CHAPTER V

THE LIBRARIAN

=65. General.=--The success or failure of a library depends almost entirely upon the ability and energy of the staff. Opinion upon this question has been almost revolutionized in the past twenty years, and only very occasionally now do we find some misguided library authority placing so special an institution in the keeping of stickit ministers, unlucky schoolmasters, retired soldiers, minor journalists, unsuccessful booksellers, and similar remnants of the failures or superannuated in other walks of life. No untrained person is likely to attain more than the poorest or most commonplace results and will undoubtedly prevent the library from serving the community to anything like its potential capacity. Indeed, the work of the librarian is a professional occupation demanding for its successful accomplishment a training as complete and special at least as that required of the teacher. A committee fails signally in its public duty if it does not recognize this fact in the choice of its librarian; and the public has a right to demand that the man appointed to occupy any technical public office shall have had both training and experience.

=66.= The appointment of a chief librarian should be the first step taken by a committee. Numberless blunders, often resulting in great subsequent expense, have been made in the past through the mistaken economy of proceeding with buildings, methods and book-selection before such appointment. These matters are essentially the work of the librarian and _not_ of the committee; and any little amount that may be saved from the salary of the librarian is invariably lost because of the adoption of faulty apparatus or plans; amateur experiments are usually expensive. If, at the beginning of its career, a library committee is unable to engage a qualified librarian, application should be made to the Library Association for the nomination of a professional adviser, who for a reasonable fee would give invaluable assistance at the time when such assistance is really vital.

=67. Qualifications.=--As is the case with the prominent members of every other profession, good librarians are born, not made. Training and experience cannot create such natural endowments as enthusiasm, originality, initiative--in short, positive genius for the work; but training and experience in sound methods will provide a passable substitute. Experience, however, depends for its value upon its character, and long years in inefficiently-managed libraries will not suffice for modern needs. Owing to the wide difference between the methods of, say, thirty years ago, and the more scientific methods of to-day, it is necessary to judge the experience of any librarian by the school in which he has been trained. This does not mean that a library which has been in existence thirty years or more is operated by obsolete methods; most of the larger libraries, indeed, have kept pace with, and have helped to originate, the modern methods which are to be preferred. At the same time the practice of appointing librarians from larger libraries in preference to those from smaller ones is often mistaken. A small library may afford its staff opportunities for a more comprehensive training than a large one, but it may not be so extensive in detail. In short, the _size_ of the library in which a man is trained is no index to the character of its service, and this character is the main factor in considering experience.

The physical qualifications of a librarian should include good health, freedom from deformity, defect or incurable disease, and his or her age should not usually be less than twenty-five. Age is not so important in cases of promotion, as the committee has first-hand and accurate knowledge of capabilities to guide it. As regards the physical condition of librarians, it may be said generally that the same principles which guide selection in business appointments should be the rule in library appointments.

=68.= The professional attainments of a librarian should be judged mainly by their suitability for the duties to be performed. The degree of attainment differs in individuals, and it would be unfair to expect so many useful qualifications in a librarian who is to receive £200 per annum as in one who is to receive a much larger salary. But there are certain broad principles to be considered, the cardinal one being that _only trained librarians should ever be appointed to chief positions_. A committee is safe in selecting candidates from amongst diplomates, fellows and members of the Library Association, as these _ipso facto_ have received the training indicated. We give in Sections 99-101 some account of the compass and activities of the Library Association, and commend what is there written to the consideration of library committees. Here it may be said that a diplomate is a librarian who has received at least three years’ training in a library recognized by the Association, has gained the six provisional certificates of that body in literary history, bibliography, classification, cataloguing, library organization and library routine, and has in addition shown a knowledge of Latin and one modern foreign language, and has presented an acceptable written thesis showing independent research upon some department of librarianship. The diploma is a very considerable attainment, and is at present held by few librarians, but the number increases, and no doubt its possession will influence future appointments considerably. It was initiated in 1901, and therefore too recently to have made it possible for all eligible candidates for appointments to have acquired it. To meet this situation, and to set up a standard of qualification, the Library Association adopted in 1911 a scheme for the classification of librarians into fellows, members, and student-members. A fellow is a librarian of approved experience who held office prior to the end of 1914, a librarian who holds the diploma, or a university degree plus approved library experience, or an assistant librarian of proved reputation and capacity who held office prior to the date named. All other librarians at the initiation of this scheme were classified as members (except very young men and women who became student-members and whose degree of training may be judged from that name). After 1914 admission to fellowship has generally been restricted to diplomates, or graduates with library experience, save in exceptional cases where great and proved capacity has been shown; and admission to membership has been restricted to chief librarians, or to assistants who hold four of the six diploma certificates. Other factors may apply in individual cases, but there are very few librarians or assistants of character and ability who are either members or certificate-holders of the Association.

With due allowance for the size and means of the library, and the salary to be offered to the librarian, the following list of qualifications may serve as a guide to a committee as to what they may expect.

LIBRARIAN’S QUALIFICATIONS

1. Training for at least three years in a library which is classified according to some recognized bibliographical scheme [Decimal, Expansive, Library of Congress, Subject or other].

2. A wide knowledge of English and Foreign Bibliography and Literature, and an intimate and exact knowledge of the contents of modern, and especially technical, scientific, and historical, books.

3. Sufficient acquaintance with languages to enable the translating of title-pages with the aid of dictionaries.

4. A knowledge of business routine, including elementary book-keeping and accounts.

5. Practical acquaintance with the leading systems of book classification.

6. Full knowledge of the various methods of cataloguing, with a thorough grasp of the modern literature of the subject.

7. Experience in staff management.

8. Practical knowledge of all modern systems of library working, including book-binding, book-buying, charging and maintenance.

9. Knowledge of modern periodical literature, and the management of news-rooms.

10. General culture, the ability to make a useful public speech, tact, courtesy, and, in fact, good “personality.”

=69. Advertisements and Application Forms for Appointments.=--Advertisements for librarians are usually inserted in one or all of the following:--_The Times_, _The Athenæum_, _The Spectator_ and _The Municipal Journal_. A useful form of announcement may be subjoined:

LIBERTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF LIBRARIAN

A Chief Librarian is required for the Liberton Public Library. Candidates must be Diplomates, or Fellows, or Members of the Library Association (or be certificated by that body), and have had at least three years’ training in a library employing scientific classification. Salary to commence, £. . . . ., rising by annual increments of £. . . . . to a maximum of £. . . . . . The application, which should be accompanied by three recent testimonials, is to be made on a special form which may be obtained from the undersigned. All applications should reach the undersigned not later than [_allow three weeks_]. Second class railway fares and reasonable expenses of selected candidates will be allowed. All canvassing will disqualify.

A. B. C.,

_Town Clerk, or Clerk to the Committee_.

The practice of requiring candidates to apply on a special form is fairly general, and has the advantage of securing uniformity in the information supplied, and in emphasizing the particulars considered to be the most important. For very important positions the method may be not so advantageous, as valuable conclusions may be drawn from the _manner_ in which candidates present their applications. The following draft form may be suggestive to committees:--

LIBERTON PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMITTEE

[Address.]

APPLICATION FOR LIBRARIANSHIP

_The candidate is particularly requested to answer every question in full, and return to A. B. C. [address], by 12 o’clock on [date to be named], marked on outside of envelope, “Librarianship.”_

1. Full name.

2. Address.

3. Age next birthday.

4. Married or single.

5. Number of family if married.

6. Is your health good?

7. Have you any physical defect (deafness, lameness, etc.)?

8. Present occupation.

9. Length of service in present occupation.

10. Former occupations, if any.

11. Are you a Fellow or Member of the Library Association?

12. Do you hold the Diploma or any of the Provisional Certificates of the Library Association?

13. Do you possess any of the following qualifications?--

Practical knowledge of modern literature.

Practical knowledge of scientific classification.

Practical knowledge of library planning.

Knowledge of accounts and book-keeping.

Experience in management of staff.

Practical knowledge of modern library management.

14. State system used in your library for the following departments, and which you would adopt if appointed here:--

Classification.

Printed catalogue.

Manuscript catalogue.

Book issue method.

Reference library method.

15. Have you originated any library device, or published books or articles on practical phases of library work?

16. Do you possess any degrees or certificates of an educational kind?

17. Have you made a special study of any particular subject?

18. When could you enter upon duty if appointed?

19. Add here any further relevant particulars [_leave large space_].

Selected candidates, when interviewed, should be examined on the questions scheduled above and on the qualifications specified in Section 68. A few questions by the chairman, based upon these, in addition to the independent suggestions of members of committee, will generally result in obtaining a very fair estimate of the qualifications of each candidate.

=70. Salaries.=--Owing to the limitation of the library rate and a general underestimate of the librarian’s utility, salaries in municipal libraries are not very liberal, and may be described as inadequate. In the state, university and some of the endowed and proprietary libraries the salaries range much higher, taken all round. These appointments, however, especially such as the British Museum, India Office, the Houses of Parliament, the universities and similar institutions, are seldom offered for competition. In public municipal libraries the salaries of chief librarians range downward from about £800. Some of the large London proprietary libraries, and many of the provincial libraries of a similar kind, give salaries to about the same maximum.

A careful analysis of the income, population and work of the principal English and American libraries has enabled the following table to be produced, showing the amount which a library can reasonably pay for a good officer. This scale is considerably below the American one, but slightly higher than the English.

FIG. 5.--TABLE OF LIBRARIANS’ SALARIES WHICH SHOULD BE PAID BY LIBRARIES POSSESSING THE INCOMES UNDERNOTED

+-----------+----------------+ | Library | | | Annual | Librarian’s | |Income from| Salary. | | Rate. | | +-----------+----------------+ | £ | £ | | 20,000 |1000 | | 15,000 | 800 | | 10,000 | 750 | | 8,000 | 700 | | 6,000 | 600 | | 5,500 | 550 | | 5,000 | 500 | | 4,500 | 450 | | 4,000 | 425 | | 3,500 | 400 | | 3,000 | 350 | | 2,500 | 325 | | 2,000 | 300 | | 1,900 | 290 | | 1,800 | 280 | | 1,700 | 270 | | 1,600 | 260 | | 1,500 | 250 | | 1,400 | 240 | | 1,300 | 230 | | 1,200 | 220 | | 1,100 | 210 | | 1,000 | 200 | | 900 | 190 | | 800 | 180 | | 700 | 170 | | 600 | 160 | | 500 | 150 | | 400 | 120 | | 300 | 90 | | 200 | 60}For part of| | 100 | 30}time only. | +-----------+----------------+

[The above table is rather higher than that given in the last edition, as regards the libraries with incomes exceeding £3000, and is based upon my own inquiries and conclusions as they have been affected by the European War. Few librarians receive normally £1000, and it is quite clear that the present salaries for the greater libraries are most inadequate, having regard to the responsibilities involved.--EDITOR.]

=71.= The only other point of importance arising out of the question of librarians’ salaries is that of providing a residence on the library premises. This policy has been adopted in London more than anywhere else. It affects the question of salary to some extent, though not quite so much as has been claimed. A committee of a £4000 library might argue that, by providing a good house in a valuable position, they are only entitled to give a salary of £325, the balance of £100 being represented by the house. The practical reply to this is, that a house under these conditions, although it could rent at £100 or even more, is just worth to the librarian exactly what he would be prepared to pay for house rent if he lived away from the library. Any allowance or deduction should accordingly be based upon this consideration. In small libraries it is not advisable to incur additional cost in the erection of buildings by providing a residence for the librarian in order to save on his salary. Beyond the advantage of having a librarian living on the premises as a kind of superior perpetual caretaker, there is little to be gained by complicating a library building with such an excrescence as a residence. If houses are provided at all, they should be mainly used by caretakers who have to get up early, and there is a decided convenience in having an officer of this description always at hand. If possible, residences should be erected as far away from public reading-rooms as they can be, the occupation of rooms over news-rooms, etc., having been proved to be unhealthy in many cases. The accommodation provided for a caretaker usually consists of a sitting-room or large kitchen, parlour, two bedrooms, and the usual offices. In some London libraries very liberal provision has been made for librarians living on the premises, the accommodation consisting of three large living rooms, four or five bedrooms, kitchen, scullery, bathroom and other offices. The whole question of residence or non-residence is one for library authorities to decide for themselves, but the matter is another proof of the necessity which exists for appointing librarians before buildings are erected.

=72. Superannuation.=--There is no general law at present under which public librarians can retire on a pension after a certain age has been reached. Some towns have made separate arrangements for the superannuation of all their officers, but even this is far from common. The National Association of Local Government Officers, which deserves the support of librarians and committees, has a Bill before Parliament, the object of which is to procure for municipal officers the same regulations as to superannuation as are in force for poor-law officers, but this has not yet passed into law.

=73. Conditions of Librarian’s Appointment.=--There are several points requiring notice in connexion with the conditions upon which librarians are appointed. It is not usual to draw up a formal agreement, but if this is done it should be executed by a solicitor, and specify the principal obligations, terms and duration of the appointment.

1. In large libraries it is usual to stipulate that the librarian must devote the whole of his or her TIME to the duties of the office. This simply means that no other office can be held concurrently, but particularly a paid office. A librarian’s private time can be devoted to any hobby he chooses, be it gardening, cycling, photography, literature, music or sport. Provided, always, such recreations do not render a librarian less fit for his public duty. Official time occupied in any work which has for its object improvement in professional knowledge should be allowed within reasonable limits. Attendances at meetings called for professional purposes, or visits to other places for the purpose of acquiring professional knowledge, would, we take it, be considered quite legitimate. Where a certain number of hours daily or weekly has been fixed, the question of the disposal of a librarian’s leisure time will not arise.

2. Notice of intention to DETERMINE AN APPOINTMENT might be stipulated for in an agreement. The usual practice is one month’s notice on either side.

3. A public librarian who handles public money should be required to obtain security from a recognized guarantee office. The amount insured against will generally be fully covered by a sum equal to 10 per cent. of the annual income of the library. Thus, a library with an income of £2000 should make £200 the insurable sum, as this will cover any possible defalcations of the librarians, who, under any circumstances, in such a library, can never handle more than about £60 or £70 in the course of one month. The premium for municipal officers averages about 5s. per cent., and, of course, the library authority should make the annual payments to keep the policy alive.

4. The VACATION allowed to librarians varies with the conditions of each place. In some cases five weeks are allowed, irrespective of the time occupied by conferences or other annual meetings. Usually four weeks are given. As a rule, committees will not be found niggardly in this matter when they have an officer whom they can respect and trust. In American libraries a month is often allowed, and in some cases much longer periods.

5. The only ANNUAL CONFERENCES of any importance in connexion with public library work are those of the Library Association and the Museums Association. Practice differs as regards libraries sending delegates to the annual conferences of the Library Association. In some cases where a library is a subscribing member, and, in addition, the librarian is also a member in his own name, it sends a member of the committee and the librarian, and pays their expenses. In other cases the librarian alone is sent, and his expenses paid. In still other cases the librarian is allowed the time to attend, but has to pay his own expenses; while, sometimes, the chairman of committee attends, and either pays his own expenses or has them paid by the committee.

Every library which desires to keep abreast with modern ideas in library work should send its librarian to the annual conferences of the Library Association, and pay his expenses. All public libraries should join this association as institution members, and their librarian will naturally be a member in his own right. There is more knowledge and good obtained by a librarian coming into personal touch with other librarians during a conference week than can ever be achieved in a state of hermit-like seclusion. The sum spent on a library conference to insure a librarian’s attendance is by far the most profitable investment a library committee can make in a single year.

Some doubt exists as to whether members of committee can be sent at the expense of the library rate, and, so far as parishes are concerned, it has been decided by the district auditors that they can not be sent unless at their own personal expense. Municipal boroughs have power to send committee delegates if so disposed, but the matter remains doubtful as regards Urban District Councils.

=74. Duties of the Librarian.=--The duties of a librarian practically cover every section of this _Manual_, and it is therefore needless to go over the same ground here. It may be assumed, however, that the librarian also acts as clerk to his committee, and a few of the more personal duties of the librarian may be specified. It has been recommended that a librarian should act as clerk, and some reasons may be given why this course should always be taken. The librarian is the only official who holds all the threads of work and routine in his hands or who thoroughly understands the practical working of the institution. By combining the functions he remains in touch with his committee, and can much better understand their views than if a second person acts as intermediary or interpreter. The plan is also more economical, as town clerks sometimes take a salary for acting as clerk to the library committee, or charge a proportion of office expenses to the library. Both courses are quite unnecessary. It is not desirable, when a library committee has obtained a complete or partial delegation of powers, to have its work controlled or interfered with by another municipal department. Even when a library committee remains but an ordinary committee of a local authority, it is not desirable for the town clerk to do more than depute a junior clerk to attend meetings for the sole purpose of recording minutes. The chairman and librarian should call all meetings and arrange all necessary business. It is too often overlooked that library committees are appointed to carry out special work under a special Act of Parliament, and that, in consequence, they are performing duties outside the ordinary routine of municipal work.

=75.= The following summary of the more important duties of the librarian is applicable to the average library, but must be adjusted considerably in large libraries, where the chief librarian is mainly an administrator. Such large libraries have special departmental experts, and it is clear that over many of these items the chief librarian can exercise only a general supervision. Where there are large trained staffs he should avoid details and concern himself with the general direction of all departments; otherwise he will become immersed impossibly in minutiæ to the great detriment of the library service as a whole:

1. He must superintend and prepare all the business for the library committee, including summoning meetings, preparing agendas, checking accounts, compiling lists of books, preparing reports and taking minutes of proceedings.

2. He must attend all committee meetings, and such of the local authority meetings as may be fixed.

3. He must prepare all specifications for contracts, and bring forward in plenty of time all business which arises regularly, either monthly, quarterly or annually.

4. He should sign all orders and be responsible for all correspondence connected with the library. He should keep copies of all orders and important letters, as well as copies of any specifications or other documents.

5. He must fix the time, duties and daily work of the staff, and superintend and check their attendance and work in every department.

6. He must see that order is maintained among readers throughout the main building and branches, and that the rules are enforced within reason, and that the opening and closing of the library are done punctually.

7. He must carefully supervise the selection of books and periodicals for addition to the library, and examine all necessary lists, catalogues and reviews for that purpose.

8. He should check all cataloguing and classification work.

9. He should be prepared when called upon to aid readers, as far as possible, in any line of research, and should be easily accessible at all times when on duty.

=76. The Librarian.=

Cowell, Peter. Public Library Staffs, 1893. L.A. Series, 3.

Fletcher, W. J. The Librarian: His Work and Training for It. _In his_ Public Libraries in America, 1894, p. 80.

Hardy, E. A. The Librarian. _In his_ The Public Library, 1912, p. 109.

Hulme, E. W. Ideals Old and New, 1914. Library Assistants’ Association, Series 5.

Baldwin, E. V. Library Service. A.L.A., Man. of Lib. Econ. Preprint of