned  the  equity  of  its 
operation.     Frankly,   I  don't  know  just 
v*iat  the  Subcommittee  meant  by  that  state- 
ment, bvrt  it  is  not  a  phrase  that  I  would 
have  used  to  describe  wiat  I  had  to  say 
when  I  met  with  the  Sv.'br-.omaf/hTiee.     Hcjr^vei 
even  though  there  may  "be  a  uIr  statement  oi 
fact,  the  Report  should  be   gr'?nted  a  pass- 
ing mark  for  coming  to  grips  vrith  the  prol 
lem  of  the  administrative  control  of  the 
Library. 

We  congratulate  the  Hartzell  Ifemorial 
Lecture  Committee  under  the  capable  chair- 
manship of  lira  Sarah  II*  Flannery,   for  hav- 
ing arranged  such  an  interesting  meeting. 
Mr.   Greenaway  rightfully  takes  his  place 
among  the  honored  list  of  Hartzell  Memo- 
rial Lecturers.     We  also  thajik  the  Enter- 
taiiment  Committee  for  the  most  welcome 
refreshments. 

LOUIS  RAINS,  Plresident 


-10- 
THE  FIFTH  AMUAL 
BERTHA  V.  HARTZELL  lEMDRIAL  LECTURE 
MY  27,  1955 

On  the  evening  of  I!ay  27,  1955,  the  fifth  annual  Bertha  V.  Hartzell  Memorial 
Lecture  v/as  delivered  by  Dr.  Emerson  Greenaway,  Director  of  the  Free  Library  of 
Philadelphia.  Dr.  Greenaway 's  topic  was  the  recent  history  of  the  Philadelphia 
Library,  and  was  entitled  "The  Philadelphia  Story:  the  Free  Library  in  Transition". 
The  story  specifically  was  the  history  of  the  recent  and  current  re-organization 
of  the  Philadelphia  Library  system,  and  it  was  received  by  a  group  of  some  eighty 
Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association  members  and  friends.  The  Association  was 
pleased  to  have  as  its  guest,  among  those  present,  young  Mr»  Drew  Hartzell,  the 
gremdson  of  Ifirs,  Bertha  V.  Hartzell. 

Doctor  Greenaway  easily  qualifies  for  a  place  on  the  grovring  and  imposing 
list  of  Hartzell  Jlfemorial  Lecturers.  His  record  at  Worcester  and  Baltimore  before 
going  on  to  Philadelphia  is  well  known  to  the  entire  Library  Profession.  Since 
coming  to  Philadelphia  he  has  done  a  noteworthy  job  as  well. 

The  topic  was  one  of  obvious  interest  in  a  Library  of  our  size,  and  Dr.  Green- 
away 's  easy  and  friendly  manner  of  delivejry  made  the  talk  even  more  interesting  to 
those  present.  Everyv/here  he  stressed  the  human  side  of  administrative  problems 
encountered  in  the  revitalization  and  redevelopment  of  the  Philadelphia  Library's 
reso\arces.  The  problem  involved  was  oon&iderable,  too,  as  he  pointed  out,  what 
with  multiple  interlocking  trusteeships  auad  complex  relationships  between  the 
Library  £ind  the  city  government.  The  government  of  our  Library  by  its  Board  of 
Trustees  seems  a  simple  arrangement  indeed  when  compared  v/ith  Philadelphia's. 
Perhaps  most  interesting  was  Dr.  Greenaway 's  account  of  the  recruiting  of  new 
staf:?  members  to  enlarge  the  staff  and  provide  new  vitalityj  of  the  establishing 
of  new  departments  and  sei^vices;  and  of  adaptations  of  existing  building  space 
for  all  these  innovations. 

All  those  members  of  the  Staff  Association  who  attended  the  Hartzell  Lecture 
and  who  are  planning  to  attend  American  Library  Association  Conference  at  Phila- 
delphia can  look  fonmrd  to  stopping  by  and  seeing  at  first  hand  the  many  svreep- 
ing  changes  that  Dr.  GreenAvra.y  has  instituted  at  the  Free  Library  of  Philadelphia. 

Once  again  the  Bertha  V.  Hartzell  Memorial  Lecture  Committee  is  to  be  com- 
mended for  a  job  vrell  planned  and  well  executed.  They  are  particularly  to  be 
corgratulated  on  the  choice  of  their  lecturer  for  this  year.  Dr.  Greenaway 's 
talk  vras  particularly  appropriate. 

Iky  we  also  congratulate  here  the  Entertainment  Committee  of  the  Staff 
Association  for  having  provided  the  very  welcome  refreshments  which  were  served 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  Lecture* 


] 


™ 


uestioR 


MA\^ 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


\^ 


JULY  1955 


I 


i 


THE   QUISTION  MARK 

PulDlished  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff 

Association 
Volume  X,  Number  6 July  1955  

Publications  Committee:   John  J,  Hallahan,  Sheila  ¥.  Pierce, 

B.  Gertrude  Wade,  Robert  C.  Woodward, 
John  McCafferty,   Chai|«man 
Publication  date :                   Deadline  for  submitting  material 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month fHe  tenth  of  each  month 

3DIT0R'S  N0T3S 

Staff  morale  is  more  than  the  maintenance  of  a  favorable 
relationship  between  an  a,drainistration  and  a  staff.   It  requires  more 
than  good  working  conditions  and  it  goes  further  than  adequate  pranotoDnaL 
plans  or  salary  scales.   Morale  is  essentially  entwined  with  the  individual  B 
specific  job  and  the  efficiency  with  which  he,  or  she,  is  permitted  to 
do  that  job. 

Here  at  the  Boston  Public  Library  if  the  day  ever  came  when  everyone 
was  content  with  his  working  conditions,  that  promotions  and  their  plans 
were  not  panned  and  that  salaries  satisfied  all,  there  would  stiO  te  some 
of  us  discontented  because  of  some  obviously  impractical  procedure  which 
creates  confusion  and  sometimes  invites  dishonesty.  Each  division, 
department  and  individual  task  is  subject  to  a  different  complaint  but 
all  of  us  should  be  concerned  with  a  registration  and  charging  system 
which  is  supposed  to  keep  track  of  the  library's  books, 

'^at  is  wrong  with  this  system? 

It  starts  with  registration  where  it   is  possible  for  a  borrower 
to  obtain  a  temporary  library  card,  good  for  one  transaction,  without 
any  kind  of  identification.   This  "one  transaction"  may  involve  the 
charging  of  books  or  records  or  both.   Of  course  few  people  would  resort 
to  stealing  library  materials  by  giving  false  identification,  but  some 
do.   And  often  the  unrecoverable  book  is  out  of  print  and  irreplaceable. 
The  incidence  of  this  type  of  book  loss  has  had  an  increment  of 
approxim.ately  two  hundred  T)ercent  since  the  inception  of  the  present 
regulations. 

The  next  thing  wrong  is  the  mobility  of  transaction  cards.  These 
cards  often  are  lost,  misplaced  or  delayed  in  transit  by  both  the  public 
and  the  staff  and  consequently  an  overdue  notice  is  sent  to  a  borrcwer 
who  has  returned  the  book.   Such  a  notice  does  not  foster  public  good 
will. 

Another  complaint  from  the  public  is  that  one  cannot  tell  from  the 
library  card  how  many  books  are  charged  out.   Parents,  especially,  re- 
iterate this  complaint  for  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  keep  track  of 
their  children's  obligations  to  the  Library  without  making  a  periodic 
search  of  their  premises. 

We  realize  that  it  is  not  the  Association's  business  to  meddle 
with  administrative  decisions  -  but,  this  new  charging  system  has  long 
caused  a  considerable  amount  of  irritation  to  both  staff  and  public. 


In  this  issue  there  is  a  revival  of  an  almost-forgotten  section 
of  the  Personal  Notes  column  -  -'New  Bmplpyees",   We  welcome  our  new 
arrivals  and  hope  that  "New  Employees"  will  flourish  as  a  q^   regular, 
keeping  pace  with  "Resignations"  and  "Retirements", 


-2- 


P3RS0NAL  NOTES 


New  Employees 

Laura  M.  Bondi  -  Director's  Office 
(formerly  part-time  in  Informa- 
tion Office) . 

John  J.  Brauer  -  Central  Charging 
Records. 

John  J.  Daley  -  Open  Shelf. 

Ann  M.  Flaherty  -  Bookmobile  I 
(formerly  part-time  at  Washing- 
ton Village) . 

Phyllis  E.  Glasere  r  -  Co dman  Square. 

Mrs,  Dorothy  M.  Hanna  -  Tyler 
Street  Reading  Room. 

Margaret  A.  Hewey  -  South  End. 

Mrs.  Aloma  C.  Jackson  -  Central 
Charging  Records. 

Mrs.  Catherine  N.  Lewis  -  School 
issue. 

Anne  D.  Mason  -  Uphams  Corner. 

Mrs.  Mildred  F.  Picone  -  Catalog- 
ing and  Classification,  HR  &  CS 
(formerly  part-time  at  RosHndal^. 

Richard  E.  Regan  -  Central  Charg- 
ing Records, 

Mrs.  Elaine  R.  Sherer  -  Mount 
Bowdoin. 

Rita  R.  Taddonio  -  Roslindale. 

Transferred 

Mrs.  Lucia  S.  Faulkner  -  from 

Memorial  to  Mount  Pleasant. 
Marjorie  Gibbons  -  from  Washing- 
ton Village  to  Memorial. 
Mrs.  Bette  V.  Pinckney  -  from 

Mount  Pleasant  to  Bookmobile  I. 
Mrs.  Dorothy  S.  Rosen  -  from 

Lower  Mills  to  Brighton. 
Mrs.  Christine  J.  Umano  -  from 

Bookmobile  I  to  Lower  Mills. 

Resignations 

Eleanor  L.  Jewett  -  Director's 
Office. 

Mrs.  Helen  M.  Smith  -  Central 
Charging  Records. 

Marcia  F.  Hale  -  Book  Stack  Ser- 
vice -  tote  married. 

Retirement 

Flora  A.  Ennis  -  Central  Charging 
Records,  retired  on  June  30, 
1955  after  fifty  years  of  ser- 
vice. 


Engagements 

Catherine  T.  Duffy,  Book  Selection 
(HR  &  CS),  to  Louis  R.  O'Halloran, 
Office  of  Division  of  Home  Read- 
ing and  Community  Services. 

Mary  J.  Brady,  Office  of  Division 
of  Reference  and  Research  Ser- 
vices, to  Mr.  Philip  F.  Frazier 
of  Newton. 

Births 

Mr,   and  Mrs.  Jose  de  Rivas-Micou  "■ 
of  New  York  City  announce  the  birth 
of  a  daughter,  Diana  Alexia  Eda,  on 
June  ^,  1955.  Mrs.  Rivas-Micoud  is 
the  former  Margaret  Macdonald  of 
the  Director's  office. 


I 
I 


Mr,  and  Mrs,  Artiur  J.  F.  Sullivan 
of  Corning,  New  York  have  announced 
the  birth  of  a  daughter,  Catherine 
Ann,  on  June  8,  1955.  Mrs.  Sulli- 
van is  the  former  Kele  n  Pappas  of 
the  Informati  on  Office. 

Mr.  and  Mrs,  Robert  F.  Cronin 
have  announced  the  birth  of  a  son, 
Robert  Francis,  Jr.,  on  May  25,     , 
1955.   Mrs.  Cronin  is  a  former      ■ 
part-time  member  of  the  Information 
Office  staff. 


Mr,  and  Mrs.  Harry  Karpeles  an- 
nounce tte  birt  of  daughter  Ruth 
Sharon  on  Juie  16.  Mrs.  Karpeles 
is  the  former  Helen  Beeman  of 
Personnel, 

Mr.  and  Mrs,  Sidney  Weinberg 
announce  the  birth  of  a  daughter. 
Amy  on  June  3  ,  Mr.  Weinberg  is 
a  member  of  the  Patent  Room  staff, 

VISITORS 

Mr.  S.  Ramabhadran,  Delhi,  India, 

Mr.  S.  Das  Gupta,  Delhi,  India. 

Mr.  K.  R.  Desai,  Ahme  Sabad,  India. 

Mr.  S.  Bashiruddin,  Delhi,  India. 

Dr.  B.  V.  R.  Rao,  Bangalore,  India. 

Mr.  A.  N.  Sharma,  Delhi,  India. 


I 


VISITORS   (cont.) 

Dr.  Jose  Moncado  Foreno,  Caracas, 
Venezuela. 

Mr.  D.  C.  Sarkar,  Hawrah,  India. 

Mr.  p.  C.  Bose,  West  Bengal,  India 

Fr.  J.  s.  Anand,  TTew  Delhi,  India. 

Fr.  B.    C.   Eanerjea,')fest"  Bengal  5    ]hdia, 

Mr.  A.   Moid,   Karachi,    Pakistan. 

Kr.  No to  Soetardjo,   Djakarta, India 

prssid:^nt^s  hotss 

The  Staff  Organizations  Round 
Table  business  meeting  was  held  at 
Convention  Hall  at  8; 30  AM.^ifednesd^, 
July  6,  1955,  Frs.  Alpha  Myers  of 
the  Public  Library  of  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  presiding.   Present  as 
delegates  from  the  Professional 
Staff  Association  were  Harry 
Andrews,  John  M.  Carroll, Eli zab  eth 
Wright,  Veronica  Yotts  and  Louis 
Rains. 

After  the  reports  of  the 
officers  and  connnittees  were  read 
and  accepted  there  was  a  general 
discussion  of  two  proposed  amend- 
ments to  the  SORT  constitution. 
The  first  of  these  would  extend  the 
term  of  office  of  members  of  the 
Steering  Committee  to  three  years, 
with  these  members  being  elected 
each  year,  as  against  the  present 
two  year  term,  in  an  effort  to 
provide  experienced  leadership  and 
to  insure  continuity  of  activities. 
The  second  proposed  amendment  would 
enable  the  Steering  Committee  to 
request  the  resignation  of  any  of 
its  members  who,  six  months  after 
election,  would  not  or  could  not 
accept  the  responsibilities  and 
duties  of  office.   The  Executive 
Board  of  the  BPLSA  had  considered 
these  two  amendments  at  the  June 
meeting  and,  considering  them  to 
have  merit  and  logic,  had  instructed 
the  delegates  to  vote  yes  or  both. 
The  adoption  and  rejection  of  these 
amendments  will  have  to  vrait  on 
receipt  of  mailed  ballotts. 


The  next  order  of  business 
was  the  election  of  six  new  members 
to  the  SORT  Steering  Somraittee. 
The  successful  candidates  were 
Le  Moyne  W.  Anderson  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  Library, 
Marion  B.  Appleton  of  the  Seattle 
Public  Library,  Ruth  a.  Brennan  of 
the  St.  Louis  Public  Library, 
Dorothy  L.  Day  of  the  Louisville 
Public  Library,  ^argaret  L.  Jacobs 
of  Enoch  Pratt  Free  Library,  and 
Helen  J.  Maunu  of  the  Cleveland 
Public  Library. 

Of  the  staff  associations 
represented  at  this  meeting  only 
_.  four,  including  Boston,  had  a  dele- 
gate whose  expenses  had  been  paid 
wholly  or  partially  from  funds  made 
available  by  the  Trustees  of  the 
libraries. 

The  program  meeting  of  SORT 
was  held  on  Thursday,  July  7,  at 
2  s  30  PJI.   The  featured  speaker  was 
Mr.  William  T.  O'Rourke,  Buffalo 
and  Erie  County  Public  Library,  who 
spoke  on  employee  participation  in 
administration,  Mr.  0 'Rourke 's 
talk  was  friendly,  amusing, and 
informative.   The  gist  of  Hr. 
©•Rourke '3  talk  was  that  there  can- 
not be  too  much  democracy  in  staff- 
administration  relationships.  Mr, 
O'Rourke  also  stated  that  he 
received  the  same  impression  from 
his  participation  in  a  group  discus- 
sion at  the  pre-conference  meeting 
of  the  personnel  Administration 
Workshop.  Another  gentleman  who  had 
attended  the  workshop  stated  that 
he  had  not  received  the  same  impres- 
sion.  Still  another  gentleman  rose 
to  state  that  he  agreed  with  Mr. 
0 'Rourke 's  statement . 

Following  Mr.  0 'Rourke 's  talk 
was  a  panel  discussion  during  which 
administration-staff  relationships 
in  libraries  of  various  sizes  was 
discussed.    The  gist  of  the  discus- 
sion was  that  the  staff  should  be 
consulted  by  the  administrators  on 
matters  of  mutual  concern,  and  that 
the  staff  should  be  kept  informed 
of  policies  and  objectives. 

During  the  conference  I  had 
the  opportunity  to  talk  to  many 
people  who  were  interested  in  staff 
organizations.   The  one  question 
that  was  most  frequently  asked  was 
"Does  the  Boston  Public  Library 


professional  Staff  Association  linit 
its  membership  to  profess ionel  lilo- 
rarians?"   The  best  answer  I  could 
think  of  was  that  the  word  "Pro- 
fessional-' in  our  name  was  more 
descri'^tive  of  our  aims  than  of 
limit£tions  in  eligibility  for 
membership. 


Flora  A.  Bnnis 

On  June  21,1955,  after  more  thj:.n 
fifty  yerrs  in  the  library's  service, 
jFlora  A.  Ennis  walked  out  of  the 
jBoston  Public  Library  a  free  womrn. 
j   For  most  of  those  fifty  years 
Miss  Ennis  held  the  position  of 


in  an  effcrt  to  learn  how  other  ipine  Clerk  in  charge  of  mail  work 


staff  associations  functioned  and 
OToerated  I  tried  to  ask  the  people 
I  met  some  appropriate  questions. 
Almost  invariably  the  tables  were 
turned  and  I  found  myself  answer  ing 
questions.   I  was  forced  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  for  this  is 
because  we  are  considered  to  be 
among  the  leading  and  most  progressive 


for  the  (then)  Reference  Division, 
performing  her  duties  with  the  care 
and  attention  to  detail  that 
character:" zee  everything  she  does. 
Anyone  who  has  watched  her  work  can 
rwell  believe  that  fewer  books  were 
'.kept  overdue  in  her  day  for,  when 
jaroueed,  the  baleful  eye  with  which 
iShe  fixed  the  erring  public  struck 


« 


of   the  staff  organizations  and  that  jterror     to      the   strongest  heart, 
others   looktousfor  guidance   and  iThat  cool,    questioning  glance,    so 

leadership.      In  the   light   of   this   Ijfamiliar   to  public   and  staff  has 


suggest   that  we   should  re-appr- is e 
ourselves   rather  frequently  to 
insure  that  this  position  of  leadership 
vrhich  we  must  have   earned    in  the 
past    is   erjually  merited   in  the 
future , 

Louis  Rains 
President 


On  May  4,  seventy-five  friends  of 
Miss  Flanagan  honored  her  at  a  luncheon 
at  the  Hotel  Vendome.  Mrs.  Ada  A.  Andelman, 
Supervisor  in  the  Division  of  Home  Reading 
and  Community  Services  , reminisced  most 
pleasantly  of  early  work  ing  days  she 
lad  shared  w ith  the  guesc  of  honor.    John  J . 
ConnoUy ,  As  sistant  to  the  Directcr  and 
Chief  Executive  Off icer,  presented 
Miss  Flanagan  a  billfold  containing  a 
tangible   expression  of  apprecia-tion  for 
her   long  and  fruitful  years  of  service  for 
the   library  from  her  marty frie  nds 
throughout   the   system. 

Sharing   the  festive   occasion  were 
several  BPL  alumni  who  were  wel- 
comed cordially:  Kisses  M.   Florence 
Cuff 1 in,   Ethel  M.   Hazlewood,  Alice 
M.   Jordan,    Clara  L.  Maxwell,  Mar^iet 
I.  McGovern,   Katherine  S.   Rogan, 
Elizabeth  P.   Ross,  Mary  M.   Sullivan 
Rebecca  E.  Willis,  Margaret  C. 
Donaghue,   and  Messers.    Chester  A. 
S.  Fazakas  and  William  F.    Q,uinn. 


jpassed  but   the   insouciant  smile 
ithat  always  followed   it  remains, 
surviving  numberless    "lost  "book" 
reports,    "found  lost  book"  reports, 
and  the   thousands  of  fines  sentenced 
upon  a  reluctant  public. 

A  perfectionist  with  a  sense   of 
humor,   concientious  without  being 
boring.  Miss  Ennis  will  always  be 
remembered  with  affection  by  the 
people  who  worked  with  her. 

On  June   21,1955,   Flora  A.  Ennis 
walked  out  of  the  Boston  Public 
Library  a  free  woman  and  when  she 
did  the  library  lost  an  outstanding 
personality.      It     will  probably 
survive  but   it  will  never  be  the 
same. 


I 


< 


On  Thursday  morning,  June  16, 
one   of  the  most  pleasant  affairs    . 
of  the  year  took  place.  A  coffee 
hour  was  given  in  the  Ladies' 
Lounge  in  honor  of  Flora  A.  Ennis 
who  retired  June  30,   The  coffee 
(ma,de  by  Mrs.  Keswick  of  Branch 
Issue)  was  delicious  and  all  manner 
of  via-nds  made  their  aT?pearance- 
and  disapp-^arance,  since  the  several 
varieties  of  doughnuts  and  bread 
were  very  popular  with  the  guests. 
The  guest  of  honor  looked  even  more 
charming  than  usual  as  she  received 
the  good  wishes  of  her  many  friends 
on  the  present  staff  of  the  library 


and  many  other  former  staff  members 
who  csme  in  esr^ecially  to  see  her. 
The  staff's  gift  of  money, in  a 
T^hite  billfold  inscribed  with  her 
name,  ttos  presented  by  Mr.  Carroll, 
whose  presentation  speech  couldn't 
have  been  more  fitting  or 
appropriate.  Those  present  agreed 
that  it  was  a  wonderful  party  for 
a  wonderful  person  ,  and  as  Miss 
Snnis  accepted  in  her  usual 
gracious  style  the  re  eated  good 
wishes  of  her  friends,  the  party  - 
ended  ^^ith  everyone  concerned 
feeling  -Dleesed  with  themselves. 
The  comrrittee  in  char  e  of  this 
affair  did  a.  wonderful  job  and 
deserve  congrc tuletions. 

Central  Charging  Records 

The  staff  of  Central  Charging 
Records  has  received  some  inter- 
esting letters  from  Katharine 
LaBonte  yilliams,  who  is  travelling 
in  Europe  with  her  soldier  htsband. 

Kty  flew  from  Logan  Airport  on 
May  27th  with  the  bert  wishes  of 
all  her  friends  at  CCR.  Prior  to 
her  departure,  a  luncheon  was  held 
at  the  Copley  Plaza  and  the  staff 
presented  her  with  an  attractive 
blouse. 


Kirstein  Business  Branch 

On  June  24,  three  members  of 
the  staff  at  Kirstein  Business 
Branch  attended  the  ordination  of 
a  former  staff  member,  Frederick 
Powers,  in  Providence,  Rhode 
Island.   The  morning  ceremony  took 
place  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John 
(Episcopal).  After  the  ceremony, 
the  staff  members  took  advantage 
of  the  opportunity  to  greet  Rev. 
Powers.   On  July  1  Rev.  Powers 
took  up  his  duties  as  curate  at 
Trinity  Church,  Newport,  Rhode 
Island. 


ALA  PRAISES gM 

This  year,  as  usual,  copies  of 
qjj  were  passed  out  at  the  ALA  Con- 
vention and  all  readers  praised  it 
highly  and  sent  conrrptulations  to 
the  BPLSA. 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap 
Box  must  be  accompanied  by  the 
?uTl  name  of  the  Association  mem- 
ber submitting  it,  together  with 
the  name  of  the  Branch  Library, 
Department  or  Office  in  which  he 
or  she  is  employed.   The  name  is 
withheld  from  publication,  or  a 
pen  name  used,  if  the  contributor 
so  requests,  Anonyroous  contri- 
butions are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known 
only  to  the  Editor-in-Chief.   The 
contents  of  the  articles  appearing 
in  the  Soa£  Box  are  personal 
opinions  expressed  by  individual 
Association  members  and  their 
appearance  does  not  necessarily 
indicate  that  the  Publications 
Committee  and  the  Association  are 
in  agreement  with  the  views 
expressed.   Only  those  contributions 
containing  not  more  than  300  words 
will  be  accepted. 


To  the  Soap  Bo3c; 

At  the  recent  convention  in 
Philadelphia  many  of   the  speeches 
were  original  and  inspiring,  pro- 
voked thought  and  started  discus- 
sions. But  inevitably  there  were 
others  that  were  pedestrian,  over- 
long,  and  dull.  Such  speeches  do 
violence  to  your  mouth  muscles  at 
the  time  you  hear  them,  and  the 
memory  of  them  when  you  get  back 
to  your  hotel  room  causes  the  pen 
to  indite  a  short  ode  on: 
BOREDOM 

Nor  Death,  nor  plagues,  nor  war 
Can  outfight  this  Western  disease. 


6 

It  grinds  the  spirit  into  soft  decay, 
And  hurls  our  topmost  pride. 
Civilization, 
Into  the  crushing  arms  of  sinewy 

barbarism, 
^/hich  has  heard  from  Spengler 
That  our  decline  is  due, 
And  their  ascendancy, 

Harry  Andrews 

A.L.A.  CONFERENCE  HIGHLIGHTS 
1955 

The  7^th  annual  conference 
of  the  Arnerlcan  Library  Associa- 
tion was  held  this  year  at  Phila- 
delphia, from  July  3-9.  There 
were  approximately  4,000  regis- 
trants (twenty-six  from  BPL) . 

Convention  Hall,  happily  air- 
conditioned,  was  the  scene  of  most 
of  the  activities .  The  three  gen- 
eral sessions  and  most  of  the 
other  meetings  were  held  here,  and 
the  exhibits  booths,  numbering 
over  a  hundred  were  set  up  in  the 
basement  of  the  building — publish- 
ers and  library  equipment  and  . 
supplies  manufacturers  offering 
the  latest  in  books  and  furnishings 
for  libraries . 

John  S.  Richards,  Director 
of  the  Seattle  Public  Library  who 
had  served  as  First  Vice-President 
and  President-Elect  in  195^-55 
succeeded  retiring  President 
L.  Quincy  Mumford. 

The  three  general  sessions 
were  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Fri- 
day evenings .   These  were  devoted 
to  the  main  theme  of  the  Confer- 
ence -  Libraries  in  the  Life  of 
the  Nation.   Speakers  at  the  three 
sessions  were  the  Hon.  George  V. 
Allen,  Assistant  Secretary  of 
State;  Victor  Reuther  of  the  C.I.O.; 
John  A.  Stephens,  Vice  President 
of  U.  S.  Steel;  and  Jonathan  W. 
Daniels,  North  Carolina  editor. 
Each"  spoke  of  the  Importance  of 
libraries  to  his  own  particular 
cphere  of  activity  -  to  the  Nation, 
to  Labor,  to  Business  and  to  the 
Rural  Areas . 

The  other  meetings  and  dis- 
cussions generally  were  held  at 
tLe  Convention  Hall,  at  Philadel- 
phia hotels  and  at  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania . 


It  is  hoped  that  some  of  the 
staff  members  who  were  in  attend- 
ance at  the  A.L.A.  Conference  and 
hwo  want  to  pass  along  news  on  cer- 
tain developments  will  write  them 
up  for  use  in  August's  QM,  as  has 
been  done  in  recent  years.   Time 
hardly  permits  such  coverage  in 
the  July  issue . 

The  Conference  next  year  will 
be  held  at  Miami  Beach,  Florida. 
.This  seems  a  wondrous  move  in  view 
of  the  fearsome  temperature  at 
northerly  Philadelphia  this  summer 
But  air-conditioning  and  the  cool 
ocean  will  no  doubt  help  a  great 
dea3  . 

The  theme  of  A.L.A. 's  meet- 
ing this  year  may  have  been  Llb- 
raries  in  the  Life  of  the  Nation, 
but  the  main  topic  of  conversation 
was  the  HEAT  I 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


AUGUST  1955 


I 


THE     q  U  E  S   T   I  0  il     MAR  K 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 


Volume  X,   Number  8 


Au-ust  1955 


IVolications  Committee:  John  J,  Hallahan,  Sheila  '.J,   Pierce,  B.  Gertrude  'Tade, 

Robert  C»  'oodvra.rd,  John  ilcCafferty,  Chairman. 


Publication  date; 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  submitting  material 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  NOTES 

The  July  Editor's  liotes   contained  certain  emotional  remarks  about  registration 
and  the   charging  of  books  hereabouts.     "We   planned  to   go  on  in  this  -vein, if  interest 
seemed  to  lliarrant  it,  but  found  that  what  conment  there  vras  -  none   of  it  written,    in- 
cidentally, but  only  offered  in  passing-   cane  entirely  from  people  who  do  not  work  in 
those  departments  most  vitally  concerned  with  this  matter.     \le  hoped  tliat  some   of  the 
people  from  Central  Charging  Records,   for  example,  might  have   something  to  say.     But 
they  did  not,   and  we  feel  that  perhaps  vte  should  abandon  further  attention  to  this 
problem  until,    or  unless,    it  seems  to  bother  somebody. 

********** 

Summer  time,  ajid  the  living  is  easy  -  except  when  you  have  to  make  up  an  issue 
of  the  Question  Mark  from  such  a  pitiably  small  body  of  contributions  as  has  trickled 
in  this  month,  lie  are  forced  to  do  everything  but  write  our  own  letters  to  the  Soap 
Box  in  order  to  fatten  up  this  issue.  We  realize  that  vacations  and  the  terrible 
heat  and  oomplaoency  all  conspire  to  cut  into  our  pep,  but  we've  hoped  for  more  co- 
operation.  It  almost  gives  us  the  idea  that  the  staff  is  not  interested  -  something 
we'd  rather  die  them  admit.  So,  staff  representatives,  send  us  your  gossip;  poets, 
send  us  your  verse;  the  welcome  mat  is  out.  Please  help  us*  lie  are  trying  to  give 
you  an  interesting  and  entertaining  staff  publication.  Your  contributions  are  not 
merely  desirable  -  they  are  essential I 


\'fe   could  call  this  item  "Hot  News  from  Some  of  the  Branches",  for  it  seems  that 
at  a  recent  meeting  in  Central  the  talk  got  around  to,  of  all  things,  the  heat,  and 
it  was  pointed  out  that  in  several  of  the  Branch  Libraries  there  are  no  refrigerators, 
This  news,  coupled  with  the  navf  historic  fact  that  this  sunmer  has  been  the  hottest 
in  Boston's  history,  prompts  the  suggestion  that  money  be  found  somewhere  for  the 
purchase  of  these  needed  refrigerators,  which  must  seriously  be  considered  necessairy 
in  places  where  people  bring  lunches  to  work. 


lERSONAL  lOTES 


Hew  Employees 

Virginia  A.  Dalton  -  Central  Charging 

Records  (formerly  of  Central  Charging 

Re  CO  r  d#,  part - 1  ime ) 
Evelyn  1-..  DeBassio  -  Book  Stack  Service. 
Paul  J.  Delahanty  -  Hyde  Park  Branch 

Library  (formerly  part-time.  Branch 

Issue  Department) 
Rita  A.  Farina  -  Hospital  Library  Service. 


Uarie  T.  Hutchinson  -  Brighton  Brauich. 

Barbara  A.  Jordan  -  Cataloging  c:  Classi- 
fication Department,  Division  of  Refer- 
ence and  Research  Services  (formerly 
part-time  in  this  Department) 

William  J.  Lee  -  Kirstein  Business  Branch 

Sebastian  C.  Lima  -  Book  Preparation  De- 
partment (formerly  part-time  Cataloging 
and  Classification  Department,  Divisiom 
of  Home  Reading  and  Community  Services) 

Richard  E.  Lyons  -  Open  Shelf  Department 
(fomerly  part-time) 

Gerard  J.  liahoney  -  Central  Cliarging  Records 


New  Employees  (Continued) 

Joan  P.  I'brris  -  Science  and  Technologr 
Department  (formerly  of  Book  Stack 
Service) 

David  F.  iiorrissey  -  Book  Pxirchasing  De- 
partment (formerly  part-time.  Branch 
Issue  Department) 

Patricia  II.  Holaji  -  Book  Preparation  De- 
partment. 

ilrs.  Sadie  u»  Rotondo  -  Codman  Square 
Branch  Library  (formerly  part-time. 
Bookmobile  II. 

Francis  11.  Taylor  -  Open  Shelf  Department 
(formerly  part-time  Catal going  and 
Classification  Department,  Division  of 
lieference  and  Research  Services) 

Transferred 

Mrs.  Rosemary  D.  Colarusso  -  from  Tfashing- 

ton  Village  Branch  Library  to  School 

Issue  Department) 
Mrs.  JMrgaret  W.  Haverty  -  from  Jamaica 

Plain  Branch  Library  to  Brighton  Branch. 
Mrs.  Patricia  C.  Iseman  -  Brighton  Branch 

Library  to  Jamaica  Plain  Branch  Library. 

Resignations 

Mrs.  Janice  G,  Hunt  -  Office,  Division  of 

Home  Reading  and  Community  Services  - 

to  remain  at  home. 
Anne  D.  liason  -  Uphams  Corner  Branch 

Library* 
lSrs»   Patricia  A.  Norton  -  Book  Preparation 

Department  »  to  remain  at  home. 


-2" 


Margaret  M.  Sarsfield-Central  Charging  Rec, 
IN  lElDRIAIvI 


Richard  F.  Regan  -  Central  Charging  Record^. over  the  years  that  -^ade  it  possible  for 

her  to  perform  v;onders  in  the  eyes  of  the 
staff  and  the  public. 

3|:   *   *   * 
To  all  who  knev;-  Miss  Rogers,  her  death 
cane  as  a  shock  because  she  alv;ays  had  a 
certain  aiora  of  strength  and  indestructa- 
bility  about  her.  Several  members  of  the 
staff,  when  told  of  her  death,  remarked 
that  th^had  seen  her  only  last  vxeek,  or 
last  month,  and  said  that  she  did  not 
seem  to  have  chanred  a  bit  since  her 
retirement. 

At  her  funeral  at  the  church  of  Our 
Lady  of  Victories,  Saturday,  August  13, 
a  large  number  of  her  friends,  including 
msiny  members  past  and  present  of  the 
Library  Staff  paid  their  final  respects 
to  liiss  Rogers. 


Miss  A.  Frances  Rogers 

On  Ifcnday  August  7,  1955,  Iliss  A.  FVances 
Rogers,  Chief  of  the  Registration  Depart- 
ment, Emeritus,  died  at  the  Pioneer  Hotel. 
We  can  think  of  no  more  fitting  memorial 
than  to  repeat  now  the  remarks  made  by  her 
long-time  friend  and  associate  I'5arie  E. 
Mulvaney,  on  the  occasion,  a  little  more 
than  four  years  ago,  of  Miss  Roger's 

retirement. 

*     *     *     * 

On  Tuesday,  I&rch  27,  1951,  Ifiss  A. 
Frances  Rogers,  Chief  of  the  Ret;istra'cion 
Department,  left  her  desl:  to  join  those 
l"oriiii=ir  members  of  the  staff  v/ho,  after 
years  of  unstinted  devotion  to  duty  are 
nov7  enjoying  the  leisure  and  freedom  of 
retireutoiil^.   Hn*-  plnnr-  ho-A  V«5on.  rrw-de. 


Quietly,  as  was  characteristic  of  her. 
Hovrever,  this  in  no  degree  lessened  the 
deep  feeling  of  regret  her  retirement 
caused  those  whose  work  had  brought  them 
in  contact  i/ith  her.  They  laiev/  well  that 
they  would  iuiss  her  not  only  as  a  person, 
but  also  as  a  most  skilled  administrator 
of  her  conplex  department,  v/ith  its  con- 
stant revision  of  records  and  flovf  of  in- 
formation back  and  forth  betv/een  every 
charging  unit  in  the  system.  Her  ovm.  I 

departmental  staff  Imeiv  that  in  her  they 
had  lost  a  "boss"  Vfho  didn't  depend  on 
bossing  to  run   her  departrient,  but  who 
kept  their  v/ell-being  constantly  in  mind, 
who  concerned  herself  with  their  problems, 
and  shared  their  vxork  load  iTith  then. 

Miss  Rogers  entered  the  service  of  the 
Library  on  Noveiiber  27,  1903.  She  vrorked 
briefly  in  the  Book  Stack  Service,  then 
kno\.'n  as  the  Issue  Department,  and  Treis 
soon  transferred  to  the  Registration  De- 
partment, vrhere  she  became  First  Assist- 
ant in  1911.   In  1920  she  was  appointed 
Chief  of  the  Department. 

As  Assistont-in-C  hargc  of  the  Registra- 
tion Department  in  1919,  Hiss  Rogers 
handled  the  details  of  the  last  complete 
re-re  istration  of  card-holders.  Wlien  slie 
joined  the  Department  it  had  a  staff  of 
five.   In  1951,  it  had  grown  to  eleven. 
Her  kno\7ledge  of  Boston  geography,  her 
phenomenal  abiblity  to  decipher  handv/ri- 
ting,  and  her  patient  unscrambling  of 
complicated  name  changes,  charging  errors, 
£ind  duplicate  registration  records  were 
but  a  few  of  the  talents  she  had  developed 


1 


f 


I 


After  ten  years  in  the  library's  service, 
Margaret  M.  Sarsfield  resigned  from  Central 
Charging  Records  on  July  12  to  enter  a 
convent  of  the  Dominican  Order. 


Irs.  IJi-y  iiy&n 


-3- 


On  August  4  ;irs.  lary  R\-an  died  of  a 
coronary  thrombosis  at  the  Ilarley  Hospital, 
\"diere  she  vras  recuperating  fron  an 
operation.  Her  sudden  death  cane  as  a 
great  shock  to  her  iiio.ny  friends. 

For  the  past  ten  years  i'rs.  Ryan  had 
been  employed  in  the  Buildings  Departrant, 
and  for  the  past  fev/  years  she  presided 
over  the  Ladies'  Lunch  Room.  Her  pleasant 
smile  and  cheerful  handling  of  the  aany 
emergencies  which  occur  in  the  lunch  room 
has  long  made  her  a  favorite  vdth  the 
staff.  Its.  Ryan  v,t.11  be  sorely  missed  by 
all  who  knew  her.  ^e  extend  the  condol- 
ances  of  the  staff  to  her  family  in  their 
great  loss. 

PRSSIDISIT'S  IIOTZS 

The  August  doldrums  appear  to  have 
cau^t  up  v;ith  us  vrith  the  result  that 
there  seens  to  be  nothing  to  report  this 
month.  Eovrever,  there  is  something,  as 
yet  unofficial,  you  may  vn.sh  to  think  about 
and,  if  you  have  any  ideas  and  sug^jestions, 
tell  us  about  them.   It  has  been  sur^ested 
that  the  Staff  Association  sponsor  an 
institute  on  improving  reading  speeds  and 
correcting  reading  faults.   It  appears  at 
this  time  that  such  a  program  would  have 
to  be  paid  for  by  the  individuals  partici- 
pating! So,  please,  if  you  are  interested 
let  us  knov;,  and  if  there  appears  to  be 
sufficient  enthusiasm  for  such  an  institute 
it  may  be  possible  to  have  a  special 
meeting  of  the  Executive  Board  to  take 
action  on  the  natter.  Just  to  keep  the 
record  straight,  we  did  try  to  call  a 
special  meeting  of  the  Executive  Board  to 
consider  the  suggestion  but  v;hat  with 
vacations,  illness  etc.  it  was  not  possible 
to  roxind  up  a  quorum. 

Louis  Rains 

BIRTHS 

I5r,   and  I  Irs.  Cliarles  F.  Kinne  (the  for- 
mer Anne  E.  I  McCarthy  of  the  South  Boston 
Branch)  announce  the  birth  of  a  daughter, 
Anne  Louise,  born  July  13,1955. 

llr.  and  ::rs.  Paul  Conlon  announce  the 
birth  of  a  daughter  on  Aug.8,1955. 
Irs.  Conlon  is  the  former  /ildred  Frances 
of  the  Business  Office. 

Mr,  and  Vjrs,   7rederic  Casey  announce 
the  birth  of  a  son,  Thomas  Zdnvmd,  on 
July  21  iii  lioplrLns^ille,  Ky. 


"li's.  Casey  is  the  foi-mer  Rita  Doherty  of 
Book  Preparation. 


FRDIT  DBPARTLEITT 

The  follovfing  excerpt  of  a  letter  from 
the  Director  of  the  United  States  Infor- 
mation Agency  (USIA)  in  '•ashington  which 
was  received  by  ir.  Arthur  "T.  Heintzelmar , 
Keeper  of  Prints,  should  be  of  interest 
as  well  as  cause  for  pride  to  3PL  staff 
members. 

"Dear  li*.  Ueintzelman: 

... 

Your  work  in  bringing  together 
European  and  American  artists,  organiz- 
ing exhibitions  here  and  abroad  is  a 
sound  approach  to  international  friend- 
ship and  undr;rstanding. 

One  of  the  continuing  Communist 
themes  is  that  America  has  no  culture. 
The  exchange  and  exhibition  of  prints 
and  other  similar  projects  carried  on  by 
the  Boston  Public  Library  are  important 
projects  that  counter  such  distortions 
of  our  cultural  heritage. 

Thanlc  you  again  for  your  co- 
operation and  your  continuing  interest 
in  tV.e   vrorh  of  the  U.S.  Information 
Agency. 

Sincerely  yours, 

(signed)   Theodore  C.  Streibert 
Director 

CAT  XOC-  DEFT.  (R  6  RS) 
Travel  llotes 

Miss  I'inna  Steinberg,  serials  catalog- 
er  in  the  Reference  and  Research  Catalog 
Department,  left  ilew  York  by  plane  on 
July  6th  for  a  nine  weeks'  tour  of  Europe 
and  the  Hear  East.  Hiss  Steinberg  vras 
accompanied  by  I.iss  Fannie  Goldstein  of 
•tiie  iiest  End  Branch. 


liiss  Esther  Jalonen  of  the  Reference  and 
Research  Catalog  Departnent  sailed  from 
Boston  on  the  steamer  Few  York  on  June 
25th,  for  a  five  weeks'  tour  of  England, 
Scandanavia  and  Finland. 


-u- 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box 
must  be  accompanied  by  the  full  name "of 
the  Association  member  submitting  it, 
together  vri.th  the  name  of  the  Branch 
Library,  Department  or  Office  in  which  he 
or  she  is  emplosed.  The  name  is  vn.thheld 
from  publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if 
the  contributor  so  requests.  Anoia;Tnous 
contributions  are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  knoim  only  to 
the  Editor-in-Chief.  The  ocontents  of  the 
articles  appearijig  in  the  Soap  Box  are 
personal  opinions  expres^ed^by  individual 
Association  members  and  their  appearance 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  that  the 
Publications  Committee  and  the  Association 
are  in  agreement  with  the  views  expressed. 
Only  those  contributions  containing  not 
raore  than  300  words  will  be  accepted. 


Dear  Editor: 

Rumor,  that  ugly-tongued  hag, 
has  it  that  a  chief  has  already  been 
selected  from  outside  the  institution  to 
fill  a  vacancy  as  head  of  one  of  our 
specialized  departments.  I  hope  it's  not 
true.  Not  that  I  have  any  objection  to 
the  infusion  of  new  blood.  We're  not  as 
inbred  as  all  that.  But  this  pacticular 
position  has  not  jjet  been  announced  as 
open  to  competition.   (July  1  and  all  that 
you  know.) 

I  would  hate  to  think  that  the 
competition  from  outside  the  library  was 
mire   generously  treated  than  that  inside. 
li/hich  brings  to  mind  a  sore  point.  In  any 
otiier  libraiy  that  has  competitive  examin- 
ations, e.g.,  Philadelphia,  all  persons 
a^, flying  for  a  position,  whether  from  in- 
£.-lC3  or  out,  are  subject  to  the  examin- 
f.  Lion  requirement.  But  in  this  institu- 
tion, if  I  read  ^^j^  promotional  qualifi- 


cations aright,  a  person  from  outside  may 
be  equated  by  experience,  (as  if  any 
experience  outside  could  ever  be  the 
equal  of  the  rich  experience  of  working 
for  this  institution)  without  an  exam 
while  someone  from  inside  is  subject  to 
the  exam. 

In  other  words,  if  a  member  of  the 
staff  were  to  resign,  walk  down  the 
street,  turn  his  hat  around  and  come  in 
and  apply,  he  might  very  well,  on  the 
basis  of  experience,  qualify  without  an 
exam  for  a  position,  which,  if  he  had 
remained,  he  could  only  qualify  for  by 
taking  an  exam. 

This  is  patently  ridiculous  and  it 
would  seem  that  the  only  intelligent 
solution  is  to  ask  the  incoming  appli- 
cant to  submit  to  the  same  examination 
procedure  as  those  already  on  the  staff. 

THE  OWL  CRITIC 


To  the  Soap  Boxt 

Gripes  about  the  food  served  in  the 
coffee  shop  are  heard  continually  around 
the  library'-.  Of  course,  if  one  doesn't 
like  eating  therein,  one  can  always  go 
elsewhere,  but  it  really  is  convenient 
having  our  own  cafeteria  right  in  the 
building.  Assuming  that  the  coffee  shop 
personnel  are  doing  their  best  and  that 
their  best  just  isn't  very  good,  I 
suggest  that  a  committee  be  appointed, 
composed  of  staff  members  who  have 
knowledge  of  food  preparation  and  of  how 
food  should  taste,  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  advice  and  counsel  to  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  coffee  shop. 


GASTRITIS 


To  the  Soap  Box; 


V/hat  do  the  editors  of  the  Question 
Mark  mean  by  criticizing  the  BPL  charg- 
ing system?  Arn't  they  aware  that  the 
Trustees  of  the  library  spent  hundreds 
of  dollars  sending  several  high-ranking 
members  of  the  staff  on  a  junket  to  out- 
of -State  libraries  in  order  to  observe 
and  to  assimilate  their  new  methods,  and 
thousands  of  dollars  putting  their  ideas 
into  operation?  Do  they  imply  that  this 
.■■\ifaB   a  scandalous  waste  of  the  taxpayers' 
money?  Or  do  they  mean  to  suggest  that 
our  administration  is  riddled  with 
incompetence? 

There  is  nothing  wrong  with  our  new 
charging  system.  The  fault  lies  with 


the  people  who  operate  it.  There  is  noth- 
ing so  involved  or  complicated  about  the 
system  that  any  red-blooded,  average, 
American  genius  could  not  master  the  meth- 
od in  a  few  short  years  of  apprenticeship. 
The  mere  fact  that  there  are  more  unre- 
coverable books,  that  there  is  a  rapidly 
multiplying  file  marked  CONTROVERSIAL 
CASES  (CO  in  official  Jargon),  that  there 
is  a  rapidly  increasing  number  of  irate 
patrons,  that  there  are  more  gray  hairs  in 
the  departments  affected  by  tiie  system, 
does  not  constitute  a  ligitimate  case 
against  our  imposing  array  of  apparatus, 
files,  spools,  needles  and  riddled  cards, 
After  all,  missing  books  are  always  with 
us.  Furthermore,  with  the  overcrowdijig  of 
book  shelves  so  prevalent  throughout  the 
building,  the  system  seems  to  offer  a 
brilliant  solution.  We  can  certainly 
discount  that  old  recurring  nightmare  that 
has  everybody  returning  all  his  books  at 
the  same  time,  '  -~.  __ 

Do  the  bold  editors  have  a  ligitimate 
and  constructive  alternative  to  offer? 
Until  they  do  let  such  impudent  attacks 
be  silencedl  To  think  of  criticizing  this 
system  is  one  of  the  most  unheard-of  ideas 
I  have  ever  heard  of, 

Gooo,  Am  I  Indignant, 


To  the  Editor: 

Am't  the  new  lights  in  Bates  Hall 
facing  the  wrong  way?  Maybe  we  could 
hang  them  upside  down.  They  light  up  the 
ceiling  just  fine,  but  we're   still 
walking  around  in  the  dark. 


BLINDED 


To  the  Soap  Boxt 


Concratulations  to  the  editors 
of  QI.I,  V'e  in  the  Branches  would 
often  raiss  the  nev;s  of  births,  wed- 
dings and  the  conpiaints  at  Central 
if  we  dldn' t  have  the  Question  Mark 
coming  in  every  month.  And  these 
days  it  seems  to  be  mote  interest- 
ing than  ever. 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

I  often  wonder  as  I  pass 
through  the  vestibule  just  v;hat 
kind  of  person  Henry  Vane  was.  Die 
he,  in  real  life, prove  such  an 
"old  reliable"  as  he  is  in  his 


sculptured  state  to  the  many  who 
set  themselves  down  to  rest  upon 
the  base  of  his  statue?  I  have 
seen  old  ladies  and  old  men  d  t 
down  to  regain  their  breath,  tired 
girls  relaxing  with  their  shoes 
off,  little  children  (just  trying 
it  out)  and  once  a  dog  (don't 
know  his  reason) • 

Could  some  one  of  our  History 
majors,  v/ith  a  fev;  spare  moments, 
write  in  and  enlighten  me? 

An  Inquiring  Mind 


To  the  Soap  Box 

I  don't  knov;  how  the  Regis- 
tration system  v;orks  in  Central, 
but  in  my  branch  v/e  have  no 
quarrel  with  it,   I  suppose 
t^ere  is  room  for  dishonesty  in 
the  system  but  v^e  find  that  very 
few  members  of  the  public  take 
advantage  of  it.   And  we  find,  too 
that  it's  much  pleasanter  to  give 
a  borrov^er  a  temporary  card  than 
to  tell  him  he  must  v/ait  fifteen 
days  before  taking  out  one  book. 
Needless  to  say,  omt   patrons  like 
this  system,  too, 

I'm  sure  the  problems  others 
are  having  with  this  procedure 
will  straighten  out  in  time. 
After  all,  our  system  is  still 
young, 

HOPEFUL 


LATE  FLASH 

Mr.  and  LIrs.  Paul  Delahanty 
announce  the  birth  of  a  son, 
Robert  Paul,  born  August  17  at 
St,  Elizabeth's  Hospital. 

Mrs,  Delahanty  is  the 
former  Connie  V'ilson  of  Book 
Stack  Service,  Mr,  Delahanty  is 
the  Young  Adult  vjorker  at  Hyde 
Park  Branch, 


™ 


uestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


SEPTEMBER  1955 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 


Volume  X,  Number  9 


September  1955 


Publications  Committee i 


John  J,  Hallanan,  Sheila  W,  Pierce,  B.  Gertrude  Wade, 
Robert  C.  Woodward,  John  IfcCafferty,  Chairman, 


Publication  date: 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  submitting  material; 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  NOTES 

There  appeared  in  last  month's  issue  a  letter  which  many  staff  members  felt 
should  not  have  been  printed o  Perhaps  no  letter  in  any  Soap  Box  ever  caused  such  a 
violent  reaction.  Ihen  the  contribution  arrived  (after  the  Publications  Committee 
meeting)  the  first  reaction  was  to  put  off  inclusion,  on  one  pretext  or  another. 
In  discussing  the  matter,  however,  it  was  quite  properly  pointed  out  that  notwith- 
standing a  frankness  only  narrowly  falling  short  of  cruelty,  the  letter  still  repre- 
sented the  legitimate  opinion  of  a  dues-pi.ying  member  ani  could  not  be  disregarded. 
The  situation  was  extremely  ticklish,  and  we  hope  that  the  deciaion  arrived  at  (to 
print  Gastritis 's  letter)  may  be  looked  upon  kindly,  for  we  could  not  very  well  re- 
fuse to  accept  a  contribution  merely  because  we  did  not  agree  with  it. 

The  upshot  of  all  this  has  been  a  very  flood  of  !fe  tters  from  others  y^o  have 
flown  to  the  Coffee  Shop's  defense.  This  stout  support,  "Prtiich  vre  knew  would  come, 
made  a  little  easier  our  decision  to  let  Gastritis  speak.  Our  collective  generosity 
is  predictable,  you  know,  and  was  an  important  solace  in  last  month's  editorial 
agony. 

To  those  who  objected,  then,  our  apoliciesj  to  those  who  answered,  our  thanks. 
It  all  txirned  out  to  be  a  controversy,  didn't  it,  and  controversies  are  good, 
clean  fun.  This  month's  Soap  Box  may  seem  a  trifle  repetitious,  but  you'll  have  to 
admit  that  it's  good  and  indignant. 


PERSONAL  NOTES 


New  Employees 

John  E.  Alden,  Rare  Book 

Joan  M.  Biaiichi,  North  End 

Arden  M,  Brook,  Book  Stack  Service 

Jane  C,  Cohen,  West  Roxbury 

Mrs  Irenemarie  Ctillinane,  Washington 

Village 
Mrs  Donna  M,  Graves,  Personnel  Office 
Alice  G.  Hoag,  Adams  Street 
Audrey  V,  Jewell,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  (HR  and  CS) 
Maria  A.  Mechini,  Office  of  Records, 

Files,  Statistics 
Barbara  H»  Rogstad,  Uphams  Corner 
Clairanne  Wyman,  Char lest  own 

Transferred 

Mary  E,  Connor,  from  Brighton  to  Allston 


Married 


Ellen  M,  Murphy,  Book  Stack  Service,  to 
David  L,  MacDonald,  August  l5,  19SS 

Resignations 

Mrs  Phyllis  L,  Barclay,  Uphams  Corner, 

to  live  in  New  York 
Cornelia  W.  Dorgan,  Rare  Book,  to  continue 

studies  for  doctorate 
Isabelle  G.  Finn,  Charlestown,  to  enter 

book  store  business  in  Chestnut  Hill 
James  G»  Griffin,  Book  Stack  Service,  to 

accept  another  position 
ferbara  A.  Jordan,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  (R  and  RS),  to  return  to 

college 
Mrs  Helen  B.  Karpeles,  Personnel  Office, 

to  remain  at  home 
Iifrs  Anne  M.  Kinne,  South  Boston,  to 

remain  at  home 


-2- 


Faith  T»  Minton,  Book  Stack  Service,  to 

return  to  college 
Margaret  M.  Sarsfield,  Central  Charging 

Records,  to  enter  convent 

Births 

Arlene,  the  new  daughter  of  Mr  and  Mrs 
Harry  Murphy,  and  neice  of  Mrs  Rosemary 

Corcoran,  made  her  appearance  on 

August  17 •  Her  mother  is  the  former 

Kay  Melavin  tfurphy  of  the  Business  Office, 

Mr  and  Mrs  James  Kenneally  of  lliQl 
Washington  Street,  West  Newton,  became 
the  parents  of  a  son  en  September  5» 
Mrs.  Kenneally  was  Louise  Fogarty  and  a 
member  of  the  Washington  Village,  Uphams 
Corner,  and  Codman  Square  staffs  in  turn. 
The  new  member  of  the  Kenneally  family 
has  been  named  Stephen. 

A  son,  Harold  Gunnar,  was  born  on 
July  29,  to  Mr  and  Mrs  Harold  M.  Kelley  of 
Milton.  Mrs  Joyce  Kelley  was  formerly  an 
assistant  in  the  Cataloging  and  Classifi- 
cation Department  (R  and  RS).  The  Kelleys 
have  a  four-year-old  daughter,  Caroline. 

Engagement 

Miss  Elaine  Hanson  of  Kirstein  Business 
Branch  is  engaged  to  James  Raitt,  of 
Philadelphia,  Penn.  Mr  Raitt  is  a  student 
at  the  Harvard  Medical  School.  A  spring 
wedding  is  planned. 

VISITORS 
Miss  Furuzan  Olsen  of  Ankara,  Turkey 

On  Fullbright  Scholarships; 

Maria  Soledad  ?!§.,   Librarian,  Barcelona, 
Spain 

PalnQoa  Mouteii\3,  Geography  teacher, 
Brazil 

MRS  JAVELIN  TO  TORK  WITH  AIA 
Ifrs  Muriel  C.  Javelin,  Deputy  Supervisor, 
In  Charge  of  Work  vrith  Adults ,  has  been 
granted  a  one-year  •  leaw-Gf  abeanCefran  the 
Library  dating  from  September  1,  1955  in 
order  to  serve  as  one  of  two  Consultants 
on  the  A.L.A.  Library-Community  Project 
organized  recently  under  a  $200,000  grant 
from  the  Fund  for  Adult  Education. 

PRESIDENT'S  NOTES 

In  last  month's  issue  of  THE  QUESTION 
MARK  we  requested  an  expression  of  opinion 
from  the  membership  regarding  a  suggested 
Association  sponsorship  of  an  institute  on 
improving  reading  speeds  and  correcting 
reading  faults.  To  date  we  have  received 


but  one  response.  It  is  the  opinion  of 
the  Executive  Board  that  such  a  course 
coiild  be  considered  for  inclusion  in  the 
Training  Program. 

Mr.  William  Casey,  our  Treasurer, 
reports  that  the  Association  accepted  con- 
tributions to  the  American  Red  Cross  Flood 
Relief  Drive  in  the  amount  of  $386.50. 

The  Executive  Board  has  instructed  the 
President  to  write  to  the  Mayor  and  the 
City  Council  requesting  that  they  consider 
and  adopt  for  the  City  an  insurance  pro- 
gram similai"  to  the  one  recently  adopted 
by  the  Commonwealth  of  Jfessachusetts. 
It"  B,   Joseph  O'Neil,  Pensions  Committee, 
informs  us  that  the  bill  provides  that 
each  State  employee  may  obtain  contributo- 
ry group  life  insurance  for  $2,000, 
accident  insurance  for  $2,000,  and  hospi- 
talization, medical  and  surgical  insxirance 
by  paying  one-half  the  premium  with  the 
State  paying  the  other  one-half.  The 
details  of  the  bill  are  set  forth  in 
House  Bill  2980  ttiich  was  signed  into  law 
by  Governor  Herter  on  3  August,  and  forms 
Chapter  628  of  the  Laws  of  1955.  We  thank 
Mr  O'Neil  for  gathering  the  information 
and  passing  it  along  to  the  Executive 
Board. 

The  executive  Board  voted  that  the 
President  make  known  through  this  column 
that  they  go  on  record  as  being  quite  con- 
vinced that  the  Coffee  Shop  is  being 
operated  as  efficiently  as  is  possible 
under  existing  conditions.  The  remarks 
made  in  the  Soap  Box  in  last  month's  issue 
were  much  too  vague  to  permit  specific 
replies.  Catherine  JIacDonald,  Chairman 
of  the  Concession  Committee,  will  publish 
a  reply  stating  the  position  of  the 
Concession  Committee  in  this  matter  in  the 
Soap  Box  of  this  issue.  Miss  JIacDonald 
and  her  committee  enjoy  the  full  confi- 
dence and  support  of  the  Executive  Board. 

The  Library  Services  Act  is  due  to  reach 
the  floor  of  Congress  diiring  the  next 
session.  Members  are  urged  to  speak  to 
their  Congressmen  -w^iile  they  are  home  and 
ask  them  to  give  this  legislation  their 
active  support  when  it  comes  up  for  a  vote. 


LOUIS  RAINS 


EXHIBIT  DRAWS  PRAISE 
Bouquets  to  Mary  F.  Daly,  Statistical, 
and  George  Scully,  Exhibits  Office,  for 
their  respective  contributions  to  the 
excellent  exhibition  Business  in  a  free 
enterprise  economy  currently  on  display 


in  the  Main  Lobby  of  the  Central  Library 


building.  The  selection  of  materials, 
especially  that  i^lating  to  Historic  and 
notable  Boston  firms,  and  the  informative 
backgrounds,  carefully  designed,  demon- 
strate the  vast  amount  of  thought,  time, 
and  effort  these  two  persons  spent  in 
planning  and  assembling  the  exhibition. 

STAFF  f.ffiMBERS  ABROAD 

At  the  International  Congress  of  Librar- 
ies and  Documentation  Centers  to  be  held 
in  Brussels,  the  Boston  Public  Library 
will  be  represented  by  four  staff  meniers. 
They  also  represent  the  American  Library 
Association  according  to  a  letter  from 
David  H.  Clift,  Executive  Secretary,  who 
states  in  part,  "On  behalf  of  President 
Richards,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  inform 
you  of  your  appointment  as  an  official 
Representative  of  the  American  Library 
Association  to  the  International  Congress 
of  Libraries  and  Documentation  Centers  to 
be  held  in  Brussels  from  September  11  to 
18,  1955,  as  well  as  to  the  Third  Inter- 
national Congress  of  Libraries  to  be  held 
concurrently.  The  American  Library  Asso- 
ciation's Delegate  to  these  meetings  and 
the  head  of  the  Association's  delegation 
will  be  Douglas  W.  Bryant,  Chairman  of  the 
American  Library  Association  International 
Relations  Boards,"  The  Boston  Public 
Library  staff  members  attending  these 
meetings  are  Robert  P.  Giddings,  Music 
Cataloger,  Cataloging  and  Classification 
Department,  Division  of  Reference  and 
Research  Services j  Virginia  Haviland, 
Readers  Advisor  for  Children;  Jfergaret 
A,  Morgan,  Branch  Librarian;  and  Edna  G. 
Peck,  Chief  of  Book  Selection.  The  latter 
three  are  from  the  Division  of  Home 
Reading  Services. 

Following  the  Congress  in  Brussels, 
liiss  Haviland,  Miss  Morgan  and  Hiss  Peck 
will  go  on  to  the  International  Congress 
of  the  International  Board  on  Books  for 
Yoimg  People,  to  be  held  in  Vienna.  At 
both  Brussels  and  Vienna  Miss  Haviland 
officially  represents  the  Division  of 
Libraries  for  Children  and  Young  People 
of  the  Americcin  Library  Association.  At 
a  general  assembly  meeting  of  the  Vienna 
Congress,  on  September  23,  Miss  Haviland 
will  deliver  a  ]e  cture  on  The  Comic  book 
problem  in  the  United  States. 

Preceding  and  following  meetings  in 
Brussels  and  Vienna  the  ladies  expect  to 
do  a  bit  of  sight-seeing  in  varioiis 
European  countries.  Ifr.  Giddings  also  has 
plans  "to  enlarge  his  world  horizons." 


-3- 


CARE  FOOD  CRUSADE  PROGRAM 


The  Garo  Food  Crusade  Program  now  of- 
fers either  100  lbs.  (average)  of  food 
for  institutions,  or  17^  lbs.  (average) 
for  families  for  only  $1.00.  This  food 
is  government  surplus,  and  recipients  may 
not  be  designated.  The  CARE  Committee, 
however,  will  request  that  the  funds  be 
used  for  institutions  as  far  as  it  is 
possible,  in  countries  and  communities 
"vriaere  our  help  is  most  needed,  since  this 
will  put  our  money  to  the  greatest  possi- 
ble use.  It  is  hoped  that  everyone  vdio 
can  will  take  part  in  this  fine  program. 

SPECIAL  COmilTTEE  FOR  CARE 

MR  APPEL'S  ODDYSEY 

We  are  happy  to  present  in  this  month's 
QM  a  report  from  our  old  frient  Richard 
G.  Appel,  Chief  of  the  Music  Department, 
Emeritus,  and  more  recently,  extensive 
traveler.  These  notes  are  culled  from  a 
recent  Miter  to  the  Music  Department. 

Putney,  Vermont 
July  19,  1955 

We  returned  from  our  adventurous  and 
exciting  trip  last  Friday.  Nothing  we  saw 
out  west  was  as  gratifying  as  the  Vermont 
landscape.  More  unique,  yes,  and  more 
publicized,  but  also  more  commercialized. 
There  were  five  cars  with  four  or  five 
occupants  in  each  that  started  in  our 
cavalcade  on  Saturday,  June  11. 

The  trip  was  a  sudden  inspiration  occa- 
sioned by  an  announcement  by  Professor  C. 
Wroe  Wolfe  over  WGBH  that  a  few  vacancies 
existed  on  his  projected  geological  tour. 
A  few  major  hi^lights  of  the  U.S.  were 
the  goal  of  our  trip,  and  I  did  not  expect 
that  I>!rs  Appel  would  take  me  up  when  I 
jocularly  raised  the  question.  She  not 
only  took  me  up  but  actually  was  the  life 
of  the  party,  which  consisted  of  some 
undergraduates,  and  members  of  his  adult 
education  extension  courses. 

In  a  trip  of  some  8,000  miles,  spending 
thirty  nights  in  thirty  hotels,  motels,  or 
out-of-doors,  with  meals  mostly  by  the 
wayside,  our  cavalcade  made  newspaper 
fame,  when  one  car  got  detached  in  a 
traffic  mixp-up  but  was  reunited  with  us  by 
state  police  cooperation. 

After  reaching  Harrisburg,  we  proceeded 
through  the  seven  tunnels  through  the 
Pennsylvania  mountains  to  Pittsbxirgh 


-I'- 


(where  our  first  separation  occiirred)  to 
Zanesville,  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis, 
Columbia,  Mo.,  to  Denver  and  Boulder,  and 
to  the  Rocky  Mountain  National  Park,  Here 
•we  got  our  first  glimpse  of  snow-capped 
peaks.  From  here  we  went  south  to  Carls- 
bad Caverns.  An  air-conditioned  hotel 
Tjas  a  p]e  asant  respite  from  the  heat  of 
the  plains.  We  then  proceeded  to  the 
Petrified  Forest  and  Sand  Dunes,  and  to 
Iron  Canyon  with  its  astonishing  switch- 
tack  descent,  through  occasional  tunnels 
with  peep-holes  out  into  the  canyon » 

Next  we  went  to  Grand  Canyon  and  to 
Salt  lake  City  where  I  renewed  an  old 
acquaintance  with  Professor  David  Shand, 
who  once  assisted  us  in  the  Music  Depart- 
ment, Trtiile  he  was  acquiring  his  Doctor's 
degree  at  B.U.  He  has  become  an  important 
figure  in  the  musical  life  of  his  city  as 
a  successful  teacher  and  conductor,  H<3 
showed  us  some  of  the  important  buildiAgs 
and  entertained  us  in  his  handsome  home. 

Next,  to  Yellowstone,  with  its  freak 
fountains,  bears,  buffaloes  and  tourists, 
one  of  -whom,  I'm  told,  tried  to  get  a 
bear  into  his  front  seat  next  to  his  wife 
to  get  a  $6ii  picture.  One  bear  actually 
slapped  his  paw  into  our  ha  If -opened 
window  -  the  picture  of  our  frightened 
photographers  might  be  more  shocking  than 
that  of  the  bear.  Then  on  to  the  Snake 
River,  the  Black  Hills,  the  Bad  Lands 
with  their  unforgettable  sculptures, 
Minnehaha  Falls,  Minneapolis,  and  finally 
Niagara . 

Two  unforgettable  musical  experiences 
were  ours  -  one  was  hearing  the  singing 
of  the  birds  early  one  morning  in  a 
veritable  oasis  of  a  motel  whose  propri- 
etor, by  irrigating  the  place,  transformed 
it  with  trees  and  shru.bs  which  attracted 
songbirds  without  number.  The  other  •was 
the  music  in  the  bar  room  of  our  hotel, 
which  consisted  of  tvo  pianists  impro- 
vising on  a  piano  on  a  theme  without  a 
single  modulation  and  with  scarely  any 
variation.  This  was  the  lowest  experience 
we  had  in  a  trip  where  we  saw  peaks 
111, 000  feet  high  and  -where  we  crossed 
continental  divides  8,000  feet  high. 

The  only  non-geological  feature  vras  the 
Passion  Play  performed  at  Spearfish  in  a 
natural  outdoor  amphitheatre.  I  am 
haunted  not  so  much  by  the  vaunted  natural 
features  as  I  am  by  the  four  cathedral- 
like gas  stations  at  each  four-corners, 
where  the  purest  gasoline  is  dispensed 
by  the  most  courteous,  tall,  good-looking 
attendants  I  have  ever  encountered,  whose 


first  concern  is  to  clean  your  windshield 
and  then  fill  your  tank.  Soft  drinks 
left  our  lips  unslaked. 

For  tem.po  and  accent  the  Texan  is 
unmatched.  Friendliness  is  universal 
with  just  a  little  superiority  to  "Yankee 
lamin" . 

The  Library  staff  would  be  more  than 
gratified  by  the  use  to  •which  I  put  the 
glasses  ■which  they  presented  to  me  on  my 
retirement  last  May.  Rarely  have  such 
handy  small  binoculars  seen  such  stupen- 
dous views  in  so  few  daysl 

While  I  vrould  not  recommend  such  a 
strenuous  (though  comparatively  inexpen- 
sive) tour  to  even  ray  dearest  enemy,  I 
can  wish  nothing  better  than  their  listen- 
ing to  Professor  Wolfe's  program,  or  even 
persuading  him  to  make  a  telecast  of  this 
expedition!  His  scholarly  observations 
and  good  natured  imperturbability  were 
indeed  exemplary. 

With  best  wishes  and  kind  regards  to 
all,  I  remain. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

RICHARD  G.  APPEL 

DEPARTMENT  NOTES 

Cataloging  and  Classification  Department 
(R  and  RS) 


On  August  2ii  Robert  Giddings  left  by 
plane  for  a  s ix -weeks '  stay  in  Europe. 
Jfr.  Giddings  will  attend  the  Music 
Librarians'  Conference  in  Brussels,  and 
in  addition  will  visit  England,  Denmark, 
and  Spain.  His  fellow  workers  in  the 
Department  presented  him,  prior  to  his 
departure,  with  four  English  pounds, 
which  they  trust  will  be  well  spent. 

BRANCH  NOTES 

Bfattapan 

Here  is  a  postcard  we  received  from  one 
of  our  extras  -  at  camp  for  the  summer, 
but  still  thinking  of  us, 

LIBRARIANS'  LAMENT 

Under  her  arm,  the  "Library  Journal", 
Anne  of  Green  Gables",  and  "Love  is 

Eternal" ; 
On  her  way  home  from  one  more  busy  day; 
Wait  'till  tomorrow  -  there'll  be 

to  pay. 


It's  quieting  down  the  hullabaloo, 
Charging  for  books  that  are  way  overdue, 
Vfliipping  the  extras  to  pleading  submission, 
'Till  they  crawl  on  the  ground  with  an  air 
of  contrition. 

From  Abbot  to  Zweig,  from  zero  to  nine, 
She  feels  all  the  authors  just  creep  up 

her  spine. 
Hail,  0  librarians ,  so  well-read  and  noble, 
I  much  prefer  books  -  but  I'll  still  take 

George  GobelJ 

-by  Stephen  Klass 
Mattapan  Branch 

Uphams  Comer 

On  J\me  2k,   the  staff  tendered  a  dual 
farewell  party  to  two  members  of  the 
Children's  Room,  Mrs  Phyllis  L.  Barclay 
and  one  of  her  assistants,  llrs  Bemadine 
Smokier.  The  dinner  was  held  at  the  "Sea 
and  Surf"  on  the  Worcester  Turnpike,  with 
variations  of  sea  food  naking  up  the  main 
part  of  the  menu.  Two  small  cakes, 
prettily  decorated  with  "Good  Wishes" 
were  presented  to  the  guests  of  honor 
before  the  party  ended. 

lirs  Smokier  left  the  Library  in  July  to 
remain  at  home  awaiting  the  birth  of  her 
first  child.  The  renBmbrance  gift  presen- 
ted to  her  was  the  prospective  heir  or 
heiress'  first  spoon  and  fork. 

It  would  almost  seem  a  premature  party 
for  Mrs.  Barclay,  since  she  did  not  leave 
the  service  until  August  20.  Her  gift 
was  anther  piece  of 'Sea-life",  a  di^Tettia 
lighter,  -vrtiich  completes  a  set  of  crystal- 
ware started  some  time  ago.  iirs  Barclay 
has  rejoined  her  husband  in  New  York. 
Her  new  address  is:  Mrs  James  F.  Barclay, 
137-01  83rd  Avenue  -  Apt.  6F,  Kew  Gardens 
Long  Island,  New  York 


Th 


1    /"^v' 


(Z. 


iPOAP 

Box 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Asbociation  member  submitting  it,  together 
with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Library, 
Department  or  Office  in  which  he  or  she 
is  en^loyed.  The  name  is  withheld  from 
publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if  the 
contributor  so  requests.  Anonymous  con- 
tributions are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  Editor-in-Chief.  The  contents  of 
the  articles  appearing  in  the  Soap  Box 
are  personal  opinions  expressed  by  indi- 
vidual Association  members  and  their 
appearance  does  not  necessarily  indicate 
that  the  Publications  Committee  and  the 
Association  are  in  agreement  with  the 
views  expressed.  Only  those  contributions 
containing  not  more  than  300  words  vri.ll 
be  accepted. 


Dear  Editor: 

It  is  now  four  months  since  Administra- 
tive Notice  No.  30  made  it  clear  that  the 
Director  may  fill  vacancies  up  to  the 
number  provided  for  in  the  1955  budget. 
This  presumably  would  include  vacancies 
that  might  occur  after  that  notice.  Yet 
a  number  of  titular  vacancies  T^ich  were 
on  the  books  and  provided  for  in  the  1955 
budget  plus  a  number  of  others  which  have 
since  occurred  remain  unfilled.  It  was 
nQr  understanding  at  the  beginning  of  this 
year  that  the  Trustees  were  delaying 
these  appointments.  But  it  is  apparent 
from  the  notice  of  May  9,  that  the  deci- 
sion is  now  the  Director's.  Now,  what  is 
the  excuse  for  the  delay? 

EAMDN  M{2X)N0UGH 


-o- 


To  the  Editor  of  the  Question  Mark: 


At  the  final  ALA  General  Session  in 
Philadelphia,  the  speech  by  the  incoming 
president,  Mr  Richards,  was  necessarily, 
a  stock-taking,  backward -glance ,  forward- 
view  sort  of  thing,  and  not  very  exciting. 
But  on  that  very  hot  evening  it  was  like 
a  jet  of  conditioned  air  to  hear  him  char- 
acterize the  activities  of  a  West  Coast 
superpatriotic  snoop,  whose  list  of 
dangerous  authors  included  Dorothy 
Canfield  and  Pearl  Buck,  as  "gangsterism". 
Some  days  before,  at  an  Audio-Visual 
session,  I  had  seen  the  film  showing  this 
foolish  woman  hold  up  book  after  book 
which  she  was  agitating  to  have  removed 
from  public  library  shelves.  She  was  a 
ridiculous  person,  and  overstated  her 
case,  and  like  all  such  fanatics  was  long 
on  passion  and  very  short  on  knowledge 
and  common  sense.  I  was  discussing  this 
picture  with  a  couple  of  BPL'rs  in  a 
Philadelphia  street  a  few  days  later,  and 
I  was  surprised  to  hear  one  of  thera  say 
that  the  picture  was  spoiled  for  him 
because  the  commentator,  Mr  Murrow,  was 
not  impartial,  but  was  holding  the  woman 
up  to  ridicule  by  mentioning  the  Canfield 
and  Buck  names  but  omitting  Lattimore, 
viho   was  also  on  the  list.  The  film 
plainly  showed  the  vrtiole  cascade  of  the 
titles  on  her  list,  and  since  in  his 
commentary  Mr  Murrow  could  mention  only 
a  few,  I  thought  it  quite  natviral  on  his 
part  to  mention  only  those  names  which 
would  innnediately  show  to  irtiat  lengths 
that  hysterical  frump  carries  her  campaign. 

In  this  continuing  fight  which  librar- 
ies today  are  engaged  in  to  preserve 
their  traditional  independence  from 
harassment  by  pint-sized  fuhrers  and 
ersatz  Savonarolas,  people  like  Mr  Murrow 
and  llir  Richards  are  of  course  not  neutral. 
Are  you?  I  am  not  neutral,  and  I  wouldn't 
give  a  Philadelphia  token  (it's  attenuated 
in  the  direction  of  invisibility)  for  any 
person  accepting  pay  as  a  public  librarian 
who  v/as. 

HARRY  ANDREWS 

To  the  editor  of  the  Question  Ifark 

Dear  Ed: 

After  the  plaint  in  the  last  issue 
bemoaning  the  dearth  of  contributions  to 
the  staff  organ  I  should  like  to  present 
for  the  consideration  of  the  staff  two 
proix)saTs  -wiach  may  prevent.  The  Question 


Jferk  from  going  the  way  of  the  Boston 
Transcript  and  the  New  York  World, 

The  first  proposal  is  a  somewhat  drastic 
one  vhich  I  can  only  justify  on  the 


grounds  that  desperate  situations  often 
call  for  harsh  remedies  and  in  these 
trying  times  we  must  all  be  willing  to 
sacrifice  ourselves  for  the  general 
welfare.  The  entire  editorial  board  must 
be  summarily  dismissed  from  their  posi- 
tions. Wit-h  regard  to  the  mechanics  of 
the  actual  dismissal  a  military  tjrpe 
ceremony  would  be  the  most  effective  and 
also  the  most  dramatic. 

The  members  of  the  association  are 
assembled  in  a  hollow  square  about  the 
fountain  in  the  courtyard;  while 
Frankie  Jfyers  plays  a  slow  roll  on  his 
drum  the  president  of  the  association, 
resplendent  in  the  regal  uniform  of  the 
Chowder, Chatter  and  Iferching  Society,  ■ 
steps  forward,  takes  the  pencils  from  the 
editorial  board  and  dramatically  breaks 
them  over  his  knee  one  by  one.  Next,  the 
editor's  green  eyeshade  is  rent  in  twain 
and  as  the  drumbeats  increase  in  intensity 
the  entire  board  is  frog-marched  through 
the  stacks  to  the  cheering  strains  of  the 
Rogue ' s  March .  At  the  conclusion  of  this 
tasteful  ceremony  a  new  board  could  be 
drawn  by  lots  from  the  assemblage. 

After  the  new  board  is  established  in 
office  a  campaign  could  be  laiinched  to 
revive  the  intsarest  of  the  staff  in  their 
periodical.  What  I  had  in  mind  was  an 
essay  contest  on  the  subject  How  I  Would 
Run  the  Library,  Why  We  Should  Have  Heat 
Relief  in  the  Winter  When  It  Is  Cool 
Enough  to  Enjoy  It.  The  format  isn't 
important  as  long  as  definite  action  is 
taken  to  prevent  the  Q.M.  from  going 
into  a  decline. 

WILLIAM  T.  CASEY 
To  the  Soap  Box 

Apparently  Gastritis  is  not  aware  that 
the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional 
Staff  Association  has  provided  a  Conces- 
sions Committee  which  receives  sugges-  . 
tions,  complaints,  praise,  etc.,  concern- 
ing the  Coffee  Shop.  It  would  seem  to 
have  been  in  better  taste  if  Gastritis 
had  first  so\ight  a  member  of 
mi t tee  to  make  his  grievance 


the  Corn- 
known  rather 

than  embarrassing  the  concessionaire  and 

his  employees  through  using  the  public 

medium  of  the  Soap  Box. 

Considering  the  facilities  which  are 

available,  the  quality  of  the  food  which 


-7- 


is  served,  and  the  reasonable  prices  which 
are  charged,  the  members  of  the  Conces- 
sions Committee  feel  that  the  concession- 
aire is  doing  a  good  job  under  most  trying 
Conditions.  It  is  believed  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  staff  of  the  Library  have 
this  same  opinion. 

However,  if  Gastritis  wishes  to  make 
his  complaints  more  specific,  the  Conces- 
sions Committee  will  be  happy  to  hear  from 
him  and  to  try  to  correct  any  difficulty. 
For  his  information,  the  names  of  the 
members  of  the  Concessions  Committee  are 
listed  below. 

Catherine  T.  Duffy 

Book  Selection  Department,  Division  of 
Home  Reading  and  Community  Services 

Sumner  Fryhon 

Buildings  Department 

Michael  C.  Langone 

Binding  Department 
Louis  M.  Ugalde 

Rare  Book  Department 
Catherine  M.  MacDonald,  Chairman 

Personnel  Office 

Dear  Editor: 


To  the  Soap  Box; 


No  doubt  Gastritis 's 
month  was 


outburst  of  last 
meant  as  humour  but  I  'm  afraid 
it  fell  flat.  The  staff  of  the  coffee- 
shop  has  no  need  of  defense.  The  diffi- 
culties that  beset  them  are  those  encoun- 
tered in  any  place  that  must  have  short- 
order  cooking  in  a  physically  limited  area. 
Given  the  kitchen  of  the  Sheraton-Plaza 
and  commensurate  prices  I'm  sure  that  they 
could  feed  us  like  the  gourmets  we  are. 
In  the  meantime,  I'll  settle  for  a  cheese- 
burger handed  to  me  with  a  warm  friendly 
smile. 

EAM3N  MCDONOUGH 


To  the  Soap  Box; 

No  one  would  suspect,  looking  around  at 
all  the  contented,  happy  faces  that  there 
was  so  much  indigestion  grumbling  around 
inside  1  It  isn't  often  that  I  am  inclined 
to  burst  into  public  print  but,  seriously 
I  can  find  few  words  to  express  my  grati- 
tude for  all  the  friendly  courtesy  and  the 
good  lunches  I've  eaten  down  at  "Sam's". 

KATHLEEN  TOODTORTH 


I  would  like  to  take  exception  to  the 
letter  in  the  Soap  Box,  August  issue, 
under  the  signature  "Gastritis". 

If  the  B.P.L.P.S.A.  is  to  be  responsi- 
ble for  the  operation  of  The  Coffee  Shop, 
let's  do  it  with  dignity  and  not  with 
pseudonymous  attacks  on  the  personnel. 
Where  would  the  association  find  people 
more  kind,  courteous  and  interested  than 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adelstein.  The  girls  come 
and  go  as  is  inevitable  with  young  people; 
but  when  Joan  left,  the  staff  expressed 
what  they  thought  of  her  in  a  very  tangi- 
ble manner.  We  still  miss  her.  As  for 
Mary,  I  am  constantly  amazed  and  gratified 
at  her  helpfulness  and  her  genuine  inter- 
est in  trying  to  give  each  person  what 
they  want. 

The  Coffee  Shop  has  not  the  space  and 
is  not  equipped  to  serve  full-course 
dinners.  Anyone  wanting  such  meals  can 
go  to  the  Ritz  Carle ton,  the  subsidiary 
of  Locke-Ober,  or  the  more  humble  Sheraton 
Plaza,  all  within  walking  distance  of  the 
Library.  How  the  personnel  of  the  Coffee 
Shop,  with  the  limited  facilities  and  the 
restricted  space  in  which  they  work,  are 
able  to  serve  the  food  they  do,  is  beyond 
comprehension.  They  are  always  willing 
to  try  every  concoction  anyone  suggests, 
even  my  silly  old  cheese  salad  irtiich 
revolts  everyone -including  them-except 
me. 

I  wonder  iwho  "Gastritis"  would  suggest 
to  serve  on  the  Committee  "for  the  purpose 
of  giving  advice  and  counsel  to  the 
personnel  of  the  Coffee  Shop."  I  cannot 
think  of  many  staff  members  who  would 
consider  themselves  qualified  to  act  in 
that  capacity.  And  they  don't  need  advice 
and  counsel"  -  they  are  doing  a  good  job 
under  very  difficult  conditions  -  what 
they  need  is  a  bit  of  appreciation  for  all 
they  have  done  and  are  doing  for  the 
staff, 

(Isn't  there  a  standing  Committee  of  the 
B.P.L.P.S.A.  entrusted  with  the  smooth 
running  of  the  Coffee  Shop?) 

Without  taking  refuge  in  a  saccharine 
pseudonym,  I  think  I  shall  sign  myself 
what  I  always  have  been  and  always  will 
be  as  long  as  I  remain  on  this  spinning 
sphere. 


EDNA  G.  PECK 


-8- 


Dear  Editor: 


I  would  like  to  say  that  it  most  likely 
is  not  the  coffee-shop  food  that  disagrees 
with  "Gastritis",  but  more  likely  a  case 
of  disagreement  with  life  in  general.  I 
feel  that  the  Coffee  Shop  has  been  a  boon 
to  the  employee  of  the  BPL,  and  that  the 
people  vrtio  run  it  and  work  for  it  bend 
over  backvrards  to  please  us.  It  seems  to 
mc  that  if  anyone  has  a  complaint,  he  or 
she  could  tell  Sammy  or  Dotty  seriously, 
or  at  least  could  have  mentioned  a 
specific  gripe  in  their  letter,  instead 
of  condemning  the  whole  work  of  the  coffee 
Shop.  If  Gastritis  were  here  in  the  days 
before  the  Coffee  Shop,  uhen  we  had  to  go 
farther  to  fare  worse  on  relief  or  lunch 
times,  they  might  be  in  a  better  position 
to  appreciate  the  Coffee  Shop» 

So  once  more  I  say,  "Gastritis"  sounds 
more  like  someone  with  chronic  "Gripeitis" 
to  coin  a  phrase,  and  perhaps  he  or  she 
should  try  the  Rita????? 

(CLAIRE  0 'TOOLE) 


To  the  SOUP  Box: 

In  this  examination-happy  library  why 
not  extend  the  examination  system  to  the 
personnel  of  the  Coffee  Shop?  Is  it 
sound  reasoning  to  expect  that  just  any- 
body can  fry  an  egg  or  put  a  tea  bag  in 
a  cup  of  hot  water?  Of  course  noti 

We  could  have  qualifying  exams  on  Water 
boiling.  Bread  buttering,  etc.,  and 
promotional  exams  on  The  Sandwidi  as  an 
Institution,  Salad  Plate  I,  Salad  Plate  II, 
etc. 

Once  we  get  this  program  rolling  we 
might  get  the  Trustees  to  grant  a  scholar- 
ship for  study  at  Fannie  Farmer's  Cooking 
School.  Just  imagine  the  ntonu  about  five 
years  from  nov/:  pate  de  foie  gras,  crepe 
suzettes,  chocolate  covered  oysters. 
Let's  everybody  get  in  back  of  this 
program  and  work,  work,  woiPkl 

A.  Seltzer 


A. 


L. 


A. 


invites  you  to  joini 

If  you  have  been  with  the  B.  P.  L.  a 
long  time  and  have  put  off  joining  or 
if  you  are  a  newcomer  to  the  staff, 
A.  L.  A.  is  waiting  to  welcome  you  into 
its  ranks.  Won't  you  join  now  and  share 
in  the  work  of  this  important  profession- 
al association? 

Application  forms  may  be  obtained  in 
the  Office  of  Records,  Files,  Statistics. 

SARAH  M.  USHER 

A.L.A.  Membership  Committee 


T^ 


uesiion 


M\A\^ 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


OCTOBER  1955 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 
Published  by  the  Bcstcn  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 

Vclijyjv  X,  Nutf:er  10 Cotcber  1?!:;'^ 


Publications  Gommttea:  John  Jo  Ha?-lahan,  Sheila  XU   PiercSy  Be  G.-^rti\ide  Wade 

Robert  C»  Woodward,  John  McCaffertyj  Cbaira:-n. 

P.\tT .'.cation  date:  Dsad-lino  for  sut'7td.tting  material: 

Tha  '':..'teenth  of  each  month  The  b-rnth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  KDTES 

This  issue  is  the  swan  sorg  for  kO%   of  the  Publications  Committee,  since 
exactly  tliat  considerable  proportion,  including  the  Chairman,  terminates  its  connec- 
tion with  B.  P.  L.  before  the  October  issue's  appearance «  Those  who  are  leaving 
wish  B.  Gertrude  Wade,  who  is  taking  over  as  Chairman,  all  their  best,  and  envy  her 
the  job  that  will  be  hers  a  few  months  hence.  Just  think,  the  December  issue  will 
complete  Q.M.  's  tenth  year.  ^^That  a  mark  that  could  make  on  the  nation's  literary 
horizoni  Imagine,  if  you  can,  a  QoM.  anthology  -  a  Tenth  Anniversary  Album  -  a 
dazzling  parade  of  a  decade  of  wit  and  wisdom,  both  verse  and  prose.  Ten  years  of 
epistolary  wrath  in  tlie  Soap  Box  where  sassy  con  and  prudent  pro  are  ever  locked. 
Ten  years  of  blow-by-blow  accoiants  of  teas,  luncheons,  and  picnics;  of  the  baccha- 
nales  of  our  more  abandoned  members,  of  the  chaster  doings  of  our  less  abandoned. 
It  has  been  all  mankind  in  epitome,  in  fact,  affording  pettiness  in  very  nearly 
equal  measure  with  magnanimity,  and,  we  hope,  a  more  frequent  refinement  than  a 
dross . 

The  lesson  that  this  chronicle  can  teach  cannot  go  hidden,  it  must  be  scattered 
broadside  through  the  land.  Let  that  great  store  be  drawn  upon.  Editor  -  anthologice! 
Let  December's  effort  be  done  in  Baskerville  on  finest  vellum  and  bound  in  decent 
cloth  -  damn  the  expense]  Let  it  flood  the  nation's  bookstores,  find  each  home. 
Let  every  child  learn  lisping  from  its  lines,  let  every  gaffer  nodding  by  the  fire 
have  it  to  cheer  his  ever-shortening  day.  Let  every  chaste  milkmaid  have  it  by  her 
etoolj  each  honest  'prentice  lad,  a  copy  on  his  bench.  The  world  cries  out  its 
r.sodj  we  cannot  say  it  nay.  Miss  Wade,  go  to  your  meeting  with  Destinyl 


After  this  spiritual  sort  of  advice,  we  now  offer  a  more  material  kind  -  be 
sure  to  read  the  President's  Notes  and  look  on  the  Staff  Bulletin  Board  for  infor- 
mation concerning  a  new  hospitalization  insurance  plan. 

JOHN  McGAFFEF.TY 


Library  Conferences — European  Style 

An  informal  report,  T.7ith  colC'^ed  slides 

Wiggin  Gallery,  Central  Library 

Friday,  October  28,  1955,  8  p^m. 

Virginia  Haviland  .  .  .  Margaret  A.  Morgan  .  .  .  Edna  G.  Peck 

DON'T  FiISS  IT.'Ji 


PERSONAL  N3TES 

New  Employees 

i-lomld  J.  Arigo,  Central  Charging  Records, 
"cbert  P.  Goldman,  Central  Charging  Records 
Cornelia  M.  Hairington,  Office  of  the 

Division  of  Home  Reading  and  Coinraunity 

Services. 
^'^s  Ethel  L.  Heins,  Bookmobile  I. 
I'irs  Gene  S.  Kupf erschmid ,  Jeffries  Point. 
J.!ary  J.  McGah,  Business  Office. 
Thomas  T.  I'cLaughlin,  Book  Stack  Service. 
John  J.  Parker,  Central  Charging  Records. 
Mrs  ^'ary  V.  Quercia,  Book  Stack  Service. 

(formerly  in  the  department) 

Transferred 

John  J.  Brauer,  from  Central  Charging 

Records  to  Audio-Visual. 
Mrs  Joyce  P.  Ellis,  from  City  Point  to 

West  End. 
¥xs   Beatrice  P.  Frederick,  from  Dorchester 

to  Tyler  Street. 
Marjorie  M.  Gibbons,  from  Memorial  to 

Washington  Village, 
Mrs  Dorothy  M.  Hanna,  from  Tyler  Street 

to  City  Point. 
Mrs  Anne  P.  Kearney,  from  Washington 

Village  to  Lower  Mills. 
Mrs  Veronica  M.  Lehane,  from  West  End  to 

Uphams  Corner. 
Mrs  Bette  Pinckney,  from  Bookmobile  I  to 

Dorchester. 
Ifrs  Christine  J.  Umano,  from  Lower  Mills 

to  Brighton. 

Retired 

Mrs  Katherine  C.  McGrath  -  Housekeeper, 
Buildings  Department,  Retired  as  of 
September  30,  1955  after  30  years  of 
service . 

Resignations 

Mary  J.  Brady,  Office  of  the  Division  of 
Reference  and  Research  Services,  to  be 
married  and  live  in  Springfield,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

John  J.  Hallahan,  Open  Shelf,  to  accept 
the  position  of  Librarian  at  Norwalk, 
Connecticut. 

Marie  T.  Hutchinson,  Brighton,  to  return 
to  college. 

IjErs  Louise  M.  LaFontaine,  Office  of  the 
Division  of  Reference  and  Research 
Services,  to  remain  at  home. 

John  McCaffejrby,  General  Reference,  to  ac- 
cept a  position  with  the  Watertown  Arse- 
nal Laboratory  Library. 

Maureen  T.  McCarthy,  Book  Stack  Service, 
to  accept  another  position. 


Mrs  Janet  R.  Quint,  Alls ton,  to  remain 

at  home. 
Mrs  Bernardine  J.  Smokier,  Uphams  Comer, 

to  remaiii  at  home. 

Engagement 

Announcement  has  been  made  of  the  engage- 
ment of  Monica  Harrington,  Cataloging 
and  Classification,  (R  and  RS)  and 
John  McCafferty,  General  Reference.  A 
May  wedding  is  planned. 

Births 

Born  to  Mr  and  Mrs  Sebastian  Lima,  on 
August  26,  a  son,  Mark.  Mr.  Lima  is  a 
member  of  the  Book  Preparation  Staff. 

SPECIAL  SERVICES  COMJITTEE  NOTES 

The  Special  Services  Committee  has  re- 
ceived discoxmt  cards  from  Chester  A. 
Baker,  Inc.,  5U5  Boylston  Street.  The 
cards  are  available  from  Robert  Woodward 
3-n  History  and  entitle  the  bearer  to  a 
10^  discount  on  cosmetics  and  to  a  free 
sample  of  shampoo. 

At  the  same   time  the  Conmittee  announces 
to  the  staff  that  the  Cokesbury  Book  Store, 
577  Boylston  Street,  offers  a  20^  discount 
to  Library  Staff  members.  The  Cokesbury 
Book  Store  offers  greeting  cards  and  sta- 
tionery, as  well  as  bocks. 

VISITORS 

Dr  Prospero  M«  Mella  Chavier,  Subdirectcr, 
Library  of  the  University  of  Santo  Domingo, 
Ciudad  Trujillo,  Dominican  Republic 

El  Sayed  liSahmoud  El-Sheniti,  Assistant 
Librarian,  UNESCO  Fundamental  Education 
Center,  Sirs-El-Layyan,  Menoufia,  Eg^rpt 

l!uharamad  Rakib  Hossain,  Assistant  Librar- 
ian, USIS,  Dacca,  Pakistan 

Ysuf  Iskander,  President,  Jlgyptian  Li- 
brary Association 

Rustam  Sutan  Palindih,  President,  Librap- 
ry  Association  of  Indonesia 

Georg  Prachner,  Vienna,  Austria 

Ahmad  Shuja,  USIS  Library,  Lahore, 

Pakistan 

BPLPSA  I'JELCOME  TO  NEW  MEMBERS 

John  Jo  Daley,  Open  Shelf 

Frank  J,  Donovan,  Book  Stack  Service 

Rita  A.  Farina,  Hospital  Library  Service 

Dorothy  H.  Hanna,  Tyler  Street 

Richard  E.  Lyons,  Open  Shelf 

Joan  P.  Morris,  Science  and  Technology 

Francis  M.  Taylor,  Open  Shelf 

Michael  J.  Venezia,  Book  Stack  Service 


-3- 


RETIREfffiNTS 


!IIS  KAtherine  McGrath 


On  Tuesday  morning,  September  21 ,   in  the 
TiTomen's  Lounge,  a  coffee  hour  vras  given  in 
honor  of  our  Housekeeper,  Mrs  Katherine 
McGrath,  who  retired  on  September  30. 

Itr  Francis  X.  Moloney,  Assistant  to  the 
Director,  In  Charge  of  Business  Operaticns, 
addressed  the  guest  of  honor  and  -well- 
wishers  with  a  warm  message  so  appropriate 
for  thirty-two  years  of  faithful  service. 


It  is  T/irith  a  sincere  feeling  of  regret 
that  v/e  note  the  departure  from  the  service 
of  two  members  of  the  Publications  .Commit- 
tee, John  McCafferty,  the  chairman,  and 
John  J.  Hallahan,  These  two  worthy  gentle- 
men carry  with  them  to  their  new  careers 
our  very  best  wishes  and  our  thanlcs  for 
their  outstanding  contributions  to  THE 
QUESTION  IIARK. 


and  then  presented  J'irs  McGrath  with  a  bili-CS)  has  graciously  consented  to  serve  as 


fold  containing  the  staff's  gift  of  money 
in  appreciation  of  cheerful  cooperation 
and  friendship  throughout  the  years. 

Sharing  the  festivities  were  Anna  Sheehan, 
sister  of  It5rs  LfcGrath  and  two  close  friends, 
Mary  McCarthy  and  Lillian  Com/ay.  Several 
BPL  Alumni  who  were  welcomed  cordially  by 
many  library  friends  were  Misses  Flora  A. 
Ennis,  Jean  B.  Lay,  liirs  Frances  M.  Kelley, 
Mrs  Catherine  Cronin,  Mrs  Hannah  Hennessey, 
William  F.  Quinn.  _ 

A  delicious  repast  was  enjoyed  by  all 
and  it  was  a  wonderful  party  vh  ich  con- 
cluded with  good  wishes  from  everyone. 


The  following  letter  from  Mrs  ''cGrath 
was  received  shortly  after  her  retirement 
party.  ¥fe  reprint  it  here  so  that  all  the 
staff  may  see  it. 

Dear  Friends, 

I  wish  to  express  my  deep 
thanks  to  all  of  you  for  the  delightful 
party  you  gave  me  on  my  retirement.  The 
arrangement  was  perfect,  the  flowers  and 
refreshments  were  lovely.  Also  I  wish  to 
thank  all  who  joined  in  the  gift  presented 
to  me,  it  is  so  useful  and  attractive » 

I  shall  always  appreciate  your  thought- 
fulness  and  cherish  happy  memories  of  your 
kindness.  Again,  thanking  you,  I  am 

Sincerely, 
KATHERINE  McGRATH 


PRESIDENT'S  NOTES 


B,  Gertrude  TTade,  Book  Selection,  (HRand 


chairman  of  the  Publications  Committee  for 
the  remainder  of  the  year.  l*wo  now  members 
of  the  committee  are  Pearl  Lewis,  General 
Reference, .and  Felicia:  Langdon,  Audio- 
Visual. 

There  was  a  preliminary  hearing  before 
a  committee  of  the  Boston  City  Council  on 
Thursday,  October  13,  in  the  City  Council 
Chambers  on  the  adoption  of  an  insurance 
plan  for  the  Employees  of  the  City  of 
Boston.  This  proposed  legislation  is  set 
out  in  detail  in  Chapter  76O  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Iikssachusetts  Acts  ani 
Resolves,  19^5,  a  copy  of  which  will  be 


There's  no  time  like  the  present 

Tf.Tiy  not  join  A.L.A.  now? 

Contact  I     Sarah  M.  Usher 

Office  of  Records, 
Files,  Statistics 


placed  on  the  bulletin  board  in  Central. 
In  essence,  the  plan  calls  for  group  life 
in  the  amount  of  two  thousand  dollars , 
accidental  death  and  dismemberment  insiir- 
ance  in  the  amount  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
coverage  of  not  ]ess  than  an  estimated 
sixty  percent  nor  more  than  an  estimated 
eighty-five  percent  of  the  average  of  all 
hospital  bills,  and  surgical  and  medical 
benefits  of  not  less  than  a  standard  two 
hundred  dollar  surgical  schedule  nor  more 
than  a  standard  three  hundred  dollar 
siorgical  schedule  with  provision  for  in- 
hospital  medical  coverage.  The  hospital- 
ization,    surgical,  and  medical  benefits 
would  provide  coverage  for  the  employee, 
his  spouse,  and  unmarried  children  under 
nineteen  years  of  age. 

Ma:iy  representatives  of  the  various  city 
and  county  employees'  organizations  were 
present  to  go  on  record  as  being  in  favor 
of  the  principles  embodied  in  the  proposed 
bill.  Among  those  representing  the  emplo- 
ees  of  the  Boston  Public  Library  who  spoke 
at  the  hearing  were  Samuel  Green,  Frank 
'Moran,  James  Gajuwn,  and  your  president. 
Either  there  were  no  opponents  to  the  bill 
present  or  they  were  too  timid  to  speak  in 
view  of  the  overwhelming  favorable  reaction 
to  the  measure.  As  further  hearings  are 
held  and  as  more  details  are  ironed  out 


MMWMSiWIllWlimi 


we  will  try  to  keep  you  informed  of  what 
is  happening.      If  you,    in  turn,   have  a;iy 
questions  and  comments  you  would  like  to 
have  brou^t  to  the  attention  of  the  City 
Council,    please  let  us  know  about  them. 

LOUIS  RAINS,   President 
VilEDDIMG  BELLS 

On  October  12  at  a  Nuprfcial  Mass  at  St- 
liargaret's   ChurEh   in  Dorchester,    ikry  J. 
Brady  of  the  Office  of  the  Division  of 
Reference  and  Research  Services  becsime 
tlie  bride   of  lEr  Philip  Frazier  of  Newton, 
ijaiy  was   a  beautiful  bride  in  her  full- 
length  govm  of  Chantilly  lace  and  nylon 
net.     Her  finger-tip  veil  ims  set   off  by 
a  crown   of  pearls,   and  her  flowers  were 
white  roses  and  carnations. 

Following  the  iiTedding  a  luncheon  and 
reception  were  held  in  the  Empire  Room 
of  the  Hotel  Vendome.  Music  was  provid- 
ed by  Frankie  l^ers  and  his  orchestra. 
Library  guests  included  members  of  the 
staff  of  i'iary's  former  department,  the 
Cataloging  and  Clas£.ification  Department, 
and  of  her  office. 

lir  and  J-Irs  Frazier  will  make  their 
home   in  Ludlow,    i'iassachusetts. 


Anne  B.   Doherty  of  Charlestown  became 
the  bride   of  Daniel  ¥/.  Kelly  of  Audio- 
Visual  at  St.   Francis  de  Sales   Church, 
Charle stovvn,    on  September  17.     The  bride 
ivore  a  lovely  satin  gown  embroidered 
with  seed  pearls,   and  her  Cathedral 
length  train  was   adorned  v/ith  billowy 
nylon  tulle.     She  wore  a  Juliet  cap 
and  veil,  aiid  carried  a  cascade   of  white 
roses  and  stephanotis.      Patricia  Doherty 
was  maid  of  honor  and  Vincent  D.   Kelly 
ViTas   best  man.      Two  four-year  olds,  Anne's 
niece  and  Danny's  nephew,    served  as  flow- 
er  girl  and  ring  bearer.     Two   Doherty 
brothers  and  three  Kelly  brothers  were 
ushers.     A  reception  at  Chickland  in 
Saugus  was  highlighted  by  FrE.nlcie  Iters' 
music  and  a  harmonious  vocal  rendition 
of  "Those  Uedding  Bells  Are  Breaking  Up 
That  Old   C'ong  of  Mine"  by  the  five   Kelly 
brothers .     Among  the   guests  were  Audio- 
Visuad   and  Charlestown  staff  members. 

lir  and  Ilrs  Kelly  spent  their  honeymoon 
in  the  Vihite  ilountains. 


I'jargaret  L.  liahoney.    Information  Office, 
was  married  to  John  Yf»  Morrison  at  Sacred 


Heart  Church,    Cambridge,    on  September  2§, 
1955.      Peg;.y  v/ore  a  (^ov.ti  of  peau-de-soic 
with  lace  and  a  chapel  length  train,   and 
a  fingertip  veil   crowned  with  a  tiara  of 
seed  pearls.     She  carried  a  bouquet  of 
v^ite  roses  and  stephanotis.     The  bride's 
five  attendants,    in  ballerina  length  gowns 
of  crystalette,    in  the  lovely  jewel  shade 
of  garnet,    carried  cascades  of  pale  yellow 
carnations  entwined  with   ivy.     Among  the 
bridesmaids  v/ere  Shirley  Gildea,    Informa- 
tion Office,   ajid  Catherine  Duffy,   Book 
Selection  Department.     A  reception  was 
held  at  Rob'.n  Hood's  in  Wayland. 

After  honeymooning  in  upstate  New  York, 
Pennsylvania  and  Canada,   Ivlr  and  firs  i.or- 
rison  will  reside   in  i;atertown. 


1  On  Sunday,    September  4,   Rita  Evelyn 
Susi,    of  East  Boston,   becaae  the  bride   of 
John  A.   Pannacchio,    of  '.'ilmington,   I'iassa- 
chusetts,  at  St.   Lazarus'   Church  in  Orient 
Heights.     The  bride  wore  a  double   gown  of 
ice-blue  Skinner  satin  covered  with  Chant- 
illy  lace,   and  a  five-yard  train  which 
glistened  v/ith  sequins  and  seed  pearls. 
An  ice-blue   crown  and  fingertip  veil   com- 
pleted her  outfit.     She   carried  a  spray 
of  irfiite   orchids  and  stephanotis.     Miss 
Susi  was  given  in  marriage  by  her  father 
and  v!Bls  attended  by  her  sister  Jfery  as 
ifeid  of  Honor.     After  the  wedding  a  recep- 
tion was  held  at  the  Sherry  Biltmore. 
Many  Library  staff  members  attended.     The 
bride  and  groom  then  left  for  a  three 
vreeks  honeymoon  in  lliami  Beach,   Florida. 


On  September  17,   I'iargaret  Miry  Cronin  of 
Byde  Park,   I;]assachusetts,  v/as  married  to 
Thomas  Joseph  Aglio,   at   the  Church  of  the 
Liiost  Precious  Blood  in  Hyde  Park.     Tom 
recently  left  the  Library  after  nine  years 
as  an  extra  assistant. 

The  bride  wore   ail   imported  Chantilly 
lace  gopjn  v/ith  a  chapel  length  train  of 
ruffled  tiers,   and  a  fingertip  illusion 
veil  with  a  crown  of  pearls »     She  carried 
a   prayer  book  with  butterfly   orchids. 

Among  the  ushers  were  Brendan  Connell 
and  Thomas  Mulcahy  who  worked  v;ith  the 
groom  in  the  Periodical   Department. 

After  a  reception  at  the  Sherry  Biltmore, 
the   couple  honeymooned  in  Bermuda.     They 
are  now  living  in  Albany,  New  York,  where 
Tom  is  tedical  Social  Worker  for  Albany 
Hospital  Clinic  and  the  Albany  Medical 
Center  Clinic. 


-5- 


THE  SOCIAL  IffilBL 


In  honor  of  her  forthcoming  marriage, 
thirty-three   of  her  friends  attended  the 
luncheon  shovrer  held  for  liary  J.  Brady, 
Office  of  the    Division  of  Reference  and 
Research  dervices,   at  Eddie  Davis's   on 
October  3.     On  her  arrival,   I^ry  received 
her   corsags,   a  baby  pink  orchid  encircled 
by  pink  roses. 

After  lunch,   her  Office   presented  JJary 
with  a  Svredish  Crystal    pitcher.     IJembers 
of  the   Cataloging  Department   chose  as 
their  farewell   gif^  a  lamp  with  gold  base 
and    v/ Elite  shade   of  modern  design.     The 
Office  of  Home  Reading  and    Community 
Services   gave  ii&.ry  a  brass  magazine  rack. 
Six  multi-colored  cordial    glasses     comp- 
leted the  array  of  gifts. 


Members   of  the  Lower  Hills   staff  met 
at  Joseph's   on  October  1  to  honor  Jirs 
Dorothy  Rosen,  who  has  been  transferred 
from  Lower  Mills  fc  Brighton.      The   pleas- 
ant atmosphere,    coupled  with  good  food 
and  friendly  conversation,   all    combined 
to  make  it  a  happy  occasion,     Mrs  Rosen 
was   2;i"''eJi  8-  luncheon  set,    plus  the  best 
wishes   of  tho  staff  for  future  success. 

At  the  same  time,   the  staff  welcomed 
Mrs  A.   P.   Kearney,  v^io  has   come  to  Lower 
liills  as  Assistant   in  charge  of  Chil- 
dren '  s  Uork . 


CC&MS  Bulletin     -  A  gala  farewell  din- 
ner  party  in  honor  of  John  Hallahan  and 
John  KcCafferty  was  thrown  by  the  black 
tie  and  satin  slipper  set  of  the   Chowder, 
Chatter  and  'iarching  Society.     To  the 
best   of  my  memory  the  festivities  were 
held  at  Pete  Charlton's  Steak  House   on 
the  evening  of  Tuesday,   October  11,   but 
my  recollections  are   just  a  little  bit 
hazy  and  I  could  be  mistaken.      It  was  a 
sad  occasion  to  begin  mth,   but,   as  usual, 
good  food  and  the  juice   of  the   grape   soon 
had  little  tongues  babbling  away  as  mer- 
rily as  could  be,  and  the   prattle  actual- 
ly became  quite  maudlin  before  the   last 
guest  was   poured  out  the  door.      It  really 
wsis   quite  a  nice  dinner   party  in  honor 
of  our  departing  comrades,   and  everybody 
Was   greatly  shodced  vihen  it  was   discov- 
ered that  the  honored  guests  had  not 
been  invited. 


lAASSACIiTJSETTS   COMPBRENCE  ON  fiPUC^jOH 

President  Eisenhower's  St£.tc-of-the- 
Union  Speech  of  January,    1954,   expressed 
the  hope   that  a  series   of  state  conferen- 
ces  on  education,    culminating  in  a  nation- 
al   conference,  might  be  held  in  order  to 
arrive  at  "the  first  national  stock-tak- 
ing of  our  public  schools".      lassachu- 
setts  held  such  a  conference  on  Septem- 
ber 8-11  at  the  liiiversity  of  Massachu- 
setts  in  Amherst.     From  the   conference 
forty  delegates  to  the  national  meeting 
v;ere  to  b<3  chosen. 

Six  topics  were  designated  as  areas 
for  discussion  and  study: 

(i)  TJhat  should  our  schools  accomplish? 

(2 )  In  what  ways   can  we  organize   our 
school   systems  more  efficiently 
and  economically? 

(3)  "l^at  are  our  school  building  needs? 

(4)  How  can  we   get  enougli  good  teach- 
ers and  keep  them? 

(5)  How  can  we  finance   our  schools, 
build  and  operate  them? 

(6)  How  can  vjb   obtain  a  continuing 
public  interst  in  education? 

The  Conference  viras   called  by  Governor 
Herter,   and  approximately  2,000  men  and 
women  took  part  in  its  activities.     Of 
these  about  a  third  were  educators,   the 
rest  layraen  -  businessmen,    parents,  mem- 
bers  of  veterans',    labor  and  civic  org- 
anizations,  etc.     From  BPL  three  repre- 
sentatives were  senti  Mrs  Beatrice  P'red- 
erick,  Mildred  Kaufman  and  Pauline  Win- 
nick.     They  were  to   cover  children's, 
adult,    and  young  adult  work,  respective- 
ly, but  they  fovmd  that   instead  of  taking 
notes   on  matters   of  interest  to  them, 
they  actually  foxmd  themselves   initiating 
the  subject  of  libraries  and  library  ser- 
vice.     It  is  felt  that  the  results  of 
their  efforts   in  the  several  sections 
were  reflected  in  the  sxmmary  of  the 
conference.     Although  librarians  have 
long  felt  that  theirs  wb.s  an  education- 
al  calling,    little,    if  any,   attention 
was   given  to  libraries,    certainly  not 
in  the   planned  agenda  of  the   program. 
In  fact,    little  consideration     had  bean 
given  to  librai ies   on  or   off  agendas. 
Unlike  the  numerous   or^janizations  which 
sent  people  to  the   conference,    organi- 


zations    in  some  cases   only  remotely  re- 
lated to  education,   the  professional 
library  associations  were  conspicuous 
by  tlieir  absence.     Organizations  like  the 
C.I.O.,   the  N»A.i.i.,   and  the  Children's 
Medical    Center  were    represented,  but 
there  v/ere  less   than  a  dozen  library 
personnel  present,    including  the   three 
from  B.P.L.     At  the  beginning  of  the   con- 
ference there  was  read  at  a  general  ses- 
sion a  telegram  from  the  trustee's   group 
of  the  Ji.L»A.  expressing  the  hope  that 
the   conference  v/ould  give  some   consider- 
ation to  the  matter   of  libraries. 

Most  of  the  participants   in  the   con- 
ference were  preoccupied  with  urgent  pro- 
blems,   such  as    increasing,  school  popula- 
tion with  its  concomitant  need  for  more 
school  buildings  and  teacheis,   the  pro- 
spects of  largr    school   costs  and  higher 
taxes,   a  sales  tax,   and  federal  aid.     The 
problem  of  libraries  -  school  and  public 
-  with  the  need  for  greater  erjropriations 
to  meet  the   increased  demands    of  an  in- 
creasing population  had  not  been  brought 
to  their  attention,  while  the  matter  of 
adult  education  in  an  increasing  adult 
population  was  a  nev/  concept  to  the  ma- 
jority of  the  participants.     They  lis- 
tened attentively,   asked  searching  ques- 
tions  of  the  B.P.L»  representatives,   and 
made  a  few  recomf.endations  which  found 
their  way  into  the  final    summary.     How- 
ever,   it  is    interesting  to  note  that  the 
results   of  the  discussion  show  transla- 
tion into  school  programs  rather  than 
public  library  programs. 

T'lhat   implications     did  the   conference 
hold  for  libraries?  In  a  sense,  what  con- 
cerns the   schools  must  concern  the  lib- 
raries  sooner  or  later,   directly  or  in- 
directly.    Statistics,  tren,    on  the   in- 
creasing school   population  during  the 
next  decade  are   of  grave   concern  to  lib- 
raries also.     For  every  100  persons   in 
the  nation's  classrooms  today,   there  will 
be  121  in  1960,   and  136   in  1965.   Cdleges 
expect  an  18^  increase   in  attendance  wi- 
thin a  decade.     Remembering  that   school 
population  is  also   potential    library 
population,    librarians  might  well  scru- 
tinize the  following  facts   concerning 
eduuation  in  Massachusetts:      In  the 
public  elementary  grades  1-6  there  has 
been  a  30.5??  increase   in  school  popula- 
tion in  the  last  decade.     The  cost  per 
pupil  for  school  libraries  has  risen  from 
eleven  cents  to  thirty-seven  cents     in 
the  ten  years  between  1944  and  1954. 
The  average  school   cost  per  pupil  has 
risen  from  $132,28  to  $307.55  in  the 
same   period.     Quoting  from  the  booklet 


prepared  by  the  IJassachusetts  Department 
of  Education,   "TiVhen  it  is   considered  that 
the   peak  years   in  the  number  of  births  did 
not  begin  until  1946,    it   is  evident  tliat 
the  schools   of  Jkssachusetts  have  not  yet 
felt  the  full    impact  of  the  high  birth 
rate."     By  1960,    one  can  expect  a  20,4/5 
increase   over  1954  in  the  number  of  public 
school   pupils. 

Problems   of  acquiring  professional  per- 
sonnel and  of  offering  adequate  salaries 
are  not  peculiar  to  the  teaching  field 
alone,  but  must  be  faced  by  libraries  al- 
so.    Suggestions   offered  for  attracting 
competent  teachers  are  also  practical  for 
recruiting  librarians.     Suggestions  for 
the  efficient  use  of  school  personnel  add 
school  buildings  are  applicable  to  the 
library  field,    especially  in  the  matter 
of  sharing  specialists  and  experts  among 
small  units.     The   problem  of  obtaining  a 
continuing  public  interest  in  education 
is  also  of  interest  to  the  library.     The 
aims  and  purposes   of  schools  and  librar- 
ies are    so  closely  allied  and  so  often 
identical  that  successful  procedures  used 
in  obtaining  public  interest  in  education 
merit  consideration  for  libraries.     Note- 
worthy is  the  work  of  the  National  Citi- 
zens Commission  for  the  Public  Schools  in 
increasing  1^    interest  in  education.     As 
lir  Roy  Larsen  pointed  out,   the  key  to  good 
schools   is   citizen  responsibility  at  the 
local   level.     Schools  are  just  as  good  as 
people  want  them  to  be.     As  librarians, 
we  might  borrow  the  phrase  and  substitute 
the  word  "libraries"   for  "schools". 

Dr.   Franklin  P.  Hawkes   of  the  Massachu- 
setts Department  of  Education  made  a  rare 
but  welcome  reference  to  libraries  when 
as  a  discussant  at  a  general  assembly,  he 
spoke  of  libraries  and  recommended  that 
money  for  school  libraries  be  allocated  in 
the   school  budget.     Again,   afcb  the  general 
session  for   organizing  scj^ools  more  effi- 
ciently,  reference  was  made  to  libraries 
when  ft.   Davis  urged  that  more  use   of 
school  libraries  be  made  by  educators. 

Among  the  recommendations  made   in  the 
Summary  of  discussions  distributed  «t  the 
closing  general    session,   the  following 
are  especially  pertinent  to  libraries: 

"One  desirable  achievement 
should  be  to  develop  the  school-child  to 
the  fullest  extent  of  his   interest  and 
God-given  abilities.      Better  school  lib- 
raries are  needed  to  stimulate  such  growth." 

"Extended  adult  ed\«!ation  prograjns  are 
much  needed  today o" 

"State  encouragement   of  library  exten- 
sion in  communities   is  an  issue  that  should 
be  studied  in  a  future   conference," 


■business. 


-7- 

" State  aid  must  furnish  a  lar;;;;er  share 
of  the  support  for  schools." 

"All  business  and  other   groups  should 
be  mobilized  to  work  with   professional 
educators   in  an  effective   public  rela- 
tions program  designed  to  bring  home  to 
the  public  that  it  has  an  important 
stake  in  public  education." 

"Public  libraries  should  more  effect- 
ively publicize  School  vrork  and  accomp- 
lishments «" 

"Channel  2   should  be  utilized  and  sup- 
ported." 

"Beginning  salaries  for  teachers   should 
be  further   increased  in  Liassachusetts, 
since  lov;'  salaries  are  one   of  the  factors 
responsible  for  teacher  shortage." 

The   conference  was  serious 
without  social   sideligjits.     Although 
many  issues  were  left  unsolved,    and  al- 
thou^  the   program  seemed  too  pre-arrangpdj 
the   conference  was  worthv;hile.     The  value 
of  the  Amlierst  meetings  lie  not   only   in 
the  recommendations  to  be  forwarded  to 
the  ^ite  House  Conference,   but  also  in 
the  stimulation  and  encouragement  of  the 
participants  to  return  to  their  local 
communities  to  spur   greater  positive 
action. 

THE  STAFF  IN  FRIITO 

Readers   of  the  PILOT,  weekly  newspaper 
of  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston,  have  no 
doubt  noticed  the  new  column  entitled 
"Boston's  Reading",  v/hich  has  been  ap- 
pearing monthly  since   the  isrue  of  April 
23,   and  consists  of  brief  reviews   of 
current  best-sellers.     The  reviews  are 
prepared  by  members   of  the  Kev;  England 
Unit  of  the  Catholic  Library  Association, 
many   of  whom  are   on  the   staff   of  B.P.L. 
Staff  members  tshose  capsule  reviews  have 
been  printed  in  the  PILOT   include :  Anne 
Armstrong,    Children's  Sect ion 5   Gerald  L. 
Ball,   Book  Purchasing;  T'/illiamT.    Casey, 
Open  Shelf;   Martha  C.  Engler,    South  Bos- 
ton; Anna  L.   Jfeming,    Teachers;     Paul  V. 
Moynihan,    General  Reference,  and  i.ary 
Alice  Rea,   Book  Purchasing. 

POET'S  CORIffiR 

Boston  in  September, 

Ti'inds   the  mildest  east, 

SiHilight  to  remember. 
Every  ray  a  feast . 
* 

Gentle,   bracing  air. 

The   CHARLES   shimmers  bright. 


Proper  COPLEY  SQUARE 
Chortles  with  delight. 
* 

Hurricanes  forgotten. 

The   floods   an  evil   dream. 

Frets  are  all  verboten. 
The  Lord  is   on  the  bean. 

HARRY  AITORET'JS 

(Ed.   Note:     The   contribution  above 
was  just  a  noiaent  too  late  for 
September's   issue.) 


Birds  like  whirling  streamers. 

Frisking  in  the  sky. 
Grey  and  white  and  gleaming. 

Joyously  up  high. 

Gracefully  together, 

Strealcing  to  the  right. 

Qmick  to  left  together, 
Sweeping  out  of  sight. 

■Who  the  expert  trainer? 

Taught  them  all  that  grace? 
TJlio  the  deft  explainer. 

Showing  each  his   plawe? 

I   sometimes  thinlc  that  freedom 
Is  all  too  dearly  bought. 

Since  vre  must   chart  direction. 

And  give  each  step  its  thought. 

Ify  freedom  I'd  surrender. 

On  any  autumn  day, 
To  act  in  all  that  splendor. 

In  such  heavenly  ballet. 

HARRY  AiroREl!/S 


MEIT  BOOKS  IN  THE  STAFF  LIBRARY 
Fiction 

Colette,  Sidonie  G. 

The  Vagabond.   Nexv  York,  Farrar, 
Straus  and  Yoxm^,  k955. 

Viertel,  Joseph 

The  Last  Temptation.  Nev;-  York, 
Simon  &  Schuster,  1955 

Non-Fiction  -  Library  Science 

A.L.A. 

Training  needs  of  librarians  doing 
adult  education  work.  Chicago,  A.L.A., 
1955. 


-8- 


Fussler,  Herman  H. 

The  function  of  the  Library  in  the 

modern  college. 
Chicago,  University  of  Chicago  Press, 

195il 

Geer,  Helen  T. 

Charging  systems. 
Chicago,  American  Library  Association, 
1955 

Library  Literature,  Jvme  1955 
New  York,  H.  W.  v/ilson  Co.,  1955 


London.  University.  School  of  Librarian- 
shxvi   and  Archives . 

G^italogiiing  p_unciples  ar.i  Tr^actice. 
Lonion,  Library  Association^  i95U 

0 shorn,  Andrew  D. 

Serial  publicationc ,  their  place  and 

treatment  in  libraries . 
Chicago,  Americr-n  Library  i'ssociation, 

1955 

Rothstein,  Samuel 

The  development  of  reference  services 
through  academic  traditions,  public 
library  practice  and  special  librar- 
ianship . 
ACRL  Monograph  no.  lU 

Chicago,  Association  of  College  and 

Reference  Libraries,  1955 

Seminar  on  the  Development  of  Public 
Libraries  in  Africa,  Ibadari,  Nigeria, 

1953. 

Paris,  UNESCO,  195U 

BRANCH  NOTES 

Neponset 

A  party  was  held  on  Monday  evening,  Octo- 
ber 10,  for  the  twenty-two  members  of  the 
Summer  Reading  Club  who  had  read  at  least 
ten  of  the  books  listed  in  the  Your  Hit 
Parade  booklet.  The  parents  of  these  club 
members  were  also  invited  to  the  party 
which  they  seemed  to  enjoy  as  much  as 
their  children. 

After  the  guests  had  been  welcomed  with 
a  few  appropriate  remarks,  the  party  began 
vrith  an  interesting  and  beautiful  movie 
in  color  about  Finland,  called  Wings  to 
Finland ♦  Tsy^e  M.  Saari  told  about  her 
wonderful  vacation  in  Europe  last  summer 
where  she  visited  eight  different  coun- 
tries. She  had  an  interesting  display  of 
artistic  objects,  textile,  ceramic,  china, 
and  wood,  vh  ich  she  had  picked  up  during 


her  sojourn  in  Finland,  and  had  now  ar- 
ranged on  a  shelf  among  the  children's 
books . 

Before  th£  refreshments  of  delicious 
home-made  cookies  and  tonic  were  served 
the  guests,  Mss  Saari  awarded  the  coveted 
Summer  Reading  Club  certificates  to  proud 
recipients,  along  with  colorful  bookmarks. 

West  End 


Three  Travellers  in  Search  of  a  Title 

The  adventures  of  the  Three  Musketeers 
of  fame  and  romance  had  nothing  on  the 
three  B.P.L.  muske toers  who  traveled 
abroad  this  summer,  namely  Minna  Steinbeiig, 
Cataloguing  and  Cl?,osification  (R  and  RS), 
Ethel  Kimball,  Connolly,  and  Fanny  Goldstein, 
West  End. 
:  From  July  6  to  S-critember  2,  they  virtu- 
ally flew  thrcugh  ir/.-jrope  ?.nd  Israel, visit- 
ing England,  Franc  =.,  Switzerland,  Italy, 
Greece,  Israel,tl^virench  Riviera,  and 
Spain.  Native  dishes  and  native  hosts  did 
much  to  destroy  the  caloric  charts  of  the 
fair  ladies  J  the  treasures  of  world-famous 
libraries  were  open  for  their  inspection 
and  pleasure. 

A  visit  to  the  Jolm.   Rylands  library  in 
llanchester,  England,  proved  a  memorable 
one.  The  librarian  of  the  Bibliotheca 
Ambrosiana  in  Florence  was  a  figure  out  of 
a  story  book.  For  the  Fathers  of  this 
world-famous  library,  salaries  are  unknowns. 
The  staff  is  made  up  of  members  of  the 
clergy,  who  of  course  are  not  paid  for 
their  services. 

The  Reverend  George  Schlicte,  of  the 
North  American  College,  went  out  of  his 
way  to  enrich  the  program,  which  included 
a  Papal  Audience  and  visits  to  the  cata- 
combs, with  special  en^jhasis  on  the  re- 
cently discovered  Jewish  catacombs,  which 
as  yet  are  unknovm  except  to  archaeolog- 
ists and  scholars. 

In  Athens  they  met  the  indomni table 
Chief  Rabbi  Barzilay  of  Greece,  who  out- 
witted the  Nazis  by  destrojring  all  Jewish 
registers  and  records  of  Athens;  then 
fleeing  to  the  moxmtains,  where  he  chan- 
naled  an  undergroxmd  movement  to  rescue 
the  Jews. 

The  city  of  Haifa  gave  a  municipal  re- 
ception where  Miss  Goldstein  spoke  of  the 
Tercentenary  of  the  Jews  in  America.  From 
here  Miss  Steinberg  nearly  brought  back  a 
husband,  but  Miss  Goldstein  unwittingly 
muffled  the  romance. 

Many  and  happy  were  the  experiences , 


-?- 


enough  to  senre  as  material  for  a  book  bj 
the  three  B.P.L,  musketeers  -who  at  present 
are  in  search  of  a  title.  If  the  budget 
permits,  and  the  time  vrarrants,  and  the 
book  shelves  of  the  library  allow  it, 
maybe  sometime  after  a  return  engagement 
these  three  musketeers  may  produce  a  book. 
■Who  knovre  ? . . . . 


-x^^ 


SOAP  BOX 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must  be 
accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the  Asso- 
ciation member  submitting  it,  together 
Tfith  the  name  of  the  Branch  Library, 
Department  or  Office  in  which  he  or  she 
is  employed.  The  name  is  mthheld  from 
publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if  the 
contributor  so  requests.  Anonymous  con- 
tributions are  not  given  consideration.! 
The  author  of the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  Editor-in-Chief.  The  contents  of 
the  articles  appearing  in  the  Soap  Box 
are  personal  opinions  expressed  by  indi- 
vidual Association  members  and  their 
appearance  does  not  necessarily  indicate 
that  the  Publications  Committee  and  the 
Association  are  in  agreement  with  the 
views  expressed.  Only  those  contributions 
containing  not  more  than  300  words  will 
be  accepted. 


To  the  Editor: 

Increases  in  pay  as  a  result  of  the 
passing  of  examinations  have  been  an- 
nounced. These  increases  vri-ll  have  the 
result  in  some  instances  of  bringing  close 
to  the  Step  III  salary  level  some  relative 
newcomers  to  the  Staff.  This  is  good  and 
all  of  us  are  glad  that  the  system  pro- 
vides so  liberally  for  new  people. 

But  these  same  reises  will  also  remind 
other  members  of  the  Staff  that  the  gap 
in  salary  between  relative  newcomers  and 
experienced  people  such  as  "assistants-in- 
Gharge"  is  now  very  narrovi  in  some  cases. 


This  is  particularly  true  with  respect  to 
the  position  of  some  "assistants-in- 
charge"  who,  for  a  reason  vihich  has  never 
been  divulged,  are  not  receiving  much 
more  in  salary  than  the  maximum  of  Step 
III  (to  which  they  would  be  entitled  in 
any  case  even  if  they  had  not  been  desig- 
nated "assistants-in-charge").  All  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  a  chief 
are  theirs  except  the  revrard — cold,  hard 
cash! 

Way   is  progress  so  simple  and  unimpeded 
for  large  groups  on  the  one  hand  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  is  made  so  difficult 
for  certain  selected  individuals?  What 
is  the  basis  for  discrimination  among 
assistants-in-charge? 

To  the  editor  of  the  Soap  Box: 

A  very  unfortunate  event  connected  -vd-th 
the  services  to  the  public  occurred  this 
month.  Two  very  able  and  willing  young 
men  resigned  from  the  system  because  their 
talents  and  capabilities  went  unrecognized 
in  this  Library.  These  men  have  ambition 
and  the  desire  to  move  ahead,  and  they 
felt  that  in  order  to  do  more  important 
work  they  had  to  leave  this  Library.  I 
can  speak  of  one  of  these  men,  John 
MoCafferty,  from  first-hand  knovdedge  of 
working  with  him.  He  was  always  one  of 
the  first  people  to  reach  for  the  tele- 
phone ¥/hen  it  rang  or  to  jump  up  and  help 
a  member  of  the  public.  He  answered  all 
inquiries  courteously  and — ^what  is  more 
important — intelligently.  He  not  only 
knev/  the  answers  to  most  of  the  questions 
but  he  could  give  you  the  backgroiond 
material  in  a  great  many  cases.  His 
knowledge  is  immense  and  we  all  marvel 
at  his  memory.  I  alvvays  felt  that  if  I 
didn't  know  the  answer  to  an  obscure 
question  and  I  knew  that  it  would  take  a 
Tfhile  to  hunt  for  the  answer,  I  could  ask 
John  and  get  the  answer  immediately. 
Perhaps  one  of  his  greatest  services  vra.s 
acting  as  interpreter  for  many  of  the 
foreign  population  which  visited  the 
Library.  The  many  patrons  who  came  to  the 
reference  department  wanting  information, 
and  not  just  a  book,  would  have  gone  away 
much  less  satisfied  if  they  had  to  struggle 
expressing  themselves  in  English  and  then 
gt-ating  their  problem^  John  has  the 
ability  to  converse  fluently  in  many 
foreign  languages.  In  a  department  where 
six  out  seven  attended  library  school  it 
seems  truly  unfortunate  that  the  seventh 
individual  should  be  held  back  for  not 


-10- 


f  inishing  library  school  training  lA^ien 
his  abilities  more  than  adequately  filled 
in  all  the  gaps  left  by  all  the  others  in 
the  department.  John  also  took  active 
part  in  the  Professional  Staff  Association 
-  as  editor  of  The  Question  Hark  he  spent 
many  hours  of  his  own  time  preparing  each 
issue  since  he  Tjas  too  busy  doing  refer- 
ence work  to  do  anything  for  The  Question 
T'fetrk  during  working  hours.  In  a  depart- 
ment  where  the  morale  is  never  too  high, 
v;e  shall  miss  John  for  his  good-humored 
attitude  which  kept  us  going  on  an  even 
level.  As  for  those  of  \is  who  have  worked 
with  him,  we  feel  that  he  vri-ll  make  an 
ideal  administrator.   Personally  I  regret 
that  he  will  never  be  an  administrator  in 
the  Boston  Public  Library. 

A  Colleague 


famous  Gilbert  Stuart  portrait  which  hangs 
in  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts. 

The  artist  was  born  in  Germany  in  I816. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen,  Emanuel  Leutze  came 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Phila- 
delphia. After  having  completed  the 
famous  painting,  Washington  Crossing  the 
Delaware,  Leutze  returned  to  his  native 


WASHINGTON  AT  DORCHESTER  HEIGHTS 

On  Saturday,  September  17,  at  noon. 
Mayor  John  B*  liynes   officially  opened  the 
325th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of 
Boston  by  unveiling  the  painting  of 
Washington  at  Dorchester  Heights,  by 
Emanuel  Leutze,  in  the  lobby  of  the  Cen- 
tral Library,  Frank  W»  Buxton,  Vice  Pre- 
sident of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  accepted 
the  gift  for  the  Library.  The  painting 
has  been  hxmg  temporarily  in  the  Venetian 
Lobby  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Central 
Library. 

This  ceremony  was  the  first  in  a  series 
of  events  to  commemorate  the  anniversary 
of  the  historic  occasion.   A  group  of 
citizens  headed  by  Harry  J,  Blake,  Boston 
wool  merchant,  planned  the  celebration. 

The  painting,  which  stands  ten  feet 
high,  was  commissioned  by  a  Boston  family 
in  1852.  It  remained  in  the  possession 
of  that  family  for  three  generations  until 
it  was  purchased  by  the  gifts  of  citizens 
and  school  children  of  the  City  of  Boston 
and  the  Commonwealth  of  TfessachusettSa 
Since  the  Boston  Public  Library  is  the 
home  of  the  famous  Washington  medal,  the 
Boston  Art  Commission  decided  that  it  would 
be  fitting  for  the  painting  to  be  placed 
here. 

In  the  painting  General  Washington  is 
standing  on  the  summit  of  Dorchester 
Heights,  the  present  South  Boston,  watch- 
ing the  British  Army  sailing  out  of  Boston 
for  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia.  The  face  of 
Washington  is  an  exact  reproduction  of  the 


land. 


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THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


NOVEMBER  1955 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 


Volume  X,  Number  11 


November  1955 


Publications  Committee: 


Felicia  J.  Langdon,  Pearl  G.  Leyris,  Sheila  W.  Pierce 
Robert  C.  Woodward,  B.  Gertrude  Wade,  Chairman 


Publication  date: 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  submitting  material: 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


EDITOR'S  MOTES 

Recent  letters  in  the  Soap  Box,  conversations  in  the  Coffee  Shop,  and  rumors  in 
the  corridors  all  seem  to  indicate  a  common  trend  of  thought  these  days.  Most  of  us 
are  at  least  puzzled — if  not  deeply  troubled — ^by  the  fact  that  our  promotional 
system,  a  controversial  item  at  best,  has  apparently  broken  dovm  altogether.  De- 
spite the  fact  that  we  have  many  vacancies  throughout  the  library,  no  titular  ap- 
pointments have  been  made  since  August  k,   195U.  Those  who  passed  promotional  exam- 
inations in  June  of  that  year  or  in  1955  are  thus  still  in  waiting  for  the  promised 
rewards  of  their  labors.  Meanwhile  many  capable  assistants -in-charge  toil  on  at 
what  they  years  ago  supposed  would  be  a  "temporary  emergency  job"  doing  the  work  of 
department  heads  with  neither  the  salary  nor  the  recognition  vrtiich  an  administrative 
position  should  demand. 

In  any  big  group  of  employees,  new  faces  come  and  go,  but  at  present  we  seem 
to  be  losing  at  an  all  too  rapid  rate  tried  and  true  staff  members  as  well.  Is  this 
simply  a  result  of  the  lack  of  opportunity  for  advanceraent  within  our  ranks  or  is 
it,  in  part,  a  symptom  of  the  uneasiness  we  all  feel? 

There  must,  of  course,  be  some  reason  for  the  present  situation.  Undoubtedly 
the  over-all  view  of  this  large  institution  held  by  our  Director  and  our  Board  of 
Trustees  is  a  very  different  view  from  that  of  an  individual  staff  member  confined 
mainly  to  one  department  or  one  division  of  the  library.  It  has  been  said  (a  rumor, 
of  course)  that  there  is  action  pending  to  overhaul  the  entire  examination  system 
under  which  we  now  function  and  to  replace  it  with  something  entirely  different. 
Others  say  that  the  proposed  closing  of  certain  branch  libraries  and  the  building 
of  new  ones  will  change  our  library  picture  so  drastically  that  p:  emotions  at  this 
time  would  place  some  staff  members  in  positions  which  would  soon  cease  to  exist. 
We  are,  you  see,  the  victims  of  many  conflicting  stories. 

lilfhat  is  the  truth?  If  the  total  personnel  picture  from  an  administrative  view 
were  described  to  us,  many  seeming  inequities  would  be  explained,  I  am  sure.  THhy 
can't  the  staff  meetings  vvhich  we  once  had  with  the  Director  be  reinaugurated?  An 
opportunity  to  discuss  some  of  the  problems  currently  troubling  us  should  boost  our 
morale  100^. 


CALENDAR  OF  EVENTS 

November  18.  3.P.L.P.S.A. ,  business  meet- 
ing, Lect\ire  Hall,  Central 
Library,  9  a.m. 


December  1. 


M.L.A.  ■^Jinter  meeting,   Hotel 
Somerset,   Boston. 


December  2.  B.P.L.P.S.A,  dance  and  card 
party.  Lecture  Hall,  Central 
Library,  8  p.m.  to  12  m- 
Admission,  990. 

December  5.  S.L.A.  Monthly  meeting, 

Boston  College  School  of  Law. 


-2- 


PERSONAL  NOTES 


THE  SOCIAL  WHIRL 


Mew  Employees 

Mrs  Vivian  D.  Troutman,  Jeffries  Point 

Joan  V.  O'Brien,  Book  Stack  Service 

litcs   Donna  M,  Graves ,  Personnel 

!1arie  Ann  T.  Orth,  Personnel 

Joan  M.  Cottier,  Adams  Street 

Catherine  M.  Hannon,  Brighton  (formerly 
employed  in  the  branch  libraries) 

Mrs  Anne  C,  Vilhite,  Book  Stack  Service 
(Mrs  Yfhite  was  a  former  employee  of  this 
department) 

Ellis  P.  Batchelder,  Office  of  the  Divi- 
sion of  Reference  and  Research  Services 

Mrs  Leslie  A,  Vance,  East  Boston 

Jacqueline  M.  Coutu,  Cataloging  and  Clas- 
sification Department,  (R  and  RS) 

Transferred 

Mrs  Gene  Kupferschmid,  from  Jeffries  Point 

to  West  End 
Jeanne  Fitzgerald,  from  Book  Stack  Service 

to  Open  Shelf 
Helen  E.  Colgan,  from  West  End  to  VTashing- 

ton  Village 
Mrs  Rita  S.  Pennachio,  from  East  Boston 

to  Central  Charging  Records 
Alice  G,  Hoag,  from  Adams  Street  to 

Connolly 
Julia  Lenzi,  from  Adams  Street  to  East 

Boston 

Resignations 

Evelyn  M.  DeBassio,  Book  Stack  Service 

Arthur  L.  Lindsay,  Exhibits  Office,  to 

accept  a  position  with  the  Christian 

Science  Publishing  House 
Mrs  Louise  F.  Kenneally,  Codman  Square. 

to  remain  at  home 

New  Arrivals 

On  November  h,   19SS   a  second  son,  Richard 
Yfellace,  was  born  to  Mr  and  Mrs  Frank 
Myers,  Mr  Myers  works  in  Book  Stack 
Service  I  Mrs  Myers  was  the  former 
Carolyn  Wallace  who  worked  at  the  Super- 
visor's Desk  and  in  the  Director's 
Office. 

ALUMNI  NEWS 

Muriel  Figenbaum  Robinson,  formerly  of 
the  Print  Department,  has  returned  to  the 
United  States  with  her  husband  and  daugh- 
ter, Carolyn,  after  living  for  two  years 
in  Auckland,  New  Zealand.  The  Robinsons 
are  now  living  in  Needham. 


All  of  the  children's  librarians  heart- 
ily applaud  Virginia  Haviland's  charms  as 
a  hostess.  On  November  fifth  and  sixth 
she  was  "at  home"  to  them  in  her  apartment 
in  honor  of  Jennie  D.  Lindquist,  editor  of 
the  Horn  Book  Magazine,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  publication  of  her  Golden  Name  Day, 
one  of  the  most  delightful  children's 
books  of  the  year. 

MS   MARGARET  E.  LEV/IS 

PRESIDENT'S  NOTES 

Those  of  you  who  did  not  attend  the 
Association  meeting  on  October  28  missed 
a  most  interesting  and  entertaining  eve- 
ning, A  report  of  the  meeting  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  issue  so  we  shall 
not  infringe  on  someone  else's  territory 
but  shall  confine  ourselves  to  expressing 
our  deep  appreciation  to  Mss  Peck  and 
I4iss  Haviland  for  their  kindness  in 
sharing  with  us  some  of  their  trip  abroad. 
Our  thanks,  also,  to  the  Pro.'2;ram  Committee 
under  the  chairmanship  of  May  McDonald, 
and  to  Genevieve  Moloney  and  the  Enter- 
tainment Committee. 

A  committee  of  the  City  Council  held 
another  hearing  on  the  proposed  insurance 
plan  for  city  employees  on  Friday,  k   No- 
vember 1955.   The  planning  is  still  in  the 
preliminary  stages  but  the  city  adminis- 
tration is  compiling  the  necessary  data 
on  which  to  base  negotiations  with  the 
insurance  groups.  A  full  report  of  this 
proposed  legislation  will  be  made  at  the 
November  business  meeting  and  an  opportu- 
nity will  be  afforded  those  present  to  ask 
questions. 

We  hope  that  there  will  be  a  large 
attendance  at  the  November  18  business 
meeting.  There  are  several  proposed  amend- 
ments to  the  Constitution  to  be  discussed, 
and  the  candidates  proposed  by  the  Nomi- 
nating Committee  will  be  announced.  In 
connection  with  nominations  we  quote  from 
the  By-Laws,  "nominations  from  the  floor 
of  candidates  who  are  present  and  accept 
the  nomination  shall  be  entertained  at  the 


November  meeting." 

Be  sure  to  keep  the  evening  of  Friday, 
December  2,  open  for  the  gala  dance  and 


-3- 


card  party  being  planned  by  the  Entertain- 
ment Committee,  Judging  from  preliminary 
plans  the  occasion  will  be  a  memorable 
one. 

LOUIS  RAINS,  President 

T 

STAFF  m  PRINT 

Have  you  seen  the  October  15,  1955  issue 
of  the  Library  Journal?  Anyone  interested 
in  books  for  children  or  yoiing  adults 
will  want  to  read  the  overall  evaluation 
there  of  the  fall  publication  in  the 
children's  field  by  Virginia  Haviland, 
Readers  Advisor  for  Children;  of  picture 
books  and  books  for  youngest  readers  by 
Mrs  Mary  C.  West,  Children's  Librarian, 
Open  Shelf;  and  of  adult  books  suitable 
for  young  people  by  Jane  Manthorne,  Young 
Adults  Librarian,  Open  Shelf. 

FALL  FETING, 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCUTION 

On  Friday  evening,  October  28,  in  the 
Wiggin  Gallery,  the  Staff  Association 
presented  Edna  G.  Peck  and  Virginia 
Haviland,  who  spoke  on  the  subject  Library 
Conferences — ^Eiiropean  Style.  Louis  Rains 
as  President  of  the  Association  greeted 
members  and  their  guests  and  turned  the 
meeting  over  to  May  McDonald,  Program 
Chairman.  She  then  introduced  the  speak- 
ers, 

Mss  Peck  spoke  first — her  part  of  the 
program  being  highlights  of  the  trip  and 
the  Conferences  in  general.  With  her 
usual  wit  and  discernment  she  described 
the  cities — Brussels  and  Vienna,  the 
people,  those  who  attended  the  confer-  \ 
ences  with  them,  and  the  social  gathering 
to  which  they  were  invited.  Miss  Haviland 
told  about  the  organization  of  the  confer- 
ences, the  countries  represented  and  some 
contributions  different  representatives 
made.  The  first  conference  was  in 
Brussels  where  The  International  Federa- 
tion of  Library  Associations  had  their 
third  meeting  and  where  the  new  Inter- 
national Association  of  Children;' s-.and 
Young  People's  Librarians  was  formed. 
In  Vienna,  at  the  Congress  of  the  Inter- 
national Board  on  Books  for  Yoimg  People, 
Miss  Haviland  read  a  paper  on  Problems 
of  Comic  Books  in  the  United  States. 
Miss  Haviland  attended  both  Conferences 
as  representative  of  the  Division  of 
Libraries  for  Children  ani  Yoiing  People 


of  A.L.A. 

These  two  stimulating  talks  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  showing  of  beautiful  colored 
slides  which  Miss  Haviland  took  through- 
out their  trip.  This  pleasant  and  re- 
warding meeting  ended  with  refreshments — 
cider,  doughnuts,  and  cookies. 

MARY  A.  HACKETT 

FOREIGN  CONFERENCES 

Four  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Boston 
Public  Library,  among  more  than  thirty 
representatives  from  the  United  States, 
attended  in  Brussels,  September  11-18, 
the  Third  Congress  of  the  International 
Federation  of  Library  Associations.  In 
addition  to  general  sessions,  Robert 
Giddings,  of  our  Catalog  Department  in 
the  Reference  and  Research  Division,  had 
as  a  special  concern  meetings  of  the 
International  Association  of  Music 
Libraries.  Edna  G.  Peck,  Ibrgaret  Morgan, 
and  Virginia  Haviland  attended  meetings 
of  general  public  library  interest. 

General  sessions  drew  some  1200  from 
over  thirty  coxmtries  for  consideration 
of  the  theme,  The  Tasks  and  Responsibili- 
ties of  Libraries  and  Documentation 
Centers  in  Modern  Life.  Smaller  groups 
paralleled  this  theme  in  their  discussion 
of  four  major  problems  as  outlined  by 
Douglas  Bryant  (Harvard  University 
Library)  who  is  Vice  President  of  IFLA. 
These  were  (l)  bibliographies;  (2)  inter- 
national flow  of  materials;  (3)  use  of 
materials  in  cotmtries  that  seek  assist- 
ance; (U)  standards. 

Two  meetings  of  the  group  organizing 
the  International  Association  for 
Children's  and  Young  People's  Librarians 
touched  on  the  need  for  children's  library 
service  in  every  public  library;  the 
great  need  for  sharing  experiences  in 
training  children's  librarians;  the  need 
to  know  each  other's  distinguished  books 
and  to  stimulate  their  translation  and 
wider  diffusion;  the  need  for  an  inter- 
national bulletin  for  the  sharing  of  such 
experiences  and  knowledge.  It  was  stim- 
ulating here  to  meet  one's  counterparts 
from  other  countries,  to  hear  about  new 
developments  and  outstanding  publishing. 
The  new  board  for  the  association  is 
headed  by  Johanna  Wolff  of  the  Hague, 
one  of  the  prime -movers  in  the  organ- 
izing; board  members  include  those  sent 
as  representatives  of  their  countries. 


-i;- 
Miss  Peck,  ?/Iiss  Morgan  and  Miss  Ifeivilanl 
went  on  from  Brussels  to  the  third  congres( 
of  the  International  Board  on  Books  for 
Young  People ,  a  group  organized  by  Jella 
Lepman,  Director  of  the  International 
Youth  Library  in  Munich,  #iich  met  in 
Vienna  September  19-23.  Its  over  one  hun^ 
dred  members,  from  thirteen  countries — 
librarians,  publishers,  authors,  illus- 
trators, booksellers,  psychologists,  edu- 
cators and  cabinet  ministers — met  to  con- 
sider the  theme  Book  and  Picture  (Buch 
und  Bild,  in  the  conference  language ) . 
Prepared  papers  discussed  the  meaning  of 
pictures  to  children,  problems  of  illus- 
trating, international  picture  books  (an 
illustrated  lecture  by  Mrs  Lepman)  and 
comic  books.  The  last  subject,  one  of 
consuming  interest  abroad,  filled  a  morn- 
ing session  and  came  up  in  other  meetings 
as  well.  Professor  Spitta  of  Hanover 
gave  an  illustrated  talk  on  the  meaning 
of  comic  book  themes  and  subjects.  He 
was  followed  by  the  paper  requested  of 
Virginia  Haviland  on  Problems  of  the 
Comic  Books  in  the  United  States,  attempt- 
ing  to  outline  methods  of  control  tried 
in  this  country  and  to  present  the  librar- 
ian's view  that  books  and  library  service 
for  children  must  be  promoted  as  a  remedy. 
The  final  meeting  of  the  congress  included 
brief  reports  from  representatives  of 
each  country  on  their  own  children's 
books  and  library  development.  The  Hans 
Christian  Anderson  international  book 
award  for  chiJdren's  literature,  to  be 
given  for  the  first  time  in  June  1956,  is 
of  wide  interest  as  a  project  of  this 
group. 

In  both  Brussels  and  Vienna  the  informal 
meetings  with  individuals  was  delightful 
and  significant.  Such  opportunities  oc- 
curred in  plsasant  extracurricular  gath- 
erings for  sightseeing,  dining,  and  music. 
There  was  general  friendliness,  sincerity 
of  interest,  and  first-hand  consciousness 
of  needs  and  problems,  as  awakening  to 
those  with  well-developed  library  services 
as  to  those  jn  countries  with  underdeveloped 
service.  We  became  aware  of  the  paral- 
leling of  concerns  with  those  of  UNESCO 
in  its  library  development  program,  as 
brought  out  by  Luther  Evans,  Director 
General  of  UNESCO,  who  spoke  both  in 
Brussels  and  in  Vienna. 


EIGHTH  ANNUAL  ALU?^AE  TEA 

The  weatherman  must  truly  have  been  in 
sympathy  with  the  idea  of  an  annual  tea 
to  bring  together  retired  branch  librar- 
ians and  their  supervisors,  for  Saturday, 
October  22 — in  vivid  contrast  to  the  tor- 
rential rains  of  the  week  before — ^was  as 
beautiful  an  autumn  day  as  the  most  cri- 
tical could  have  wished  for.  That  was  the 
day  on  miiich  Edith  Guerrier,  Supervisor 
of  Branch  Libraries,  Emeritus,  entertained 
old  friends  and  colleagues  at  her  home  in 
Brighton  for  the  eighth  consecutive  year. 
The  largest  group  ever  to  attend  was  made 
up  of:  The  Misses  Ames,  Cufflin,  Flanagan, 
Hazlewood,  Jordan,  Maxwell,  McGovern, 
Rogan,  Ross,  Watson,  and  Willis;  and  Mes- 
dames  Andelman,  Donaghue,  and  Lyon.  Send- 
ing regrets  were:  The  ?Iisses  Albert,  -^ 
Morse,  and  Sullivan;  and  Mesdames  Bailey 
and  Pitman, 

The  same  catering  group  which  has  served 
at  all  of  these  parties  was  in  charge  of 
the  refreshments.  Beautiful  colored 
slides  taken  in  Europe  this  summer  when 
three  of  its  number — ^Misses  Peck,  Haviland, 
and  Morgan — vacationed  there  were  shown 
as  Miss  Peck  gave  some  of  the  highlights 
of  the  trip. 

After  Miss  Guerrier  had  blown  out  the 
candles  on  the  birthday  cake  which  bore 
the  greeting,  "Happy  85th  birthday",  she 
promised  that,  if  the  wish  came  true,  she 
would  tell  the  group  what  it  was  when  they 
come  together  again  in  1956. 

SARAH  M.  USHER 


Hurry!  Hurry i  Hurry i  Hurry  1 

BIG     BARGAIN 

If  you  join  A.L.A.  in  the  remaining  weeks 
of  1955",  "you  will  be  a  member  in  good 
standing  through  December  1956. 


Do  it  today  1 

Contact:  Sarah  M.  Usher 

Office  of  Records,  Files 
Statistics 


CATHOLIC  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION 

MEETS  AT  SO^OMI^TLL  CCLL£;g£" 


-5- 


The  New  England  Unit  met  at  Stone hill 
College,  North  Easton,  on  a  rainy  Satur- 
day, October  1$. 

Mary  Alice  Rea,  Chairman,  presided  and 
announced  plans  for  the  Annual  Catholic 
Library  Association  Conference  to  be  held 
in  Boston  in  April,  and  lorged  the  cooper- 
ation of  all,  particularly  for  Public 
Library  Day. 

Sister  Bernadette  Marie  of  New  Bedford 
had  arranged  a  most  interesting  and  in- 
structive program  and  the  80  members 
attending  were  well  repaid  for  coming 
long  distances  in  such  bad  weather. 

Fortunata  Caliri,  Instructor  at  Lowell 
State  Teachers  College,  presented  a  paper 
on  the  oriteria  of  book  reviewing. 

Bras ill  Fitzgerald  talked  on  Literature 
and  Reverend  James  Sheehan,  President  of 
the  College,  talked  on  Science  and  the 
Library.  Reverend  James  Gorman,  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  of  the  Diocese  of 
Fall  River,  is  an  enthusiast  of  school 
libraries.  Every  high  school  in  the 
diocese  has  a  library,  with  an  especially 
appointed  librarian,  and  every  school  is 
a  member  of  the  Catholic  Library  Associ- 
ation. 

Mary  Reeves,  Dean  of  Women,  and  Eliza- 
beth Tautges,  Librarian,  fxirnished  a 
luncheon  which  was  served  by  the  girL 
students. 

ANNA  L.  mNNHK} 

FIRE  CONTROL  CENTER  MJVES 

On  October  31,  the  Fire  Control  Center 
in  the  Central  Library  building  was  moved 
into  newly-assigned  quarters  in  Stack  1, 
near  the  Blagden  Street  elevator  and 
staircase,  and  opposite  the  "men's  suite". 
In  this  room,  approximately  12'  x  l6', 
freshly  painted,  modernly  lighted  and 
ventilated,  are  concentrated  the  materials 
for  the  proper  functioning  of  this  unit 
of  the  Library,  which  has  for  one  of  its 
vital  duties  responsibility  for  the  safety 
of  Library  personnel  in  times  of  fires  or 
other  disasters. 

Blueprints  of  the  Library's  buildings, 
a  signal  board  for  the  various  alarms  and 
sirens,  etc.,  are  all  there.  Why  not 
drop  in  and  inspect  them? 


E\^EMTS  ATCNG  THE  CATALOGERS 


The  fall  meeting  of  the  Boston  Regional 
Group  of  Catalogers  and  Classifiers  was 
held  on  Saturday,  October  fifteenth,  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island.  After  a  guided 
tour  of  the  Providence  Public  Library,  the 
group  met  in  the  library's  auditorium  to 
hear  Stuart  C.  Sherman,  Associate  Librarian, 
Providence  Public  Library,  speak  on  the 
problems  in  planning  a  new  library  build-^ 
ing.  The  second  speaker,  Adelaide  B. 
Lockhart,  formerly  Assistant,  General 
Reference,  Boston  Public  Library,  and  now 
Management  Research  Assistant  to  the 
Associate  Librarian,  Yale  University  Li'r- 
brary,  described  the  first  year  of  the 
Yale  Subject  Heading  Experiment,  the 
purpose  of  which  is  to  find  out  who  uses 
subject  headings  and  with  what  frequency 
all-inclusive,  general,  and  specific  head- 
ings are  being  used, 

ESTHER  E.  JALONEM 

ROmiD  TABLE  OF  LIBRARIANS 


FOR  YDU^l^IG  ADULTS 

On  November  3,  the  Round  Table  of  Li- 
brarians for  Young  Adults  held  its  meeting 
at  the  new  Tifinchester  Square  Branch  Li- 
brary in  Springfield.  In  the  morning  the 
members  were  conducted  on  a  tour  of  the 
b\iilding  and  the  new  bookmobile.  Later  at 
the  luncheon,  which  was  served  in  the 
church  dining  room  next  door,  Miss  Wicker- 
sham,  Associate  Director  of  the  City  Libra- 
ry, talked  on  interesting  sidelights  of 
the  new  Branch  which  was  erected  through 
the  bequest  of  Annie  Curran,  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Springfield. 

After  a  brief  business  meeting, at  which 
Mrs  Newsome  of  the  Brockton  Public  Library 
was  selected  chairman  pro  tempore  of  the 
Book  Review  Committee,  the  group  returned 
to  the  Library.  There,  they  heard  the 
attractive  Dr  Sliepcevitch,  Director  of 
Health  Education  at  Springfield  College, 
talk  about  the  mental,  physical,  and 
emotional  problems  of  the  teens.  She  has 
had  a  great  deal  of  experience  with  young 
adults  as  Supervisor  of  the  Youth  Center 
at  Anaconda  High  School,  Montana,  and  as 
Director  of  Health  and  Social  Director  at 
Western  Montana  College  of  Education, 

The  "Helps  for  Better  Displays"  offered 


-6- 


by  Barbara  Seasons ,  following  Dr  Sliepce- 
vitch's  talk,  were  of  immense  value. 
Miss  Seasons,  a  former  member  of  the  art 
department  of  the  Springfield  Library  and 
now  an  art  teacher  at  Forest  Park  Junior 
High  School,  stressed  simplicity  of  design 
and  the  importance  of  "line"  in  making 
posters.  Unusual  color  combinations,  free 
form  figures,  and  an  uncluttered  effect 
make  the  display  eye-catching.  She  sug- 
gested odds  and  ends  such  as  string,  wall 
paper,  tinfoil,  shells,  cotton,  to  add 
attractiveness;  and  recommended  a  flo- 
master  pen  which  dries  immediately  and 
wax  for  plywood  instead  of  glue  because 
it  can  be  removed  easily  from  book jackets, 
etc.  She  illustrated  what  she  suggested 
and  the  group  was  impressed. 

A  coffee  hour  followed  in  the  children's 
story  hour  section  which,  by  the  way,  is 
equipped  with  every  convenience  for 
serving  buffet  to  a  large  group  such  as 
the  eighty  or  so  present. 

BARBARA  C.  COTTER,  Chairman 
Round  Table  of  Librarians 
for  Young  Adults 

ARIED  FORCES  RESEARCH  LIBRARY 


The  October  meeting  of  the  Boston 
Chapter  of  Special  Libraries  was  held  at 
the  new  Quartermaster  Research  and  Devel~»  cals  because  this  material  is  the  most 


Dr  A.  W,  Harvey,  director  of  Development, 
spoke  in  detail  about  the  activities  at 
the  Center.  Of  particular  interest  was 
,  the  Climatic  Research  Chambers,  where 
weather  conditions  can  be  created  com- 
parable to  that  of  the  tropics  and  the 
arctic,  where  clothing  and  equipment  of 
all  kinds  can  be  tested  weatherwise.  One 
of  the  outstanding  pieces  of  equipment 
that  has  been  de"seloped  is  a  mobile  bak- 
ery vmit   weighing  some  five  tons  and  pro- 
ducing 18,000  pounds  of  fresh  bread  in  ■ 
one  day — sufficient  bread  rations  for 
32,000  troops.  This  particular  unit  was 
in  operation  in  Korea. 
Dr  Harvey's  talk  was  supplemented  by  a 
film  of  the  Command's  activities.  Among 
other  things  the  film  showed  the  volunteer 
enlisted  man  being  used  in  the  various 
research  projects,  such  as  troops  on 
skiis,  climbing  Mt  VTashington  with  full 
packs  in  heavy  snowfall,  setting  up  tents 
in  high  winds,  testing  the  buoyancy  and 
ability  of  sponge  rubber-like  materials 
in  uniforms  to  keep  a  soldier  with  full 
pack  afloat  in  deep  water. 

The  technical  library  of  the  Center  con- 
sists of  some  12,000  bound  volumes  of 
scientific  books  and  periodicals,  2^00 
unbound  volumes,  and  more  than  T^jOOO 
published  and  unpublished  research  rer*  ;• 
ports.  Special  emphasis  is  on  periodi- 


opment  Center  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Co- 
chituate,  Natick.  The  Center  is  very 
impressive  with  its  massive  modem  build- 
ings, housing  facilities  for  research  and 
development  in  chemicals  and  plastics, 
dispensing  and  handling  equipment,  envi- 
ronmental protection,  mechanical  engi-i- 
neering,  pioneering  research,  and  textile, 
clothing,  and  footwear.  In  short,  it  is 
the  responsibility  of  the  Center  to  con- 
duct such  research  and  development  as  is 
necessary  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  Armed 
Forces  and  to  make  the  American  soldier 
the  best  equipped  and  most  efficient 
fighting  man  in  the  world. 

It  was  a  source  of  great  pleasure  to  all 
to  meet  Sir  Hubert  Wilkin 3  before  the 
biiffet  dinner  in  the  Cafeteria.  His 
charming  wit  and  humor  was  evidenced 
further  when  he  addressed  the  group  in 
the  Auditorium  about  receiving  thought 
forms  from  the  air  sans  equipment  of  any 
kind.  It  was  only  at  the  very  end  of  his 
talk  that  the  audience  realized  he  was 
joking. 


current.  The  library  receives  500  leading 
scientific  and  technical  journals  regular- 
ly. The  Staff  is  made  up  of  technically- 
trained  librarians  whose  job  is  to  get 
whatever  information  is  requested  from 
whatever  source  possible.  Inter-library 
loan  plays  a  tremendous  part  in  the  li- 
brary program. 

It  was  an  enjoyable  evening,  and  also 
very  enlightening, 

*•>«•■«■*-»••«•■«■ 
DO  TOU  CARE? 

Last  year  the  staff  gave  very  generously 
to  the  CARE  Food  Crusade  Program  during 
the  Christmas  holidays.  This  year  CARE 
is  again  making  its  appeal  for  help.  Let 
us  not  forget  the  needy  as  we  call  to 
mind  our  own  blessings. 

Special  Committee  for  CARE 


ii-     ^ 


a- 


-7- 


WHAT'S  THAT  AGAIN? 


One  of  our  avid  readers  while  burrowing 
into  the  back  files  found  this  statement 
in  Harpers  Weekly,  May  19,  1888,  p. 361, 
as  part  of  an  article  describing  the  new 
library  building  to  be  erected  in  Copley 
Square : 

"The  arcade  seen  in  the  illustration 
extends  along  all  four  fronts,  and  is  of 
course  the  greatest  feature  of  the  desigij, 
and  a  source  of  floods  of  light  for  the 
interior.  Light  also  enters  from  windows 
opening  on  an  inner  court,  which  has  an 
area  of  100  x  135  feet.  Probably  few 
public  buildings  have  been  given  an 
ampler  supply  of  light." 

No  editorial  comment 

ARNAVETS  GET  TOGETHER 

On  the  evening  of  November  lU,  high- 
lighted by  a  pre-dinner  social  hour,  50 
members  of  the  ARNAVETS  sat  down  to  a 
magnificent  steak  dinner  at  the  beautiful 
and  well-appointed  UO-hO  Club  in  Roslin- 
dale.  This  dinner  is  the  traditional 
annual  meeting  of  the  Library's  Service 
Veterans  for  the  p\xrpose  of  partaking  of 
good  food  and  the  exchange  of  witticisms 
of  the  day.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
dinner,  brief  remarks  were  made  by  the 
ARNAVETS'  officers  and  were  well  received 
And  with  Frank  Hyers  parting  warning,  "If 
you  are  driving  home  tonight,  make  sure 
you  have  a  car" ,  echoing  in  our  ears ,  the 
members  went  their  merry  ways  at  about 
9  o'clock. 

SAIUSL  GREEM 

DEPARTMENT  NOTES 

Book  Stack  Service 

Mrs  John  Koster  has  just  returned  from 
a  trip  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  Gulf 
States,  and  a  week  of  sunshine  in  Flori- 
da* 

Teacher's  Department 

From  our  viewpoint  the  most  important 
person  in  this  library  at  present  is 
George  Washington.  Visitors  from  far 
and  near  inq\iire  about  him  and  stand  in 
silent  admiration  before  him.  The  mem- 
bers of  our  staff  have  become  quite  adept 
in  describing  the  background  and  in  ex- 
plaining that  Washington  is  looking 


toward  Roxbury  from  whence  his  supplies 
are  coming  instead  of  toward  Boston 
Harbor  or  Castle  Island  where  his  enemies 
are  entrenched. 

Perhaps  when  the  picture  is  hung  over 
the  History  Department,  there  will  not 
be  so  many  questions. 

BRANCH  NOTES 

East  Boston 

On  Monday  evening,  October  2[i,  the 
first  program  sponsored  by  the  newly  re- 
organized Friends  of  the  East  Boston 
Branch  Library  was  held  in  the  lecture 
hall  of  the  library.  TJThat  Does  the  , 
Future  Hold  for  East  Boston?  was  the  sub- 
ject  of  the  forum  and  panel  discussion. 

After  a  brief  introduction  by  Duilia 
Capobianco,  Assistant-in-Charge,  and 
Salvatore  Basile,  President  of  the 
Friends,  the  program  was  turned  over  to 
Arthur  Miranda,  Vice-President  of  the 
Friends  and  President  of  the  East  Boston 
Board  of  Trade,  who  was  moderator  for  the 
evening.  Guest  panelists  were  Thomas  E. 
McCormick,  Director  of  Planning,  City 
Planning  Board;  Alexander  S.  Beal,  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Airport  Management  Board 
and  industrial  realtor;  Louis  Doodlesack, 
President,  Byron  Drug  Company;  and  Ralph 
A.  Voto,  Merchant. 

Mr,  McCormick  spoke  of  urban  redevelop- 
ment as  it  affected  East  Boston,  Mr  Beal 
stressed  the  importance  of  real  estate 
to  a  district  and  emphasized  the  need 
for  assertion  on  the  part  of  the  people. 
Mr,  Doodlesack  considered  the  importance 
of  the  highway  in  futiire  planning. 
Jfr  Voto,  representing  the  views  of  the 
small  merchant,  discussed  the  lack  of 
better  living  quarters  and  blamed  this 
condition  for  the  decrease  in  population 
within  the  last  ten  years.  TOien  the 
speakers  had  finished,  a  question  period 
followed.  This  became  a  very  lively  and 
stimulating  session  and  was  terminated 
after  forty  minutes  because  of  the  lack 
of  time.  However,  the  questions  con- 
tinued during  the  social  hour  which 
followed.  Everyone— panelists  and 
public — seemed  reluctant  to  leave.  The 
program  was  an  evident  success  and  proved 
the  need  for  similar  programs  in  the 
future. 

DUILIA  CAPOBIANCO 


-6- 


Jef fries  Point 

Saturday,  October  29,  found  thirty-one 
youngsters  excitedly  awaiting  Story  Hour 
in  an  atmosphere  of  ghosts,  black  cats, 
witches,  and  grinning  Jack-d-lanterns, 
The  adventures  of  "Georgie",  "Teeny  Tiny" 
and  "Horace  the  Happy  Ghost"  were  enjoyed 
by  all.  After  a  spirited  game  of  "Hide 
the  Old  Witch" ,  played  with  a  beanbag 
shaped  like  a  witch's  hat,  each  child 
received  a  treat  of  Hallowe'en  candies. 

Both  the  Adult  and  Children's  Rooms 
have  been  brightened  by  a  display  of  art 
work  from  the  three  local  schools »  These 
colorful  paintings  and  drawings  have  re- 
ceived much  favorable  comment  from  our 
patrons.  An  announcement  of  the  exhibi- 
tion was  made  over  station  WLYN  on  "The 
East  Boston  Hour." 

Tyler  Street 

The  Puppet  Group  is  rehearsing  for  a 
Christmas  Puppet  Show  to  be  given 
December  12  at  3:30  P.M.  Tvro  plays,  "The 
Boy  of  Nazareth"  and  "The  Christmas  Angel", 
are  to  be  presented  under  the  able  direc- 
tion of  Ann  Sullivan,  The  club,  which 
has  a  membership  of  ten  boys  and  girls, 
is  most  enthusiastic  about  its  hand  puppet 
project. 

West  End  Branch 

On  Saturday  morning,  November  5j  the 
members  of  the  Hit  Parade  Summer  Reading 
Club  ended  their  activities  with  a  party 
held  in  the  lecture  hall  at  the  library. 
The  children  took  this  opportunity  of 
telling  Mrs  Lehane,  now  children's  Librar- 
ian at  Uphams  Corner,  goodbye,  saying 
that  they  hoped  she  would  be  happy  at  her 
"new  library" ,  They  then  welcomed  Mrs 
Ellis  to  West  End  and  Mss  Goldstein  was 
thanked  for  the  many  post  cards  she  sent 
to  the  club  during  her  travels  in  Europe. 

Then,  everybody  settled  dovai  to  listen 
to  an  account  of  those  travels — "Beef 
eaters"  guarding  the  Tower  of  London,  the 
Pope  blessing  a  multitude  at  the  Vatican 
in  Rome,  a  play  under  the  stars  at  the 
amphitheatre  of  the  Acropolis  in  Athens, 
a  children's  village  in  Israel — the  club 
sat  spellbound.  Afterward  there  was  a 
scramble  to  see  the  pictures  Miss  Gold*- 
stein  had  brought  vath  her. 

Mrs  Lehane  then  assisted  Mrs  Ellis  in 
awarding  reading  certificates  and  other 
special  awards  to  the  children.  These 
awards  provided  another  thrill:  Jtlss  Gold- 
stein had  brought  medals,  blessed  by  the 


Pope,  from  the  Vatican  which  were  given 
to  Catholic  club  members.  The  recipients 
were  delighted  with  them.  The  Jewish 
winners  received  books  as  awards, 

A  series  of  charades  from  favorite 
books  were  acted  out  by  the  children,  the 
audience  having  to  guess  the  names  of  the 
stories.  The  party  concluded  with  re- 
freshments e 


SI 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must  . 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  togeth- 
er with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Library, 
Department  or  Office  in  which  he  or  she 
is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld  from 
publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if  the 
contributor  so  requests.  Anonyrnous  con- 
tributions are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  known  only 
to  the  Editor-in-Chief,  The  contents  of 
the  articles  appearing  in  the  Soap  Box 
are  personal  opinions  expressed  by  indi- 
vidual Association  members  and  their 
appearance  does  not  necessarily  indicate 
that  the  Publications  Committee  and  the 
Association  are  in  agreement  vri.th  the 
views  expressed.  Only  those  contributions 
containing  nor  more  than  300  vrords  will 
be  accepted. 


To  the  Editor  of  the  Soap  Box: 

Every  autvimn  we  are  faced  with  an 
enormous  problem:  how  to  spend  the  re- 
mainder of  the  book  budget  before  the 
close  of  the  fiscal  year.  To  meet  this 
problem,  the  work  of  several  Central 
departments  is  doubled.  Doubled  and 


-9- 


tripled  Book  orders  flow  from  the  Selec- 
tion Departments  down  to  Book  Purchasing; 
while  huge  quantities  of  new  books  inun- 
date the  Cataloging  Departments  and  Book 
Preparation,  finally  reaching  our  Ship- 
ping Department  for  distribution.  Over- 
time Saturday  and  evening  work  inevitably 
becomes  a  necessity  on  someone's  part. 
As  a  member  of  one  of  these  autumnly 
overworked  departments  (where,  incidental- 
ly, no  overtime  work  done  is  ever  paid 
for  by  the  library)  I'd  like  to  raise  one 
question.  Why  is  the  opportunity  to  cany 
home  six  days  pay  per  week  instead  of 
five  at  this  time  of  the  year  not  made 
available  to  all  staff  members  instead  of 


looking  for,  as  I  had  held  the  book  in  ray 

hands  for  several  hours  and  had  cogitated 

just  to  those  who  happen  to  work  regularly! about  the  plight  of  Mr  Wilde's  volatile 


in  Book  Purchasing,  the  Branch  Catalog, 
Book  Preparation,  the  Business  Office, 
and  the  Shipping  Department?  Shouldn't 
others  take  a  turn  at  carrying  this  extra 
load — and  sharing  the  profits? 

B.  GERTRUDE  WADE 


G0NC21ATULATI0NS 

To  Hope  Brown,  Children's  Assistant  at 
Parker  Hill,  who  appeared  on  IGBH  -  TV, 
Channel  2,  Monday,  November  lU,  at  5:30 
on  the  Come  and  See  program  sponsored  by 
the  Eliot-Pearson  School  of  Tufts  Univer- 
sity, of  which  Miss  Brown  is  a  graduate. 
Iliss  Brown  described  various  types  of 


books  for  use  with  small  children  and  con- 
cluded with  a  retelling  of  one  of  "Curious Mr  Carpenter,  don't  make  it  too  bitter 


George ' s"  adventures . 

POSITIVELY?  WELL,  NO  I 

Mr  Carpenter  is  sharing  with  us  one  of 
the  best  of  many  notes  trtiich  come  to  him 
in  conneetion  with  his  work: 

Dear  Mr  Carpetrtcr: 

During  the  sweltering  s^umffler  I  had 
occasion  to  reply  to  you  regarding  the 
missing  Picture  of  Dorian  Gray,  catalog 
No,  W6722  p  i  (Mat.  Br.).  Averred  at 
that  t-ime  that  my  wife  returned  the  book, 
as  I  had  left  it  on  top  of  her  pile  of 
stnff  that  she  was  returning.  However, 
like  a  reasonably  prudent  creature,  I 
also  soarched  the  places  where  sacred 
public 'p¥r>pspt5;^^p.p^  get  lodged,  i.e., 
'^MSP-ie"i*;ij2^ifT5Buch,  on  the  sloppy  book  . 


shelf,  etc. 

Lo  and  behold,  last  week,  after  many 
moons  had  undergone  their  protean  changes, 
while  rearranging  furniture  and  collecting 
stuff  to  store  in  the  cellar — my  wife  was 
on  a  mighty  crusade  to  shatter  a  furniture 
fixation  and  would  not  endure  another 
maSana— the  heinous  volume  revealed  itself 
on  the  book  shelf  1  (It  took  a  rewriting 
of  this  letter  for  me  to  assume  the  stoic 
mental  posture  of  a  soldier  and  confess 
the  locus  delicti.)  To  tell  you  the  truth, 
I  had  been  looking  for  a  yellow-covered 
book,  and  I  was  confident  about  what  I  was 


artistic  temperament  in  a  st if fling  Phari- 
saical atmosphere.  I  found  that  the  book 
was  Mack-covered.   You  can  imagine  my 
chagrin.  I  had  preened  myself  that  I  knew 
the  quirks  of  the  human  mind,  that  I  wa." 
versed  in  optical  illusions ,  autosttgges- 
tion,  and  Sacco — ^Vanzetti. 

We3JL,  I  told  my  wife  that  I  must  confess 
to  Mr  Carpenter  right  away,  but  with  the 
pragmatic  rascality  of  her  sex  she  mentioTK 
ed  the  big  fines  and  suggested  we  let 
sleeping  dogs  lie.  But  then,  what  can- you 
expect  from  an  individual  who  will  fill 
her  mental  vacuum  with  the  beatific  vision 
of  a  mermaid  and  sea  weed  pattern  of 
costly  Wall-tex  on  her  dingy  bathroom 
walls,  instead  of,  like  me,  assailing  the 
bleak  heights  of  Magic  Mountain? 

We  have  the  book  on  hand  and  are  pre- 
pared to  take  our  medicine,  but  please, 


for  us  poor  Pinocchios . 

Self-effacingly  yours, 
Mr  Carpenter's  Answer 
Dear  Mr 


We  are  glad  to  learn  from  your  letter- 
dated  the  8th  that,  not  only  do  you  have 
a  good  wit,  but  oiir  "Picture  of  Dorian 
Gray"  as  well. 

Will  you  therefore,  proceed  to  our 
Ifettapan  Branch  Library,  and  obtain. peace 
of  mind  by  parting  with  ;».56-  for  "being 
la  bad  boy" . 

If  I  have  occasion  to  use  yotcr  letter 
t©  cheer  some  fellow  worker  in  need  of  a 
laugh,  or  in  irgr  "memQirs"^  I  am  sure  jrotu 


vdll  not  object;  providing  I  do  so  sans 
your  name  and  address. 


-10- 


M.L.A.  HIGHLIGHTS 
December  First  Meeting 
Hotel  Somerset 


Let  me  thank  you  for  your  explanation 
and  let  me  assure  you  that  we  are  awaiting 
with  great  "excitement"  the  return  of 
Borian  Gray, 

Yours  sincerely, 


ALBERT  A.  CARPENTER 

A  Second  8$th  Birthday  Party 

On  Satirrday,  November  5,  Edith  Guerrier 
Supervisor  of  Branch  Libraries,  Emeritus , 
was  guest  of  honor  at  a  luncheon  in  cele- 
bration of  her  85th  birthday.  Held  at 
the  Hotel  Beaconsf ield,  the  hostesses  were 
SEGers  who  came  from  as  far  away  as  the 
state  of  Oregon  to  honor  their  former 
leader.  This  group  which  was  organized 
at  the  North  End  Branch  Library  and  de- 
rived its  name  from  the  day  of  the  week 
on  which  it  met — Saturday  Evening  Girls — 
has  been  loyal  for  more  than  a  half  cen- 
tury to  the  Library  as  an  institution  and 
to  the  outstanding  library  leader  under 
whose  guidance  they  received  inspiration. 

IN  APPRECIATION  OF  CARS 

Dear  Sirs : 

Often  times  during  a  person's  life  time, 
there  occur  many  unexpected  and  unaccount- 
able things.  Thus  even  to  me.  One  very 
rainy  day,  while  I  was  sitting  alone  near 
the  fireplace  whose  fire  had  burned  out, 
there  was  a  sudden  knock  at  my  door,  and 
the  mail-carrier  brought  me  something 
which  I  did  not  expect.  It  was  a  package 
from  you.  As  soon  as  the  children  (my 
grandchildren)  saw  it  they  snatched  it  up 
and  kissed  it,  because  we  had  nothing  to 
eat.  They  are  three  little  orphans  (aged 
6  to  9  years),  one  is  unable  to  see,  that 
is  to  say  he  is  blind  and  they  are  asking 
me  for  food,  trtio  am  79  years  old.  For 
this  reason  I  was  very  glad,  and  as  a 
white  haired  old  man  I  thank  you. 

I  hope  you  vrLll  be  able  to  continue 
your  philanthropic  activities,  so  that 
you  can  heal  other  wounded  hearts  like 
ours.  Again  I  thank  you  and  send  best 
wishes.   I  am  finishing  this  ivith  my 
greetings. 

KONSTAOTINE  SOTI  DAVjD 
%t,elene,  Papado  Gera  (Greece) 


9:l5  a.m.  Registration 

10:00  a.m.  Panel;  A  PANEL  ON  PERSONNEL 
Speakers  from  the  Forbes 
Library,  Northampton, 
Worcester  and  Fitchburg 
Public  Libraries,  City  Li- 
brary Association,  Spring- 
field, and  the  General 
Electric  Company,  Lynn 

11:00  a.m.  Business  Meeting 

11:15  a»ni.  Section  meetings 

Public  Library  Group  *- 

BOOKKOBILES—ADVANTAGES  AND 
DISADVANTAGES 
Speakers  from  Boston  and 
Lynn  public  libraries.  City 
Library  Association,   Spring- 
field, Framingham  Town  Li- 
brary, and  the  State  Region- 
al Center,   Pittsfield 

College  Library  Group 

SOME  ASPECTS  OF  LONGFELLOW 
AND  LONGFELLOW  RESEARCH 
Speaker:  Edward  Wagenknecht 

Institutional  Librarians 
HOSPITAL  LIFE  IW  INDIA 
Speaker:  Dr  Gertrude  J. 
Smith 

Round  Table  of  Children's  Li- 
brarians and  Round  Table  of 
Librarians  for  Young  Adults 
CAROLINE  M.  HEWINS  LECTURE 
ON  LAURA  E.  RICHARDS 
Speaker:  Itrs  Ruth  Hill 
Viguers 

Music  Librarians 

THE  NEW  MUSIC  LIERARY  AT 
HARVARD 

Speaker:  Dr  Randall  . 
Thompson 

1;00  p.m.     Luncheon 


A  WllffiOW  ON  RED  SQUARE 
Speaker:     Frank  W.  Rounds,  Jr. 


BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


iS^/yvTUn-^^Oe^!^ 


7^ 


<iir--^ 


on 


i   riRO 


Lecture  Hall,  Central  Library  Building 


FRIDAY,      DECEMBER     2,    1955 


8:ooP.M,-l2:ooM. 


Music  by  Frankie  Myers '    Orchestra 


H  Z'^'XJ^h/mayntc)      oALoL       ^  n/y\ 


e4 


ADMISSION  99^ 
ALL  AP£  INVITED  ....  CCME  AND  BRIWC  BXIE  FRIENDS 

Entertainment  Committee 

Genevieve  Moloney,  Chairman 

Mary  Ellen  Brigante  Pasquale  Vacca 

Frances  Landrigan  Richard  Waters 

Jean  ^^tson 


Please  Post 


TO 


uestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


DECEMBER  1955 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Professional  Staff  Association 


Volume  X)  Number  12 


December  1955 


Publications  Committee: 


Robert  P.  Giddings,  Felicia  J.  Langdon,  Sheila  W,  Pierce, 
Robert  C.  iToodward,  B.  Gertrude  Wade,  Chairman 


Publication  date: 
The  fifteenth  of  each  month 


Deadline  for  submitting  material; 
The  tenth  of  each  month 


TO  EVERYONE ^A  VERY  HAPPY  HOLIDAY  SEASON  FROM  THE  PUBLICATIONS  COMJITTEE 

Appropriately  enough  at  this  season  of  the  year  the  Staff  can  rejoice  that  it 
has  been  found  possible  to  hold  meetings  of  the  Staff  -with  the  Director.  After  an 
interval  of  over  two  years  it  is  certainly  welcome  to  have  this  opportunity  to  learn 
with  some  degree  of  assurance  what  our  administrators  are— and  are  not — planning  to 
do  at  this  time  with  regard-  to  the  building  program,  the  book  budget,  improvements 
in  the  Central  Library  building,  appointments,  and  xmiform  treatment  of  assistants- 
in-charge.  For  those  who  have  been  waiting  a  year  or  two  for,  and  earned  advancement 
to, the  fourth  or  fifth  step  levels,  this  should  be  a  season  for  special  rejoicing. 
All  of  us  should  be  grateful  that  it  is  possible  to  sense  the  measure  of  positive 
action  that  is  being  taken  to  vitalize  the  work  of  the  staff  and  the  services  of  the 
Library, 


The  past  year  has  been  one  viiich  saw  old  problems  such  as  the  shortage  of  staff 
and  the  congestion  of  space  intensified;  it  also  saw  a  most  welcome  increase  in  the 
appropriation  for  books  and  a  stajrb  toward  the  filling  of  vacancies.  It  is  apparent 
that  the  Staff  can  take  pride  in  a  job  done  well  in  spite  of  some  critical  problems. 
Certainly  we  can  look  forward  hopefully  to  1956.  The  presentation  at  the  Staff 
Meetings t coming  in  the  same  week  with  the  issuance  of  the  Comments  by  the  Officers 
of  the  Library  on  the  Recommendations  of  the  Examining  Committee  of  195U-195^ 
suggests  that  the  ensuing  yaar  should  see  some  long  neglected  problems  receive 
attention.  It  is  a  long  step  in  the  right  direction  #ien  it  is  officially  recog- 
nized that  certain  needs  exist — such  as  modern  lighting  at  the  book  level  for  Bates 
Hall.  In  this  new  spirit,  it  can  be  hoped,  1956  will  be  a  year  of  improved  service 
to  the  public. 


CALENDAR  OF  EVENTS 

December  22,  Annual  Christmas  tea. 

Women's  Lounge,  3-5  P«ni. 

December  25.  Open  House  in  Men's  Loiinge, 
10-12  a.m. 

PERSONAL  MOTES 

New  Employees 

Frank  G.  Saunders,  General  Reference 

John  J.  Spicer,  Rare  Book 


Transferred 

John  J .  Brauer ,  from  Audio-Visual  to 

Central  Charging  Records 
Marjorie  H.  Gibbons,  from  Washington 

Village  to  City  Point 
Robert  P.  Goldman,  from  Central  Charging 

Records  to  Audio-Visual 
Tyyne  Saari,  from  Neponset  to  Vifashington 

Village 
Christine  J.  Umano,  from  Brighton  to 

Neponset 
Mrs.  Ethel  L.  Heins,  from  Bookmobile  I 

to  Uphams  Corner 


-2- 


Linda  M.  Ivers,  from  Uphams  Corner  to 
Charlestovm 

May  C.  McDonald,  from  Charlestown  to 
Bookmobile  I 

J!rs.  Barbara  E.  Coffey,  from  Book  Select- 
ion, (R  and  RS) ,  to  Cataloging  and 
Classification,  (R  and  RS) 

Resignations 

George  Adelman,  General  Reference,  to 
accept  the  position  of  Librarian  vrLth 
the  Office  of  Naval  Research  in  Boston 

Mary  L.  Oilman,  City  Point,  to  be  married 

Pearl  G.  Lewis,  General  Reference,  to 
accept  a  position  as  Associate  Libra- 
rian in  the  Engineering  Library  at 
M.I.T. 

ENGAGEMENTS 

Connolly  is  bursting  with  pre-Christmas 
good  tidings  because  of  the  engagement 
of  Barbara  E.  Cotter  to  John  F.  Travers 
of  Arlington.  ISr   Travers  is  teaching 
in  Boston  and  is  studying  for  his  doctor- 
ate in  education  at  Boston  College. 
June  twenty-third  is  the  dayl 


Anastasia  Efthemeou,  Print,  has  become 
engaged  to  John  Krupa  from  Detroit, 
Michigan.  A  June  9  wedding  is  planned. 

A  NEW  POTENTIAL  LIBRARIAN 

William  T.  Casey,  Open  Shelf,  and  his 
wife  Julia,  are  the  very  proud  parents 
of  an  eight- pound  daughter,  born  at 
12:09  P.M. on  Tuesday,  November  29. 
Terese  Anne  has  two  sisters. 

VISITORS 

Goffredo  Petrassi,  Italian  composer,  in 
Boston  on  the  occasion  of  the  premiere 
performance  of  his  Fifth  Concerto  for 
Orchestra,  commissioned  by  the  Boston 
Symphony  Orchestra  for  its  seventy-fifth 
anniversary. 

Professor  Yoshio  Tsuge,  Chief  Architect, 
University  of  Tokio. 

CONCaUTULATIOWS 

To  Mr  Daniel  Koury,  Music,  who  recently 
conducted  an  orchestral  evening  at  Ema- 
nuel College.  On  December  l6,  his  Sonata 
for  Clarinet  and  Piano  will  be  performed  1 
by  the  Brookline  Library  Music  Association.  J 


To  Miss  Constance  Tarquini,  a  part-time 
staff  member  at  North  End  vrtio  was  featu- 
red as  "Teen  of  the  Week"  on  November  13, 
195$,  in  the  BOSTON  SUNDAY  POST.  A  stu- 
dent at  the  JJassachusetts  School  of  Art, 
liiss  Tarquini  was  lauded  for  her  artistic 
skill  as  a  constant  winner  in  national 
scholastic  art  contests. 

A  FAREWELL  COFFEE  HOUR 

A  double  feature,  with  one  feature 
missing,  was  held  in  the  Women's  Lounge 
at  the  Central  Library  on  Thursday  morn- 
ing December  8,  when  the  Branch  Librarians 
and  Department  Heads  of  the  Division  of 
Home  Reading  and  Community  Services  met 
to  honor  Evelyn  Levy  and  the  former  Mary 
Oilman.  Miss  Oilman,  who  left  the  service 
on  November  18  to  marry  Benjamin  Grosbayne, 
was  at -her  new  home  in  New  York  and  unable 
to  be  present.  Miss  Levy,  who  leaves  the 
first  of  the  year  to  assume  her  new  posi- 
tion as  Assistant  Co-Ordinator  of  Work 
■with  Adults  at  the  Enoch  Pratt  Library, 
Baltimore,  carried  the  ball  very  adroitly 
for  both  guests  of  honor. 

The  decorations  and  refreshments  carried 
out  the  seasonal  motif.  One  of  the  most 
enjoyable  aspects  of  the  occasion  was  the 
fact  so  many  retire'es  returned  to  honor 
the  guests.  The  two  former  supervisors 
under  whom  the  guests  of  honor  began  their 
library  careers,  Edith  Guerrier  and 
Alice  M.  Jordan,  were  welcomed  by  their 
many  friends  and  former  co-workers. 

John  M.  Carroll,  Chief  Librarian  of  the 
Division,  graciously  presented  Miss  Levy 
and  'Irs  Grosbayne  (in  absentia)  with 
tokens  of  the  esteem  of  their  fellow 
workers.  Mrs  Ada  A.  Andelman,  Supervisor, 
accepted  for  Itrs  Grosbayne,  while  Miss 
Levy  replied  for  herself  with  her  usual 
refreshing  originality. 

As  the  ladies  assume  their  new  duties 
in  broader  fields  of  activity,  the  best 
wishes  of  the  entire  B.P.L.  staff  go  with 
them. 


HELPFUL  GIFT  SUGGESTION 

FOR  LATE  CHRISTMAS  SHOPPERS 

Membership  in  the  A.L.A. 

See:  Sarah  M.  Usher 

A.L.A.  Membership  Committee 
Office  of  Records,  Files, 
Statistics 


PRESIDENT'S  NOTES 


-3- 


At  the  Executive  Board  meeting  on  Mon- 
day, 12  December  1955,  the  Board  consider- 
Bri  a  communication  received  from  the 
Director  in  connection  with  the  presenta- 
tion made  to  him  by  the  President  for  the 
Executive  Board  on  April  27,  1955.  The 
Director  explained  the  position  of  the 
Administration  on  the  amount  of  increment 
granted  to  Assistants-in-Charge  and  asked 
for  any  help  and  suggestions  that  the 
Executive  Board  could  make  for  taking  care 
of  the  matter  in  an  adequate  and  uniform 
manner.  The  Executive  Board  appointed  a 
special  committee  composed  of  Margaret 
Butler,  Sidney  Weinberg,  and  Louis  Rains 
to  gather  information  and  prepare  recom- 
mendations. The  committee  will  welcome 
any  suggestions  from  the  staff. 


* 


In  view  of  the  considerable  number  of 
new  employees  eligible  for  membership  in 
the  Staff  Association,  the  Executive 
Board  voted  to  accept  dues  paid  since 
1  November  as  payment  for  the  remainder 
of  1955  and  all  of  1956. 


Those  of  you  who  did  not  attend  the 
dance  and  card  party  on  December  2nd 
missed  a  thoroughly  enjoyable  evening. 
The  Entertainment  Committee  under  the 
capable  chairmanship  of  Genevieve  Moloney 
did  a  splendid  job  decorating  the  Lecture 
Hall,  providing  prizes  and  serving  the 
refreshments.  We  received  the  customary 
enthusiastic  cooperation  from  the  Director, 
Mr   Starr,  the  custodians  and  the  extra 
service  personnel.  The  proceeds  from  the 
party  should  add  approximately  seventy 
dollars  to  the  treasury. 


The  Officers  and  Executive  Board  of  the 
Professional  Staff  Association  join  with 
me  in  extending  to  all  members  of  the 
staff,  past  and  present,  our  heartiest 
wishes  for  a  happy  holiday  season. 


Louis  Rains,  President 


M.L.A.  LATE  FALL  MEETING 
General  Meeting  on  Personnel 

December  1,  the  Association  meeting  at 
the  Hotel  Somerset,  in  Boston,  convened 
with  a  Panel  on  Personnel.  The  panel 
members  were:  Lawrence  E.  Wikander, 
Moderator,  Librarian,  Forbes  Library, 
Northamptonj  Edward  B.  Daniels,  Director 
of  Adult  Services,  Free  Public  Library, 
Worcester;  Lucille  Wickersham,  Associate 
Director jCity  Library  Association,  Spring- 
field; Roku  Xasui,  Specialist  in  Person- 
nel Development,  General  Electric  Company, 
Lynn;  Ruth  Ifyatt,  Librarian,  Fitchburg 
Public  Library,  Fitchburg. 

Actually  the  subject  of  the  panel  was 
recruiting  for  librarianship.  Mr  Daniels 
indicated  that  there  were  more  positions 
than  qualified  people  to  fill  them. 
School  libraries  ai^  gaining,  but  are  not 
giving  back,  professionally-trained 
librarians.  This  is  primarily  due  to 
higher  salaries ,  shorter  hours ,  and  longer 
vacations  offered  to  school  librarians. 
Mr  Daniels  believes  that  library  schools 
are  not  getting  enough  applicants  because 
the  career  of  librarianship  is  not  known 
or  advertised.  The  shortage  of  trained 
people  exists  in  college  libraries  as 
well.  It  wars  noted  that  at  the  A.L.A. 
Conference  in  Philadelphia  this  past 
summer  there  were  k26   vacancies  listed 
and  only  26  applicants  for  these  positions. 

Miss  Vifickersham  stated  that  the  low 
birth  rate  in  the  1930 's  has  resulted  in 
personnel  shortages  now  in  all  fields. 
Lack  of  publicity  for  the  profession  of 
librarianship  is  reflected  in  particularly 
acute  shortages  in  this  field.  Miss 
Wickersham  believes  that  librarians  them- 
selves must  advertise  and  publicize  their 
profession.  She  went  on  to  say  that 
placement  agencies  cannot  provide  person- 
nel to  libraries  for  the  following  reasons: 
(1)  irregular  hours;  (2)  5-day  week  with- 
out Saturdays  off;  and  (3)  no  favorable 
answer  to  opyportunity  of  meeting  men. 
The  question  of  recruiting  outside  New 
England  is  negatively  ansvrered  because 
New  England  does  not  attract  due  to  low 
salaries  and  high  cost  of  living.  Only 
an  applicant  who  has  a  very  personal  rea- 
son for  so  doing  mil  consider  employment 
in  New  England. 

It  was  refreshing  to  hear  Mr  Yasui  since 
he  was  of  another  profession  and  could 
analyze  the  personnel  shortage  in  the 
field  of  librarianship  more  objectively. 


-4i- 


In  the  engineering  world  there  are  also 
shortages  of  trained  personnel,  but, he 
said,  industry  has  tried  to  overcome  these 
deficiencies  by  recruiting  and  publicizing 
the  field — especially  to  high  school  stu- 
dents by  offering  scholarships  and  adver- 
tising good  salaries  and  by  training  at 
company  expense.  Industry  has  carried 
its  recruiting  program  a  step  further, 
developing  the  potentialities  of  current 
employees  by  providing  opportunities  for 
advancement  and  by  determining  specialties 
through  courses  likewise  at  company  ex- 
pense and  providing  tuition  refund  pro- 
grams for  night  courses. 

In  General  Electric  Company,  with  good, 
up-to-date  personnel  records,  no  indivi- 
dual is  neglected.  Each  employee  is  re- 
interviewed  after  one  year  of  employment 
for  purposes  of  two-way  communication  and 
morale.  General  Electric  re-evaluates 
engineering  projects  so  that  routine  work 
can  be  sorted  and  assigned  to  technicians, 
thus  relieving  engineers  for  professional 
work. 

Miss  Hyatt  stated  that  not  enough  is 
being  done  to  alleviate  shortages  in  li- 
brarians. We  are  "making  do"  by  appoint- 
ing people  with  equivalences,  by  using, 
on  part-time  bases,  library  school  grad- 
uates not  available  for  fiill-time  employ- 
ment, and  by  training  college  graduates 
in  in-service  training  programs.  HoiNever, 
turn-over  is  so  great  that  none  of  these 
methods  is  satisfactory  for  any  length  of 
tame.  Budgets  in  libraries  do  not  allow 
for  good  in-sei*vice  training  programs. 
Department  heads  and  supervisory  officers 
are  not  trained  for  in-service  training 
programs.  Pre-professionals,  that  is, 
college  graduates,  to  be  trained  through 
in-seirvice  training  or  library  school 
courses,  are  the  only  answer  in  New  Eng- 
land which  holds  no  attraction  for  library; 
school  graduates.  Actually,  the  employ- 
ment of  pre-professionals  is  a  form  of 
recruiting.  Some  colleges  are  attempting  , 
to  give  elementary  fundamentals  of  library 
science  through  evening  and  siumneireoajrses. 
as  Clark  University  and  the  University  of 
New  Hampshire  have  done. 

Miss  Pfyatt  believes  that  there  are  three 
groups  which  can  recruit  for  librarian?- 
ship:  (1)  American  Library  Association; 
(2)  Library  schools;  and  (3)  Trustees  ■» .. 
and/or  Friends  of  Libraries.  The  American 
Library  Association  has  made  some  headway 
through  the  Joint  Committee  on  Library 
Work  as  a  Career  but  we  are  talking  to 
ourselves.  We  have  not  painted  a  picture 
of  national  importance.  The  American 


Library  Association  has  spent  money  on 
many  projects  to  encourage  use  of  librar- 
ies but  has  not  recruited  personnel  to 
carry  out  these  projects.  Miss  Hyatt 
feels  that  we  need  a  big,  bold,  vigorous 
national  program  of  recruiting  with  com- 
petent, experienced  direction.  Library 
schools  should  be  more  active  than  at 
present;  trustees  should  encourage  the 
career  of  librarianship;  and  local  library 
associations  should  sponsor  a  recruiting 
program  but  at  the  national  level. 

To  summarize,  Ifr  Yasui's  stirring  slogan, 
"Something  must  be  done  and  nowl"  indicated 
the  sentiment  of  all  those  assembled  at 
this  meeting  which  had  much  importance  to 
librarians  as  well  as  administrators  and 
trustees . 

Catherine  McDonald 

Public  Library  Group 

This  group  had  for  its  topic  "Bookmobi- 
les -  Advantages  and  Disadvantages." 
John  A.  Huaqjhry,  Director,  City  Library 
Association,  Springfield,  was  moderator. 

Louise  Day,  Librarian,  Lynn  Public 
Library,  spoke  on  a  city  Bookmobile.  She 
said  that  housing  units  had  been  built  in 
the  outskirts  of  Lynn,  resulting  in  many 
families  with  many  children  and  a  large 
school  population.  Since  the  schools 
have  no  school  libraries.  Bookmobile  ser- 
vice was  instituted  for  school  visiting. 
The  Bookmobile  has  a  heavy  schedule, 
getting  books  to  children  each  week  in 
their  classrooms.  Not  many  adults  use 
the  Lynn  Bookmobile  and  it  does  not  have 
evening  service.  The  staff  is  greatly 
overworked  and  wishes  it  could  do  more. 
Lynn  likes  its  Bookmobile  and  considers 
its  operation  very  successful. 

Francis  P.  Keough,  Librarian,  Frarain- 
gham  Town  Librai^s  spoke  on  the  technical 
and  mechanical  specifications  of  a  vehicle. 
Since  Framingham  has  recently  purchased 
a  new  Bookmobile,  he  was  well  qualified 
to  speak  on  the  subject.  He  said  Mass- 
achusetts had  l6  Bookmobiles  varying  in 
size  from  900  to  U500  volume  capacity  and 
costing  from  3JU,000  to  $18,000.    The 
large  vehicles  are  used  by  most  City 
libraries.  They  are  18  feet  and  up  in 
length,  have  generators,  files,  more  work 
space.  Standards,  as  to  size,  should  be 
set  up  before  the  purchase  of  a  Bookmobile. 
Number  of  stops  must  be  taken  in  conside- 
ration, and  the  possibility  of  increasing 
demands.  Purchasers  should:  (1)  Consider 
own  community  and  maximum  load  to  be 


I 


I 


carried,  (2)  Consult  available  specif ica-  couraged  to  leave  reserves  for  books  de- 
tions,  (3)  Inspect  other  Bookmobiles  in   f sired.  Bookmobile  service  is  an  assembly- 
operation,  ik)   Consult  Bookmobile  build-  [line  job  and  the  staff  must  know  the  col- 
ers,  (5)  Have  otoi  plans  and  specif icationsj lection  and  keep  it  tidy  and  attractive. 


The  maintenance  of  a  Bookmobile  should 
also  be  considered.  Tovm  or  city  garage 
and  maintenance  service  is  good,  if  avail- 
able. Bookmobiles  can  be  serviced  in  good 
truck  garages.  A  man  driver,  vitio  can 
take  care  of  minor  repairs,  is  desirable. 
Cleaning,  weekly  washing,  etc.,  can  be 
done  by  garages. 

Barbara  Morey,  Regional  Librarian,  State 
Regional  Library  Center,  Pittsfield,  spoke 
on  rural  Bookmobile  service.  She  said 
that  the  Bookmobile  is  the  only  answer  to 
rural  library  problems.  There  are  three 
on  her  staff  who  not  only  circulate  books, 
but  are  storytellers,  catalogers  and  men- 
ders. The  Bookmobile  draws  on  all  "Branch?- 
es  of  library  service  to  try  to  get  books 
on  all  subjects.  It  makes  three  or  fo\ir 
trips  a  week  and  covers  9000  miles  a  year. 
It  visits  many  one-room  schools  and  tries 
to  get  to  every  town  library  during  its 
hours  open  so  that  each  library  selects 
books  it  needs.  They  have  no  overdues, 
no  rules,  schedule  is  flexible,  and  they 
fill  requests  the  next  time  around.  They 
give  book  talks  on  care  of  books. 

Mrs  Ada  A.  Andelman,  Supervisor  of  Home 
Reading  Services,  Boston  Public  Library, 
spoke  on  the  book  collection  of  a  Book- 
mobile. She  said  it  should  have  both 
adult  and  children's  books.  We  should  not 
limit  the  number  of  books  per  borrower, 
but,  in  many  instances,  Boston  has  had  to 
limit  easy  and  picture  books  to  one  per 
child.  The  collection  should  be  well- 
rounded  and  should  have  some  basic  refer- 
ence books,  such  as  The  World  Almanac, 
dictionary,  atlas,  etc.  Bookmobile  circu- 
lation is  greater  than  that  at  a  branch 
library,  maybe  because  of  the  austerity 
of  Library  buildings.  The  Bookmobile 
comes  to  the  people j  it  is  informal, 
friendly,  and  makes  for  good  public  rela- 
tions .  The  minimum  book  stock  carried 
should  be  1,800;  h,SOO   in  deluxe  Bookmo- 
biles, The  Bookmovile  should  own  its  own 
collection,  housed  in  a  central  location 
and  three  times  the  size  of  the  vehicle 
capacity.  There  should  be  duplication  of 
best  sellers.  Children's  books  must  also 
be  duplicated  so  that  the  borrowers  at 
last  stops  have  a  chance  to  get  these 
books.  In  buying  books,  the  Bookmobile 
Librarian  must  consider  that  the  Bookmo- 
bile is  as  many  libraries  as  the  stops  it 
makes.  Borrowers,  however,  accept  the 
limitation  of  the  collection  and  are  en- 


Edith  L.  Mooney,  Bookmobile  Librarian, 
[Worcester  Free  Public  Library,  spoke  on 
staff  scheduling.  The  Bookmobile  in  Wor- 
cester is  on  a  five-day-week  schedule.  It 
goes  to  schools  in  the  morning,  schools 
and  neighboiiiood  stops  in  the  afternoon, 
and  ne  ighborhoods  in  evenings ,  returning 
to  Main  Library  at  noon  for  lunch  and  in 
the  evening  for  supper  and  change  of  staff. 
It  can  also  supplement  its  book  collection 
during  this  time.  The  Bookmobile  operates 
all  year  except  for  one  week  at  Christmas. 
Circulation  is  lowest  this  week  and  it  is 
a  good  time  for  repairs.  Two  professionals 
and  driver  go  out  mornings,  two  profession- 
als, driver  and  one  page  in  the  afternoon 
and  one  professional,  driver,  and  two  pages 
in  the  evening.  The  Bookmobile  draws  on 
regular  library  staff  to  help  out  in  eve- 
ning. Each  staff  member  has  a  full  day 
in  library  and  one  morning.  The  driver 
does  a  good  part  of  the  clerical  work  and 
the  Children's  librarian  goes  to  most 
schools  and  busiest  evening  stops.  The 
lines  between  professional  and  non- 
professional are  crossed  to  give  maximum 
service.  There  is  constant  activity  on 
the  Bookmobile.  You  are  pushed  about,  it 
is  noisy,  ventilation  and  insulation  are 
faulty,  dogs  come  on  to  annoy  you,  etc. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  informal  and  you 
get  to  know  the  borrowers.  The  crowd  of 
people  waiting  at  a  stop  is  rewarding. 
Bookmobiles  have  disadvantages,  but  the 
advantages  far  outweigh  the  disadvantages. 
Bookmobile  service  is  a  successful  library 
operation,  increasing  in  popularity  and 
being  considered  by  more  and  more  libraries 
in  the  State. 

Julia  J.  Miller 

Institutional  Librarians 


The  Hospital  Library  Group  was  enter- 
tained by  colorful  slides  on  hospital  life 
in  India.  Dr  Gertrude  J,  Smith,  Director 
of  the  Lily  Lytle  Broadwell  Hospital, 
Fatehpur,  U.  P.  India,  spoke  of  her  work 
among  Indians  of  all  sects  and  castes. 
The  charm  and  pathos  of  these  people  and 
their  response  to  the  competent  ministra- 
tions of  Dr  Smith  and  her  staff  were  viv- 
idly shown  by  the  slides. 

She  also  showed  very  lovely  pictures  of 
Kashmir  and  the  beautiful  Taj  Mahal.  The 
!  librarians  in  her  audience  probably  felt 


-6- 


the  drabness  of  their  hospital  surround-  i 
ings  in  contrast  with  the  exotic  setting  ! 
of  Dr  Smith's  work.  They  at  least  had  j 
this  consolation — in  Massachusetts  there  j 
is  no  need  to  carry  a  big  stick  to  ward  i 
off  the  ubiquitous  and  aggressive  monkey. j 

lUrs     Maiy  G.  Langton 

Music  Librarians 

At  the  first  meeting  this  season  of  the 
Boston-Cambridge  Chapter  of  the  Music    j 
Library  Association,  Dr  Randall  Thompson, 1 
Chairman  of  the  Music  Department  at  Har-  | 
vard,  spoke  informally  about  the  new 
Music  Library  Building  now  under  construc- 
tion. His  account  of  liie  time  and  effort 
that  go  into  planning  and  fund-raising 
brought  an  added  perspective  to  the  archi- 
tect's plans  which  lay  spread  before  us. 
Dr  Thompson's  modesty  and  humor  found  a 
vrarm  response  from  his  large  audience. 
One  left  with  the  impression  that  the  newl 


library  will  indeed  be  an  outstanding  one 


George 


Pahud 


Caroline  M.  Hewins  Lecture 

Those  who  attended  the  annual  Hewins 
Lecture  were  privileged  to  tear  ISrs  Ruth 
Hill  Viguers,  author;,  teacher,  and 
former  children's  librarian,  speak  in 
tribute  to  Laura  E.  Richards.  It  is  not 
often  that  the  personality  of  the  speaker 
blends  perfectly  with  the  personality  of 
the  subject.  Vifhen  this  happy  marriage 
of  kindred  spirits  occurs,  it  is  a  treat 
to  the  audience.  Laura  E.  Richards' 
friendliness,  vitality  and  humor  were 
given  tangible  form  through  Mrs  Viguers 
enthusiastic  and  thoroughly  delightful 
presentation  of  her  long  service  to 
children's  literature. 

Mrs  Richards'  motto,  "Give  the  children 
the  best  there  is,"  keynoted  her  attitude 
toward  children  and  reading.  Author, 
guiding  spirit  in  the  move  toward  more 
and  better  free  libraries,  founderess  of 
literary  clubs  for  boys,  she  was  a  true 
daughter  of  Julia  Ward  Howe  and  Samuel 
Gridley  Howe,  both  distinguished  for 
their  literary  and  philanthropic  achieve- 
ments. Her  prolific  writing  career  began 
when  her  children  were  small.  The  warm 
and  charming  picture  of  her  family  life 
conjured  up  by  Mrs  Viguers'  interpreta- 
tion makes  it  obvious  that  Mrs  Richards 
indeed  "\inderstood  children  and  recog- 
nized them  as  individuals,"  "While  our 


children  are  enough  for  us,  we  are  not 
enough  for  them,"  Mrs  Richards  once  re- 
marked upon  her  belief  that  adults  owe 
children  the  opportunity  to  acquire  the 
rich  heritage  of  the  past  through  careful 
and  loving  guidance.  She  herself  post- 
sessed  a  talent  for  giving  children  beau- 
tiful things  to  remember.  And  her  in- 
fluence on  children  y&iom  she  met  is  mea- 
sured in  part  by  the  distinguished  roster 
of  writers  and  other  intellectual  leaders 
?*io  numbered  themselves  among  her  friends — 
among  them  Edwin  Arlington  Robinson  and 
Ogden  Nash. 

The  children  of  the  present  generation 
will  also  learn  to  know  and  love  Mrs 
Richards  for  Tirra  Lirra,  a  delightful 
collection  of  her  nonsense  rhymes — rhythmic 
and  rollicking — has  once  more  been  made 
available, 

Mrs  Ifery  E.  Bums 

Luncheon  Meeting 

Frank  W,  Rounds,  Jr.,  who  was  the  United 
States  Attache  in  Moscow  in  1951  and  1952, 
"w^s  the  main  speaker  at  the  liincheon.  He 
provided  a  most  stimulating  and  informative 
resume  of  his  experiences  in  Russia  during 
his  diplomatic  service.  He  emphasized 
that  the  Russians  should  be  judged  only 
by  what  they  do  and  not  by  what  they  say 
at  peace  conferences  and  over  diplomatic 
tables.  He  also  emphasized  Russia's 
great  potentials  as  a  world  power  and  the 
enormous  resources  at  her  control.  He 
warned  his  audience  of  complacency  and 
the  necessity  of  keeping  our  country 
strong  in  domestic  as  well  as  foreign 
affairs.  As  a  final  warning,  he  gave 
statistics  on  the  number  of  scientists 
and  engineers  who.  are  graduating  from 
Russian  universities  today — far  exceeding 
our  quota  of  university  graduates  in  those 
fields.  He  descriJjed  the  mass  hunger  for 
knowledge  and  the  printed  word  among  the 
Russian  people  and  the  high  standards  of 
their  television,  theatre,  and  concert 
programs.  Into  this  serious  discussion, 
Mr  Rounds  inserted  many  of  his  personal 
experiences  with  the  Russian  secret  police 
and  with  the  Russian  people  in  general 
whom  he  met  on  various  excursions --most 
of  them  unauthorized.  This  provided  some 
hair-raising  as  well  as  very  amusing 
episodes  as  a  background  to  his  lecture. 


-7- 


THE  S^E.G.  'S 


Every  once  in  a  -while  the  pages  of  The 
Question  Mark  casually  mention  the  Satvir- 
day  Evening  Girls i 

Have  you  ever  wondered  about  them  and 
their  activities?  Currently  their  sphere 
of  activity  seems  to  be  only  social  but 
did  you  know  that  they  established  a 
flourishing  pottery  business  in  the  North 
End  earlier  in  their  career  ?   Irene 
Armstrong,  in  -an  article  on  A  SCHOOL  OF 
POTTERY,  tells  us  that: 

"In  July,  1908,  the  Saturday  Evening 
Girls,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  meet 
for  educational  purposes  at  the  library 
in  the  Norldi  End,  took  up  a  new  enterprise 
— that  of  pottery -making .  The  idea  was 
conceived  by  their  leader,  Miss  Edith 
Guerrier. ..as  an  occupation  during  the 
summer  for  these  girls  who  were  busy 
through  the  winter  with  their  school 
duties.  Miss  Edith  Brovm  became  their 
teacher,  quarters  were  found  on  Hull 
Street  and  it  was  there,  in  the  very  shad- 
ow of  the  church  from  which  the  memorable 
lanterns  were  hvmg,  that  the  potters  startj-j  third.  Richard  Burns  received  the  gift 


ed  their  craft— and  chose  the  name  of 
Paul  Revere  for  their  handiwork. 

"the  Work  rapidly  developed  into  a  real 
industry  and  in  1915  it  had  outgrown  the 
Hull  Street  quarters.  A  beautiful  group 
of  buildings  was  erected  hy  a  kind  friend 
for  the  workers  on  a  hilltop  in  Brixton. 
By  1926,  having  demonstrated  its  ability 
to  pay  its  own  way,  it  passed  from  the 
hands  of  the  friend  who  had  helped  it 
through  all  its  struggles  to  those  of 
Miss  Guerrier  and  Miss  Bro-wn,  who  had 
brought  it  up,  so  to  speak.  They  assumed 
full  responsibility  and  Miss  Brown  con- 
tinued as  the  director.  The  early  ideals 
had  been  held  to  all  through  this  'busi- 
ness' period;  and  to  them  the  establish- 
ment of  the  school  in  1926  was  a  distinct 
adherence .... 

"For  twenty  years  the  Paul  Revere  Pot- 
tery has  been  sold  all  over  this  country 
and  abroad  and  in  1926  the  establishment 
of  a  school  in  pottery-making  seemed  a 
natural  expansion.  It  was  likewise  a  ful- 
fillment of  the  early  purpose — ^namely, 
that  of  helping  others  to  find  a  use  for 
the  work  of  their  hands, 
are  taught  hand-built  and  wheel-thrown 
pottery,  commencing  with  the  American 
Indian  pottery  (using  a  clay  very  similar 
to  that  which  the  American  Redmen  used 
and  so  far  as  is  possible  reproducing  the 


Greek,  Chinese,  Persian,  and  lastly  the 
Modern...." 

(OUR- BOSTON,  September  1928,  p.  17-20 
2358.1928  No.  3) 

What  has  happened  to  the  School?  Maybe 
some  of  the  present  Saturday  Evening 
Girls  could  enlighten  us  I 

AN  EVENING  OF  GOOD  FUN 

The  Lecture  Hall  took  on  a  charming  new 
face  and  dynamic  new  sound  for  the  Bridge- 
Whist-Dance  on  Friday,  December  2.  A 
winter  wonderland  effect  was  produced  by 
the  decorating  efforts  of  Genevieve  Moloney, 
Louis  Rains,  Ifery  Brigante,  Frances  Land- 
rigan,  and  Dick  Waters.  Frankie  Myers' 
men,  with  fertin  Waters  at  the  piano,  pro- 
vided wonderfully  danceable  music  for 
those  vsho  could  stary  away  from  Jean 
Watson's  punch  bowl  and  refreshment  table 
long  enough  to  trip  the  light  fantastic. 

The  Elliot  Room  competitions  ended  with 
prizes  for  whist  going  to  ISr  and  Mrs  Aaron 
Starr.  At  bridge,  Dave  Sheehan  came  out 
first,  Joan  Morris  second  and  Paul  Mulloney 


certificate  door  prize.  Honorable  mention 
goes  to  Ed  Peltier  who  sparked  the  evening 
with  novelty  dances,  everyone  participa- 
ting until  exhaustion  separated  the  men 
from  the  boys. 

Those  who  enjoyed  the  evening  were  only 
sorry  that  more  of  the  stsiff  did  not 
attend  to  share  the  fun. 

ST.  JEROME  GUILD 

At  a  meeting,  November  25,  officers  were 
nominated  and  elected  as  follows : 
President — James  P.  J.  Gannon,  Binding 
Vice  President — P.  Joseph  Reilly,  Buildings 
Secretary — ^^'aiy  T.  Sands,  Buildings 
Treasurer — ^Paul  F.  Mulloney,  Science  and 
Technology. 

Paul  F.  ^fulloney 

SERVICES  TO  TOUNG  PEOPLE 


The  Readers  Advisors  for  Children  and 
the  Readers  Advisors  for  Young  Adults 
have  been  participating  in  the  "Institutes 
...In  the  schooli  on  Youth  Problems"  being  held  by  the  Mass- 
achusetts Department  of  Education's  Office 
of  American  Citizenship.  At  Milford  High 
School  on  December  7  and  at  Everett  High 
School,  December  15,  Hiss  Winnick  and 
Miss  Hav-iland  spoke  to  teachers  on  what 
finish  of  this  early  ware)  and  progressing!  the  library  offers  action-minded  youth, 
through  the  other  stages  of  early  Egyptianj  with  focus  on  books  which  are  selected  to 

I  appeal  to  "low- voltage"  readers. 


-o- 


BPLPSA  ¥JELCOJ,tES  JvfEW  MEMBERS 


Laiora  M»  Bondi,  Director's  Office 
John  J.  Brauer,  Audio-Visual 
Arden  M.  Brook,  Book  Stack  Service 
Cornelia  Mo  Harrington,  Office  of  Division 

of  HonB  Reading  and  Coiiiraunity  Services 
Jane  Cohen,  West  Roxbury 
Irenemarie  Cullinane,  Washington  Village 
Virginia  A.  Dalton,  Central  Charging 

Records 
Ann  M.  Flaherty,  Bookmobile  I 
Robert  P.  Goldman,  Central  Charging 

Records 

Aloma  C.  Jackson,  Central  Charging  Records 
Audrey  V.  Jewell,  Cataloging  and  Classi- 
fication (HR  and  CS) 
Catherine  Lewis,  School  Issue 
Sebastian  C.  Lima,  Book  Preparation 
Patricia  M.  Nolan,  Book  Preparation 
Mildred  Picone,  Cataloging  and  Classifi- 
cation (HR  and  CS) 
Elaine  R.  Sherer,  Mt,  Bowdoin 

NEW  BOOKS  IN  THE  STAFF  LISIARY 

Non-Fiction  —  Library  Science 


I  Finletter,  Gretchen  (Damrosch).  The  din- 
er party.  New  York,  Harper,  1955 

i  Taylor,  Kanala  (Pumaiya).  Nectar  in  a 
sieve^  New  York,  J.  Day  Co.,  195U 


Gardiner,  Jewel.  Administering  library 
sernrice  in  the  elementary  school. 
Chicago^  American  Library  Association^ 
195U 

Landau,  Thomas,  ed.  mio's  who  in  libra- 
rianship.  Cambridge,  Englaijd,  Bowes 
&  Bowes,  195U 

Marshall,  John  D.,  comp.  Books,  libras. 
ries,  librarians.  Hamden,  Conn.,  Shoe 
String  Press,  195$  \ 

The  PLD  reporter,  no.  1.  Sept.,  195U      j 
Public  library  use  of  paper-bound  booksJ 
Chicago,  Public  Libraries  Division, 
American  Library  Association,  195U 

The   PLD  reporter,  no.  2.  Feb.,  1955 
TV — ^how  public  libraries  use  it.  Chi- 
cago, Public  Libraries  Division,  Amer- 
ican Library  Association,  1955 

The  PLD  reporter,  no.  3.  June,  1955 
Friends  of  public  libraries ;  how  they 
work.  Chicago,  Public  Libraries  Divi- 


Non-Fiction 

Barton,  Roger.  How  to  watch  birds. 

New  York,  ricGraw-Hill,  1955 
Boston.  Public  Library.  Cooks  in  print j 

favorite  recipes  of  the  staff.  Boston, 

Public  Library,  1953 
Bridgenan,  William.  The  lonely  sky. 

New  York,  Holt,  1955 
Chayefsky,  Paddy.  Television  plays. 

New  York,  Simon  and  Schuster,  1955 
j Corbet t,  Scott,  Cape  Cod's  way.  New  York, 
!   Crowell,  1955 
Fine,  Benjamin.  1,000,000  delinquents, 

Cleveland,  World  Publishing  Co.,  1955 
Higgins,  Marguerite.  News  is  a  singular 

thing.  Garden  City,  New  York,  Double- 
day,  1955 
Lustgarten,  Edgar  M.  The  woman  in  the 

case.  New  York,  Scribner,  1955 
Morton,  Charles  W,  A  slight  sense  of 

outrage,  Philadelphia,  Lippincott,  1955 
Piersall,  James  A.  Fear  strikes  out. 

Boston,  Little,  Brown,  1955 
Tenzing,  Norkey.  Tiger  of  the  snows. 

New  York,  Putnam,  1955 


BRANCH  NOTES 

Adams  Street 

Jvilie  Lenzi,  ^o  has  been  transferred 
to  East  Boston,  was  the  guest  of  honor 
recently  at  a  luncheon  held  at  the  Toll 
House  in  Y^itman  on  Saturday  November  19. 

The  surroundings  at  Toll  House  are 
'  particularly  attractive  at  this  time  of 
year  v*ien  a  Christmas  Fair  is  in  progress, 
and  as  always  the  dinner  was  delicious. 
Miss  Lenzi  was  presented  a  gift  from  the 
staff  with  our  best  wishes  for  a  success- 
ful future.  When  those  wonderful  Toll 
House  desserts  arrived  there  was  an  addi- 
tional one  for  her,  a  lovely  cake  decora- 
ted with  a  miniature  suitcase  filled  with 


sion,  American  Library  Association,  195>Toll  House  cookies  to  help  sustain  her  on 
The  PLD  reporter,  no.  U.  Oct.,  1955      the  long  journey  from  Adams  Street  to 
Book  Selection.  Chicago,  Public  Libra-  East  Boston. 


ries  Division,  American  Library  Assoc- 
.iation,  1955 

Fiction 


Gary,  Joyce.  Not  honour  more.  New  York, 

Harper,  1955 
Chamberlain,  Anne.  The  tall  dark  man. 

Indianapolis,  Bobbs-Merrill,  1955 


Mary  V.  Doyle 


North  End 


Our  branch  has  received  its  annual 
Christmas  gift  from  Pietrina  liferavigna, 
lli6  Richmond  Street,  a  beautifully  illus- 
trated edition  of  Italian  painters  of  the 
Renaissance,  by  Bernard  Berenson. 


-9- 


Miss  Maravigna,  who  is  a  special  feature 
writer  for  THE  BOSTON  GLOBE,  walks  to 
work  in  good  weather  and,  with  the  accumu-' 
lated  carfare  thus  saved,  buys  a  book  eachi 
year  which  she  presents  as  her  Christmas  i 
gift  to  the  Library.  i 


South  Boston 

Her  many  friends  wish  Mrs  Dorothy  B. 
Clark,  a  speedy  recovery  from  injuries 
ceived  in  an  automobile  accident  irfiile 
visiting  in  Maine  recently.  Mrs  Clark  is  i 
still  under  treatment  at  the  York  Harbor  ! 
Hospital,  York,  Ifeine.  ' 


n 


The  staff  Christmas  party  on  Thursday 
afternoon,  December  8,  was  in  honor  of 
Jennie  D.  Lindquist,  Editor  of  the  Horn 
Book.  Miss  Lindquist  had  expressed  a  de- 
sire to  meet  personally  those  members  of 
the  South  Boston  Imagination  Club  who 
were  also  members  of  the  Horn  Book  League, 
and  Mrs  Irene  Tuttle,  Branch  Librarian, 
took  happy  advantage  of  the  situation  to 
invite  Miss  Lindquist,  as  well  as  Miss 
Gordon  and  ^^'^rs  Andelman,  to  have  refresh- 
ments at  the  branch  before  the  informal 
talk  to  the  children.  Approximately  $5 
boys  and  girls  listened  intently  while 
Miss  Lindquist  explained  to  them  how  the 
illustrations  for  several  outstanding 
children's  books  had  been  made,  and  she 
showed  them  the  original  drawings  by 
Marie  Hall  Ets  for  MR  T.  W.  AWTHONY  TOO. 
In  honor  of  Miss  Lindquist 's  recent  book, 
THE  GOLDEN  MM   DAY,  a  corsage  of  tiny 
golden  rosebuds  was  presented  to  her  by 
Suzanne  Muir,  a  member  of  the  Horn  Book 
League.  The  children  freely  asked  ques- 
tions and  sang  Christmas  carols  for  their 
honored  guest.  Mss  Lindquist  graciously 
gave  her  autograph  to  all  who  requested 
it. 

Martha  C.  Engler 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanies  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  togeth- 
er with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Library, 
Department  or  Office  in  which  he  or  she 
is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld  from 
publication,  or  a  pen  name  used,  if  the 
contributor  so  requests.  Anonymous  con- 
tributions are  not  given  consideration. 
The  author  of  the  article  is  know  only  to 
the  Editor-in-Chief.  The  contents  of  the 
articles  appearing  in  the  Soap  Box  are 
personal  opinions  expressed  by  individual 
Association  members  and  their  appearance 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  that  the 
Publications  Committee  and  the  Association 
are  in  agreement  with  the  views  expressed. 
Only  those  contributions  containing  not 
more  than  300  words  will  be  accepted. 


FOR  THE  YOUNG  MAN  ^^0  DOUBTED  THAT  I  ATTEN- 


DED THE  LECTURE  HALL  IffiETING  ON  MY  DAY  OFF: 


1. 

Seasonal  the  coughing, 
The  tardy  added  noise, 

But  we  all  attended 
Hith  courtesy  and  poise. 

2.  * 

Promises  were  tendered, 
We  all  will  vratch  for  proof j 

Red  will  be  the  tiles 
On  our  singing  roof. 


-10- 


3. 


Lecture  Hall  improvements 
Will  celebrate  the  arts; 

Foam  rubber  kindness 

Will  soothe  the  softer  parts. 

u. 

Hall  commemorating     • 

Nostalgic  iir  Bates, 
Soon  will  look  resplendent 

As  in  its  early  dates. 

Lights  will  be  refurnished 

To  help  in  every  need. 
Them  y*io  gaze  at  ceilings. 

And  them  who  come  to  read. 

6. 

Titular  appointments 

In  Library  at  large; 
Salary  adjustments 

For  not-quite-chief s  in  charge. 

7. 

Plan  for  new  insvirance, 

Affecting  every  home; 
Non-extensive  English 

Of  Jiagistrate  of  Rome. 

8. 

Library  enlargement? 

At  that  we  sat  on  edge; 
BPL  will  honor 

The  Deferrari  pledge. 

9. 

Closing  of  some  Branches? 

^■'ill  our  wages  soar? 
End  of  meeting  left  us 

No  wiser  than  before. 


Harry  Andrews 


To  the  Soap  Box: 


For  those  of  you  -vitio  may  be  finding 
some  difficulty  in  choosing  a  Christmas 
gift  for  the  person  who  has  everything, 
we  offer  a  few  suggestions : 

1.  Adjustable -tone  crow  call  permits 
reproduction  of  the  calls  of 
young  crows  as  well  as  lower  tones  ^ 
of  older  crows... 


2.  A  McKendree  Chicken  Picker. 

3.  A  swimming  pool  vacuum  cleaner. 
k*     A  brass  sundial  that  signals  the 

noonday  with  a  connonade. 

5.  New  hydro- jet  pan  washer. 

6.  He^vy  duty  beak  cauterizer  which 

both  cuts  and  cauterizes  in  one 
operation. 

7.  Dr  Naylor's  dehorning  paste. 
These  items  really  exist.  Names  of 

mahufacttirors  may  be  obtained  by  applying 
to  the  Science  and  Technology  Department. 

A  FLY  ON  THE  CEILING 

There  was  once  a  fly  named  Jule 

Who  lived  on  the  ceiling  of  the  vestibvile. 

He  loved  to  roam  without  a  care 

In  the  semidarkness  of  the  upper  air — 

But  suddenly  he  found  his  privacy 

Destroyed  by  lights  of  great  brilliancy. 

Five  thousand  incandescent  watts  made  the 

ceilinq  vie 
With  the  noonday  brilliance  of  the  summer 

desert  sky. 

Poor  Jule  was  a  retiring  sort  of  guy 
Who  shunned  the  limelight  and  public  eye 
So  he  left  his  shining  friends  on  the  mosaic 
And  looked  for  a  place  dark  and  prosaic. 
He  found  a  place  virith  the  proper  gloom. 
Dim  and  dusty,  the  Periodical  Room. 
¥Jhere  there  are  no  lights  upon  the  table 
And  vrtiere  the  students  strained  optics  must 

be  able 
With  the  one  candlepower  or  two  allowed 

Inside 
To  read  the  fine  print  of  the  Readers  Guide. 

Now  Jule,  the  fly,  is  content  once  more 

Secluded  and  sheltered  as  of  yore. 

And  if  I  were  a  fly  upon  the  wall 

Ifaybe  I  wouldn't  care  at  all; 

But  if  we  don't  get  decent  lighting  soon, 

I  have  the  feeling 
That  I'm  going  to  find  out  how  to  levitate 
And  take  my  humble  self  among  the  great 
Upon  the  well-lighted  vestibular  ceiling. 

01'  Mole 


BOSTON 

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COMITTEE  FOR  CHRISTMAS  TEA 


Farbara  Feeley,  Chairrcan 
Phyllis  Adanis  Jfary  Lefcert 

Geraldine  Coyman  Dorothea  Morgan 

Mary  Curad*  Margaret  Morrison 

Catherine  Duffy  Ethel  O'Brien 

13  December  1955 


Claire  0' Toole 
Sheila  Fierce 
ffery  Scanlon 
Josephine  Waldron 


liiiiiiii 

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