We wish that time and space would allow a repetition of all the replies to this question.Miss Hewins says:"The exhibit which has proved of the greatest interest is on Queen Victoria.Within an hour after we heard the news of her death we had the bulletin for her last birthday and 40portraits of her on our walls.Imade one bulletin on her for the children out at Settlement Branch,and gave them a little talk about her.In this bulletin there were pictures of the dolls'house and toys that she gave the nation and I told the children how careful she must have been of them to be able to keep them so many years,and something about how careful she was taught to be also of her spending money,and that even although she was a princess and lived in a palace,she never could buy anything until she had the money to pay for it.I made a Stevenson bulletin for them on his birthday,and we had Stevenson songs and a talk about him and his childhood,his lovableness,courage and cheerfulness."At Buffalo the most popular exhibit was one illustrating the changes of the last century,taking the post-office methods,transportation of all kinds,i.e.,carriages,boats,railroads,electricity in all its uses and those which could be appreciated by the children--guns,lifesaving methods,diving,etc.In each instance an old and a new type was shown.The children swarmed around the boards every day for the two months it was up,one of the pages who was interested in numbers having counted 60an hour.Nature exhibits are always popular with children."Our own birds"was the title of a bird-day bulletin at Evanston.A green poster board,on which were tied bunches of pussy-willows,among whose twigs were perched some of the common birds around Evanston,was used.The plates used were the nature study bird plates,brightly colored,which were cut out and pasted on the board in such a way that the effect was very lifelike.Much the same idea was carried out in Providence,only in this library the title is "Procession of the birds and flowers,"each bird being added as it arrives.
At the same time in the class room adjoining this library there was an exhibit of 150photographs called "Joy in springtime,"all being charming pictures of flowers,birds and happy children,with appropriate selections of poetry affixed.The long windows were hung with tranparencies,a framework being built in which to slide the tranparencies,that they may be changed from time to time.Invitations were sent to all the schools,and the exhibit was a great delight to the little ones.Miss Moore,of Pratt,tells of a picture bulletin illustrating life in Porto Rico and a companion bulletin illustrating the Porto Rican village at Glen island (a summer resort accessible to the children),with objects such as water jugs,cooking utensils made from gourds,etc.,a hat in the process of making,musical instruments made from gourds,such as were used by the native band at Glen Island.The objects were carefully selected with the aid of the gentleman who instituted the village at Glen Island,and who had made a study of the country and people of Porto Rico."The bulletin led not so much to the reading of books,because there are few on the subject,but it gave the children a very clear idea of the manner of living of the Porto Ricans and drew the attention of many visitors to Glen Island,as an educational point as well as a pleasure resort."Question 9.Do you do anything with Perry pictures,scrap books,etc.,for the little children?
At Medford scrap books are made by the children themselves,much to their delight.Several librarians make their own scrap books,Miss Hammond,of St.Paul,sending perhaps the best deion of work of this nature.For the little children she always keeps on hand several scrap books made from worn out books,by Howard Pyle and Walter Crane.Other scrap books enjoyed alike by the older children and the little ones are "Colonial pictures"and "Arctic explorers,"the last especially liked by the boys.Miss Hammond also cuts whole articles from discarded magazines,putting on heavy paper covers,labelling and arranging in a case according to subject for the use of teachers and pupils.
Question 10.Mention five examples of pictures suitable for a children's library.
The pictures suggested are given in order,according to the number of votes assigned to each one.
Raphael,Sistine Madonna,6Watts,Sir Galahad,6Guido Reni,Aurora,4Bonheur,Horse fair,4King Arthur,(Chapel of Innspruck),3Corot,Landscape,3Hardie,Meeting of Scott and Burns,2St.Gaudens,Shaw monument,2Murillo,Children of the shell,2Stuart,Washington,2Van Dyck,Baby Stuart,2The selection of these pictures must,of course,depend on the library,but there are a few other suggestions which are worthy of mention:
Regnault,Automedon and the horse of Achilles.
Raphael's Madonna of the chair.
Reynolds,Penelope Boothby.
Question 11.In preparing your lists of books to accompany bulletin,do you prepare an analytical list or refer to book only?
An analytical list seems preferable where any list is used,although some librarians seem to question the advantage of lists.
Miss Brown,of Eau Claire,says:"I have,however,decided for myself that the bulletin that pays is the one which tells something of itself and has no long list of books.If the child is interested in the bulletin it is no sign that he will take a book listed,but if he gets a fact from looking at it he has gained something and you lose the bad effect of having him get into the habit of skipping the books on the bulletin,which he usually does."On the other hand,lists help the systematic reader and relieve the librarian.
In closing we will quote a criticism of an eastern librarian,as a thought on which we all need to dwell:"From the artistic point of view such bulletins as I have seen are commonly too scrappy,ill arranged and given too much to detail.One or two pictures on a large card,with a brief deive note,all conveying one idea or emphasizing one point only,is the best form.In bulletins,as in many other things,the rule to follow first of all is simplicity."
