A "Good Neighbor" Policy

       Lending books is a common practice which leads to conflicts between children and adults. Young readers, if normal, are not only sociable but generous. They gladly share a book which they own and enjoy with friends. An easy lending system, however, often results in a loss of books. Therefore, the more careful adults frequently propose "no lending" rules. To children, this attitude may seem not only unreasonable but unfriendly -stingy! A constructive approach to this problem would be to help children work out a regular lending library service, with a card system, and perhaps even a set of rules for book care, fines, and lending privileges. A successful example of this was given when some children in a large city apartment house pooled their books for the summer, elected a librarian, and operated a well-planned library for the entire neighborhood. All this was done under the leadership of an eleven- year-old boy, who took responsibility without the aid of a single adult. Children really enjoy being systematic, and a good opportunity for them to apply their sense of system is in connection with book sharing. 

       In all good school libraries, books can be withdrawn for home use. A few school libraries, probably because they have too few books, deny children the privilege of taking library books home. The imperative need for an adequate supply of books, magazines, and pamphlets in schools is clearly indicated. A plan for purchasing in which pupils participate in making recommendations, evaluating new materials, and keeping them in usable order is also advisable. An unusually serviceable school library was operated in a junior high school where, under the leadership of the librarian, the twelve- to fifteen-year-olds conducted a lending library for shut-ins-adults as well as children. Requests were sent to the school; books or magazines answering the request were selected and taken by a pupil to the person too ill to get out of doors. The knowledge about reading matter, and interest in reading in this school naturally ran high. 

       The finest library, however, can be wasted, if no adequate provision is made for its use. "When you are all through with your assignments you may go to the library and read," formerly was a common promise made to youngsters. And how absurd! The able go-aheads, who could work at top speed and finish everything early got a regular session of enjoyment in the library; while those who plodded with knit brows seldom if ever got there, and finally stopped trying. And these last were the very ones who most needed a new array of books, and a chance to look at more colorful, better written materials than their too difficult textbooks, of which they had so many. Finally, what a peculiar concept of a library, as a place to spend excess time when essential work is completed. This implication, unfortunately, has probably colored the attitude of some children toward the worth of extensive, voluntary reading. How the library is to be used should be planned cooperatively with children. Rules must be sensible, if they are to be followed. Individual use of the library must be planned for. Library periods for a whole class may be valuable for teaching the children how to use the library. Teachers need to understand and establish good library procedures in cataloging, classifying, and housing books. 

       A well-ordered library is usable for even the youngest children. In many schools, kindergarten children go to the library for "a book about trains," or "a picture of a polar bear." Even for five-year-olds, the library can come to be known as the reservoir of a rich supply of material, far too extensive to be kept in the classroom. The child understands that this is the place where extra sets of reference books, films, maps, and pictures are kept for greater accessibility to all children of the school. Such understanding fosters orderly use of the library. Reference reading begins early and is eagerly pursued in a school where challenging interests of children, wise scheduling of time, and a good library all converge in a pro- gram that is an exciting venture in education. 

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