OLA Hotline’s Blog

Library News from 1908

From the 1908 edition of “Public Libraries.”

“Library Copyright League.”

A report from W. P. Cutter, who appeared before the committee on patents in Congress the last of March, states that it was very evident at the time that the attitude of the publishers toward the librarians had somewhat changed and equally evident that the committee’s attitude toward the publishers had changed also.

The chairman of the committee announced during the progress of the hearing that they would sanction no legislation which would give control over the resale of books once sold by the publishers, and that they were working to protect the public to the fullest extent.

The chairman of the Senate committee stated that the Copyright league need only ask for what the libraries wanted, for it was almost certain that anything opposed by the libraries would not receive favorable consideration by the committee, and even if it did, no measure limiting their privileges could be passed by either the House or the Senate.”

[This was concerning an effort by publishers to keep libraries from buying used books.] (May 1908, p 179)

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Charles W. Smith, of the University of Washington library, has prepared an expansion of the Dewey decimal classification for the history of the Pacific Northwest. It has been reprinted in pamphlet form at the request of the libraries in that locality. It is not expected that its field of usefulness will extend outside of the region of Old Oregon, but it covers that territory very completely.

(May 1908, p 180)

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Wanted-A Librarian-A library in a northern Michigan community, which is largely engaged in mining and smelting iron ore, wants a librarian. The duties assigned to the librarian in this place partake, very largely, of the nature of the work that is done in settlements. There are two classes of people in the town, those connected with the works and those who own the works. The first are largely foreigners, Poles and Bohemians. The librarian will be expected to organize improvement circles, girls’ clubs, sewing classes and whatever means may be used to give the young people of the place ambitious ideas of good living, friendliness and good feeling. The salary to being with is $75 a month. The only drawback to the position is the lack of facilities for comfortable living.

(May 1908, p 186)

This column is made possible by the forward-thinking lending policy of the University of Oregon library, which allows its bound periodicals to be borrowed via SUMMIT.

Tony Greiner tony_greiner@hotmail.com