Skip to main content

Full text of "The question mark"

See other formats 


m 


UGstion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


JANUARY     1962 


T  H  E  Q  U  E  S  T  I  0  N  M  A  R  K 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 

Volume  X\'II  ivumber  1  January-  lp62 


Publications  Comnittee:  A,  Kay  Decker,  Jai,ies  J.  Ford,  Rose  Moorachian,  Caroline  R. 

Stanwood,  I.  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  K.  Usher, 
Indexer,  Dorothy  P.  Shaw,  Chairman 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 

January  is  the  month  of  the  New  Year  Resolution,  often  made,  rarely  kept, 
usually  subject  to  poor  jokes.  3ut  even  a  resolution  made  somewhat  lightheartedly 
requires  a  look  toward  the  past  and  a  quick  balance  drawn  between  the  personal  sums 
of  success  and  failure,  before  it  is  put  into  form  for  positive  action  toward  im- 
provement during  the  year  ahead. 

Should  we  not,  as  the  Staff  Association,  and  as  individual  members  of  tiiis 
Association,  look  a  moment  toward  the  past,  strike  our  balances,  and  plan  for 
improvement  in  the  coming  year? 

We  have  accomplished,  in  our  years  of  being,  some  admirable  tilings,  and  we  have 
obviously  at  times  failed  to  live  up  to  our  best.  Has  this  last  happened  when  we 
have  failed  to  remember  we  are  all,  no  matter  what  our  titles  or  ratings,  members 
of  a  profession? 

Some  time  ago,  the  Association  eliminated  the  word  "Prof'^sr  "onal"  from  its  full 
title,  primarily  because  a  portion  of  the  staff  was  called  "professional"  and  an- 
other portion  "non-professional",  dependent  upon  education,  examination,  training, 
and  location.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  much  importance  was  placed  upon  a 
single  x^ord,  and  that  the  word  was  deleted  because  of  the  impression  held  that  it 
denoted  a  professional  group,  rather  than  the  professional  attitude  the  founders  of 
the  Association  had  intended. 

Professional  conduct  implies  definite  ai'ns  and  qualities,  satisfactions  above 
monetary  gain,  a  conformation  to  certain  standards,  a  trend  toward  constant  improve- 
ment, and,  in  the  case  of  librarians,  patterns  toward  better  service.  Professional- 
ism is  a  much  needed  part  of  all  phases  of  librar;;,'  work,  regardless  of  one's  posi- 
tion on  the  ladder,  since  it  indicates  the  attitude  of  the  individual  toward  his 
part  in  the  whole,  as  well  as  his  constant  effort  to  maintain  a  high  level  in  his 
particular  contribution  to  the  smooth  working  of  the  whole.  A  worker  shelving  books 
correctly,  neatly,  and  expeditiously  is  showing  his  professional  attitude  just  as 
much  as  the  library  school  trained  "professional"  who  selects  those  books  for  pur- 
chase, or  who  is  putting  the  right  book  from  that  shelf  into  the  hands  of  the  person 
who  needs  it.  The  professional  attitude  is  merely  the  quality  which  separates  the 
good  xTOrker  from  the  poor  one,  for  it  gives  a  meaning  and  direction  to  his  work, 
leading  to  his  greater  interest  in  that  work,  and  to  more  satisfaction  from  it. 
This  brings  a  greater  strength  to  the  whole. 

¥e  are  all,  who  work  in  the  Boston  Public  Library,  members  of  a  Profession  - 
Litrari  anshjp.  Surely  each  of  us  could  take  tLme  this  month  to  think  a  little  more 
seriously  on  that  fact,  to  do  a  little  something  more  to  build  our  pride  and  our 
respect  in  this,  to  benefit  ourselves,  our  Library,  and  our  Profession. 

THE  PUBLICATIONS  COMMITTEE 


r2- 


PRESIDENT'S  N0TE5 


PERSOx^EL  NOTES 


At  their  meeting  on  January  5,  the  Exec-J  New  Einployees 
utive  Board  considered  the  withdrawal  of  ■  j^Iichael  Konowitz,  Book  Stack  Service  (re- 
Mldred  Kaufman's  name  (at  her  own  request),   entry,  Northeastern) 
as  a  candidate  for  President.  In  view  of  : 
the  fact  that  our  excellent  Nominating    |  Transferred 

Committee  had  interviewed  many  people    j  Dorothy  E.  Bavicchi,  Mt.  Pleasant  to 
prior  to  publication  of  the  list  of  can-  |   Parker  Hill 
didates,  and  also  in  view  of  the  fact  thal^  Louise  R.  Goldschmidtj  Parker  Hill  to 


there  are  two  candidates  for  the  office 
of  President,  the  Executive  Board  feels 
that  the  intent  of  the  Constitution  has 
been  fulfilled,  and  therefore  will  not  at 
this  late  date  attempt  to  secure  another 
candidate, 

Among  other  matters  discussed  at  this 
meeting  was  the  appointment  of  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  Evaluation  Committee. 


South  Boston 
Mary  G.  Langton,  Division  Office  to  Mt, 

Pleasant  (temporarily) 
Herman  Patterson,  Book  Stack  Service  to 

Cataloging  and  Classification,  R  &  RS 
Mary  L.  Shea,  South  Boston  to  Mt,  Pleasant 

Resigned 

Arthur  Curley,   Open  Shelf,   to  become 


seubdoxvfc;    oo    on«   i:<vaxuaT^xon  uommiT^Tyee.  t  Arthur   Cu: 

In  view  of  certain  Branch  commit -tments  th^      Librarian  at  Avon  Public  Library 

President  was  unable  to  attend  the  initia]^  Carol  Darish,   Cataloging  and  Classifica- 

meeting  and  therefore  requested  the  Vice-  j       tion,   R  &  RS,    to  be  married 

President  to  act  for  her.     It  was  decided  . 

to  make  no  changes  in  this  appoinlanent        |  Deceased 

and  that  it  should  s  tand  until  after  the    |  Elizabeth  Gordon,   December  28,   I96I 

election  of  officers  on  the  I9th.  j 

The  Board  also  decided  to  direct  the        j  Retired 
Election  Committee  to  notify  the  in-comirig|  May  C.   Burke,   Bookmobiles 
.^^_-  _^^,._..  __     -,      ,.  ,    .,  ,.       .  p^j_gp^-j.ia  S.   MacFadden,   Fine  Arts 


officers  of  their  election  at  the  earli- 
est possible  time  so  that  any  necessary 
action  could  be  taken  promptly  by  the 
new  Board, 

The  Trustees'   meeting  planned  for  Jan- 
uary 5  was  cancelled  and  will  be  held 
later  in  the  month. 

At  the  Board  meeting  on  the  5th,   the 
agenda  for  the  Annual  Business  i'ieeting 
was  arranged.     It  includes  reports  of  the 
two  special  committees   considering  the 
deletion  of  the  Soap  Box  in  the  foreign 
edition  of  the  QUESTION  MRK,   and  the 
admission  of  Civil  Service  Employees  to 
membership  in  the  Association, 

It  is  important  to  attend  the  meeting 
on  the  19th.     If  it  is  possible  please 
come  and  take  an  active  part.     If  you 
cannot  be  present,   please  send  for  an 
absentee  ballot  so  that  you  may  have  a 
voice  in  the  election  of  your  officers. 

It  has  been  a  pleasure  to  serve  you, 
and  in  this  last  column  as   President  of 
the  Association,   I  wish  to  thank  all 
those  who  have  served  as  officers  and 


I  Helen  M,   O'Leary,   Faneuil 


WHO'S  NEI'I? 


"I  respond  more  keenly  to  visual  stimu- 
i  lationj  I  have  always  used  my  eyes  as  a 
i  bridge  to  the  world  around  me, "  says 
i  Sinclair  Hitchings.  However,  it  was  the 
!  desire  to  print  his  own  poetry  which  first 
}   lured  Mr.  Hitchings  into  the  graphic  arts 
j  studio  of  Ray  Nash. 

t   At  Dartmouth  he  earned  a  Senior  Fellow- 
I  ship  which  released  him  from  a  regular 
■!  class  schedule  and  allowed  him  to  execute 
i  this  project,  and,  under  Professor  Nash's 
I  inspiration,  both  to  s  tudy  the  history  of 
f  printing  and  graphic  arts,  and  to  experi- 
i  raent  on  his  own  in  wood  cuts  and  wood 
I  engravings.  He  found  himself  keenly  in- 
!  terested  in  this  work,  and  after  gradua- 
l   tion  he  continued  his  studies  during  two 
j  years  with  the  Navy. 
I   Upon  his  discharge,  iir.  Hitchings  took 


!  a  job  with  the  Stinehour  Press  and  also 
committee  members,  and  who  have  done  such!  began  doing  research  in  his  present  spec- 
a  splendid  job.  I  wish  to  thank  you  the  •   ific  field:  the  history  of  American  book 
members  for  your  cooperation  and  urge  you j  illustration.   He  is  already  enthusiastic 
to  give  your  whole  hearted  support  to  the  |  about  pertinent  material  he  has  found  in 

t  our  Print  collection.  Indeed,  Mr.  Hitch- 
!  ings  energy  and  friendliness  are  infect- 


incoming  officers. 


RUTH  M  HAYES 


-3- 


I 


The  newly  arrived  imraigrants,  the  victims 
of  the  Depression,  the  chronic  vagrants, 
the  embiyo  scholars,  the  young  lawbreakers, 
all  found  in  her  a  wise  couselor  and  a 
sympathetic  friend.   Nor  did  she  find  her 
interest  in  the  lowly  and  the  poor  in- 
'  compatible  with  crossing  the  tracks  to 
•  aristocratic  Beacon  Hill,  many  of  whose 
'  residents  were  among  her  warmest  friends 
■,  and  admirers. 

;.   Her  wonderful  work  in  fostering  the 
I  writing,  publishing  and  reading  of  books 
Dear  Miss  Peck:  \  of  Jewish  interest,  and  her  unflagging 

This  will  acknowledge  with  gratefii     efforts  in  promoting  inter-faith  goodwill 
thanks  the  generous  contribution  of  fe^O  ;  are  too  well  known  to  need  additional 
from  the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Asso-,  comment  at  this  time,  '^he  was  also  a 
ciation  to  the  WGBH  Rebuilding  Fund.  Will,  leader  in  penal  sociologj'-  and  rehabilita- 
you  please  pass  along  to  all  those  who    ,  tion.  Not  only  did  she  visit  institut- 
contributed  at  this  time  our  sincere  thanla  tions  and  donate  freely  of  her  time  and 


ious.  We  warmly  welcome  him  to  the  BPL 
and  wish  him  many  exciting  years  ahead 
as  he  takes  over  his  new  job  as  Acting 
Curator  of  the  Print  Deparmtnet. 

WGBH  ACM0VJLEDGI4ENT 

December  20,  I96I 
i'liss  Edna  G.  Peck 
Boston  Public  Library 
Boston  17,  Massachusetts 


and  deep  appreciation  for  their  support. 
You  will  be  glad  to  know  that  the  res- 
ponse of  the  public  to  our  appeal  for 
funds  has  been  inspiring,  with  contribu- 
tions to  date  totaling  nearly  ^600,000. 
There  is  still  a  long  way  to  go  and  we 
■continue  to  need  all  the  support  we  can 
get,  but  we  fully  hope  that  we  will  reach 
our  goal  of  t^.^  million  before  long  and 
brr^rg  WGBH  back  stronger  than  ever. 


!  often  money,  but  she  was  instrumental  in 
i  getting  the  right  people  to  help  the  newly 
i  released  or  paroled  get  a  fresh  start  in 
.  life. 

;   Proud  to  belong  to  "The  People  of  the 
'  Book",  Miss  ^Idstein  felt  she  had  a  mis- 
'  sion  to  encourage  Jewish  learning.  On  her 

trips  abroad,  after  the  war,  on  seeing 
i  the  needs  of  some  of  che  European  libra- 
ries in  the  field  of  Judaica,  she  was  in- 


/•gain,  mai:y  thanks  to  the  Boston  Public  i  strum  en  tal  in  obtaining  and  sending  them 
Library  Staff  Association  and  best  wishes  !vast  amounts  of  important  material. 


for  the  New  Year, 

Sincerely, 
DAVID  0.  IVES 
Assistant  General  Manager 

IN  MEI40RIAM 

Fanny  Goldstein,  I888-I96I 

The  indomitable  spirit  of  a  brave  and   ( 
courageous  woman  is  stilled  forever.  Deathi 


Her  interest  in  the  nex^  state  of  Israel 
was  constant  and  deeply  felt.  She  donated 
thousands  of  volumes  to  the  Hebrew  Univ- 
ersity Library,  and  on  her  visits  there 
gave  freely  of  her  knowledge  and  expert 
ience. 

Her  friends  were  legion  -  these  friend- 
ships cut  across  race,  creed  and  station 
in  life.  Rabbis,  ministers  and  priests; 
scholars,  ex-convicts,  and  financiers; 
'the  little  people',  authors,  politicians 
and  statesmen,  all  called  her  "Dear 


came  to  Fanny  Goldstein  on  December  26th. 

She  would  have  been  seventy  four  years  old:  Panny".  ^he  was  a  gadfly  and  an  iaono- 

clast,  an  adventurer  of  the  spirit,  an 


on  May  l5th.  Although  in  ill  health  for 
over  a  year,  she  pursued  her  many  inter- 
ests and  activities  almost  to  the  last. 
Upon  her  retirement  from  the  Library  in 
1958  she  was  its  senior  member  in  years 
of  serTrice, 

Most  of  her  library  career  was  spent  as 
Librarian  of  the  West  End  Branch,  a  post 
she  held  from  1922  until  her  retirement. 
It  XTias  there  that  her  pioneering  spirit 


innovator  and  a  champion  of  causes.  She 
i  vjas  also  a  woman  of  vision,  a  dreamer 
''  who  translated  her  dreams  into  achieve- 
1  ments . 

;   Miss  Goldstein  received  numerous  honors 
•  in  her  lifetime,  but  perhaps  she  would 
like  best  to  be  remembered  as  one  who  im- 
bued others  with  her  own  enthusiasm  and 
; zeal;  her  sense  of  dedication  to  her  pro- 
and  advanced  ideas  found  s  cope  for  action,  j  fession.   She  was  Irvily  a  woman  of  valor. 
Long  before  community  participation  and   ;  far  above  rubies, 
extra-mural  and  curricula  activities  be-  ^ 

came  recognized  functions  of  Librarianshij^  NURA  GLOBUS 

Fanny  Goldstein  embodied  them  in  her  work. 


-14.- 


Elizabeth  11.  Gordon 

On  the  morning  of  December  28,  Elizabeth; 
M.  Gordon,  on  the  viay  to  the  Boston  Public' 
Library  for  her  final  meeting  vjith  the  | 
Children's  Librarians  before  retiring,  { 
suffered  a  heart  attack.  Death  came  al- 
most iromediately.  ! 

Since  1.9kO,  I-lLss  Gordon  had  been  Deputy  ; 
Supervisor,  in  Charge  of  Work  with  Child-  | 
ren.  In  this  position  she  was  able  to  ' 
use  her  thirteen  years'   experience  as  I 

Children's  Librarian,  carrying  on  the  con-i 
victions  and  standards  of  children's  work  • 
communicated  to  her  by  Alice  M.  Jordan,  ■ 
her  predecessor,  ' 

As  an  artist  and  designer  -  with  a  dip-  j 
loma  in  fine  arts  from  the  Massachusetts     \ 
School  of  Art  -  she  had  an  unerring  eye 
for  the  genuine  and  the  first-rate  in 
illustration  and  bookmaking.     As  an  ed- 
ucator -  with  a  B.S.   in  Education  i.um 
Boston  University  -  she  evaluated  the 
content  of  the  book,  its  effect  on  a 
child,   and  the  importance  of  a  collection 
which  would  serve  all   children,   including 
ihe  unusual  child.     She  respected  the  ; 

v."iter  of  integrity  and  training  and  tal-  i 
eiit,  resisted  the  faddist  who  substituted! 
dash  for  discipline.  For  critics  who  re-  | 
jected  the  imaginative  for  the  earth- 
bound,  E.M.G.  had  little  regard.  She  was 
on  the  side  of  the  children  she  saw  en-  ' 
thralled  by  the  creative  tale.  j 

To  have  worked  with  E.II.G.  when  she  was  j 
Children's  Librarian  was  to  marvel  at  her  ! 
quickness,  her  preception,  her  memory,  j 
and  her  ability  to  train  her  staff.  As  j 
Deputy  Supervisor,   her  loyalty  to  her  j 

profession  and  to  her  children's  libra-  j 
rians  w§s  notable.  1 

Miss  Gordon's  many  offices  and  affilia-  j 
tions  are  recognized  in  WHO'S  WHO  OF  Ai'ffift- 
ICAN  mi'IM',  2d  ed. ,  1961/62.  The  Boston  j 
Public  Schools'    Advisory  Board  on  Art  ' 

Education,  UWICEF,  the  Boston  City  Mj.s-  ! 
sionary  Society  bespeak  her  interests.  j 
To  professional  organizations  she  gave  I 
her  support  and  her  guidance,  preferring  ! 
to  act  as  mentor  rather  than  accept  re-  ! 
peated  invitations  to  serve  as  president,  j 
The  Round  Table  of  Children's  Librarians  | 
counted  on  her  permanent  membership  on  tha 
Board  of  Directors.     Secretary  of   the  • 

Massachusetts  Library  Association  from  i 
1955  to  1958,  a  member  of  national  com-  i 
mittees  of  the  American  Library  Associa-  ; 
tion's  Children's  Services  Division,  one  j 
of  the  founders  of  the  New  England  Child-  i 


ren's  Book  Clinic,    a  ir.ember  of  the  Women's 
National  Book  Association,   she  was  in  con- 
stant touch  with  leading  librarians,   pub- 
lishers,  booksellers,   and  editors  of  chil- 
dren's books. 

Miss  Gordon  was  a  gentlewoman.     So  many 
people  will  remember  her  thoughtful  in- 
terest in  them,   her  exquisite  taste  and 
sense  of  fitness,   her  dignity,   her  appre- 
ciative sense  of  humor,   her  devotion  to 
her  family.     Miss  Gordon's  musical  accom- 
plishments were  molded  by  her  mother,   a 
fine  organist.     Years  ago,    the  "Gordon 
girls"  formed  a  musical  trio,  with  the 
twin  sisters  playing  the  violin  and  the 
viola  and  Elizabeth  the  cello. 

Friends  find  comfort  in  knowing  that  for 
the  first  time  in  forty  years.  Miss  Gordon 
had  been  reunited  with  ber  brother  and 
his  family  for  Christmas.     To  her  lovely 
home,   shared  with  Laura  M.    Campbell,   her 
long-time  friend  and  companion,    came  re- 
latives,   friends,   and  neighbors  bringing 
holiday  wishes  and  enjoying  the  warm  hos- 
pitality. 

Elizabeth  M,   Gordon's  thirty- four  years 
in  the  Boston  Public  Library  are  now  part 
of  the  Library's  history  of  superlative 
service  to  children. 

On  January  iLf.  there  was   to  have  been  a 
tea  in  Miss  Gordon's  honor,   for  she  was 
retiring  as  of  January  31.     Her  associates 
everywhere  will  want  to  know  that  there 
is  now  being  planned  in  the  Library  a  Mem- 
orial Fund  in  the  name  of  Elizabeth  M. 
Gordon. 

p.w.  Am  ii.cj. 

M.  Therese  Campbell 


We  who  know  M.  Therese  Campbell  were 
saddened  by  the  news  of  her  death  on  20 
December  at  Carney  Hospital.  M.  Therese 
had  been  with  the  Boston  Public  Library 
from  29  September  1902  until  her  retire- 
m.ent  on  31  January  1952,  virtually  all  of 
this  time  in  the  Cataloging  and  Classifi- 
cation Department. 

Miss  Campbell  was  a  cataloger  of  serials, 
had  a  very  thorough  knowledge  of  her  spec- 
ialty, and  was  an  extremely  conscientious 
and  competent  worker  with  a  knowledge  of 
several  foreign  languages.  Busy  as  she 
always  was,  she  nevertheless  was  most 
happy  to  share  her  knowledge  with  the 
young  neophyte  librarians  and  to  help 
develop  their  skills. 

She  not  only  delighted  in  helping  the 
young  librarians,  but  took  great  personal 


-^ 


interest  in  these  young  people.      This  Fellowes  Athenaemn,    traveled  to s  uch  out- 

helped,   no. doubt,    to  maintain  her  70 athful .lying  spots   as  Lover  Mills,   Charlestown 

.and  Jeffries  ?oint  in  East  Boston, 
At:     My  association  with  Mar.icrie  began  in 
khe  late  192Js  at  the  Lower  Mills  Branch 
where,    through  her  librar7;^  school  training 


attitude  towards  life,      che  bad  a  rvoat 
love  for  the  datire   throu--,hou-'-.  r.?r  li^s. 
soirees  she  displa"'"ed  a  ^."ace   and  sl:lll 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  much  ' 
younger  person. 

Most  of  her  co-workers  were  not  aware 
that  she  was  a  speculator.     True,   she  did 
not  invest  large  sums,   but  when  her  in- 
tuition foui'id  the  right  investment,   her 
friends  shared  the  profits, 

WviTO-hearted,   generous,   a  lover  of  the 
arto,   she  was  always  most  proper  in  her 
actions.     She  was  a  great  lady  in  the  old 
world  manner.      Her  aristocratic  express- 
ion and  eloquent  gestures  were  character- 
istic of  what  one  might  expect  from  a 
gi?-ide  dame  of  a  family  of  the  nobility, 

^.le  loved  the  Library  and  the  many 
frisnds  she  made  while  working  here.     Her 
friends  will  miss  her  visits  to  the 
Library  and  her  affectionate  greetings, 

B.   JOSEPH  0'i\IEIL 

;    ..    MRJORIE  A.    OBENAUER  RETIRES 

On  December  21  a  coffee  hour  was  held  in 
the  V/omen's  lounge  in  honor  of  Miss  Oben- 
auer  who  retires  after  thirty-six  years  of 
service  in  the  Boston  Public  Library.     In 
addition  to  the  members  of  the  Thursday 
Morning  Group  (Officers  of  the  Division 
of  Home  Reading  and  Community  Services), 
the  Director  and  other  Officers  of  the 
Library,   a  number  of  Marjorie's  friends 
were  on  hand  to  greet  her  and  wish  her 
well.      Eleanor  O'Leary  from  Sharon  (for- 
merly of  South  Boston) ,   ^osalyn  V'arner, 
a  fellow  Children's  Worker  of  earlier 
years  in  Marjorie's  career,   and  Katherine 
Rogan,  her  former  Branch  Librarian  were 


;(she  is  a  graduate  of  Syracuse  Universiij' 
^Library  School)   she  made  a  significant 
:, contribution  to  some  needed  reorganization 
! there.     After  working  in  the  field  of  work 
,with  children  for  many  years,   she  becaiae 

Librarian  of  the  Mt.   Pleasant  Branch  in 
1I952. 

The  future  should  bring  much  of  interest 
;and  many  satisfactions  connected  with  ihe 
jnew  home  in  Sharon  acquired  a  few  years 
jback.      Among  her  hobbies  is  gardening, 
jwith  herb  growing  taking  top  place.     She 
jhas  always  enjoyed  the  theatre  and  travel. 
|That  she  may  enjoy  all  of  these  and  many 
jmore  interests  in  the  years   ahead,   is  the 

sincere  wish  of  her  friends  and  associates, 

PEARL  SMRT 

ROSALTO  S.   ^^IARNER  ALSO 

January  nineteentn  will  mark  the  last 
official  day  of  work  in  the  Boston  Public 
Library  System  for  Rosalyn  Warner,   Child- 
ren's Librarian,  but  it  is  safe  to  assume 
that  her  thoughts  -  at  least  -  will  wing 
j their  way  toward  Roslindale  on  the  twenti- 
jeth  and  for  many  successive  days  there- 
jafter.     To  spend  over  thirty  years  with 
lone  organization  is   in  itself  a  record;  to 
ihave  served  those  years  unselfishly,   de- 
lve tedly,   and  joyously  in  the  service  of 
[children  is  an  accomplishment  upon  which 
(to  look  back  with  satisfaction. 
i     Miss  Herzig,  dutifully  instructing  Miss 
iWarner  as  a  newcomer  at  East  Boston  in 


•1931,  warned  her  that  reading  while  on 
among  the  guests.     Greetings  were  received jduty  was  not  allowed.     Today,   after  twenty^ 
from  people  unable  to  a  ttend:  Jean  B.   Lay    iand-one  half  years  of  observing  Miss  War- 
and  Catherine  P.   Loughman  with  whom  Mar jo-  ner's  scrupulous  attention  to  her  work  at 
rie  had  worked  at  one  time,   and  Mary  E.         iRoslindale,   she  knows  that  if  ever  an  ad- 

bnonition  was  superfluous,   it  was  this  one 
japplied  to   tiiis  particular  person. 

Miss  Warner,    a  graduate  of  Wheelock  Kin- 


Ames,   her  first  Branch  Librarian  at  Fel- 
lowes  Athenaeum  in  Roxbuiy, 

After  the  presentation  of  a  purse  by 
John  M,   Carroll,   Chief  Librarian  of  the 


idergarten  School,    early  in  her  career  in 


Division,  Miss  Obenauer  responded  gracious-jubrary  work  set  high  standards  for  her- 
ly  with  words  of  thanks  for  the  gift  from    ^elf  and  she  has  never  deviated  from  them, 
friends  and  associates  and  then  went  on  to  !"Fringe  benefits"  for  her  were  the  happy 
entertain  us  with  some  anecdotes  of  her        'expressions  on  the  faces  of  youngsters  for 
commuting  experiences  in  the  early  days  of  |whom  she  had  found  the  right  book,   given 
her  work  in  Boston.     These  were  varied  and  !aid  in  using  library  tools,   or  helped  in 
curious  because  she  lived  in  Boston  proper ithe  many w ays  her  instincts  prompted, 
at  the  time  and,   after  the  initiation  at  Her  devotion  to  duty  has  not  lessened 


-6- 


through  the  years  as  witnessed  by  the  fact ■was   the  white   tree  on  one  of  the  tables, 
that  "although  accumulated  vacation  would  'Tea,   delicious   coffee  and  innocent  punch 
have  allowed  a  less   rigid  schedule  during   ,were  provided  to  wash  down  the  goodies 
her  final  months  -  it  was  she  who  got  i ranging  from  Irish  and  date-nut  breads 

through  from  Newbury  Street  to  Roslindale   -.through  many  kinds  of  cake  to  brownies 
Square  to  open  the  branch  at  9  a."'',   on         ,and  cream  puffs,    et  al. 
Saturday,   the  sixth,  when  hazardous   travelf     The  glamorous  hostesses   in  their  gaily 
kept  many  at  home.  I  decorated  aprons  were  identified  with 

One  of  the  phases  of  her  work  which  she     Christmas   tree  name  tags. 


pursued  vigorously  was  work  with  schools. 
She  kept  in  close  contact  with  fourteen 
schools,   and  instructed  the  classes  who 


I     Seen  among  the  former  BPLers  returning 
■jfor  the  occasion  were:   Elizabeth  G.    Barry, 
j Beatrice  Coleman,   J.J.   Danker,  George  Gal- 
came  to  the  Library  in  the  use  of  the  card;lagher,  Samuel  Green,  John  McNally,  Anna 
catalog,   reference  books,   etc.     That  her     JManning,  Mary  M.   Prall,   Loraine  Sullivan, 
work  has  been  appreciated  by  the  teachers    , Harriet  Swift  and  Louis   Ugalde, 
and  students  is   evidenced  by  the  fact  thatj     A  "Well  done J"  to   the  committee  whose 
several  of  the  retirement  gifts  which  have (energy  and  smiles  made  the  event  a  time  of 
come  to  her  have  been  from  these  friends,    .exceeding  good  cheer. 

For  January  twenty-fifth     the  Staff  at     \     At  the  same  time,   nine  carolers   toured 
Roslindale  has  planned  a  reception  and  tea j the  building  and  added  music  to   the  party 
for  their  retiring  Children's  Librarian  to jatnosphere.     The  singers  were  Elizabeth 
which  they  have  invited  the  principals  andjDrane,   Caroline  Stanwood,   Shirley  Utudjian, 
teachers  of  all  the  schools  she  has  served^Veronica  Yotts,  Edward  Mietzner,   and 
Her  immediate  reaction  was  how  good  for       iGeorge  Conroy.     Robert  Giddings  played 
public  relations  between  schools  and  the      jthe  celesta  and  t.;-o  forr.er  members  of  the    j 
library  getting  these  particular  people  tcHstaff ,   iNiatalie  PaxTie  and  Louis   Ugalde,  ' 

gether  informally  will  be.     Only  secondly   jreturned  to  play  the  recorder  and  violin, 
she  thought  of  the  honor  to  h^-\-self.  j  The  g  roup  cans  ti-^u'Iitj-onal  Christinas 

Miss  Warner  was  also  guest  cf  honor  at  carols  and  also  presented  a  duet  for  re- 
a  luncheon  at  the  Red  Coach  Grill  on  Dec-  Icorder  and  celesoa,  and  a  solo,  "Oh  Holy 
ember  twenty- eighth  when  Children's  Lib-      JNight"  by  George  Conroy.     Their  last  stop 

jwas  the  f  ront  lobby  where  members  of  the 
public  joined  them  in  singing  old  favorites 
like  "Silent  Night". 

On  Friday  morning  the  Men's  House  Com- 


rarians  and  other  friends  presented  her 
with  a  handsome  pocketbook  and  money. 

Miss  Warner's  retirement  came  at  a  pro- 
pitious time.     Having  labored  long  in  the 


old  crowded  quarters,  she  stayed  to  crown   imittee  had  its  annual   "coffee"  with  all 
her  years  of  work  with  the  most  hectic  the  usual  accompaniments,   for  the  staff, 

days  of  all  -  the  moving  days,   during  in  the  men's  quarters. 

which  she  "pulled  her  weight"  to  the  aston-j     This  year  there  was   a  new  twist  to  the 
ishment  of  the  younger  people  involved  -      jdancing  at  this  party  -  for  the   "Twist" 
and  then  shared  with  the  staff  the  pardon- Iwas  demonstrated  by  younger  members,   and 


able  pride  they  felt  on  opening  day.     Now, 
after  three  months  in  the  new  building, 
she  leaves  her  work  in  capable  hands  and 
faces  with  eager  anticipation  a  future  of 


travel  and  other  activities.     With  her  go     celebrations.     From  one  of  these,   we  have 
the  cordial  good  wishes  of  her  many  friend^galvaged  a  poon  for  posterity  ... 


SARAH  H.    USHER 

CHRISTMS  CAJiE  TO  THE  BPL 

The  Women's  Lounge  was  the  scene  for  the 
Christmas  Tea,  the  afternoon  of  Thursday, 
December  21.  Holly  framed  windows  and 
the  green  garlanded  ceiling  enclosed  all 
visitors  in  cozy  comfort.  The  end  walls 
were  decorated  w  ith  silver  branches  trim- 
med with  the  same  red  and  silver  balls  as 


attempted  with  not  too  much  success  (but 
no  misplaced  vertebrae)  by  some  of  our 
prominent  older  members. 

Various  departments  also  held  minor 


Twas  the  night  before  Christmas,  and  all 

thru'  our  room, 
{Not  an  "L.A. "  was  s  tirring,  the  place  was 
j  in  gloom 

'"Elevens  and  nineties"  had  gone  to  their 
j  beds, 

■"Applications"  and  "Pasters"  were  nodding 
I  their  heads. 

|i'4r.  Gillis  departed,  and  heaved  a  big  sigh, 
(He  wasn't  too  sorry  to  bid  us  "Good-bye". 
IBut,  Louis  and  Puller  came  up  with  va 


-7- 

the  cheers,  '      ,  he  began  the  program  b^  welcoming  the 

Shouting  "We  don't  want  "Rein"-Deers,  just  people.  The  South  End  Songsters,  a  group 

bring  on  the  "Dears"  ,  of  children  who  were  directed  by  Jeannette 

Come  Sonia,  come  Mary,  come  Ann,  and  Cor-  Alfe  who  is  in  charge  of  work  with  child- 

rine,  i  ren  at  the  branch  took  over.  They  sang 

Johanna  and  Peggy  -  each  glamourous  Queen,,  carols  as  Brenda  Hemingway,  assistant  in 
(But  speaking  of  glamour  -  we  have  to  re-  ;  the  Children's  Room,  read  the  s tory  of  the 

vert  -  !  Nativity.  A  puppet  show  was  next  on  the 

We  overlooked  Helen  -  and  I'iargie  and  Gert)i  agenda.  It  was  an  adapted  version  of 
The  boys  in  our  room,  sang  as  loud  as  a   ^  "The  Wee  Red  Cap"  by  Ruth  Sawyer,  adapted 

lark,  ;  by  Miss  Alfe  and  presented  by  her  with  the 

There  was  Harper  -  and  Santos  -  and  Cox,  ;  assistance  of  Miss  Hemingway,  Young  and 

also  Mark,  ^  old  were  enthralled  with  the  s  tory  of  Teig 

And  lets  not  forget,  at  any  high  cost    ^  the  tight  fisted  Irishman  who  learns  the 
To  add,  to  this  Yuletide,  we  even  have    ;  real  meaning  of  Christmas,  Looking  around 

Frost.  I  the  overcrowded  room  it  xiias  difficult  to 

With  "OCR's"  Santa,  and  Christmas  "Decor",;  pick  out  faces,  but  one  was  more  outstand- 
l'.»e  only  have  room,  for  just  one  item  more,;  ing  than  the  others.  Perhaps,  it  was  the 
Our  "Carroll"  upstairs  (two  R's  'stead  of  ;  ear  trumpet  that  drew  my  attention  to  the 

one)  S  elderly  gentleman  or  perhaps  it  was  the 

Hollered  "HI  -  Merry  Christmas  -         i  fact  that  despite  his  age  (over  90  I  am 

But  Get  your  work  donell"  j  told)  he  seemed  so  interested  in  all  that 

i  was  hapTDening  around  him.  This  was  ilr. 
This  gem  was  done  by  -  who  else-  Marjorie  I  Garhart,  the  first  President  of  the  Black- 
Knllling.  i  stone  ^"'eighborhood  Association. 

V.e   also  had  a  report  from  one  branch    j   Brownies,  punch,  cookies,  and  coffee 
on  their  j  were  served  by  the  library  staff  with  the 

Neighborhood  party  j  help  of  the  Girl  Scours. 

i   The  party  vas  brought  to  a  successful 

The  night  was  dark  and  the  rain  fell    |  conclusion  by  the  Saint  Mark's  Congrega- 
softly.  The  children  stood  in  groups  .   j  tional  Church  Choir,  directed  by  George 
around  the  tree  and  the  sound  of  their    i  McClain.  The  choir  sang  carols  of  sev- 
singing  muffled  the  roar  of  the  elevated  j  eral  countries  including  Austria,  France 
train,   "Silent  Wight,  Holy  Night",  the   j  and  England,  Their  singing  was  undoubted- 
children  and  adults  of  the  South  aid  once  i  ly  the  highlight  of  the  evening.  In  shorty 
again  ushered  in  the  Christmas  Season.    j  they  were  magnificent. 

The  feeling  of  satisfaction,  after  such 


It  w  as  I'lednesday,  December  20,  and  the 
time  was  7.30  p.m.  The  children  from  the 
South  End  Library  and  the  South  End  Boys ' 


a  successful  v  enture,  is  difficult  to 
measure.  If  it  were  not  for  the  co-opera- 


Club  went  out  w  ith  the  Pembroke  mothers  |  tion  of  all  the  agencies  involved  and  the 
and  Father  Gardiner  from  St.  Stephen's    i  correlation  of  all  these  activities  by 
Episcopal  Church  to  light  the  tree  in    !  Pearl  Smart,  our  Branch  Librarian,  this 


Blacks tone  Park.  Father  Gardiner  gave 
the  invocation  and  the  children  sang 
carols  as  the  tree  was  lit. 


might  never  have  been  a  reality.  Miss 
Smart  and  the  staff  of  the  branch,  wish 
to  thank  the  Boy  Scouts  who  put  up  the 


This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Neighbor^  ,  tree,  the  Franklin  Square  House  who  sup- 
hood  Party  which  was  given  by  the  South   j  plied  the  brownies,  and  all  those  who 
Bay  Betterment  Association,  the  Black-  <  helped  to  make  the  party  the  great  suc- 
stone  Park  Neighborhood  Association,  and  ,;  cess  that  it  was. 
the  South  End  Branch  of  the  Boston  Public  i  JEAiMETTE  ALFE 

Library.  At  the  completion  of  the  tree  I 

lighting  ceremony,  they  gathered  in  the   ;         CALE1'\1DAR  OF  EVENTS 
librarj'-  where  the  party  was  to  be  held,   | 

The  Children's  Room  took  on  a  festive   ;  January  19   Annual  Business  Meeting 
atmosphere.  The  usual  quiet  was  replaced  \  and  election  of  officers 

with  the  soimd  of  laughter  and  happy     ;  BPLSA 

greetings.   "Merry  Christmases"  filled  th^  February  9   Reception  to  new  officers 
air,  and  Mr.  Farrah,  president  of  the  BPLSA,  and  program 

Neighborhood  Association,  added  his,  as 


The  desperate  reader 


-9- 


3AVE  THE  DATE 


On  Friday,   February  9,   at  8  o'clock  in 
the  Lecture  Hall,    the  members  of  the 
Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 
have  a  double   treat  in  store.  ! 

At  that  time  Edward  M.  Ginsburg,  Field  ! 
Representative  of  the  Peace  Corps,  will  | 
be  the  guest  speaker.     Following  Mr.  ; 

Ginsburg 's  talk  there  will  be  a  reception, 
for  the  new  officers.  Refreshments  and  ; 
dancing  will  be  available  for  those  in-  , 
teres ted. 

Since  the  subject  should  be  of  special  . 
interest  to  young  people,    the  Staff  \ 

Association  extends  a  special  invitation   '. 
to  part-time  employees  and  their  friends    j 
to  join  us  at  the  February  9  meeting. 
Come  and  bring  your  questions  about  the      ; 
Peace  Corps  -  and  stay  to  enjoy  the  re- 
freshments  and  dancing. 

The  Peace  Corps  is  a  subject  of  vital 
interest  to  all  Americans  -  irrespective 
of  age  -  so  plan  to   come,   and  bring  a 
friend, 

MISS  1962 

A  71b  12  oz  daughter  was  bom  to  Mr. 
and  Ilrs.  Philip  Flattich  (Patent  Room) 
on  January  8.   She  will  probably  be 
named  Anne  Marie. 

THE  STUDENT  USE  FRONT 

If  the  rumor  be  true  that  Brookline 
Public  Library  is  now  permitting  only 
card-holders  to  use  its  collections,  we 
wonder  what  that  will  mean  to  this  lib- 
rary when  the  Needham  High  junior  and 
senior  classes  do  their  research  papers 


A  recent  assignment  at  Boston  Latin 
i  requires  two  classes  to  look  at  research 
I  papers  published  in  magazines  and  see 
;  how  footnotes  etc  are  handled,  before 
j  doing  their  own  paper.  No  suggestions 
!  as  to  magazines  were  made,  TJhile  the 
;  staff  knows  which  magazines  to  suggest, 
;  two  classes  arriving  at  a  busy  time  of 
day,  certainly  can  handicap  other  users, 

-;;■ 
All  seniors  (about  I1.OO)  at  Beverly 
High  have  a  [).000  word  thesis  on  an  author. 
No  advance  preparation  in  use  of  the 
library  was  made. 


An  excellent  article  by  Lee  Zimmerman 
entitled  Pilfering  and  Mutilating  Lib- 
rary Books  apprears  in  the  October  li) 
issue  of  LIBRARY  JOURNAL,  pages  3i;37- 
3i4j.O.  We  could  wish  that  we  might  reach 
school  classes  as  is  suggested  at  the 
bottom  of  page  3l|.39I 

I         RECRUITING  PROBLEMS 

I 

[ 

i   The  LIBRARY  JOURIvIAL  will  run,  through 
i  1962,  a  series  of  articles  on  recruiting, 
I  This  should  be  of  gi'dat  interest  to  the 
•  entire  staff.  Series  editor  is  John  F. 
i  Harvey,  dean  of  the  library  school  and 
f  director  of  libraries  at  Drexel  Institute 
!  of  Technology. 

]       The  first  article  begins  on  page  38  of 
i  the  January  1  number.   By  Donald  F. 
!  Strout,  Professor  of  Library  Science  at 
i  the  University  of  Illinois  Library  School, 
■  the  a  rticle  gives  excellent  background 
;  material  on  the  underlying  causes  of 
i  personnel  shortages  in  libraries.  It  is 
j  interesting  to  learn  that  Mr.  Strout  does 
I  not  believe  the  situation  entirely  due 
to  the  libraries  themselves,  but  is  also 


on  authors  this  spring.  During  the  past 

two  years,  Needham  has  sent  a  portion  of  1  due  to  failure  of  the  librarj'-  schools  to 


its  students  to  Brookline  instead  of 
Boston, 

Winner  of  the  indefinite  assignment 
prize  -  one  class  was  asked  to  write  a 
synopsis  of  how  to  write  a  synopsis. 

Out  of  town  students  made  away  with 
quite  a  few  unbound  periodical  issues 
during  the  holiday  weeks,  some  of  which 
have  not  yet  returned  to  the  fold. 

Sixteen  issues  of  the  NATION  and  l5  of 
the  NEl-J  REPUBLIC  at  last  count,  for  1961, 


i  make  sufficient  impact  on  their  own  cam- 
j  puses  to  interest  Mie   number  and  quality 
I  of  students  needed.  He  outlines  steps 
\   which  may  be  taken  by  national  library 
'  associations,  state  and  local  library 
administrators,  library  schools,  and 
individual  library  workers  to  build  a 
better  image  of  librarianship  as  a  pro- 
fession, and  to  interest  the  best  minds 
in  the  schools  in  library  work, 

MIND  ON  WRX?? 

Found,   two  cards  for  Nicholl  in  middle 


had  had  all  book  review  and  theatre  reviei-f  of  New  York  tray  in  the  Public  Catalog, 
pages  ripped  out. 


-10- 


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  Lib- 
rary, Department  or  Office  in  which  he 
or  she  is  employed.  The  name  is  withheld 
from  publication,  or  a  pen  name  is  used, 
if  the  contributor  so  requests.  Anon- 
ymous contributions  are  not  given  con- 
sideration. 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  individual  Association  mem- 
bers and  their  appearance  does  not  nec- 
essarily indicate  that  the  Publications 
Committee  and  the  Association  are  in 
agreement  with  the  views  expressed. 


.Dear  Soap  Box: 

'  Every  now  and  then  a  nexii  Improvement 
^Council  is  named  to  study  some  facet  of    j 
lour  work,  and  it  meets  for  weeks  or  months,- 
And  that  is  the  last  we  hear  a  bout  it. 
jWould  it  not  be  educational  for  the  whole 
staff  to  have  some  idea  of  areas  studied 
and  especially  of  the  results  and  recom- 
mendations? This  need  not  be  in  detail, 
but  we  are  somewhat  interested] 

IN  THE  DARK 


Dear  Editor  - 

The  new  Administrative  Notice  on  Vacan- 
cies and  the  possible  advertising  thereof 
in  LIBRARY  JOURNAL  is  interesting.  We 
hope  it  will  bring  good  new  blood  to  tlie 
library,  if  there  is  no  one  well  qualified  I 
within  the  library  for  the  positions.  But,j 
we  do  wonder  if  filling  of  vacancies  will  j 
be  delayed  until  such  a  notice  can  appear 
and  answers  be  received,  as  a  general 
practice.  That  could  lead  to  a  drop  in 
morale. 

CURIOUS 


those  contributions  containing  not  more 
than  300  words  will  be  accepted. 


,Dear  Soap  Box: 

•  Formerly  the  Staff  ^^ibrary  was  supervis- 
,ed,  expected  to  be  used  quietly  and  in  a 
: professional  manner,  so  that  our  library 
I  school  students  might  use  the  materials 
I  there,  and  other  staff  members  could  check 
1  needed  references  in  professional  liter- 
,ature.   '^hose  who  liked  a  peaceful  place 
, to  read,  write  a  letter,  or  relax,  might 
; find  space  there  during  relief  periods 
Oi^yior  lunch  hours.  The  room  and  its  collec- 


Dear  Soap  Box, 

Re  the  opening  of  the  front  door  be- 
fore 9  a.m.  for  staff  members  on  inclem- 
ent mornings  -  why  is  it  arbitrarily 
closed  now? 

SLIPPERY  FEET 


Dear  Soap  Box  Editor: 

I-Jhy,  since  signs  are  posted  in  the  ' 
outer  lobby  about  no  smoking,  does  no  one- 
speak  to  those  who  smoke  there  constantly? 
Some  times  over  a  dozen  men  are  leaning  : 
against  the  railings,  puffing  blithely  ; 
away.  It  gives  a  bad  impression  to  ' 
those  going  in  and  out.  ; 

OBSERVER  ' 


; tions  were  used  back  then. 
I   But  within  the  past  few  months,  little 
.;  supervision  has  been  given  the  library, 
■  apparently.  Now,  younger  members  of  the 
•staff  may  be  seen  sprawled  over  the  fur- 
initure,  feet  on  chairs  etc.  They  may  also 
ibe  heard.  Library''  school  students  com- 
j plain  that  they  can  not  study  there,  but 
,must  take  materials  to  iheir  departments. 
(Older  staff  members  look  wistfully  and 
'go  away.  What  is  the  future  use  of  the 
•room  to  be?  Staff  Library  or  Date  Room? 

NO  PLACE  TO  WORK 


e 


PRESSiJTS  THE   FOLLO^.^NG  PROGRA.M 

leifimajv^   ^,  IH2  at   8 p.m 

i/n  ihe  feciu/ie  Nail 

Cerd/ial  iHj^ann 


GUEST    SPEAKER 

Mr.    EclijjBrcl  M.  Ginsbur 


Field     Representative  of  the  Peace  Corps 


3 


(( 


SUBJECT 

ThePea^ce  Corps  in  Action 


J^eMieAnyrYi  ^AiZS"-  Ji)  a/a  oum 


ALL  STAFF  I'iEMBERS  - 
INCLUDING  PART-TIiffi  "WORKERS  AND 
LIBRARY  AIDES  -  AND  THEIR  FRIENDS 
ARE  CORDIALLY  INVITED 

PROGRAM  COmiTTEE 
Edna  Peck,   Chairman 
Lorraine  Parse  Myra  Morse 

Mary  Hackett  Marian  Schmitt 

Mildred  Kaufman  Harold  Brackett 

Sewell  Hayes 


PLEASE  POST 


THE     QUESTION     MARK 

Published  by  the   Boston  Public  Library  Staff     Association 

Volume  XVII      Number  2  February  1962 

Publications  Committee:      Margaret  Butler,    Janice  l/Ianiscalco,    Thomas  J,   pfenning 

Sarah  Riohman,  Catherine  Richmond,  Edwin  G.  Sanford, 
Anna  Soanlon,  I,  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  M, 
Usher,    Indexer,  William  T.   Casey,   Chairman. 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material; 

The   fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 

In  a  recent   issue   of  the  Boston  Globe   (Feb,   6,    1962)   a  reporter  describes  his 
personal  reaction  to  the  B.P.L.      It   is  significant  to  note  that  he  begins  his  ra- 
ther aondescending  article  by  describing  how  he  entered  the  Library  "to  seek 
shelter  from  a  storm."     In  addition  to  the   fact  that   the  Library  is  a  public 
building,  we  are  basically  a  hospitable   group,   ever  ready  to  render  succor  to  a 
storm-tossed  traveller.     But   gnawing  away  at  the  back  of  our  minds   is  the  ques- 
tion,   "Where  was   our  reporter  when  the   sun  was   shining?" 

It   may  be   good  for  a  few   smiles  to  describe  us  as  the   refuge  for  a  host   of 
"picturesque"   characters,    but  we  feel  that    our   inquiring  reporter  has   laid  too 
much  stress  on  one  minor  aspect   of  our  public  function.     Although  this  particular 
article   is  merely  one  man's  attempt  at  humor,    it  is   indicative  of   our  failure  to 
"sell"   ourselves  to  the   community  at   large.      Conversely,    it   is  also   indicative    of 
the  fact  that  certain  elements    in  the   community  fail   to  understand  that   a  library 
is  more  than  just  a  convenient  doorway  in  bad  weather. 

Generalizations  are  always  dangerous  and  often  misleading,    but  every  librar- 
ian can  cite  examples   of  this   breakdown   in  communication  between  the   library  and 
its  public.      There  are  the   schoolteachers  who  dispense  their  library  assignments 
v/ith  a  lavish  hand  and  never  bother  to  check  on  available  resources;   the  politi- 
cians who  lead   crusades  against   City  Hall  when  a   library   is  threatened  with  ex- 
tinction,  but  who  never  darken  the   door   of   their  neighborhood  branch;   the  parents 
who  worry   if  Ivan  is   smarter  than  Johnny  but  decline  to  patronize  the   institution 
designed  to  help   Johnny  compete;   and  even   "snowbound"   reporters  who  could  become 
editors   if  they  used  their  libraries  more. 

It    is  belaboring  the  painfully  obvious  to  note  that  we   still   have  a   "selling" 
job   of   considerable  magnitude  before  us.      It  means  utilizing  the  techniques   of 
National  Library  fleek   in  order  to  reach  those   segments   of  the   community  who  either 
don't  know  or  don't   care  what   a   library  does.     VlTithout   dwelling  at   length  on  the 
question  of  the    "image"   of  the   librarian,    it  means   doing  our  best  to  demonstrate 
that  the  Library   is   something  more   than  a   "warehouse    of  printed  wisdom  and 
foolishness. 

At  first  glance,    it  may  seem  almost  the  height  of  folly  to  solieit  more  busi- 
ness.    At  a  time  when  the   Central  Library   is   struggling  to  maintain  an  even  keel 
despite  major  alterations,    inaccessible   stacks,   the  book  delivery  problem,   the 
student  population  and  the   science -project   brigade,  who  needs  more   business?     With 
similar  problems   raising  havoc   in  Branches   operating  with  truncated   staffs  and 
extended  areas   of   service,   who  needs  more  business? 


The  answer  is  not  so  much  that  we  need  more  business  but  that  we  need  more 
friends.     We  need  the   schoolteachers,   the  clergy,   the  political   leaders,  the 
businessmen,   the  housewives  and  the  benefactors.     We  need  their  understanding  of 
our  functions,   and  their  help  when  we  find  ourselves  unable  to  render  all  the 
services  we  would  like  to.     For  the  Library  staff,    it  means  that  every  week  is 
National  Library  Vifeek  and  every  opportunity  is  utilized  to  plead  our  cause, 

THE  PUBLICATIONS   COMMITTEE 


PRESIDENT'S  NOTF.S 


On  behalf  of  the  newly  elected  officers  I 
and  members   of  the  Executive   Board  I  wish 
to  express   our  thanks  for  the  confidence 
you,  the  members   of  the  Staff  Association 
have  placed  in  us.     Vife,    in  turn,  will  do 
our  utmost  to  carry  out  the  objectives 
of  our  Association.     Vife   shall  weloon»  any 
suggestions   or  criticisms  you  may  make. 

The  President  and  fery  Crowe  have  been 
acting  as  Staff  Association  representa- 
tives  on  the  Job  Evaluation  Committee. 
The  work  is  progressing,    although  more        j 
sl'owly  than  had  been  hoped,   and  the  pres-i 
ent  phase   should  be  finished   in  a  very 
short  time.     It    is.,    of  course,  too  early 
to  assess  the   results   of  the  project,   but 
if  hard  work  and  perseverance  are  any 
guarantees  of  success  then  the  outcome 
should  be  most   gratifying.     We  have  been 
im^ftessed  by  the  fairness  and  reasonable- 
ness  of  all  the  members  of  the  Committee, 

Our  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  members   of 
the  Program  and  Entertainment  Committees 
for  the   splendid  job  they  did  on  the 
evening  of  February  9,     A  full  account   of 
the  activities  are  presented  elsewhere   in 
this   issue   of  the  QM. 

For  those   of  you  who  think  that  the 
President's  lot   is  a  merry  round  of  par- 
ties and  committee  meetings  I  am  append- 
ing to  these  notes  a  communication  I  have 
received  from  a  card-carrying  member  of 
the  Maffia, 

LOUIS  RAINS 


January  23,  1962 

Mr.  Louis  Rains,  President 

Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 

Dear  Mr,  Rains! 

Congratulations.  0  Tallest   of  the  Tall 
Watusi.     That  Great  Beast-The  People  has 
spoken  and  their  voice   is  a  ringing  call 


thiat   cannot  be   denied.     Your  election  will 
fling  the   lie   in  the  faces   of  those  who 
said  the  BPL  was  ready  for  the  reform 
element. 

Am  already  commencing  investigation  to 
uncover  names   of  those  who  voted  against 
the  People's   Candidate.      May  I   suggest  as 
a  suitable  punishment  for  this  Dis -loyal 
Opposition  that   the   ringleaders  be  appoint- 
ed to  the   Concessions   Committee  and   forced 
to   eat  all  their  meals    in  the  Coffee   Shop. 
This   drastic   punishment   should   effectively 
quell  any  further  insurrection. 

As  you   continue   on  your  meteoric  rise  to 
oblivion  I  trust  that  you  will   not  forget 
the   rank  and   file   that   each  day  grow  just 
a   little  ranker.     Remember  the   glorious 
motto  that  was   our  rallying  cry  when  we 
fought  together  at   the  varricades   and 
beer  flowed   like  water   in  Blagden  Street  — 
Keep   the   Downtrodden  Downtrodden, 

Yours   in  the   cause   of  revolution, 

BOY  LIBRARIAN 

PERSONNEL  NOTES 

New  Bmployees 

Mrs,   Mary  E,  Allen,   Lower  Mils 

Charles  Chamberlain,    Central   Charging 

Records 
Priscilla  Deane,    General  Reference 
Roch-Josef  di  Lisio,    Cataloging  and 

Classification   (fi&R) 
John  Vi'.   Dunn,    Science  and  Technology 
Thomas  A,   Incze,   Audio-Visual    (formerly 

part-time  A.V.) 
P/trs.   Ellen  Kurkjian,    Lower   '"lills   (formerly 

part-time  at  Dorchester) 
Robert  A.   Lane,   Central  Charging  Records 
Joan  Lavery,    Book  Preparation 
Peter  W.   McCallion,   Government  Documents 

(formerly  part-time  in  G.D.) 
Paul   G.   Martick,   Periodical  and  Newspaper 
Mrs.   Mary  M.   Miller,    Jamaica  Plain 
V/illiam  C.   ffillerick.   Book  Purchasing 


-5- 


Service 

n 


n 

11 

ti 

II 

II 

It 

11 

ti 

New  Employees    -  Mortheastern  Students 
Janice   Campbell,   Personnel   Office 
ienry  Datello,        Book  Stack 
Walter  Feuerstein,    "        " 
Sally  B.  Forbes  " 

Bruce  Miller  " 

Peter  J.   Sullivan       '' 
Leroy  E.   Temple  '' 

Leonard  A.  Vilalsh  " 

Adam  Artis  " 

Kenneth  Pulso,    Book  Preparation 

Re-entriess 

Carol  A.   Gourley,    South  End 
Hilary  A,  Way son.    Bookmobiles 
Antoinette  Calabresi,   Cataloguing  and 

Classification,   R&RS 
Patricia  J.'  Fradsham 
Elizabeth  I,   McLucas 
Joan  R.   Merchant 
life-rtin  J,   Qualters 
Ella  VifhJte,    Central  Charging  Records 
Neil  Kelly,   Office   of  Records,  Files, 

and  Statistics 

Transfarred 

TTr-'.^'   £;.   Dubis,   Egleston  Square  to 
C.i".r  lest  own 

Am  II.  Geisel,    Ifkttapan  to  Jamaica  Plain 

Sc:]ly  L.   Shoemaker,   Charlestown  to 
Egleston  Square 

Patricia  Feeny,   Audio-7isual  to  Catalog- 
ing and  Classification,    HR&CS 

Roger  Rainville,    Catalo^;ing  and  Class- 
ification,   HR&CS  to  Open   Shelf 

Herman  Peterson,    Catalofcing  and  Class- 
ification,   HR&CS,    to  Book   Stack  Service 

Gordon  ^yden.    Book  Preparation  to  Cata- 
loging and  Classification,   R&  RS 

Charles   Gillis,    Central  Charging  Rooords 
to  Division  of  Library  Operations 

Mary  G.   Langton,    Mt,  Pleasant  to  Division 
Office,    HR&CS 

Mrs.  Evangeline   Guzelis,   Lower  Mils   to 
Memorial 

Ifergaret  E,   Lewis,    Memorial  to  Uphams 
C  ot-ne  r 

Margot  A.  Woodward,  Uphams   Corner  to 
Mattapan 

Military  Leave 
"James  J.   Greene,    Book  Stack  Service 

Married 

Nancy  E.  Kelly,  East  Boston,  to  John 
Jferlowe,  January  21,  1962 


Retired 

Zpltan  Haraszti,   Rare   Book,   January  31, 
'  1962.        .,  V  '■•,'■ 
J&irjorie   Obenauer,    Mt,   Pleasant,   January 

31,    1962 
LillianE.   Smith,   Mt.   Bowdoin,   January 

31,    1962 

Promotions 

Nura   Globus,    Branch  Librarian  at 

Mt.  Pleasant 
R.    Gertrude  Vifade,   Branch  Librarian  at 

Faneui 1 

Northeastern  Students  Returning  to  School 

Mrs,   Catherine   Coggan,   Book  Preparation 

Edward   Howell,    Book  Purchasing 

Janice  Tfright,   Book  Purohaaing 

Gerald  Blonder,    Open  Shelf 

Joan  Iferrington  Codman  Square 

Elaine  N.   Miller,    South  End 

Thomas  Del  Visco,   Book   Stack  Service 

Jordan  Gold 

John  Kelly 

Michael  Knonv/itz 

Robert  Macdonald 

Alvin  Parven 

Thomas  Sgroi 

Milton  Taylor 

Sylvia  Sullivan,  Cataloging  and  Class- 
ification., R&RS 

Beverly  She.piro      "       "    " 

Barbara  LaF.ia.Tme     "       "    " 

Stephen  Gro-.howski,  Office  of  Records, 
Files  and  Statictics 

Ernest  Gam,  Book  Ctack  Service 

Anthony  Tieuli,  Book  Purchasing 

Cea   sed 


III 
It 


II 
II' 
II 
II. 
II. 
ni 
II 


II 
u 
n. 
It. 
(1 
II 


Victoria  Cogliano,    Cataloging  and  Class- 
ification^  R&RS,    to  work  for  the   state. 

M.   David  All?^rd,    Bookmobiles,   to  obtain 
another  position. 

Mrs,   Mary  Burke,    Bookmobiles,   to  remain 
at  home, 

Paul  Frost,    Central  Charging  Records,    to 
return  to  University   of  Mass, 

Mrs.  Nancy  ?/Iarlowe,  East  Boston,  to  stay 
at  home, 

Davida   Sherwood,   Jamaica  Plain,    to   return 
to  college  full-time   for  Jfester's   degree 

Joan  K,   Trygstad,   Lower  Mills,    to  be 
married. 


-4- 


SALUTE  TO  A  BIBLIOPHILE  .  •, 

The  appointment  of  Mr.  Zoltan  H«rn8zti 
-as  Keeper  of  Rare  Books  Emeritus  is  a 
logical  culmination  of  his  long  and  dis- 
tinguished service  to  the  Library  as 
Keeper  of  Rare  Books  and  Editor  of  Pub- 
lica:tions»  As  there  is  no  praise  more 
valued  that  that  which  comes  from  one's 
p«ers,  perhaps  we  may  quote  The  Anti- 
quarian Bookman's  notice  of  his  retire- 
ment! "One  of  the  truly  great  rare-book  j 
librarians  of  our  time  he  (Mr,  Haras zti) 
was  expert  in  incunabula,  Americana,  and 
so  many  other  fields  that  he  was  always 
one  of  the  first  to  whom  researchers 
would  turn  for  aid.  Through  the  Library's 
monthly  bulletin  and  the  BPL  Quarterly 
he  made  known  the  rare-book  resources  of 
the  BP-L  which  he  had  efficiently  and 
economically  built  up  for  almost  four 
decades," 

However,  there  were  numerous  articles 
which  appeared  about  him  at  the  time  of 
his  unofficial  retirement  last  December, 
Many  of  these  spoke  eloquently  of  his 
contributions  to  the  Rare  Book  collec- 
tions and  of  the  scholarly,  but  lively 
articles  he  wrote  for  his  creations.  More 
Books  and  The  Boston  Public  Library 
Quarterly.   In  the  Question  tHark  it  might 
be  fitting  to  speak  in  another  vein:  to 
recall  the  personality  of  the  man  ~  a 
personality  which  has  left  an  indelible 
stamp  on  all  who  know  him  during  his 
thirty-eight  years  at  the  Library, 

To  many,  Mr,  Haras zti  remains  an  enigma. 
Infroquontly  seen  in  the  usual  gathering 
places  such  as  the  staff  lounges  or  the 
coffee  shop,  his  appearance  ivas  always  an 
impressive  one.  An  undeniably  commanding 
personality,  he  can  magnetize  those  a- 
rotuad  him  —  sometimes  with  vmfathomable, 
fixed  expression,  but  equally  as  often 
with  his  old  world  cheirm  and  infectious 
geniality,  Mr,  Haraszti  is  an  extra- 
ordinary "raconteur".  His  secret  can  be 
foimd  in  part  in  the  scholar's  paradise 
in  which  he  has  lived  during  his  ho-urs  of 
labor,  and  in  part  in  the  extensiveness 
of   his  travels,  the  quality  of  his  tastes, 
and  the  catholicity  of  his  interests. 
More  essential,  however ^'  is  his  amazing 
facility  for  remembering  and  assimilating 
detail.  Although  he  mi,ght  have  visited 
two  dozen  or  more  libraries  and  book 
dealers  diiring  a  single  trip  abroad,  he 
could  always  recall  the  names  of  the 
custodians  in  charge  and  the  outstanding 


features  of  the  books  and  manuscripts  in 
each  collection.  His  legal  training  is 
-evident  in  the  precision  with  which  he 
caii'-word  an  opinion,  and  the  wealth  of 
factual  material  which  he  can  utilize  te 
vivify  a  situation.  Furthermore,  he  can 
present  his  arguments  and  recount  his 
adventures  with  a  spell-binding  command 
of  English  which  anyone  might  envy. 

Mr,  Haraszti 's  "expertize"  comes  in 
part  from  his  incredible  ability  to  lose 
himself  in  an  intellectual  challenge. 
The  intensity  with  which  Mr,  Haraszti 
likes  to  work  is  legendary.  He  is  very 
sensitive  to  any  distraction:  many 
users  of  the  Rare  Book  Department  re- 
member his  roaring  "lITio  is  making  that 
noise"  at  the  mere  drop  of  a  pencil. 
The  light  of  his  alcove  in  the  Rare  Book 
Department  used  to  remain  on  long  after 
the  Department  had  officially  closed. 
Indeed,  he  often  told  his  assistants  of 
a  day  one  September  when  he  studied 
through  grave  storm  warnings  while  every- 
one else  departed  for  their  homes. 
Emerging  from  the  Library  at  night,  he 
guilelessly  asked  a  passerby  why  all  the 
trees  in  the  Common  were  lying  on  the 
ground.  He  had  studied  through  that 
memorable  hurricane  of  1938 J 

But,  if  intellectual  absorption  is  a 
natural  love  for  Mr,  Haraszti,  all 
things  mechanical  are  his  natural  enemies. 
He  never  imderstood  the  Department's  pen- 
cil shairpenerj  as  he  insisted  on  l«ng, 
sharpened  pencils  whenever  he  started  t« 
work,  those  around  him  were  kept  very 
busy J  Although  he  loved  music,  and  had 
an  extensive  record  collection,  his 
phonograph  always  mystified  him.  An- 
other of  his  antipathies  is  the  tele- 
phone. He  became  embroiled  in  many 
hvunourous  situations  because  of  the  ac- 
cent\aation  the  telephone  gives  his  Hun- 
garian account.  He  inevitably  began  a 
call  by  saying:  "This  is  Zoltan  Haras zti j 
you  know,  I  am  Keeper  of  Rare  Books  at 
the  Boston  Public  Library,  What?  No, 
Haraszti,  HARASZTIJ  My  assistant  will 
spell  it,"  At  this  point  ZH  was  thunder- 
ing into  the  telephone  and  someone  else 
had  to  take  over  the  call. 

Curiously  enough,  in  spite  of  —  or  per- 
haps because  ofi  ~  his  sensitive  and 
probing  mindj,  Mr.  Haraszti  appears  to 
live  in  euphoric  oblivion  to  many  of 
life's  technical  problems.  He  insisted 
jthat  the  intricacies  of  the  BPL  stacks 
Were  unfathomable,  and  was  amazed  when 


high-school  students  coulcl  find  thoir  way 
aromid  aftor  only  a  few  days.   Schodulos 
of  any  sort  pcrplcxod  hin.  jliss  Swift 
tells  of  his  trip  to  tho  Carriboan  in  195al 
As  usual  there  X7as  sonothing  to  detain    j 
hin  until  tho  last  ninute,  but  ho  assun-  j 
ed  that  an  oarly  train  out  of  Boston  in   { 
the  nornin^  vjould  allov;  him  plenty  of     i 
tine  to  board  tho  boat  in  Hevir  York  that   j 
sane  afternoon.  As  night  have  been  pre-  I 
dieted,  the  train  was  late,  the  traffic 
heavj'',  and  v/hen  he  reached  the  pier,  the 
cruise  liner  was  already  out  to  sea.  Yet  j 
his  cham  seens  to  master  even  the  fates:  i 
a  dock  officer  and  tug  boat  wore  there    i 
v/aiting  to  take  hin  to  meet  the  ship.     ! 
Not  wanting  a  repetition  of  this  ex-     i 
porience,  he  allowed  a  full  day  in  New 
York  before  boarding  the  "United  States" 
for  "uropc  last  nonth.  However,  those 
who  bid  hin  "bon  voyage"  at  Back  Bay 
Station  v;ere  anused  to  find  hin  in  a 
telephone  booth  making  frantic  calls  to 
a  lavjyer  on  behalf  of  a  friend  he  had 
just  discovered  in  need  ~  five  ninutes 
before  the  train  was  duel 

VsTt   Earaszti  has  often  remarked  that 
his  work  in  the  Library  seemed  aliiost 
tailored  to  his  measure.   This  was 
obvious  in  the  love  he  evinced  for  the 
books  around  him.  Eo  also  cherished  the 
contacts  with  people  which  his  v/ork 
afforded  and  counts  many  of  tho  scholars 
and  dealers  who  have  come  to  the  De- 
partment among  his  personal  friends,  lie 
was  not  one  to  say,  however,  that  the 
Library  is  strictly  the  scholar's  pro- 
vince. One  of  his  assistants  rem.embers 
the  vivid  impression  he  made  on  her  first- 
day  of  duty  when,  .^azing  up  at  the  mozaic 
arches  of  the  main  lobby,  he  said: 
"Yiihen  1  first  cane  hero  I  thought,  what 
a  wonderful  thing  it  was  in  ^jnerica  there 
were  great  libraries  for  all  the  people." 
'jid  in  keeping  with  his  aesthetic  sen- 
sibilities, he  never  tired  of  the  phy- 
sical aspect  of  the  Librarv  --  in  fact, 
the  very  beauties  of  these  surroundings 
gave  hin  a  sense  of  belonging. 

One  can  best  portray  the  vivid  image 
of  Ir.  Haraszti  by  speaking  of  his  zest.  | 
Life  unfolds  limitless  possibilities  for  , 
hin,  and  his  curiosity  is  of  -^belaisian  ' 
proportions.  Lt   present  he  is  enjoying 
eagerly  anticipated  travels  in  Europe. 
But  he  is  also  anxious  to  return  in  orderj 
tc  finish  several  books  for  which  he 
has  already  done  extensive  research... 
and  there  are  all  those  series  o£ 
articles  in  More  Books  and  the  Quarterly 


which  friends  have  been  urging  hin  to  edit 
and  co]-3pile  into  single  volumes  I  Ke  has 
pronised  to  cone  bac^:  to  these  tasks,  and 
we  expect  to  see  him  in  the  Library  before 
long. 

FLOP-  JHC"]  COilUOLLY 


ohe  cairB  to  the  Boston  Public  Library 
from  tho  jomsrvills  Public  Library  in 
1943.   She  soon  becacB  well  Icnown  and 
popular.   'iach  Cliristmas  she  has  shared 
her  v/onderful  talent  through  her  original 
creches,  displayed  in  the  Fine  Ijrts   De- 
partment and  enjoyed  by  the  staff  and 
the  public  alike, 

Florence  holds  a  3. A.  in  History  and 
Literature  and  a  i'.A.  in  Fine  jrts  from 
Radcliffe  College  and  a  B.S,  in  Library 
Science  from  Simmons  College.   She  is 
now  working  on  her  dissertation  toward 
a  Ph.D.  in  T^omanesque  /urchitecture  fron 
Radcliffe  College. 

She  is  an  active  member  in  several  pro- 
fessional associations,  including  the 
American  Library  association,  the  Cath- 
olic Library  Association,  the  Boston 
Public  Libran/-  Staff  Association  and  the 
Society  of  iirchitectural  Historians. 
She  has  represented  our  Library  credit- 
ably at  many  conferences. 

'Te  are  very  happy  in  her  appointment 
and  hope  that  she  will  cease  "acting" 
and  soon  becone  the  real  thing. 

Z,   H. 

...  AT  TIT.  ST.i.T  ,  HOUS:: 

Two  bills  on  the  ^tate  .letirement  Sys- 
tem, recently  submitted  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, were  heard  this  past  week  by  the 
Connittee  on  Pensions  and  Old  Age  Assis- 
tance. 

The  first  (H  830,  heard  on  February  5) 
provides  that  any  member  of  the  si^sten 
attaining  twent^''-five  years  or  more  of 
creditable  service  shall  upon  retire- 
ment be  entitled  to  a  credit  of  five 
additional  years  which  would  be  added  to 
earned  creditable  service  in  coirputing 
his  allowances. 

The  second  (H.  1644,  heard  on  Feb,  7) 
provides  for  the  retirenent  of  public 
employes  at  three -quarters  pay  after 
thirty -five  years  of  service  plus  fifty- 
five  years  of  age. 

To  date  no  report  has  been  made  on 
these  bills. 


A"/iiRD   TO  LIB?Juiy  ivlTi 


Lan'ruaR;es   at  Harvard  and  author   of  The 


Vte   at  Washington   Village  Branch  have 
always  been  justly  proud  of   the  varied 
talents   and  scholastic  acconplishments   of 
our  Library  Aides,      ^ow  a  nev/  honor  has 
been  bestowed  on  one    of   our   staff.      On 
February  2,   Ilkureen   Smith,    a   Junior  at 
Ifeizareth  High  School,  vfas  chosen  over 
fifty  three   other   contestants   as   ffiss 
Junior  Achievement   of   3oston  for  1962", 
Qi   the   basis   of  examination,    i-aureen  had 
been   selected  to  attend  the   Jvmior  Achiere- 
nent  PtOgional   Convention   to  be   hold  in 
Atlantic  City   dviring  the   February  vaca- 
tion. 

Maureen  X7ill   compete   again  as   one  of 
six  finalists   on  Friday  night,    February 
9,   for   the   title   of  lliss    Eastern  tdassa- 
chusetts. 


I 


success  J 


We   all  wish  our  Miss   Boston 


iAilJCRn  II.   GIBBOMS 


BRANCH  NOTBS 

Robert  Finnigan,   the  fifteen  year  old 
son  of  I'.r.   and  lirs,   Joseph  Finnigan   of 
Dorchester,   recently   (on  'February  2,   to 
be  exact)  had  published  a  revie^7  of 
Leonard  IVibberly's   Stranger   at   Killloiock 
in  the  Boston  Traveler,      This   Sophonore 
at   Boston  College  High   School  plans   a 
career    as  an  architect   or   an  engineer. 
He   is   a  regular  patron  of  the  Branch  at 
Uphains   Corner, 

AHTHir.  li.  WOnt'iN 

CATFIOLIC  BOOK  FORUI'I 

The  Boston  Catholic  Book  Forum  and 
Fair,    observed  annually  in  honor  of 
Catholic  Book  Yieel:,  v;ill  be  held  at  New 
England  Life  Hall,    Clarendon   Street, 
Saturday  afternoon,   February  24.      The 
Forun,    sponsored  by   the  New  'England  Unit 
of  the  Catholic  Library  Association  and 
the   League   of  Catholic  "iomen,  will  begin 
at   2:30  p.m.   and  viill  feature   the   follow- 
ing speakers:     Rev,    Tliomas   J,   Carroll, 
Director   of  the   Catholic  Guild  for  the 
Blind  and  author   of   Blindness,  "ihat    It 
Does,    and  How  To   Live  liith   It;  iiichael 
Novak,    graduate   student  of  Philosophy  at 
Harvard  and  author   of  a  first  novel.    The 
Tiber  Was   Silver;   Barbara   Cooney,   Calde- 
cott  Award  winning  artist,    author  and 
illustrator  of   The   Little   Juggler ;   and 
Francis   M,  Rogers,   Professor   of  Romance 


i  Book  Fair  vri.  11  be   in  progress    in  the 
lobby  both  before   and  after  the  program. 
The   speakers  will  be  present  to  meet 
members   of  the  audience  and  to  autograph 
copies   of  their  books. 

FAR^'VBLL  TO  imS  STMi 

Oa  Saturday  afternoon,   February   3,    the 
staff   of  Charlestown  Branch  met  at  San- 
Sone  's    Italiaii  restaurant  to  bid  a  fond 
farev/ell   to  !.rs,   Liga   Stam  who  resigned 
from  the    service   to  remain  at  home, 
YJhile  waiting  for  a  delicious    (and  cal- 
oric packed)   luncheon  to  be   served,   Irs. 
Stam  was  presented  v;ith  a  boxed  set  of 
A.A.Milne  for  tho  young  Stam  who  will 
I  make  his   or  her  appearance  this   spring, 
!  and  a  pair   of  red  driving  gloves  for  her- 
1  self. 

Although  I5rs«   Stam  had  been  with  us   for 
a  comparatively  short   time,    she   had  en- 
deared herself  to  all   of  us,   and  it  v;as 
with  mixed  emotions  that  we   said  good- 
bye  to  her. 

The   occasion  was  made  even  pleasanter 
by  the  presence   of  rlrs.    Cecelia  N.  Mc 
Carthy  \vho   retired   from  the   staff   of  the 
library  this  past  November,     Having  re- 
cuperated from  all  of  her   "graduation" 
parties,    lirs.  McCarthy  looked    "hale   and 
hearty"    indeed,    and  contributed  much  to 
the   festivities , 

CATmRIFJ  H.    TECmiOND 

BUSiM'S  HOLIDAY 

For  their  recent   tv/o  weeks   Naval   He- 
serve   duty,   Hrs,   Sarah  "'"J.   Flannery  and 
I"Iiss   Jane   .'anthome  were    loaned  from 
their   usual   Navy  assignments   to  the   Bos- 
ton  Naval    Shipyard  at  CharlestoTrm, 
iirmed  with  old  friends   such  as   Books   in 
print  and   Standard   catalog  for  public 
libraries,   the  two   BPL-ers   embarked   on 
Operation   Library.      They  evaluated  the 
station   library,    a   collection  of  fifteen 
hundred  titles   used  by  Naval  personnel, 
recommending   subject  areas  which  needed 
expanding  and   subject  booklists  to   in- 
vite wider   usage  of  the  Library.     Jirs. 
F.    and  liiss   li,   also   offered  ideas   for   an 
overall  refurbishing  of  the   library 
quarters. 

Although  reveille   came  earlier  than 
their   BPL  schedule   requires,    the   lieu- 
tenant and   tho    chief  agree   that  their 


-7- 


assignment  offered  an  interesting  change^) 

February   8,    1962 

To   the  Boston  Public  Library 
Staff  Association: 

I'fy  sister,    Josephine  llagle,    and   I  were 
each  very  glad   to  receive   a  copy  of  the 
January  issue  of  "The  C^uestion  Mark" 
containing  the  lovely  eulogy  to  out  sis- 
ter    .lizabeth  Gordon.      It  is   a  wonderful 
tribute  written  by  friends  who   showed  a 
real  imderstsinding  of  Beth' s   fine  qual- 
ities and  her  talents.      Thank  you  very 
much. 

We   are   also  pleased  to  loiow  of  the 
plan  for   a  lieiaorial  Fund  in  her  name. 

Sincerely  yours, 
VIRGIMa'g.   GOmiOLLY 

AIA  MIDmNTGR  CONFEIGMCE 


Being  a  member  of  the  Public   Library 
Association's   Library   "Development  Com- 
mittee  is   an  engrossing  and  mind- 
stretching  experience  under   the   chair- 
manship  of  Harold   L.   lioth.  who   success- 
fully commanded  a  full  attendarce   of  his 
wide-spread  comr.iittee.      The  iTiajor  task 
was   that   of    investigating  the  why  and 
how  of  evaluating  and  accrediting  public 
libraries.      The  views  of  the  Library  Ser- 
vices Branch  of  the   Office  of  Education, 
of  a  State    extension  specialist  from 
Montana,    a  California   library  education 
spokesman,   as  well   as   the   Presidents   of 
PLA  and  the   j\meriGan  Library   Trustees 
Association  added  considerable   substance 
and  momentum  to  the   discussions.     A  pro- 
digious  amount  of  houework  assigned  to 
each  member  is   designed  to  carry  fon'ra,rd 
the   immense  project.      In   the  final  mo- 
ments  of  the   closing  meeting  there  was 
passed  a  recommendation  to  TIA  that  there 
be  made  a  fine  film  on  young  adult  ser- 
vices  in  public   libraries,  with  the  pur- 
pose  of  reaching  young  people,   library 
administrators,   potential  recruits,   tea- 
chers  and  parents,    general  public, 
library  school   students,    and   others. 

The  Committee  for  a  Greater  ALA  sought 
^vays  to  draauatically  present  the  real 
advantages   of  membership   to  those  who   do 
not  belong  and  to  those  v;ho  may  be  hes- 
itating to  pay  ths  increased  dues.     ALA 
membership  in   October   1961  vra.3   at  an  all- 
time  high  with  26,000  members   and  556 
nev/  life  members .      It   is   anticipated  that 


after  one  year   of  sustained  income  and 
decreased  membership  -  the  result  of  the 
higher   dues   schedule   -  membership  will 
clinib  again.      Institutional  members,   for 
instance,    can  realize  that  a  $75  neraber- 
ship  nets   them  $65  in  publications.     In- 
dividual meiriers  need  to  be  part  of  the 
national  professioral  organization  which 
has  made  possibl?  personal   gains   in  sal- 
aries  and  standards  and  recognition. 
The   Librai-y  Services  Act  and   legislation 
affecting  libraries   end  librarians   make 
support   of   our  KUx  I'fashirgton  Office   im- 
perative.     The  enthusiasm  of  sucn  people 
around  the   table  as  Ralph  Jlveling,    Jack 
Dalton,   and  Frances    Landers    Spain  was 
fanned  by  i!rs.  Grace   Stevenson  as  well 
as  by  Frank  Sessa,    Chairman  of  the  Ad- 
visory Committee   to   the  Penibership   Com- 
mittee.     Full-time   students   at   library 
schools   and  library  adnir.istrators  are  of 
such  importance  to  ALlx  groTjth  and  m.em.ber- 
ship  participation   that  nev;  ways   of 
reaching  these  potential  leaders  were   de- 
vised, 

iidv/inter  v^as  a  good  conference.     Meet- 
ings were   think  sessions.      There  was 
oppo.'tunity   to  meet  v;ith  one's    opposite 
number  and   -lis cuss    coirimon   concerns,    to 
greet  olc'.  friends   (warm  regards   from 
T^velyn  Lev^/-  to  all),   and  to  be   impressed 
all   over   again  with  the   stature,   the 
seriousness,    the  accomplishment  of  ALA, 

F^.BRU/'lRY   16    IS  ALA  iITkB^RSHIP  DAY. 

P.   S.  Chicagoans   are   a  vulnerable   as 
Bostonians   to   the  bite   of  their  wind 
and  the  bitterness   of  their   cold. 

P.  YiT. 

ALA  MEI'^^IRSHIP  DRIVE 

The  third  annual  ALA  Lfembership  Lay, 
organized  to  call  attention  to  the  ALA 
and  \xrge  all  librarians  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  Association,  will  be  held 
throughout  the  profession  February  16, 

BPL  staffers  who  are  interested  in  be- 
coming members  of  this  important  organ- 
ization may  contact  lUss  lildred 
O'Connor,  Coordinator  of  the  Social 
Sciences, 

"CONGRATULATIONS  DIE 


QE  is  happy  to  extend  our  sincere  best 
wishes  to  those  fellow  staff  members  who 
have  recently  been  singled  out  for  well 
deserved  promotions. 


-8- 


JCEK  ALEEBT 

i 
John  Alden,   rGGentl-"^  naraed  Acting  Cur-  i 

ator   of  Rare  Books,  v;as   born   in   Brocktori 
I  Massachusetts.     Ee  was   graduate d  from 
iJilliaas   College   anr'   pursued  further 
studies   at  Brown  Ihiversity,  where  he 
was  aviarded  an  A»M.  in  Ronance  languages, 
Ifr,  Alden   later   earned  another  Bachelor*^ 
Degree  in  library  science   at  the   Univer- 
sity of  l-ichigan« 

During  iiore   thaii  thirty  years   of 
association  with  libraries,   itr.  Alden 
has   been  on  the    staffs   of  the   City  Li- 
brary Jissociation   in  Springfield,    ikss- 
achusetts,    the   University  of  I  ichigan, 
ths   Library   of   Congress,    and  Houghton 
Library  at  Harvard.     After   organizing 
the  Rare  Book  Department  for  the  liiiver- 
sity  of  Pennsylvania,   he  vrent  on  to  be- 
cone  assistant  Xibrarian  at  Georgetown 
University,     He  spent  most  of  1951  as  a 
Fulbright  Research  Fellow  attached  to 
the  British  i.useun  in  London,    following 
which  time  he   tried  his   vocation  as   a 
Benedictine  at  Qiuarr  Abbey   in  tho    Isle 
of  Vlfight. 

Although  at   once   a   confirned  Anglo- 
phile and  Hibernophile,    Jolm  Alden  re- 
mained true    to  the  tradition   of  his 
forebears    (a   score   of  whom  were   I'ay- 
f lower  passengers)   and  returned  to  Lass- 
achusetts.     He   then  joined  tho  staff 
of  the   Boston  Public  Library,  where   he 
has    since   remained,   except  for  five 
months'  leave  while  he   travelled  and 
lectured  in   India  on  a  government  grant, 
l'5r,  Alden  has  published  several  books 
and  countless  articles,   particularly  on 
subjects   of  bibliography  and  rare  book 
librarianship.      He    is  also   a  fine    cal- 
ligrapher  and  horticulturist— in  fact 
he   is   so  absorbed  by  tho  latter  hobby, 
it  is   said  that  he  doesn't  live  in  an 
apartment,  but  rather  in  a  horticultural 
experiment  stationi      In  spite  of  these 
impressive   achievements,    he  perhaps   suf- 
fers  from  greater   reputation  as   a   lineal 
descendent  of   John   and  Pr is cilia  Alden. 
Some  BPL  staff  mem.bers   may  remember 
hearing  of  an   incident  a  few  years   ago 
ViThen  a  gentleman   entered  the   Music  de- 
partment and  asked  if  he    could  meet 
"the   I&les   Standish"  who  was  Icnown  to  be 
on  their  staff.      The  Librarian  in  chargs 
keenly   surmised   that  he  meant   John  Alden, 
and  directed  him  to  the   Rare   Book  De- 
partment,    tir,  Alden  reiTiains  unaffected 
by  this  notoriety  —  indeed,   he   claims 


to  have  inherited  his   sense   of  humor  fraa 
an  Irish  (Co,   Kerry)   grandmother! 

T.J.IU 

NURA  GLOBUS 

On  February  1,  1962  iiliss  Nura  Globus 
of  the  Mattapan  Branch  Library  was  ap» 
pointed  Branch  Librarism  of  the  Mount 
Pleasant  Branch  Library, 

Miss  Globus  is  very  well  qualified  for 
this  new  position  by  education,  training 
and  experience.  She  has  a  B,I3.  degree 
from  Boston  loachers  College  and  took 
library  courses  in  the  Boston  Public  Li- 
brary, She  has  a  wide  knowledge  of  lit- 
erature and  history,  with  special  em- 
phasis in  the  fields  of  Judaica  and  Yid- 
dish literature.  Her  hobbies  consist  of 
attending  the  theatre  and  symphony  con- 
certs . 

idss  Globus  began  her  library  career 
as  an  extra  at  the  South  Boston  Branch. 
She  was  transferred  to  the  West  Bnd 
Branch  shortly  thereafter,  where  she  was 
successively  general  assistant,  first 
assistant  and  adults  librarian.  About 
three  and  a  half  years  ago  she  cars  to 
Idattapan  as  an  Adults  Librarian, 

I'liss  Globus  has  made  many  friends  in 
the  I'lattapan  area.  Her  many  loyal  fol- 
lowers will  miss  her  cheerful,  knowl- 
edgeable assistance.  Both  the  staff  and 
the  public  at  :iattapan  wish  her  many 
years  of  success  and  happiness  as  Branch 
Librarian, 

T.B.S. 

DO^S  DTE 

Annual   dues   for  membership   in   the   BOS- 
TON  PUBLIC   LIBRARY  STAFF  ASSOCIATION  are 
now  payable.     For  an  application  form 
contact  your   Staff   Representative 

or 
Send  $,50  to  David  Sheehan   (General 
Reference),    Treasurer,   BPLSA.      For  fur- 
ther  information,   please   contact  your 
Staff  Representative-or-Tliss    Jean 
Babcock   (Office   of  Reference   &  Research), 
Chairman,   Jfembership  c.  Hospitality 
Committee, 


-9- 


CHAliLSS   J.   GILLIS 

Charles    J»   Gillis,  born  in  Boston  and 
educated  in  the    schools   of  Boston  en- 
ter-ed  the   full  tins   Library  service   in 
19-27.     As   a  youn.g  aan  he  vi-orked   in  the 
Catalogue  and  Classification  Department 
of  the   Division   of  Hone  Reading  and 
Coranuiiity  Services.     He   graduated  frou 
the   justly  famous  BPL  Training  Class 
conducted  by  the  much  beloved   I'irs, 
Hartzell,     He  was  appointed  Second  Assis- 
tant in  this   dopartnent   then  First 
Assistant  and  later    became  Assistant-in- 
Charge, 

During  TfTorld  War.  II  he  became  a  Radar 
Specialist   in  the   iJavy.     His   oldest   son 
is   following  the   tradition   of  the    sea, 
novT  as   a   cadet  at   the   Massachusetts 
laritime  Academy,  Buzzards  Bay, 

Charlie   returned  to   the   Catalogue   and 
Classification  Department,   HR&CS  after 
the  Ylar.     He  was   appointed   to  Chief   of 
the   Central  Charging  and  Registration 
Department   in   1956,    and   guided  this    de- 
partment through  its   formative  years. 

And  best  of  all  on  February  5  of  this 
year  he  was  transferred  to  the  Business 
Office,  with  the  title  of  Deputy  Assis- 
tant Director. 

'fey  all  that  thou  wishest  and  all 
that   thou  lovest   come    smiling  around 
thy  sunny  way," 

T.J.M, 

CHILieEM«S   UBRARLitvlS  •     ■; 

AT  ALA  MD^jYUITBR  C0HF2RSBCS 

This  board  member   of  the  Children's 
Services  Division  had  a  total  of  thir- 
teen meetings   on  her    schedule,    includ- 
ing coiTimitnents   as   a  Council  member, 
member   of  the   Book  "1  valuation  Committee 
(making  the  annual   list   of   "Notable 
Children's   Books")   and.   therefore   of  the 
Hewbery-Caldecott  Conimittee,   and  member 
of  the   Children's   Library  (idvisory  Com- 
mittee  on   "Century  21,"      Such  a  program 
filled  every  hour   of   three   da3^s   and  a 
half,  with  a   groat  variety  of  activity 
and  interest. 

AiP.ong  new  projects   and  announcevnonts 
disc\iBqod  was  the  plan  for   a  children's 
-library  in  the    Seattle   "Cent'ory:  21" 
exposition,  where   a  push-button  machine 
will  issue  reading  lists   on  many  sub- 
jects  and   an  ultra-modern   library  room 
and  adjacent  little   theater   for   story- 


telling anc   audio-visual   progra.nming  xvill 
offer  relaxation  and  refreshment  to 
children  attending   the   fair, 

I'fuch  business  v/as   conducted  concerning 
awards.      The  Aurianne  Award,   for  a   1960 
book  exemplifying  a  humane  attitude  to 
animals,  was  announced  by  its   comma ttee 
as  bestowed   January   30  on  Jack  Schaefer 
for  OLD  RAI:ON,  which  had  earlier  been  a 
Nev/bery  hedal  r\mner-up.      The   possibility 
of  a  new  book  award,    for   outstanding  nev; 
poetry  published   for   cliildren,   was  pre- 
sented as   a   suggestion  from  Ijr.   llelcher. 

The     Ilowbery-Caldecott  Committee   met 
in  three    long  sessions,   prepared  in  its 
final   gathering  to  meet  until  whatever 
wee   small  hour  was  necessary  to   come   to 
clear   decision  for   the  author   of  the 
"most  outstanding  picturebook."      The    comi- 
mittee  v/as  well  aware   of  the  membership 
votes,    as  was   the   Book  Evaluation  Com- 
mittee,   in  its   thi'ee   sessions,    of  nomina- 
tions made  by  a  number  of  libraries   for 
the   "i'otable   Books   of  1961,"      The  Hewbery- 
Caldecott  awards  will  be  presented   in 
Hew  York  on  ;  larch  12  at  &.  Ifelcher's 
office   and  again,  when  the  recipients 
will  present   their   acceptance   speeches, 
at  the  ban.^^uet   on  June   19   at  the  Miami 
Baach  Conference.   The   list  of   "notables" 
will  apoear   in  the  April   issue   of  the  AIA 
Bulletin  and  also   in  the  Booklist  and 
Top   of   the    Hews . 

For  the   iiiami  Beach  Conference,    the 
CS.D.   program  is   being  planned  to   con- 
sist of  book  discussion,   'i Members,    re- 
gistering  in  advance,  will  be  given  a 
reading   list  and  an  assignment  to  a 
table    of   ten  who  will   discuss   a   certain 
kind  of   book  and   selection  problem.     An 
introduction  and  a   summing  up  by  a  per- 
son  of  recognized  authority  will  re- 
eirrohasize  values   and   standards.      Those 
who  attended  the  Washington  conference 
program  will  remember  the   gr.3at  enjoy- 
ment and  success   of  a   similar   discussion 
arrangement   there, 

VIRGINIA  HAVILAID 
HAPPY  99TH 

Carrie  L.    Tiorse,   Branch  Librarian, 
"Emeritus,  v;ill   celebrate   her  n in eijr -ninth 
birthday   on  Februar-y  17.      A  very  hearty 
HAPPY   BIRTHDAY  goes   to  her   from  the  Staff 
of  the  BPL,     Miss  Morse   is    living  at  the 
Plimpton  Hursing  Home,    Lafayette  Road, 
Route   1,    Hampton  Falls,   Nev;  Hampshire, 
v;here    she  eagerly  awaits   QM's  monthly 
arrival. 


-10- 


B«   GSRmiJBS  VJADE 

liiss   i'ljade   comes   to  her  nev;  position  of 
Librarian   of  the  Faneuil   Branch  with  a 
solid  background   in  English  Literature, 
Library   Science  and  prof ass ional   librar- 
ianship. 

A  graduate   of  Boston  University   (B.A« 
Eng.Ilt.),    she  reosived  her  ii,   Ii»  fron 
the   same   school   and  sorved   for   two  years 
as   a  Graduate  Assistant   in  the  C.L.A. 
After  entering  the  BPL  shs   served  at 
City  Point  and  Phillips  Brooks   Branches 
before  joining  the   Book  Selection  De- 
partment   (II.R.S.)'      Her  varied  experi- 
ences  in   the   fields   of  Adult,   Young 
Adult  and  Children's   Literature  v;ere   of 
considerable  value  when  she   left   this 
department  to  serve   as   Adults   Librarian 
at  the    Codman   Square  Branch. 

It  was  while    serving   in  this  position 
that   she  became  very   active   in   coTiimijnity 
work,   becoming  affiliated  with  several 
of  the   Dorchester  neighborhood   organiza- 
tions.     The   many  friends   that  she  has 
made   in  that  area  are  hopeful  that  her 
new  duties  will  not  prevent  her  from 
continuing  many  of  the   pleasant  associa- 
tions  she  has   formed. 

An  active  member  of  many  professional 
library   organizations.   Miss  Wade   has 
recently  completed  the  requirements 
leading  to  a  degree  in  Library  Science 
■  at   Simmons  College, 

1?    n 

i-J  ,u  « 

BPISA.  gPBH  gJETING 

It  felt   like   coming  home  when  vre   ap- 
proached the   Lecture  Hall  on  Friday 
evening,    February   9.      It  has  been   so 
long  since  we  have   seen  the  Lecture  Hall 
in  its  normal   capacity  that  this  meeting 
seemed  like  a  welcome  back  into  the   fold 
for  this   handsome  room.     Despite  the 
storm,   which  had  all  the  earmarks   of   a 
real  blizzard,   betvreen   85  -  100  hardy 
souls  either   came   in  or   stayed  in.     Each 
was  welcomed  by  a  member   of  the  Program 
Committee  with  a  to-be-pinned-on  heart 
with  identifying  name.      This   established 
a   sense   of   inforraaility  which  carried 
throughout  the  evening. 

Miss  Ruth  Hayes,   retiring  President 
welcomed   the  quests   and  turned  the  meet- 
ing over   to  the   chairman  of  the  Program 
Committee,  Edna  G.   Peck.     Fiss   Peck  con- 
gratulated those  present   on  their  rug- 
gedness  and  brought  greeting  from  The 


Director  and  The   Chief  Librarian  of  The 
Home  Reading  and  Community  Services,    both 
of  whom  were  unable  to  be  present   due  to 
illness.     She  then  introduced  llr,  Edward 
I  M«   Ginsburg,    speaker  of  the  evening,     Itr, 
I  Ginsburg,  member   of  a  local   law  firm,   is 
Field  Representative  of  the  Peace  Corps 
and  Council  to  the   Secretary  of  the  Con«» 
monwealth  of  uassachusetts ,     He  spoke  in- 
formally yot   comprehensively  of  the  Peace 
Corps   in  action.     He  noted  that  the  Peace 
Corps   has   a  three-fold  objective:      (l) 
to  provide  service  to  meet  specific  needs 
in  response  to  requests  from  other  coun- 
tries   (2)  to   share  experiences   on  the 
level  of  daily  living  with  other    countries 
(3)   to   give  to  other  people   the  privilege 
to  learn  of  America,     He  assured  us  that 
the   Peace   Corps   is  not  an   instrument   of 
the  Cold  TJar  and  definitely  not  a  pro- 
paganda tool.     He  outlined  the  require- 
ments  for  participation  in  the  Peace   Coips 
and  noted  that  it  is   "for  young  people   of 
all  ages  -  over   18".      It  is   served  best 
by  people  with  ideals,   not  romantic  esca- 
pists,    Kir.   Ginsburg  highlighted  the 
challenging  aspects  of  the   Peace   Corps, 
The   questions  from  the  audiance  enpha- 
sized  sone  of  the  aspects   covered  by  IJ:, 
Ginsburg  and  brought  to  light  the   few 
points   of  general    interest   on  vihich  he 
had  not  spoken.      Those  present  felt  that 
he  had  given  us   a  stimulating  talk. 
Following  I'Ir.   Ginsburgs'   address,    the 
chairman   introduced  tlis   nev/ly  elected 
officers  of  the  acsooiation:     President  — 
I'lr.    Louis  Rains,    Curator   of  Engineering 
Sciences,   including  Patents;   Vice-Presi- 
dent -  Nura  Globus,  Branch  Librarian, 
Ifc.   Pleasant  Branch  Library;    Treasurer   - 
David   shsehan,    Profsssional   Library 
Assistant   in   General   Reference   Department; 
R6 cording   Secretary — ^Helen  F,    Doyle, 
Library  assistant   in  Book  Purchasing,    in 
charge   of   domestic   standing   orders; 
Corresponding   Secretary  -  Lorraine 
Hepburn   Barse,   Adult  v;ork,    Boolonobile 
Services;   the   trro  newly  elected  members 
of  the  Executive  Board  are:  Russell  A, 
Scully,    chief  of  Book  Selection,  R(5RS; 
and   Jean  Babcock,   Senior  Library  Assis- 
tnat.   Reference   and  Research  Division 
Office,      Due   to  the    storm  and  other  miti- 
gating circumstances   two  new  officers, 
Ilr.   Scully  and  i-r.   Sheehan  were   unable 
to  be  present.      The  assembly  gave   the  new 
officers   a  rousing  welcome.     After  the 
formal  meeting  vms   adjourned,   the   enter- 
tainment  Coi'.niittee ,    vmder  the   chairman- 
ship  of  iliss  Lildred  Presente  performed 


-11- 


in  their   usually  afficient  inanner,      Tv;o     , 
tastefully  decorated  tables  were   loaded     I 
with  all  kinds   of  tempting   cakes   and 
cookies,  with  hot   coffee  and   cold  punch 
as  supplements.      Tlie  ajT^rangonont  of  the 
hall   had  provided  room  'for   dancing,      LSr. 
;^dward  Peltier   had  provided  hi-fi's   and 
records.      The  tx'dst,   adroii:iy  but   censor - 
vatively     done,    gave   relaxation  to  the 
young  and  entertainment  to   those  young 
in  heart  only,    (with  one   exception!). 
Th::re  v/ere   several    "outside"  guests   and 
they  were  v;elconed«  All-in-all   despite 
the   storm,    everyone  had  a  grand  tine. 
Ovir   sy.ipathy  is  extended  to  those  who 

had_planned  to   come  and  for  whom  the- 

storm  presented  insurmountable  hazards. 

IN  MEiiaBIAM  «  AASOW  A.   STAIR 

Valentine's    Day,    1962,  will  be  re- 
membered in  the   Library  as  .the   day,   v;hen 
instead  of   gaining  a  love,   vie   lost  one. 
On   that  day  the   sad  news    came  that 
Aaron  A.   Starr,    i^'eputy  Assistant   Director, 
beloved  by  his   associates,   passed  away 
in  his   sleep.     Aaron  had   had  a  heart 
condition,    but  he  persisted  in  reporting 
daily  to  take   care   of   the   heavy  load  of 
contract  work  that  vjas   his  responsibil- 
ity,   especially  at  this   time   of  year. 
A  faithful  BPL  staff  member  for   30  odd 
years,   Aaron  ha-'  worked,   first  part- 
time,    later   full-time,    in  the   Catalogue 
Cepartment.     Aftenvards,    transferring 
to  the   Book  Purcliasing  Departirant,   be 
put  to  good  us3   his   training  as   a  grad- 
uate  of  both  Tufts   College   and  Bentley 
School   of  Accounting.     His   final   a- 
signment  v;as  to   tho   Business   Office 
v;here  he  v;orked  fron  1949  to   the  pre- 
sent,  making  a  r.ia.jor    contribution  to 
the   service   of  the   Library. 

Those   of  us  who  worked  closely  with 
him  cane  to  learn   that  when  he   spoke 
excitedly  it  was   never   from  malice   but 
from  enthusias i  for   the   subject  at  hand. 
Really  aimiabl3,   he  was   a  joy  to  work 
vfith.     At  times   cavalierish,   Aaron   de- 
lighted the   hearts   of  kindred   spirits. 
He  knew  how  to  josh  those    spirits  when 
they  shortsightedly  let   their   daily 
routines  bog  them  dovm.      He   loved  to 
put  in  a   good  ivord  for  his    fellow  work- 
ers  —  and  frequently  did.      Though  we 
shall  miss   him  greatly,    let   us  not 
mourn  too  long.      Surely  he  ^vill  put  in 
a   good  word  for  us  with  Our  Heavenly 
Father, 

M.C  ,M, 


V, 


Tn 


^ 


its  best  'interests.  Rarel^r  has  the 
.'iuestion  Lark  'been  edited  vdth  such  vigor 
and  distinction,  and  innovations  such  as 
the  splendid  survoj'  of  student  use  of  the 
Library,  and  inauguration  of  the  "Yilhy 
Don't  We"  colum  drow  v;id  spread  attention 
to  a  variety  of  internal  problems  of  the 
Library,  ajid  resulted  in  and  attempted 
solutions  of  sone  of  them. 

GRATIAS 


Any  contribution   to  the  ooap  Box  must 
be   accompanied  by  the   full  name   of  the 
Association  member    submitting  it,    to- 
gether viith  the  name    of  the  Braiach  Lib- 
rary,   Department  or   Office   in  which  he 
or   she   is   employed.      The  name   is  Vifith- 
he]d  from  publication,    or  a  pen  name    is 
used,    if   the    contributor   so  requests. 
Ancnjmious    contributions   are   aot   given 
consideration.      The  author   of  the  art- 
icle  is  kno-wn  only  to   the  "ditor-in- 
Chief .      The   contents   of  the   articles 
appearing   in  the   Soap  Box  are  personal 
opinions  expressed  h-   individual  Asso- 
ciation members   and  their   appearance 
does  not  necessarily  indicate   that  the 
Publications   Committee  and  the  Associa- 
tion are   in  agreement  with  the   views   ex- 
pressed.     Only  those    contributions   con- 
taining not  more  than   300  v/ords  will 
be  accepted. 


LATE  FLA.SH 

llbr,   and  Hdrs.   David  Sheehan  announce  the 
birth  of  a  daughter  on  February  19       - 
8  lbs   5  1/2   oz. 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

'."hile  welcoming  the  incoming  officers  I 
of  the  Staff  /association  it  would  be  un- 
grateful not  to  give  thanks  to  the  out- 
going Prosident,  officois,  and  commit- 
tees who  have  served  the  Association  so 
conscientiously  and  ably  during  the  past 
year.   In  President,  Ruth  Kayes,  and 
"Editor,  Dorothy  Shav;,  the  Association 
was  particularly  fortunate  in  having  for 
two  successive  years  such  outstanding 
leadership.  Alert  to  the  vrelfare  of 
the  entire  membership,  each  r-3vealed  a 
genuine  concern  for  both  the  profes- 
sional and  general  welfare  of  the  staff, 
and  courage  and  integrity  in  promoting 


™ 


uestion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
STAFF  ASSOCIATION 


MARCH      1962 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Ribilc' Library  Staff  Association 
Volume  XVII  Number  3  '  Iferch  1962 


Publications  Committee:  Margaret  Butler,  Janice  Maniscalco,  Thomas  J.  Manning, 

Sarah  Richman,  Catherine  Richmond,  Edwin  G^  Sanf ord, 
Anna  Scanlon,  I.  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  M, 
Usher,  Indexer,  V/illiam  T,  Casey,  Chairriian^ 

■  Publication  date:  'deadline  for  subi.iitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  p.ach  month  "'f";?    The  tenth  of  each  month 


"Gallia  est  omn^.s  divlsa  in  partes  tres,"  These  vjords  so  dear  to  the  hearts 
of  countless  generations  of  school  boys  served  as  an  introduction  to  a  world  that 
was  forever  and  immutably  divided  into  three  parts.  Now,  grown  older  (though  not 
necessarily  wiser)  than  when  we  first  encountered  that  historic  phrase,  we  find 
jhat  we  have  becom.e  part  of  a  world  that  is  just  as  immutably  divided  into  two 
parts  —  the  world  of  the  Central  Library  and  the  world  of  the  Branches. 

This  division  represents  an  attempt  to  integrate  the  library  \'j±th   the  commu- 
nity at  large  by  combining  a  centrally  located  unit  with  smaller  units  dispersed 
throughout  the  city  at  strategic  locations.  Earring  such  unforseeable  circum- 
stances as  population  shifts  and  neighborhood  decline,  it  is  a  system  that  can  be 
made  to  render  effective  library  service  particularly  when  the  branch  units  are 
augmented  by  the  employment  of  bookmobiles. 

Unfortunately,  this  physical  separation  between  the  Central  Library  and  the 
Branches  has  sometimes  been  the  cause  of  a  disturbing  lack  of  communication  be- 
tween the  two  worlds.  Branch  libraries  immersed  in  their  own  communities,  trying 
to  cope  with  problems  peculiar  to  their  own  locale  have  little  time  to  sympathize 
with  the  woes  of  Central,  while  those  whose  laoor  confines  them  to  the  purlieu  of 
Copley  Square  feel  vaguely  that  the  Branches  must  be  not  too  much  unlike  the 
fabled  land  of  the  lotus-eaters  where  all  is  peace  and  serenity,. 

Exaggerated  though  this  idea  may  be,  it  still  possesses  a  core  of  truth  solid 
enough  to  warrent  a  serious  attempt  to  try  to  resolve  certain  differences,  real 
and  imaginary,  that  have  developed  over  the  coui'se  of  the  years,  A  problem  such 
as  the  omnipresent  book  delivery  quandary  and  the  glass-floored  stacks  does  not 
confine  itself  to  Central  but  reverberates  into  the  Branches „  Conversely,  the 
people  who  staff  the  Branches  should  make  it  a  point  to  be  familiar  with  the  many 
departments  of  the  iiiain  library  in  order  to  give  intelligent  service  to  patrons 
seeking  material  not  readily  available  at  the  Brancho 

This  is  but  one  aspect  of  a  many-faceted  problem.  The  main  point  is  that 
much  friction  can  be  avoided  if  it  is  understood  that  no  unit  of  the  Library 
operates  in  a  vacuum  remote  from  other  uiiits.  The  fact  that  Donne's  expression 
"no  man  is  an  island"  has  been  quoted  into  the  status  of  a  cliche  does  not  alter 
the  basic  truth  contained  in  his  remarks.  Incorporated  in  the  pages  of  this  issue 
are  a  few  remarks  on  the  extension  of  the  book  railway  in  Book  Stack  Service, 
This  is  but  one  of  many  improvements  long  needed  in  Central  Library,  Indirectly, 
this  and  other  changes  will  effect  the  Branches  as  well.  It  is  hoped  that  along 


-2- 

with  these  material  changes  lAdll  come  a  deeper  understanding  between  the  two 
worlds   of  the  library,   a  sympathy  for  common  problems,  and  a  realization  that  each 
v/orld  has   something  to  offer  the  other. 

THE  PUBLICATIONS   COMtillTTEE 


I 


PRESIDENT'S   NOTES 


It  has  been  brought  to  the  attention 
of  the  Executive  Board  that  some  members 
o:?  the  staff  have  been  guilty  of  spilling  i 
soft  drinks  on  the  floor  of  the  men's  i 

lunch-room  in  Stack  I,  The  Superintend-  | 
ent  of  Library  Buildings  reports  that  it  ! 
has  been  necessary  to  wash  and  wax  the  I 
floor  more  frequently  as  a  result  of  j 

this  carelessness.     It  has  also  been  ■ 

nrted  that  the  ladies  occasionaly  leave  i 
a  dry  tea  kettle  on  the  hot  plate  in  the  | 
Stack  II  lunoh-room.  This  could  result  ' 
in  a  fire,  so  we  urge  all  the  ladies  who  | 
use  the  lunch-room  to  make  sure  that  the  j 
water  level  in  the  kettle  is  kept  at  the  ■ 
proper  height,  : 

It  may  seem  that  the  preceding  para-        ' 
graph  dealt  with  matters  of  less  than  ! 

world-shaking  importance,  but  they  are 
signs  of  carelessness  and  thoughtlessness [ 
on  the  part  of  a  few  members  of  the  staff  ! 
which  could  have  a  serious  effect  on  the  . 
comfort  of  their  fellow  employees.  We  i 
strongly  urge  everybody  to  cooperate  and  ; 
keep  our  staff  quarters  in  the  best  pos-  ' 
sible  condition.     This  will  make  for  ; 

greater  comfort  for  all  and  will  ease  the \ 
burden  of  the  custodians.  I 

The  first  step  of  the  job  evaluation        i 
project  has  been  completed.     Every  posi-    j 
tion  evaluated  has  been  assigned  points 
for  all  the  factors  considered.     We 
trust  that  the  tabulation  and  review  will 
not  be  too  time  consiiming  and  that  the 
final  results  will  be  forthcoming  soon. 
Those  T/ho  may  be  impatient  with  the   seem- 
ing delay  should  find  comfort   in  the 
knowledge  that  much  time  was   spent  in  an 
effort  to  insure  that  each  and  every  job 
evaluated  was  fairly  and  completely  de- 
scribed. 

For  those  of  you  who  remember  the  good   i 
old  days  when  income  tax  returns   were  due| 
on  the  Fifteenth  of  li'&rch  it  may  help  to 
recall  some  of  the  pangs  of  the  past  to 
pay  your  Staff  Association  dues    now. 


Some  units  have  already  achieved  a  per- 
fect record  and  endeared  themselves  to 
our  Treasurer.     Please  run  right  over  to 
your  friendly  neighborhood  Staff  Repre- 
sentative and  press  a  fifty  cent  coin  in 
his   or  her  moist  little  palm.     Those  mem- 
bers of  the  Association  who  have  entered 
the  service  after  1  December  1961  and 
have  paid  their  dues  will  be  credited 
with  payment   for  the  current  year. 

LOUIS   RAINS, 
President 

PERSONNEL   NOTES 


:-i 


New  Employees 

Mrs.  Esther  P,  Bialow,  Hospital 

Library  Service 
Sarah  T,  Cadbury,  Mattapan 
Paul  F.  Crane,  Education  Department 
Robert  L.  Green,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  (R&R) 
Linda  Giorley,  East  Boston 
Mary  E.  Jackson,  General  Reference 

Assistant 
yjrs,   Evelyn  Kommuller,  re-entered 

service,  Jamaica  Plain 
Sidney  F.  Lawson,  Book  Purchasing 

Department 
Sydney  Starr,  Fine  Arts 

Retired 

Rosaljm  S.  Vferner,  Roslindale, 

February  28,    1962 
Lena  Downey,  Buildings,  February  28, 

1962 

Transferred 

William  T.   Casey,    from  Connolly  to 

Codraan  Square 
Gordon  E.   Hayden,   from  Book  Preparation 

to  Binding  Department 
Ifergot  A.  Tmodward,   from  I',5attapan  to 

Roslindale 


-3- 


Ceased 

la^o  . Maureen  J,  Banker,  Bookmobiles,  to 

stay  at  home 
Judith.  Kf  Coarr,    Jan&ica  Plain,   to  be 

married, 
Am  IJ,  Geisel,    Jamaica  Plain,   health 
Jfc-So    Julia  Fainsilber,  to  stay  at  home 
Eup'^rt,  11,  Gilrpva   Kirstein  Business 

Ei-cnch,  to  attend  library  school  full 

Er1.l:a  Lange,  Prr.nt  Dejoartment,  to  accept 
•    ;^-ositior  at  Li-audeip  University 

J"uJ>  Louise  McGui'l'-j    Jamriba  Plain,   ill 
ho£lbh— *lIote  5     Deceased ., , 

M.L>A.   CONVEIITIOW 

A  snow  storm  of  the  previous   day  and 
the  hazardo-.:3  driring  that  followed  did 
noc  pravent  a  sizeable  group  from  gath- 
ering for  the  M'-l^Winter  neetiVns  of  the 
S&ss^.chusetts  Library  Association  held  on 
Th.ursday,  Feb,   15th  at  the  Sheraton 
Plaza  in  Boston©     B,  Pc   L.'s  Krso  JAiriel 
C»    Javelin,   President  o£  MoL^Ao,   expedi- 
tiously conducted  the  business  portion  of 
the  rmeting  whic.'i  included  a  report  on 
State  Aid  by  IfrSv,  V^  Geneveive  Galick, 
Director  of  Library  Extension^   State 
Department  of  Education  who  assured  the 
^roup  that  machinery  is  being  designed 
and  lubricated  to   launch  the  program* 

With  the  introduction  of  Miss   Mriam 
Putnam,   President-Elect  of  M.L^A,,  the 
meeting  moved  into  its  program  centered 
around  the  theme  of  Library  Personnel, 
1962,     A  panel  devoted  to  "what  are  we 
looking  for?"  vi&s  moderated  by  Dr, 
Kenneth  D.   Benne,   Theodore  W,  Brenson 
Professor  of  Human  Relations,   Boston 
University.     Panel  members  were  Miss 
Jewell  Drickamerj  Director  of  Library 
Center,   Middletovm,  Connecticut  State 
Department  of  Education;  Dr,  Henry ~L« 
Isaksen,   Director  of  Personnel  Services, 
Lexington  Public  Schools;   Mrs,   Herbert  V. 
Kibrick,  Cataloging  Department,  ¥/idener 
Library,    Harvard  University;  Alvis   He 
Price,   Graduate  Student,    School  of 
Library  Science,  Simmons  College;  and 
Kenneth  R,   Shaffer,   Director  of  the 
School  of  Libraiy  Science,    Simmons 
College,      The  results   of  the  group's 
discussion   seemed  to   indicate  that  more 


attention  should  be  focused  on  recruit- 
ing young  mothers  after  their  childrafii 
have  passed  the  constant  care   stage  of  ■'  - 
their  development*     Mss  Drickamer,  per«» 
haps   looking  to  the  future,   candidly 
suggested  that  training  should  be  givea 
for  different  levels  of  jobs  required  in 
libraiy  service,  and  that  misfits   should 
be  tenninated  rather  than  shifted  from 
Job  to   job.     The  panel  went  on  record 
favoring  the  development  of  a  broad 
working  philosophy  of  libi*ary  service  as 
well  as  a  "professional  inage"  that 
could  be  extended  to  ccvBr  all  catogo^^ 
iT.es,     Personally,  the  morning  program 
weis  most  absorbing,  yet  perhaps   could 
have  been  more  revmrding  had  questions 
for  the  panel  been  allowed  from  the  floor. 

One  hears  much  muttering  relative  to 
attracting  top  flight  college  graduates; 
it  would  seem  profitable  to  evaluate  on 
this  program  some  means  that  could  be 
used  to  interest  this  group  in  a  career 
of  library  service,     Dr,  Benne  tried  to 
arou&e  interest  in  the  recruiting  of 
males,   but  the  members  of  the  panel  did 
not  seem  interested  in  discussing  the 
matter  o     T7hy? 

The  need  for  more  personnel  in  the 
field  was  brought  out  strongly  and  elo- 
quently at  the  luncheon  meeting  in  the 
speech  made  by  Mrso  Florrinell  F,  Morton, 
President,  American  Library  Association, 

A  sjrmposium  devoted  to  "What  are  we 
going  to  do  about  it    (Personnel)?"  was 
held  during  the  afternoona     The  chair- 
man of  the  session  v.«.s  Miss  Lucille 
Wicksham,  Chairman,   Massachusetts 
Library  Association  Education  Committee, 
ffiss   Helen  M.   Brown,  Chairman  of  the 
M,L»A,  Recruiting  Committee  developed  the 
thesis  that  more  recruiting  be  done  on  an 
individual  basis,  and  the  novice  made 
aware  of  the  total  picture  of  library 
operation.     Career  conferences  and  edu- 
cational channels  are  helpful  and  should 
be  used  to  reach  new  people.     Television 
is  an  effective  recruiting  instrumento 
Certification  procedures  were  outlined  "by 
Miss  Alice  M.  Cahill,  Assistant  Director, 
Division  of  Library  Extension,   State 
Department  of  Education,     Miss  Cahill 
traced  the  development  of  the  trend 
towards  increased  certification  of 


-4- 


librarians  in  Massachusetts,  At  the 
present  time  there  is  not  a  mandatory  law 
on  the  books  in  the  Bay  State.  Standards 
fcr  certification  remain  on  the  local 
level.  Miss  Cahill  stated  that  approx- 
imately &Sfo   of  all  Massachusetts 
libraries  are  not  serviced  by  a  profes- 
sional librarian.  Problems  of  super- 
vision of  personnel  were  discussed  by 
B.P.L.'s  Ervin  J.  Gaines  who  felt  that 
periodic  personal  interviews  would  be 
helpful  in  correcting  areas  of  poor  per- 
formance. There  should  be  a  detailed  de- 
scription of  the  job  provided  for  the 
worker  as  a  guide  to  better  performance 
standards,  and  this  item  would  be  helpful 
in  making  periodic  reviews  more  meaning- 
ful. Good  as  well  as  bad  aspects  of 
library  operations  should  be  delegated  as 
en. J  effective  means  of  improving  staff 
morales  Milton  0.  Corey,  Associate 
Personnel  Director,  John  Hancock  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Company  shared  with  the 
group  some  of  the  methods  used  by  his 
firm  to  bring  out  the  best  in  their 
people.  Long  range  plans  and  immediate 
objectives  are  discussed  and  stated  by 
management  and  personnel  on  an  individ- 
ual basis  in  order  to  increase  productiv- 
ity. Opportunities  to  broaden  knowledge 
of  the  firm's  operations  and  those  of 
other  firms  are  given  to  key  personnel 
in  order  to  enrich  the  Hancock's  working 
philosopiyo  As  I  listened  to  this  sym- 
posium, the  thought  crossed  my  mind  that 
mor©  attention  should  be  directed  to  the 
individual's  role  in  his  particular 
library  environment.  Have  we  become 
focused  too  narrowly  in  our  views  of 
library  service  to  negate  a  total  view  of 
the  B.P.L.  and  the  general  community? 
Should  we  not  open  our  senses  to  areas  of 
greater  development?  To  paraphrase  a 
well-known  cigarette  advertisement,  'Are 
you  expending  more  energy,  but  gaining 
less  re-wards?"   I  hope  not, 

ARTHUR  M.  WOLMA.N 
..:''■  HOff  ABOOT 

*  ,,,  That  recent  letter  received  by  the 
HISTORY  DEPARTMENT  from  someone  wanting 
to  "get  a  line  on  the  Fish  family," 


NEVYS  FROM  SCI-TECH 

Gerald  J,  Nash  of  the  Science  & 
Technology  Department  has  been  notified 
of  his  acceptance  by  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  As  one  of  35  applicants  accepted 
from  New  England  he  will  commence  his 
study  for  the  priesthood  at  Shadowbrook 
in  Stockbridge  early  in  August,  Gerald 
will  receive  his  diploma  from  Boston 
College  High  School  in  June*  He  is  the 
second  i-anking  meniber  of  the  senior  class, 
a  member  of  the  Honor  Society,  and  active 
in  school  programs «  . 

BPL  ON  THE  AIR 

During  the  past  few  months  several 
members  of  the  staff  have  appeared  on 
local  radio  and  TV  programs.     On  January 
18,   Miss  B^ldred  O'Connor  was   interviewed 
on  TTNA-C  by  Bill  ^hn  concerning  scholar- 
ship material  available  at  the  Library, 
A  6:15  newscast  on  Y.T<!A.C-TV  on  February 
15  gave  Helen  Savagian  an  opportvmity  to 
indicate  some  of  the  beautiful  items  on 
display  in  the  Treasure  Room,     Miss  Pearl 
Smart,  Librarian  of  the  South  End  Branch, 
was  interviewed  for  the  program  "Our 
Believing  Viforld"  on  February  18  over 
YJBZ-TV,     A  program  called  "We  believe  in 
our  commvmity"  broadcast  by  Y/ORL  on 
February  25  had  as  a  guest  Mr,  Francis  X, 
Moloney,     Program  PM  on  March  6  scored  a 
noteable  coup  by  securing  as  a  guest  Mr, 
Joseph  Crowley,  of  Book  Stack  Service, 
who  for  many  years  has  been  shunning 
publicity.     Congratulations  to  one  and 
all  for  representing  the  Library  so 
creditably,     Iky  you  all  become  guests 
on  the   Jack  Paar  Show, 

CHARLESTON  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Mrs,  Mary  K.   Harris,  Librarian  of  the 
Charlestovm  Branch,   has  be€H  ur£n«» 
imously  elected  to  the  Board  of  the 
Charlestown  ffistorical  Society,     This 
group,   currently  working  with  the  Boston 
Redevelopment  Attthority  for  the  preser- 
vation of  historical  sites,   is  planning 
a  series  of  special  exhibits  for  display 
on  June  17. 


-5- 


j         CATHOLIC  LIBPARY  ASSOCIATION 
(IJEi^J  EMC-LAilD  TOIT) 

The  annual  Catholic  Book  Forum  and  Fair, 
■under  the  joint  sponsorship  of  the  New 
' England  Unit  of  the  Catholic  Library  As- 
sociation and  the  League  of  Catholic  Wom- 
en, was  held  in  the  New  England  Mutual 
Hall  on  Saturday,  February  2li.  In  spite 
of  the  adverse  weather  conditions,  an 
audience  of  about  five  hundred  enjoyed  the 
program  of  speakers  and  the  exhibition  and 
sale  of  books  which  folloiired  in  the  lobby. 
The  authors  who  spoke  included  the  Rev, 
Thomas  J.  Carroll,  of  the  Catholic  Guild 
for  the  Blindj  I'lichael  Novak,  author  of 
"The  Tiber  was  Silver";  Barbara  Cooney, 
reviewer  of  the  beautifully  illustrated 
"The  Little  Juggler";  and  Professor 
Francis  II,  Rogers  of  Harvard,  who  authored 
"The  Travels  of  the  Infante  Com  Pedro", 
Other  speakers  included  liiss  Sally  Ann 
Quinn,  chairman  of  the  New  England  Unit, 
Catholic  Librarj^  Association,  Ilrs.  Thomas 
J.  "'Jalsh,  president  of  the  League  of  Cath- 
olic ^'omen,  and  the  Right  Reverend  John  J. 
Sexton,  honorary  chairman  of  Catholic 
Book  Week,  The  Right  Reverend  Timothy  F, 
O'Learj'-,  superintendent  of  parochial 
schools,  presented  the  awards  to  the 
prize-Tvinners  in  the  art  poster  contest, 
sponsored  by  the  New  In gland  Unit  in  con- 
nection xjith  Catholic  Book  Week, 

Before  and  after  the  Forum,  there  was 
an  exhibition  of  recent  books,  including 
the  books  whose  authors  spoke,  in  the 
lobby.  These  books  also  x^rere  on  sale  and 
those  who  desired  were  able  to  have  them 
autographed  by  the  respective  authors. 
Several  members  of  the  staff  of  the  BPL 
assisted  in  the  work  of  assuring  the  suc- 
cess of  the  affair.  The  Book  Fair  closed 
about  5:30  P.M, 

HEARD  AROUND  THE  CORRIDORS 

Officer  O'Connell  tells  this  one:   "I 
was  on  duty  in  the  Chevannes  Gallery  one 
day  last  vreek  when  two  young  ladies  ap- 
proached me  and  asked  if  they  could 
charge  out  the  book  that  one  of  them  was 
holding.   I  directed  her  to  the  center 
desk  for  information,  whereupon  one  of 
them  answered:   *I  already  asked  the 
lady  at  that  desk  and  she  told  me  to  ask 
the  Oificer-in-Char::e,  so  I  came  to  you.'" 


j       AUTOllATIQN'  BI  COPLEY  SQUARE 

j  Strangers  passing  through  the  Reference 
(Department  these  days  ruay  be  pardoned  if 
jthey  tliinlc  for  a  moment  that  they  have 
itaken  a  Xirrong  turn  and  wound  up  in  Park 
Street  Under.  This  understandable  con- 
fusion comes  from  the  first  glimpse  of 
the  book  railway  extension,  pride  and  joy 
of  the  Reference  Division.  An  interview 
with  Commander  3,J.0'Neil,  TrajTfic  lanag- 
er  for  this  short-short  line,  yielded  the 
jfolloTn.ng  information. 

I  It  is  a  twin  conveyor  belt  bringing  the 
ibooks  from  the  point  where  the  book  rail- 
Iway  ends  to  the  vestibule  just  beyond 
Centre  Desk,  and  returning  them  the  same 
way,  I. Tien  it  was  planned  to  move  and  ex- 
pand the  public  catalog  into  the  Abbey 
Roon  vith  the  adjacent  area  serving  as 
Iheadquarters  for  Book  Stack  Service,  one 
jof  the  difficulties  encoimtered  was  that 
I  the  route  for  books  being  delivered  to 
'Bates  Hall  had  to  pass  through  the  Abbey 
jRoom.  To'  avoid  this  con-estion,  the  ar- 
jchitects  managed  to  surmount  this  obsta- 
jcle  by  ingeniously  routing  this  Book 
j  Stack  IfTA  arbund  the  public  areas.  The 
inet  result  has  been  an  increase  in  the 
j speed  with  which  books  can  be  carried 
;from  the  stacks  to  the  patron  and  is  a 
I  step  fonrard  on  the  long  road  that  leads 
jto  a  solution  of  the  problem, 

I        A  STAFF  KEMBSR  OF  NOTE 
I        — ' — '  '       — — 

]     We  seem  to  attract  a  great  many  accom- 
plished musicians  to  our  staff  of  li- 
ibrary  people,  some  of  them  very  well  ver- 
ised  in  their  oxra  field.  Our  latest  hon- 
;ors  go  to  Ilargaret  L.  Goodr.an  of  the 
i staff  of  Rare  Book.  She  has  been  working 
ion  the  ranuscript  collections  there  for 
isome  time  now,  as  a  special  assistant  on 
jthe  v-hitney  Manuscript  Fund  and  just  re- 
jcently  gave  a  voice  recital  at  the  Hew 
j England  Conservatory  as  a  candidate  for 
her  riaster's  degree  in  music. 

Her  singing  was  well  received  as  she 
sang  selections  by  liandel,  Schubert, 
Bellini,  '-Jolf ,  and  ililhaud,  accompanied 
by   the  piano  and  clarinet.   Her  appreci- 
ative audience  included  ex-Rare  Booker 
Louis  Ugalde  and  liis  wife. 


MU^ 


BRANCH  NOTES 

On  Saturday,  Feb.  10,  the  staff  of  Cod- 
man  Square  Branch  celebrated  the  dual, 
simultaneous  achievements  of  iiiss  B,  , 
Gertrude  ¥ade,  by  attending  a  luncheon 
party  given  in  her  honor  by  Mrs.  Eleanora 
N.  Chaplik.  On  the  way  to  Ifnitman,  the 
mood  for  the  event  was  f elicitiously  set 
by  newly  fallen  snow,  dramatically  out- 
lining the  branches  (Edna  Millay's  "beau- 
ty bare'Oo  Our  ..-ride  and  joy  in  a  bril- 
liant colleague  and  warm  affection  for 
an  erstwhile  "buddy"  was  enhanced  by  the 
ever  beguiling  atmosphere  and  scrumptious 
food  of  the  Toll  House. 

Niss  T-i'ade  was  presented  -  and  rendered 
speechless,  if  one  can  conceive  Miss  VJade 
at  a  loss  -  with  a  pied  scarab  bracelet 
and  earring  set  (for  luck  and  good  health^ 
honoring  her  very  distinguished  comple- 
tion of  a  Master's  Degree  in  Library  Sci- 
ence from  Simmons  College:  a  desk,  anon, 
for  her  new  apartment  (and  for  the  new 
executive  to  "knock  wood"  on),  in  r©^cgi:i- 
tion  of  her  promotion  to  Branch  Librarian 
of  Faneuil:  and  a  subscription  to  the 
New  York  Times  Book  Re-View  (to  keep  her 
informed  about  the  books  she  will  not 
have  time  to  read, ) 

Red  carnations  (favorites  of  B.G.W.) 
and  a  ininiature  cake  capped  with  a  wee 
diploma  (courtesy  of  Toll  House)  com- 
pleted a  jocund  and  delectable  afternoon. 

The  Staff  of 


n 


rejoices  for  our  many-faceted  Miss  l.'ade  — 
and  for  the  library  professionj J  J 


It  may  be  of  interest  to  the  Staff  tlmt 
we  have  a  Junior  Achievement  leader  on 
our  part  time  staff  at  1/ashington  Village 
Branch  Library,  I^laureen  Smith,  a  junior 
at  Nazareth  High,  has  been  selected  as 
"Mss  Eastern  Massachusetts"  in  a  Junior 
Achievement  competition, 

li,  W, 


IN  MEMORtAI«J 
.  II     » 

Louise  Lento  McGurk  will  be  long  re- 
membered by  her  collea^iues  in  the  Li- 
brary, From  her  fifst  assignment  as  an 
Extra  at  East  Boston,  through  her  long 
happy  years  at  Roslindale,  and  finally 
the  last  ten  years  at  Jamaica  Plain,  she 
made  a  host  of  friends,  'Jarm,  generous, 
loyal  and  kind,  her  devotion  to  the  Li- 
brary and  to  her  friends  knew  no  bounds. 
She  was  quick  to  reach  out  a  helping 
hand,  often  anonymously,  to  a  friend  and 
even  to  members  of  the  public.  Her 
courage  and  stoicism  throughout  her  long 
illness  set  an  example  that  was  truly  an 
inspiration.  The  Library  has  lost  a  val- 
uable assistant,  -we  have  lost  a  beloved 
friend, 

G,M,A. 


1  illiam  J.  Ennis,  retired  employee, 
died  in  laine  on  February  23,  He  enter- 
ed the  service  in  October  1900,  and  re- 
tired in  October  I9I4.8,  having  been  em- 
ployed in  the  Newspaper  Room,  Patent  Rooi% 
and  as  Chief  of  Book  Stack  Service, 
Formerly  a  resident  of  Everett,  he  had 
retired  to  Denmark,  Maine,  to  spend  his 
days  in  hunting  and  fishing. 


William  A.  McGowan,  retired  employee, 
died  in  VJest  Roxbury  at  the  aye  of  7^4, 
on  February  27 »  He  entered  the  service 
in  March  1903,  and  retired  in  November 
19^3 >  with  over  50  years  of  service.  He 
had  been  employed  in  the  Director's  of- 
fice, the  Cataloging  c;  Classification 
Department  (R&RS),  and  Book  Stack  Ser- 
vice. He  was  a  veteran  of  ^  orld  ',ar  I 
and  a  member  of  vJest  Roxbury  Post  #l67 
of  the  American  Legion.  As  a  member  of 
the  Saint  Alphonsus  Club  of  Roxbury  he 
had  a  continuing  interest  in  athletics, 
especially  in  football  and  crew, 

AN  ELECTION  NOTE 

Congratulations  are  in  order  for  Mr, 
Gaines,  our  energetic  Director  of  Per- 
sonnel, who  was  recently  elected  a  member 
of  the  School  Committee  for  his  home  town 
of  Canton, 


-7- 


i^EN'S  LIBRARIANS  CLUB 

On  Tuesday,  March  20,  THE  MEN'S  LI- 
BR.4RIANS  CLUB  will  converge  on  the  AVCO 
R&D  Corporation  in  Wilmington  for  an 
evening  of  restrained  libation.  This  is 
a  congenial  group  of  local  librarians 
dedicated  to  the  fight  for  male  suffer- 
age  in  the  library  profession, 

GOVERNOR'S  COMFEREMCE 

On  Thursday,  April  12  a L  the  Hotel 
Somerset,  the  very  diaportant  FIRST  GOV- 
ERNOR'S CO^^EERBircE  Oy  .LIBRARIES  xri.ll 
take  place  at' noon.  Luncheon  tickets 
are  reserved  and  may  be  obtained  from 
Mr.  Richard  Sullivan  of  Suffolk  Univer- 
sity or  from  the  Mass.  Division  of  Li- 
brary Extension, 

ALICE  M,  JORDAN  I-IEl^ORIAL 

¥e  are  happy  to  announce  that  the  first 
class  of  twenty-five  students  has  been 
accepted  and  will  begin  their  course 
under  the  capable  instruction  of  Mrs, 
Beryl  Robinson,  on  Tuesday,  March  13. 

BOOK  AND  AUTHOR  LUNCHEON 


The  third  annual  Book  and  Author  Lunch 
eon  will  take  place  this  year  on  Monday, 
April  9  at  the  Sheraton  Plaza,  Speakers 
will  be  John  Spencer  Churchill,  Louis 
Nizer,  and  Anya  Seton.  Those  who  have 
attended  this  affair  in  the  past  know 
they  will  be  assured  of  an  enjoyable  tinii 


f  the  blighted  area  to  find  again  the 
eace  and  quiet  essential  to  intenectt»n 
ursuito 

But  i^gainst  this  inconvenience  must  be 
leasur^  the  progress  that  has  been 
;ained(-  with  the  full  merit  of  the  great 
improvement  yet  to  be  realized.  At  the 
half-T/j^  nark  we  have  made  the  one  great 
iiscovi^rys  Eurelca  -  we  have  doubled  oiur 
tjapaci'fiy  -  and  we  have  new  cases  and  new 
brays  irhioh  are  not  over-orowded  with 
oards  being  bent,  torn,  and  smudged 
bhrough  rough  handling  occasioned  by  the 
iifficulty  in  using  theme 

New  catalog  stands  and  new  lighting  com- 
pliment the  new  cases  (68  of  them,  each 
Tith  72  trays).  Thirty-three  of  these 
3ases  have  been  installed,  most  of  them 
in  the  old  Issue  Department  area  which  is 
bo  be  an  extension  of  the  Abbey  Room 
jatalogo  Already  the  cards  from  "Hoses, 
3,"  to  the  end  of  the  alphabet  have  been 
bransferred  into  the  new  cases. 

The  anbivalent  genius  behind  this 
'Grand  Design"  (shades  of  Ollie  Cromwell) 
is  !'&••  David  Sheehan,  sometime  Treasurer 
5f  BPLSA,  and  member  of  the  General  Ref- 
jrenc©  Department* 


DUES  DDE 


DRAITERS   IN  TURMOIL 

The  ears  and  eyes  of  the  General  Ref- 
erence Staff  have  been  under  attack  and 
have  been  laid  seige  to. 

Operation  "Neiv  Catalog  Installation" 
has  witnessed  the  Staff  both  meeting  and 
mounting  the  assault.     Perhaps  the  har- 
assed patron  who  strained  to  hear  the 
answer  to  his   query  over  the  din  of  the 
a  symphonic  accompaniment^of  an  orchestra 
of  hammers,   drills,  and  scrapers,   etc.^ 
felt  relieved  when  he  put  up  the  tele- 
fhcae  receiver  and,  abracadabra,   peace 
and  quiet  was  restored.      Perhaps  the   on- 
the-spot  patron  was  grateful  to  pass  out 


j    Annual  dues  for  membership  in  the  BOSTON 
pUBLIC   LIBRARY  STAFF  ASSOCIATION  are  due 
in  I/Sarch,     For  an  application  form  oontaot 
'^our  Staff  Representative 

or 
Send  I  ©50  to  David  Sheehan   (General  Ref- 
srence),  Treasiarer,   BPLSA ^     For  fxu-ther 
Information,   please  contact  yom-  Staff 
^epresentative-or-Miss  Jean  Babcock 
(Office  of  Reference  <fc  Research  Services), 
:3hairman,  lilembership  &  Hospitality  Com- 
nitteea 
[NoB,  -  Those  members  of  the  Association 

J7ho  entered  the  service  after  1  December 
1961„  and  have  paid  their  dues  will  be 
credited  with  payment  for  the  current 

yearo] 


.«a- 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  musi 
be  accompsmied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Associatioii  member  submitting   it,   to- 
gether with  the  name  of  the  Branch  Lib- 
rary,  Department  or  Office   in  which  he 
or   she   is  employed.        The  name   is  with- 
held from,  publication,   or  a  pen  name   is 
used,    if  the  contributor   so  requests. 
Anonymous  contributions  are  not  given 
consideration.      The  author  of  the  art- 
icle is  known  only  to   the  Edi"6or- in- 
Chief .      The  contents  of  the  articles 
appearing  in  the  Soap  Box  are  personal 
opinions  expressed  by  individual  Asso- 
ciation members  and  their  appearance 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  that  the 
Publications  Committee  and  the  Associa- 
tion are   in  agreement  with  the  views  ex- 
pressed.    Only  those  contributions  con- 
taining not  more  than  300  words  will 
be  accepted. 


Dear   Soap  Box  Editor : 

I  too  would  like  to   say  "thank -you" 
(as  did  "gratias"   in  the  February  issue 
of  the  Question  Mark  to   the  out-going 
officers  of  the  Association  for  a  job 
well  done, 

I  know  how  hard  the  President,   Miss 
Ruth  M.  Hayes,   her  officers,   and  com- 
mittes  worked  for  the  good  of  everyone 
on  the  staff  and   I  along  with  many 
others   sincerely  appreciate  their  fine 
efforts. 

LA. 2 


lO   the  Soap   Box- 

If  anyone  has  a  good  explanation  for 
what  appears  to  be  "favored  treatment" 
for  a  large  portion  of  the  staff,  we'd 
be  glad  to  hear  it.      It  seems  to  be 
possible  for  appointments  to  be  made 
almost  at  once  at  department  head  level 
and  above,    in  every   section  of  the  ser- 
vice except  in  Reference  Division,  where 
there  are  usually  long  delays  and  a 
series  of  "Acting"   titles,    even  includ- 
ing the  Division  head. 

Since   it  takes  many  more  years  for  a 
vacancy  to  a  titular  position  to  occur, 
into  which  one's  "specialized"   examin- 
ations,   education,   and  training  will  fit, 
than  it  does  in  other  services,    it 
would  seem  only  fair  that  when  they  do 
occur,   the  positions  might  be  filled  as 
swiftty,    if  there  is  a  qualified  person 
in  the   service,   and  as  "permanently"  as 
in  other  divisions. 

lAist  Reference  workers  always  be  in 

i  the  poor  relation  class? 

I 
I 

1  Reference  Worker 


TU 


uesiion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


APRIL      1962 


THEQUESTIONMARK 
Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 
Voluine  XVII  Number  k  April  1962 

-Publications  Committee:  Margaret  Butler,  Janice  Maniscalco,  Thomas  J.  Manning, 

Sarah  Richman,  Catherine  Richmond,  Edwin  G,  Sanford, 
Anna  Scanlon,  Jean  Babcock,  I,  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist, 
Sarah  M,  Usher,  Indexer,  William  T,  Casey,  Chairman, 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 

Some  time  ago,  the  dignified  pages  of  the  Library  Journal  were  turned 
into  a  battlegroiind  when  one  revolutionary-minded  librarian  arose  and  advocated 
the  abolition -of  National  Library  Week.  The  ensiling  conflict  that  followed 
upon  the  heels  of  this  radical  proposal  generated  considerable  heat  and  a  few 
vagrant  rays  of  light,  l-Jhen  the  dust  had  settled,  it  seemed  clear  that  the 
basic  concept  underlying  the  idea  of  a  National  Library  Ueek  had  firmly 
entrenched  itself  within  a  short  span  of  time  until  it  had  become  an  indis- 
soluble adjunct  to  the  world  of  librai^ies. 

Whether  the  thought  of  National  Library  Week  is  a  bother  or  a  blessing 
for  the  individual  librarian,  it  does  afford  each  of  us  a  rather  unique 
opportunity  for  a  modicum  of  soul-searching.  Arriving  as  it  does  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  when  our  spirits  are  being  renexjed  after  a  winter  filled  with  vapors 
and  discontents,  it  looms  forth  as  a  logical  promontory  whereon  to  stand  and 
re-examine  our  individual  relations  to  our  chosen  profession. 

We  pride  ourselves  on  the  fact  that  a  library  represents  something  more 
than  a  means  of  earning  a  livelihood.  It  is  an  amalgam  of  books  and  people, 
and  because  the  ranks  of  both  continue  to  increase  with  each  passing  year,  it 
affords  a  constant  challenge  to  make  certain  that  the  right  book  reaches  the 
right  person.  The  library,  being  a  huiTian  institution,  is  handicapped  by  human 
x^feaknesses  and  failings.  VJe  make  haste  too  slowly  in  our  efforts  to  extend  our 
services  to  those  "underdeveloped"  areas  of  our  community  where  library  service 
is  either  poor  or  non-existent.  Hamstrung  by  budgetary  deficiencies  and 
personnel  shortages  vje   cannot  always  render  all  the  services  that  have  come  to 
be  associated  with  a  public  library. 

Overwhelmed  though  we  may  be  with  the  more  prosaic  problems  of  overdue 
books,  work  schedules,  department  coverage,  and  missing  lists  we  must  not  fail 
to  give  attention  to  the  intellectual  aspects  of  our  profession.  Paramount 
among  these  is  that  prickly  pear  called  book  selection  which,  like  the  poor,  we 
seem  to  have  always  with  us, 

VJe  will  not,  at  this  time,  add  to  the  thorny  morass  of  verbiage  that  has 
sprung  forth  to  encon^jass  this  controversial  facet  of  library  work.  Suffice  it 
to  ssy   that  no  "agonizing  re-appraisal"  of  our  individual  relation  to  library 
work  can  be  complete  unless  we  examine  and  define  our  personal  views  on  this 
topic.  Even  those  who  do  not  directly  participate  in  the  mechanics  of  the  book 
selection  process  have  an  obligation  to  make  themselves  aware  of  the  existing 
standards  employed  in  'choosing  the  volumes  which  are  made  available  to  the  publico 
There  is  more  at  stake  than  the  simple  acceptance  or  rejection  of  a  "Tropic  of 
Cancer",  for  the  issue  ultimately  resolves  itself  into  a  consideration  of  indi- 
vidual standards  and  that  very  personal  philosophy  that  motivates  our  work  as 
librarians « 


-2- 

In  svKi,   let  us  remember  that  National  Library  Week  must  mean  more  than 
posters,  programs  and  book-marks.  It  is  the  total  of  those  varied  assets  and 
attributes  that  each  librarian  can  contribute  to  his  segment  of  the  profession. 
Admitting  that  this  may  not  be  the  best  of  all  possible  worlds,  let  us  recognize 
its  shortcomings,  cherish  its  satisfactions,  and  strive  to  make  this  world  just 
a  little  bib  better  because  of  our  participation  in  it. 


PRESIDENT'S  NOTES 

On  Friday  morning,  6  April,  a  public 
hearing  was  held  at  the  City  Hall  on 
the  question  of  whether  or  not  Boston 
sjiould  accept  the  State  law  concerning 
hospitalization,  surgical,  and  life 
insurance  benefits  for  city  employees. 
The  acceptance  of  the  law  would  result 
in  the  payment  by  the  City  of  one  half 
of  the  premium  for  the  insurance. 
Russell  A,  Scully,  member  of  the  Execu- 
tive Board  was  present  at  the  hearing 
to  represent  the  Staff  Association. 

'  ■■  The  members  of  the  City  Council  who 
were  present  at  the  hearing  appeared  to 
be  in  favor  of  the  legislation,  and  it 
is  known  that  the  Mayor  is  rjceptive  to 
the  adoption  of  the  State  law.  The 
proposal  has  now  been  taken  into  Execu- 
tive Session  by  the  City  Council. 
Adoption  of  this  plan  will  result  in  an 
important  fringe  benefit  for  all 
employees  of  the  City  of  Boston  who  are 
not  excluded  by  law  from  its  provisions. 

The  job  evaluation  project  is  nearing 
completion.  Mr.  Gaines  has  been  out  of 
toTjn  much  of  the  past  month  on  a 
recruiting  campaign  which  appears  to  be 
resulting  in  the  appearance  of  some 
very  likely  candidates.  However,  he 
plans  to  try  to  complete  the  job  eval- 
uation survey  and  have  it  in  shape  to 
present  to  the  Trustee's  Committee  on 
Personnel  at  their  next  meeting  which 
is  scheduled  for  May  25th. 

LOUIS  RAINS, 
President 

/////////////////////////////////////// 
LATE  NEWS  FLASH 

On  April  10  the  Boston  City  Council 
accepted  the  State  law  referred  to  in 
the  PRESIDENT'S  NOTES.   It  is  hoped 


1  that  the  contributory  hospital  insur- 

i  ance  program  will  go  into  effect  on 

I  July  1. 

I 

I  /////////////////////////////////////// 

I 

j  PERSONl'JEL  NOTES 

i 

!  Entered  Service 

i 

'■   Mrs,  Marianne  Boxenhorn,  Mattapan 

'  Joseph  B,  de  Roche,  Charlestown 
'  Mrs.  Antonia  Moore,  Central  Charging 
'■  Records 

'  Angela  M.  Segadelli,  Jamaica  Plain 
:  Patricia  White,  Cataloging  &  Classifi- 
cation Department  R  &  RS 
;  Hugh  T.  V/alsh,  Central  Charging  Records 
■  Joan  M.  White,  Bookmobiles 

I  Transferred 

'  Ifrs,  Mary  M.  I^^ler,  from  Jamaica  Plain 

to  Open  Shelf  Department 
I  Thomas  Santos,  from  Central  Charging 
I   Records  to  Audio  Visual  Department. 


NORTHEASTERN  STUDENTS 


NEW 


,  Barbara  L,  Carlson,  Book  Stack  Service 

j  Dean  Denniston,  Book  Stack  Service 

I  Barry  Gordon,  Book  Stack  Service 

i  Harvey  A,  Jones,  Book  Stack  Service 

:  Donald  L.  l^Jaurer,  Book  Stack  Service 

'■   Laura  A,  Richards,  Music  Department 

I  Glenn  Ryan,  Book  Stack  Service 

j  John  Costello,  Book  Purchasing 

I 

i  RE-ENTERING 
I  ——————— 

\   Michael  Berman,  Book  Stack  Servicfe 

I  Ernest  Gam,  Book  Stack  Service 

!  John  J.  Kelly,  Book  Stack  Service 

i  Robert  B,  I'tecdonald,  Book  Stack  Service 

Henry  Ricupero,  Book  Stack  Service 

Barbara  LaFlamme,  Cat.&Class.  Dept.RRS 

Mary  MacDonald,  Cat.&Class.  Dept.RRS 

Beverly  Shapiro,Cat,ficClass,  Dept.RRS 

Elaine  Miller,  Bookmobiles 

Barbara  Sielinski,  Connolly 


--^ 


Gerald  Blonder,  Open  Shelf  Department 
Joan  Harrington,  South  End  Branch  h'-.cj.- 
Stephen  Grochowski,  Office  of  Records,  ' 

Files,  Statistics 
Frances  Hale,  Personnel 
Catherine  Coggon,  Book  Preparation  Dept, 
Anthony  Tieuli,  Book  Purchasing  Dept, 
Janice  Wright,  Book  Purchasing  Dept, 

CSASSD  ,  (Returning  to  School) 

Janice  E.  Campbell,  Personnel  Office 
Neil  J,  Kelly,  Office  of  Records,  Files 

and  Statistics 
Adam  Artis,  Book  Stack  Service 
Henry  Datelle,  Book  Stack  Service 
Walter  Feuerstein,  Book  Stack  Service 
Sally  B,  Forbes,  Book  Stack  Service 
William  G,  Henderson,  Book  Stack  Service 
Robert  F,  Kane,  Book  Stack  Service 
Peter  J,  Sullivan,  Book  Stack  Service 
Leroy  E,  Temple,  Book  Stack  Service 
Leonard  A,  Walsh,  Book  Stack  Service 
Brenda  Franklin,  Book  Purchasing  Dept, 
V7illiam  I'lillerick,  Book  Purchasing  Dept, 
Robert  Mimchiello,Book  Purchasing  Dept, 
Elaine  Powers,  Book  Preparation  Dept, 
Joan  Lavery,  Book  Preparation  Dept, 
Carol  A,  Gourley,  South  End 
John  G,  Funchion,  Open  Shelf 
Hilary  A,  Wayson,  Bookmobiles 
Antoinette  Calabresi,  Cat,&Class.  Dept#- 
Patricia  Fradsham,  Cat,  Sc  Class.  Dept,-^- 
Joan  R,  Merchant,  Cat,  &  Class,  Dept,  * 
Elizabeth  McLucas,  Cat,  &  Class.  Dept.-K- 
Martin  Qualters,  Cat,  &:  Class.  Dept.  * 

^  Div,  of  Ref .  &  Res, 
Other  Personnel  Terminated 

Thomas  A,  Incze,  Audio  Visual  -  to 

attend  school  abroad 
John  R,  Sutherland,  Book  Stack  Service 
Carol  L,  Aldrich,  Cat.  k  Class,  Dept,, 

Div.  of  Ref,  (i  Res,  Services 
Ernest  Ifetthias,  Business  Office 

A  NEW  CHIEF  FCE  CEi'ITRAL  CHARGING 

Not  the  least  of  the  many  "Looies" 
who  are  past  or  present  members  of  the  j 
BPL  staff  is  the  recently  appointed  I 
Chief  of  the  Central  Charging  Records  j 
Department,  Louis  Polishook,  A  twenty- 
five  year  plus  vetran  of  the  library  | 
wars,  he  began  his  career  at  the  Fellows  , 
Atheneiam  Branch.  As  he  himself  describes 


his  entrance  into  the  library  ranks: 
"I  used  to  cause  so  much  trouble  at  the 
branch  that  the  librarian  figured  the 
only  way  to  stop  me  was  to  put  me  on  the 
payroll" ,  He  remained  at  Fellows 
Atheneum  until  World  War  II  interrupted 
his  career.  Entering  the  Arnry,  he 
served  in  Europe  and  after  his  discharge 
in  191^6  he  returned  to  the  B.P.L,  and 
was  transferred  to  the  Patent  Room  of 
the  Central  Library.  After  some  ten 
years  with  this  department  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Central  Charging  with  the  title 
of  Executive  Assistant.  In  1957  he  was 
promoted  to  Administrative  Assistant, 
assuming  command  of  the  department  as 
Chief  on  February  28,  1962,  A  graduate 
of  Suffolk  University  and  Bentley  School 
of  Accounting,  he  is  well  qiaalified  to 
handle  the  nyriad  details  involved  in 
the  administration  of  this  key  depart- 
ment. Active  in  the  affairs  of  the 
STAFF  ASSOCIATION,  he  has  served  on  mai^ 
committees  and  is  presently  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Board.   Over  the  years, 
Louis  has  made  a  number  of  friends  with 
his  genial  good  humor  and  his  ability  to 
discourse  at  considerable  length  on  a 
wide  variety  of  topics.  In  addition  to 
his  regular  duties,  he  is  now  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  blue  clad  legions  that 
alertly  man  the  portals  of  the  Central 
Library,  But  we  feel  certain  that  he 
will  also  handle  this  task  with  his 
customary  aplomb o 

HOSPITAL  LIBRARY  RE-OPENS 

One  of  the  happier  events  of  the  spring 
was  the  reactivating  of  the  Hospital 
Library  Service  after  a  two  year  hiatus. 
This  popular  unit,  under  the  direction 
of  Mrs.  Mary  Langton,  serves  the  staff 
and  patients  of  the  City  Hospital, 
Forced  to  curtail  services  by  a  period  of 
municipal  retrenchment,  this  department 
resumed  operations  on  March  20th  of  this 
year,  A  "welcome  home"  celebration  for 
the  group  was  held  on  April  11  under  the 
sponsorship  of  The  Friends  of  the 
Hospital  Library.  Dr,  John  CoixLin, 
Director  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital, 
expressed  the  sentiments  of  all  present 
when  he  lauded  the  Hospital  Library 
Service  for  its  important  role  as  a 
morale  builder  within  the  walls  of  the 
hospital. 


^k^ 


BOOK  AND  AUTHOR  LU1\'CHE0N 


A  fascinating  program  and  a  perfect 
spring  day  made  the  3rd  annual  Book  and 
Author  Luncheon  a  resounding  success. 
Spring  hats  and  fashions  abounded  at  the  j 
Sheraton  Plaza  Monday,  April  9th  as  ovei" 
700  people  turned  out  for  the  event 
sponsored  jointly  by  the  Woinen's  Nationalj 
Book  Association  and  the  Boston  Herald-  j 
Travelers 

Louise  Weiscopf,  Chairman  of  the  Book 
and  Author  Luncheon  Committee  opened  the 
program,  introducing  Alice  Dixon-Bond  of 
the  Boston  Herald  Traveler,  mistress  of 
ceremonies  for  the  luncheon,  who  presen- 
ted the  other  head  table  guests:  Authors 
Anya  Seton,  John  Spencer  Churchill  and 
Louis  Nizer,  Vice  Admiral  John  L,  McCrea 
State  Chairman  for  National  Library  Week, 
Mrs,  Lillian  Gurney  representing  the 
Women's  National  Book  Association,  BPL*s 
own  Edna  G,  Peck,  President  of  the  Bos tor 
Chapter,  Ned  Bradford  of  Little-Brown, 
Kenneth  McCormick  of  Doubleday,  and 
Hardwick  Mosely  of  Houghton-Mifflin, 

After  a  hearty  luncheon  the  authors 
took  over,  Anya  Seton  paid  tribute  to 
Boston  ajid  went  on  to  say  that  she 
believes  the  biographical  historical 
novel,  as  a  genre,  to  be  superior  to  any 
other  form  of  fiction.  It  takes  years  of 
research  and  travel  to  "put  well-rounded 
flesh  on  the  bare  bones  of  fact",  and 
because  one  uses  facts,  the  "sums  can  be 
checked".  The  title  of  her  latest  novel, 
DEVIL  WATER,  comes  from  a  French  proverb, 
"The  devil's  holy  water  is  fear,"  Miss 
Seton  discussed  universal  themes  and  said 
that  people  today  are  far  less  cruel  to 
each  other  than  they  were  in  the  past. 
She  ended  by  reminding  us  that  a  know- 
ledge of  the  past  is  essential  in  under- 
standing the  present  and  the  future. 

John  Spencer  Churchill,  author  of  A 
CHURCHILL  CANVAS,  spoke  in  a  lighter  vein 
The  book  relates  his  versatile  career  as 
writer,  soldier  and  artist,  but  Mr, 
Churchill  told  of  how  difficult  it  was  to 
be  anything  if  one  is  brought  up  in  the 
shadow  of  Sir  Winston.  Some  of  his  more 
amusing  anecdotes  involved  Sir  Winston 
and  his  ginger  torn,  Mr,  Cat,  It  seems 
that  once  Mr.  Cat  has  settled  himself  in  j 
the  middle  of  the  statesman's  bed  for  ths 
night.  Sir  Winston  is  sometimes  reduced  | 
to  climbing  into  bed  around  him.  He  told 
of  dining  with  his  uncle  last  year,  when 


Sir  VJinston  was  86,  and  discovering 
that  he  had  over  3,000  cigars*  When 
John  asked  what  in  the  world  he  was 
going  to  do  xj-ith  them,  his  uncle  re- 
plied that  he  was  smoking  them  as  fast 
as  he  could. 

Louis  Nizer  charmed  the  audience 
talking  of  MY  LIFE  IN  COURT,  a  blend  of 
his  more  famous  cases  and  his  own  philo- 
sophy. He  pointed  out  that  fictional 
courtroom  scenes  are  but  pale  simiila- 
tions  of  real  courtroom  drama.  His  book 
is  made  up  of  contrasting  cases,  ranging 
from  divorce  trials  to  the  Quentin- 
Reynolds  vs.  Westbrook  Pegler  libel  suit, 
Mr,  Nizer  believes  implicitly  in  the 
American  democratic  jury  system,  for  he 
says  that  as  you  multiply  judgements 
you  reduce  incidents  of  error. 

Vice-Admiral  John  L.  McCrea  reminded 
us  that  piiblic  servants  have  public 
duties,  and  tipped  his  hat  to  libraries 
in  general  and  BPL  in  particular. 

The  BPL  was  very  well  represented,  and 
all  in  all  National  Library  Week  opened 
with  a  bang, 

RETIREMENT 
MRS.  CATHERINE  COiTNOLLY 

Dorchester  Branch  Library  has  not 
really  been  the  same  since  March  20th, 
when  a  very  special  lady,  Mrs.  Catherine 
Connolly,  retired  after  eighteen  years 
of  service.  Working  first  at  the 
Central  Library,  then  at  the  old  South 
Boston  Branch,  I4rs,  Connolly,  for  the 
past  five  years  has  kept  our  old  dilapi- 
tated  Branch  in  a  more  than  presentable 
condition;  so  much  that  we  have  had 
hundreds  of  compliments  upon  the  looks 
of  the  building  -  the  cleanliness  and 
attractive  atmosphere.  Always  here, 
always  unobtrusive,  yet  leaving  her  mark 
of  quality  upon  her  work,  Mrs.  Connolly 
leaves  us  with  a  sad,  nostalgic  en^jti- 
ness  in  our  work  day,  and  a  tender  spot 
of  affection  in  our  hearts. 

On  Monday,  i^iarch  19,  her  last  full 
work  day  at  Dorchester,  in  keeping  with 
her  desire  for  no  fanfare,  the  staff  of 
the  Branch  had  a  little  luncheon  for  her 
with  her  two  daughters-in-law  as  invited 
guests.  She  was  presented  with  a 
beautiful  leather  and  tapestry  handbag 
conraining  a  monetary  gift  with  which  to 
purchase  something  special  for  herself. 


This  was  not  only  from  members  of  the 
present  staff  but  from  other  friends  who  ; 
had  worked  >Tith  ifrs,  Connolly,  as  well, 
,f    We  love  her  I    We  miss  her  J  V/e  iri.sh  ' 
her  many  happy  years  of  enjoyment  with   ; 
her  wonderfiil  familyi  i 

i 
ON  DISPLAY, AT  CODJ'iAN  SQUARE       I 

i 
In  celebration  of  National  Library     ' 
Week,  April  8  -  IJ4,  the  Codman  Square    ' 
Branch  Library  is  featiaring  a  unique 
exhibit,  timely  and  pertinent,  which     ! 
will  extend  through  April  30,  1962,  It 
is  an  exqviisitely  drawn-to-scale  model 
study  of  Ward  lit  of  Dorchester  including  ! 
the  Mount  Bowdoin  section  as  far  as 
Geneva  Avenue  on  the  north  and  Talbot    i 
Avenue  on  the  south.  This  project  was   i 
accomplished  cooperatively  as  the  crown-  ' 
ing  exercise  of  the  graduating  class 
(1961)  of  the  Boston  Architectural      ] 
Center,  The  display,  resting  on  a  wooden| 
base,  is  approximately  twelve  feet  by    i 
eight  feet  in  size.  Houses,  buildings, 
stores,  and  other  facilities  are  fash- 
ioned from  cardboard.  The  trees  are  made| 
of  treated  lichen.  The  objective  was  to  ' 
take  an  existing  area  and  render  there-  | 
with  an  ideal  community.  The  diversity  '. 
of  terrain,  hilly,  undulating,  and  the   ; 
varied  composition  of  the  locale  -  a     ' 
railroad,  FranlcLin  Park,  rundown  dwell-  ' 
ings  as  well  as  attractive  homes  - 
offered  unlimited  scope  to  the  students^  , 
imagination,  ingenuity,  and  skill,      t . 
Among  those  sitting  in  on  their  final    ' 
efforts,  as  consultants  and  critics  were  ' 
members  of  the  Ward  li4.  Betterment       1 
Association,  exemplifying  I"Ir,  Edward     j 
Logue's  (Boston  Redevelopment  Authority)  [ 
ideal  of  citizens  and  architects  working  j 
together  in  Urban  Renewal,  j 

The  exhibit  includes  a  community  center 
(mth  a  branch  library  of  course  i)  a 
shopping  center,  elimination  of  through 
routes,  a  number  of  streets  converted 
into  walkways,  shaded  footpaths,  one  and 
two-family  houses,  high  rise  apartments 
on  the  top  of  Mt.  Bowdoin  -  for  a  view 
of  the  ocean,  the  Blue  Hills,  Franklin 
Park,  as  well  as  the  beneficence  of  the 
sun.  These  are  some  of  the  progressive 
concepts  and  proposals  of  rising  young 
architects  giving  tangible  expression  to 
ideas  and  ideals. 

Maps,  sketches,  designs  vri.ll  acconqsany 
the  display  together  with  books  and  pam- 
phlets on  architecture,  landscaping, urban 
renewal,  city  planning,  and  citizen  par- 
ticipation in  community  organization. 


BRAi'ICH  NOTES 

National  Library  Week  opened  at  the 
Charlestown  Branch  with  a  Friends  of 
the  Library  meeting  on  Tuesday,  April  10, 
A  small  but  fascinated  audience  heard 
Edna  G,  Peck  review  her  "Spring  Specials 
for  1962."  A  social  hour  followed  the 
program, 

Romance  vied  with  National  Library 
week  at  Charlestoxm  as  our  children's 
assistant,  Carol  Dubis,  announced  her 
engagement  to  James  McD enough  of  Dedham, 
An  October  wedding  is  planned. 

Scholarship  time  brought  nevTS  that  our 
unassuming  library  aide,  i>ferlena 
Finlayson,  has  vjon  a  $U,000  mathematical 
scholarship  to  Boston  College, 

PICTURE" WINDOW  AT  ROSLINDALE 

Taking  advanta'^e  of  the  space  avail- 
able in  her  "imidow  on  liain  Street," 
Mrs,  Belle  Levin,  Children's  Assistant 
at  our  newest  branch,  has  provided 
passers  by  vn.th  an  eye  catching  display 
of  some  Notable  Books,  Constructing  an 
attractive  colored  poster  to  serve  as  a 
backdrop,  she  has  made  good  use  of  the 
Library  Week  Bookmarks  so  that  the 
entire  exhibit  has  attracted  much  favor- 
able comment, 

■5k;-;;-k-;hhh;-;k;-hkk;-k- 

Springtime  is  the  traditional  moving 
season  for  Americans  and  in  keeping 
vri.th  this  time  honored  custom,  the  staff 
of  the  Bookmobile  Services  is  girding 
up  their  collective  loins  in  preparation 
for  a  trek  westward.  After  many  years 
of  residence  within  the  hallowed  halls 
of  the  i^Iain  Library,  they  are  moving 
to  larger  quarters  in  the  premises  form- 
erly occupied  by  School  Issue,  Arrange- 
ments are  being  made  to  keep  a  light 
burning  in  the  Coffee  Shop  so  they  can 
always  find  their  vj-ay  back. 

The  Membership  and  Hospitality  Commit- 
tee are  very  grateful  to  the  Staff 
Representatives  and  Association  members 
who  vjere  so  proir^jt  in  submitting  their 
dues,  HOl'ffiVER,  there  are  several  depts, 
still  unaccounted  for. to  these  we  say: 

DUES  PLEASE 


-6- 


B.  GERTRUDE  WADE 

On  the  rarely  beautiful,  balmy  spring 
Sunday  evening  of  April  9,  1962,  Miss 
B.  Gertrude  Wade  was  the  honored  guest 
at  a  really-and-truly  surprise  partyj 
This  festive  soiree  (champagne  punch, 
new  moon  and  roses)  was  held  at  the 
charming,  spacious  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  L.  Forbes  in  Quincy,   (Their  beguil- 
ing children,  S,   and  their  many  fascinat- 
ing antiques  vied  for  attention.) 

Mr.  Forbes,  Director  of  Denison  House, 
and  a  person  who  is  very  much  aware  of 
the  potential  of  libraries  and  librarians 
initiated  m.th.   his  customary  acuteness, 
a  movement  for  a  measure  of  public  ac- 
cl^m  in  recognition  of  Miss  Wade's 
exceptional  ability,  zeal,  and  service 
in  community  activities  during  her  five 
years  as  Adults  Librarian  at  Godman 
Square  Branch  Library,  Dorchester. 

And  so — a  representative  group  of  out- 
standing community  leaders,  lay  and  pro- 
fessional, gathered  for  an  evening  of 
sociability  and  friendliness  to  pay  warm 
tribute  to  Miss  Wade  and  to  wish  her 
.  godspeed  in  her  new  capacity  is  Branch 
librarian  of  Faneuil  Branch  Library, 
Brighton,  Settlement  houses,  branch 
libraries,  hospitals,  neighborhood  asso- 
ciations were  some  of  the  Dorchester 
agencies  represented.  Included  also 
were  the  Mental  Health  Center  association 
(to  which  Miss  Wade  has  just  been  elected 
as  one  of  its  vice-presidents),  the 
Visiting  Nurse  Association,  and  the  Gity 
Missionary  Society. 

At  the  end  of  the  bounteous  buffet- 
supper.  Miss  Ruth  Miller,  Director  of 
Little  House  and  President  of  the  Dor- 
chester Inter-Agency  Gouncil,  made  a 
presentation — with  best  wishes  for  every 
success  and  happiness — of  a  stamp  album 
(Mss  Wade  has  an  extraordinary  collec- 
tion of  stamps)  plus  a  gift  of  money  for 
those  records  or  that  painting  (or  even 
a  book  or  two.').  There  was  a  gracious 
and  humorous  response  from  B.  Gertrude 
Wade.  Brighton,  beware]  Miss  Wade  is 
exciting,  stimulating,  dangerous,  farei 
Bustin'  out  all  over  with  ideas  and 
ideals . 

Godman  Square  Branch  is  proud  of  the 
honor  that  came  to  it  and  to  the  entire 
Boston  Public  Library  through  one  of  its 
StaffJ 


WEST  ROXBURY  BRAWCH 

In  celebration  of  National  Library 
Vfeek  a  program  was  held  Tuesday  evening, 
April  10,  at  the  West  Roxbury  Branch 
Library,  highlighting  the  fortieth  anni- 
versary'- of  the  opening  of  the  present 
library  building,  which  was  dedicated 
April  17,  1922. 

Special  guests  of  the  evening  were 
members  who  served  on  the  new  library 
building  conimittee,  or  representatives 
from  their  families,  and  included  Ethel 
M,  Hazlewood,  whose  uncle  George  P, 
Beckford  held  been  a  committee  member, 
and  Geneva  Watson,  branch  librarian 
emeritus, 

A  letter  of  greeting  and  tribute  was 
read  from  Herbert  R.  Morse,  whose  father, 
Francis  A.  Morse,  had  been  an  active 
worker  in  securing  the  new  building  and 
who  left  a  fund  to  the  West  Roxbury 
Branch  Librarj'"  for  the  purchase  of 
children's  books.  Mr.  Morse  Was  a  teach- 
er in  the  Boston  schools  for  forty-five 
years  and  in  his  will  he  said,  "My  love 
for  the  children  has  been  strong  and 
genuine  and  I  would  like  to  feel  that, 
after  my  death,  my  influence  will  still 
be  of  some  incentive  to  them  to  work 
towards  the  highest  of  ideals." 

The  speaker  was  Philip  Driscoll,  dean 
of  admissions  at  Brandeis  University, 
and  a  former  West  Roxbury  resident, 
whose  topic  was  "literature  of  the  1920 's 
and  1960's". 

The  West  Roxbury  Woman's  Club  Chorus 
sang  a  group  of  songs  of  the  '20's  and 
'60's  and  the  exhibits  featured  one  of 
best  sellers  of  the  twenties  and  sixties. 
An  opportunity  to  view  the  exhibits  was 
offered  at  the  social  hour  that  followed 
the  program. 

The  West  Roxbury  Garden  Club  provided 
flower  arrangements  for  the  week 
throughout  the  building. 

The  evening  was  planned  to  be  of  a 
literary  nature  and  one  of  community 
interest  and  participation.  The  atten- 
dance and  enthusiasm  of  the  audience 
indicated  its  success. 


-7- 


GOVERNOR'S  CONFEREi\ICE 

Ona  of  the  major  events  of  this  recent 
National  Library  Week  celebration  was 
the  First  Governor's  Conference  on  Lib- 
raries which  took  place  at  the  Somerset 
on  April  12,  Sponsored  jointly  by 
M.L.A.;  the  Mass,  Library  Trustees  Asso- 
ciation and  The  I'lass,  NLW  Coniinittee,  the 
meeting  was  attended  by  over  seven  hion- 
dred  people  including  a  large  delegation 
from  the  B?L.  Governor  John  A,  Volpe 
welcomed  the  delegates  and  spoke  of  the 
rich  heritage  of  Massachusetts  libraries. 
He  characterized  the  library  as  "  a 
symbol  of  freedom  and  noted  its  role  in 
the  continuing  process  of  education. 
The  keynote  address  "Libraries  in  the 
emergence  of  an  affective  cibizenry"  was 
delivered  by  Dre  Franklin  K,  Patterson 
of  Tufts  „  He  e!:r:-hasized  thd  fact  that 
rasiny  of  the  public  libraries  throughout 
the  state  are  unable  to  meet  the  minimum 
requirements  for  effective  public  serv- 
ice. The  second  half  of  this  program 
consisted  of  a  syniposiuin  on  regional 
planning  moderated  ^j   Mr.  John  A^ 
Htimphrey,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Library  Commissioners.  The  panelists, 
including  BPL's  Mlton  £.  Lc-rd^  r<r-pre- 
sented  a  wide  range  of  interests  and 
each  dwelt  on  a  different  aspect  of 
improving  public  library  service  in  the 
face  of  rapidly  increasing  costs  of 
operation.  It  was  a  stimvilating  dis- 
cussion of  practical  problems  and  indi- 
cated that  x\rhatever  solutions  are  \ilti- 
mately  arrived  at  will  only  come  as  the 
end  result  of  considerable  "hard  think- 
ing" about  the  position  of  the  library 
in  a  changing  community » 


The  Division  of  Information  reports 
recent  radio  -  TV  coverage  as  folloi-fs:   j 

On  WNAC  radio's  "Around  the  Town" 
program,  featuring  brief  on-the-spot     j 
telephone  interviews,  (a)  Bill  Hahn, 
asking  Ellen  Oldham,  of  Rare  Book,  to    ! 
describe  highlights  of  the  recent 
Treasure  Room  exhibit  on  the  early  the-  ; 
ater  in  Boston;  (b)  Jim  Dixon,  substi-   ' 
tuting  for  Bill  Hahn,  questioning  John   , 
M,  Carroll,  Home  Reading  Division,  on    ' 
National  Library  Week  and  the  Hospital 
Service,  April  11th, 

On  VJNAC-TV,  Jane  Day,  substituting  for  I 
Louise  Morgan  on  the  "Louise  Morgan  Show",j 
interviewing  Francis  X,  Moloney,        " 


Information  Division,  on  new  develop- 
ments in  public  library  service  in  Mass- 
achusetts ("State  Aid"),  April  10th, 

On  WHDH-TV,  Jim  Britt,  "Dateline 
Boston",  interviewing  Muriel  C,  Javelin, 
Home  Reading,  and  President  of  M,  L,  A,, 
on  BPL's  adult  services.  Mrs,  Javelin's 
guest  on  the  program:  Virginia  MatthexifS, 
Associate  Director,  National  Library  Wedc 
Committee  (from  N,Y,C,  headquarters). 

Being  used  frequently  by  nximerous 
greater  Boston  radio  and  TV  stations  are 
BPL  tailored  spot  announcements  about 
BPL  services,  programs  and  exhibits, 

LIBRARY  SENTINELS 

By  way  of  an  introduction  to  the  "Boys 
in  Blue"  who  are  now  on  duty  at  the  exits 
in  Central  we  would  like  to  say  hello  to: 

William  MacDonald   Sidney  Tyner 
Albert  Reynolds     Joseph  Kelley 

who  are  on  duty  during  "  open"  JiourSj, 

New  England  Technical  Services  Librarians 

Spring  meeting  of  the  New  England  Tech- 
nical Ser'rices  Librarians  will  be  held  at 
Simmons  College  Library,  Thursday,  May 
17,  1962,  a-v  8  p.m,  Mr.  Wyllis  E.  Wright^ 
Librarian J  Williams  College,  and  chairman 
of  the  Catalog  Code  Revision  Committee, 
will  speak  on  the  Paris  Conference, 
A  bxiffet  supper  at  5:i;5  in  the  cafe- 

I  teria  and  a  tour  of  the  new  library  will 

Ipreceed  the  meeting, 

I 

I         PEANUTS  FOR  NLW 

!   By  way  of  a  footnote  to  National 

J  Library  Week,  we  would  like  to  caU 

I  attention  to  an  article  entitled  "Peanuts 

j  For  NLVif"  by  Father  Harold  Gardiner  in  the 

April  lU  issue  of  America,  Father 
j Gardiner's  point  is,  that  before  we  con- 
' gratulate  ourselves  too  much  on  what  has 
!been  accomplished  in  the  five  years  of 
■  Library  V/eek  celebrations,  we  pause 
; briefly  and  reflect  on  what  still  remains 

to  be  done.  He  also  offers  some  reminders 
,for  the  infrequent  library  user  concerning 
'the  many  services  available  to  all, 

i  W.C, 


•^o^ 


CARRIE  L.  MORSE  ' 

Miss  Carrie  L,  Morse,  brarxh  librarian 
emeritus  of  the  West  Roxbury  Branch 
Library,  died  on  March  2ij.,  at  a  nursing 
home  in  Hampton  Falls,  N,  H,,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-nine,  Mss  Morse,  who  lived 
most  of  her  long  life  in  West  Roxbury 
was  devoted  to  the  library  and  the  com- 
munity. She  started  work  on  a  reg\ilar 
basis  in  October  I89O,  having  worked 
occasionally  in  the  library  before  that* 
In  1895  she  was  appointed  branch  libra- 
rian and  retired  from  that  position  in 
February  1933.  She  first  served  as 
librarian  in  the  old  Westerly  Hall, which 
also  housed  the  primary  school.  This 
building  was  moved  across  the  street 
and  became  the  American  Legion  building 
when  the  new  branch  library  was  opened 
in  1922, 

14iss  Morse  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  West  Roxbury  Historical  Society  and 
an  authority  on  the  local  history.  Her 
large  collection  of  West  Roxbury  Histor- 
ical material  was  added  to  the  holdings 
of  the  Society,  which  are  stored  in  the 
West  Roxbury  Branch  Library  a^^d  avail- 
able for  use  there. 

She  was  the  oldest  member  of  the  First 
Church  of  West  Roxbury,  Unitarian,  An 
original  pen  and  ink  drawing  by  Sears 
Gallagher  of  the  design  for  the  West 
Roxhvry  Historical  Society  seal  hangs  in 
the  branch  and  depicts  the  old  Theodore 
Parker  Church  in  which  Miss  Morse  was 
christened. 

On  St,  Valentine's  day  of  1922  just 
prior  to  the  opening  of  the  present 
library  building  Miss  Morse  was  presented 
vjith  a  check  by  Charles  F,  D,  Belden,  the 
librarian  of  the  Boston  Public  Library, 
as  a  gift  from  the  citizens  of  West 
Roxbury,  in  recognition  of  her  tireless 
efforts  to  offer  the  people  of  West 
Roxbury  the  most  effective  library  ser- 
vice possible.  Her  dedication  to  this 
task  moved  the  numerous  users  of  the 
library  of  all  ages  from  small  children 
to  adults  to  contribute  to  this  gift  so 
that  it  was  truly  representative  of  her 
many  friends. 

It  was  typical  of  her  foirward  looking 
attitude  that  made  her  respond  to  Miss 
Carolin  Hewins'  (another  West  Roxbury 
resident)  suggestion  that  part  of  the 
reading  room  in  the  old  building  be  used 
for  a  children's  collection,  making  it 


probably  among  the  earliest  to  be  estab- 
lished. This  same  far  sightedness  was 
evidenced  in  her  work  with  the  architect 
in  the  plans  for  the  new  building*  It 
was  at  her  insistence  that  a  staff  room 
was  added,  although  it  was  considered 
quite  unnecessary  by  the  planners. 

On  her  ninetieth  birthday  in  Febrviaiy 
1953  a  small  party  was  held  in  the  branch 
in  her  honor  to  which  intimate  friends  in 
the  community  and  in  the  library  were 
invited. 

She  developed  the  fine  feeling  among 
West  Roxbury  people  in  their  relations 
with  the  library  and  established  the 
broad  base  of  interest  upon  which  the 
branch  has  been  able  to  grow  so  success- 
I  fully.  Her  spirit  will  continue  in  the 

'  institution  she  loved, 

I 

i      M,L.A,  -  SPRING  MEETING 

I 

I   "Librarians  as  Readers"  will  be  the 
I  theme  of  the  Spring  meeting  of  the  Mass- 
I  achusetts  Library  Association  to  be  held 
!  at  the  Schine  Inn  in  Chicopee,  I-lassachu- 
'  setts,  on  Thursday  and  Friday,  May  2^ 
;  and  25, 

The  talks  and  discussions  will  empha- 
I  size  current  books  and  reading  in  the 
I  fields  of  literature,  art,  science,  and 
I  current  affairs.  The  keynote  address 
I  will  be  given  by  Dr,  Thomas  C,  Mendenhall, 

President  of  Smith  College.  Dr,  Henri 
'  Peyre  of  Yale  University  vjill  speak  on 
I  "American  Literature  as  Seen  from  Abroad". 
1  Among  the  other  speakers  will  be  Bartlett 
I  H,  Hayes,  Jr,  of  the  Addison  Gallery  of 
I  American  Art,  Andover;  and  Dr,  George  R» 
:  Harrison,  Dean  of  the  School  of  Science 
j  at  M,  I,  T. 

!   Attractive  exhibits  and  an  open  house 
j  and  tour  of  the  H,  R,  Hunt ting  Plant  and 
I  Bindery  are  additional  features, 
j   Complete  programs  will  be  mailed 
■  shortly  to  all  M.L,A,  members.  In  the 
I  meantime,  mark  the  dates  on  your  calendar 
I  and  plan  to  attend  what  promises  to  be  an 
'  exciting  conference, 

I  MURIEL  C,  JAVELIN 

i  PLEASED 

i 

i   We  iiTOuld  like  to  thank  the  two  custo- 

I  dians  who  did  such  a  fine  job  of  washing 
i  the  outside  of  the  lockers  in  the  vjom^i's 
1  locker  room. 


BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  STAFF  ASSOCIATION 
OFFICERS  AND  COMMITTEES  -  1962 


PRESIDENT 
VICE-FRESIDEMT 
TREASURER 

CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY 
RECORDING  SECRETARY 


LOUIS  RAINS 
NORA  GLOBUS 
DAVID  SHEEHAN 
(To  be  announced) 
HELEN  DOYLE 


Science  ":  Technology  Dept, 
Mt.  Pleasant  Branch 
General  Reference  Dept, 

Book  Purchasing 


JEAN  BABCOCK 
MILDRED  PICONE 


EXECUTIVE  BOARD 

Division  Office,  R  &  RS 
Cataloging  &  Classification 
HR  &  CS 


LOUIS  POLISHOOK 


RUSSELL  A.  SCULLY 


Central  Charg- 
ing Records 

Book  Selection 
R  d:  RS 


(Note:  riost  recent  past  president.  Miss  Ruth  K,  Mayes,  is  a  non- 
voting member  of  the  Board,  iifilliam  T.  Casey  as  2ditor  of  Pub- 
lications (or  a  member  of  the  Fxiblications  Committee)  is  "allowed 
to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  Executive  Board  but  not  to  take 
part  in  the  discussions,  or  in  the  voting,") 


CONCESSION  COi^lMITTEE 


STANDING  CO  MITTEES 


Robert  Brady 

Helen  Doyle 

Bertha  Keswick 

Thomas  McLaughlin 

Mildred  F.  Picone 

Helen  Harrington,  Chairman 


Buildings  Dept, 

Book  Purchasing  Dept, 

Branch  Issue 

Auditing  Depto 

Cataloging  &.   Classification,  HR  &  CS 

Book  Preparation  Dept, 


CONSTITUTION  COi-qilTTEE 

Gerald  L.  Ball 

B.  Joseph  O'Neil 

Russell  A.  Sciilly,  Chairman 


Book  Purchasing 

Periodical  !!c   Newspaper  Dept, 

Book  Selection,  R  &  RS 


ENTERTABII-IENT  COMMITTEE 

Margaret  Butler 

Ann  Connolly 

Ifarilyn  Cunningham 

Ruth  Marshall 

Helen  Sevagien,  Chairman 


Audio-Visual  Dept, 
Central  Charging  Records 
Book  Selection,  HR  c:  CS 
Education  Dept, 
Information  Office 


HOUSE  COMITTEE  FOR  MEN 

A,  Lundgren 
James  McNiff 
Frederick  Rodenmacher 
Edward  Stenburg 
James  Monahan,  Chairman 


Stock  Room 

Cataloging  u  Classification  R  &  RS 

Book  Stack  Service 

Exhibits  Office 

Patent  Room 


HOUSE  COIMITTEE  FOR  WOMEN 


Jean  Hayes 
Dorothy  Morgan 
Ellen  Oldham 
Elizabeth  Rollins 
Anna  Scanlon,  Chairman 


Business  Office 
Auditing  Dept, 
Rare  Book  Dept, 
Buildings  Dept. 
Book  Preparation  Dept, 


LEGISLATIVE  AND  LEGAL  MATTERS 


Gerald  Ball 
B.  Joseph  O'Neil 
Frederick  Van  Norden 
Louis  Polishook,  Chairman 


Book  Purchasing  Dept, 
Periodical  &  Newspaper  Dept. 
Science  St.   Technology  Dept, 
Central  Charging  Records 


MMBERSHIP  COMMITTEE 

Helene  Fisher 

Geraldine  Gardner 

Corinne  Henderson 

Marjorie  McCabe 

David  T,  Sheehan 

Nancy  A,  Unis 

Jean  M.  Babcock,  Chairman 


Personnell  Office 

Book  Preparation  Dept, 

Central  Charging  Records 

Bookmobiles 

General  Reference  Dept, 

Mt.  Bowdoin  Branch 

Division  Office,  R  &  RS 


PERSONNEL  COMITTEE 

Frank  P,  Brxmo 

Ruth  Conroy 

Kathleen  Jaime 

M,  Jane  ilanthorne 

Augusta  Rubenstein 

Sydney  Starr 

B.  Gertrude  Wade 

Arthur  Wolman 

Louis  Polishook,  Chariman 


Science  I:.  Technology 
Codman  Square  Branch 
Jamaica  Plain  Branch 
Open  Shelf  Dept. 
Mattapan  Branch 
Fine  Arts  Dept, 
Faneuil 

Uphams  Corner  Branch 
Central  Charging  Records 


PROGRAM  COMITTEE 


Jane  Anderson 

James  Ford 

Fleanor  Halligan 

Corinne  Henderson 

Myra  Morse 

Edna  Peck 

Marie  Quinn 

Roger  Rainsville 

Mildred  F.  Picons,  Chairman 


Adams  Street  Branch 

Education  Dept. 

General  Reference  Dept, 

Central  Charging  Records 

Dorchester  Branch 

Book  Selection  Dept.,  HR  &  CS 

Division  Office,  R  &  RS 

Open  Shelf  Dept. 

Cataloging  &  Classification,  HR  &  CS 


PUBLICATION  COMMITTEE 


-11- 


Jean  Babcock 

Margaret  Butler 

Janice  Maniscalco 

Thomas  J,  Manning 

Sarah  Richman 

Catherine  Richmond 

Edwin  G.  Sanford 

Anna  Scanlon 

I,  Roger  Stevens 

Sarah  M,  Usher 

William  T,  Casey,  Chairman 


Division  Office,  R  &  RS 

Audio-Visual  Dept, 

Rare  Book  Dept. 

Exhibits  Office 

Uphams  Comer  Branch 

Charles town  Branch 

History  Dept, 

Book  Preparation  Dept, 

Audio-Visual  Dept, 

Office  of  Records,  Files,  Statistics 

Codman  Square  Branch 


SPECIAL  SERVICES  COMMITTEE 


Charles  S,  Longley 
James  J.  Ford,  Chairman 


General  Reference  Dept, 
Education  Dept, 


CARE  COIMITTEE 


Margaret  Lewis 

Mildred  Somes 

Ollie  Partridge,  Chairman 


Uphams  Corner  Branch 
Book  Preparation  Dept, 
Open  Shelf  Dept. 


SORT  COIMITTEE  (To  be  announced) 


^2- 


Any  contribution  to  the  So3r  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  with- 
held from  publication,  or  a  pen  name  is 
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  the  articles  appearing 
in  the  Soap  Box  arc  personal  opinions 
expressed  by  individual  Association 
members  and  their  appearance  does  not 
necessarily  indicate  that  the  Publica- 
tions Committee  and  the  Association  are 
in  agreement  with  the  views  expressed. 
Only  those  contributions  containing 
not  more  than  300  words  mil  be  accepted. 


Dear  Editor: 

For  many  months  now, the  staff  of  the 
Library  has  waited  with  Job-like  for- 
bearance for  the  results  of  the  Job  Eval- 
uation Survey.  As  the  committee  has  la- 
bored to  bring  order  out  of  the  mass  of 
statistics,  we  xratched  hopefully  for  some 
indications  of  the  ultimate  results  of 
their  labors.  This  particular  survey  is 
a  matter  of  considerable  importance  to 


all  members  of  the  staff,  particulai*ly 
those  of  us  xiTho  labor  in  the  lowest  ech*- 
ielons  of  the  bibliographical  hierarbhy. 

As  the  weeks  merge  into  months  and  the 
months  merge  into  years,  we  venture  to 
inquire  plaintively  if  any  message  of  hope 
will  issue  forth  from  the  Stygian  recesses 
of  the  committee?  Perhaps  even  now  as  we 
pen  this  screed,  a  voluminous  epistle  is 
surging  forth  from  the  printing  presses  to 
join  with  those  other  literary  master- 
pieces that  have  stood  as  beacon  lights 
on  the  dusty  liighway  of  progress.  It  is 
a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished, 

CONCERNED 


Dear  Soap  Box: 

There  must  be  some  reason  for  the  var- 
iation in  policies  in  operation  on  appoint- i 
ments  from  Division  to  Division.         | 
In  the  Division  of  Reference  and  Re-     1 
search  Services,  we  have  several  "Acting"  i 
appointees,  an  Acting  Chief  Librarian,  an 
Acting  Curator  of  Education,  an  Acting 
Curator  of  the  Rare  Book  Department,  an 
Acting  Curator  of  the  Fine  Arts  Depart- 
ment, 

However,  the  two  recent  appointments  of 
Branch  Librarians  in  the  Division  of  Home  1 
Reading  were  permanent  appointments.  So 
also  were  the  appointments  of  Deputy  As- 
sistant Director  in  the  Division  of  Lib- 
rary Operations  and  the  Chief  of  Central 
Charging  Records  in  the  Division  of  Home 
Reading.  These  latter  two  positions  were 
filled  within  days  after  the  closing  date 
for  applications, 

Hov;  is  it  that  positions  in  the  Divi- 
sion of  Reference  and  Research  Services 
are  left  unfilled  with  permanent  appoint- 
ees for  long  periods  of  time,  often  years? 
The  Music  Department  had  no  Chief  or  Cur- 
^  ator  for  about  five  years.  Is  it  that 
i  the  qualifications  required  of  the  Cura- 
j  tor  of  a  special  Department  are  of  a 
j  higher  order  than  of  a  Chief  in  another 
I  Division  or  of  a  Branch  Librarian?  If 
I  so,  why  shouldn't  there  be  a  chaiige  in 
I.  the  salaries  of  these  Curators  to  recog- 
nize these  liigher  qualifications? 

ViTien  we  have  Acting  Curators  who  are 
eminently  qualified  by  experience  and 
education,  why  shoul  i  there  be  long  de- 
lays in  making  these  appointments  perman- 
ent? Certainly  a  person  should  not  be 
discriminated  against  because  liis  or  her 
experience  was  gained  in  the  Boston  Pub- 
lic Library,  It  should  be  apparent  that 
there  can  be  no  more  valid  recommendation 
than  that  based  on  direct  observation  of 


-ij. 


an  individual  doing  his  job.  We  know 
what  our  acting  appointees  can  do,  we 
have  been  observing  them  for  years,  why- 
delay  any  longer  in  the  Division  of  Ref- 
erence and  Research  Services  than  in  the 
other  Divisions? 

Incidentally  I  have  no  reservations 
about  the  appointments  made  in  the  other 
Divisions,  The  appointments  were  excel- 
lent. Nor  do  I  object  to  the  acting  ap- 
pointees in  the  Division  of  Reference 
and  Research  Sei^ices  except  I  feel  there 
is  no  good  reason  they  should  not  now  be 
made  permanent  without  delay. 

HIE  TIME 


///////////////////////////////////////// 

MEN'S  LIBRARIANS  CLUB 

On  March  20,  several  BPL'ers  were 
among  the  forty-eight  people  attending 
the  Men's  Librarians  Club  meeting  at  the 
AVCO  Research  &  Development  Corporation 
plant  in  Wilmington,  After  \   short 
jDusiness  meeting  conducted  by  President 
Dick  Sullivan  of  Siiffolk  University  the 
meeting  was  turned  over  to  the  hosts 
Robert  M,  Perrault  and  Ernest  Brooks  of 
AVCO,  Mr,  Perrault  then  introduced  the 
Public  Relations  man  of  the  firm  \vho 
gave  a  short  talk  on  some  of  the  opera- 
tions carried  on  by  AVCO,  accompanied  by 
props  of  various  missiles  and  a  color 
film  shox^ring  the  application  of  AVCO's 
research  to  the  defense  program. 
Following  this  a  visit  was  paid  to  the 
spacious  quarters  enjoyed  by  the  library 
staff.  The  distinctive  features  of  the 
library  were  pointed  out  to  the  men  who 
were  then  free  to  roam  around  the  un- 
restricted areas  of  the  library  —  or 
relax  on  the  plush  furnitiire, 

ARNAVETS 

The  Arnavets  are  having  one  of  their 
sporadic  meetings  on  Tuesday,  May  8,  at 
the  Red  Coach  Grille.  For  further 
information  contact  Lennie  Macllillan, 
Book  Purchasing  Department, 


VJELL  DONE 

The  members  of  the  staff  are  to  be 
congratulated  for  the  excellent  collec- 
tion of  books,  periodicals,  newspapers, 
and  audio-visiial  materials  that  are  on 
exhibit  in  the  first  floor  cases  of 
Central  and  in  the  Branches  for  National 
Library  Week* 


CATHOLIC  LIBRARY  ASjCCIATION 

"Intellectual  Unity  in  a  Free  rJorld" 
is  the  theme  for  the  38th  Annual  Con- 
ference of  the  Catholic  Library  Associ- 
ation to  be  held  April  23  -  27,  1962  at 
the  Pittsburgh  Hilton  Hotel,  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  Most  Rev,  John  J,  liright. 
Bishop  of  Pittsburgh,  is  the  Honorary 
Chairman  of  the  Conference  and  will  give 
the  opening  address. 


",,,but  on  the  other  hand,  where  there's  no  fresh  air  there's  no  fallout," 


BC5TCI';  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  STAFF  AScOCIkTIOW 


jL/YYie  to  Ldi  ihe/niP 
k.now  iiotu  cari&  / 


Vi:\ 


COhriTTLL  FOR  CaHL 
Ollia  Partridge-  Open  Shelf  Department 
Margaret  LeKis  -  Scuth  Boston  Branch  Library 
Milired  Somes  -  Book  Preparation  repartitient 
15  April  1?62 


™ 


hesiion 


B^A^ 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRAW 


JULY      1962 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 

Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 
Volume  XVII  Number  7  July  1962 


Publications  Cormtiittee:  Jean  Babcock,  Margaret  Butler,  Janice  Maniscalco, 

Thomas  J,  Manning,'  Sarah "Richman,  Catherine 
Richmond,  Edwin  G,  Sanford,  Anna  Scanlon, 
I,  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  K,  Usher, 
Indexer,  William  T,  Casey,  Chairman. 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 


This  month  the  editorial  place 

Will 'be  missing  from  this  space 

When  all  is  said,  this  is  July 

Too  warm  to  think  -  to  hot  to  try  - 

Our  mood  is  not,  as  you  can  guess 

To  sermonize  -  but  to  digress  - 

To  ^  day-dream  not  really  new 

Which  we  vjould  like  to  share  with  you. 

First  of  all,  we'd  like  to  see 
Staffs  Xirho  work  in  harmor^; 
Central  and  Branches  all  supplied 
\Jith  the  properly  qualified 
Assistants  who  \rill   never  shirk 
Assistants  v;ho  are  Rlad  to  work; 
Salary  scales  that  get  better-a 
For  P. 's,  N.P.'s,  V.P. >s  etcetera; 
Sabbaticals  for  those  vrho  labored 
llany  years  to  be  so  favored j 
Air-conditioning  for  each  imit 
Muzak  piped  (but  please  don't  croon  it) 
Playing  airs  from  Bach,  Puccini- 
Librarians  dressed  by  0,  Cassinij 
More  new  branches  -  we  need  to  plan  some 
A  De  Ferrari  to  finance  'em; 
And  if  that  time  does  ever  come 
We'll  have  reached  the  milleniumo 


•mf"^      -  -)Wjitrt:H»  jarrr-^' 


SARAH  RICHMAN 


tJi* 


mESIDMT'S  NOTES 

I-lr.  Gaines  has  been  working  on 
the  resialts  of  the  job  evaluation 
study  and  has  reached  the  conclusion 
that  certain  adjustments  should  be 
made  in  the  classifications  of  some 
positions  in  the  Library  "Assistants 
Service  in  the  near  future.  Miss 
Yotts,  Mr.  Polishook  and  Mr,  Rains, 
representing  the  Executive  Board, 
have  met  with  I'lr.  Gaines  and  have 
had  the   opportunity  to  examine  the 
tentative  proposals.  It  appears, 
at  this  tiiae,  that  several  new  steps 
are  needed  in  the  classification  in 
order  to  recognize  varying  degrees 
of  responsibilities  and  skills  in 
the  LA  Service, 

On  Friday,  29  June,  I'lr,  Gaines 
presented  an  outline  of  his  plan  to 
the  Trustees,  and  they  indicated 
their  willingness  to  have  tir.  Gaines 
proceed  with  the  study  and  present 
a  definite  plan  at  their  September 
meeting,  Mr,  Gaines  also  explained 
to  the  Trustees  that  the  money 
necessary  to  implement  the  plan  was 
not  available  at  this  time  but  that 
he  and  the  other  division  heads  felt 
confident  that  sxrCficient  savings 
coxild  be  effected  during  the  remain- 
der of  this  year  to  put  the  proposed 
adjustments  into  operation  about 
October  1. 

The  representatives  of  the  Exec- 
utive Board  who  have  had  the 
opportunity  to  examine  the  proposed 
plan  and  to  discuss  the  matter  with 
ilr.  Gaines  consider  the  proposals 
as  constructive  and  progressive, 
Mr,  Gaines  has  indicated  that  he 
will  keep  us  informed  as  plans  prog- 
ress. Although  it  appears,  and  it 
is  a  fact,  that  we  move  slowly,  we 
are  on  the  move. 

Your  President  is  grateful  to  the 
Trustees  for  their  grant  of  $1$0  to 
help  defray  his  expenses  at  the  ALA 
Conference  at  Miami  Beach,  The 
materials  we  took  along  made  a  very 
impressive  showing  at  the  SORT  e:ihi- 
bition  booth  and  provided  excellent 
publicity  both  for  our  Staff  Asso- 


ciation and  the  Boston  Public  Library, 
From  the  conversations  we  had  with 
members  of  other  associations  and 
from  what  we  heard  at  the  two  SORT 
meetings  we  may  safely  assiome  that 
the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Asso- 
ciation is  still  one  of  the  most 
active  and  progressive  associations 
in  the  country, 

■The  Steering  Committee  of  SORT  is 
preparing  a  lengthy  questionnaire 
concerning  personnel  policies  in  all 
the  member  associations.  The  results 
of  this  survey  should  prove  to  be  of 
considerable  practical  value  to  ad- 
ministrators and  staff  associations 
in  comparing  their  policies  governing 
vacations,  sick  leave,  pension  plans, 
etc,,  with  those  of  other  libraries. 

lir,  James  Monahan,  Chairman  of  the 
House  Committee  for  Men,  reports 
that  the  men's  quarters  ax'e  being 
maintained  in  excellent  conrlition  by 
the  men  in  the  Buildings  Department, 
VJe  have  .also  noted  that  the  entire 
building  appears  to  be  well  taken 
care  of.  Some  of  the  floors  are 
regaining  their  original  color  as 
layer  after  layer  of  accumulated 
grime  are  washed  away,  IJhile  we  are 
on  the  subject  let's  take  this  oppor- 
tunity to  thank  all  concerned  for  the 
rejuvenation  of  the  Coffee  Shop, 
Although  some  of  our  ladies  complain 
that  the  new  color  scheme  clashes 
with  their  wardrobes,  we  consider  it 
a  vast  improvement  over  the  erstwhile 
drab  buff. 

The  new  hospitalization,  surgical 
and  insurance  plan  will  be  in  effect 
by  the  time  this  issue  appears. 
There  will  obviously  be  some  savings 
for  those  who  elect  to  participate 
siiice  the  City  is  paying  half  the 
cost.  It  is  unfortunate  that  all 
the  details  of  the  plan  are  not  known 
at  this  time  and  it  is  equally  un- 
fortunate that  the  deadline  for 
joining  the  plan  preceded  publication 
of  all  the  information  one  would 
normally  expect^  However,  the  Per- 
sonnel Office  has  been  distributing 
al3.  available  information  as  quicklv 


-  3  - 


PERSONWEL  NOTES 
.Entered  Service 

Euth  Balka,  South  End 

John  P.  Celli,  Open  Shelf 

David  F.  Frary,  Open  Shelf 

Mrs.  Lois  Gordon,  Mattapan 

Mary  L.  Harrington,  Bookmobiles  - 
formerly  part-time 

Arthur  P,  Kastner,  Book  Stack  Service 

Mrs.  Gladys  L.  McDonnell,  Faneuil  - 
formerly  part-time 

Ronald  McLeod,  Central  Charging  Re- 
cords 

Eileen  F.  Shea,  VJashington  Village 

Cynthia  F.  Smith,  Music  Department 

Ann  M.  Stuart,  Kirstein  Business 
Branch 

A.  Robert  Phillips,  Periodical  and 
Newspaper  Department  -  formerly 
part-time 

Carolyn  A,  Traylor,  Charlestown 

Married 

Xenia  Deresz,  Central  Charging  Re- 
cords, to  Michael  R.  Maslowski, 
June  1,  1962 

Retired 

Mrs.  Lillian  N.  Wallace,  Book  Pre- 
paration Department,  June  30,  1962 

" Transferred 

Frank  P.  Bruno,  from  Science  and 
Technology  Department  to  Central 
•Charging  Records 

Jeannett  L,  Alfe,  from  South  End  to 
South  Boston 

Ceased  Service 

Mrs.  Lorraine  Barse,  Bookmobiles  - 
to  move  to  Washington,  D,  C, 

Ml*s.  Marianne  Boxenhorn,  Mattapan  - 
to  stay  at  home 

Mrs,  Marguerite  Franz,  Periodicals 
and  Newspapers  -  to  return  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Mrs.  Louise  R.  Goldschmidt,  South 
Boston  -  to  go  to  Egypt 

Paul  Marbick,  Periodical  and  News- 
paper Dey^artment  -  another  position 

Mrs.  Eleanor  Rude,  VJest  Roxb^ry  - 
moved  xjut^  of  shate 


David  T.  Sheehan,  General  Reference  - 

Librarian  at  Westwood  Public 

Library  . 
Rebecca  McGovern,  Hospital  Library 

Service 
Frances  Hale,  Personnel  Office 

(Northeastern  Student) 
Mrs.  Joella  Zivin,  Pare  Book  -  to 

move  to  Seattle,  Washington 

//////////////////////////////////// 

BRANCH  NOTES 


During  the  month  of  July  the  staff 
of  the  North  End  Branch  Library  has 
been  feeling  double  emotions.  We  are 
sad  to  be  losing  one  of  our  staff, 
but  at  the  same  time  happy  that  she 
is  going  to  be  married.  On  July  12 
Louise  Blanchard,  the  Children's 
Assistant,  is  leaving  us.  She  will 
be  married  on  July  21st  to  Lawrence 
Bigelow  Thompson  and  will  live  in  New 
York  City  where  she  plans  to  attend 
Library  school  while  working  at  the 
Donnell  Branch  of  the  New  York  Public 
Library. 

On  July  3rd  the  staff  celebrated 
with  Miss  Blanchard  by  taking  her  to 
the  Hotel  Vendome  for  a  delightful 
dinner.  The  staff  also  presented  her 
with  a  place  setting  of  her  china 
pattern.  Everyone  in  the  North  End 
will  miss  Miss  Blanchard  who  has 
endeared  herself  not  only  to  us  but 
also  to  the  children  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. We  all  wish  her  luck  and  future 
happiness  in  her  new  life. 

///////////////////////////////////// 


ENGAGEMENT 

Best  iri.shes  are  extended  to 
Patricia  Ashe,  Office  of  Records, 
Files  &  Statistics,  and  Charles  Tyner, 
Book  Stack  Service,  who  became  engaged 
on  June  29,  1962, 

///////////////////////////////////// 


TOAUGURAL  ADDRESS 


^k- 


"Students,  Libraries  and  the 
Educational  Process"  was  the  topic 
that  James.'E,  Bryan,  the  nexjly 
elected  president  of  A.L.A,,  took 
for  hi^'iAaugural' address.  It  was  • 
doxm  to  earth,  to  the  point,  and 
gave  us  all  plenty  of  food  for 
thought,       

I'lr-*  Bryan  began  by  saying  "Every 
pebble  dropped  into  the  educational 
pool . creates  waves  that  wash  the 
doorsteps  of  the  library."  lie 
should',not/l?e  astonished  at  the, 
great  increase  in  student  use  of. 
the  libraiy  vrhen  there  has  been  a   ,' 
14;  %   increase  in  High  School  enroll-' 
ment^'  and.. a  75  %   ixicrease  in  College 
enrollment  in  the.  past  decade. 
Furthermore,  school  programs  them-  '  "'■ 
selves  have  increased  student  use 
of  the,  libr.ary. 

As  the  body  of  knowledge  keeps 
expanding,  students  do  not  find 
sufficient  books  in  quantity  or  in 
quality  to  meet  their  needs.  Students 
now  elbow  -the  regular  library  readers  ' 
and  research  workers  aside.  This 
has  created  a  serious  problem  for 
metropolitan  libraries  in  particular. 
Restrictions  have  already  begun  to 
appear.  In  some  libraries,  students 
are' excluded  evenings,  student  use 
of '  periodicals  and  nex^^spapers  are 
prohibited  in  others,  and  colleges 
ai\4  .universities  are  withdrai-fing 
privileges  formerly  granted  to  towns- 
people. This,  Mr,  Bryan  insists,  is 
a  negative  approach  and  is  not  a 
solution. 

Some  of  _the  immediate  effects  of 
student  use  are:(l)  there  are  not' 
enough  seats,  (2)  service  is  slowed, 
(3)  students  are  thwarted.  Some 
librarians  are  terrified  with  the  ''  ' 
Imowledge  that  they  have  insuffi-  ' 
ci.ent  space,  books,  and  personnel  to 
meet -studfent  needs. 

To  quote  ¥ir,   Bryan  again,  "He  who 
thirsts  after  knowledge  gets 
thirstier,"  Students  are  dissatis- 
fied with  public  libraries J  and 
college  libraries  are  inadequate  to 
meet  the  growing  demands.  The  big- 
gest "gripe"  from  students  is  that 
the  book  collections  are  inadequate. 


VJhen  i'lr,  Bryan  meutioiiea  scj.euce 
projects  there  was  a  general  groan 
from  the  audience.  Students  now  use 
all  libraries  at  their  disposal 
including  home  and  special  libraries, 
rfost  of  their  time  is  divided  betT'Oen 
the  use-  -of  school  and  public  librai'- 
ies.  Librarians  have  underestimated 
the  insatiable  desire  to  read. 
Libraries  are  essential  to  the  edu- 
cational process,  not  just  an 
adjunct  to  it. 

Each  new  idea  is  built  on  what 
went  before.  Open  shelves  increase 
opportunities  for  individual  inqiii- 
sitiveness,.  and  the  process  of 
learning  by  discovery.  This  permits 
exposure  to  a  wide  range  of  ideas 
through  a  wide  range  of  books.  The 
contribution  of  libraries  is  signif- 
icant ill  its  obligations  to  the  total 
population.  The  fact  that  the  regular- 
public  is  being  dri-yen  from  libraries, 
by  the  increased  student  use  is  un- 
fortunate. Libraries  must  take  into 
account  the  increasing  adult  popula- 
tion and  must  anticipate  future  needs. 
Libraries  are  essential  to  the 
educational  fabric. 

Students  need  materials  regardless 
of  geographical  or  political  bound- 
aries. Students  have  come  to  use  all 
types  of  libraries  as  tirae,  mobility, 
and  dis-tance  will  permit,  IJhile 
standards  of  efficiency  i-ri.ll  not 
solve  the  problem,  standards  for 
school  and  college  libraries  are 
essential:  which  library  is  to  do 
what?  A  library  system  with  regional 
reference  service  is  necessary. 
There  is  need  £br  improvement  of 
communication  between  libraries, 
particularly  in  re^^ard  to  referral 
and  interlibrary  loan,  lir,  Bryan 
indicated  that  the  1963  conference 
will  decil  with  the  problem  of  student 
use  and  cooperative  library  programs, 
Mr.  Bryan  ended  his  address  on  this 
note  i   "We  can  do  more  with  v;hat  we 
have  if  we  share  it," 

■   ■■---■■  BRADFORD  K.  KILL 

///////////////////////////// 


-i;-' 


LIBRARY  ADFiD^IoTRATION  DIVISION 


The  Personnel  Administration  Section 
of  LAD  held  a  panel  discussion  with 
Rutherford  D,  Rogers  of  the  Library 
of  Congress  as  moderator.  Robert 
Vosper  of  the  University  of  California 
emphasized  the  desirability  of  design- 
ing salary  scales  to  give  recognition 
to  s\±iject  specialists  equivauLent  to 
that  accorded  library  administrators; 
the  tendency  to  pay  administraters 
higher  salaries  works  to  the  disad- 
vantage of  the  highly  qualified 
librarians  who  stay  witH  their  profes^ 
.sioiial  spiecialty,'  PYancis  St."  John  of 
Brooklyn  Public  Library  spoke  of  the 
value  of  in-service  training,  both 
formal  and  informal,  Howard  M,  Smith 
of  Richmond,  Va,,  Public  Library 
entered  a  plea  for  service  rating, 
H,  Gordon  Bechanan  of  Harvard  made 
some  general  observations  on  selec- 
tion of  personnel  for  promotion.  From 
the  discussions  it  x^ras  fair  to  draw 
the  inference  that  personnel  problems 
are  perennial  and  universal.  None 
of  the  speakers  broke  anij'"  new  groimd, 
but  they  all  highlighted  questions 
that  trouble  managers. 

The  Recruiting  Comnittee  and  the 
Public  Relations  Section  of  LAD 
summarized  ALA's  efforts  to  create 
a  nationwide  recruiting  drive  for 
librarianship.  Delays  in  ALA  Head- 
quarters in  processing  and  answering 
queries  from  persons  interested  in 
librarianship  caused  some  comment 
from  the  floor. 

The  Library  Organization  and 
Management  Section  of  LAD  held  a 
panel  discussion  on  methods  of 
leadership.  The  two  speakers. 
Professor  Vynce  A,  Hines  of  the 
University  of  Florida  and  Charles 
F,  Amadan,  a  school  principal, 
pleaded  the  case  for  non-authori- 
tarian techniques  in  directing  groups. 
They  placed  special  value  on  indirect 
methods  and  group  participation. 
However,  the  advice  offered  to  admin- 
istrators avoided  the  hard  question 
of  hov7  to  make  decisions  which 
adversely  affect  the  status  of 
employees. 
The  Federal  courts  will  soon  make 
clear  that  no  books  may  be  censored 
for  obscenity  unless  they  are  demon- 
strably "hard  dore"  pornography.  Such 


was  the  prediction  of  Professor 
Robert  C,  McClure  of  the  University 
of  Minnesota  who  addressed  the  con- 
vention on  the  subject,  "Obscenity 
and  the  Law,"  At  a  large  evening 
meeting  ¥ir,   licClure  traced  the  de- 
velopment of  recent  Supreme  Court 
decisions  which  indicate  a  marked 
drift  toward  the  freeing  of  liter- 
ature from  restraints,  Mr,  HcClure's 
unmistakeable  approval  of  this  legal 
development  stimulated  some  acriraoni- 
ous  comm.ent  from  members  of.  the  audi- 
ence who  did  not  agree  about  the 
wisdom  or  desirability  of  further 
slackening  the  restraints  on  the  legal 
definition  of  obscenity.  The  discus- 
sion period  was,  predictably,  as 
lively  as  the  address, 

ERVIN  J,  GADIES 

/////////////////// 

LIBRARY  EQUIPMENT  INSTITUTE 

The  Librarj^  Equipment  Institute, 
sponsored  by  the  Library  Administra- 
tion Division  of  the  Aiaerican  Library 
Association  was  held  at  the  University 
of  Miami,  Coral  Gables,  Florida, 
June  lU  tlirough  June  l6,  1962, 

One  of  the  problems  often  voiced  by 
librarians  attending  the  Annual  Con- 
ferences of  the  American  Library  Asso- 
ciation was  that  they  did  not  have  the 
opportunity  to  inspect  library  equip- 
ment with  care  and  veve  unaole  to  make 
comparisons  to  determine  which  product 
best  met  their  needs. 

The  three-day  Institute  was  there- 
fore planned  and  manufacturers  and 
suppliers  of  library  equipment  and 
supplies  placed  their  products  on  dis- 
play on  the  main  floor  of  the  new, 
magnificent  Otto  G,  Richter  Library 
which  dominates  the  campus  of  the  Univ- 
ersity of  Miami,  No  booths  were  as- 
signed and  no  space  allocated  to  a  par- 
ticular manufacturer  or  supplier. 
Equipment  was  grouped  by  t;iTpesj  all 
shelving  was  arranged  together,  also 
card  catalog  cabinets,  as  xxell  as 
tables,  chairs,  microfilm  readers, 
book  copiers,  reader  printers,  and 
other  equipment.  This  arrangement 
gave  those  attending  the  Institute  the 
unusual  opportunity  of  examining  and 
comparing  products  in  which  they  xrere 

interested, 

conto 


-6- 


During  the  Institute,  prograras  were 
presented  at  morning,  afternoon,  and 
evening  sessions  where  outstanding 
speakers  representing  libraries  and 
manufacturers  discussed  furniture 
selection  for  libraries,  equipinent  and 
methods  in  photocopying  with  special 
emphasis  on  copying  from  bound  volumes, 
and  equipment  and  methods  in  the  pro- 
duction of  full-size  copy  from  micro- 
text. 

The  panel  discussion  on  Saturday 
evening  was  devoted  entirely  to  the 
ansvrering  of  questions  by  the  experts 
who  had  appeared  on  each  of  the  panels 
during  the  course  of  the  Institute, 

JOHN  J.  COiraOLLY 

////////////////////////////// 

ADULT  SERVICES  DIVISION 

The  big  news  emanating  from  the 
Adult  Services  Division  was  the  im- 
pending publication  of  the  Reading 
for  an  Age  of  Change  guides.  All 
three  meetings  at  Miami  focused  on 
the  presentation  and  promotion  of  this 
series. 

As  explained  at  the  meetings,  these 
guides  have  been  prepared  by  ALA  with 
the  financial  assistance  of  the 
Carnegie  Corporation  to  aid  the 
better-educated,  individual  reader. 
They  will  be  released  as  Public 
Affairs  Committee  pamphlets  selling 
for  sixty  cents  a  single  copy. 

The  guides  will  cover  current 
developments  in  space  science,  the 
conteirporary  arts,  freedom  of  the 
mind,  the  new  economics  and  the  ex- 
panding population.  The  format  will 
be  the  same  for  all:  an  introductory 
essay  by  an  acknowledged  authority 
in  the  field  f olloxired  by  an  annotated 
bibliography  of  key  books.  In  the 
only  guide  yet  available,  the  expert 
providing  the  background  essay  on 
Space  Science  is  the  noted  physicist 
and  author  Ralph  Lapp, 

Bartlett  Hayes,  Director  of  the 
Addison  Art  Gallery  and  author  of  the 
Contemporary  Arts  guide  essay  (sche- 
duled for  September  publication) 
opened  the  Adult  Services  meeting  on 
Tuesday  afternoon  with  an  excellent 
program  on  modern  art,  Mr,  Hayes 


began  by  demonstrating  with  color 
slides  that  pictures  of  such  prosaic 
objects  as  a  wash-line  or  the  internal 
workings  of  a  teleidsion  set  can  be 
incomprehensible  if  not  seen  in  a 
familiar  setting.  Similarly  it  is  ti; 
background  and  the  attitude  that  we 
bring  to  modern  art  that  determine  our 
viewing  experience, 

VJednesday  night  brought  lively 
group  discussions  of  the  books  already 
selected  for  the  Space  Science,  Con- 
ter,porar;>"  Arts  -and  Freedom  of  the  i-iind 
guides.  It  also  elicited  many  useful 
suggestions  for  the  guides'  interpre- 
tation and  promotion;  among  them:  that 
a  collection  of  books  listed  on  the 
guides  be  rotated  among  branch  librar- 
ies for  display  and  circulating  pur- 
poses; that  Friends  of  the  Library  be 
asked  to  donate  copies  for  circulation 
or  possibly  free  distribution. 

How  libraries  could  cooperate  with 
other  libraries  or  with  museums,  and 
technical  firms  on  programs  to  intro- 
duce the  guides  was  illustrated  at 
the  Thursday  morning  session,  "Adven- 
tures of  an  Asterisk"  was  shox^n  as  an 
example  of  a  film  that  might  be  used 
in  connection  with  the  Contemporary 
Arts  guide,  Ralph  Ellsworth  and  Dan 
Lacy  in  their  brief  dialogue  on  intel- 
lectual freedom  suggested  still  an- 
other format.  Those  attending  the 
sessions  left  x-rith  much  enthusiasm 
and  a  wealth  of  ideas  for  utilizing 
the  guide  in  their  own  library  sj.tua- 
tion, 

KATHLEEN  B,  HEGARTY 

//////////////////////////// 


NOTE 


The  offer  to  match  contributions 
to  iroBH-TV  still  holds  good  (  up  to 
$25.00),  Please  send  contributions 
to  Edna  G,  Peck,  Book  Selection 
Department,  Home  Reading  and  Commim- 


ity  Services. 


-7- 


YOUNG  ADULTS  SERVICES  DIVISIOM 

A  real  "hit"  of  the  Conference  was 
the  discussion  program  of  the  Young 
Adult  Services  Division  on  The  Modern 
Fiction  Writer  and  His  View  of  the 
World,  Almost  UOO  librarians,  editors , 
publishers  heard  Dr.  Fred  Shaw  of 
tiiaiTii  University  call  on  them  to  give 
yoiing  people  the  broadest  reading  ex- 
perience by  providing  provocative, 
well-WPitten,  substantial  books,  by  not 
denying  young  people  those  books  which 
may  be  disturbing  to  adults.  Librar- 
ians should  lead  in  the  fight  for  in- 
tellectual freedom,  asking  why  a  book 
is  not  on  the  shelves.  Our  young 
people  need  to  read  books  that  inter- 
pret and  illuminate  their  o>m  society 
and  relate  to  their  ovm  problems. 
Certainly  modern  writers  like  VJolfe, 
Salinger,  Steinbeck,  Faulloier,  Fitz- 
gerald, Orwell,  Lee,  Maugham,  Camus, 
and  Huxley  speak  directly  to  young 
people  and  are  significant  at  this 
time  of  their  lives. 

Dr.  Shaw's  masterly  talk  was  a 
springboard  and  the  groups  at  the 
round  tables  dived  into  give-and-take 
analyses  of  their  pre-assigned  books. 
Judgements  and  views  were  expressed, 
argued,  conceded  -  until  an  agreement 
was  recorded  for  the  group  on  the 
ideas  and  attitudes  in  the  books  with 
their  impact  and  influence  on  the 
adolescent's  groi-rbh,  both  emotional 
and  intellectual, 

Jane  Manthorne  led  a  probing  dis- 
cus'sion  on  three  of  Graham  Greene's 
books j  at  another  table  Ervin  Gaines 
guided  a  thoughtful  study  of  the  values 
for  teen-agers  of  John  Hersey's  Child 
Buyer  and  Bell  for  Adane;  not  far  away, 
Pauline  Winnick's  table  debated  the 
qualities  and  maturity  of  Hemingway's 
heroes  and  the  relevance  of  the  themes 
of  Fareviell  to  Arms  and  For  Whom  the 
Bell  ToUs  to  today's  youth. 

Reporters  revealed  agreement  of  . 
these  points:  vfherever  these  fine 
books  may  be  in  the  library,  however 
controversial  or  frank  they  may  be  - 
and  they  were  not  x-jritten  especially 
for  young  people  -  ,  these  are  truly 
works  of  literature  by  first  rank 
authors  and  offer  insight,  valuea,  and 
grovrth  to  young  people. 

Without  a  doubt,  this  program  will 
have  a  sequel. 


The  YOUIIG  ADULT  SERVICES  DIVISION 
reported  its  activities  and  problems 
at  the  business  meeting  on  the  final 
day  of  the  Conference,  Since  there 
mil  be,  in  1970,  k3%   rriore  teen-agers 
than  in  I960  and  double  the  nmijer  ::.n 
19^0,  the  Division's  e::pa.-diiig  acoi-.i- 
ties  to  serve  this  age  group  in  all 
types  of  libraries  necessitate  more 
professional  and  non-professional 
staff.  In  November,  ALA's  Program 
Evaluation  and  Budget  Comrd.ttee  will 
be  able  to  assess  its  funds  more  accu- 
rately and  make  a  decision  on  this 
request. 

The  unusual  amount  of  involvement 
vri-th  other  national  organizations  and 
projects  was  detailed  and  BPL's  Jane 
Manthorne  was  cited  for  the  list 
VJHOLE  ^-JCRLD  IN  YOUR  FJU-DS,  prepared 
for  the  UH  Clubs,  The  Division  re- 
ceived an  award  for  its  cooperation 
\rith   the  Girl  Scouts  of  America,  and 
President  Morton  was  present  to  accept 
the  plaque  most  graciously. 

Among  the  reading  lists  in  prepara- 
tion are  Adult  Books  for  Slow  High 
School  Readers,  Africa,  Child  in 
Trouble,  and  a  sequel  to  BOOK  BAIT, 

The  Peace  Corps  will  be  of  special 
concern  to  YASD  this  year,  since  high 
school  graduates  mth  practical  skills 
need  to  be  recruited.  Earlier  in  the 
week  at  a  meeting  of  the  ALA  Interna- 
tional Relations  Committee  Peace  Corps 
Subcommittee,  Edwin  Castagna  had  ex- 
plored the  role  of  the  library'-  and  of 
books  in  promoting  the  objectives  of 
the  Peace  Corps  and  Mrs.  Aiine  Doyle 
of  the  Corps  had  given  an  ir-formal  re- 
port and  shown  a  film  of  the  Peace 
Corps  -people  in  the  field,  BPL's 
Coordinator  of  Young  Adults  Services, 
in  the  audience,  was  asked  to  give  an 
impromptu  description  of  the  Peace 
Corps  programs  already  held  in  the 
Boston  Branch  Libraries,  and  Mrs. 
Doyle  (formerly  with  Channel  2)  was 
one  of  those  warmly  interested  in  the 
young  adults'  responsiveness, 

Sara  Slebert,  this  year's  dynamic 
president,  introduced  her  successor, 
Lucile  Hatch,  associate  Professor, 
School  of  Librarians hip.  University  of 
Denver,  As  the  presidency  alternates 
between  public  librarians  and  school 
librarians,  the  office  in  196U  will  be 
held  by  14rs.  Audrey  Biel,  Chief  of  the 
Young  Adult  Department,  Detroit  Public 


k&d 


CATALOG  CODE  REVISION  COMITTEE 

The  Catalog  Code  Revision  CoiTimit- 
tee  held  precoruerence  meetings  at 
the  Fontainebleau  on  Saturday  and 
S\inday,  June  16-17.  The  agenda  was 
mainly  devoted  to  consideration  of 
the  points  raised  by  the  Library  of 
Congress  and  the  Association  of 
Research  Libraries  in  their  separate 
studies  of  the  Paris  Statement  of 
Principles  drawn  up  by  the  I.F.L.A, 
International  Conference  on  Cata- 
loging Principles  in  October  1961, 

A  coi.imittee  of  ARL  had  submitted 
in  advance  a  copy  of  its  report  to 
ARL  recomraending  approval  of  the 
Paris  principles  with  two  exceptions: 

(1)  the  treatment  of  serials  and 

(2)  certain  aspects  of  entry  of 
corporate  bodies.  At  the  meeting 
of  ARL  on  Saturday,  June  16,  the 
report  draim  up  by  the  ARL  comrrattee 

-was  approved, 

A  letter  from  the  Librarian  of 
Congress  agreed  to  the  appointment 
of  Sumner  Spalding  as  editor  of  the 
Code,  provided  changes  were  made  in 
six  specified  rules,  T-Jyllis  Wright, 
Chairman  of  CCRC,  pointed  out  that 
the  Library  of  Congress  and  the 
American  Library  Association  have 
for  thirty  years  adopted  a  position 
of  mutual  consideration  in  changes 

'in  cataloging  rules. 

The  Committee  considered  the  riiles 
cited  and  voted  on  certain  changes. 
However,  on  serials  the  vote  was  to 
retain  entr;^--  01  serials  under  suc- 
cessive titles  with  the  recommenda- 
tion that  L.C,  continue  to  enter 
imder  latest  title  (this  alternative 
was  suggested  by  Lucille  Horsch), 
A  coriimittee  of  Miss  Morsch,  Mr, 
Spalding,  and  i-ir,  Wright  was  asked 
to  draw  up  a  compromise  statement 
on  the  entry  of  institutions,  CCRC 
believed  the  principles  of  entry 
approved  at  the  Paris  Conference 
should  be  followed,  but  certain 
changes  could  be  made  that  would 
reduce  the  impact  of  the  cost  of 
putting  the  rules  into  effect. 

The  Morsch-Spalding-Wright  com^ 
promise  rule  was  submitted  to  CCRC 
on  Sunday  and  approved.  Mr, 
Spalding  will  work  out  the  details 
of  the  rule  and  submit  them  for 
consideration  later,  perhaps  at  Mid- 
winter Conference, 


The  publication  of  the  code  is  now 
Scheduled  fot-  late  196ki 

MILDRED  Ci  0* CONNOR 

//////////////////////////// 

FOREIGN  ACQUISITIONS 

To  lure  individuals  away  from  the 
library  school  dinners  on  Thursday 
evening  the  Acquisitions  Section  of 
the  Resources  and  Technical  Services 
Division  presented  an  informative 
program  on  acquisitions  from  the  new- 
ly developing  areas  of  East  Europe, 
the  Middle  East,  Southeast  Asia,  Latin 
America,  Far  East,  and  Africa, 

In  these  areas  the  book  dealers, 
x-/ho  are  the  principal  source  of  supply, 
have  only  the  material  published  in 
their  own  countries.  If  the  country 
is  large,  as,  e.g.  iJigeria,  one  dealer 
cannot  cover  the  whole  coimtrj''.  Ar- 
rangements must  be  made  with  multiple 
dealers,  which  may  result  in  duplica- 
oion  of  some  titles.  However,  this 
is  a  risk  that  libraries  in  the 
United  States  are  willing  to  take  be~ 
cause  publications  go  out  of  print  so 
quickly. 

In  Africa  material  is  published  in 
European  languages,  but  the  output 
is  iiicreasingly  appearing  in  non- 
western  languages.  The  speakers 
generally  agreed  that  research  librar- 
ies should  acquire  materials  in  non- 
western  languages  and  noted  that  many 
college  libraries  ai-e  iiiaking  special 
acquisition  efforts  in  this  direction, 
Hans  Panofsky  vrho  is  in  charge  of 
African  acquisitions  at  Northwestern 
University  Library,  said  tlaat  the 
most  effective  way  to  get  material 
is  to  train  African  librarians  to 
strengthen  their  new  institutions  so 
that  they  will  make  material  avail- 
able. 

In  Southeast  Asia  the  Farmington 
Plan  covers  eight  of  the  nine  coun- 
tries, Siiice  twenty  languages  are 
spoken,  Cornell  University  has  found 
it  desirable  to  supplement  the  Farm- 
ington Plan  by  direct  acquisitions 
through  foreign  students,  faculty, 
travelling  fellows  and  through  ex- 
changes vjith  libraries  in  this 
country, 

cont. 


-9--V.C. 


In  the  Far  East  the  bulletins  of 
the  ■•  national 'cfentifal  libraries  are 
good  sources  of  information  on 
materials  published  in  the  country. 

In  East  Europe  titles  imist  be 
selected  pronptly ' f rom  the  prepub- 
lication  lists  (one  to  two  yesirs  'in 
advahce)  of  an  officially  designated 
outlet'.  Because  of  limited  editions, 
failiire  to  follow  this  procedure 
will  mean  that  a  desired  title  will 
not  be  available.  In  the  USSR 
general  or  blanlcet  orders  are  now 
accepted,  ... 

At  the  urging  of  the  audience 
arrangements  vdll  be  made  to  publish 
the  papers"  in  Library  Resources  and 
Technical  Services, 

LULDRED  C.  O'COi^OR 

•-    //////////////// 

ADVMIGED  DATA  PROCESS  BIG  TECffiJIQUES 

A  symposium  on  the  applications  of 
advanced  data  processing  techniques 
to  library  procedures  reported  a 
joint  effort  by  the  Chicago  Under- 
graduate Division,  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  Library  aiid  the  General 
Electric  Company.  Edward  Heiliger, 
Librarian,  was  the  moderator. 

The  Chicago  Undergraduate  Division ' 
is  -now  a  two-year  program  on  Navy 
Fiery  has  U600  students  and  100,000 
volumes.  At  its  pi-oposed  new  canipus 
near  the  Chicago  Loop  it  expects  to 
provide  a  four-yesir  degree  orogram 
to  have  20,000  students  by  1969/70, 
with  the  book  collection  expanding. . .  - 
to  1  million  books  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. To  cope  Xifith  the  si+uation  the 
use  of  rachinery  was  deemed  necessary. 
A  grant  from  the  Council  on  Library 
Resources  made  it  possible  to  under- 
take a  three  year,  survey  to  deteririine 
v;hat  system  brought  the  flow  of 
information  under  the  best  control. 
It  was  intended  to  undertake  floi,/ 
diagrams  for  acquisitions,  serials, ^ 
descriptive  cataloging,  and  refer*' 
ence.  However,  the  reference  ques- 
tions were  very  general  and  few 
required  a  coordinated  approach  to 
information.  It  was  decided  that  it  " 
was  not  practical  to  consider  infor- 
mation retrieval  for  the  reference 


situation  at  the  University  of 
ntihois  Libr&rjr. 

The  staff  of  the  Cataloging  Dept. 
haS 'prepared  logical  flow  charts, 
but  it  was  found  that  the  work  was 
not  always  done  in  the  order  listed. 
This  part  of  the  project  will  have 
to  be  restudied. 

Some  cost  studies  of  the  project 
showed  that  it  cost  $8,05  to  catalog 
a  book,  $U.35  for  the  rest  of  the 
processing. 

With  the  initial  survey  and  inves- 
tigation finished.  General  Electric 
designed  a  new  system  for  the  library. 
The  programming  of  the  system  has 
bai>ely  started  and  represents  the 
bulk  of  the  work  yet  to  be  done, 

Greg  Williams,  consulting  opera- 
tions analyst  for  General  Electric, 
summarized  the  symposium  by  saying 
that  people  do  people  things  and 
machines  do  machine  things,  i'iachines 
can  only  add  shift.  Only  the 
librarian  can  take  the  mass  of  sym- 
bols and  organize  them  so  that  the 
patron  can  use  themo 

MLDRED  C,  O'COfflJCR 

////////////////// 

JESSE  SHERA 

At.  the  joint  luncheon  of  the 
Cataloging  and  CladPification  Section 
with  the  RTSD  Serials  Section  on 
Tuesday,  June  19,  the  Ikrgsret  Mann 
citation  was  awarded  to  Wyllis  Wright, 
Chairman  of  the  Catalog  Code  Revision 
Cora^Tittee , 

Jesse  Shera,  School  of  Library 
Science,  Western  Reserve  University, 
spoke  briefly  on  Automation  and  the 
Future  of  Cataloging.  He  grouped 
togethor  as  a  lot  of  nonsense  the 
researchers'  emphasis  on  method  and 
the  sentimenx.ality  of  catalogers, 
I'ir,  Shera  said  that  Western  Reserve 
is  concerned  x;ith  the  rising  flood 
of  materials  and  the  manner  in  wliich 
the  materials  are  used.  Almost 
nothing  is  known  of  the  irystical 
relationship  between  the  mind  and 
the  printed  page  -  a  book  is  what 
the  individual  makes  of  it, 

Cont, 


-10- 


The  problem  of  organizing  material 
for  retrieval  is  basically  one  of 
commionication.  Someone  needs  to  de-> 
vise  a  system  to  bring  out  the  con-- 
tent  of  documentation.  In  order  to 
give  access  to  it. 

Western  Reserve  began  with  an 
analysis  of  language,-,  the  parsing 
of  sentences,  the  relations  of  words, 
and  devised  semantic  codes.  Patterns 
of  use  were  built  into  the  codes  and 
a  highly  stylized  system  developed. 

The  fact  that  the  system  is  on 
computers  is  incidental  -  a  machine 
is  good  only  in  that  it  can  handle 
complex  relationships  expeditiously. 
Machines  are  abused  and  their  func- 
tion distorted  by  asking  them  to  do 
what  already  exists.  It  would  be 
ridiculous  for  example,  to  put  the 
index  to  the  Syntopicon  on  magnetic 
tape. 

Machines  sho\ild  be  asked  to  do 
what  man  cannot  do  easily,  A 
machine  remembers,  A  machine  cor- 
relates and  compares.  The  limita- 
tions never  go  beyond  the . system 
put  into  the  machine. 

The  challenge  is  to  build  machines 
to  emulate  the  mental  process.  The 
brain  has  random  access  and  machines 
do  not.  A  stimulus  floods  the  brain, 
hits  the  right  neuron  and  pvills  out 
the  desired  information.  The  brain's 
power  of  selection  is  fantastic. 
The  brain  works  by  patterns  of  rec- 
ognition, 

l;iJhat  is  a  book  that  a  man  may 
know  it  and  what  is  a  man  that  he 
may  know  a  book  -  this  is  the  key 
to  our  research. 

The  challenge  to  librarianship  is 
the  nev;  things  of  the  world  today, 
but  it  is  not  easy  to  forget  the 
dogmas  of  the  past.  The  world  is 
moving  faster  than  our  bibliogra- 
phical instruments, 

MILDRED  C,  O'CONNOR 
////////////////// 

REPORT  ON  ALA  CONFERENCE 

I'iy   special  interest  in  ALA's  1962 
Conference  at  Mami  was  the  "Pre- 
Conference  Public  Relations  Work- 
shop", I've  been  around  long  enough 


to  suspect  pretentious  terminology, 
and  to  be  allergic  to  the  contrived 
or  phony,  I  can  say  this  in  all 
sincerity:  the-sessions  of  the  pre- 
Conference  were  well-planned  ahd 
well-run;  the  matter  vras  Bubstahtial> 
the  tone  and  motivation  practical^ 
There  were  two  days  of  sessions,  on 
Friday  and  Saturday,  June  1^  -  l6 
and  a  wind-up  dinner  on  Saturday 
night.  The  meetings  were  sponsored 
by  the  Library  Periodicals  Ro\md 
Table,  the  Public  Relations  Section 
of  ALA'S  Library  Administration 
Division  and  the  Subdommittee  on 
.Broadcasting  of  ALA's  Audio-Visual 
CoiTimittee,  (Someday  xfe'll  explain 
just  what  Round  Tables,  Sections, 
Committees,  etc.,  are;  for  the  pres- 
ent,, be  it  understood  that  they  are 
organizational  units  of  the  compli- 
cated structure  that  has  been  created 
to  fit  a  complicated  profession's 
multi-faceted  interests  and  func- 
tions). 

You  could  take  your  choice  of 
sessions:  Publications,  Exhibits, 
Broadcasting.  I  took  Publications, 
partly  because  the  program  looked 
so  practical  and  partly  because  I 
had  met  the  program  chairman, 
idldred  Hennessey,  PR  Director  of 
Queensboro  P,  L, ,  and  I  knew  she 
was  smart,  down-to-earth,  and  effi- 
cient. She  had  two  of  her  Queensboro 
assistants  \-j±th   her,  and  heaps  of 
illustrative  material,   (I've  found 
that  few  large  libraries  have  a  news 
bulleting  that  tries  to  do  what  BPL 
News  does.  We're  fairly  well  off 
there,  I  guess;  where  we're  weak 
right  now  -  and  have  been  for  years  - 
is  in  the  preparation  of  informa- 
tional and  promotional  leaflets, 
narrative  type  annual  reports,  modern 
style  posters,  signs,  book  lists, 
etc,)  Topics  included  discussion  of 
publication  policies;  design  and 
format;  and  printing  processes, 
Queensboro  scored  high,  I  thought. 

On  Saturday  afternoon  the  Publica- 
tions and  Exhibits  people  joined  the 
Broadcasting  Session  to  hear  some 
talks  by  radio-TV  industry  people 
from  New  York  and  St,  Louis  and  a 
general  summation  of  the  PR  function 
of  libraries  by  experienced,  witty 

Cont, 


JJ.- 


Sarah  Wallace,  PR  officer  for 
imnneapolis, 

I  had  accepted  a  noinination,  from 
out  of  the  blue,  to  become  Vice 
Chairman  of  the  Library  Periodicals 
Round  Table,  Since  LFRT  was  some- 
thing of  a  puzzle  and  had  not  been 
very  active,  getting  together  to 
review  its  status,' and  to  see  where 
we  were  to  ^o  next,  was  a  major 
concern  of  the  five  of  us  who  rep- 
resented the  incoming  officers. 
Since  we  were  from  widely  separated 
corners  of  the  US  -  San  Antonio, 
Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Boston  and 
I'iiSjni  the  opportunity  of  meeting 
was  important.  On  Sunday  morning 
we  met  at  breakfast  -  we  five,  plus 
Sarah  VJallace  and  Mildred  Hennessy 
(who  had  been  LPRT  Chairmsn),  and 
Samray  Smith,  editor  of  ALA  Bulletin, 
who  served  as  ALA  lias  on  vjith  LPRT, 
Other  meetings  followed,  on  Monday 
and  Tuesday,  sandwiched  in  between 
doings  of  the  regular  ALA  Conference, 

One  thing,  we  decided,  was  that 
if  the  organization's  purpose  was 
to  improve  the  publications  of 
libraries  (and  specifically  the 
informational  and  promotional  type 
of  publication),  the  LPRT  title 
was  a  misnomer,   (Miss  Hennessy 
said  that  one  of  her  worst  problems 
as  Chairman  had  been  receiving 
letters  from  people  about  periodi- 
cals, as  if  LPRT  had  to  do  iirith 
periodicals,  as  suchi)  We  decided, 
also,  that  instead  of  having  a 
"Round  Table"  -  a  kind  of  step- 
child unit,  free  wheeling  but 
likely  to  be  ill-financed  and  ill 
defined  -  the  function  of  promoting 
improved  informational  sind  promo- 
tional pubs  belonged  in  the  Public 
Relations  Section  of  the  Library 
Adr.iinistration  Division,  Let  it, 
we  said,  (as  our  insight  into  the 
complexities  of  ALA  grew  apace  with 
our  new  motivations)  be  a  "Committee" 
of  the  PR  Section  of  L,A,D.  (Pardon 
the  alphabetical  jargon,  it's  a 
complex  world i )  The  matter  is  likely 
to  be  brought  up  at  A.L,A,  «s  Md- 
winter  meeting. 

Was  the  conference  worth  ^^^hile? 
I  think  so,  quite  strongly.  As  the 
Library's  representative,  I  picked 
up  useful  ideas  at  the  workshop  . 


sessions,  came  to  laiaw  PR  people 
of  other  large  libraries,  and  - 
like  every  other  BPL  staff  member 
who  was  in  Miami  -  added  ny  own 
little  bit  of  Boston  to  the  pro- 
ceedings, 

I  left  early  Wednesday  morning, 
so  I  didn't  see  all  of  the  regular 
Conference,  but  what  I  did  see  was 
impressive. 

FRMCIS  X,  MOLONEY 
////////////////// 


OLD  FACES  BI  NEW  PLACES 

The  Science  and  Technology  Depart- 
ment is  mourning  the  loss  of  their 
valuable  reference  assistant,  Frank 
Bruno.  On  June  27th  Franlc  entered 
the  nex-J  realm  of  Central  Charging 
Records  as  Executive  Library  Assist- 
ant. 

Although  the  Reference  Division 
vrLll  be  poorer  for  the  loss  of  his 
outstanding  reference  abilities,  we 
congratulate  him  on  his  appointment 
to  this  important  assignment. 

The  History  Department  has  also 
suffered  a  loss  with  the  transfer 
of  Macy  Itergolis  to  the  General 
Reference  Department.  Macy  is  known 
tliroughout  the  Reference  Division 
for  his  knowledge  of  languages,  and 
his  ability  to  solve  difficult  ref- 
erence problems  with  great  accuracy 
and  in  great  depth. 

The  General  Reference  Department 
is  to  be  congratulated  on  the 
acquisition  of  one  of  the  Library's 
best  reference  workers. 

The  Charlestown  Branch  Library's 
loss  is  the  gain  of  the  Reference 
Cataloging  &  Classification  Depart- 
ment with  the  transfer  of  I'liss 
Suzanna  Gill, 

Mss  Gill  had  worked  at  the  East 
Boston  Branch  Library  and  the  Book- 
mobile before  going  to  Charlestoxm, 
We  hope  she  will  be  very  happy  in 
her  new  assignicent. 


//////////////////// 


.124 


ACRL  AT  MIAMI 


The  first  meeting  of  the  Associ- 
ation of  College  and  Research  Librar- 
ies was  held  on  Tuesday  evening. 
Dr.  Robert  A.  Miller,  Director  of 
Libraries,  University  of  Indiana, 
was  the  main  speaker;  his  topic  was 
"25  Years  as  a  University  Librarian." 

In  reviewing  the  tvjenty-five  years 
of  ACRL  Dr.  Miller  pointed  out  the 
weaknesses  and  failures  as  i-rell  as 
the  accomplishments  of  university 
libraries  during  this  period  of 
tremendous  growth.  He  said  that 
graduate  study  has  given  research 
an  impetus  that  university  librar- 
ies have  found  difficult  to  keep 
up  with.  In  forecasting  the  future. 
Dr.  Mller  indicated  that  the  prob- 
lems xjould  become  more  acute  with 
the  exploding  population  and  empha- 
sis on  research. 

Growth  has  had  tvjo  serious  side 
effects:  (l)  book  selection,  and 
(2)  public  service.  The  absence  of. 
purposeful  policies  regarding  book 
selection  and  the  uncoordinated 
activities  of  the  various  subject 
departmen*bs  has  left  much  to  be 
desired  in  maintaining  adequate 
book  collections. 

As  libraries  grow  and  grow  there 
is  need  for  proper  exploration.  The 
larger  and  more  complex  a  library 
becomes  there  is  need  for  more 
reference  staff.  The  subject  cata- 
log as  a  self-service  aid  has  proved 
to  be  too  much  and  too  little.  The 
catalog  does  not  analyze  suffi- 
ciently in  depth.  Hovjever,  Dr, 
Miller  indicated  that  there  are 
better  methods  of  indexing  in  store, 

Recomniendations  in  book  selection 
should  take  into  consideration  the 
teaching  staff,  the  research  worker, 
-  and  writers.  To  repeat:  book 
selection  policies  should  be  coor- 
dinatedj  the  device  of  corimittees 
is  too  cumbersome.  The  responsi- 
bility for  book  selection  should  be 
concentrated  in  a  single  head. 

The  problems  that  face  a  large 
university  library  are: 

1,  the  adequacy  of  the  collect ions 

2,  service  to  students 

3,  the  use  of  machines 


the  question  of  book  selection  has 
been  covered  briefly.  In  regard  to 
service  to  students  -  should  the 
library  attenpt  to  provide  more 
assistance  in  locating  the  desired 
material  and/or  in  finding  a  substi- 
tute book?  Dr,  itLller  said  that  the 
use  of  machines  has  not  been'sui'fi- 
ciently  explored  and  that  libraries 
have  been  negligent  in  this  respe(rt« 

In  summary,  Dr,  Miller  said  that 
a  cooperative  program  is  needed: 
information  and  storage  must  be  shared, 
A  regional  liorary  system  is  the 
logical  answer,  Dr,  Miller  feels 
that  too  much  time  is  spent  with 
management,  and  that  more  time  is 
needed  to  see  that  boolcs  are  used. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
practically  everything  that  Dr. 
iiiller  said  in  regard  to  large 
university  libraries  is  applicable 
also  to  large  metropolitan  libraries, 

BRADFORD  M,  HILL 

/////////////////////////////// 

Children's  Services  Division  of 
ALA  at  Miami  Beach 

Tuesday  and  Wednesday  within  con- 
ference week  contained  the  high- 
lights for  children's  librarians, 
with  the  Newbery-Caldecott  Banquet 
as  always  the  week's  most  festive 
occasion. 

This  year's  winners  of  the  two 
most  coveted  aa-jards   for  children's 
books  were  Elizabeth  George  Speare, 
a  iiew  Englander  who  v/ill  again  this 
year  speak  at  the  Boston  Book  Fair 
in  November,  and  Marcia  Brown,  New 
York  artist  who  interrupted  a  long 
stay  in  Italy  to  come  to  receive 
her  Caldecott  Medal, 

An  extraordinary  aspect  of  this 
year '  s  xTinning  is  that  each  of  these 
persons  was  receiving  a  medal. for 
the  second  time,  Mrs,  Speare's 
acceptance  speach  for  the  Bronze  Bow 
(her  earlier  Newbery  winner  was 
VJitch  of  Blackbird  Pond)  related 
something  of  her  deep  thinl-cing  behind 
the  iiTriting  of  this  Biblical  story 
with  its  strong  theme  that  love  is 
greater  than  hate, 

con't 


-1??  -. 


I%rcia  BroT-m's  paper  contained  a 
fable  centered  on  writing  and  pub- 
lishing for  children,  in  wliich  she 
skillfully  paralleled  the  Indian 
tale  in  her  xruming  book.  Once  a 
Mouse ,  One  of  her  dramatic  woodcuts 
illustrating  this  story  was  silk- 
screened  on  a  souvenir  for  each 
person  at  the  banquet.  Both  papers 
■will  be  published  in  the  August  Horn 
Book  magazine,  vdth  i4arcia  Brown's 
under  the  title,  "From  Caldecott  to 
Caldecctt"  (her  first  award  being 
for  Cinderella). 

On  Wednesday  afternoon  several 
hundred  children's  librarians,  plus 
a  good  many  editors  and  a  few  authors, 
gathered  at  tables  of  ten  in  one  of 
the  Fontainebleau  ballrooms  for  group 
argument,  a  general  follow-up  dis- 
cussion, and  a  suiTiriiing-up  paper  — 
on  the  subject  of  "Problem  Areas  in 
the  Selection  of  Current  Children's 
Books,"  Each  registrant  carae  pre- 
pared to  discuss  one  topic  especial- 
ly (and  more  as  time  permitted)  with 
advance  reading  of  one  of  the  eleven 
groups  of  e:camples  chosen  to  illus- 
trate "Easy-to-Read  Books,"  "Retell- 
ings and  Separate  Editions  of  Folk 
and  Fairy  Tales,"  "Adaptations  and 
Abridgements,"  "Human  Relations 
Tlirough  Fiction,"  "Foreign  Language 
Translations,"  "Pictorial  Surveys 
and  Oversize  Books,"  etc.  The 
discussion  brought  forth  general 
awareness  of  such  problems  as  over- 
illustration,  excessive  "watering- 
doT-m"  of  great  tales,  stereotype 
characterization  and  illustration, 
superficial  treatments  of  non-fiction 
in  too-easy  texts,  as  well  as  recog- 
nition of  legitimate  and  wise  abridge- 
ments,  ■  creativity  in  the  ijriting  of 
some  science  books,  and  special 
values  in  outstanding  books  from 
abroad. 

At  the  C.S.D,  business  meeting, 
Wednesday  evening,  an  enthusiastic 
report  was  3iven  about  the  children's 
area  of  "Library  21"  manned  by  a 
staff  of  children's  librarians  at 
the  Seattle  World's  Fair;  for  the 
initiation  this  fall  of  three  new 
-children's  TV  series  for  which 
children's  library  specialists  in 
the  New  York  area  will  cooperate  in 


the  tying-in  of  good  books;  in  the 
parrying  on  of  relationships  with 
international  library  and  children's 
book  activities  (including  the  nom- 
ination of  Meinuert  DeJoiig  for  the 

1962  Andersen  Medal  consideration, 
in  discussion  of  which  the  ^.iriter 
of  this  piece  will  sit  as  U,  S,  A, 
member  of  the  jury  in  Zurich  this 
next  week) J  other  reports  added  to 
the  picture  of  children's  librarians 
cooperating  with  such  national 
groups  as  the  Junior  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  National  Congress 
of  Parents  and  Teachers, 

Announcement  was  made,  for  the 

1963  conference  in  Chicago,  of  a 
"conference  within  a  conference" 

to  involve  members  of  all  divisions 
concerned  with  the  problem  of 
student  use  of  the  library, 

VIRGDIIA  HAVILAND 
////////////////////////////// 


Query  for  Gen.  Ref . 

One  of  the  latest  puzzles  for  the 
staff  of  the  General  Reference 
Department  was  the  telephone  query 
iaeginning:  "To  settle  a  bet  ~ 
who  wrote  Dante's  Inferno?" 

BETT'Y  DRANE 
/////////////'//////////////// 
'■•'EDITOR  ON  VACATION 

The  absence  of  our  regular  edi- 
torial has -probably  been  noticed. 
Our  editor,  BILL  CASEY,  is  now  on 
vacation,  and  in  his  own  words  is 
"ensconced  in  the  verdant  loveli- 
ness of  Vermont," 

////////////7/////////////// 


HAVE  YOU  PAID  YOUR  BPLSA  DUES  YET 
?????? 


-IM 


A  SHORT  NIGHT'S  JOURNEY  INTO  DAY 


A  few  weeks  ago  I  awoke  at  about 
2:30' in  the  morning  to  find  inryself 
cradled  in  a  capsule  moving  over  the 
Atlantic  at  a  liesurely  ?00  miles  per 
hour.  Brilliant  sunshine  flooding  the 
cabin  had  awakened  me.  Having  checked 
the  instrument  panel  I  was  about  to 
turn  over  for  another  iiO  winks  when  a 
soft  voice  murmered  in  my  ear,  "Break- 
fast, sir?"  Wow  though  I  had  just 
finished  off  a  game  rock  Cornish  hen 
only  two  hours  before  I  realized  that 
under  stratospheric  conditions  one 
eats  more  frequently  and,  though 
drowsy,  it  seemed  perfectly  natural 
and  right  to  accept  this  tempting  sug- 
gestion at  2:30  A.  M.  But  in  no  time 
at  all  the  capsule  started  to  lose 
altitude  and  there  was  barely  time  to 
fasten  my  seat  belt,  brush  the  crumbs 
from  my  waistcoat,  and  straighten  my 
cravat  before  i-ie   touched  down  at  London 
Airport. 

It  was  in  the  airport  bus  that  I 
began  to  consider  the  reasons  why 
people  go  to  England,  These  specula- 
tions were  prompted  by  the  following 
little  drama:  two  women,  one  English 
and  the  other  American,  fell  into  a 
debate  concerning  the  relative  com- 
plexities of  the  two  monetary  systems 
when  the  American  had  to  supply  seven 
and  six  for  the  bus  fare.  The  closer 
we  reached  town  the  more  heated  became 
the  debate  (  the  other  passengers 
serving  as  mute  witnesses)  until  the 
Englishwoman  proclaimed,  with  a  very 
British  roar,  "I  hate  dollars!"  a 
thought  so  stunning  that  not  only  fur- 
ther debate  but  further  speculation 
was  out  of  the  question. 

Nevertheless  the  question  of  why 
people  traveil  to  England  kept  recur- 
ring during  much  of  my  sojourn  there. 
No  one,  I  decided,  goes  there  for 
gastronoraical  treats  and  it  ig  pro- 
bable equally  certain  that  no  one  poes 
there  for  fun  in  the  sun.  Surely  no 
one  in  his  right  mind  would  go  to 
England  to  get  away  from  it  all;  Eng- 
land with  Wales  is  the  most  crowded 
country  in  Europe,  having  a  population 
density  of  some  650  persons  per  square 
mile  compared  with  55  for  the  U.S.A. 
And  anyone  expecting  to  see  shepherds 
and  shepherdesses  dancing  on  the  green 
in  one  of  the  most  heavily  industri- 


alized countries  in  the  world  would  be 
keenly  disillusioned. 

For  the  traditionally  minded  some 
ceremonies  remain  in  a  more  or  less 
pure  form:  the  Queen  opens  Farliament 
in  state  in  November  (usua]  l.y  rid:  np 
in  a  glass  coach  through  thiick  fog) 
and,  on  her  official  birthday,  she 
rides  doxm  the  Mall  for  the  "Trooping 
of  the  Colour"  on  the  Horseguards 
Parade,  an  authentic  and  ancient  cere- 
mony which  some  find  stirring  (as  in- 
deed it  was  last  June  2nd) .  Then 
there  is  Lady  CJodiva  (or  Lady  G.  as 
she  is  known  locally)  who  rides  through 
the  streets  of  Coventry  on  a  white 
charger,  not  quite  in  her  natural  state, 
according  to  ancient  legend,  but  in  a 
reasonable  facsimile  thereof;  and  this 
is  close  enough  to  the  original  to  stir 
the  imagination  of  even  the  least  tra- 
ditionally minded.  This  year  in  her 
hour  of  triumph  Lady  Q.  fainted  dead 
awaj''.  If  this  i/as  a  disappointment  to 
locals  and  visitors  alike,  the  new 
Cathedral  of  St,  Michael  opened  on 
schedule  last  May  26th  and  it  has  pro- 
ven to  be  one  of  the  most  controversial 
and  popular  stinctures  to  have  been 
built  since  the  end  of  the  second  World 
War,  During  the  first  week  alone  over 
100,000  persons  visited  the  Cathedral 
and  this  was  in  fact  one  of  the  reasons 
why  I  went  to  England  last  May. 

The  New  Cathedral  is  erected  at 
right  angles  to  the  old,  which  was 
destroyed  dviring  the  Blitz  in  November 
19U0,  and  of  which  only  traces  of  the 
walls,  the  altar  and  spire  remain. 
These  elements  have  been  incorporated 
most  skilfully  into  the  area  of  the 
new  structure  and  are  particularly  ef- 
fective when  seen  through  the  great 
glass  "west  front"  (The  axis  of  the 
new  Cathedral  is  north-south,  the  en- 
trance being  from  the  south  end,  tradi- 
tionally referred  to  as  the  "west 
front".)  In  its  plan  and  structure  the 
Cathedral  seems  basically  conservative 
in  concept  but  most'  of  its  details  are 
unusual  and  some  of  them  seem  to  be 
unique.  The  great  glass  west  front,  on 
which  are  etched  a  floating  band  of 
saints,  martyrs,  and  angels,  is  parti- 
cularly effective,  for  it  allows  the 
entire  interior  to  be  seen  from  the 
outside,  and  the  exterior,  especially 
the  spire  and  altar  of  the  old  Cathe- 
dral, to  be  seen  from  within.  Seen 

cont. 


dl^d 


from  the  west  front  the  most  arresting 
interior  detail  is  the  huge  tapestry, 
by  Graham  Sutherland,  of  Christ  in 
Glory.  .This  is  said  to  be  the  largest 
tapestry  in  existence,  weighing  nearly 
a  ton,  and  it  covers  the  area  tradi- 
tionally occupied  by  a  carved  reredos 
over  the  altar.   It  will  provide  dis- 
cussion for  years  to  come:  is  the  cen- 
tral figure  sufficiently  majestic 5  is 
the  green  background  appropriate;  do 
the  subsidiary  panels  of  the  evangel- 
"'ists'  beasts  detract  from  the  grandeur 
X)f   the  central  figure;  is  a  tapestry 
appropriate  here?  and  so  on.  V>/hile  the 
altar  tapestry  may  prove  controversial 
the  interior  lighting  is  generally  con- 
sidered ingenious  and  highly  effective. 
Ten  stained  glass  windows,  set  in  a 
saw-tooth  design  in  the  walls,  direct 
the  light  on  the  altar,  but  because  of 
their  position  are  concealed  until  one 
turns  from  the  altar  and  faces  south, 
when  the  effect  is  as  dazzling  as  it  is 
unexpected.  Indeed,  the  glass  in  the 
Cathedral  -  John  Button's  west  front, 
the  side  \irindows,  and  John  Piper's 
dazzling  colored  abstractions  in  the 
Baptistery  -  are  the  details  which  are 
most  memorable,  though  perhaps  the 
architect's  overall  concept  which  mod- 
estly allows  the  sister  arts  full  free- 
dom for  their  expression  is  most  re- 
markable of  all.  It  may  be  some  time 
before  visitors  to  the  Cathedral  can 
freely  browse  and  study  at  will.  So 
great  are  the  crowds  that  one  must 
move  along  with  hundreds  of  others  anri 
it  is  necessary  to  line  up  early  unless 
one  is  v/illing  to  spend  the  entire  day 
waiting  to  enter. 

Near  the  Cathedral  is  the  Precinct, 
the  large  new  shopping  center.  Traffic 
is  excluded  but  there  are  ample  parking 
facilities  nearby.  Spacious  tree-lined 
walks,  little  parks,  arcades,  glass- 
enclosed  galleries  make  this  the  pleas- 
antest  and  safest  shopping  area  imagin- 
able. Together  with  the  Cathedral  it 
creates  a  new  kind  of  tourist  attrac- 
tion in  Britain  and  one  which  will  be 
well  worth  a  visit  at  any  time  or  in 
any  season, 

ROBERT  P.  GIDDINGS 
.■■////////////////////////////////////// 


JAMES  S.  KEP^EDY  RETIRES 

On  June  28th  after  fifty  two  years 
of  service,  Mr.  James  S,  Kennedy,  Book 
Stack  Service  bid  his  many  BPL  friends 
and  associates  adieu. 

Mr.  Kennedy  entered  the  Library 
Service  in  September,  1910  as  a  runner 
in  the  Fine  Arts  Department,  In  his 
Library  service  he  worked  in  the  I'fusic 
Department,  the  old  Barton  Ticknor, 
and  the  Periodical  Room,  but  most  of 
his  service  was  in  the  Shelf  Department 
of  the  Reference  Cataloging  and  Classi- 
fication Department  and  the  Book  Stack 
Service, 

Mr,  Kennedy  was  active  in  the  Boston 
Public  Library  Employees  Benefit  Asso- 
ciation in  which  he  served  as  President, 

In  1917,  he  entered  the  Army  and  was 
sent  to  Camp  Devens,  then  to  Camp 
Gordon  in  Georgia,  He  sailed  for 
France  in  the  latter  part  of  1917  as  a 
Corporal  in  Company  L  of  the  325th 
Infantry,  Serving  in  France,  he  was 
cited  for  bravery  in  the  Argonne  Forest, 
This  regiment  \-jas   a  member  of  the  82nd 
Division  of  which  Sgt.  York  was  a 
member  -and  were  the  first  American 
troops  to  parade  in  London  before  their 
Majesty,  the  King  and  Queen. 

Mr,  Kennedy  m.11   not  only  be  missed 
personally,  but  his  wide  knowledge  of 
every  phase  of  Library  work  and  his 
quiet  efficient  way  of  getting  things 
done  well  will  be  sorely  missed.  His 
cairn  manner  and  thoughtful  advice  will 
always  be  remembered  by  so  many  of  us. 
All  of  us,  the  new  and  the  old,  wish 
"THE  MAJOR"  a  very  happy  retirement. 

. .  J//////////////////////////// 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box 
must  be  accompanied  by  the  f\ill  name 
of  the  Association  member  submitting 
■it,' 'together  vrith  the  name  of  the 
Branch  Librarian,  Department  or  Office 
in  wliich  he  or  she  is  employed.  The 
name  is  withheld  from  publication,  or 
a  pen  nam.e  is  used,  if  the  contributor 
so  requests..  Anonymous  contributions 
^e  not  given  consideration.  The 
author  of  the  article  is  Imox^n  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  xirith  the  views  expressed. 
Only  those  contributions  containing 
not  ''more  than  300  words  will  be 
accepted. 


Dear  Soap  Box: 

Recently,  there  have  been  many 
comments  on  the  conditions  of  the 
Women's  Lounge  during  the  noon  hours. 
It  has  been  said  that  they  are  noisy 
and  "hog-up"  all  the  available  seat* 
ing  space,  (the  "kids"  -  that  is) 

If  one  were  to  walk  into  the  lounge, 
the  first  thing  one  would  see  would  be 


the  bottoms  of  feet  staining  at  ;  ou. 
Yes,  I  said  feet.  It  seems  that  the 
hard-working  older  set  have  trouble 
keeping  their  feet  under  them.  By 
doing  this,  they  not  only  have  a  seat 
for  their  "seat"  but  also,  one  for 
their  feet. 

In  regardo  to  noise,  I  don't  thiiik 
that  there  is  anything  more  aggreva- 
ting  thsin  to  hear  grown  ;;omen  snoring 
in  the  key  of  C  dui^ing  the  bright 
hours  of  the  afternoon.  In  most  cases, 
if  they  are  snoring  you  can  te  sure 
that  they  are  stretched  across  a  couch 
talcing  up  foiur  seats  that  could  have 
been  put  to  a  more  useful  purpose, 
such  as  seating  space. 

Granted,  the  "kids"  do  talk,  and 
laugh,  but  we  can't  all  fall  into  the 
arms  of  I'ir,  Sandirian.  The  radio  is 
played  but  what  was  the  p\irpose  of 
putting  a  radio  into  the  lounge,  but 
to  be  played. 

Let's  compromise,  "Kids",  quiet 
dovm.  Adults,  one  seat  each,  please. 

Another  thought,  why  is  smoking 
restraxied  to  the  Women's  Lounge  and 
the  Coffee  Shop?  Uhat's  wrong  x-jith 
installing  ash  trays  in  the  Women's 
Lunch  Room?  Maybe  xijith  this  addi- 
tional help,  the  loxinge  xrouldn't  be 
so  congested. 

One  of  the  "Kids" 

//////////////////////////// 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

Now  that  the  shipping  room  and  stock 
room,  seem  to  have  a  complementary 
staff  once  again  it  seems  rather  im- 
caniiy  that  the  feminine  force  of  the 
BPL  must  "lug"  and  "haul"  their  sup- 
plies from  the  stock  room.  Of  course 
the  young  m.en  (quite  strong  and  able ) 
cire  very  willing  to  help  fill  your 
arms  with  boxes,  etc.  and  guide  you 
to  the  door  if  you  seem  over-burdened. 
No  offense  is  intended  for  the  young 
men  because  they  are  only  doing  their 
job  and  for  some  time  now  delivering 
supplies  has  not  been  one  of  their 
duties.  I  don't  think  it  would  be 
asking  too  much  to  have  the  "old" 
system  reincarnated  unless,  of  course, 
the  masculine  force  would  rather  have 
their  female  co-workers  as  counterparts, 

Huscle-Bound  llollie 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 

Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 
Volume  XVII  Number  8  August  1962 


Publications  Coiranittee:  Jean  Babcock,  i-iargaret  Butler,  Janice  Maniscalco  , 

Thomas  J.  Claiming,  Sarah  Richman,  Catherine 
Riclimond,  Edijin  G,  Sanf  ord,  Anna  Scanlon, 
I,  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  M,  Usher, 
Indexer,  William  T,  Casey,  Chairman, 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  ea'ch  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 


We  should  like  to  take  this  opportunity  to  express  our   gratitude  to 
those  members  of  the  staff  who  reported  on  the  various  sections  of  the  ALA 
conference  for  pages  of  the  Question  ilark.  Apart  from  the  practical  value 
of  the  information  X'jhich  is  to  be  gleaned  from  these  reports,  there  is  an 
other  aspect  of  them  that  we  feel  to  be  very  important. 

The  fact  that  tliese  reports  were  written  by  staff  members  for  other 
staff  members  is  xjorthy  of  comraent.  Viewed  in  this  li^^ht,  we  feel  that 
these  notes  are  evidence  of  a  spirit  of  cooperation  that  is  of  utmost 
importance  to  the  effective  fimctioning  of  the  library.  By  the  very  nature 
of  their  work,  librarians  (particularly  those  of  the  genus  publicus)  are 
expected  to  od^end  themselves  above  and  beyond  to  render  service  to  their 
patrons.  It  is  gratifying  to  realize  that  they  are  just  as  willing  to  do 
a  little  bit  extra  to  help  their  fellow  staff  members. 

In  this  same  connection,  we  vrould  like  to  tender  congratulations  to 
those  members  of  the  staff  who  were  recently  awarded  prizes  for  suggestions 
on  iiiiproving  library  service.  !(noTri.ng  the  people  involved,  V7e  feel  certain 
that  their  primary  motive  in  offering  these  meritorious  sug^^estions  was  a 
sincere  desire  to  help  make  the  everyday  routine  just  a  little  bit  easier 
for  everybody.  A  full  appreciation  of  the  value  of  this  cooperative  spirit 
comes  only  when  x-je  recall  those  instances-  (fortunately  not  too  numerous) 
when  such  spirit  was  lacking.  At  the  risk  of  sounding  like  Pcllyanna,  we 
would  like  to  say  that  this  generous  giving  of  self  can  prove  to  be  our 
not-so-secret  weapon  in  the  struggle  to  do  a  job  that  is  sometimes  frus- 
trating but  seldom  dull* 


-2- 


PRESIDELIT'S  NOTES 

There  has  been  no  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Board  since  the  last  issue 
of  the  Question  Mark.  There  has  been 
no  meeting  of  the  Job  Evaluation 
Committee  since  the  last  issue  of  the 
Question  Mark,  And,  according  to  our 
boy  Editor,  there  has  been  very  little 
material  sent  to  the  Editorial  Board 
since  the  last  issue  of  the  Question 
Marka  Since  there  is  little  or 
nothing  for  the  President  to  report 
it  should  be  quite  obvious  by  this 
time  that  we  are  merely  tr^ring  to 
fill  up  space. 

The  appeal  for  donations  to  WGBH 
from  those  who  had  missed  the  first 
opportunity  to  contribute  resulted 
in  the  collection  of  six  dollars. 
The  two  staff  members  who  had  volun- 
teered to  match  donations  to  the  sum 
of  twenty-five  dollars  decided  to 
donate  twenty-five  dollars  and  that 
means  a  total  gift  of  thirty-one 
dollars  from  the  staff  will  be 
matched  by  an  equal  sum  from  the  Ford 
Foundation, 

The  Blood  Bank  Program  is  now 
effective  and  all  of  you  who  have  an 
extra  pint  of  blood  running  loose  in 
your  veins  are  urged  to  make  your 
donation  at  once.  Be  sure  to  mention 
that  your  contribution  is  to  be 
credited  to  the  Boston  Public  Library, 
We  can  personally  vouch  for  the 
quality  of  the  coffee  and  cookies. 

Mr,  Polishook,  Chairman  of  the 
Legal  Affairs  Committee,  tells  us 
that  the  City  is  preparing  a  pamphlet 
that  will  explain  in  full  the  bene- 
fits provided  by  the  new  hospitali- 
zation and  insurance  plan.  Until 
all  the  details  are  known  we  advise 
all  of  you  to  stay  healthy  and  have 
a  very  pleasant  summer, 

LOUIS  RAINS 

/////////////// 

PERSOMEL  HOTES 

Entered  Service 

Bert  A,  Anderson,  Music  Department 
Lois  E,  Inman,  West  Roxbury  Branch 
Mrs.  Helen  M,  McD enough  -  Adams  Street 

Branch 


Natalie  Palme,  General  Reference 

(former  staff  member) 
Loretta  Turner,  Adams  Street 
Joseph  J.  iiercer.  Central,  Assistant 
Superintendent  of  Library  Buildings, 

Transferred 

Sarah  T,  Cadbury  from  Mattapan  to 

Memorial 
Julie  Chevalier  from  Codman  Square 

to  South  Boston 
Evangeline  Guzelis  from  Memorial 

to  Brighton 
Macy  J,  Margolis  from  History  to 

General  Reference 
Francis  X,  Cox  from  Central  Charging 

Records  to  Business  Office 

Retired 

James  S,   Kennedy  -  Book  Staclc  Sei-vjce 

Resigned 

Mrs.  Muriel  C,  JaveliJi  -  Coordinator 
of  Adult  Services 

Terminations 

Joanne  Fisher,  Egleston  -  to  move  to 

Detroit  and  be  married 
William  Anderson,  Kirstein  -  another 

position 
Gerald  Blonder,  Open  Shelf  -  grad- 
.  uated  from  college 
Linda  Gurley,  East  Boston  -  to 

return  to  liinneapolis  and  to 

college 
Vacs,   llarya   Knudsen,  Washington 

Village  -  another  position 
Ronald  Ilazzarella,  Receiving,  Ship- 
■p^g.  Stock  and  Supplies  Section- 

another  position 
Sheila  Sinclair,  Kirstfiin  -  an^.hoT.- 

position 
Mrs.  Bertha  S,  Smith,  Bookmobiles 
Ifrs.  Louis  Thompson,  North  End 
Mary  E.  Jackson,  General  Reference 

Department  -  to  teach  school 
William  Fogerty,  Open  Shelf  -  to  go 

in  service 
Joel  Holmberg,  South  Boston  -  to 

teach  school 

cont. 


^Harried 

Louise  ii,  Blanchard,   North  End  to 
Lax-jrence  B,   Thompson,   July  21,1962, 

Gail  Robertson,  Lower  iiills  to 
George  M,   Hanrahan,   July  28,1962. 

Ann  Stuart,   Kirs te in  to  Gregory 
M.  Kelley,  Jully  29,  1962. 


-^  - 


NORTHEASTERN  STUDENTS 


New 


Lorraine  Thompson,  Mt,  Bowdoin  ■ 
Claire  Karam,  Fine  Arts 
Manuel  Cancella  ,  Book  Stack  Service 
Anne  T.  Donovan,  Cataloging  and  Class- 
ification MRS 
Marilyn  T,  Rand,  Cataloging  and  Class- 
ification R&RS 
Robert  J.  Gaudet,  Book  Stack  Service 
Leonard  V,  lovino,  "     "     " 
Frederick  Stock,   "     "     " 
John  P.  VJhittaker,  "     "     " 
Howard  Druker,     "     "     " 
Iferion  Steinbrenner,"    "     " 
ifertha  J,  Talbot,  Book  Purchasing 

Re-Entered 

Patricia  Fradsham,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS 
Elizabeth  McLucas,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS 
VJilliam  Henderson,  Book  Stack  Service 
Robert  F.  Kane,     "     "      " 
Bruce  N.  Miller,    "     "      " 
Adam  Artis,        "     "      " 
Walter  Feuerstein,  History  Department 
Carol  A,  Gourley,  South  End 
Hilary  A,  IJayson,  Boolanobiles 
Ella  F.  imite.  East  Boston 
Robert  I'linichiello,  Book  Purchasing 

Ceased     (Returning  to  School) 

Mrs.  Catherine  Coggan,  Book  Purchasing 

John  S.  Costello,  Book  Purchasing 

I'Iichael_  Berman,  Book  Stack  Service 

Barbara  Carlson,  " 

Dean  K.  Denniston," 

Ernest  I.  Gam,    " 

Barry  J.  Gordon,  " 

Harvey  A,  Jones,  " 

John  J.  Kelly,    " 

Robert  Macdonald,  " 

Donald  i-Iaurer,    " 

Glenn  Ryan,      " 


It 
It 


It 
II 


Laura  Richards,  I'lusic  Department 
Janice  VIright,  Book  Purchasing 
Grace  M,  Bradley,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS 
Barbara  LaFlamme,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS 
Marie  LaRiviere,  Cataloging  and 

Classification,  RficRS 
riary  MacDonald,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS 

////////////////// 

BLOCD  DONOR  PROGRAM 

The  administration,  through  the 
Metropolitan  Chapter  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  has  reactivated  our  Blood 
Donor  Program,  therefore  it  is  up  to 
the  individual  members  of  the  staff 
to  keep  this  program  established. 
We  never  know  V7hen  we,  or  members  of 
our  families  iirill  be  in  need  of 
transfusions,  as  a  means  of  preserving 
life,  through  surgery,  accident  or 
arry  other  form  of  disaster. 

It  is  no  easy  task  to  line  up 
donors  in  case  of  emergency,  as  the 
Library  has  had  this  experience  many 
times  -  relying  solely  on  volunteers. 
Under  this  program,  we  will  be  able 
to  supply  members  of  the  staff  who 
are  over  the  age  limit  for  donating 
iS9  yrs.)  also  those  members  who 
are  unable  to  contribute,  for  any 
other  physical  reason. 

We  are  "our  brothers'  keepers*" 
so  this  is  one  way  \je   can  keep  one 
another  by  periodic  donations, 
keeping  our  quota  up  to  the  stand- 
ard amount.  When  you  are  ready  to 
give,  please  check  first  vri. th  the 
Staff  Hospital. 

Ed,  Note: 

We  know  from  personal 
experience  that  the  program  is  of 
vital  interest  to  all  members  of  the 
staff  and  we  can  only  hope  that  as 
mar^y  members  of  the  Association  who 
can  possibly  do  so  will  give  blood 
donations.  W,C, 

//////////////////// 


Those  who  read  the  "President's 
Notes"  In  the  June,  1962  issue  of 
the  Question  Mark  vjill  recall  that 
Mr,  Rains  drew  attention  to  the 
continuing  need  for  fixnds  on  the 
part  of  Boston's  educational  tele- 
vision station,  W,G,B,H»  Channel  2, 
At  that  time  he  noted  that  "  Two 
generous  n:einbers  of  the  staff,  who 
refuse  to  be  outdone  by  the  Ford 
Foundation,  have  agreed  to  match 
any  and  all  contributions  up  to  the 
total  sum  of  twenty-five  dollars." 
This  was  followed  by  a  brief  reminder 
in  the  July  issue  of  QM,  noting  that 
the  offer  "still  holds  good," 

Since  these  notices  were  directed 
primarily  to  those  who  had  expressed 
regret  at  not  having  contributed  to 
the  first  gift  to  W.G.B.H,  by  staff 
members  when  $350  was  so  generously 
given  (see  QI^  December,  1961,  pg.2), 
the  response  'was  limited.  In  fact 
aside  from  the  two  "doublers"  only 
two  staff  members  responded. 

The  result  as  listed  below  went 
forward  to  W.G.B.H,  on  August  10,1962: 


1 

contribution 

$5.00 

1 

contribution 

1.00 

1 

"doubler" 

12.50 

1 

"doubler" 

12.50 

TOTAL        $31.00 
This  amount  fortunately  will  be 
matched  by  the  Ford  Foundation, 

If  you  have  intended  to  give  to 
this  worthy  cause  and  somehow  neg- 
lected to  do  so,  the  "door"  is 
always  open  and  your  contribution 
is  welcome  at  any  time, 

W.G.B.H,  is  to  be  congratulated 
on  the  acquisition  of  a  building 
site  and  the  plan^  for  their  new 
building  which  is  to  begin  in  the 
fall. 

If  as  an  association  our  latest 
gift  was  not  praiseworthy,  we  can 
state  unequivocally  that  our  interest 
in  this  fine  local  educational  sta- 
tion remains  unchanged  and  omt   best 
vd-shes  for  their  future  progress  has 
not  diminished, 

EDNA  G.  PECK 


The  Information  Office  calls 
attention  to  the  e>:tensive  coverage 
given  by  the  Boston  daily  newspapers, 
of  the  Treasure  Room's  timely  and 
interesting  exhibit  Boston  Streets 
and  How  They  Got  Their  Names,  Among 
the  articles  arei  Blalce  Ehrlich's 
"i'lan  About  Boston"  (Boston  Traveler. 
July  17) J  Alan  Frazer's  "%  Boston", 
"Exhibit  Etches  Young  Hub  Pace" 
(Christian  Science  Monitor.,  August  l)j 
and  Robert  L,  Hassett's  "History 
Follows  Crooked  Path  In  Naining 
Streets  of  Boston"  (Sunday  Herald « 
August  12), 

If  you  are  proud  of  Boston  and  its 
groirjth,  you'll  be  interested  in 
making  a  special  point  of  seeing 
this  display  before  it  comes  out  at 
the  end  of  August. 


Are  you  entertaining  visitors  to 
Boston?  How  about  bringixig  them  to 
the  place  where  you  work?  The 
Central  Library  is  fortunate  in 
having  two  additional  exhibits  which 
have  a'^.so  gained  much  praise  during 
these  sumi::er  months.  They  are  the 
"Of  Boi^ton  Authors"  e.diibit  on  the 
first  floor  and  the  Albert  H,  Wiggin 
Gallery  exhibit  "James  McBey"  (I883- 
19595  A  Portrait  of  the  Artist). 


WNAC  is  continuing  the  feature 
"What  Boston  is  Reading"  as  part  of 
Leif  Jensen's  Friday  afternoon 
(5:30-6:00  p.m.)  broadcasts  Radio 
Boston  Afternoon  Edition.  The 
summer  edition  of  the  BPL  News 
lists  some  of  the  book  titles  re- 
quested by  the  readers 

///////////////// 

"Citizen  Salute" 

In  recognition  of  her  contribution 
to  Public  Service  Pliss  Rosalie  Lang, 
General  Reference  Department,  was 
the  recipient  of  WTAO's  "Citizen 
Salute"  on  Wednesday,  August  8,1962, 
Miss  Lang  was  saluted  throughout 
the  day  on  VJTAO  as  a  token  of  appre- 
ciation for  raalcing  Boston  a  better 
place  in  which  to  work  and  live. 


CONFERENCE  NOTES 
REFERENCE  SERVICES  DIVISION 

At  a  joint  meeting  i-ath  the  Association 
of  /jaerican  Library  Schools  and  the  Li-   ] 
brary  Education  Division,  Dr.  Harold 
Lancour  of  the  Graduate  Library  School, 
iuniversity  of  Pittsburgh,  spoke  briefly 
on  The  Teaching  and  Practice  of  Reference 
Service.  He  indicated  that  vjliile  the 
Library  School  cannot  completely  antici- 
pate the  demands  of  reference  service 
there  is  need  to  keep  up  with  the  chang- 
ing needs. 

Hiss  Katherine  G.  Harris  of  the  Detroit 
Public  Library  gave  a  provocative  talk  on 
Reference  Service  Today  and  Tomorrow  - 
Objectives,  Practices,  Needs,  and  Trends, 
She  defined  reference  service  as  "feeling 
the  pulse  of  everything  that  happens  and  ' 
being  prepared  for  it."  First,  the  Li- 
brary must  maintain  a  collection  of  in- 
formation for  use.  The  vast  increase  of 
knowledge  has  made  subject  departmentali- 
zation mth  specialized  service  necessarj'- 
in  a  large  metropolitan  library,  A  pro- 
per referral  system  is  also  necessary, 
Mss  Harris  said  that  "telephone  refer- 
ence service  has  become  the  tail  that 
wags  the  dog, " 

Miss  Harris  indicated  that  60  per  cent 
of  the  patrons  who  use  the  Detroit  Pub- 
lic Library  are  students.  Student  de- 
mands have  become  a  major  problem.  Ref- 
erence books  are  stolen  and  mutilated  and 
the  staff  is  overburdened.  However,  she 
reminded  her  audience  that  today's 
students  are  the  citizens  of  tomorrow. 

Teaching  methods  in  schools  and  col- 
leges are  changing^  the  emphasis  is  on 
independent  study.  However,  in  trying  to 
solve  the  problem  of  student  use  we  must 
not  neglect  the  demands  of  business  and 
industry  or  research  activities.  Hiss 
Harris  indicated  that  in  the  future, _ 
business  and  industry  will  have  to  pick 
up  the  "tab"  for  the  reference  services 
they  demand. 

Libraries  must  make  more  and  better  use 
of  new  media  such  as  microforms  and  tape 
recordings.  Nex^  concepts  of  reference 
service  must  be  explored  including  lar- 
ger areas  of  service  with  regional  ref- 
erence centers.  '.Metropolitan  libraries 
will  need  to  employ  teletype  and  new  fast 
copying  machines  to  save  the  wear  and 
tear  on  interlibrary  loans.  Information 
retrieval  systems  shoulc^  be  explored.  A 
National  Research  Library  has  been  pro- 
posed that  would  have  three  million  vol- 
umesontaDe.  The  use  of  closed  TV  is 


being  experimented  withj  questions  are 
asked  and  the  answers  copied  by  polariod 
camera.  Automation  will  be  used  in 
several  ways  including  indexing  prepared 
by  machines. 

A  new  evaluation  of  reference  service 
is  needed.  Dividing  the  professional 
from  the  non-professional  work  of  the 
staff  must  be  accomplished  if  we  are  to 
give  adequate  reference  service.  As 
libraries  are  doing  less  researsh  in 
depth  we  must  get  people  to  come  in  to 
the  library  to  do  their  own  research. 
This  entails  the  training  of  reference 
Tjorkers  in  bibliography.  There  is  need 
for  knowledge  of  basic  core  reference 
tools.  However,  Pliss  Harris  warned  that 
libraries  should  consider  the  cultural 
aspects  of  their  activities  as  well. 
Reference  workers  must  have  training  in 
bibliographic  skills  and  in  the  making 
of  bibliographies,  a  knowledge  of  the 
catalog  and  how  to  use  a  catalog,  a 
knowledge  of  foreign  tools,  and  how  to 
use  all  the. sources  of  the  community. 
rliss  Harris  ended  her  talk  by  saying, 
"there  is  too  much  theory  and  not  enough 

practice." 

Mrs.  Frances  N.  Cheney  of  the  Library 
School,  George  Peabody  College  for  Tea- 
chers, Nashville,  Tenn.,  spoke  on  Ref- 
erence Service  as  Taught  in  Library  T 
Schools,  She  divided  her  talk  into 
three  sections:   (l)  Vilho  is  teaching 
reference  work,  (2)  '-hat  is  being  taught, 
and  (3)  How  it  is  being  taught. 

The  trend  in  library  schools  is  to  use 
part  time  faculty.  Recently  these  part 
time  teachers  have  increased  from  30  to 
7U  in  the  accredited  library  schools. 
There  are  92  new  teachers  of  reference 
work  in  these  schools.  Also  there  has 
been  a  change  in  the  number  of  male  tea- 
chers. In  1958  the  ratio  was  50  -  50. 
In  1961  there  tras  an  increase  to  60  per 
cent  in  the  number  of  ;ien  teachers. 
Last  but  not  least  the  educational  back- 
ground of  these  teachers  of  reference 
x-jork  is  important. 

There  are  175  courses  offered  in  13 
accredited  library  schools,  ilrs.  Cheney 
believes  that  government  docuraents  are 
not  used  enough.  Of  the  1002  titles  of 
reference  works  only  5  titles  were  agreed 
on  by  all  library  schools.  There  has 
been  a  superficiality  of  coverage.  Re- 
cently there  has  been  an  increase  in  the 
use  of  audio-visual  methods  in  teaching* 
The  emphasis  should  be  on  types  of  ref- 
erence works  rather  than  specific  titles. 


This  should  include  the  dissemination  and 
selection  of  proper  sources. 

JIrs,  Cheney  called  Iir.  Galvin  of  the 
faculty  of  Simmons  College  Library 
Schools,  to  the  platform  to  tell  of  the 
use  of  case  method.  He  indicated  that 
the  course  in  reference  books  should  be 
a  course  in  reference  methods, 

Mrs.  Cheney  ended  by  recommending  that 
a  committee  be  appointed  representing 
the  three  divisions  of  ALA.  participating 
in  this  joint  session  to  study  the  pro- 
blem. 

The  Critique  and  Synthesis  was  given 
by  Richard  Logsdon,  Columbia  University 
Libraries,  who  said  in  part,  "There  is 
no  substitute  for  quality  librarians j  we 
need  subject  specialists  bibliographers, 
His  final  remark  that,  'We  expect  too 
much  from  one  year  of  library  school" 
met  with  applause. 

During  the  period  for  questions  and 
remarks  I  took  the  opportunity  to  refer 
to  the  problem  of  student  use  to  say 
that  the  Boston  Public  Library  has  set 
up  a  staff  council  to  study  and  make 
recommendations  concerning  the  problem 
of  student  use,  and  to  point  out  the 
value  of  staff  participation, 

BRADFORD  M,  HILL 


JURY  DUTY ANDERSEN 

INTEP.NATIONAL  CHILDREN'S  BOOK  AWARD 

Going  abroad  for  one  week,  only,  can 
be  recommended  surely  xinder  some  circum-  j 
stances.  For  me  the  circumstance  was 
service  on  the  jury  for  the  Hans  Chris- 
tian Andersen  Medal,  which  has  sometimes 
been  referred  to  as  the  "Junior  Nobel," 
I  enjoyed  the  stimulus  and  the  comrade- 
ship of  the  occasion  and  was,  naturally, 
delighted  when  the  medal  was  clearly 
awarded  to  the  American  children's  book 
author,  Meiridert  DeJong,  whose  writing 
is  well  known  on  both  sides  of  the  At- 
lantic and  beyond,  Mr,  DeJong  had  been 
proposed,  as  the  American  contestant  for 
the  award,  by l the  Book  Evaluation  Com- 
mittee of  children's  librarians  in  ALA, 
I  shall  report  later,  as  requested,  on 
the  award  ceremony  vihich  will  be  held 
in  Amerikahaus  in  Hamburg,  September  29« 

Jury  sessions  were  held  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Zurich  at  the  summer  home  of  the 
Martin  Hurlimanns.  The  jury  has  repre- 
sentatives from  Germany,  Si-reden,  Denmark, 
Switzerland,  Austria,  Italy,  Spain, 


France,  England^  and  the  United  States, 
Criticism  at  the  discussion  table  fre- 
quently resembled  that  heard  at  Newbery- 
Caldecott  Committee  meetings  —  open- 
minded,  searching,  aware  of  children's 
interests  as  well  as  of  intrinsic  liter- 
ary qualities  —  and  the  spirit  of  the 
group  was  one  of  friendly  exchange. 

At  the  meetings,  decisions  were  made 
also  about  books  for  the  Honors  List 
and  Runners-Up  List,  for  which  each 
national  section  of  the  International 
Board  on  Books  for  Children  (which  awards 
the  Andersen  Medal)  had  submitted ' three 
books  to  be  considered,  from  the  two- 
year  publishing  period  since  the  last 
award.  For  U.  S.  A.,  Scott  O'Dell's 
ISLAND  OF  THE  BLUE  DOLPHINS  made  the 
Honors  List  and  Ruth  Robbins'  BABOUSHKA 
AND  THE  THREE  KINGS  and  Jean  George's 
MY  SIDE  OF  THE  MOUNTAK  became  Runners- 
Up. 

On  the  day  before  the  jury  meetings 
began  it  was  my  pleasure  to  visit  the 
distinguished  artist  Felix  Hoffmann  at 
his  studio  on  a  hillside  in  Aarau  (a 
studio  presented  to  him  by  the  people  of 
that  toim),  iiThere  he  is  currently  xrork- 
ing  on  drai'Tings  for  an  American  book. 
Showing  me  a  great  range  of  his  work, 
including  xTOodcuts  and  etchings  for 
special  editions  of  the  classics,  he 
pointed  out  that  his  youngest  daughter 
was  his  model  for  the  princess  in  his 
SLEEPING  BEAUTY  and  that  the  line  of 
hills  on  the  cover  of  THE  V/OLF  AND  THE 
SEVEN  LITTLE  KIDS  is  what  lie  sees  across 
the  valley  below  his  studio. 

On  the  xray  home  from  Switzerland,  via 
England,  I  had  time  in  London  for  a 
visit  again  with  Eleanor  Far j eon.  At 
eighty,  she  is  as  busy  with  icriting  as 
ever,  looking  fon^ard  at  the  moment  to 
completing  the  third  volume  of  her  mem- 
oirs and  feeling  pleased  that  some  of 
her  out-of-print  stories  and  poems  are 
being  reissued,  including  "Mrs.  Malone, " 
which  is  appearing  as  a  single  poem 
illustrated  by  Edward  Ardizzone, 

Any  staff  members  who  majr  be  traveling 
with  an  open  schedule  and  would  like  to 
be  in  Berne  August  27-31  would  be  wel- 
come at  meetings  of  the  International 
Federation  of  Library  Associations, 
which  will  have  a  variety  of  gatherings 
with  librarians  there  from  all  over  the 
xrorld, 

VIRGINIA  HAVILAND 


-  7  - 


Fanny  Goldstein  Memorial 


The  Faimy  Goldstein  I'lemorial  Judaica 
Book  Fund  Comnittee  presented  contri- 
butions donated  by  Boston  Public 
Library  staff  meinbers  and  from  friends 
in  the  coiniiiunity  to  the  Trustees  at 
their  June  meeting.  The  Trustees 
voted  to  accept  the  gift  "with  grat- 
itude, this  sum  to  be  used  for  the 
purchase  of'  books  in  the  field  of 
Judaica  in  memory  of  the  late  Fanny 
Goldstein,"  Further  contributions 
to  the  fund  may  be  made  at  any  time. 

The  Committee  extends  its  thanks 
and  appreciation  tc  all  those  whose 
contributions  made  it  possible  to 
set  up  this  special  book  fund  in 
memory  of  i-Iiss  Goldstein, 

///////////////// 

Miss  Gyay  takes  a  TRIP 

The  staff  welcomes  back  lliss  Doris 
Gray,  Book  Selection  Department  HRCS 
who  is  quite  recovered  from  her  re- 
cent accident.  Despite  rumors  as  to 
the  accurate  aim  of  the  Chief  of  the 
Department,  The  truth  of  the  matter 
is  Mss  Gray  tripped  over  the  work- 
bag  of  the  typeiiriter  repair  man, 
hit  her  head  on  the  desk,  broke  her 
glasses,  her  head  was  cut  and  when 
she  reached  the  Faulkner  Hospital, 
twenty  stitches  were  required. 
After  a  tvxo  weeks*  recovery  period 
she  is  back  at  home,  her  beauty 
and  her  spirits  fully  restored.  The 
moral  is  don't  "fall"  for  charming 
young  men  with  bags, 

///////////////// 

CONGRATULATIONS  , 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strafford  l^^orss 
(Esther  Chute  formerly  of  the  . 
Periodical  and  Newspaper  Department) 
on  the  birth  of  twin  daughters,  Ruth 
Chute  Morss  and  Alexandra  Morss  on 
July  27,  at  the  Richardson  House. 

///////////////// 


Friends  of  Miss  Kay  Decker  will 
be  happy  to  learn  that  she  is  doing 
nicely  after  her  recent  illness. 
She  is  staying  at  the  home  of  friends 
in  Middleboro  and  is  improving  each 
day.  Her  only  complaint  is  in  trying 
to  obey  her  doctors  orders  to  'Stay 
Put'  and  not  overdue  it  at  least 
until  she  returns  to  vjork  soon  after 
Labor  Day, 

Best  Wishes  from  all  of  us  Kay, 

The  Women's  House  Committee  wishes 
you  all  to  know  that  we  are  tr^^'ing, 
with  the  willing  help  of  those  in 
charge  of  such  matters,  to  make 
things  more  congenial  and  comfortable 
in  the  Ladies'  Lounge  and  the  kitchen. 

Numerous  complaints  have  been 
received  and  heard  and  we  intend  to 
stay  with  it  until  something  has  been 
done, 

Anna  Scanlon,  Chairman 
Women's  House  Committee 

////////////////// 

CONGRATULATIONS 

To  I'ir,   and  lirs.  Michael  Epstein 
(Barbara  was  formerly  in  the  Judaica 
Section)  on  the  birth  of  a  7  lb, 
6  oz,  baby  girl  on  July  2k»     The   " 
newcomer  in  the  Epstein  household 
has  been  named  Helene  Deena, 

////////////////// 

Through  the  courtesy  of  I^^?,  Casey 
and  the  Publications  Cormnittee,  I 
have  been  allowed  to  take  this  op- 
portunity to  express  n^r  deepest 
thanks  to  all   those  involved  in  the 
festivities  at  the  China  Star  a  few 
V7eeks  ago.  I  wish  particularly  to 
thank  Louis  Rains  for  the  usual 
paper  work  and  Roger  Stevens  for  his 
very  accurate  (everyone  tells  me  I 
really  look  like  thati)  caricatiires. 
They  (the  caricatures,  not  the  paper 
work)  are  now  hanging  on  the  wall  in 
our  den  and  we  have  a  spot  right  next 
to  them  in  which  to  hang  the  artist. 

Again,  thank' you  all  and  I  trust 
I  will  see  you  soon  and  often, 

DAVE  SHEEHAN 


BRANCH  NOTES 


-  8  - 


There  is  a  note  of  sadness  in  any- 
parting,  and  it  was  present  on  a  sultry- 
August  afternoon  when  the  staff  of  Cod- 
man  Square  bade  farewell  to  Mss  Julie 
Ch(n'alier  on  the  eve  of  her  departure 
to  the  wilds  of  South  Boston.  Despite 
the  fact  that  the  whispered  conferences 
coupled  mth  certain  odd  comings  and 
goings  did  much  to  much  to  dispell  the 
element  of  surprise,  the  departing  mem- 
ber gave  a  performance  of  Academy  Award 
caliber  in  displaying  her  astonishment 
at  the  gatherings  in  her  honor.  The 
talented  and  industrious  fingers  of  her 
fellow  workers  had  produced  a  gayly  de- 
corated table  which  supported  an  equally 
gay  cake.  The  guest  of  honor  distribu- 
ted large  slices  of  this  confection  to 
the  assemblage  vjith  the  assurance  that 
it  was  frosted  with  Metrecal.  After 
this,  toasts  were  drunk(in  ginger  ale) 
though  some  expressed  disappointment  at 
the  absence  of  the  traditional  fireplace 
and  champagne  combination  that  has  pro- 
vided so  many  dramatic  moments  for  movie 
goers.  As  a  recognition  of  two  of  her 
many  interests.  Miss  Cnevalier  was  pre- 
sented with  a  book  on  modern  art  and  one 
on  philosophy.  With  the  farewells  still 
ringing  in  her  ears  she  drove  off  into 
the  sunset  to  begin  a  new  chapter  in  her 
library  career, 

//////////////////////// 

Miss  Diane  B.  Farren,  daughter  of 
Mr,  Arthur  Farren,  Custodian  of  the 
Mattapan  Branch,  was  awarded  a  four 
year  full  tuition  scholarship  to  the 
Fontbonne  Academy,  Milton.  Msgr,  Edward 
G,  Murray  presented  the  award  at  the 
graduation  exercises  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
School,  Roslindale.  At  the  same  time 
Diane  received  a  Marion  Medal  from  the 
Girl  Scout  program  at  the  Sacred  Heart 
School,  I 

/////////////////////// 

Aloha'i  Hawaii  -  was  the  greeting 
Barbara  Rogstad  received  on  her  return 
from  those  enchanting  islands.  Barbara, 
assistant  in  the  children's  room,  spent 
several  weeks  on  a  trip  to  the  west 
coast  and  Hawaii,  and  had  nothing  but 
praise  for  both  places.  In  Hawaii,  she 
met  Mrs.  Bailey,  former  B,P.L,-er  who 
is  now  a  permanent  resident. 

Pleasantly  tanned  and  exuding  enthus- 

cont. 


i  iasm.  Miss  RogStad  is  looking  forward  to 
her  next  trip, 

///////////////////////// 

Mrs.  Richard  Conte  (formerly  Roberta 
Sacco)  recently  visited  Dorchester 
Branch  where  she  worked  in  1959  and  I960 
as  Young  Adults  Assistant.  Looking  even 
younger  and  more  sparkling  than  before 
her  marriage  (if  possible),  Roberta  ex- 
plained that  she  had  left  her  two  little 
girls  with  her  mother  so  that  she  could 
have  a  real  visit,  mthout  distraction 
of  any  sort.  So  pictures  and  stories 
about  the  children  had  to  suffice  this 
time.  Roberta  and  her  husband  have 
spent  two  years  in  El  Paso,  Texas,  where 
Mr.  Conte  has  served  in  the  Arny,  At 
present  their  plans  are  not  completely 
settled,  since  there  are  two  tempting 
possibilities  for  the  future.  But  it 
seems  unlikely  that  the  Contes  will  be 
staying  in  Boston  for  long.  Arn^r  life 
may  even  prove  too  enticing  to  ignore J 

I'Q.ss  Lisetts  Tanck,  former  Adults 
librarian  at  Dorchester  Branch,  visits 
her  old  Branch  quite  frequently  and 
proves  her  loyalty  over  and  over  again 
by  borrowing  her  reading  material  from 
us,  Mss  Tanck  may  well  join  the  many 
others  of  whom  we  say,  "She  looks  so 
happy  and  rested,'"  Always  busy  and 
with  lots  of  interests,  she  certainly 
has  no  trouble  with  "spare  time". 

Word  has  been  received  that  Mrs,  W, 
Hugh  Smith  and  her  husbcind  and  family 
are  on  leave  from  the  Hongkong  Baptist 
Mission  for  several  months,  Mrs,  Smith 
was  Millicent  Ann  Hamer,  who  was  Child- 
ren's Assistant  at  both  Dorchester 
Branch  and  at  Neponset  Branch  a  few 
years  ago, 

//////////////////////// 


Kathleen  H,  Jaime,  Washington  Village 
Branch  became  engaged  to  C,  Raymond 
MacWilliaras,  on  July  2,  1962 

/////////////////////// 


-9  - 


On  July  27  at  Adams  St.  Branch  Library 
a  farewell  party  was  given  by  the  staff 
to  Mrs.  Janet  Anderson,  the  Young  Adults* 
assistant.  iVtrs.  Anderson  has  resigned 
from  the  library  to  accompany  her  hus- 
band to  his  new  place  of  employment. 
Janet  has  made  many  friends  during  her 
year  at  Adams  Street  Branch  and  we  all 
wish  her  the  best  in  the  future, 

/////////////////////// 

"WHAT'S  THE  LIBRARY  FOR" 

Apparentlj"-  it  is  not  enough  that  we 
supply  our  public  with  easy  chairs  and 
browsing  alcoves.  Now  we  are  expected 
to  provide  them  with  any  article  their 
little  hearts  desire.  One  of  our  more 
intelligent  borrowers  discovered,  much 
to  her  discomfort,  that  she  had  forgot- 
ten her  glasses.  Smilingly,  she  appro- 
ached the  desk,  and  asked  to  borrow  a 
pair  of  the  Library's  glasses.  Her  in- 
dignation, when  she  heard  we  did  not 
furnish  glasses  to  our  customers,  was 
marvellous  to  behold. 

Another  borrower,  masculine  this  time, 
meekly  accepted  the  fact  that  smoking 
is  not  allowed  in  the  Branch,  but  did 
a  rapid  bum  when  he  found  that  we  do 
not  have  a  pail  of  sand  or  an  ashtray 
in  which  he  could  stub  out  his  already- 
lighted  cigarette. 

CHRISTIANA  P.  JORDAN 
ALLSTON  BRANCH 

///////////////////////////////// 

ALUMNI  N0T3S 


Best  wishes  for  speedy  mending  to 
Jean  B.  Lay,  "graduate"  of  Cataloging 
£Lnd  Classification,  HR  &  OS,  and  now 
at  Fairview  Inn,  52  Eastern  Point  Road, 
Gloucester,  where  she  plans  to  remain 
for  the  rest  of  the  summer.  Her  de- 
parture from  Boston  was  delayed  several 
weeks  because  of  an  accident  which  oc- 
curred during  packing  days.  A  fall 
resulted  in  a  broken  left  arm. 

Jeremiah  J.  Danker,  Superintendent 
of  Library  Buildings,  Emeritus,  and 
now  with  Lowell  Institute  in  their 
office  at  the  BPL,  and  Mrs.  Danker 
have  enjoyed  a  visit  vri.th  their  son, 
Frederick  (formerly  Rare  Book),  who  is 

cont. 


on  the  staff  of  the  Cape  Playhouse  at 

Dennis. 

Congratulations  to  Sigrid  (Robinson) 
Reddy,  formerly  of  Open  Shelf,  on  her 
appointment  as  Librarian  of  the  Bedford 
Public  Library. 

David  Sheehan,  formerly  of  the  General 
Reference  Department,  now  Librarian  at 
Westwood  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Old  Colony  Book  Club  at  the  annual 
meeting  in  June. 

Louis  Ugalde,  a  Rare  Book  Department 
"ex",  is  now  a  member  of  the  faculty 
of  the  University  of  Vermont.  He  is 
enjoying  life  in  the  Green  Mountain 
state  and  sends  his  best  wishes  to  his 
many  friends  back  in  Boston. 

Friends  of  Connie  Broadhurst,  former- 
ly of  Open  Shelf,  will  be  interested  to 
know  that  she  has  returned  to  Library 
work  and  is  now  working  in  the  Provi- 
dence Public  Library. 


VJVAT  HAPPENS  TO  THE 
RECENT  MAIL  BOTS? 

Neil  Kelly,  has  not  returned  to 
Northeastern,  but  is  instead  undergoing 
basic  training  at  Fort  Dix,  as  part  of 
six-months  in  the  U.S. Army. 

Martin  Bruce  Shore  chose  the  Air 
Force  over  Northeastern,  has  completed 
basic  training,  and  is  now  an  "A3C"  at 
Pease' Air  Force  Base,  New  Hampshire. 

Stephen  Growchowski  has  just  returned 
from  a  trip  in  the  middlewest  and  is 
working  with  his  father  in  the  sign 
painting  business.  He  hoped  to  go  to 
Art  School. 

'  Charles  Collins  is  now  Fr^re  M, 
Vincent,  O.C.S.O,,  with  Les  Peres 
Trappistes,  North  Rogersville,  New 
Bruns'.idck,  where  he  is  on  the  staff  of 
the  publication,  THE  SOUfJD  OF  OUR  BELLS. 
The  Trappists  are  celebrating  their 
sixtieth  anniversary  in  this  community, 
/////////// 


-  IQ 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box 
must  be  acconqjanied  by  the  fiill  najne 
of  the  Association  member  submitting 
it,  together  v/ith  the  name  of  the 
Branch  Library,  Department  or  Office 
in  which  he  or  she  is  eiqjloyed.  The 
name  is  withheld  from  publication, 
or  a  pen  name  is  used,  if  the  contrib- 
utor so  requests.  Anonymous  contribu- 
tions are  not  given  consideration. 
The  ^thor  of  the  article  is  known 
only  to  the  Editor-in-Chief,  The 
contents  of  the  articles  appearing 
in  the  Soap  Brae  are  personal  opin- 
ions expressed  by  individual  Asso- 
ciation members  and  their  appear  since 
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: 

For  two  months  we  have  been  members 
of  an  insurance  plan  about  which  we 
have  been  told  nothing  -  absolutely 
nothing.  Correction,  please,  we  have 
been  told  the  price. 

For  several  months  longer  we  have 
been  watching  the  demolition  of  the 
building  on  Blagden  Street.  The 
newspaper  told  us  that  when  it  was 


cleared  the  area  would  be  made  into 
a  parking  lot  for  the  staff.  This 
was  a  small  item  tucked  away  on  the 
inner  pages,  but  we  found  it.  And 
our  hearts  were  glad.  And  we  gave 
praise  unto  the  Lord,  And  we 
smirked  at  the  wandering  policeman 
with  his  relentless  crayon. 

Lately  he's  been  smirking  back. 

Could  it  be  that  the  rumors  are 
true?  Could  it  be  that  this  lofty 
intention  has  been  corrupted  by  crass 
commercialism?  Is  the  Library  to 
compete  with  the  Lenox  Hotel  parking 
lot? 

We  have  heard  it  argued  that  if 
this  property  were  made  into  a  free 
parking  lot  for  the  staff  it  would 
be  necessary  to  have  a  guard  there  - 
at  all  times  so  as  to  be  sure  it 
vras  used  only  by  the  staff.  Couldn't 
a  BPL  sticker  be  issued  to  take  care 
of  this?  Some  very  efficient  person 
has  been  watching  carefully  for  years 
to  see  that  no  unauthorized  personnel 
used  the  existing  space  behind  the 
library,  IJhy  not  let  him  check  for 
violators  tjithout  BPL  stickers  and 
bring  new  joy  to  his  life? 

We  hesitate  to  suggest  there  ia  a 
breakdown  in  communications  because 
someone  always  vehemently  denies 
this.  But  may  we  have  clarification 
of  both  these  matters? 

l^ffi  SHALL  NOT  BE  MOVED 


fi^ 


._:^. 


'OK, +Key   ha^e  a^   Ital'Qi>    PenaisS^i^ce   swUvq^^ 


too. 


™ 


uestion 


R^A^ 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


SEPTEMBER      1962 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 

Published  by  the  Boston  Piiolic  Library  Staff  Association 
Volume  XVII  Number  9  September  1962 


Publications  Committee:  Jean  Babcock,  Margaret  Butler,  Janice  Maniscalco, 

Thomas  J,  Manning,  Sarah  Richman,  Catherine 
Richmond,  Edwin  G.  Sanford,  Anna  Scanlon, 
I,  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  M.  Usher, 
Indexer,  VJilliam  T.  Casey,  Chairman. 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 


We  note  with  considerable  interest  the  contents  of  General  Adminis- 
trative Notice  Number  79.  There  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  have  had  to  live  with  the  problem  for  so  many  years  that  the  question 
of  expediting  book  delivery  should  rate  extremely  high  on  any  table  of 
priorities.  Every  staff  m.ember  who  has  ever  attempted  to  reason  with  an 
irate  meinber  of  the  public  who  tried  xjithout  success  to  seciire  a  needed 
book,  can  only  applaud  any  concentrated  effort  to  iraprovB  service  to  the 
public. 

We  will  also  agree  with  the  importance  of  the  second  point  concern- 
ing "the  feasibility  of  introducing  a  regional  branch  system"  while 
recognizing  that  tenable  arguments  could  be  made  for  awarding  this  pri- 
ority to  other  problems. 

What  does  cause  us  to  raise  a  slightly  quizzical  eyebrow  is  the 
implication  that  change  is  feared  simply  because  it  is  change.  Admit- 
ting that  librarians  have  a  more  or  less  deserved  reputation  for 
conservatism  that  has  on  past  occasion  placed  them  somewliat  to  the  right 
of  Senator  Goldwater,  we  still  feel  that  in  this  library,  as  in  the  pro- 
fession as  a  whole,  there  is  an  articulate  minority  that  has  been  advo- 
cating certain  basic  changes  for  a  good  many  years. 

Some  of  the  "fear"  that  does  exist  has  in  times  past  been  germinated 
by  a  belief  that  changes  will  be  super-imposed  from  above  without  regard 
for  the  justifiable  concerns  of  those  directly  effected  by  the  changes. 
The  fact  that  definite  attenpts  have  been  made  to  improve  communications 
between  administration  and  staff  should  help  immeasurably  to  allay  these 
fears. 

We  hope  that  the  projects  in  question  (particularly  the  first  one) 
will  serve  to  augment  the  Xirork  already  done  by  the  special  staff  commit- 
tee established  to  study  this  problem.  The  combination  of  experience  and 
"fresh  point  of  viei-j"  should  produce  some  interesting  results.  Because 
of  the  importance  of  the  projects  in  question,  plus  the  fact  that  similar 
ones  may  be  in  the  offing,  we  can  only  underscore  the  Director's  xvords  by 
urging  all  members  of  the  Staff  Association  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 
assxTve  the^r   success, 

THE  PUBLICATIONS  COMMITTEE 


PRESIDElTr'S  NOTES 


-  2  - 


We  know  that  many  enployees  have  been 
awaiting  some  word  on  the  progress  of 
the  Job  Evaluation  program.  There  have 
been  delays  and  there  may  be  some 
further  delays,  K  you  recall,  we 
wrote  that  a  target  date  of  October 
1st  had  been  set  for  the  Library 
Assistant  Service,  The  Assistant 
Director  (Persoimel)  has  been  work- 
ing toward-  that  date  and  still  hopes 
that  a-,  program  Thrill  be  presented  to 
the  Director  for  submission  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees  at  their  meeting  on 
the  28th  of  September.  A  meeting  of 
the  Job  Evaluation  Committee  is  tenta- 
tively scheduled  for  Tuesday,  Septem- 
ber 18, 

The  Staff  shoijld  be  aware  that  money 
to  implem^ent  a  program  that  inclxides 
some,  repeat  some,  adjustments  in  job 
classification  miist  be  found  within 
the  present  personnel  budget.  It 
should  be  apparent  that  this  is  no 
easy  task,  and  that  ary  necessary 
delay  is  not  to  be  construed  as  a 
matter  of  choice  but  as  matter  of 
necessity. 

The  Executive  Board  wishes  to  make 
it  clear  that  it  has  no  knowledge  of 
the  final  form  or  the  final  results 
of  the  job  evaluation  study.  All  the 
facts  in  our  possession  have  been 
passed  along  in  the  PRESnDENT'S  NOTES. 

Riamors  concerning  the  immediate 
future  of  the  Library's  vacant  lot 
on  Blagden  Street  may  be  qiiieted  by 
the  Imowledge  that  the  Trustees  have 
invited  proposals  for  leasing  of  a 
parking  lot  at  Blagden  and  Exeter 
Streets  for  one  year  ending  October 
31,  1963,  Bids  mxist  be  in  on  or 
before  12  noon,  September  17,  1962. 

LOUIS  RAINS 

•JKHKHHK^-^S^X-^HKH:-^SKSHH;-^^H«■ 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 

The  often  repeated  cliches  of 
"putting  on  the  dog",  "going  to  the 
dogs",  etc.  were  all  outdone  last' 
month  by  that  lively  gal  in  the  Per- 
sonnel Office  who  likes  to  do  every- 
thing in  a  big  way, (Evelyn  Isaacs 
of  course) 


It  all  started  x/hen  Evelyn  and 
her  husband  decided  to  "go  to  the  ■ 
dogs"  (at  Wonderland  Park  that  is). 
The  night  was  uneventful  until 
Evelyn  decided  to  play  the  "Twin 
Double"  not  a  handicapper  or  sea- 
soned track  goer  her  selections  were 
based  merely  on  liking  for  certain 
names  and  numbers.  Her  selection 
in  the  3rd  race  of  the  parley  was  a 
real  underdog  but  she  was  adajKait  in 
her  selection  and  e\T.dently  the  poor 
underdog  was  overwhelmed  by  her  con- 
fidence at  any  rate  he  came  through 
with  flying  colors  for  her  much  to 
everyone's  astonishment.  Of  course 
it  wasn't  until  she  discovered  she 
was  the  only  one  at  the  track  who 
held  a  wiiuiing  ticket  on  the  "Twin 
Double"  and  her  winnings  were  the 
magnificent  sum  of  $22,666,20  that 
she  was  nxunbed  by  her  success. 

Her  'fellow  workers  although 
ecstatically  happy  for  her  good  for- 
tune were  admittedly  green  with  envy, 
A  bad  case  of  DOG  TRACK  FEVER  raced 
through  the  Central  building  -  one 
enterprising  young  fellow  was  going 
to  organize  a  chartered  bus  service 
from  the  BPL  to  Wonderland  -  race 
charts  were  the  bill  of  fare  at 
Sam's  but  gradually  the  crisis 
passed  and  things  now  have  returned 
to  normal. 

We  would  like  to  take  this  oppor- 
tunity to  wish  Mrs,  Isaacs  the  best 
of  luck  and  we  sincerely  hope  she 
will  now  be  able  to  see  the  fruition 
of  her  many  dreams.. 


JOHN  E.  ALDEN 

Congratulations  are  in  order  for 
John  E,  Alden  who  was  appointed 
Keeper  of  Rare  Books  on  September  ^, 

«-x-;hhhkbbkhkbhhhhh;-!hhhbhh(- 


PERSONNEL  NOTES 


New  Employees 

Bonnie  H.  Atchison,  Roslindale  Branch 
I-Irs,  Laura  V,  Abate,  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS  -  a  former 

employee. 
Charles  R,  Foley,  Open  Shelf 
Mrs.  Frances  A,  MacArthur,  Print 
Roberta  MacCaiJisland.,  General  Reference 

formerly  part-time  in  Inforiiiation 
Frank  J,  Marston,  Government  Documents 

formerly  part-time   "       " 
Robert  Pasztor,  Book  Preparation 
Alice  M.  Rudensky,  Mattapan  Branch 
Melicent  Seyfret,  Connolly  Branch 
Mrs.  Jean  Vint,  Dorchester  Branch 
Mary  M,  Voigt,  South  Boston  Branch 
Charles  W,  Pierce, Jr.,  Business 

Office 
Mrs,  Bernice  Feldman,  Division  of 

R&RS  Office  -  Judaica  Section 
Marilyn  C,  Cave,  Kirstein  -  formerly 

part-time  at  Mt,  Pleasant 
Mary  E,  Halsh,  Book  Stack  Service  - 

formerly  part-time  in  Education 

Transferred 

Claire  Karam,  from  Personnel  to 

Fine  Arts 
Rosetta  P.  Martin,  from  Bookmobiles 

to  North  End 
Patricia  Murray,  from  Business  Office 

to  Personnel 
Anna  Scanlon,  from  Book  Preparation 

to  Rare  Book 

Retired 

Moorfield  Storey,  Cataloging  and 
Classification  Department  R&RS 

Ceased 

Jeannette  L,  Alfe,  South  Boston  - 

to  teach  school 
Ruth  Balka,  South  End  -  moved  to 

Philadelphia 
I^s,  Janet  Anderson,  Adams  Street  - 

another  position 
Noel  J.  Bray,  Central  Book  Stock  - 

Branch  Issue  Section  -  another 

position 
Charles  Chamberlain,  Audio  Visual  - 

another  position 
J.  Richard  Belanger,  Music  Dept.  - 

another  position 


Paul  Dillen,  Book  Purchasing  - 

another  position 
Robert  W.  Holland,  Kirstein  -  to 

return  to  school 
Ethel  Heins,  Brighton  -  another 

position 
Plugh  McDonagh,  Government  nocturremts  - 

another  position 
Malcolm  J,  Norton,  Book  Purchasing 

Department  -  another  position 
Kenneth  A,  Puleo,  Book  Preparation  - 

another  position 
Angela  Segadelli,  Jamaica  Plain  -  to 

return  to  College 
Dorothy  Shtasel,  Periodical  &  Nev/s- 

paper  Department  -gnother  position 
Anthory  Tieuli,  Book  Piirchasing  - 

return  to  school  (Northeastern) 
Charles  Tyner,  Book  Stack  Service  - 

another  position 


\y  u   v/   4/  W   %#   1/   \/    \/   ^f    \r   vy   \'   \/   «'    \f   \/   \A 


I^E.  STOREY  RETIRES 


On  August  22,  1962  Mr.  Moorfield 
Storey  retired  from  the  library  service, 

Mr,  Storey  entered  the  service  of 
the  library  in  January  1939,  he 
transferred  from  the  Director's  Office 
to  the  Rare  Book  Department  two  years 
later.  For  the  next  txventy  years  he 
presided  over  the  Treasure  Room,  un- 
til the  budgetary  restrictions  of 
i960  necessitated  his  transfer  to  the 
Catalog  Department  of  the  Reference 
Division.  Now  he  leaves  us  to  join 
other  members  of  his  family  in  Seattle, 
Washington, 

A  graduate  of  Harvard  College  and  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Bar, 
Moorfield's  special  interests  lay  in 
the  field  of  American  history.  He 
worked  extensively  on  the  Lex-fissohn 
Collection  of  Washing toniana,  and  the 
thorough  calendaring  of  the  bulk  of 
the  Library's  Anti-slavery  Lianuscripts 
is  a  monument  to  Ms  industry. 

Quiet  and  unassuming,  Moorfield  has 
a  wry  sense  of  humor,  strong  convic- 
tions, and  innate  dignity.  We  vjish 
him  and  his  family  the  best  of  fortune 
as  they,  begin  life  in  the  West, 

ELLEN  M.  OLDHAM 


-  u  - 


BAREABA  COFEEY 

For  nine  years  Mrs,  Barbara  Coffey 
gave  most  of  her  working  hours  to  the 
Reference  and  Research  Cataloging  and 
Classification  Department;  but  all 
over  the  library  she  had  friends  liho 
will  niiss  her,  now  that  she  has  left. 

In  19^3   she  came  to  the  library  to 
work  in  Book  Selection,  Not  long 
after,  she  was  transferred  to  the 
Catalog  Department,  where  she  re- 
mained, except  for  a  brief  period  of 
being  "loaned  out"  to  the  Administra- 
tive Office, 

Her  new  position  is  at  Wentworth 
Institute,  5^0  Hvmtington  Avenue, 
where  after  a  short  vacation  she  will 
begin  work  as  assistant  to  the  libra- 
rian. 

In  private  life,  Barbara  is  the 
wife  of  John  "Bud"  Coffey  of  30  The 
Jamaicaway  —"everybody  knows  him, 
anyway"  she  said. 

On  August  l6th  Barbara's  colleagues 
in  the  Catalog  Department  gave  a 
farewell  luncheon  in  her  honor  under 
the  umbrellas  of  the  Dubarry  Restau- 
rant coiirtyard.  It  was  their  £;cpress- 
ed  wish  that  the  black  leather  loand- 
bag  they  gave  her  might  alvxays  be 
full  of  money. 

"I'm  not  saying  good-bye  jubilantly" 
Barbara  told  us.   "I  will  miss  all 
ny  friends  here", 

I4ARJ0RIE  A.  BRQ-JW 
MRS.  GERALD INE  DOUGLAS 


On  August  30,  1962  a  farewell 
luncheon  party  was  held  at  the 
Amslfi  Restaurant  for  Mrs.  Gerry 
Douglas  of  the  Cataloging  and  Class- 
ification Department,R&RS  x-;ho  was 
leaving  the  Library  service  on  a 
maternit-y  leave, 

Gerry  was  presented  with  a  beau- 
tifiol  yellow  robe  for  herself  and  for 
the  expected  heir  a  Baby  Bouncer, 
tiny  white  slippers,  a  beautiful 
sweater  compliments  of  Ilarcy 


McConville  and  a  $25  Savings  Bond, 
We  all  wish  the  best  for  her  and 
the  baby,  - 

WEDDING  BELLS 

Margaret  A,  Howe,  of  the  History 
Department,  R  &:  RS,  was  mai'ried  in 
Gardner  on  Saturday,  September  8,  to 
Mr.  John  C,  Soper  of  Mattapan,  She 
is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Colorado  and  is  currently  attending 
Simmons  College  School  of  Library 
Science,  lie,   Soper  is  employed  by 
the  Harvard  Trust  Company.  After  a 
wedding  trip  to  New  Hampshire,  they 
will  make  their  home  in  Cambridge, 

The  Women's  House  Co.nmittee  has 
made  some  progress  in  regard  to  the 
complaints  that  have  been  received. 
Signs  are  ready  to  be  posted  in  the 
several  areas  of  the  woiiien's  qviarters 
which  will  enable  those  in  charge  to 
have  the  rules  enforced. 

Shades  have  been  ordered  for  the 
laraps  in  the  women's  lounge  and  the 
upholstering  work  has  been  again  put 
into  the  budget  for  the  next  year. 

The  new  equipment  for  the  kitchen 
is  on  order  and  will  be  installed  as 
soon  as  it  is  received.  Painting  or 
washing  of  walls  is  to  be  done  where 
requested. 

We  are  trying  to  make  these  rooms 
as  comfortable  and  presentable  as 
possible  and  hope  you  will  all  coop- 
erate with  us. 

THE  WOJIEN'S  HOUSE  COIiMITTEE 

The  New  England  Library  Association 
will  hold  their  fall  meeting  at  the 
New  Ocean  House,  Swamps cott  October 
3  -6, 

/r7*  /»  t\   .*   t\  j'TiOx  /CT'v  i\   i\  y,   /0\   /*  /\   /\  (iTC 

OUR  BLOOD  DONOR  PROGRAM  IS  IN  FULL 

Sl/JING  ~  \4E  URGE  ALL  VJHO  CAN  POSSIBLY 

DO  SO  TO  GIVE  A  BLOOD  DONATION  —     ' 
NOW 


Emu  DICKINSON 

One  evening,  in  the  1930 's,  in  an 
-American  literature  course  I  was  taking 
in  Cambridge,  we  arrived  at  Endly  Dick- 
inson, .Professor  Hillyer  spoke  about 
her  strange  character,  the  drastic  se- 
clusion, the  odd  handwriting,  the 
piecemeal  discovery  and  publication  of 
her  poems,  and  the  great  excitement  he 
had  felt  when  he  first  read  her  poems 
as  a  young  man.  He  talked  in  a  detach- 
ed, historical  way,  almost  as  if  re- 
gretting his  youthful  enthusiasms,  and 
with  the  attitude  of  "A  PLAGUE  ON  BOTH 
YOUR  HOUSES"  towards  the  long  feud 
between  Mrs.  Bianchi,  the  sole  surviv- 
ing relative,  and  Mrs.  Bingham,  the 
daughter  of  the  friend  and  first  editor, 
Mrs.  Todd.  Mrs.  Bianchi  had  been  de- 
clared the  sole  owner  of  all  copyrights, 
and  every  once  in  a  while  a  collection 
of  "newly  discovered"  work  was  publish- 
ed, and  the  literary  community  never 
knew  when  the  end  to  such  "finds"  would 
come.  Then  the  professor  began  to  read 
some  of  the  poems  to  the  class.  He 
stopped  after  a  few  minutes  and  said 
with   embarrassment;  "I  thought  the  en- 
chantment was  no  longer  there,  but  I 
was  mistaken".  He  communicated  the 
emotion,  and  for  some  of  his  students 
this  enchantment  remains  undimmed  in 
all  the  poems,  letters,  friendships, 
biographies,  and  the  most  casual  gossip 
about  this  remarkable  and  wonderful  odd 
Yankee  spinster  who  lived  in  seclusion 
in  a  house  on  Main  Street  in  the  small 
town  of  Amherst  a  hundred  years  ago, 

Mrs.  Bingham  with  her  four  books  has 
done  more  than  her  mother  Mrs.  Todd  to 
make  Emily  Dickinson  intimately  known 
to  millions  of  people.  BOLTS  OF  MELODY, 
19ii5,  gave  us  over  600  new  Dickinson 
poems.  A^TCESTQRS'  BROCADES,  19li5,  gave 
a  complete  account  of  the  way  Mrs.  Todd 
with  the  help  of  Thomas  Wentworth 
Higginson  went  about  copying  the  manu- 
scripts and  preparing  the  first  editions 
of  the  poems  and  the  letters,  EMILY 
DICKINSON-A  REVELATION,  195U,  reads 
like  a  fascinating  detective  novel, 
telling  about  the  "affair"  between 
Emily  Dickinson  and  the  friend  of  her 
father.  Judge  Lord  of  Salem,  and  Mrs. 
Bingham's  attempt  in  1932  to  track  down 
information  and  documents  from  some  of 
the  people  who  had  been  present  at  the 
main  events  in  Amherst  of  the  l880's. 


5  " 

And  Lastly  the  portly  EMILY  DICKINSON'S 
HOME,  1955,  which  brings  to  life  the 
brother  Austin,  the  sister  Lavinia,  the 
parents  and  the  whole  spirit  and  atmos- 
phere of  the  times  when  Emily  Dickinson 
was  a  girl. 

Mrs.  Bianchi,  the  niece,  died  in  19ii3, 
and  all  her  manuscripts  were  bought  for 
Harvard  University.  Mrs,  Bingham  gave 
her  material  to  Amherst  College,  and 
now  at  last  it  became  possible  to  pub- 
lish for  the  first  time  a  complete  edi- 
tion of  all  the  poems  and  letters. 
Thomas  K.  Johnson  edited  the  3  volume 
variorum  edition  of  the  poems  in  1955, 
and  the  3  volume  edition  of  the  letters 
in  1958.  In  I960  he  published  the  1 
volume  edition  of  the  1775  poems,  giving 
probable  date  of  composition  and  date  of 
first  publication.  This  excellent  book 
supersedes  all  other  editions  (except 
of  course  the  3  volume  variorum  of  1955) 
and  should  be  used  to  replace  any  other 
edition  of  the  poems  the  circulating 
units  of  the  Library  now  use. 

Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson,  the  first 
coeditor,  and  the  recipient  from  Emily 
Dickinson  of  the  most  remarkable  of  all 
the  letters  she  had  written,  left  the 
manuscripts  to  BPL  when  he  died  in  1911. 
The  transaction  is  recorded  in  longhand 
in  an  old  notebook  which  can  still  be 
seen  in  the  Book  Purchasing  Department. 
I  hope  that  some  modern  new  broom  does 
not  suddenly  decide  to  sweep  out  that 
notebook  as  no  longer  of  use,  A  few 
years  ago  I  went  up  to  the  Rare  Book 
Department  to  look  at  the  original 
letters,  I  am  sorry  to  say  they  were 
meanly  housed  in  a  box  that  once  must 
have  held  shoes  or  envelopes.  The  Bin- 
dery people  who  fashion  such  handsome 
going  Hway  books  for  retiring  members 
of  the  Staff  would  probably  be  glad  to 
make  a  similar  tooled  book  or  box  to 
house  this  great  treasure-particularly 
the  second  letter  which  ranks  for  me, 
in  spite  of  Sir  Charles  Snow,  higher 
than  the  second  law  of  thermodynamics. 
The  impact  on  the  reader  is  similar  to 
the  effect  she  describes  as  feeling 
when  she  read  some  real  poetry: 
"....You  ask  of  my  companions.  Hills, 
sir,  and  the  sundown,  and  a  dog  as  large 
as  myself,  that  my  father  bought  me. 
They  are  better  than  beings  becavise  they 
know,  but  do  not  tell;  and  the  noise  in 
the  pool  at  noon  excels  my  piano... I 
have  a  brother  and  sister;  my  mother 

cont. 


^6  - 


does  not  care  for  thought,  and  father 
•  ••••  buys  me  inany  books,  but  begs  me 
not  to  read  then,  because  he  fears 
they  joggle  the  mind.  They  are  re- 
ligious, except  me,  and  address  an 
eclipse,  every  morning,  -whom  they 
call  their  "Father",  Could  you  tell 
me  how  to  grow,  or  is  it  unconveyed, 
like  melody,  or  witchcraft;" 

I  would  declare  on  a  streamer 
floating  from  the  roof  that  we  own 
the  Emily  Diclojison  letters.  And 
instead  of  the  many  evanescent  sum^ 
miteers  on  our  stationary,  I  would 
remind  all  our  correspondents  in  a 
box  at  the  top  that  we  have  some 
priceless  originals  by  Emily 
Dickinson  in  our  Library,  And  per« 
haps,  once  in  a  while,  station  an 
attendant  in  the  lobtr;'-,  and  tell  in 
deadpan  all  comers  that  Emily 
Dickinson  wrote  deathless  letters 
and  some  of  the  best  are  here, 

HARRI  AMDREliTS 

ELIZABETH  M.  GORDON  I4SI'-'I0R1AL 

At  their  meeting  on  June  29,  1962, 
the  Trustees  voted  to  accept  the  sum 
of  $572  as  a  gift  to  the  Library  to 
be  known  as  the  Elizabeth  M,  Gordon 
Children's  Book  Fund,  The  income 
from  this  fund  is  to  be  used  to  pur- 
chase children's  books  of  outstanding 
design  or  artistic  value. 

This  money  represents  contributions 
from  some  120  people  who  were  on  the 
staff  of  the  Library  at  the  time  of 
Miss  Gordon's  death,  or  who  were 
former  staff  members,  or  who  Imew  her 
through  other  contacts.  The  committee 
wishes  to  express  its  gratification 
for  the  response  to  the  announcement 
of  the  project  of  setting  up  the  fund. 

It  is  expected  that  the  fund  will 
be  supplemented.  The  editors  of  the 
Bay  State  Librarian,  the  Library 
Journal  and  the  Vfilson  Library 
Bulletin  have  indicated  they  will  try 
to  carry  information  in  their  columns 
in  future  issues,  Mss  Gordon's 
professional  circle  and  "alumnae" 
reaches  from  India  to  the  Philippines, 


from  New  Mexico  to  Maine,  and  it  is 
hoped  to  reach  the  people  through 
the  columns  of  each  journal. 

The  comi-oittee  membership  was  made 
up  of  Mss  Ilildred  Adelson,  I'Irs, 
Beatrice  Frederick,  JVIiss  Ilildred 
I^ufman,  Ilrs,  Ethel  Lindquist,  Miss 
Margaret  Morgan,  Miss  ^iarjorie  M, 
Gibbons,  and  Itr,  John  M.  Carroll. 


BRANCH  NOTES 

Friends  of  Katie  Richmond  of  Chas'n 
Branch  and  the  Editorial  Board  will 
be  happy  to  know  that  she  is  recover- 
ing from  her  recent  illness.  She  is 
now  home  from  the  hospital  and  we 
know  she  would  appreciate  hearing 
from  any  of  her  friends  on  the  staff, 

Mrs,  Ruth  Conrcry  of  Codman  Square 
has  returned  to  work  after  a  whirl- 
wind visit  to  the  Seattle  VJ^orld  Fair, 
Aiaong  the  scenic  points  of  interest 
she  visited  were  Crater  Lake  National 
Park,  Grand  Teton  National  Park, 
Yellowstone  National  Park  and  Ft, 
Laramee  National  Park,  With  this 
itinerary  she  is  now  better  known  as 
"the  National  Park  kid". 

We  are  very  sorry  to  report  that 
Mrs,  Geraldine  Altman,  Branch  Libra- 
rian, Jamaica  Plain  Branch  has  been 
ill  for  several  weeks.  After  a  short 
stc^r  in  the  hospital  she  is  now  re- 
cuperating at  home. 


^ '— >V<-*  '->  —  —  - 


I—HHHHHJ* 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  by  the  full  name  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it^  to- 
gether Tvith  the  name  of  the  Branch  Li- 
brary, Department  or  Office  in  which 
he  or  she  is  employed.  The  name  is 
T;rithheld  from  publication,  or  a  pen 
name  is  used,  if  the  contributor  so  re- 
quests, Anonyrrious  contributions  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  indi- 
cate that  the  Publications  Committee 
and  the  Association  are  in  agreement 
with  the  viex-/s  expressed.  Only  those 
contributions  containing  not  raore  than 
300  words  T'ri.11  be  accepted. 


Dear  Editor;  '    • 

Now  that  some  of  the  "Acting"  titles 
have  been  made  perrr^inent,  why  not  a 
clean  svreep  on  the  others?  Isn't  it  a 
little  ridiculous  to  have  top  ranlcLng 
brass  "Acting"  for  several  years?  It 
certainly  leads  to  low  morale  not  only 
for  individuals  concerned  but  for  all 
the  staff  serving  under  them. 

FASTER  MOVES  WANTED 
^-  «  « 

Dear  Soap  Box: 

It  was  hearten  ihg-  to  hear  of  the  re- 
cent appointments  to  titular  positions 
in  the  Division  of  Reference  and  Re- 
search Services  including  some  to  va- 
cancies of  relatively  short  duration, 
I  hope  that  this  presages  an  end  to 
"acting"  appointments,  except  in  situ- 
ations where  a  probationary  period  is 
required  or  there  is  some  evident  rea- 
son for  a  temporary  appointment. 

This  hardly  seems  to  apply  to  the 
Acting  Chief  Librarian  of  the  Division 
of  Reference  and  Research  Services. 
This  has  been  an  "acting"  appointment 
for  three  years. 

It  woTold  be  helpful  to  the  Division 
and  to  this  Library  as  xjhole  if  the 
appointment  were  made  permanent.  It  ' 
would  be  fairer  to  all  concerned,  also* 

OBSERVER 

*  ■»  * 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

The  Coffee  Shop  has  always  been  a 
convenient  place  where  people  could 
hear  and/ or  spread  rumor  and  gossip. 
The  grapevine  languishes  when  the  Cof- 
fee Shop  people  go  away  on  vacationj 
By  admission,  facetious  and  serious, 
of  staff  members,  this  rendezvous  has 
been  deliberately  used  by  some  as  a 
means  of  gathering  up  bits  of  "news". 
There  are,  therefore,  individuals  in 
the  library  v;ho  avoid  the  Coffee  Shop 
as  a  den  of  iniquity.  They  do  not  need 
St,  Augustine's  heartfelt  adjiiration  to 
"fly,  fly  temptation",  not  to  atten^Dt 
to  battle  it,  without  question,  there 
are  many  people  of  the  utmost  integ- 
rity who  find  the  proximity  of  the 
Coffee  Shop  a  veritable  boon. 

These  days,  hOT-rever,  there  seems  to 


•  0  . 


be  two  places  of  concourse  that  are  ap- 
parent]^ even  more  insidious  and  dan- 
gerous: the  Approval  Room  in  the  Home 
Reading  Division  Book  Selection  Depart- 
ment and  the  Staff  lavatories.  It  is 
particularly  disturbing  when  our  new, 
youngj impressionable  people  come  back 
and  relate  some  of  the  unflattering, 
disillusioning,  bitter  remarks  that 
have  been  made  gratuitously  about 
associates  and  administrative  and  di- 
vision heads.  These  utterances  are  es- 
pecially distressing,  when  seasoned 
staff  members  are  guilty  of  them, 
-Jhat  a  weird,  lopsided,  damaging  image 
these,  for  the  most  part  idealistic, 
yoxingsters  must  acquire  of  library  per- 
sonnel! Titillating,  no  donbt,  but 
hardly  one  to  be  nourished  on  and  in- 
spired by.  Should  we  declare  these 
places  --  or  our  tongues  —  out  of 
bounds?! 

The  Boston  Public  Library  has  many 
approved  ways  for  letting  off  steam, 
for  airing  grievances  and  gripes,  for 
welcoming  constructive  criticism  and 
suggestions.  Use  them.  In  the  mean- 
time, let  us  all  live  up  to  our  ethical 
and  moral  responsibilities  and  not 
scandalize  the  young  ones  or,  for  that 
matter,  the  old  ones. 

AD  ASTRA 

*  *  •}& 

Dear  Soap  Box: 

Had  the  Coioncil  on  Studett  Use  of  the 
Library,  which  has  been  discussing  that 
question  for  lo  these  many  hours  over 
•nearly  a  two  year  period,  been  directed 
in  t  he  beginning  to  contact  or  meet 
with  school  principals,  school  and 
college  librarians,  college  and  univ- 
sity  officials,  or  even  student  classes 
or  assemblies,  just  THINK  how  far  a- 
head  the  Library  would  now  be  in  im- 
proving service  to  all  classes  of  pa- 
trons, in  saving  materials,  preventing 
unnecessary  duplication  of  effort,  and 
removing  pressxires  from  our  staff,  A 
little  direct  action  speaks  louder  than 
many  hundreds  of  words  of  theoretical 
discussioni  WHEN  DO  WE  HAVE  ACTIQN? 

STUDENT-I-JEARY 


f^ 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 

Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 
Volume  XVII  Number  10  October  1962 


Publications  Committee:  Jean  Babcock,  Mai-garet  Butler,  Janice  Maniscalco, 

Thomas  J.  Manning^  Sarah  Richmaxi,  Catherine 
Richmond,  Edwin  G,  Sanford,  Anna  Scanlan, 
I.  Roger  Stevens,  Caitoonist,  Sarah  M,  Usher, 
Indexer,  William  T.  Casey,  Chairman, 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 


In  this  complex  and  often  confusing  world  that  we  mortals  inhabit,  one 
of  the  most  pressing  needs  is  for  an  improvement  in  that  somewhat  nebulous 
thing  we  call  communication,  A  mighty  conclave  of  theologiaiis  gather  in 
Rome  for  the  express  purpose  of  improving  communications  among  various 
religious  groups,  a  man-made  satellite  courses  tlirough  the  heavens  so  that 
even  the  least  fortunate  of  our  brethren  can  witness  the  medical  gyrations 
of  Ben  Casey  and  a  ciorrent  novel  chills  our  blood  stream  with  a  description 
of  the  part  communication  must  play  in  averting  an  "accidental"  war. 

In  that  microcosm  we  call  the  Boston  Public  Library,  cor.imunication  has 
come  to  play  an  ever  increasing  role  in  the  effective  working  relationship 
that  must  be  developed  among  the  various  echelons  that  coiif)rise  the  staff. 
It  was  in  recognition  of  this  fact  that  the  Staff  Memo  came  into  existence, 
the  ■  suggestion  boxes  blossomed  forth  in  the  hallowed  corridors  of  Central 
and  definite  steps  were  taken  to  improve  the  relations  between  staff  and 
administration. 

But  communication,  like  the  liythical  Pfydra,  displays  many  faces  ard  in- 
volves more  than  forging  stronger  links  in  the  chain  of  command.   It  also 
involves  making  those  who  consider  entering  the  library  profession  fully 
aware  of  the  demands  and  responsibilities  of  that  profession  and  of  the 
necessity  of  malcing  certain  sacrifices  of  time  and  effort,  to  satisfy  those 
demands , 

It  has  become  increasingly  evident  that  applicsints  for  library  positions 
have  some  rather  peculiar  ideas  about  the  exact  nature  of  work  in  a  public 
library.  Some  recoil  in  hoiror  to  discover  that  libraries  do  not  cease  to 
operate  at  5':00  p.m,  but  maintain  evening  hours  for  the  convenience  of 
their  patrons.  Others  there  are  who  take  objection  to  the  public  they  have 
volunteered  to  serve,  not  realizing  it  is  the  same  public  that  pays  their 
salary.  Much  has  been  written  concerning  the  public  image  of  the  librarian, 
but  X'fhat  of  the  image  that  the  librarian  constructs  about  the  public?  For 
every  patron  that  is  queriilous  and  demanding,  there  iifill  be  at  least  ten 
who  are  friendly  and  appreciative  of  any  assistance  you  can  render, 

cont. 


-2- 

In  any  profession  there  is  a  shadow  line  between  theory  and  practice. 
Perhaps  what  we  are  witnessing  is  a  conflict  between  ideas  set  forth  in  the 
texts  on  library  science  and  the  exigencies  of  eveiyday  routine.  Could  it 
be  that  professors  of  library  science  have  failed  to  mention  that  a  large 
urban  library  might  conceivably  have  branches  in  less  desirable  sections  of 
the  c3t3r?  I/O  all  tf^xt.s  tloss  car  the  fact  that  the  library  public  is  not 
always  drawn  from  the  fir.est  ei.einents  of  society? 

We  need  capable,  intelligent  people  to  add  to  ovr   ranks  but  the  value  of 
these  recruits  is  minimized  if  their  first  contact  with  librajry  work  proves 
to  be  a  traumatic  experience.  In  every  professional  library  publications 
great  stress  is  laid  upon  the  recessity  for  attro.-.tirig  new  persoiinelo  Way 
should  our  own  Director  cf  PerEcnnel  spend,  long  hears  doing  just  tht.t,  if 
his  efforts  are  mollified  by  recruits  who  atDempt  to  maks  the  job  coincide 
with  certain  pre-conceived  notions  of  theii-  oi/jn  and  who  stand  poised  ready 
to  depart  instanter  if  the  work  is  not  100^^  to  their  liking. 

The  library  is  a  social  institution.  It  is  a  human  institution  subject 
to  human  weaknesses  and  failings.  There  are  iriany  things  that  could  and 
should  be  changed.  We  only  ask  that  those  who  advocate  these  changes  wait 
until  the  ink  dries  on  a  few  paychecks  before  starting  the  revolution, 

THE  PUBLICATIOIJS  COiaHTTEE 


PRESIDED  «S  NOTES 

The  Job  Evaluation  ComiiuLttee  has 
held  aiiother  m.eeting  since  we  iiiade 
our  last  report  in  this  column, 
Se\'eral  questions  have  arisen  which 
the  committee  must  consider  prior 
to  an  announcement  of  the  results. 
However,  it  should  be  quite  obvious 
that  the  salary  adjustments  that 
might  result  from  the  job  evalua- 
tions will  not  be  effected  this 
month,  and  probably  not  until  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1963,  The 
delay  is  because  of  insufficient 
funds  and  not  due  to  lethargy'-  on 
the  part  of  the  administration  or 
of  the  coriimittee. 

The  Nominating  Committee  has 
been  hard  at  work  seeking  out 
people  to  run  for  offices  in  the 
association.  It  is,  of  course, 
impossible  for  the  committee  to  be 
aware  of  all  the  talented,  capable 
members  of  the  association.  If 
you  loiow  of  any  clean-living, clear- 
thinking,  straight-shooting  meit'oer 
whom  you  would  like  "60  have  nomi^ 
nated  for  an  office  please  send  the 
name  along  to  William  Levri.s,Historyo 


The  Nominating  Committee  will  make 
its  report  at  the  November  Business 
meeting  and  there  will  be,  as  pro- 
vided by  our  constitution,  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  nominations  from  the 
floor. 

Our  newest  Trustee,  I^,  Augustln 
Parker,  Jr,  will  be  the  speaker  at 
our  October  meeting  to  be  held  in 
the  Lectxire  Hall  on  Frid^  evening, 
October  26,  Let  us  all  make  an  effort 
to  be  present  and  meet  our  new  Trustee, 
And  those  of  you  who  bemoan  the  fact 
that  there  is  little  opportunity  for 
the  neirer  members  of  the  staff  to  be- 
come acquainted  please  take  advantage 
of  this  meeting  to  meet  and  speak  to 
your  fellow  staff  members.  We  hope 
to  see  you  all  there, 

Mr,  Gaines  is  meeting  with  the 
Executive  Board  on  Monday,  22  October, 
to  discuss  the  sick  leave  policy  and 
the  promotional  system.  We  shall 
report  on  this  meeting  in  the  next 
issue  of  the  Question  Mark, 

LOUIS  RAINS 


-3  - 


PER30N1JEL  NOTES 


NM  El^PLOYEES 

Thonas  P,  Alburger  -  Cataloging  and 

Classification,  HR&CS 
Barbara  A.  Eachrach  -  Periodicsil  and 

Newspaper  Department 
Nancy  E,  Baiter  -  Cer.tral  Charging 

Records 
Marie  E,  Cambria  -  Connolly  Branch  - 

formerly  part-time 
Mrs,  Audrey  Cohen  -  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&S3 
Joseph  I-l.  Franceschi  -  South  End 

Branch  (Northeastern  Coop) 
Ilrs.  Linda  J.  Ellis  -  Open  Shelf 
Susan  Fletcher  -  Book  Selection  HR&CS 
Mrs.  Deborah  Gordenstein  -  Kirstein 

Business  Branch 
Leonard  Grundt  -  Business  Office 
Louise  A,  Hoeh3.  ~  North  End  Branch 
Mrs,  Frances  Maa'lrthur  -  Print 

Department 
Mrs,  Irene  Probstein  -  Rare  Book 

Department 
Phyllis  Sutton  -  Open  Shelf 
Kathleen  McDonald  -  Bootaaobiles 
>1arcia  Pouser  -  Central  Charging 

Records 
Carolyn  L.  Smith  -  Bookmobiles 
Ellen  Walsh  -  Hospital  Library  Service 
Sajjiuel  D,  V/ilson  -  Open  Shelf 
Mary  E,  Skewes  -  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS 
Ruth  M,  Sullivan  -  Science  &  Technology 
1-Iargaret  McElwaine  -  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS 

MATiRIED 

Margaret  A,  Howe  -  History  to  John 
■  C,  Soper,  September  8,  1962, 

TRANSFERRED 

Mark  Alport  -  from  Central  Charging 

Records  to  Book  Stack  Service 
Carol  Gourley  -  from  South  End  to 

Central  Charging  Records 
James  M,  McNiff  -  from  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS  to  Periodical 

and  Newspaper  Department 
Alice  M,  Rudensky  -  from  i"iattapan  to 

Washington  Village 
Isabel  Thayer  -  from  Open  Shelf  to 

South  End 


CEASED 

Caroline  R.  Stanxjood  -  Rare  Book 

Department  -  to  return  to  school 
Roger  Rainville  -  Open  Shelf  -  to 

teach  school 
Barbara  Coffey  -  Cataloging  and 

Classification  RccRS  -  to  accept 

another  position 
Geraldine  Douglas  -  Cataloging  and 

Classification  R&RS  -  to  rer.'^ln 

at  home 
Marilyn  Cunningham  -  Book  Selection 

HR&CS  -  another  position 
Ernest  DiMattia  -  Science  ard  Tech- 
nology -  another  position 
Ruth  Katz  -  Connolly  Branch  « 

to  teach  school 
Frank  Levine  -  Memorial  -  another 

position 
fJary  Hengstenberg  -  General  Reference 

to  retiorn  to  school 
Daniel  J,  Morrison  -  Open  Shelf  - 

another  position 
Theresa  Ouellet  -  Book  Purchasing  - 

another  position 
Barbara  VJestr-ian  -  Print  Department  - 

to  return  to  school 

■JBHHHK'-JHBHHKBHHt 

MARILYN  J.  CUNNINGHAM 

On  Tuesday  evening,  October  ninth 
the  members  of  the  Book  Selection 
Department,  HR&CS  entertained  l^ss 
Marilyn  Cunningham  at  a  farewell 
party  at  the  Taime   Lyne  Hoiise  in 
Lynnfield.  l-ferilyn  was  feted  roy- 
ally by  her  many  other  library 
friends  at  the  time  of  her  departure 
September  17th, 

Her  sorrowing  co-workers  needed  this 
damp  opportunity  to  lift  their  droop- 
ing spirits,  and  re-assure  them  that 
life  can  go  on,  even  without  Marilyn, 
Her  wit,  her  snappy  repartee  and  her 
wonderful  output  of  work  mil  be 
missed  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

Her  many  library  friends  wish  her 
well  as  she  goes  out  "into  the  cruel 
world"  -  and  irill  always  vrelcome  her 
when  she  can  find  time  to  visit  the 
old  "Dens  of  Iniquity",  such  as  the 
Coffee  Shop  and  Book  Selection, 

MiARY  E.  OBEAR 


NEW  ENGLAND  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION 


Business  Meeting  of  LISLA 

The  business  meeting  of  NELA,  held  at 
11  o'clock,  on  Thursday,  Oct.  U,  1962 
in  the  Ball  Room  was  truly  an  education- 
al and  exhilarating  exnerience.   (This 
•writer,  to  her  astonishment,  has  in  the 
past  few  years  discovered  that  business 
meetings  can  often  be  the  cream  of  the 
conference.  So  many  nuances,  so  many 
maneuvers,  coalitions,  cliques,  to  vratch 
and  savor  J  Mr.  Theodore  E,  o'^Iinson  of 
Reading  Pub]-ic  Library,  president  of 
NELA,  was  chairman. 

Tlie  chief  purpose  of  this  meeting  was 
to  consider  the  proposed  Constitution 
and  By-laws  of  the  New  England  Library 
Association:  in  short,  to  give  formal 
structure  and  strength  to  a  hitherto 
loosely  joined  organization  of  various 
library  associations  in  the  New  England 
states.  The  main  event  occurring  at 
this  meeting  was  the  hard-fought  battle 
to  establish  from  the  floor  a  Regional 
Standing  CommJ.ttee  whose  purpose  would 
be  to  promote  and  encourage  regional 
planning  of  library  services  in  the  New 
England  area  and  to  make  recommendations 
for  implementation  to  the  board  for 
action.  Superb  parliaraentarianship  was 
evident  throughout  the  inception  of  the 
Regional  Standing  Committee. 

The  formalization  of  NELA  will  make  it 
much  more  effective,  especially  in  seek- 
ing and  accepting  foundation  grants.  In 
the  meantime,  NELA  has  set  up  its  own 
system  of  dues.  Previously,  there  were 
none,  excepting  registration  fees.  Now, 
the  dues  are  very  closely  scaled  to  annu| 
al  salaries,  making  membership  by  and 
large  on  the  prohibitive  side.  Could  it 
be  that  the  Association  is  chiefly  inter-} 
ested  in  those  on  the  management  and 
policy  making  levels?  On  the  other  hand^ 
we  all  realise  that  to  get  things  done, 
you  must  have  money  and  in  sufficient 
quanities. 

President  Johnson  ended  this  exciting 
meeting  with  the  statement  that  this  had 
been  a  history-making  session.  We  were 
glad  we  were  there.' 

Adult  Services  Program 

New  England  Regional  Cooperative 
Library  Systems  Planning  was  the  formi- 
dable title  of  the  Adult  Services  Pro- 
gram, Thursday  morning,  October  k,   1962. 
A  good  cross-section  of  library  personne^i 


at  top  levels-university,  special,  pub- 
lic, business,  extension  and  librarj'- 
school-participated,  and  threw  out,  what 
too  many  of  us,  must  have  been  frontier 
thin.-dng. 

After  a  highly  technical  bewildering 
introduction  on  Basic  Systems  Planning 
which  would  be  such  a  thing  as  the  Bell 
Telephone  automatic  dial  system,  the 
next  topic  dealt  with  the  startling  con- 
cept of  "network  operations",  in  which 
there  would  be  nine  centers  throughout 
the  country'':  Boston,  New  York,  Washing- 
ton, Chicago,  Atlanta,  Houston,  Denver, 
Seattle,  and  San  Francisco.  Thereby, 
there  could  be  very  close  linking  of 
libraries  and  resources.  A  member 
library  would  consiilt  its  center  and  get 
such  services  as  indexing,  translating, 
and  abstracting.  In  this  "network  oper- 
ations" there  would  be  cooperative  selec- 
tion, acquisition,  storage,  as  well  as 
bibliographic  control.  A  salient  point 
of  another  panelist  was  that  interlibra- 
ry  cooperation  was  crucial  these  days: 
"V/e  must  increase  the  sophistication  of 
our  interlibrary  cooperation  or  we'll 
perish."  It  was  also  stated  that  mechan- 
ics and  psychology  are  important  elements 
of  interlibrary  cooperation.  The  spokes- 
man for  special  libraries  urged  the  need 
for  a  Lfriion  Catalog  of  Journals.  An- 
other speaker  pointed  out  that  there  are 
at  least  25  million  volumes  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  that  stronger  and  more  effec- 
tive units  of  ser^'ice  are  essential  for 
progress.  Even  the  largest  libraries 
can  no  longer  be  autonomous. 

Some  of  the  pertinent  questions  tossed 
out  to  the  audience  were* "Are  collec- 
tions used  to  the  best  advantage?"  Have 
they  been  birllt  up  haphazardly  to  suit 
individual  needs?" 

The  consensus  seemed  to  be  that  we  all 
have  a  long  way  to  p;o,  but  that  at  least 
private  corporations  and  universities 
are  beginning  to  think  together.   There 
is  the  possibility  of  an  all-New  England 
Library  School.   New  Hampshire  and  Ver- 
mont are  sharing  a  film  project.  A 
cooperative  consultant  service  on  libra- 
ry building  is  badly  needed. 

In  conclusion,  there  must  be  "agonizing 
reappraisal"  of  resources,  goals,  acces- 
sibility, activities,  communication 
media,  technology  of  basic  systems  plan- 
ning, and  curricula  in  graduate  schools 
so  that  libraries  and  librarians  might 

cont. 


forcefuDly  and  potently  meet  the  litera- 
t'lre  ard  student  explosion  as  well  as  the 
change  in  educational  methods  and  mater- 
ials. We  are  student-and- contract-re- 
search driven  and  pressured.  Something 
tmist  be  done  J 

One  of  the  speakers  quoted  "Nothing  is 
so  powerful  as  an  idea  whose  time  has 
come".  It  seems  it  has.' 

///////////// 
New  England  School  Library 

The  four  o'clo'^k  meeting  of  the  New 
England  School  library  Association  was 
held  on  Thursday,  October  h,   1962,  at 
the  Shaw  Junior  High  School,  Swampscott. 
This  whole  arrangement  was  an  experiment 
called  into  being  by  necessity  -  somehow, 
there  was  no  room  at  the  inn  for  this 
group.  It  was  so  successful  that  it 
might  set  a  precedent.  The  members  were 
transported  by  bus  from  New  Ocean  House 
and  were  given  en  route  a  short  foliage 
tour.  Upon  arrival,  they  vrere  taken 
upon  a  school  library  tour,  with  children 
as  hosts  and  guides. 

The  topic,  Reading  and  purchasing  books 


for  our  school  libraries  was  divided  into 
three  separate  sections:  elementary, 
junior  high,  and  senior  high  school. 
Book  budgets,  discounts,  overnight  reser- 
ves, suggestions  of  books  by  department 
heads,  closer  relationships  between  pub- 
lic and  school  libraries,  book  selection 
policy  (only  one  school  library  had  a 
written  one,  because  of  unliappy  experi- 
ences elsewhere  in  this  respect)  the 
matter  of  transportation  (if  fences  do 
not  make  good  neighbors,  it  seems  that 
country  roads  do  not  make  good  walking), 
buying  "review"  books  for  IiO^  and  $0% 
less,  pros  and  cons  of  leisure  as  against 
curricula  reading  and  buying  were  some  of 
the  topics  battled  around  -  as  one  looked 
out  upon  the  flaming  beauty  outside. 

Among  such  a  diversity  of  school  libra- 
ians,  from  all  the  New  England  states 
and  conditions  —  with  a  sprinkling  of 
public  librarians  —  only  a  single  opin- 
ion could  be  called  unanimous.  For  any 
of  the  problems  raised  or  issues  discus- 
sed, there  can  be  no  one  solution,  no  one 
technique  or  approach.  ALL  IS  FETATivS, 
and  much  must  be  played  by  ear. 

//////////// 

New  England  State  Extension  Librarians 

The  topic  for  the  meeting  of  the  Mew 
England  State  Extension  Librarians,  on 
Friday  morning,  October  5,  1962  was. 


Challenge  of  the  sixties ;  a  coordinated 
national  program  of  library  development. 
This  was  a  well-attended  meeting  of  inter- 
est  to  all  -  "pan  libr£.ri."ni;m"  at  i\>s 
best.'  The  five  panelists  and  five  re- 
actors were  unusually  well  selected  both 
from  point  of  view  of  personal  contribu- 
tions and  that  they  cut  across  so  many 
lines  and  levels:  education,  business, 
newspapers,  public  officials,  library 
school,  and  public  librarians  of  various 
types. 

Some  of  the  salient  paints  brought  out: 
The  necessity  of  hammering  at  and  boost- 
ing the  Library'  Services  Act  vhich  has 
been  increased  from  7  l/2  to  ^20,000,000. 
The  resulting  overall  stinzcture  would 
enable  public  libraries  to  do  their  func- 
tions, and  do  them  effectively. 

School  libraries  grossly  inadequate  in 
quarters,  material  and  state  supervisors. 
School  libraries  should  be  taken  care  of 
by  N.D.E.A.  Also  that  interest  should 
not  be  stifled  by  excessive  education 
courses.  Present  situation  produces 
heavy  burden  on  public  libraries. 

Using  federal  funds  for  a  national 
recruiting  program,  with  a  wide  variety 
of  training  programs:  workshops,  insti- 
tutes, refresher  courses,  short  term 
training  programs.  Coordination  of 
libraiy  education  activities  very  impor- 
tant. 

libraries  and  profession  of  librarian- 
ship,  their  approaches  and  substance, 
need  determined  rethinicing;  much  more 
use  could  and  should  be  made  of  loans  by 
students,  rather  than  scholarships. 

Categorical  imperative:  libraries  can't 
do  what  they  are  expected  to  do.  Help 
must  come  somewhere! 

The  wave  of  the  future  -  coordination 
on  all  levels,  local,  state,  national, 
and  pertaining  to  all  kinds  of  libraries, 
public  and  private. 

/////////// 

School  and  Public  Librarians 

At  two  o'clock  on  Friday,  October  5, 
1962,  the  Ball  Room  was  crowded,  as  with 
baited  breath,  school  and  public  libra- 
rians gathered  to  garner  some  nuggets 
of  wisdom,  as  a  representative  group  of 
panelists  held  forth  on  the  timely  and 
challenging  topic  The  impact  of  the 
"Research  Paper"  in  schools  and  public 
libraries.  VJhile  there  V7as  lively  give 
and  take,  especially  among  the  school 
librarians,  this  meeting  was  predominan- 
tly an  airine  of  their  various  problems 

cont. 


-  6  - 


(such  as  multiple  requests  for  the  same 
bock)j  and  possible  courses  of  action. 
There  were  two  suggestions  worthy  of 
special  note;  a.)  scheduling(staggering) 
of  term  papers,  so  that  there  would  be  at 
least  a  two  week  gap  between  each  speci- 
fic assignment  and  b. )  the  exploration 
of  the  possibility  of  using  the  school 
library  collection,  during  the  summer 
either  in  conjunction  with  the  public 
libraries,  or  separately  in  some  fashion, 
thus  seeking  out  the  supply  of  books. 
A  dastardly  statement  was  advanced  that 
public  librarians  have  more  time  than 
either  the  teacher  or  the  school  libra- 
rian to  make  contact  wl.th  each  other, 
in  a  sence  that  is  true,  but  if  they 
rra^st  do  homework  and  attend  meetings 
after  workJ.ng  hours,  their  wcrk  day  is 
slorter  by  far  and  they  therefore  do  not 
have  to  work  till  the  small  hours  on 
their  administrative  and  paper  work. 
Also,  thegeneral  feeling,  unfortunately 
unchallenged  by  anyone  in  the  audience, 
was  that  the  school  librarian  is  in  a 
unique  position  to  enter  into  rapport 
with  the  student.  FMi;   WHAT  ABOUT  OUR 
YOUNG  ADULT  WORKERS?  (Theso,  of  course, 
are  all  brilliant  afterthougnts, ) 

In  the  final  analysis,  the  setup  of 
the  panel  had  a  great  defect:  there  was 
not  one  individual-superintendant,  prin- 
cipal, or  teacher-now  actively,  currently 
involved  in  the  teaching  field.  So  once 
again,  we  were  merely  talking  to  our- 
selves i 

//////////// 

Second  General  Session 

At  the  Second  General  Session,  October 
5,  1962,  Mr.  Richard  Llewellyn,  Versatile 
Welsh  writer  and  world-wide  traveler  set 
at  once,  in  his  rich,  melodious  voice, 
the  tone  of  his  talk.  He  immediately 
literally  translated  his  topic.  The 
modern  novel  into  "something  new  of  out 
time",  and  thia  novel,  whimsical  approach 
was  borne  throughout  his  remarks. 

"The  poison  is  in  the  communication" 
was  Ifr.  Llewelljm's  main  theme.  Words, 
the  English  language  (of  paramount  impor- 
tance, and  so  difficult,  since  language 
is  so  tactile.  Confusion,  trouble  of  one 
sort  or  another,  difficvilties  of  personal 
relationships  all  stem  from  one's  indivi- 
dualistic interpretation  of  words. 
(Amen.)  Each  of  us  reads  his  own 
thoughts,  emotions,  atmosphere  into  them. 

Mr.  Llewellyn  spoke  of  the  great  change 
in  American  humor  since  The  grapes  of 


wrath.  He  offered  some  devastating  com- 
ments and  insights  upon  Dr.  Zhivago, 
Lady  Chatterley's  lover,  Lolita.  For 
example,  Lawrence's  book  is  comic,  not 
serious,  written  by  an  improper  social 
rebel;  Nabokov's  novel  is  vicious,  depra- 
ved and  the  so-called  "beautiful" 
writing  does  not  make  it  one  whit  less  so. 

Anyone  wishing  to  make  writing  his 
career  was  advised  by  the  author  of  "How 
green  is  my  valley"  fame  to  first  get  a 
job  on  a  local  newspaper.  Two  days  with 
the  blue  pencil  there  is  worth  two  years 
of  academic  journalism. 

Rambling,  disjointed,  Mr.  Llewellyn's 
address  was  original,  off-beat,  refresh- 
ing, humorous,  acute,  and  this  conferee 
found  it  a  highlight  of  the  conference. 
///////////////// 

Some  general  impressions  and  comments 
of  this  observer's  two-da^y  attendance  at 
the  NELA  conference  at  the  New  Ocean 
House,  Swampscott,  October  h   and  5o 

The  keynote  words  of  the  Conference  as 
a  whole  were  cooperation,  coordination, 
and  communication.  Because  we  still  fear 
and  dislike  organi2,aticn,  we  are  unaware 
of  the  treasures  within  our  grasp  only 
waiting  to  have  maximum  use  made  of  them. 

The  unusual  amount  of  MEN  present. 
Apparently,  this  stronghold  of  "woman- 
world-only"  is  fast  falling,  doubtless 
due  to  the  increasing  availability  of  top 
positions  and  salaries.  A  sign  of  the 
times ,  alas  I 

The  number  and  awe-inspiring,  inferior- 
ity-complex-producing knowledge  and 
alertness  of  parliamentarians  on  panel 
and  floor. 

Regret  that  too  much  had  been  planned 
for  too  little  time.  For  one  thing, 
because  of  this,  the  Business  Meeting  of 
M. L.A.  was  abruptly  terminated.  Discus- 
sion of  the  Certification  Plan  for  Massa- 
chusetts will  be  taken  up  at  a  workshop 
session  at  the  Mid-winter  Meeting  of 
M.L.A.  And  one  of  the  days  had  four 
meetings  schedueled  for  two  o'clock  - 
embarrassment  of  riches! 

/////////////// 


"1  " 


INTERMTIOML  COKFSRENCSS 
BI  BERNE  AND  HAi-lBURG 

The  International  Federation  of  Li- 
brary Associations  (IFLA)  met  in  Berne, 
Switzerland,  August  27-31  for  its  an- 
nual conference,  and  the  International 
Board  on  Books  for  Young  People  (IBBYP) 
held  its  biennial  gathering  in  Hamburg, 
Germany,  September  26-29.  For  the  for- 
mer I  was  one  of  the  United  States 
representatives  and  for  the  latter  ser- 
ved as  official  representive  and  as  Hans 
Christian  Andersen  award  jury  member  for 
the  United  States. 

Both  groups  discussed  matters  related 
to  the  developing  countries.  For  IFIA 
there  were  lectures  centered  on  the 
development  of  libraries  in  the  emergent 
countries,  including  for  the  speical 
meeting  of  cliildren's  librarians  a  talk 
and  exhibition  of  recent  children's 
books  published  in  Japan  ma-de  by  lirs. 
Bettina  Hurlimann  of  Zurich  who,  with 
her  husband  ilartin  Hurlimann,  had  made' 
an  extensive  trip  through  the  Far  East, 
She  reported  appreciation  there  for 
"everything  good"  in  Western  children's 
books  and  showed  exarples  of  beaviti- 
fully  and  interestingly  designed  books 
illustrated  by  contemporary  Japanese 
artists. 

Following  the  publication  this  year 
by  the  children's  librarians'  group  in 
IFLA  of  "Translations  of  Children's 
Books,"  a  compilation  of  nine  papers 
and  a  bibliography  of  titles  recommend- 
ed for  translation  by  sixteen  different 
countries,  a  present  project  designed 
to  interest  the  developing  countries 
is  the  printing  of  a  set  of  articles 
received  from  some  fourteen  countries 
about  library  service  for  children. (in- 
cluding New  Zealand,  U.  S,  S.  R., 
Poland,  Ghana,  England  and  the  United 
States) . 

The  theme  of  the  Hamburg  coPiference 
vras  "Children's  Literature  and  the 
Developing  Countries,"  vdth  knowledge- 
able talks  by  Datus  Smith,  Director  of 
Franklin  Publications,  and  by  Jack  E, 
Morpurgo,  Executive  Secretary  of  the 
National  Book  League  in  England,  both 
of  whom  have  had  considerable  to  do  with 
stimulating'  publishing  in  the  develop- 
ing nations.  Other  contributors  vjere 
representatives  from  Teheran,  Pakistan, 
India,  and  Tui'key,  and  Hunro  Leaf  who 
is  currently  making  a  tour  for  o\xr   State 


Department's  cultural  program. 

The  concluding  highlight  of  the  IBBYP 
conference  was  the  awarding  of  the  Hans 
Christian  Andersen  international  chil- 
dren's book  medal  to  ileindert  DeJong, 
in  recognition  of  his  "significant  and 
lasting  contribution  to  children's  lit- 
erature", ftr.  De  Jong  is  knovm  inter- 
nationally through  translations  of 
his  honor  winning  WHEEL  ON  THE  SCHOOL, 
HOUSE  OF  SIXTY  FATHERS,  ALONG  CAijE  A 
DOG,  SHADRACH,  and  other  familiar 
titles.  He  received  his  award  in  per- 
son and  made  a  moving  acceptance  speech 
on  the  subject  of  literary  creativity, 
Follovring  the  ceremony  he  left  for 
Holland  to  visit  his  native  village  of 
Wierum,  which  has  provided  the  inspir- 
ation and  background  for  some  of  his 
most  vivid  writing,  including  TOWER 
BY  THE  SEA.  It  was  here  that  he  lived 
until  coming  to  America  at  the  age  of 
eight  (as  described  by  his  brother 
David  Cornel  DeJong  in  WITH  A  DUTCH 
ACCENT), 

Diplomas  for  American  honor  books 
were  accepted  in  absentia  for  Scott 
O'Dell  (ISL/S.ND  OF  THE  BLUE  DOLPHIKS), 
Nicolas  Sidjakov  (BABOUSHKA  AI\ID  THE 
THREE  KINGS),  and  Jean  George  (MY  SIDE 
OF  THE  lOUIJTAIN),  Among  authors  pre- 
sent to  receive  their  awn   certificates 
were  iiary  Norton  from  England  and 
Myoko  Matsutani  from  Japan. 

The  American  section  of  IBBYP  is 
comprised  jointljr  of  the  Children's 
Book  Council  and  the  Ch).ldren's  Ser- 
vices Division  of  the  Amdrican  Library 
Association, 

VIRGINIA  HAVILAND 

PLEA  FOR  INCREASEI? 

MEi-lBERgHIP  W   M.L.A, 

Just  what  is  the  Massachusetts  Li- 
(  brary  Association? 

The  M,L.A.  is  the  professional 
organization  of  your  state. 

What  are  its  objectives? 

a.  To  promote  library  service 
and  the  profession  of  li- 
brarianship  in  the  state  of 

■  Massachusetts, 

b.  To  study  ways  to  raise  stan- 
dards . 

c.  To  improve  library  sbtjIcq 
through  new  methods  and  tech- 
niques , 


-8  - 


do   To  aid  you  professionally  through 
workshops,  institutes,  conferences,! 
loans,  scholarships.  |l 

Are  there  any  other  benefits? 

Receipt  of  the  lively  official  bul- 
letin, The  Bay  State  Librarian, 

Opportunity  to  visit  and/ or  stay  at 
fise  inns  and  hotels  and  to  be- 
come familiar  with  the  many  faces 
of  Massachusetts,  town  and  countr,'-. 

Opportunity  to  hear  excellent  speak- 
ers, drawn  from  a  variety  of  dis- 
ciplines, discoursing  on  stimula- 
ting topics. 

Development  of  a  sense  of  unity,  of 
com;non  purpose. 

Who  are  eligible? 

All  friends  of  libraries  laymen, 
private  and  organizational,  in  any 
field  of  endeaver,  as  well  as  library 
staff  and  library  board  members. 

The  M.L.A,  needs  and  solicits  yoru- 
support,  to  reach  its  maximum  potential 
Enlist,  nowi  Urge  your  fellow  workers 
to  join  this  organization.  Become  a 
member  in  good  standing,  if  your  dues 
have  lapsed.  Since  the  dues  are  graded 
according  to  salaries,  it  is  possible 
for  the  lowest  salaried  worker  to  ob- 
tain the  advantages  of  this  organization. 

Membership  blanks  may  be  obtained 
from  Irs.  "^leanora  Chaplik  (member  of 
Membership  Committee  of  M.  L,  A,), 
Codman  Square  Branch  Library, 

E,  N.  CHAPLIK 

PAULINE  O'MELIA 

Many  of  us  were  saddened  to  hear  of 
the  sudden  death  of  Pauline  O'Melia,  a 
former  staff  member.  Pauline  entered 
the  library  service  as  an  Extra  at  the 
Roslindale  Branch  Library  in  1930.  She 
was  anpointed  to  the  full-time  service 
in  1931  and  subsequently  worked  as 
Children's  Librarian  at  the  Mattapan 
Branch  Library,  West  End  and  the  School 
Issue  Section.  >]hile  working  at  ]y&tta^ 
pan  she  found  time  to  attend  Simmons 
Library  School  where  she  received  her 
degree  in  1939. 

She  left  the  B.P.L.  to  work  for  her 
degree  at  Columbia  and  in  19U9  received 
her  doctorate  in  education.  Among  her 
various  positions,  she  was  employed  as 


School  Librarian  in  Elmont,  N.  Y.  and 
Assistant  Professor  in  the  Library 
School  at  the  University  of  Florida. 
From  19U8-53  she  served  as  Assistant 
Professor,  Division  of  Library  Science 
at  Indiana  University.  She  was  em- 
ployed as  School  Librarian  in  the 
Plainedge  High  School,  N,  Y, ,  and  her 
last  position  since  1959  was  that  of 
School  Librarian  at  the  South  Woods 
Junior  High  School,  Syosset,  N,  Y, 

Pauline  taught  in  saiimer  schoole, 
conducted  v/orkshops  in  young  adult  work, 
travelled  extensively/  and  held  many 
offices  in  the  American  Library  Asso- 
ciation. She  contributed  articles  to 
a  number  of  periodicals  and  was  the 
author  of  Books  for  Slow  Learning  Chil- 
dren, 

Her  many  acconplishments  were  a 
sovirce  of  admiration  to  all  of  her 
friends  in  Boston,  but  v.hat  inpressed 
us  was  her  boundless  energy,  her  keen 
mind,  her  ready  vat,  her  dedication  to 
her  work  and  her  warmth  and  friendli- 
ness* Her  death  is  a  loss  to  the  en- 
tire library  profession, 

^s-  *  -x-  ■«•  *  -*-  ih   -;}■  -X- 


God  is  in  His  heaven. 

And  that's  His  chief est  fault: 
Nobody  aro'jnd 

To  call  at  last  a  halt. 

Hate  and  war  increasing 

At  enormous  pace. 
Wealth  of  worid  is  squandered 

In  crazy  atom  race. 

Murder,  rape,  and  thieving 

Are  a  daily  fact. 
Politicians  plunder. 

Statesmen  use  no  tact, 

Copley  Square  landmarks 

Face  a  certain  doom, 
VIP's  are  slandered 

In  Approval  Room, 

A  Turnpike  Authoritj'-  Dispossession 

Shoiild  press. 
Turn  Him  out  of  heaven 

To  clean  the  earthly  mess. 

HARRY  ANDREWS 


KATHLEEN  B.  HBGARTT 


-  9  - 


ROSE  MOORACHIAN 


All  of  us  join  in  congratulating 
Kathleen  Hegarty  on  her  appointment  as 
Coordinator  of  Adult  Services,  Division 
of  Home  Reading  Services. 

Mss  Hegarty  began  work  in  the  library 
as  an  extra  at  the  Brighton  Branch 
Library  while  still  in  high  school.  From 
Brighton  she  came  to  the  Office,  Division 
of  Reference  and  Research  in  19.^5.  She 
was  transferred  to  the  General  Reference 
Department  in  1957  as  Reference  Assistant 
where  she  remained  until  1959  wlien  she 
came  to  the  Office,  Home  Reading  and 
Community  Services  as  Adults  Librarian. 

In  conjunction  with  her  various  jobs, 
Mss  Hegarty  managed  to  graduate  from 
Radcliffe  College  where  she  received  a 
B.A.  degree  cum  laude.  She  attended 
Katharine  Gibbs  Secretarial  School,  and 
received  a  Master  of  Library  Science 
degree  from  Simmons  College  in  1958.  She 
pursued  further  studies  in  literature  at 
the  B.U.  Graduate  School. 

While  at  Simmons  Miss  Hegarty  became 
interested  in  work  with  adults  and  group 
work,  an  interest  which  eventually 
brought  her  to  the  position  of  Adults 
Librarian,  and  into  close  contact  with 
the  work  of  the  braiich  libraries  and 
group  work  vd.thin  and  outside  of  the 
library.  Under  Mrs.  Javelin's  direction 
she  took  complete  charge  of  activities 
of  the  Never  too  Late  Group,  a  happy 
association  for  both.  As  chairman  of  the 
Pamphlet  Committee  she  has  brought  much 
new  material  into  use.  Miss  Hegarty  has 
been  responsible  for  planning  programs 
in  branch  libraries  with  Mothers'  Groups, 
and  has  made  arrangements,  secured 
speakers  and  prepared  publicity  for  a 
variety  of  proprams  in  branch  libraries 
and  the  Central  Library.   She  is  Chairman 
of  the  Adult  Education  Committee,  Mass. 
Library  Association;  Secretary  of  the 
Adult  Education  Association  in  Mass.; 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Library 
Services  to  an  Aging  Population,  American 
Library  Association;  member   of  the 
Massachusetts  Advisory  Committee  on 
Aging,  appointment  made  by  the  Governor. 
She  is  also  a  member  of  A.L.A.,  Catholic 
Library  Association,  and  served  as 
Secretary  of  the  BPL  Staff  Association, 
1959-1960. 

All  our  good  wishes  to  her. 


The  recently  announced  appointments 
in  the  Division  of  Home  Reading  and 
Community  Services  include  a  first  in 
Boston  Public  Library  history.  Rose 
Moorachian  becomes  the  first  Young 
Adults  Librarian  to  be  promoted  to 
Branch  Librarian.   This  is  an  especially 
fitting  first  since  this  year  marks  the 
library's  tenth  anniversary  of  special- 
ized service  to  young  people,  and  Miss 
Moorachian  was  an  active  pioneer  in  this 
service. 

Miss  Moorachian 's  library  career  goes 
back  to  her  own  teen  days  when  she 
worked  as  an  extra  with  Miss  Kingman  at 
South  End  and  vdth  Miss  Ross  and  Miss 
Winnick  at  Codman  Square.  After  her 
graduation  from  Simmons  College,  School 
of  Library  Science,  she  gained  further 
branch  library  experience  at  Washington 
Village,  East  Boston,  Uphams  Corner, 
South  Boston,  and  Mattapan.  With  her 
new  assignment  to  Dorchester  Branch 
Library,  Mss  Moorachian  will  have  an 
unusual  value  of  library  experience  in 
eight  different  Communities. 

Her  colleagues  agree  that  Miss 
Moorachian  is  a  "doer".  Where  she  goes, 
good  things  happen.  Her  young  adult 
friends  and  patrons  testify  proudly  to 
her  successful  programming  for  young 
people  and  work  with  Young  Adult  Coun- 
cils. Currently,  she  is  chairman  of  a 
committee  preparing  a  handbook  on  Young 
Adult  Councils, 

An  energetic  school  visitor.  Miss 
Moorachian  took  the  news  of  books, 
library  activities,  and  services  to 
every  classroom  in  her  area,  even  when 
she  had  to  travel  by  boat  -  to  Thompson 
Academy  on  Thompson's  Island  off  South 
Boston, 

Her  professional  contributions  extend 
beyond  3.P.L.  Xiralls  to  A.L.A.  and  M.L.A. 
participation.   She  was  a  member  of  the 
M.L.A.  ReciTiiting  Committee  and  the 
JSxecutive  Board  of  the  Massachusetts 
Round  Table  of  Librarians  for  Young 
Adults.  She  achieved  the  chairmanship 
of  the  Round  Table  and  served  for  three 
years.  She  remains  on  call  as  speaker 
and  moderator  for  Round  Table  meetings. 

A  keen,  thoughtful  book  reviewer. 
Miss  Moorachian  has  selected  and  anno- 
tated books  as  a  regular  contributor  for 
several  years  to  the  School  Library 
Journal  column  "Adult  Books  for  Young 
People".  Her  friends  wonder  when  she 

cont. 


finds  the  time  to  read  so  prolifically  „ic>* 
and  critically. 

Kiss  Moorachian's  favorite  non- library 
diversion  is  travel- at-home  and  abroad. 
She  internipted  her  yen  for  globe-trot- 
ting this  year  for  advanced  study,  and  is 
presently  working  for  her  master's  degree 
in  history  at  Northeastern  University. 
This  interest  dates  back  to  a  special 
bibliography  on  world  history  for  your^ 
people  which  Miss  Moorachian  prepared  in 
the  early  years  of  B.P.L.  service  to 
young  adults. 

Ker  new  post  will  offer  rich  opportun- 
ity to  continue  her  dedicated  work  with 
young  people  and  to  exercise  her  adminis- 
trative talents. 

•)«HHHHf-JK;--?H«-^HHH«HHH«H:--»^-:--!HRH;- 


PATRICIA  A.  ASHE  A  BRIDE 

On  VJednesday,  October  tenth,  the  Red 
Coach  Grille  was  the  scene  of  a  festive 
luncheon  in  honor  of  Patricia  A.  Ashe, 
Records,  Files,  Statistics,  whose  wedding 
date  had  been  set  for  that  vreek.  As  a 
special  climax  to  the  happy  occasion, 
John  J.  Connolly,  Assistant  Director — the 
only  male  present,  and  piobably  feeling 
like  a  Sultan  with  his  harem — made  a 
heart-warming  speech  as  he  presented  the 
bride-to-be  with  a  set  of  gay  dishes  for 
her  new  home.  Attached  to  the  accompany- 
ing card  was  the  traditional  white  ribbon 
which  bore  the  names  of  many  friends  who 
extended  best  wishes  to  Pat. 


On  a  lovely  autumn  day,  Saturday, 
October  thirteenth,  at  the  Mission  Church, 
Patricia  A.  Ashe,  radiant  in  a  beautiful 
gown  of  white  satin  and  lace,  became  the 
bride  of  Charles  M.  Tyner,  a  former  B.P.L. 
employee.  The  Library  was  further  rep- 
resented in  the  wedding  party  by  Mrs. 
Mary  (Casey)  McElemey,  Book  Stack  Service 
and  Mrs.  Barbara  (Ashe)  Kean,  formerly  of 
Book  Stack  Service,  Incidentally,  the 
bride  is  the  neice  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eamon 
E.  McDonough,  both  formerly  of  General 
Reference.   The  three  bridesmaids  and  the 
maid  of  honor  were  gowned  in  gold  and 
green. 

Following  a  reception  at  the  Sherry 
Biltmore  Hotel,  Mr.  &  Mrs.  Tyner  (the 
bride  becomingly  attired  in  a  blue  knit- 
ted suit)  left  for  a  honeymoon  trip  to 
New  York.  Upon  their  return,  they  will 
live  in  Jamaica  Plain, 


BLOOD  D0NGR5 

As  announced  1  August  1962  the 
Library  is  now  participating  in  the 
Red  Cro3s  blood  donor  program.  Such 
participation  will  insure  that  every 
member  of  the  staff  and  his  immediate 
family  will  be  covered  in  the  event 
that  blood  is  required. 

Of  course,  successful  participation 
in  this  pix»gram  requires  blood  dona~ 
tions  fl-om  30^  of  the  staff.  The 
report  to  date  indicates  that  very 
few  staff  members  have  volunteered 
to  give  blood.  This  is  an  excellent 
program  and  in  order  to  insure  con- 
tinued protection  for  all  employees 
and  their  families  we  would  like  to 
urge  all  staff  members  who  can  pos-- 
sibly  do  so  to  give  a  pint  of  blood 
in  the  very  near  future. 

Anyone  wishing  to  donate  blood 
should  contact  Mrs.  Wollent,  who  will 
aitrange  an  appointment  with  the  Red 
Gross,  Mrs,  Wollent  also  has  the 
cards  which  must  be  signed  if  a  donor 
is  under  21  years  of  age.  In  General 
Administrative  Notices,  1962  -  No.  65 
you  will  find  particulars  such  as  time 
allowed  etc- 


•}HHH,<-5KHHHHH!-5HH«HHHH«-5«- 

CCmm   EVENTS 

The  Men's  Librarian  Club  will  hold 
its  next  meeting  at  the  Cambridge 
House,  1637  Massachusetts  Avenue, 
Cambridge,  on  November  13,  Details 
will  be  available  soon, 

^«^KH<--;'r-:;--;HH;--}HHKKf--;;s(--5«-;;-«- 

The  Charles  River  Library  Club 
will  hold  its  F4II  Meeting  on  Tuesday, 
October  23  at  the  ^X^seum  of  Fine  Arts 
Lecture  Hall, 


REMEMBER 


CARE 


- 11  - 


BRANCH  NOTES 


On  Tuesday  evening ^  September  18, 
1962,  the  staff  of  the  Charlestow:a 
Branch  Library  boarded  a  local  out- 
rigger and  set  sail  for  the  Polyne- 
sian Room  of  the  Hotel  Soirierset,  The 
occasion  ~  a  luau  celebration  for 
Miss  Carol  Dubis,  prospective  bride, 
who  iri-11  be  naxried  to  Mr.  James 
McDonough  in  Adams,  Mass,  on  October 
20th<. 

The  food  was  deliciovis,  the  coirpany 
congenisil,  and  to  the  mellow  accom- 
paniment of  a  Hawaiian  giiitar  and  two 
tropical  "love  potions",  ItLss  Dubis 
was  happily  launched  into  the  sea  of 
matrimor^  (  a  xredding  gift  presented 
by  the  staff  rounded  out  the  festive 
occasion).  The  potency  of  said 
"love  potions"  is  guaranteed  to  last 
through  the  first  year  of  marital 
bliss.  Thereafter  Miss  Bubis's 
irjiate  charm  and  talent  will  take 


over. 


LINDA  M.  IVERS 


iHHHKBHHHHHHHHBS- 


The  South  Boston  Branch  Library 
is  proudly  displaying  for  the  month 
of  October  souvenirs  of  Taimi  Lilja's 
trip  to  Japan,  where  she  spent  two 
weeks  in  July,  Items  include  daintj'- 
fans,  a  small  silk  screen  and  a  silk 
scroll,  chop  sticks  of  course, 
lacquer  ware  and  cloisonne,  a  Buddhist 
charm,  prints  and  a  book,  and  toys 
called  "Sit  down,  dear"  dolls.  The 
central  figure  is  a  doll  dressed  as 
a  character  from  a  Kabiiki  play, 

l/Jhile  in  Japan,  Taimi  sampled  such 
culinarj'-  delights  as  Sukiyaki, 
tempura  and  shab  shab,  visiting  res- 
taurants with  Chinese  and  Mongolian 
cookery  as  well  as  Japanese,  Geisha 
entertainment,  the  all-girl  show  at 
the  Kokusai  as  well  as  modern  night 
clubs  were  on  the  agenda. 

The  group  was  received  by  the  Mayor 
of  Kyoto,  sister  city  of  Boston,  and 
was  presented  with  key  rings  vri.th  the 
city  seal  and  a  small  key  on  them, 
and  beautifully  illustrated  booklets 
on  Kyoto, 

In  spite  of  fog  on  Mt,  Fuji,  Taimi 
took  colored  slides  that  will  be 
shown  to  the  South  Boston  Never  -Too- 
Late  group  on  October  2i)., 


.Taimi  also  spent  some  time  in  Hong 
Kong  and  Hawaii,  where  she  had  a 
telephone  conversation  with  Mrs,  Edith 
Bailey,  Branch  Librarian  Emeritus  of 
Philips  Brooks  Branch,  ijps,  Bailey 
wanted  to  be  remembered  to  ^"'1  her 
friends  in  the  Boston  Puolic  Library, 

IRENE  H,  TOTTLE 

Anyone  who  has  ever  registered  a 
child  for  a  library  card  Icnows  that 
the  application  blanks  can  get  a  bit 
dirty  en  route  back  to  the  branch. 
One  moppet  appeared  at  the  registra- 
tion desk  of  one  of  the  oranches  with 
an  application  covered  with  a  large 
brown  stain.  "Did  your  father  spill 
his  coffee  on  this?"  asked  the  li- 
brarian, "No"  said  the  child.  "He 
spilled  his  beer  and  boy,  was  he  mad." 


LANTERN  SLIDES 

Three  slide  shows  will  be  given  in 
the  Little  Theatre  of  the  Audio-Visual 
Department  by  Kermeth  C.  Barnes.  Mr, 
Barnes  will  make  a  few  preliminary 
remarks  at  1:20  p.m«,,  and  the  slides 
will  start  promptly  at  1;30  and  last 
about  20  minutes, 

Oct.  22  -  French  Canada 

Oct,  23  -  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey 

Oct,  26  -  Longwood  Gardens 

Anyone  interested  is  cordially  in- 
vited, 

KSI-iNETH  C.  BARNES 
Periodical  &  Newspaper 

If  the  Children's  Librarian  at  Lower 
Mills  seems  even  happier  than  usual, 
it  can  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
Ann  Kearney  has  just  announced  her 
engagement  to  Mr,  Joseph  Crowley  of 
Milton,  Congratulations  to  them  both. 


-  12  - 


ALUl^IAE  MOTES 


RossQyn  Warner  recently  received  an 
interestjaig  letter  from  an  other  Ros- 
lindale  "ex"  Rose  (Stinson)  Zuckerman 
who  has  just  returned  to  the  States 
after  two  years  in  Europe.  Her  letter 
says  in  part: 

Dear  Miss  Warner: 

I'm  sure  that  I  didn't 
answer  your  last  letter  in  the  midst  of 
a  chaotic  Spring  and  Summer,  I  hope 
your  journeys  were  most  pleasant,  ,,. 

Jerry  has  been  appointed  Assistant 
Professor  of  Chemistry  at  Cornell  so  we 
will  or  in  Ithaca,  N.Y.  for  at  least 
tht'cs  i?.>-''S.  It's  a  terrific  piece  of 
luck  an-  1;  e  ar-^  very  pleased.  He  has 
also  just  rece-ved  his  Ph.D.  from 
Cambridge,  England»  The  second  was 
many  times  easier  than  the  first i  We 
will  move  to  Ithaca  on  September  l5 
after  a  flying  visit  to  Philadelphia, 
You  can't  imagine  how  excited  we  are 
about  coi.iing  home.  Two  years  is  a 
long  time,  and  we  have  seen  so  muchl 

So  much  has  happened  tliat  I  find 
it  difficult  to  remember  all,  so  I 
think  I'll  jot  them  down  in  the  hap- 
hazard way  in  which  I  recall  them. 

We  expect  our  second  baby  (boy  - 
we  hopei)  in  December,  so  are  very 
excited  about  that.  We  wanted  to  maJce 
the  most  of  our  European  experience  so 
we  decided  to  throw  care  and  caution 
to  the  winds  and  spend  the  svunmer  see- 
ing as  much  as  we  could  on  as  little 
as  possible!  We  packed  our  belongings 
(foiir  trunks  of  books,  three  of  thingsl) 
and  sent  them  for  storage  with  the 
French  Line  and  ].eft  England  on  July  9» 
High  points  for  the  next  two  months: 
Munchen,  Germany;  Prague,  Czechoslovakiaj 
Vienna,  Austria^  Budapest,  Hungary; 
Bucurest,  Roumania;  Sofia,  Bulgaria; 
Istanbul,  Turkey;  Jerusalem,  Israel; 
Cyprus,  Crete;  Athens,  GreecejBelgrade, 
Yugoslavia;  Trieste,  Italy;  Marseille^ 
France;  Barcelona,  Spain;  Paris,  France, 
Really  Fabulous.  We  camped  the  whole 
time  (  except  when  staying  with  friends) 
and  were  able  to  see  plenty  of  Eastern 


Europe,  We  arrived  at  Le  Harve 
practically  broke  for  we  did  not 
travel  with  much  money.  I  estimate 
that  $75  fed  us  for  the  summer.  Nuts 
and  vegetables  and  bread  very  cheap 
everywhere  and  we  bought  cheapest 
meat.  We  ate  plenty  but  sure  missed 
the  sweets  and  nicities.  We're  brown 
as  Indians  and  really  feel  great,  I 
doubt  if  we'd  have  the  spirit  to 
undertake  such  a  trip  again.  Takes  a 
lot  of  "grinning  and  bearing  it", 
Lesley  was  perfect.  Proves  that 
babies  are  as  tough  as  anyone.  We 
boiled  her  water  but  that  was  our 
only  precaution. 

Hard  to  give  impressions  of  such 
different  countries.  ItSs  not  really 
fair  to  covnpare   them  with  Eastern 
Europe  for  way  of  life,  clirriate  and 
people  are  so  different,  Prague  is 
the  most  beautiful  city  in  all  of 
Europe,  r.iagnificently  located, 
Roumania  is  most  primitive  country  we 
have  yet  seen.  It's  a  very  large 
country  for  Europe  and  its  population 
are  just  not  technically  progressive 
(with  the  exception  of  Bucurest),  The 
first  city  we  stopped  in  was  near 
Oradea,  near  the  Hungarian  frontier. 
Its  population  is  100,000,  We  saw 
half  a  dozen  cars  and  some  trucks 
but  the  streets  belonged  to  the  pedes- 
trians 1  Packed  solid  when  citizens 
took  their  evening  promenade.  And 
curious!  We  were  obviously  the  first 
tourists  many  of  them  had  seen,  A 
crowd  of  several  hundred  gathered  when 
we  stopped  for  gasi  Wlien  we  left  the 
car,  two  policemen  were  assigned  to 
manage  the  sightseers J  People  were 
very  friendly.  Had  some  adventures 
there,  Bulgaria  prosperous.  Turkey 
incredible  —  friendly  but  hard  for 
us  to  understand.  Quite  Eastern,  Do 
anything  for  dollars.  Israel  brave 
country  for  it  is  so  hot  and  dry  and 
forbidding  that  only  pioneer  types 
coiild  live  there  in  its  present  state, 
120°  at  Dead  Seai  Very  beautiful  in 
many  places.  Jerusalem  is  best  city 
to  visit  -  fabulous.  Greece  is  con- 
sistently beautiful  -  our  favorite 
coiintry.  People  wonderful  and  scenery 
gcrgebus,  Yugoslavia  has  worst  roads 
imaginable.  In  fact,  sometimes  they 
don't  exist I  We  forded  more  than  on^ 

cont. 


-  13  - 


river ^  Our  oiLly  car  troiible  was  re- 
placing varioxis  parts  —  muTfler,  tail 
ipipe,  gear  box  pan,  etc.  —  that 
jolted  loosed  Adriatic  more  beautifiil 
than  Western  Jfediterramean.  Woiild 
highly  recoiranend  cruise  dovm  Jugoslav 
coast  to  Aegean  Sea  and  Turkey.  Spain,, 
hot,  I  wasn't  too  taken  with  it. 

We  sailed  on  "France"  Sept,  7 
from  Le  Harve  with  2,000  lb,  baggage 
and  ©ur  carl  The  ship  is  wonderful 
and  food  exquisite.  Everything  in 
good  taste  ~  every  convenience  pro- 
vided, I'lakes  the  "Queen  E"  look  like 
a  freighter, 

Hope  you  are  well.  We  plan  to 
come  to  Cambridge  in  the  Fall  so  hope 
to  see  you  then.  As  yet  we  have  no 
place  to  live  so  address  is  Dept,  of 
Chemistry,  Cornell  U,,  Ithaca,  N,Y, 

Regards  to  Librarians  I  laiowi 
Love, 
ROSE  ZVCKEBMPM 

Mr'e.  Paul  V,  Moynihan  formerly  of 
General  Reference,  spent  his  svimmei 
vacation  as  a  lay  apostle.  He  went 
to  New  Mexico  for  a  period  of  five 
weeks  to  catalog  a  novitiate  library 
for  a  nex-fly  founded  community  of 
Sisters  at  Holman,  N,M«  These  Sisters 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  of  the  Holy 
Trinity  were  founded  by  Father  James 
Flanagan  to  supply  the  great  need  for 
teaching  Sisters  in  that  area«  Father 
Flanagan,  formerly  of  Lowell,  Mass., 
is  a  cousin  of  Alice  Buckley  of  the 
Jamaica  Plain  High  School  Library. 
Paul  successfully  coiripleted  the  cata- 
loging of  the  library.  Then,  instead 
of  having  time  for  sight-seeing,  he 
became  ill  and  was  hospitalized  at 
Santa  Fe,  He  was  then  transferred  to 
the  New  England  Baptist  Hospital. 
Paul  is  now  recuperating  at  l5  Victoria 
Street,  Dorchester  and  would  appreciate 
hearing  from  his  many  B.P.L.  friends. 


A  former  extra  in  the  Periodical 
and  Newspaper  Department,  Thomas  J. 
Aglio,  was  recently  appointed  exec- 
utive secretary  of  the  new  Catholic 
Charities  Regional  Office  in  Orlando, 
Florida,  Mr.  Aglio  is  also  the 
direct-or  of  the  Cubsui  Youth  Program 
for  the  Diocese, 


■JKHH^HK 


:-;hkhh<-* 


Former  BPL'er  Bob  Woodward  of 
Dedham  has  recently  accepted  the 
position  of  Librarian  at  the  Bangor 
Public  Library^ 


■SHHKBHHHHHHHKHHHHHf-X- 


KOBLESSE  OBLIGE   ~ 

l-Jho  said  courtesy  was  dead?  The 
other  morning  I  was  riding  the  rails, 
courtesy  of  Mr,  MacLernan  when  I  saw 
something  which  proved  that  thought- 
fulness  and  courtesy  are  NOT  dead. 

As  the  MTA  roared  into  Copley  Sq,, 
a  blind  girl  who  comes  in  every  day 
was  met  by  two  Boston  Public  Library 
gentlemen  -  and  I  mean  gentlemen  - 
who  escorted  her  safely  up  the  stairs 
and  across  the  hazardous  Square, 
whether  or  not  this  is  a  daily  cour- 
tesy I  do  not  know  -  but  I  d£  know 
that  observing  it  once  revived  ry 
faith  in  the  so  called  "lost"  art 
of  chivalry  -  and  lifted  my  drooping 
spirits  (droopiiig  because  I  was 
headed  for  Hartford  and  not  the  B,P,L,) 
and  revived  ny  about-to-be-lost 
faith  in  mankind, 

E.G.  PECK 

COMING  EVENTS 

In  conjunction  with  Children's  Book 
V/eek  the  Second  Annual  Boston  Child- 
ren's Book  Fair  will  be  held  from 
Nov.  12  to  17  at  The  New  England 
Mutual  Hall, 

The  Special  Libraries  Association 
will  hold  a  dinner  meeting  to  welcome 
President  Ethel  KLahre,  at  the  litth 
floor  dining  room  of  the  World  Trade 
Center,  International  House,  U70 
Atlantic  Ave,,  Boston,  on  Nov,  12. 
•}Hhkhhhkhh;-;;-;hkhhhbh«- 


-,  Hi  - 


KEEPER  OF  PRINTS 

Sinclair  Hitchings,  who  has  been 
appointed  Keeper  of  Prints,  was  also 
signally  honored  by  election  to  the 
American  Antiquarian  Society  in 
Worcester  on  October  l6,  largely  in 
recognition  of  a  series  of  scholarly 
projects  carried  out  by  him  during 
the  past  four  years.  On  his  earliest 
researches  in  the  Society's  ]J.brary, 
which  contains  the  preeminent  collec- 
tion of  books  printed  before  I8OO  in 
England's  North  American  colonies 
and  in  the  new  United  States,  Mr, 
Hitchings  based  a  study  of  the  life 
and  work  of  a  Boston  printer  cf  the 
1790s.  Entitled  Joseph  Belknap's 
Printing  in  Boston,  it  was  published 
in  the  quarterly  Printing  &  Graphic 
Arts  in  1958,  and  was  followed  by 
Ifr,  Hitchings'  checklist  of  Belknap's 
printing,  published  the  next  year, 

A  second  article  by  Mr.  Hitchings, 
Samuel  Hill's  Relief  Engraving, 
(published  in  Printing  and  Graphic 
Arts,  Vol.  VIII,  1960}  also  was 
based  on  research  done  in  the  Society's 
library.  The  subject  of  the  article 
is  chiefly  remembered  today  for 
copperplate  engravings,  made  in  the 
1790s,  of  Boston  scenes. 

Another  of  tlr.  Hitchings'  articles 
which  drew  heavily  on  material  in 
the  American  Antiquarian  Society  was 
published  in  The  New  England  Galaxy, 
the  Gld  Sturbridge  Village  magazine, 
in  the  fall  of  last  year.  Entitled 
"Curious,  Useful  and  Entertaining", 
it  told  the  story  of  the  almanac- 
publishing  of  Isaiah  Thomas  in  the 
last  three  decades  of  the  18 th  centu- 
ry, Thomas  is  famous  as  a  New 
England  printer-patriot  and  as  the 
fourjder  of  the  American  Antiquarian 
Society,  one  of  the  oldest  learned 
societies  in  the  United  States,  early 
in  the  19th  century,  Mr,  Hitchings' 
article  was  based,  appropriately 
enough,  on  a  study  of  a  set  of 
Thomas's  almanacs  in  the  Boston  Public 
Library  and  on  manuscript  material 


in  the  American  Antiquarian  Society, 

This  fall  Mr.  Hitchings  was  able 
to  arrange  a  loan  of  early  American 
almanacs  and  paper  currency  from  the 
American  Antiquarian  Society  which 
provided  key  items  in  an  exhibition 
of  Boston's  earliest  printmaking— 
woodcuts  and  copperplate  engravings 
made  here  between  1670  aM  1725. 
Mr,  Hitchings  mounted  the  exhibition 
at  the  Detroit  Institute  of  Arts  in 
connection  with  his  talk  on  early 
printmaking  in  Boston,  given  at  a 
conference  on  "The  Arts  and  Crafts 
in  Boston,  1660-1725". 

The  American  Antiquarian  Society, 
which  has  limited  membership,  is 
dedicated  to  the  task  of  gathering 
printed  material  relating  to  life 
in  America,  Its  publications  on 
various  aspects  of  American  history 
are  extensive.  Though  its  manuscript 
collections  contain  some  outstanding 
items,  its  emphasis  is  on  the  printed 
book.  It  is  one  of  the  great  centers 
of  source  material  for  American 
history. 

Incidentally,  John  Alden,  the 
Library's  new  Keeper  of  Rare  Books, 
is  a  long-standing  member  of  the 
American  Antiquarian  Society,  and 
many  of  his  writings  on  American 
bibliography  h^ave  drawn  on  material 
owned  by  the  Society, 


•>(-!HHHHH;—/»--)HwrvHr%r.Hr  . 


~15~. 


EDITCR'S  NOTE 


The  current  issue  of  the  Question  llark 
contains  within  the  columns  of  the  Soap 
Box  several  letters  that  are  strongly- 
critical  of  a  recent  appointment  made  by 
the  Division  of  Home  Reading,  They  are 
being  published  only  after  considerable 
thought  by  the  editorial  cojTmiittee,  We 
are  conscious  of  the  fact  that  the  ques- 
tion of  promotion  and  appointment  is  one 
of  the  most  difficult  of  administrative 
decisions.  Under  ordinary  circumstances, 
this  is  not  a  matter  for  public  debate. 
We  could  not  in  conscience  however, 
ignore  those  letters  commenting  on  the 
situation.  In  the  final  analysis,  it 
was  deemed  better  to  bring  the  matter 
into  the  open  in  the  hope  that  certain 
points  relevant  to  the  promotional 
system  could  be  clarified  in  order  to 
avoid  further  controversy, 

THE  PUBLICATIONS  COilMITTEE 


•shhhhbhhhkhhhhhhh;- 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  bv  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  Den 
name  is  used,  if  the  contributor  so  re- 
quests, Anonimious  contributions  are 
not  given  c>.nsic]eration.  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  indi- 
cate that  the  Pviblications  Committee 
and  the  Association  are  in  agreement 
with  the  views  expressed.  Only  those 
contributions  containing  not  more  than 
300  words  Xijill  be  accepted. 


Dear  Soap  Box: 

There  has  been  much  criticism  direc- 
ted against  delays  in  filling  positions 
and  against  acting  appointments  that 
continue  for  years »  It  is  in  order  to 
congratulae  the  administration  on  the 
prompt  filling  of  the  position  of 
Coordinator  of  Work  with  Adults.  We 
are  indeed  fortunate  to  have  a  person 
so  well  qualified  ^r   personality, 
education,  and  experience  for  tliis 
position. 

PLEASED 

■«••»•■«■ 

Dear  Soap  Box  Editor: 

The  following  are  two  quotations  set- 
ting forth  the  qualifications  for  two 
Coordinators  in  the  same  Division: 
"GAN  ho,  A  minimum  of  ten  years  of 
successful  work  in  the  public  field, 
A  niinimum  of  five  years  of  work  with 
children  in  the  library  field  in  a 
position  of  administrative  responsi- 
bility." 

"GAN  69,  Sucessful  work  with  adults 
in  public  libraries." 

Why  such  inconsistency?  Are  qualifica- 
tions tailored  to  fit  individuals?  If 
so,  why  go  to  the  bother  of  appearing 
to  operate  on  an  elaborate  system  of 
applications,  interview,  etc.? 

JUST  V;ONDERING 
■?t  *  -K- 

To  the  Soap  Box: 

The  appointment  of  Coordinator  of 
Adult  Services  is  now  an  accomplished 
fact;  so,  also,  is  the  nose  dive  taken 
by  morale  in  good  portion  of  the  staff. 
Obviously,  appointments  of  Library 
School  graduates  is  a  step  in  the  direc- 
tion of  raising  the  professional  level 
of  the  Library.   Insistance  upon  Li- 
brary School  Grad\iates  is  commendable, 
if  it  were  required  for  all  titular 
positions — but  history  has  not  shown 
such  consistency.   If  it  were  a  pre- 
requisite in  tliis  particular  instance, 
and  had  been  so  stated  in  GAN  69,  non- 
library  school  graduates  would  not 
have  wasted  time  in  appl^^ng  and  three 
top  executives  would  not  have  had  to  ' 
waste  time  in  unnecessary'"  interviewing. 


-16  - 


Are  we  to  understand  that  the  holding 
of  a  Library  School  decree  outweighs 
years  of  experience,  maturity  of  judg- 
ment gained  in  t  hose  years,  and  proven 
ability  in  administrative  positions? 
The  curious  are  asl<ing  why  a  P3  was 
promoted  to  ?S   without  the  opportunity 
first  of  proving  herself  in  the  PU  level, 

ONE  OF  THE  CURIOUS 

^  ->  ^ 

To  the  Editor: 

Even  in  the  most  exceptional  case  the 
sudden  promotion  of  a  P3  to  P$   is  a  per- 
version of  Library  order  and  is  bound 
to  offend  the  considerable  body  of  the 
skipped  PU's. 

To  many   of  us  some  of  the  good  work 
undeniably  done  for  the  city  from  that 
particular  P5  position  belongs  properly 
in  other  community  organizations.  Our 
business  is  books,  and  only  after  all 
book  matters  are  taken  care  of  are  we 
justified  in  extending  ourselves  into 
other  areas. 

One  activitv  also  in  the  past  or- 
ganized from  that  particular  position 
is  the  general  meeting.  Mot'riing  in 
our  Library  world  makes  us  so  eligibla 
for  a  place  in  the  Parkinson  gallery  as 
that  sort  of  meeting.  Formally  people 
have  a  problem  and  meet  to  discuss  it. 
With  us  it  often  seemed  as  if  we  had  a 
meeting  and  spent  hours  to  hunt  up  some 
problems.  But  with  good  will  from  the 
staff  in  general  and  with  some  common 
sense  in  the  higher  regions,  this  prob- 
lem too  will  pass  away  in  time, 

HARRY  AHEREWS 
■«■•«■  * 

To  the  Editor: 

Once  every  ten  years  I  am  sufficiently 
"bestirred"  (that  word  may  not  be  in 
the  dictionary)  enough  to  pen  a  note  to 
the  Soapbox.  Recently  it  has  been  of 
great  wonderment  to  me  when  individuals 
with  outstanding  qualifications  have 
been  delayed  from  an  appo-lntraent  by  a 
lengthy  waiting  period  when  they  are 
"Acting"-presumption  being  that  a  myriad 
of  such  talent  in  the  library  world 
exists  when  th^  bare  facts  are  that 
there  is  no  comparable  choice  of  talent 
elsewhere  as  we  enjoy  in  this  Library, 
And  in  the  delay  of  the  appointment  of 


the  Chief  Librarian  of  the  Reference  and 
Research  Division  the  onlv  possible  valid 
reason  must  be  that  the  individual  con- 
cerned is  too  highly  qualified  for  the 
position,  which  is  indeed  flattering, 
but  should  not  stand  in  the  way  of  this 
most  deserving  individual, 

E.C.  HARDEN 

*  ■»■  # 

To  the  Question  Mark: 

A  word  of  warning  tc  future  applicants 
for  positions.  Read  the  fine  print  and 
between  the  lines,  if  you  find  the  qual- 
ifications "tailored"  to  apply  to  a  cer- 
tain individual,  it  inight  be  well  to 
i  save  the  time  of  busy  officers  and  your- 
self in  the  interviewing  process.  A 
notable  instance  is  to  be  found  in  the 
specifications  for  the  two  recently 
appointed  coordinators  (General  Adminis- 
trative Notices  No,  UO  -  No.  69),  If 
the  coordinator  for  children  requires 
"a  minimum  of  ten  years  of  successful 
work  in  the  public  field.  A  minimum  of 
five  years  of  work  with  children  in  the 


library  field  in  a  position  of  adminis- 
trative responsibility"  why  only  "suc- 


cessful work  with  adults  in  public  li- 
braries" for  the  coordinator  of  adults?? 
An  interesting  contrast  in  qualifications, 

BEWILDERED  BETSY 


To  the  Editor: 

For  Home  Reading  Division's  battle 
scarred  branch  librarians  and  department 
heads  who  had  perhaps  hoped  for  a  "new 
deal",  the  appointment  of  Coordinator 
of  Adult  Services  must  have  come  as  a 
jolt  to  morale,  despite  the  new  appoin- 
tee's youth  and  charm  and  successful 
(if  brief)  experience  in  Home  Reading 
Division,  in  group  work.  In  this  in- 
staijce  quiet  corrpetence,  proven  leader- 
ship in  a  wide  variety  of  important  com- 
mittees and  offices,  over  the  years,  and 
extensive  knovrledge  of  overall  branch 
problems,  coupled  with  imaginative  vision, 
were  given  short  shrift  in  favor  of  in- 
experience in  an  administrative  capacity 
and  in  branch  library  work, 

DISAPPOINTED 


To  the  Editor: 

Those  unsuccessful  caridioates  for  the 
Dosition  of  Coordinator  of  Adult  Ser- 
vices might  have  spared  tliemselves  the 
ordeal  of  perfuinctoi*^''  interviews  if 
they  had  compared  the  "fine  print"  in 
the  two  administrative  notices  annovmc- 
ing  the  vacancies  for  this  position, 
and  the  (earlier  filled)  position  of 
Coordinator  of  Cliildren's  Services, 

Paragraph  1  of  the  tvjo  notices,  des^ 
cribing  the  duties  of  each  position  are 
identical.  However,  paragraph  2,  sta- 
ting qualifications  are  widely  diver- 
gent. UTiile  the  qualifications  for  Co- 
ordinator of  Children's  Service  stipu- 
lated "A  miniimun  of  10  years  of  success- 
ful work  in  the  public  field.  A 
minumum  of  5  years  of  work  with  child- 
ren in  the  librarv  field  in  a  position 
of  administrative  responsibility,"  the 
qualifications  for  Coordinator  of 
Adult  Services  required  only  "success- 
ful work  with  adults  in  public  libraries." 

Isn't  it  obvious  that  in  this  case 
the  requirements  were  tailored  to  the 
limited  qualifications  of  a  particular 
candidate,  '■/hy  should  there  have  been 
a  doi-rngrading  of  qualifications  for 
this  position?  For  positions  of  iden- 
tical level  and  resporisibilj.ty  aren't 
administrative  experience  and  length 
of  service  equally  important?  As  P.T, 
Barnum  said, 

WHY? 


* 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

Concerning  the  letter  in  the  Sep- 
tember QM  about  older  members  of  the 
staff  disillusioning  newer  members, 
through  remarks  made  in  the  Approval 
Room  and  lavatories,  we  wonder  if  newer 
staff  members  overhear  enough  of  an  en- 
tire conversation  to  know  whether  or 
not  it  is  meant  seriously  or  jokingly, 
whether  or  not  it  is  truly  detrimental, 
whether  it  should  be  taken  seriously 
or  is  j\ast  a  letting  off  of  steam. 

Did  they  really  hear  what  the;'-  thought 
they  heard  or  did  they  jurap  to  a  conclu- 
sion? Were  they  rude  enough  to  listen 
in  on  a  private  conversation?  And, 
WHY  DID  THEY  REPEAT  IT  AND  COI^IPOIMD 
THE  ORIGIlNfAL  ERROR?  Younj  people 
should  realize  the  stresses  and  strains 
of  responsibility,  poor  working  con- 
ditions, tactlessness  at  times  of 


superiors,  human  nature  in  relationships « 
Miile  there  are  channels  for  complaint 
(which  may  not  always  remedy  a  personal 
situation) ,  sometimes  just  blovrLng  off 
tenper  or  personal  hurt  to  a  friend  or 
two  may  save  one  from  a  more  serious 
error  in  judgment  in  a  job  situation. 
We  also  consider  it  in  extremely  poor 
taste  to  pinpoint  a  department  and  imply 
blame  where  blame  is  not  deserved. 
Perhaps  we  should  watch  our  words  more 
carefully,  but  it  is  not  only  the  older 
members  of  the  staff  who  offend  good 
taste  in  staff  quarters.  Younger  members 
sometimes  are  offensive  in  speech  in 
other  directions. 

However,  if  someone  is  talking  TO 
newer  staff  about  individuals  intention- 
ally in  a  derogatory  manner,  the  employee 
who  hears  of  the  person  who  wrote  the 
letter,  would  have  been  far  wiser  to 
protest  quietly  to  the  offender,  or  to 
report  it  to  someone  in  authority,  rather 
than  airing  it  as  they  did.  The  very 
indefiniteness  of  the  charge  is  unfair 
to  all  "older"  employees i 

OTHER  VIEW 

To  the  Editor: 

One  major  effect  of  the  recent  type 
of  notice  of  job  vacancy  -  vjhich  dis- 
cards mention  of  minimum  qualifications 
in  favor  of  putting  the  b^Jirden  of  proof 
on  the  individual  who  rightly  or  wrongly 
may  believe  himself  qualified  -  is  be- 
vrilderment  and  outright  resentment  on 
the  part  of  many  of  the  staff. 

When  people  are  passed  over,  who  seem, 
to  a  large  number  of  the  professionally- 
minded  staff,  more  qualified  through 
long  experience  in  more  varied  back- 
gro'onds  than  the  appointee,  morale  takes 
a  low  dive. 

Is  long  and  diversified  experience  in 
the  field,  with  an  excellent  record  of 
accainplishment,  to  be  passed  over  in 
favor  of  much  less  experience  and  varie- 
ty, but  a  library  school  degree?  Does 
not  a  thoughtful  concern  for  service, 
coupled  with  reliable  and  effective  work 
habits,  capability  in  handling  staff, 
and  punctuality  in  meeting  deadlines, 
count  for  anything  these  days? 

Ve   also  cannot  help  but  x^ronder  why 
some  are  permitted  to  jump  over  a  whole 
level,  when  there  are  fully  qualified 
persons  applying  from  the  level 


-.  18  - 


immediately  belov;  -  yet  others  adequate- 
ly fill  a  position  as  "Acting"  appointee 
elsewhere  for  several  years  without 
being  confirmed  in  the  appointment. 

Does  never  opposing  a  thought  a  super- 
ior produces,  count  more  than  speald.ng 
up  when  one  believes  from  experience  she 
has  a  point  wlxLch  should  be  heard? 

Respect  for  those  in  authority  cannot 
long  endure  while  questions  such  as  these 
automatically  come  to  mindl 

NOT  A  CANDIDATE 

*  ■!«■  -JS- 

Editor: 

Can  some  one  tell  me  how  these  N.P.5 
positions  can  be  filled  when  the  re- 
classification is  not  yet  completed  - 
or  is  it? 

CURIOUS 


To  the  Editor: 

Re:  recent  appointments,  do  years  of 
dedicated  service  and  tested  administra- 
tive experience  in  branch  libraries 
count  for  nothing  when  the  plums  are 
being  handed  out?  Or  have  we  succumbed 
to  the  current  trend  of  encouraging  the 
newest,  least  experienced  aspirants  to 
start  at  the  top? 

FAIR  PLAY 
•«■  •*  * 

To  the  Editor  of  the  QM: 

The  difference  in  qualifications  for 
two  positions  of  similar  status  as 
described  in  General  Administrative 
Notices  No.UO  and  No. 69  has  been  the 
cause  of  some  consternation.  Is  there 
a  logical  explanation  for  this  dis- 
crepancy? 

SUB  ASTRA 
■»•  -K-  -;;- 

To  the  Editor: 

The  recent  appointment  of  a  Co- 
ordinator of  Adult  Services  points  up  a 
distur.bing  inconsistency  in  the  require- 
ments for  that  position  and  for  those 
of  Coordinator  of  Children's  i-fork,  a 


parallel  position,  as  set  forth  in 
General  Administrative  Notices,  No.UO 
and  No, 69.  I'Jhile  one  listed  as  neces- 
sary qualifications  ,.,  10  years  suc- 
cessful work  with  children  plus  5  years 
administrative  experience,  the  other 
specified  only  ..,  successful  work  with 
adults  in  public  libraries.  IJhile  this 
is  not  intended  as  a  relection  upon 
the  individual  appointed,  it  does  ask 
for  an  explanation.  If,  as  it  appears, 
qualifications  were  tailored  to  suit 
the  pre-selected  candidate,  our  person- 
nel policies  are  a  sham. 


WONDERING 


,Dear  Editor: 

Getting  the  right  person  for  a  key 
position  is  a  most  difficult  task.  The 
selection  of  iliss  Katlileen  Hegarty  for 
the  position  of  Coordinator  of  Work 
with  Adults  was  a  most  happy  one.  It 
is  unusual  to  find  a  person  as  young  as 
I^Iiss  Hsgarty  with  such  long  interest 
and  experience  in  library  work. 

Miss  Hegarty's  experience  in  the 
Boston  Public  Library  and  in  work  with 
adults  gave  to  her  Superiors  an  excel- 
lent opportxinity  to  appraise  her 
capacity  for  this  position. 

We  often  object  to  an  "expert"  who 
comes  from  outside  the  system.  Now 
we  offer  our  hearty  congratulations  to 
one  of  us  who  has  proved  herself  on 
the  job, 

BPLer 

*  -K-  * 


iheiaim 


^y^       5PEA\KE'R 

Mr.  Augustin  Va^r\<^r^  ]r. 

SUBJECT: 


President  of  the  Old  Colony  Trust  Company 
and  the  Library's  New  Trustee 


^tfe 


<'/ 


TRUSTS' 


^ec&piian  and  ^ e.p a^ ri'rriaruU 

PROGMM  COMMIT-rZE 
Mildred  Picone  -  Chairman 
James  Ford  Myra  Morse 

Eleanor  Halligan  Edna  G.  Peck 

Corinne  Henderson  Roger  Rainsville. 

Marie  Quinn 


ra 


hesiion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


NOVEMBER      1962 


THE  QUESTION  MARK 

Published  by  the  Boston  Public  Library  Staff  Association 
Volurae  XVII  Nunber  11  Novenber  1962 


Publications  Committee:  Jean  Babcock,  Margaret  Butler,  Janice  Jlaniscalco, 

Thomas  J,  Manning ,  Sarah  Richman,  Catherine 
Richmond,  Edwin  G.  Sanford,  Anna  Scanlan, 
I.  Rorer  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  II.  Usher, 
Indexer,  William  T.  Casey,  Chairman, 

Publication  date:  Deadline  for  submitting  material: 

The  fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 


"Professional"  literature  in  the  library  field  does  not  aluays  provide  the 
same  stimulation  as  the  latest  Ian  71eming  spy  thriller.  It  does,  houever, 
often  provide  some  useful  observations  relative  to  many  of  the  major  problems 
that  perplex  us.  As  a  case  in  point,  ve   would  like  to  cite  the  November 
issue  of  the  Wilson  Library  Bulletin  vjliich  is  devoted  to  a  consideration  of 
the  student  use  problem  in  the  public  jd.brarj'-. 

This  narticuliar  issue  was  the  result  of  an  analysis  of  a  questionnaire  on 
student  use  that  had  been  sent  to  some  5500  public  libraries  across  the 
countr'/-.  It  xfas  the  orij-inal  intent  of  the  editors  to  publish  an  article 
based  on  the  results  of  the  survey  and  call  it  a  "Guide  to  School  Public  Li- 
brary Relations",  They  felt  that  this  title  might  be  misleading  because  "a 
guide  implies  that  answers  have  been  found". 

They  received  some  1800  replies  to  the  questionnaire  and  on  the  basis  of 
these  replies  xrere  able  to  draw  some  definite  conclusions, 

1)  The  most  obvious  conclusion  was  that  this  is  a  nationwide  problem 
that  extends  to  all  libraries  regardless  of  size  or  geographic  location, 

2)  The  public  libraries  have  come  to  feel  that  they  are  being  called 
upon  to  assume  the  functions  of  the  school  library, 

3)  There  has  been  a  woeful  lack  of  communication  between  teachers  and 
libraries  in  the  matter  of  assignments  and/or  materials  available  at  the 
library, 

;     U)  An  inordinate  aiaount  of  student  use  has  created  problems  of  dis- 
cipline, mutilation  of  reference  books  and  serious  overcrowding, 

-'Although  these  conclusions  may  be  nothing  more  than  a  re-statement  of  cer- 
"fiain  painful  truths  that  we  in  the  Bo5:ton  Public  Library  have  had  to  live 
w^th  for  some  time,  it  is  often  helpful  to  exa.aine  the  dimensions  of  a  prcb- 
len. before  attempting  to  find  a  workable  solution.  It  was  for  this  reason 
thas  the  Improvement  Council  on  Student  Use  was  established  some  time  ago. 


-2. 

The  Bulletin  survey  demonstrated  beyond  question  that  tne  entire  problem 
is  so  complex  that'  no  ready  rade  solution  is  availaole  for  imraediate  use. 
It  was  pointed  out,.however ,  that  there  are  specific  lin^s  of  action  that  may- 
be followed  in  order  that  sor.;e  measure  of  progress  can  be  i.iade  in  iifiproving 
the  situation.  The  individual  library  can  work  ijith  the  school  system  in  a 
svirvey  of  student  use  of  both  school  and  library  facilities  as  they  express 
it:  "Take  the  problem  to  the  commAmity,  It  cannot  be  solved  by  the  public 
library  alone." 

Public  librarians  miist  also  worl-:  for  the  development  of  school  lioraries 
as  part  of  a  plan  for  the  improvement  of  total  library  service.  Inis  is  not 
altruism,  but  sheer  self  preservation.  In  order  to  avoid  inundation  by  the 
flood  of  students,  the  public  library  mast  endeavor  to  sten  the  tide  by  help- 
ing the  school  library  to  expand  and  assume  a  larger  share  of  the  burden  of 
providing  reading  material.  This  in  itself  is  a  complicated  issue,  involving 
a  much  closer  alliance  between  school  and  library  in  matters  such  as  book 
selection,  pruchasing  and  exchange  of  information. 

A  long  step  forviard  on  this  dusty  road  could  be  taken  bv  a  proi;;raia  of 
teacher  education,  '^e  cannot  expect  the  students  to  understand  what  the  li- 
brary has  to  offer  if  the  teachers  the^riselves  have  no  conception  of  how  the 
avera:;:e  public  library?'  functions.  A  course  in  the  intricacies  of  the  'Oewey 
Decimal  system  for  a  high  school  "nglish  class  won't  improve  natters  much  if 
the  teacher  still  thinks  that  said  class  can  get  thirty  copies  of  Moby  Dick 
from  a  local  library. 

One  of  the  "solutions"  w'lich  lends  itself  to  considerable  discussion  is 
the  idea  that  ue  should  "work  for  an  e">^pansion  of  service  to  reet  bl'.e  in- 
creased demand,  not  a  restriction  of  the  demand."  The  situation  is  not  -^oing 
to  improve  with  the  oassagd  of  time  but  is'  going  to  become  moie  difficult  as 
the  student  population  continues  to  expand,  Ue  can  sympathise  Tdth  the  dis- 
traught librarian  who  wanted  to  loiow  why  those  "damn  teena£ers"  weren't  out 
holding  up  filling  stations  instead  of  disturbing  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the 
library,  but  no  amount  of  wisliful  thinking  is  going  to  prevent  them  from  pro- 
viding' us  with  a  major  challenre  to  our  ability  to  render  adequate  service 
to  all, 

THE  PUBLICATIONS  COIMTTEE 


PRESIDENT »S  NOTES 


No  new  developments  on  the  Job 
Evaluation  Comraittee's  progress. 
Since  we  have  not  heard  otherwise,  w0 
assume  that  the  target  date  for  iirt- 
plementing  the  changes  indicated  by 
the  findinr^s  of  the  committee  is 
around  the  first  of  the  year.  As 
one  of  the  Staff  Assoni.ation's  repre- 
sentatives on  the  Job  Evaluation 
Committee  I  feel  that  there  remain 
several  questions  requiring  further 
consi  derati  on , 

Those  of  you  who  have  heard  rumors 
about  proi-iosed  changes  in  the  sick 


leave  policy  of  the  library  and  who 
have  been  concerned  because  of  a  seem- 
ing lack  of  information  may  relax,  i-ir, 
Gaines  has  net  twice  with  reoresenta- 
tives  of  the  civil  service  employees 
and  the  Executive  Board  of  the  Staff 
Association  to  discuss  certain  aspects 
of  oior  present  sick  leave  policy  that 
apparently  result  in  a  high  rate  of  ab- 
senteeism, Fir.  Gaines  has  made  it  abun- 
dantl;-  clear  to  your  representatives 
that  the  proposed  changes  are  not  in- 
tended to  reduce  our  benefits  but  to 
provide  positive  incentives  to  reduce 
absenteeism. 


-3- 


There  has  been  no  planned  secrecy  con- 
nected mth  the  discussions  on  the  pro- 
posed chanp.es  in  the  sick  leave  policy. 
Members  of  the  Executive  Board  have  been 
free  to  discuss  the  matter  vdth  other 
merabers  of  the  staff,  and  have  done  so. 
However,  the  pro  )osal3  were  presented 
for  discussion  in  an  effort  to  deter- 
mine the  sick  leave  policy  that  xdll 
work  to  the  best  interests  of  the  em- 
ployees and  of  the  institution.  Nothing 
has  been  definitely  decided,  and  we  can 
assure  you  that  there  will  be  an  op- 
portunity to  consider  the  matter  further. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  hope  that  the 
proposals  will  be  ready  for  presentation 
to  the  membersldp  at  our  business  meet- 
ing on  November  30, 

The  Executive  Board  has  had  one  meet- 
ing iri-th  1-ir.  Gaines  concerninj  tlie  Li- 
brar^r's  promotional  policy.  Here, 
again,  certain  proposals  have  been 
advanced  but  merely  as  starting  pcints 
in  an  effort  to  discover  a  workable 
plan.  The  "bcecutive  Board  is  co^icerned 
about  the  apparent  inconsi:?tency  in  the 
requirem,ents  for  two  recently  filled 
positions  that  seemed,  on  the  sui'face, 
to  require  approximately  equal  amounts 
of  training  and  experience. 

Please  plan  to  attend  the  Hovenber  30 
business  meeting.  Brin[;  vour  questions 
and  ask  them, 

LOUIS  RAINS 

PERSOI-INEL  NOTES 

NEW  EMPLOYEES 

Susan  Aiken  -  Catalogin£;  and  Classifi- 
cation, HR&GS 
Kendall  Brovm  -  Rare  Book  Department 
iiTS.  Marian  Cahalane  -  Dorchester  Branch 
Eleanor  A.  Palmer  -  South  En^.  Branch 
i-'Jary  E.  Holloy  -  VJashington  Village 
I'lTS.  Lucille  C.  O'Brien  -  Book  Prepara- 
tion 
Diana  Rutherford  -  Cataloging  and  Class- 
ification, R&RS 
VJilliam  D.  Jarde  -  General  Reference 

l^'IARRIED 

Alice  II.  I'Jheeler  -  Cataloging  and  Class- 
ification, R&RS,  October  23,  1962,  to 


^filliai.T  Frazziiii, 
TRANSFERRED 

Bonnie  A.  Atchison  -  from  Roslindale  to 

Uphams  Corner, 
Geraldine  R.  Cudmore  -  frOi.i  Catalrging 

and  Classification  HR&CS  to  Business 

Office 
Arthur  ii.  'Jolman  -  from  Uphams  Corner 

to  Mattapan 

TERM!"ATIONS 

Ann  Johnson  -  Cataloging  and  Classifi- 
cations R<?'R3  -  another  position. 

John  Hansbury  -  :ll>:hibits  Office 

Mrs.  Mary  M.  ililler  -  Open  Shelf  - 
resigned, 

ilary  Shea  -  Mt,  Pleasant  -  r.oved  from 
Boston, 

THE  CHARLES  RI\>'ER  LIBRARY  CLUB 

The  Charles  R:iver  Librar"  Club  held 
a  highly  informative  fall  r.eeting  at 
the  Boston  Mtiseum  of  Fine  l.vts   on 
October  23,  1962. 

As  a  general  background  for  the  de- 
tailed explanation  of  problems  which 
have  been  encoimtered  in  the  "Tlastern 
Fassachusetts  Region,  xii's.  Betty  Flj-nn, 
Library  Division,  iiass.  Dept.  of  Edu- 
cation, carefull-T  explained  the  role 
of  the  Division  in  regionalism.  The 
Division  is,  of  course,  the  a:^ency  of 
the  ComiTionwealth  designated  to  super- 
vise the  administration  of  re^^ional 
units.  Its.   Flynn  defined  this  x,ask  as 
a  five-fold  one:  1,  Interpretation  of 
law;  2.  Advisory;  3.  Supervision  of  the 
activities  of  each  unit;  U,  Organization 
and  administration  of  plans  involving 
individual  libraries;  and  5,  Evaluation 

annually  of  the  activities  and  ser- 
vices of  each  unit  -  evaluation  possible 
more  often  at  the  request  of  our  li- 
brary commissicners.  Thus  ail  plans  for 
regional  library  activities  must  cone 
from  the  localities  invol\'ed;  while  the 
Division  serves  as  an  advisory  body  with 
responsibility  for  checking  programs  to 
see  that  they  are  in  line  with  approved 
plans  as  submitted  to  the  Comriiissioners  • 

Mrs.  Flynn  also  summarized  the  events 
vxhich  have  taken  place  in  the  ''^est  and 
Central  Regions  of  Hassaohusetts  where 


■iii.ijinnrmwuiflanai 


-u- 


plans  have  already  been  approved. 

Most  of  this  meeting  was  devoted  to 
describing  progress  in  the  Eastern  Re- 
gion, particularly  in  the  areas  repre- 
sented by  Charles  River  Library  Club 
members.  Our  own  J^rector,  lie,   liilton 
E.  Lord,  succeeded  in  presenting  a 
clear  overview  of  the  complexities 
which  have  held  up  regional  planning  in 
this  area.  As  he  explained,  the  Board 
of  Library  Commissioners  originially 
considered  dividing  the  Eastern  Region 
(from  the  Cape  to  New  Hampshire;  Marl- 
borough to  and  including  Boston)  into 
three  areas.  However,  this  set-up 
proved  completely  unworkable.  The  pre- 
sent Eastern  Region  was,  therefore, 
created  as  one  unit,  including  3/U  of 
the  population  of  ifessachusetts  and  l80 
out  of  35l  tovins  and  cities  in  the 
Commonwealth.  For  this  Eastern  Region, 
I1r.  Lord  was  appointed  chairman  cf  a 
planning  council,  aided  by  the  librari- 
ans of  Lynn,  Fairhaven  and  New  Bedford, 

Because  of  the  tremendous  variety  of 
interests  and  needs  in  this  highly  disp 
versified  and  hif.:hly  populated  area, 
the  Council  set  up  seven  subregicns: 
North  East,  North  iletropolitan,  Central 
Metropolitan,  ''est  Iletropolitan,  South 
Metropolitan,  South  East  and  Cape.  In 
each  subregion,  a  special  council  v.as 
created.  Questionnaires  covering  many 
aspects  of  possible  regional  service 
were  then  sent  out  to  all  libraries  in 
every  subregion.  To  these  there  was  a 
magnificent  response  of  over  90  per  cent, 

Preceeding  Mr.  Lord  en  the  Charles 
River  Program,  Francis  Kecugh,  chairman 
of  the  subregional  council  in  the  West 
Iletropolitan  Area  and  director  of  the 
Framinghan  Library,  described  vjhat  has 
taken  place  in  his  section  stretching 
from  Newton  and  Mlton  to  Stowe  and 
Marlborough.  The  questionnaires  sent 
to  the  33  libraries  of  this  area  reveal- 
ed a  desire  for  a  regional  inter-library 
loan  set-up  and  a  telephone  reference 
service  on  the  part  of  all,  Samller 
conimunities  would,  also,  welcome  pub- 
licity, in-service  training,  cooperative 
purchasing ,  rotating  audio-visual  col- 
lection and  advice  upon  children's  work 
and  administration.   Mr.  Keough  care- 
fully noted  that  there  was  very  little 
desire  expressed  for  reciprocal  borrow- 
ing priviliges  with  our  B.P.L,  In  sum- 
mation, he  stated  that  this  area  has 
excellent  resources  so  that  its  chief 


need  is  a  coorcination  of  efforts  pliis 
fj.nancial  support  for  its  existing 
leadership. 

For  the  Central  MetropolJ  tan  Sub- 
region,  Mr.  Joseph  J.  .jchamch,  Lirector 
of  the  Belmont  Library,  suiijnarized  the 
findings  of  his  questionnaires.  Again 
these  contained  a  desire  for  good, 
prompt,  inter-librsiry  loan  service  and 

telephone  reference  service,  plus 
reference  services  in  depth.  However, 
the  19  libraries  in  tliis  area  (the 
largest  of  the  sub-regions  in  popula- 
tion -  partly  because  it  inc?-udss  Bos- 
ton) express  resentment  and  fear  that 
the  regional  plans  seeiu  aimed  mainly 
at  communities  of  less  than  2^,000, 
Because  this  area  has  at  present  some 
of  the  best  facilities  in  the  Common- 
wealth, it  does  not  feel  a  great  need 
for  regional  cooperation.  Informal, 
local  cooperation  seems  to  be  meeting 
most  needs  at  present,  Som.e  of  the  li- 
braries conc3rned  expressed  a  desire 
to  have  freedom  to  make  contract.  Most 
interesting  to  us  Bostonians  is  the 
fact  that  many  of  these  libraries  ser- 
ving communities  on  our  borders  fear 
that  any  reciprocal  borrowing  from  the 
3, P.I-,  mifht  reduce  the  finamcial  sup- 
port given  txiem  ^y  their  own  local 
gcvdrnments, 

Followinc,  tl.is  excellent  local  presen- 
tation, the  meeting  cor. eluded  with  a 
brief  statement  on  I- aticnal  Library  Week, 
1963  olanning  by  the  Massachusetts 
Director,  Mr,  Karl  Nyren,  of  Concord, 
Five  large  book  fairs  i.'ill  be  held  a- 
cross  the  state,  manned  by  the  American 
Association  of  University  IJomen,  Ten- 
tative plans  have  been  laid  fcr  a  sec- 
ond Governor's  luncheon  and  for  a  pro- 
gram around  our  "Easy  on  the  Eyes" 
booklist.  \s  you  all  knoi:,  the  1963 
National  Library  Week  slogan  is  - 
"Reading;  the  Fifth  Freedom  -  Enjoy  Itl" 

BRANCH  NOTES 

News  of  some  of  our  active  aides  at 
Faneuil  Branch, 

Kathleen  Leary  a  senior  at  Girl's 
Latin  School  is  President  of  the  Student 
Council  at  that  school. 


-5- 


Joyce  Hurray,  a  library  aide  at  Faneuil 
Branch  is  Pr&sident  of  the  Science  Cl-oh 
at  Girl's  Latin  School  for  Jttnior  and 
Senior  classes. 

Rosanne  Bacon  of  Faneuil  Branch  is 
President  of  the  Junior  Class  of  Our 
Ladv  of  Presentation  Academy, 

JULIA  H.  BARRY 

FANEUIL  BRANCH 

*»  "  /\  #V  '»  /»  /V  "   f\  f\  I.  /\   i\  i\  t\^r\^t\  t\   »\  /\ 

LIBRARY  CARD,  PLEASE 

If  ever  you'd  like  to  travel 

And  still  stay  in  your  home, 

If  vou'd  like  to  visit  Paris, 

Berlin  or  Ancient  Rome, 

You  can  go  by  auto 

Or  sail  across  the  sea. 

It  niakes  no  difference  hovr  rich  you  are 

It  can  happen  to  you  or  me. 

You  can  visit  all  these  places 

"ithnut  costing  you  a  cent, 

Yc  \;  can  ride  across  the  desert 

Or  live  out  in  a  tent, 

""i^'-j  ran  travel  underneath  the  sea 

Ii  "n  Atomic  submarine 

Or  svam  in  tropic  waters 

And  study  things  marine. 

You  can  learn  to  fix  your  doorbell 

And  learn  to  sell  a  house, 

You  can  learn  to  run  a  factory 

Or  how  to  catch  a  mouse, 

Jtist  go  to  any  library 

And  get  yourself  a  card. 

You'll  find  it  can  be  lote  of  fun 

And  not  so  very  hard. 

Then  take  a  walk  around  the  place 

Find  out  what's  for  you, 

VJhere  you'd  like  to  tal;e  a  trip 

Or  what  you'd  like  to  do. 

You  can  sit  in  quiet  surroundings 

And  read  and  read  and  dream. 

Let  your  imagination  p\it  you  on  the  beam. 

The  beam  to  where  your  book's  about, 

England,  France,  or  Spain. 

Or  hox-j  to  build  ^o^or  castle  without  the 

working  pain. 
The  minutes  mil  turn  to  hours. 
And  hours  tvirn  to  days, 
Yo-ur  trip  or  task  will  soon  be  done. 
You'll  find  the  library  pays. 
So  don't  you  waste  a  minute, 
Be  a  traveller  around  the  earth. 
You  can  do  it  in  the  library 
Or  home  at  the  open  hearth. 


',#10  «S  NEW 

The  recently  appoirted  Cataloger  and 
Reference  Librarian  cf  the  Rare  Book 
Department  comes  to  us  i/dth  a  broad 
background  in  libi'ary  work.  IrSne 
Probstein,  after  serving  as  cataloger 
at  both  Princeton  and  3rown  Univer- 
sities, most  recently  vjcrked  in  the 
Special  Collections  of  the  Providence 
Public  Library,  where  her  experience 
with  such  varied  fields  as  the  Civil 
War,  rare  children's  bocks,  and  the 
history  of  printing  will  be  valuable 
in  dealing  with  similar  collections 
here  at  the  BFL.  The  current  inter- 
esting exhibit  in  the  Treasure  Room 
on  "The  Books  of  the  Pilgrims"  already 
shows  Irene's  abilities  in  tliis  direc- 
tion. 

Born  in  Belgium,  lirs.  Probstein  came 
to  this  country  as  a  refugee  in  19U0, 
Her  husband  is  a  professor  cf  aeronau- 
tical engineering  at  M.I,T,  In  her 
spare  time  IrSne  enjoys  working  on  both 
painting  and  sculpture, 

•5^S-»-JH«HHHfK-S-!H«HHHHHi- 


ANOriYMOUS 


MflWWfWWfiW 


-^- 


So<xp 


i3ox 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Box  must 
be  accompanied  bv  the  full  QamG  of  the 
Association  member  submitting  it,  to- 
gether with  the  na,iie  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  is  used,  if  the  contributor  so 
requests.  Anonymous  contributions  are 
not  riven  Bonsideration.   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  indi- 
cate that  the  Publications  Committee 
and  the  Association  are  in  agreement 
with  the  views  expressed.  Only  those 
contributions  containinp  not  more  tlrian 
300  words  xnll  be  accepted. 


To  the  Jiditor: 

A  vagary  in  the  irintin;  made  my 
poem  on  divine  absenteeism  limp  to  a 
most  untuneful  finale.  3ven  in  our 
small  BPL  world,  I  should  not  like  to 
appear  to  be  adding  to  tne  disharmony. 
In  the  interests  of  right  order,  -will 
you  kindly  print  the  last  stanza  as  I 
VTTote  it, 

A  Turnpike  Authority 

Should  dispossession  press, 
Turn  Him  out  of  heaven 

To  cl^an  th3  earthly  mess. 
Two  of  the  pl-'.ces  I  recently  lived 
in  in  the  area  are  slated  for  des- 
truction, so  be^ng  turned  out  of  home 
by  the  Turnpike  i^.uthority  is  not  a 
light  punishment, 

HARRY  ANDREWS 

■K-  •«■  ■«■ 

lo  tae  Soap  Box: 

'.'e  wish  to  congratulate  the  adminis- 
tration on  another  dazzling  display 
of  fast  foot-work  in  the  malcLng  of  the 
recent  appointment  to  the  position  of 
Keeper  of  Prints,  respite  the  obvious 
effort  of  the  powers  that  be  to  fore- 
stall criticism  of  this  appointment  - 
see  the  unprecedented  propaganda  re- 
lease prepared  by  the  administration 
on  page  lU  of  the  October  issue  of 
the  Question  Mark  -  we  cannot  help 
but  wonder  what  determines  advancement 
and  promotion  in  this  institution. 
Does  the  recent  appointee's  record  of 
achievement  so  far  surpass  that  of  our 
present  Acting  Chief  Librarian  that  he 
received  a  permanent  appointment  in 
less  than  one  year  while  the  Acting 
Chief  Librarian  goes  on  year  after 
year  in  a  most  frustrating  position? 

There  are  a  few  more  questions  we 
would  like  to  ask: 

Why  the  great  rush  in  making  the 

appointment  only  two  weeks  after  the 

announcement  of  the  intention  of 

filling  the  vacancy? 

Was  the  position  advertised  in 

appropriate  media  in  accordance  with 

a  previously  announced  policy  of  the 

«  rtrol  ni  o  tjjc>n,+.l  on? 

WVty,  in  Gojieral  Administrative 
Notice  86  -  1962,  were  the   duties 

outlined   but   not,    t\t^   q»ia1>  f  i  rati  ons? 


-7- 


I^Jhy  was  this  position  not  listed 
in  General  Administrative  Notice  9  - 
1962,  which  purported  to  list  the 
vacancies  existing  as  of  January  1? 

Why  -rin  ■pooi^ic^ia-  gy+>  filled  itiore 
quickly  in  the  other  divisions  than 
in  the  Division  of  Reference  and 
Research  Services? 

Does  the  administration  think  they 
merit  the  confidence  of  the  staff?  ' 

BEDAZZLED,  BOTHERED  AND  BEWILDERED 

Dear  Soap  Box: 

A  monthly  briefing  in  the  Q.I*^  since 
the  first  of  the  year  indicated  that 
the  Evaluation  project  was  prooressing 
and  would  be  in  shape  to  be  presented 
to  the  Trustees.  That  was  in  Mav,  In 
June  we  were  told  there  was  no  money 
available  but  that  the  Division  Heads 
felt  confident  sufficient  savings 
could  be  effected  during  the  remainder 
of  the  year  to  put  the  proposed  adjust- 
ments into  operation  about  Oct.  1.  Ap- 
parently the  Division  Heads  couldn't 
effect  any  savings.  Last  month,  ac- 
cording to  the  only  source  of  informa- 
tion, the  story  poes  that  several 
questions  had  arisen  and  the  results 
will  not  be  known  until  1963.  If  the 
Job  Evaluation  was  completed  and  the 
fact  remained  that  money  could  not  be 
scraped  together  to  dole  out,  what  are 
the  mysterious  questions  that  have  now 
arisen? 

This  Evaluation  Report,  as  I  recall 
was  for  the  purpose  of  evaluating  and* 
adjusting  the  salaries  in  the  Library 
Assistants'  Service.  This  was  the 
manner  chosen  by  the  Administration  to 
reach  a  result  and  became  the  answer 
for  everytMng,  >Jhat  was  the  use  of 
starting  the  project  and  talcing  poopl^ 
away  from  their  work  to  do  the  job  if 
the  end  result  was  to  rest  somewhere 
gathering  dust, 

X'Tiere  are  these  unreliable  reports 
originating?  This  is  a  confused  age 
but  why  does  the  Administration  wish 
to  add  to  the  confusion  bv  displajring 
such  indifference  toward  emplCT'/'ees 
within  the  system.  In  the  meantime 
many  good  workers  have  left  the  service 
for  more  fertiel  fields.  'Jhy  not  pu'c>-^ 
lish  the  report  as  it  stands  and  let 


the  rest  of  us  judge  for  ourselves 
whether  the  library  offers  any  opportxin- 
ities  worth  waiting  for  in  the  future? 

QUIZZICAL  KID 


The  Trustees  Room  was  the  scene  of  s 
uniqxie  ceremony  at  11:00  A,M.  on  Thursday 
November  l$th» 

I'hr^   Lord  conducted  the  ceremony.  Pre- 
sent were  Mrs,  Andelman,  Mr,  Gaines,^  Mr, 
Maloney  and  Miss  Hegarty,  and  members  of 
the  Suggestion  Committee,  Mrs,  Phyllis 
P*  Ktck  and  Mr»  Ed  Saiford.  Mr.  Lord 
presented  an  award  to  Mrs,  Bickford,  MSs 
Partridge,  Mr,  Rodenmacher,  Mr»  Andrews^ 
and  Mr,  Stevens;.  The  award  was  in  recog- 
nition of  suggestions  each  had  made  for 
the  improvement  of  Library  service.  In 
addition  to  the  $25  check,  Mrs,  Bickford 
and  Miss  Partridge  each  recieved  a  hand- 
some corsage  and  a  hearty  bviss  on  the 
cheek  from  the  Director,  The  three  men 
got  an  attractive  boutonnlere  but  had  to 
ccntent  themselves  with  a  hearty  handshake, 

Mr.  Lord  then  proceeded  to  give  a 
fascinating  historical  and  anecdotal  trrr- 
elofue  or  t.E  I'rustees  Koom,  gixlding  the 
whole  group  from  object  to  object,  ex- 
plaining the  furniture,  the  ancient  clock, 
the  paintings  and  lamps. 

The  Lee  M,  Friedman  Fund  for  Merit 
Awards  was  eatablished  in  October  7,  I960. 


JEV/ISH  BOOK  MONTH  r^ygriTS 

ieoetitoer  9  9:30  a.  m.  WBZ-TV  Our 
Believing  World.  Rabbi 
Jack  Riemer,  lirs.  Sylvia 
RothEhild,  and  Ilrs.  Ada  A, 
Andelman,  with  Ted  Cavanaugh 
'."tiw^^STtoecr  9  3  p.  m. ,  Boston  Public  Li- 
brary, Lecture  Hall,  Isaac 
Bashevis  Singer  and  AUbert' 
Vorspan  are  g-aest  speakers. 


i 


™ 


uesiion 


THE  BOSTON  PUBLIC  UBRAR/ 


DECEMBER      1962 


THEQUESTIONMARK 

Published  by  the  Boston  Puolic  Library  Staff  Association 
Volume  XVII  Number  12  DeceTnber  1962 


Publications  Coinmittee :  Jean  Babcock,  Mai'garet  Butler,  Janice  I^aniscalco, 

Thomas  J.  I-Ianning,  Sarah  Richman,  Catherine 
Richmond,  Ed-ijin  G,  Sanford,  Anna  Scanlan, 
I.  Roger  Stevens,  Cartoonist,  Sarah  M,  Usher, 
Indexer,  William  T.  Casey,  Chairman. 

Publication  date.  Deadline  for  submitting  ifiaterial: 

The  fifteenth  of  each  month  The  tenth  of  each  month 


Among  the  many  books  of  Ogden  Nash  is  a  volume  called  The  Christmas 
That  Almost  Wasn't.  As  we  remember  the  agonizing  hours  of  the  recent 
Cuban  crisis,  that  title  seems  horribly  appropriate  for  this  present 
season.  Now  that  the  vjorld  has  teetered  back  on  its  axis,  we  can  grate- 
fully inhale  the  crisp  December  air  that  somehow  feels  so  good  despite 
its  coldness,  and  prepare  for  the  coming  of  the  holidays.  The  simple 
fact  of  just  oeing  alive  is  something  of  a  miracle  at  any  time  of  year, 
but  it  manages  to  take  on  a  new  meaning  in  this  particular  December. 

For  December  is  the  month  :7hen  Jew  and  Christian  alike  light  those 
special  candles  of  faith  that  gleam  so  brilliantly  against  the  backdrop 
of  the  winter  darkness.  Never  before  in  its  long  troubled  history  has 
the  world  so  needed  the  gleam  of  those  candles  and  the  faith  that  they 
signify.  Let  us  draw  from  their  luminescence  a  determination  to  face 
vjith  I'enewed  confidence  the  coming  year. 

To  the  Trustees  of  the  Library,  to  all  members  of  the  Staff  past 
and  present  and  to  their  families,  the  Question  Mark  extends  a  fervent 
wish  that  this  may  be  for  thera  the  best  of  holidays. 


TIIE  PUBLIC  AT  ICJNS  COMMITTEE 


«*  ^  ■*"' 


PRESIDENT'S  NOTES 

At  the  November  Business  Meeting 
an  expression  of  opinion  by  the 
majority  of  the  members  present 
indicated  that  it  was  their  opin- 
ion that  staff  morale  '.irould  be 
benefitted  if  the  resioDle  of  the 
job  evaluation  study  were  publish- 
ed in  the  near  future  even  though 
there  may  not  be  money  immediately 
available  to  implement  indicated 
salary  adjustments.  This  same 
decision  had  been  independently 
reached  by  the  Executive  Board 
prior  to  the  meex,ing,  and  it 
appears  reasonable  to  assume  that 
it  would  be  the  opinion  of  the 
majority  of  the  staff, 

Claire  0' Toole,  Branch  Issue, 
has  been  gracious  enough  to  accept 
the  chairmanship  of  the  special 
committee  to  provide  current  cop- 
ies of  popular  periodicals  for 
the  Hospital  Library.  A  list  of 
the  wanted  magazines  appears  in 
this  issue  of  the  Q TOST ION  MARK, 
Here  is  an  opportunity  for  the 
staff  to  make  a  most  worthi-jhile 
contribution  to  the  community. 

Our  efforts  to  establish  a 
blood  bank  with  the  American  Red 
Cross  have  met  with  a  most  apa- 
thetic reaction  from  the  staff. 
Our  balance  is  dangerously  law 
at  the  present  time  and  would  not 
be  sufficient  to  meet  more  than  a 
few  calls  for  blood.   If  you  have 
been  postponing  making  your  dona- 
tion please  get  to  it  and  bleed 
a  little. 

Proposals  for  a  new  sick  leave 
policy  were  read  at  the  November 
Business  Meeting.  Mr,  Gaines  was 
present  and  ansvjered  questions  and 
offered  explanations  on  several 
points.  The  reaction  of  the  mem- 
bers appeared  to  be  favorable. 
The  proposals  were  to  be  presented 
to  the  Director  and  then,  if  the 
Director  approved,  to  the  Trustees, 
The  Executive  Board  would  like  to 
see  at  least  one  change  in  the 
policy  but  think  that  it  will  be 
beneficial  to  the  staff  and  to 


the  institution. 

The  Executive  Board  takes  this 
opportunity  to  wish  all  members  of 
the  staff  a  very  happy  holiday 
season, 

LOUIS  RAINS, 
HIESIDENT 

//////////////7//////////////////// 

PERSONNEL  NOTES 
New  EjTployees  .  Northeastern  Students 

David  R.  Kane  -  Office  of  Records, 

Files,  Statistics 
David  F,  Allen  -  Book  Stack  Service 
Moore  \'h   Dodge  -  Book  Stack  Service 
Maril^Ti  Rubin  -  Cat.  &  Class,, R&RS 
John  J,  Sullivan  -  History 
Charles  E.  Gosselin  -  Open  Shelf 
Nathan  Green  -  Central  Charging 

Records 
Dorothy  Titus  -  Jamaica  Plain 
Nicholas  Foundas  -  Book  Purchasing 

Students  Re-entering 

Michael  Berman  -  Book  Stack  Service 
Barbara  Carlson   "     "     " 
Catherine  T,  Co::con  -  Cat,  &  Class, 

Div.  Reference  &c  Research 
Dean  Denniston  -  Book  Stack  Service 
Ernest  I.  Gam  .  Book  Stack  Service 
Michael  Konowitz  "    "       " 
Marie  E,  LaBiviere  -  Cat,  &  Class, 

Div,  Reference  &  Research 
Mary  E.  IfecDonald  -  Cat.  &  Class. 

Div.  Reference  &  Research 
Robert  B,  Macdonald  -  Book  Stack 

Service 
Elizabeth  McLucas  -  Cat,  Sc   Class, 

Div,  Reference  &  Research 
Peter  A,  Ranney  -  Book  Stack  Service 
Glenn  Ryan  -  Book  Stack  Service 
Gail  A.  Berry  -  Mt.  Bovjdoin 
Joan  Harrington  -  South  End 
Elaine  Miller  -  Bookmobiles 
Laura  Richards  -  Audio  Visual 
Kenneth  Puleo  -  Book  Purchasing 
Janice  Wright  -  Book  Purchasing 

cont. 


3  - 


Mew  Employees 

Johanna  Tiews,  Fine  Arts 

John  J,  Rogen,  Central  Book  Stock  • 

Branch  Issue  Section 
Mrs.  midred  0.  Ramsdell,  Music 
Katherine  A.  Bodwell,  East  Boston 

Terminated 

Mrs.  Xenia  Maslouski,  Central  Charg- 
ing Records  -  another  position 

Mrs.  Isabel  Thayer,  South  End  -  to 
stay  at  home 

Bert  A,  Anderson,  Music  Department  - 
another  position 

Mrs.  Mary  McAlerney,  Book  Stack 
Service  -  to  stay  at  home 

Mrs.  Marcia  Pouser,  Central  Charging 
Records  -  to  go  to  New  York 

Transferred 

Natalie  Palme  -  from  General  Refer- 
ence Department  to  Music  Department 

/////////////////////////////////// 

Sidelights  on  the  Jetrish  Book  Month 
Program  and  Reception 

It  was  a  \Tonderful  turnout,  despite 
inclement  weather  and  the  competition 
of  other  activities  -  notably  a 
Hadassah  luncheon  and  a  meeting  of 
the  Council  of  Rabbis.  If  the  Rabbis 
couldn't  make  it,  their  wives  didj 
Seen  in  the  audience  were  Mesdames 
Strassfeld,  Kazis  and  Gittelsohn, 

Monsignor  Murray's  apt  introductory 
salute  -  Shalom  -  was  a  welcome  note. 

Both  speakers  were  witty,  Ifr, 
Singer  whose  talk  was  on  "IJhat 
Yiddish  Literature  is  and  VJhat  it 
should  be"  read  most  of  his  speech 
and  interspersed  it  with  humorous 
asides  and  droll  explanations.   If 
Yiddish  as  a  language  is  presently 
on  the  decline,  at  least  Mr.  Singer 
was  optimistic  about  its  survival 
and  of  its  eventual  resurgence.   In 
his  own  vrords,  "VJhen  anything  reaches 
bottom,  there  is  no  other  way  but  up." 


Mr.  Vospan  spoke  about  the  need 
for  more  understanding  and  toler- 
ance. He  deplored  ^rhat  Harry 
Golden  calls  "five  o'clock  shadow"- 
the  tendency  of  ethnic  groups  to 
disaesociate  themsleves  from  fellow 
vrorkers  of  other  denominations  and 
faiths  after  working  hours  and  to 
retire  to  neighborhoods  and  comimui- 
ities  inhabited  by  members  of  their 
oxm  group. 

The  attractive  appearance  of  the 
Judaica  room  elicited  many  compli- 
mentary remarks.  Miss  Steinberg 
and  her  assistant-  take  a  bow. 
Ditto  Mr,  Manning  for  the  display 
of  rare  and  beautiful  editions  of 
the  Biole  in  the  mezzanine  and 
second  floor  exhibit  cases. 

The  gala  reception  f  olloijlng  the 
program  was  well  attended.  The 
V/iggins  Gallery  was  a  wonderful 
setting.  The  refreshments  were 
absolutely  scrumptious I  Trays  of 
tempting  pastries  were  pleasing  to 
the  eye  and  equally  pleasing  to 
the  palate, 

A  pretty  picture  were  the  charm- 
ing ladies  I'ho  acted  as  helpers: 
Miss  Hayes,  Miss  Adelson,  Miss 
Globus,  Miss  Steinberg,  Miss 
Michelson,  et  al.  They  also  served, 

A  very  special  curtsy  to  Mrs, 
Andelman  and  Miss  Winnick  withoiit 
whom  -  as  the  storybook  says  -  none 
of  this  vjould  have  been  possible. 

And, of  course,  we  mustn't  neglect 
the  men  who  contributed  by  deed  or 
by  presence  -  the  two  speakers, 
Monsignor  Miu-ray,  President  of  the 
Trustees,  Mr,  Aaron  Bronstein, 
Chairman  of  Jewish  Book  Month,  Mr, 
Robert  Segal,  who  helped  with  the 
arrangements,  Mr,  Lord,  Mr,  Moloney, 
Mr.  Carroll  (querj'":  did  he  locate 
the  missing  tea  bags?),  Mr,  Manning 
and  other  members  of  the  staff  who 
attended.  And  to  Mr.  Wolman  and 
Mr,  Grundt  who  served  as  ushers. 

Altogether,  it  was  a  very  success- 
ful afternoon, 

SARAH  RICHMAN 


.  u- 


MOTES  FROM  THE  FIELD 

It  is  always  pleasant  to  hear  of 
any  B,P.L*  post-;,raduate  vjho  is 
mald-ng  an  outstanding  contribution 
to  library  work, 

Mrs,  Ilary  E,  West,  former  3.P,L, 
Childrens'  Librarian,  who  served 
in  that  capacity  for  several  years 
in  the  children's  Section,  Open 
Shelf  Department,  Central  Library 
has  been  elected  Vice  Chairman  - 
Chairman-Elect  of  the  Childrens' 
Section,  of  the  Illinois  Library 
Association.  Mrs,  West  is  also 
serving  as  chairman  of  the  Aurianne 
AxTard  Committee,  administered  by 
the  Childrens'  Services  Division  of 
the  American  Library  Association, 
She  is  also  doing  an  outstanding 
job  as  Supervisor  of  Childrens'  i:ork, 
Lincoln  Library,  Springfield,  Illinoi;, 

EDNA  G,  PECK 

///////////////////////////7///////// 

Dinner  Pai-ty  for  Anne  Kearney 

Warmuth's  was  the  scene  of  a  joy- 
ous dinner  party  on  Tuesday, 
December  k,   given  by  the  Lower  Mills 
Staff  in  honor  of  its  Children's 
Worker,  Mrs.  Anne  Kearney,  x^ho  is 
to  be  married  the  day  after  Christ- 
mas, Present,  besides  the   regular 
staff,  was  I-trs.  HcDevitt  of  Adams 
Street,  xxho  formerly  worked  at  Lower 
Mills  id-th  Mrs.  Kearney,  After  a 
delicious  meal  a  gift  with  many  good 
wishes  was  presented  to  the  guest 
of  honor,  and  the  party  departed  to 
see  the  festive  lights  of  the  city 
before  returning  home, 

///////////// v///////////////////// 


CONGRATULATIONS! 

Best  Christmas  vri.shes  to  Mr,  and 
Mrs,  James  Cullity  (Ethel  O'Brien, 
Business  Office),  A  baby  girl, 
Veronica  Catherine  Cullity,  weighing 
8  lbs,  11  oz,  was  born  on  November 
16. 


CHRIST! 'A3  PAP-TY 

The  House  Cornmittee  for  Men  would 
like  to  express  their  appreciation 
for  the  many  contributions  made  for 
the  Christmas  Party  to  be  held  in 
the  Mens'  Lounge  on  Friday ,December 
21,  1962. 

If  there  is  anyone  irho  has  not 
yet  contributed  and  would  like  to 
do  so,  donations  are  still  being 
accepted  by  m.embers  of  the  committee, 

A,  Lundgren 

F,  Rodenmacher 

E,  Stenberg 

J,  Monahan, Chairman 

////////////////'/ ////////////////7/ 

HOSPITAL  LIBRARY 

Recent  issues  of  the  folloi-ring 
periodicals  are  needed  at  the 
Hospital  Library; 

New  Yorker 
Readers  Digest 
Field  and  Stream 
i.      National  Geographic 
Popular  Mechanics 
Popular  Science 
Esquire 
McCalls 

Ladies  Home  Journal 
Redbook 
Cosmopolitan 
Harpers  Bazaar 
Any  of  the  "Ladies"  magazines 

Please  foi-ward  all  magazines  to  Mrs, 
Claire  0' Toole  or  Mss  Kay  Decker, 
Branch  Issue  Department,  They  in 
turn  will  direct  them  to  the  Hospital 
Library, 

///////////////////////////////////// 


-  5  - 


Staff  Association  Program 

The  Program  Comrnittee  of  the 
Boston  Public  Liorary  Staff  Associ- 
ation presented  the  Fall  program  on 
Friday  evening,  October  26,  in  the 
Lecture  Hall, 

The  guest  speaker  was  Ilr,  Augustin 
Parker,  Jr. ,  who  is  our  newest 
Trustee,  ifr.  Parker  gave  an  inter- 
esting and  informative  talk  on 
"Trusts  and  Trusteeships"  which  dretx 
much  favorable  comment  from  his 
audience. 

At  the  close  of  the  program,  a 
brief  reception  was  held  for  Mr, 
and  I^s,  Augustin  Parker,  and  the 
Entertainment  Committee  served 
refreshments. 

Mldred  Pic  one 
Program  Chairman 

Ed, Note:  The  above  item  was  recv'd 
after  last  month's  issue 
had  gone  to  press.  SORRY 
we  are  a  month  late, 

////////////////// v////////////// 


DISASTER  TO  RAMJOLPH 

The  sincere  sympathy  of  the  staff 
of  the  Boston  Public  Library  is 
extended  to  the  Trustees  and  Staff 
of  the  Turner  Free  Liorary  of 
Randolph.  The  fire  of  December  6 
destroyed  the  library  and  its  entire 
book  collection.   In  order  to  help 
with  the  process  of  rebuilding  the 
library,  the  members  of  the  BPL 
staff  have  been  urged  to  contribute 
any  useable  library  material.  Please 
do  not  donate  those  dust  covered 
curios  from  the  attic.  Save  those 
for  our  next  white  elephant  sale. 
Any  contributions  can  be  sent  to 
either  Miss  Peck  or  Mr.  Scully, 

////////////////////////////// V/// 


Ij-ss  Conlin 

Elena  Conlin,  Tt-ustees  'Office, 
fell  on  the  stairs  outside  that 
office  on  November  30,  1962  and 
Droke  a  bone  in  her  ri^ht  hand, 
Consecuently  she  >rill  be  unable  to 
return  to  work  for  about  6  weeks. 
We're  siore  "Ellie"  'rould  enjoy 
hearing  from  her  many  BPL  friends. 
Her  home  address  is  69  Cottage  3t,, 
Sharon,  Mass, 

//////  7////////////// /// V//////// 

BRANCH  NOTES 

An  Open  House  sponsored  by  the 
Friends  of  the  Jamaica  Plain  Brai.ch 
Library  will  be  held,  at  the  Brarxh, 
on  Tuesday,  December  I8,  1962  from 
three  until  five  o'clock. 

The  Mt.  Pleasant  Branch  Library 
ijill  hold  a  Christmas  Open  House 
on  Monday,  December  17,  1962  from 
7  to  9  p.m, 

A  neighborhood  Christmas  Party 
will  be  held  at  the  South  End 
Branch  Library  on  Thursday,  Decern,, 
oer  20  at  7:30  p.m,  Carols  and 
Storytelling  will  be  featured, 

A  very  successful  Friends  of  the 
:  Library  i'feeting  was  held  at  the 
Charlestown  Branch  Library  on  Tuesday 
evening,  December  U.  Mr.  J,  Daniel 
Selig,  Research  Analyst  of  the  Boston 
Historical  Conservation  Committee, 
was  the  guest  speaker.  His  informa- 
tive talk  on  "Old  Architecture  in 
Charlestown"  was  thorouphly  enjoyed 
by  the  I60  "Friends"  who  were  present 
at  the  meeting,  A  coffee  hour  follow- 
ed the  program* 


//////////////////////////////////// 


A  U  E       YOU       A       i;  E  i.  B  £  R       OF 


/ 


'"V- 


/ 


\ 


^^:~7 


o 


O  /  \      o 


/    \ 


X 


u\ 


\\ 


\. 


/ "  \ 


^ 


Fcr  apTjlicotions  see 

irs,  Chaplick  at  Codran  "^quore 
Use  Amstronp  at  Open  SheM 


JUIl!  Ku;  to  be  recognized  in  your  profession. 
Handbook  goes  to  press  soon.. 


THi  ii^I^iCLitxJl  DULS  KOT    ' 
OF  'xBIb  JAZZ 


«  7  - 


5l4  ivir  V^, 


Vf'' 


c:^^ 


vj'o.^x?    Bo^ 


J 


Any  contribution  to  the  Soap  Bok 
must  be  accompanied  by  the  full  name 
of  the  Association  member  submitting 
it,  together  -with  the  name  of  the 
Branch  Library,  Department  or  Office 
in  which  he  or  she  is  employed.  The 
name  is  i-jithheld  from  publication,  or 
a  pen  name  is  used,  if  the  contributor 
so  requests,  AnonjTnous  contributions 
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  individual  Association  members  and 
their  appearance  does  not  necessarily 
indicate  that  the  Publications  Commit- 
tee and  the  Association  are  in  agree- 
ment with  the  views  expressed.  Only 
those  contributions  containing  not 
more  than  300  words  will  be  accepted. 


To  the  Soap  Box: 

At  the  recent  Staff  Association 
meeting  the  pro's  and  con's  of  pub- 
lishing the  results  of  the  Job 
Evaluation  were  discussed.  In  all 
fairness  are  there  any  pro's  and 
con's  to  be  considered?  The  Library- 
Assistants  have  waited  for  almost 
TWO  years  for  Job  Evaluation  results 
to  emanate  and  have  shown  considerable 
patience  in  view  of  the  fact  that  this 


Evaluation  at  times  has  progressed 
very  slovily.      Should  the  ■  Administra- 
tion be  let  to  "have  their  cake  and 
eat  it  too"  as  it  were?  In  all  fair- 
ness the  LA'S  should  kno-;j  T.here  they 
stand,  because  undoubtedly  x^hen  this 
Evaluation  is  published  there  may  be 
maxry  x-jho  will  want  to  seek  richer 
fields  of  emplo^TTient,  After  two  years 
of  patient  waiting  for  the  results  of 
Job  Evaluation  are  the  LA's  to  be  told 
that  they  cannot  have  the  results  of 
this  Evaluation  because  they  cannot 
be  given  the  monetary  value  of  their 
positions?  l^Jhy  where  they  ever  Eval- 
uated??? Just  to  boost  their  sagging 
morale?  It's  high  time  the  Library 
Assistant's  vrere  told  just  xirhere  they 
standi 

ANXIOUS  ALICE 

//////  V  ^//  '■''//////////////////////// 

Dear  Soap  Box: 

The  difficulties  of  recruiting  qual- 
ified personnel  are  v;ell  knoim  to  the 
Library.  The  amount  of  time  and  effort 
needed  to  train  personnel  to  do  a  good 
job  makes  this  phase  of  an  emplo;''ee's 
career  a  costly  one  for  the  Library, 

I-Jhy,  in  the  proposed  new  sick  leave 
policy,  are  the  newest  persons  the 
ones  descriminated  against  in  the 
"bank"  provision? 

Those  with  less  than  6  years  service 
will  have  all  sick  leave  used  during 
the  past  six  vears  deducted  from  the 
"bank".  The  "bank"  is  to  be  given  to 
employees  with  6  or  more  years  service 
without  any  deductions, 

VJliy  not  treat  the  newer  employees  as 
kindly  as  the  older  employees? 

To  saj'  that  the  "grandfather"  clause 
would  protect  them  does  not  deny  that 
the  "bank"  free  of  deductions  viould 
not  be  available  to  these  newer  emplcry- 
ees. 

Isn't  retention  of  trained  emplcryees 
as  important  or  more  in^iortant  than 
recruitment  of  new  iintrained  employees? 

The  newer  employees  have  less  to  lose 
when  and  if  they  decide  to  leave.  Give 
them  a  oreak  on  the  "bank"  and  help 
keep  them  here, 

A  TURNOVER? 


-  8  - 


Deai'  Editor: 

The  Job  Evaluation  Committee's 
results  have  been  awaited  for  a  long 
time.  Could  the  staff  have  a  report 
on  the  findings  of  the  Coirunittee  even 
if  the  findings  cannot  be  immediately 
translated  into  pay  raises  for  those 
whose  jobs  the  Committee  has  foxind  to 
require  more  skills  and  responsibili- 
ties than  their  present  job  classifi- 
cation should  require? 

This  was  an  important  consideration 
of  the  staff  in  awaiting  the  results 
of  the  Committee's  work,  that  those 
who  have  been  performing  jobs  whose 
skills  and  responsibilities  were 
greater,  would  be  entitled  to  a  higher 
classification  and  a  commensurate 
salary. 

The  Committee  has  not  met  for  a  long 
time.  No  one  has  heard  of  any  f^jrther 
meetings  being  definitely  scheduled. 

How  about  letting  us  knmj  now  what 
the  Committee  has  determined? 

WEARY  OF  WAITING 

/////////// v//// y /////////  7//////// 

To  the  Editor: 

I  think  an  ACADEMY  AWARD  is  in  order 
for  a  certain  member  of  the  Reference 
and  Research  Division  for  his  out- 
standing ACTING  performance  these  ^jusV, 
TWO  years. 

0,  Whatapity 

////////////////////////////////////// 


'^Cr\Q,     n^  omenta    d"' 


BUSTOW  PUBUC  LIBRARY  STaFF  ASbOCIATION 


% 


L 


.*£ 


^ 


y-  _  ■"   ......  ■  -     .   ' 


^^ij^'    -A 


ERRY 


roA 


^     1:1 


,t 


Up  to"    Sa/n.ia 
unJi  stricrur  uC"U  CARE 

"OlJIi1ITT?,E  FOR  CARE 

Ollie  Partridge  -  Chairman 
Open  Shelf  r>epartiT.ent 

Margaret  LeT.-iis   -  Memorial  Branch  Library 

Mldred  Somes   -  Book  ?iepar«ti-oxi  Pepavtment 


December  19^-2 


BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  9999  063 


4  618  5