The Monthly Bulletin of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for October,1901,includes an account of summer playground work which was begun three years before.Playground libraries as an introduction to regular library agencies are described by Miss Meredyth Woodward.
Meredyth Woodward,now Mrs.J.Philip Anshutz,was born in Waterloo,N.Y.,in 1869,and was educated in the schools of Tecumseh,Michigan.She took special work in the State Normal School at Oswego,N.Y.,and later studied in the Law Froebel Kindergarten Training School at Toledo,Ohio,and in the Chicago Kindergarten College.After teaching in this institution she became Principal of the San Jose Normal School in California.
After this she studied in the Leland Stanford University.She took charge of the Home Library Work in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in 1901,where she remained until 1904,part of the time acting as assistant in the Training School for Children's Librarians.
The work of supplying the summer playgrounds with books,begun as an experiment three years ago,was continued this summer as a part of the work done by the Children's department of the Library for the children of this city.During the initial summer,five playgrounds were supplied,the total circulation being about 1,600.Last year the needs of seven playgrounds were met,with a result of 1,833in circulation,while the present year nine playgrounds have given a circulation of 3,637volumes,and this during one day in each of six weeks.At a joint meeting of the Library workers with the Kindergartners who had charge of the playgrounds,it was decided to set apart this day as Library day,and as high as 117volumes have been issued in a single playground on that day,while one week every available book was issued in spite of a drenching rain outside.
Through the courtesy of the school directors and principals,the library was enabled to place the books,take registrations,and fill out cards,several days before the day for circulation.Thus much valuable time was gained,and the work begun and carried out more systematically.Boxes of books carefully selected from the best juvenile literature,comprising attractive stories of history,biography,travel,nature,poetry and useful arts,as well as fiction,picture books and the ever popular fairy tales,were sent to each playground.Each kindergartner also received for her special use a list of stories bearing on the thought she wished to emphasize each week,with the books containing these stories.Charging stations were improvised out of desks,tables,or chairs,in some vacant room,or corner of a hallway.Walls dismantled for the summer cleaning were made more attractive by gay flags,or picture bulletins illustrating the books to be circulated.
One morning spent at a playground on Library day would be enough to convince the most sceptical that the children fully appreciated their opportunities.As one of the kindergartners remarked,"You'd think they had never seen a book before."They swarmed about the windows and doors of the circulating room,and at one school,when the impetuous but good-natured line became too eager,they were restrained by the commanding voice of the policeman to "Back up."Even the charms of an exciting game of base-ball had no power over a wonted devotee,when pitted against the attractions of an interesting book.Kindergartners from five playgrounds agreed that by far the largest attendance was on Library day,many of the older children coming on that day only.
They felt "too old to play,"but never too old to read.
The signature of one of the parents,with that of the child's,entitled him to draw books.One little tot begged hard to have a "ticket,"and be allowed to take books home,insisting with many emphatic nods that she could write her name.On trial only a few meaningless scratches resulted,and the tears that filled her eyes at her failure were banished only when the librarian promised that she might come each week,and look at the picture books.Another child asked for a card for his little friend who had rheumatism,and couldn't come to the playground.A mother of the neighborhood took a card that she might draw out picture books,and books of rhymes and jingles for the little one at home.The "little mothers"invariably saved a place on their cards for a book to please the baby brother or sister tugging at their skirts,or,it might be,for some older member at home.
