Vol. 16

Psychology for Librarians*

Willis H. Kerr, librarian, Kansas state normal school, Emporia.

In these days we are hearing a great deal about psychology. We have magazine articles, lectures and books about the psychology of everything and for everybody except the long-suffering li

brarian.

The truth is, psychology is not what it has seemed. Whatever it once was, whatever we now think it is, psychology has come down to earth. It is common sense, or as near it as most of us. It deserves serious attention by the librarian, who has at best all too few and all too poor resources for his giant problem.

One thing that psychology teaches is to grasp an idea or see a thing first as a whole, even though we see the end only dimly and understand the means not at all. Thus consider the whole problem of the library: The A. L. A. motto says, "The best reading for the greatest number at the least cost." Good as it is, that statement is vague enough; but mark that it is an ideal to be held to throughout our groping. State the library problem in concrete: Night after night our boys and girls and their fathers and mothers pay to see the moving picture show, good or bad it may be. How often do these good people visit the free library, and what do they ask for when they come? Is it their fault, or ours? State the library problem again, in comparison: The teacher has a systematized opportunity to apply his methods toward

Read at the meeting of the Kansas library association, Parsons, October 26, 1911.

No. 10

developing men and women for the work of the world. The librarian must grasp his opportunity when it happens to come in; nay, he must go out into the highways and compel his opportunity to come in. portunity to come in. He must then open the book so convincingly, so alluringly, that Mr Opportunity or

Miss Chance or Master Fate will come

again and again. Be it granted here, however, that cheery Mr Good Man and dear little Mrs Eager Heart, who come unerringly and uncompelled to Book Land-of such is the inspiration of librarians. But, to come to earth again and complete our comparison of teacher and librarian, if the teacher's

problem is so complex-and it is-then how magnified is the librarian's task. Certainly we shall welcome the help of psychology.

Current definitions of psychology are interesting. A recent one (Pillsbury) is, "The science of behavior." Surely that is worth while to the librarian-how we act, what makes us do things, the conduct of these humans. whom we have to reach. Another new definition (Welton, Psychology of education) makes psychology "the study may all be psychologists and say: of experience." With Tennyson we

"I am a part of all that I have met;

Yet all experience is an arch wherethro' Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades

For ever and for ever when I move."
-Ulysses.

Which is perhaps to say that we are so busy living that we have no time to understand life.

For convenience let us divide our subject, discussing psychology-subjective

and then psychology-objective; first the behavior and experience of the librarian's own mind, then the characteristics and conduct of those whom the librarian must influence. Our treatment must neces

sarily be eclectic.

What should the librarian know

about his own mind? How should he use his mentality?

First, he should use his senses, the five time-honored senses. Nature gives us the senses. Experience comes to us through the senses in the form of sensation. The next step is perception, which is followed by conception and judgment and thought. A simple statement of this whole of process learning is observation and reflection, George Frederick Watts, the artist, makes observation and reflection the whole aim of education:

What is the first object which a real education should aim at? To develop observation in the person educated, to teach him to use his eyes and his ears, to be keenly alive to all that surrounds him, to teach him to see, to observe-in short everything is in that. And then, after you have taught him to observe, the next great duty which lies immediately after observation is reflection-to teach him to reflect, to ponder, to think over things, to find out the cause, the reason, the why and the wherefore, to put this and that together, to understand something of the world in which he lives, and so prepares him for all the circumstances of the life in which he may be found. (Quoted by Horne, Psychologic principles of education, p. 95.)

Now the meaning of this for the librarian, it seems to me, is to connect himself with his field and his patrons. His field is the universe and all that is therein, and his patrons are like the universe. Above all else the librarian must be alive. The task is not impossible. Truly it takes time to keep up with the world, but it saves time and insures rightly directed energy for the librarian to keep in touch. For is not the library purposed to "attract human souls and hold and enrich them" by contact with life in books?

To enable the librarian to use his senses, the first requisite is to keep up with the literature of library work.

With the reading and enjoyment of this library literature, there should be coupled regular attendance upon the state library association meetings, the A. L. A. conference, just as often as possible, and local or state educational meetings at least once a year.

Library trustees should provide these facilities for the librarian. All the library literature mentioned can be had for less than $20 per year. Allowing $10 for average expense to attend the state library meeting, we have $30 as the price of a librarian's up-to-date efficiency. If the total maintenance fund is only $100, the $30 will be well spent on the librarian-provided the librarian is worth two cents to begin with. The well-equipped librarian will make one dollar do the work of two, and will stir such interest in the community by intelligent, sympathetic work that the library will secure increased support.

The second requisite to enable the librarian to use his senses is to know what is going on in the world and to be interested in it. The local and representative state papers, one of each, at least, must be read. Likewise the Outlook, Independent, World's Work or Review of Reviews-one of these at least. Scientific American or Technical World will round out another side. A standard educational periodical, Educational Review, School Review, Education or Journal of Education, should be read by every librarian. I

am not sure but that the Nation ought to stand in a class by itself. Then something to represent the important life of Britain and the teeming multitudes of Europe-the good old Living Age. A cyclopedic summary of all these fields and of some important ones beyond, music, art and religion, for example, is the Literary Digest or Current Literature. And then to leave our poor librarian in something else than a state of collapse, let him sit down and laugh with Life or Judge or Punch.

A strenuous program? Yes, and no. Aside from library literature, and not counting alternatives, I have suggested the regular reading of only nine periodicals. It can be done. Let us learn to read efficiently, to grasp the heart of things. Then let us each have a hobby, and read and read (not ride) it till we are master of one field of ideas, even though we must be merely jack of all other trades. Please remember, too, that I ask for interest as well as for reading. If Library Worker takes no joy in reading, how can Busy Man be expected to rise above utility reading?

And then the librarian must keep in touch with his community. How? By taking part in public affairs, by welcoming every opportunity to meet people socially and individually, by visiting men in shop and store and field, by visiting the schools, by knowing what the boy on the street and the girl in the auto are thinking about.

If I seem to ask too much, think what is expected of the librarian.

So much for the librarian's use of his senses. One other point in our subjective psychology: Along with his live senses, clear perceptions, correct conceptions and adequate judgments, our librarian needs an active power of memory and association. I would not have him remember everything. Some things ought to be remembered, some ought to be made note of, some ought to be remembered by association and some ought to be forgotten. Memory has a good deal to

do with tact; and who needs tact more than a librarian? Names and faces of people, and their interests; if you helped Mrs Brown with her paper, remember to ask how she got along with it. If you failed to find what Henry Jones wanted on Saturday, remember Henry when the thing turns up on Monday. The latter is really memory by association. You do not carry Henry Jones and the welding of boiler tubes around on the top layer of memory; but when the material on boiler tubes turns up, immediately Henry Jones appears "in the margin of consciousness," the psychologist will say. And then don't leave it all to sheer memory or chance association.

Save wear and tear on the mental apparatus by making note of items, consulting your notes frequently, and weeding them out.

a

Memory reproduces the past. If librarians were more skillful and conscientious in harking back to the days when a card catalog was to them also mysterious, meaningless puzzle; when all they could remember of a book was that "it was a red book about so thick"; when they, too, couldn't distinguish Robinson Crusoe from Charlotte russe; when a volume of bound magazines seemed to be a mystic creation-if we should oftener put ourselves in the places of our patrons, one by one, we would do many things differently and some not at all. More of this anon, when we speak of interest. Let C. A. Cutter say this just here: (The librarian) "will fail in properly providing for many of his people unless he remembers the gradual opening of his own mind or is able by imagination to recreate his forgotten. state of ignorance and inability." (Library journal 26:72.)

The message of psychology concerning the librarian's mind, then, is to use it well and sensibly in all its powers. Great use of his own mentality will call forth a splendid response from those whom he serves.

And now for those other minds:

How do they work? How must we work with them?

First, may we see what the cardinal doctrine of interest has for us? All psychologists do not talk alike, but we may contruct our idea thus: First, we secure the attention of people, by a skillful newspaper notice, by a picfure bulletin, a window display, the word of a patron, the attractive dignity of our library room or building, or what not? Now, attention is accompanied by a certain feeling-tone or emotional willingness, called interest. Really we all like to "attend" to a thing; there is a certain pleasure in fixing the mind on it. Then our future patron discovers that something about the library will serve some purpose for him, he wants something, he has found a motive for the use of the library.

Why dwell on this? For two reasons: First, to secure interest we must begin somewhere down the scale and pull our patron, Oh, so tactfully, up to our plane. We must meet him first on his own plane, begin with his present interest, whatever that be. A great gulf, apparently, is fixed between many of the uplifting agencies of society and those for whom money and toil and thought are freely spent. The gulf is this lack of putting ourselves wholly in the other fellow's place. The gulf between library and moving picture show cannot be bridged by the library's standing pat, any more than the Sunday morning sermon can displace the Sunday morning newspaper by fulminating from the pulpit on the duty of church-going. We've got to begin where the other fellow is.

Second, we must not stop with securing mere interest. To be worth anything, interest must pass on into motive or purpose. It is worth remembering that "efficiency of life extends through ever-extending purposes." (Welton.) Let us not merely say to ourselves, "I'd be so glad if I could interest Mr Jones in the library." Rather, may we say, "I'm sure Mr

Jones would use the latest ideas on ventilating and heating systems; let's Get the idea that we are help him." to give him something he wants, not that he ought to want something which we have. That is the doctrine of interest for the librarian.

This statement calls for caution and

leads to a practical library problem. Are we to have in the library only the best books, or the best books people will use? ple will use? The venerable C. A. Cutter answered that question several years ago in the article just quoted, thus:

This means the best books for the particular library in question, and that is the same as the best books its people will use; for an unused book is not even good...the best books to satisfy the just demands of our clients for amusement and knowledge and mental stimulus and spiritual inspiration. The library should be a practical thing to be used, not an ideal to be admired. The poor in intellect, the poor in taste, the poor in association, are always with us. The strong in intellect, the daring in thought, the flexible in spirit, the exquisite in taste, are only sometimes with us. We must manage somehow to provide for them both.

Mr Cutter's discussion, just quoted, continues with this: "It is always possible, given time and patience enough, to drive out evil by good, the lower by the higher. It is not so much exclusion of the inferior as inclusion of the superior that should be our aim." That is good psychology, which we ought to recognize if we remember that we must begin our work on the plane of the patron. Let us have the better thing always ready, silently but suggestively standing by; we may be sure that by and by interest will move up to the higher plane, and then we must have another step ready.

Suggestion has been referred to. It is well worth the librarian's attention. I do not mean direct suggestion, nor hypnotic suggestion. Direct suggestion usually results in the contrary. Hypnotic suggestion is unethical, and impossible anyhow for the librarian. Indirect suggestion is our opportunity. Now just what is indirect suggestion? Briefly this: While the attention of your subject is