Standard Library Organization and Equipment for Secondary Schools of Different Sizes; Report of the Committee on Library Organization and

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ... Attainable Standards The following standards are recommended as attainable in the high schools of the United States within the next five years. In general these standards apply to all high schools. I. HOUSING AND EQUIPMENT1 A. SCIENTIFIC PLANNING In establishing a new high school or a new library in a high school, the librarian should be secured in ample time to aid in planning the library room and in selecting the equipment and books. No school superintendent or high-school principal should undertake to plan a new library without the expert assistance of a trained librarian. Crudely designed libraries are wasteful of funds, of space, of time, and of educational force. B. INTEGRAL PART OF HIGH-SCHOOL ORGANIZATION The library must be an integral part of the high school, housed in the school building, and should not as a rule be open to the general public.2 1. The Room and its appointments.--The library readingroom must be centrally located, well lighted and ventilated, and planned appropriately with reference to general reading, reference, and supplementary study. It must be emphatically a place of refinement, comfort, and inspiration. The room in all its appointments should be a place essentially attractive to high-school students and should be made as free of access to them as is possible. 2. Freedom of access.--Freedom of access to the library must imply, not only freedom to consult books for reference and 'Architects and school superintendents planning high-school buildings should have on hand for reference the standards for high-school library rooms set forth in the pamphlets and books marked with an asterisk in Section II of the Bibliography, page 42. 2Local developments in small communities in some instances may make it desirable to open...