of the total population of Pomona are active members of the library.

During the year the California state documents have been cataloged, a collection of city charters has been made, and also a reference collection of early examples of children's books. Clippings have been gathered and arranged by subject in a vertical file. Under the superintendency of the librarian the high school library has been organized. The form of the monthly bulletin has been altered from that of an annotated catalog to that of a miniature literary magazine, composed of informal discussions of late acquisitions. With such evidences of life it is not surprising that the library has outgrown its building, and is hoping for larger quarters with increased accommodations in the near future.

Canada

A branch of the Toronto public library has been installed at the City hall. Its work will be to render available records and reports of city officials of Toronto and other cities, as well as the latest reports of municipal experts and specialists concerning problems similar to those with which Toronto is now occupied.

E. A. Hardy, secretary of the Ontario library association since its formation, has been given the degree of Doctor of Pedagogy by the Faculty of Education in Ontario. The thesis submitted was "The Public library; its place in our educational system." Mr Hardy has had several years' experience as a high school teacher and college principal and is at present master of history in Jarvis collegiate institue. Mr Hardy's thesis will be issued in book form.

Foreign

The thirteenth annual report of the Waterloo with - Seaforth (England) public libraries records a circulation of 57,386 adult and 22,340 juvenile books; total, 79,726. Number of borrowers enrolled during the year, 1495; total number of borrowers, 2696. Approxi

mate number of attendances in the reading rooms, 126,840; 537 v. were added; 940 soiled and worn books withdrawn; two books, value one shilling each, lost.

An exhibition of holiday literature was arranged for the summer months.

Ten popular lectures, including two for children, were given during the winter months; reading lists were compiled for each lecture; aggregate attendance, 3282; average, 328. Balance in hand lecture account, £29, 175.

Application has been made to the Local Government Board for powers to extend the branch library.

A cabinet of nests and eggs of British birds was presented to the museum by the donor of the ornithological collection, Lieut.-Col. C. T. Echalaz. Classes from public and private schools have visited the museum for object lessons.

Expenditure: Salaries, £268, 15s.; newspapers and periodicals, £86, 16s.; books, £122, 19s.; bookbinding, £20, 3s.; lectures, £26, 5s.; establishment charges, £269, 13s.; total, £794, 12s.

exhibition of Bibles in celebration of the The Cardiff public libraries held an tercentenary of the King James version. There was a complete exhibit of all the English versions, including many exceedingly rare and some unique volumes. The exhibition proved exceedingly popular and attracted large numbers of visitors.

The annual report of the public library of Osaka, Japan, records: Additions to the library, by purchase, 4375 v.; by gift, 1064 v., making a total of 80,427 v. now in the library. The largest class is that of literature, 15,191, followed by general works, 11,420; history, 9819; philosophy, 6240; geography, 3588; biography, 3554.

The Woman's club of Concord, Mass., has started a movement to purchase and maintain as a permanent memorial to Louisa M. Alcott the Orchard house, where Miss Alcott wrote "Little women" and many of her stories.

Dr Frank P. Hill, librarian Brooklyn public library

They're off! They're off! In racing parlance this means that the horses have started, the race has begun; with the "fans," that the "Cubs" and the "Giants" and even the "Dodgers" are battling for the baseball pennant; among librarians, that the library meeting season is "on."

From early September until late June there will be one mad rush to attend these library meetings.

Ohio, ahead in so many vital things, started the ball rolling this year by holding a joint meeting with the Michigan association early in the month, and the Pacific Northwest association was a close second, with a meeting from the fourth to seventh. Clubs and associations will follow each other in rapid succession.

The library movement in America undoubtedly owes much of its success to the splendid meetings which have been held in the past, not forgetting the progressive and far-sighted librarians who generously shared the results of their labors with their fellow workers, making it unnecessary for any large number of libraries to duplicate experiments.

The value and possibilities of cooperative work were early learned, while the zeal and enthusiasm of librarians as exhibited at conferences extended to sections of the country far removed from library centers.

The address of President Hill at New York State library meeting, Sept. 26, 1911.

No. 9

The tacit adoption of a standard of efficiency has resulted in the reorganization of hundreds of institutions on a higher plane, and the establishment of new libraries with up-to-date equip

ment.

In spite of all the good which has resulted both directly and indirectly from these conferences, it is possible to have too many associations and too many meetings.

There has been a tendency in recent years, among those interested in special phases of library work, to draw apart from the general organization, form their own association or section, and discuss their own problems. We have an association of state librarians. another of law librarians, the Special libraries association, Association of college and reference librarians of the Central West, a League of library commissions and a number of A. L. A. sections, among which may be mentioned the catalog, children's and trustees' sections.

In addition to the above, in a large measure the outgrowth of the national association, there are local clubs, county and state associations and other organizations based graphical divisions. In some states, as in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, there are two state clubs, and soon there will be a northern and southern California association, to be followed eventually, as a matter of course, by a North and a South Jersey club.

Certainly librarians living in the neighborhood of New York city have too many mectings they feel they ought to attend, or have the oppor

tunity of attending. First, there is the A. L. A. and the state meetinga week each-then the Atlantic City meeting of three days, and the New York library club and the Long Island club, to which we owe allegiance. And some of us attend meetings of the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut associations. At least a month of good library time per individual is consumed in attending only those meetings which are, though beneficial, making the loss to the library not inconsiderable.

Nor is the duplication confined to associations. Looking back over the 35 years of the history of the A. L. A., we find the same old topics on the programs, discussed not only year after year, but by one association after another, until we can almost tell beforehand just what will be found on the program for a library meeting.

What does this mean? Does it mean that the suggestions offered at one meeting are not followed up-that the results of individual experiments have not been noted, reported, or made public in such a way as to show that the practicability of the experiment or suggestion has been duly weighted and tested; or that the subject has not been finally thrashed out to a satisfactory conclusion?

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Someone may suggest that the subjects derive perennial interest because of new recruits, but we must not forget that the journals of our profession publish the best papers presented at conferences, and for that reason there is no real necessity for the discussion of the same subjects year after year. As an illustration of the which programs are repeated, take the book symposium, introduced by Mrs Fairchild at the Minnetonka meeting of the A. L. A. It was a new idea and spread like wildfire. It was taken up at a meeting of this association in the following fall, as well as at the next year's meeting of the A. L. A. State associations and local clubs followed like a flock of sheep until we

had book symposium after book symposium. posium. The original idea was an excellent one, but there was certainly no originality shown after the first production.

No wonder meetings lose their zest and that enthusiasm flags.

Is it not time to ask ourselves seriously whether the perplexities of our calling now merit so much discussion? Fortunately for library interests there has developed practically no spirit of competition or rivalry among libraries, but will not the general and special libraries alike gain more by continued coöperation than by a separation of interests? And after all, what are the problems peculiar to the special associations? Have they no bearing on the work of the average librarian?

Take, for instance, the program arranged by the college librarians for this meeting. Every topic is of general interest, and yet the program was especially arranged for those engaged in college or university library work.

The discussions of the Special libraries association would also be of general interest if one could attend, but even at the comparatively small meeting we are holding this week it has been impossible to avoid a conflict in the time of meetings, while at the meetings of the A. L. A. we frequently have three sessions going on at one and the same time; a veritable three-ring circus, but not under one canvass or for one price of admission. This is too much. There are too many associations and clubs doing the same sort of work and there are too many meetings. I do not advocate the dissolution of a large number of our associations, but I would like to see consolidation of the present ones and the justification for their existence by such an arrangement of program as will produce the best results to the largest number of libraries.

It is to be hoped that the multiplication of associations will cease.

Neighborhood or district meetings, as well as staff meetings, should con