News Letter of the Los Angeles County Public Library August 1948

              News Letter of the Los Angeles County Public Library
Issued Motnthly by the County Librarian
322 South Broadway, Los Angeles 13, California
Volume 2 No . 2 August 1948
New branch library buildings o s provided for in our curront budget are re­ceiving
the attention and time of the architect, staff , and the County
Librarian. The first rough s ~tctchos have been prepared for branch libraries
at La Canada and Lancaster. '1iJillowbr ook will follow soon nnd the two next
in line will be Downey cmd Bcl .lflormr . The Board of Supervisors appointed
the finn of Train and Smith as· our archi t octs for this work. A hurried
trip was made to LanctLSter to clear up s ome details on the layout for that
building 'vi th Mrs . Davis just pr 5.or t o the County Librarian' s vacation. I
am planning to be away for thJ•oe y;,~oks and aJn l e:wing with Mr~ Bob Smith,
the junior member of the firm, s u.ff j.cicmt data to vTork on during Iey" absence
so that some headway vdll be rmadc ·,:r.i. t h the projects during rrry absence.
The branch libraries at Dovmey- nnd Bellflower ;Jill be j_ncluded in the civic
centers in those communi tic s . The deed f or the Wil lowbrook si t o is practi­cally
executed except .for a r.ti..nor dut ail . As soon as this is cleared plans
·will be drawn up for that building . As r eported previously the Willowbrook
site is being donakd to the County by the P"-rents Club of Boy Scout Troop
No. 458. More thnn $1,700 has been r ?.in0d by the LibrarJ Comrni ttee at
Lancaster. It vd.ll not be long bef or0 the site there, ·which has already
been selected, ">lil l become county pr operty.
BUSINESS
MANAGER
APPOINTED
With the appointmlcnt of 2. Business Manager to the library staff
it is predicted iJh:J.t a nm·i chapter rdll open in our history.
For some time it has been r ecognized that a large clement in
the administra tion of a libr ary of this size involves manage­ment
activities and responsibjJ ities . It is in this area that the County
Librarian is in greatest need of as sistance . Particularly is this true in
the present stage of our dcvc]opmont. In sel"Ving this large and complex
region policy decisions will have to be made and budgot matters detennined
which must be based on cost da t a and facts which c~n only be brought to
light through careful study nn.d analysis by one trained in this field of
administr ation.
I am happy to report that we have such a person in William S. Geller who
starts with us September 1 as 113uoiness Manngcr . Mr. Ge>llor entered county
service in 1937 as an interne in t he Division of Administrative Research.
He holds an A.B. degree in Political Scionce and an M. S . in Public Adminis­tration
from the University o Southern Calif ornia. Following his year of
interncship he was appointed to t he position of Administrative Assistant in
the Health Department wher e he r Ginainod until 1944 Trhcn he became Senior
Administrative Assistant in t !ie Personnel Division of the Department of
Chari tics . Follovdng this Mr. Goller r ' tnrncd to the Division of Adminis­tration
Research as an Adlunistr.:tti ve :~L~lyst ·which position he is l eaving
to come to the Libr ary. With his practical experience i n busines s adminis ­tration
and his t r aining i n statistics and public management he comes to us
well qualified to take up the duties of Business Manager.
Mr. Geller i s married and has one daughter, Pcl'llW, who is five years ol d.
The Geller s l i ve in La Canada. He is a member of the Speechcr afters Cl ub
and Phi Sigma Al pha, a pol itical science honor society.
I NSPI RATION
FROM YOUR
REPORTS
FROM THE BH.li.NCHES DrviSION
Annual r eports loom far J.~.rzo r than life these days and
Branches Division actbi tios fade somewhat into the back­ground.
It is al·w·ays <1 source of great pleasure and pride
for us at Central to read tho Branch Librarians ' r ecor ds of
the past year. Once again we all fool stirred to do everything we can to
light en the load and increase tho benefits of all that ~abor.
We also appreciate tho Branch Librarians " ·who understand that the Central
staff really wants to make tho vmrk easier and ploasanter and who don:t feel
that new methods arc merely nmr torments or wb.ims of unreasonable dreamers .
We understood only too pai.nfully the difficulties of changing over to the
signature system but felt that tho ultimate benefits \\Ould outw·eigh the
temporary burdens . It would have been presumptuous to sczy- "This hurts me
more than it docs you- but it' s for your ovm good" . Instead the Branches
Division staff says "Thank you very much for your splendid cooper ation and
i n ma.ey cases encouragement to go on l'ri th our t asks this year".
STAFF
REGISTRATION
AND OTHER
T.tUNGS
In checking over our nc~~is tration files 1r10 find that a good
maroJ Branch Librarians h~ve forgotten to add their own r egis­tration
records to tho total . Please do so if your old car d
has expired or you arc a ncvwcom.or on the staff.
1trs. Hopkins suggests that bec~us e some of you have received a great many
Paper Books as gifts from patrons you may not vrish any more from Central for
a whil e . If so would you please let her know? We are ordering new titles
as fast as they come out so p0rhaps they vron ' t duplicate those you have been
given.
An a r t instructi on book sent out to lf!illorrbrook the other day to f i ll a special
r equest came back with this note in the pocket: "This book was not used.
The girl ran away from homo bccousc bor parents objected to her studies i n
painting". A long story implicit in those fmf lines.
Will Br anch Librarians pl ease r emember to repor t to Central when State Libr ary
books arc returned? Tho second hDlf of tho doubl e post cord is used for this .
On this card indicate author and title, date returned to Sacramento. This
is import ant as r ecords here cannot be cleared until this infonnation i s
received .
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NEW SUBJECT
REQUEST FORMS
FROM THE REFERENCE DIVISION
Counted as a definite accornplishment l ast year 'ms the launch­ing
of the new Subject Request Form. As the use of the new
fonn has gotten under way tncre have been many expressions
of approval from branch librarians emphasizing espccie.lly the liberal space
provided for the writing in of the r equest. They have spoken, also, of the
suggestive wording designed to encourage tho reader to give explanatory de­tails
w:hich vG..ll clarify h:i.s need for tl~.osc filling his r equest at Central.
A r ecent r eprinting of tho form c.:.rries the added advantage of providing a
l ine under his signature for a reader to g.:.vc h:i.s occupat1on - information
often helpful i .n Centr a::'. · s sele(';tion of ·0he r:Lght material. In the first
printing tho space for this information ':-ras f:.und on tho r everse of the form
in tho spacQ l'-:servcd fo'!' tho bc<:!.nch i~brn:r.inn • s cor.unents ~ and r equired that
the b.r;:u-c·<l lih:rn.dt..':l qucst,5.on the r ender; :; f eho ohta.i.r..od this information
as t(• vL:cu.pation. ':!:'~1o cho:1ge is si gn:. f~. ca.~L for wo all know that too many
soc.uing}.y perscnnJ. q1.~o sticns so:lct.iBos talco tho edge off an otherwise profi t ­able
conference of reader and l~ brada.1.
Although a l a:r-ge pe·!:'centago of tho subject r equests arc coming in on this new
form, the firs t. l::l.nc of wl~ich is labcl.lcd - Irtform,:tion W<:!.ntcd, there arc a
fC\'f in each cay' s mu.il en tho N0n~F.'.rt.ion Beok Rcc;-;i•)':r:-;-.r.:;:..:m:--It is advisabl e
t hat thvse wh.::l may be conf·.. ...s ed- ~·tudy -a-;;:r -com:}are--t'1ioso tvro forms and observe
the di.s·;:,inct purpose of c:at;:h . An U.'1dcmtanding of these diffo:ccnces, to­gether
Yli th as complete pc.!'font<t11CC v.s possible in furni.chine !ihc information
asked for in the fo·rms, is bound to be r eflected in gr eater satisf action all
ar ound .
There were 7,098 subject r equests - siTlpl c, ncdium hard, and HAIID - refer red
to Central from branches l ast yc.:'..r . Th.i.s is an n.vcrage of 30-l- per library
dayo We do not consider ·~;his c~tc c ~f>i-_rc in flO large ~ libra:cy system, and it
i s expected that annual incro::sJs ~·;i-~1 continue with popu.l-9.tion gr owth -
cv0n though brc:..ncl: lib.r<:t!"f sub~c·~t r-:-<::oi.~rc o;:; a rc g·'::'ovd.ng too. A glorious
figure, indeed, vtmtl.C. be f·)rtn~'):..t.i.ne; wore cac..h branch E .br c>.ria.."l to r ecord the
irtfo!n1ation service she pc-.•:fol'H3 in her dai ~-Y rou~1d (nothing i mplied herebyt )
and if Centr al were to th:covr i nvo the cou.'1t -~he info:.rn<:ltionul service ro­q-:
li.red by teachers and governr:1c:.1t O."':lploycos!
GP.ATEFUL
AC1NOO'EIXH.!&'JTS
Being h·Jman, ·;;c arc alvra~·s deLi.ghted by grateful aclmowledg­monts
, Scanrd .. ng a nov; book c'nti.tJ.od 11.t.o_~.u t Los An~clcs ",
by Frances Aldo:rman nnd Amber M. Wilson, tnc na.mc of Mrs .
Vesta Bruner, of tho Los Angeles County Libru:cy in South Gate is listed vrith
o+,hcrs who had assisted in ono way or another in its vrri'i:,ing. This attractive
book, well i llustrated vlith up- to- date photographs and drmvings , h.:J.s been
purchased f or r.w.ey branches . In i t , a Los Ar13clcs .famiJ y sots out to tour
.thcli.r !'lati vc city and l oam about its histo-ry: people, pl.acos of inter est and
i ndw1 ~:,rios . Although especially good for tlur cl and fourth gr o.de social
s~;,r•.cf:.c s, many adults living in Los Angelos und in nearby tovms ':.rill find the
b~ck a splendid source for suggcstionn of tl1ings t o do nnd sec .
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BRANCH OF THE MO:t-l'TH - OLIVE VIE!IV
Our Ol i ve View· Branch might well be called the branch that is differ ent. It
consists of tvro separate collections of books and se:rvee two distinct
classes of patrons . The first and smaller collection is for the use of the
personnel. This is administer ed as cmy other branch and contributes much
to the contentment of all the employees . The other section of our branch,
consisting of about nine thousand volumes is for the use of the patients of
the sann.torium. The patient population aver ages about one thousand. Most
of these are bed patients nnd are not abl e to come to the library. The
books are conveyed to the thirty- two wards on specially built book trucks .
Some wards are more than a mile from the library and the trucks have to be
pushed by man power .
Each ward is visited every other r:eck, men and women a1 tcrnately. Each day
the book wagon is set up with regard to the sex, age and physical condition
of the patrons to be visited. Those able to be out of bed are allowed to
come to the cart to choose their o1m books and for those sick-a- bed the truck
is pushed so t hat they can r ead the titles. Charging and discharging is done
on the spot and in r egular order. Gr eat latitude is allowed for r ene\'l'als as
no patiant is ever hurried. Patients are encouraged 'to make requests for
books and information. These are noted and brought to tho ward on the next
visit. Often the librarian has to be clairvoyant to determine exactly what
is wanted, but we ueually manage to give satisfaction . Requests r ange all
the way from the maximum weight of southern waterraelons to the private life
of King Sol omon. Every effort is made t o please our patient patrons and we
feel that our ·work has its ro<ra:rds .
The question may arise as to 17hy we should maintain a library for our patients
here at Olive Vic·w. Those peo!)lo though ill are still a part of our r e ading
public and as such are enti t.l.cd to li'..):i.\'11"'/ service . Our chief reason for
existence lies in the f act that r ' ~ding in general and car efully supervised
reading in pn.rticular has a. thorn.:)~utic value vrell r ecognized by doctor s and
nurses. The whol e principle of tuberculosis treatment is rest, physical,
mental and spiritual* A nmr patient comes in not yet r econciled to the idea
of being an invalid and not amenable to rules. Something must be done to
make him stay in bed und r est . Tho answer is e book. Vlhen he is reading he
is at bodily r est, he is silent and rclu.xed. He i s getting used to his
sanatorium regimen and half his battle is ,,mn. Or take one who has been ill
a long time . He is discouraged, soul wen.ry and r eady to give up. What kind
of book VJ:i.ll help him? Don' t offer him platitudinous cheer-up li teraturc .
Belle Benchley' s 1.IY FRIENDS THE ..''LPES may awaken a passing inter est, or an
intriguing mystery story may do . Remember .-m are not trying to improve his
mind, but to lift his spirit nnd heal his lungs. In a word, each patient has
to be given as close an analysis and his reading needs as careful a diagnosis
by his librarian as do his physi cal symptoms by his doctor. There is a book
for every need and the hospital librarian must know h0'\17 to .find it.
Our pat i ents appreciate their library nnd we arc appraised of t he fact when
service is interrupted for any r eason. I f space allovmd vre would like to
reproduce some of our "fan" mail. Those letters are often amusing but we
feel that they arc sincere. Has any other Branch Librarian ever been called
the "only bright spot in a man' s life 11?
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FRCli THE OFFICE
COIN
I35X
At the suggestion of the Audi tor • s Office we are planning to in­stall
a coin box at a selected branch for o. limited period to
r eceive fine money mlrectly from borrowers. The purpose of thfs
installation is to verify the reports of the br anch libracy assis~nt of
the amount of money collectedJ, and to protect the branch staff f rcm any
criticism concerning the handJLing of fine money. This matter h~s come up
over a period of several yeo.rs whenever our financial records have been
checl{ed by the Auditor. 1\. t oiile time it was r econunended thnt a coin box be
placed at each branch which obviously v;ould be prohibitive. Growing out
of this was the proposal of the libracy' s obt.:tining one c ash box for spot
check purposes only, to be inHtall ed for a brief period .:tt each branch.
PLEASE REGISTER We wish to r emind br 2.nch librarians t o be sure to r egister
AT CENTRAL when com.i.ng to Contr ol. As you 1-:n.ow, this shoul d be done
either on tho fourth floor in the Branches Division or at
the Information Desk on tho third floor . The r ecord of these visits is r e­quired
in our r eports to tho ~3tate Libracy nnd we should like t o have
accurate figures t o quote .
APPRECIATION
w!TH AN
ORCHID
***~~*
It is always a pl eP.suro to include in the Nmvs Lf.3tter an
i tern t ellinE of recor.ni t i on received by a staff nember. il.t
the recent j nst<-.112-tion ceremonies of officers of the Lennox
American Lezion Post nnd Y!onon' s Auxiliacy Mrs . Amerman,
Branch Librarian, was aYiarded a f r :>l·lec' ot~tement of appr eciation for her
long service to the connnunity.. ~::i th ':,: .is ollo was pr esent ed Yli th a beautiful
orchid. Too often libr arians cro k' ~r. :1 for gr anted by the people they serve
and a bit of r ecognition of this r.<:>.t 1.' • .l'O is indeed nensr10rthy. We are happy
to congratulate Mrs . Amerm.:m upon r eceiving H,.
PERSONNEL NOTES On August ll1 Miss Dorothy R. Leak j oined the staff of the
Chil dren 1 ::; Division to serve as Li brarinn I. Miss Leak
has just finished her li.bracy training at lJest ern Reserve University. Her
home is in Bar stow, Ccl.iforni ~~ .
*****
We are welcoming back t o tho l~ranchcs Division, with great pleasur e , Mr s .
Agnes Lokken, who r eturned to us once before during the war. Her old l ove ,
the libracy, has lur ed her bac:k once again and she ·:Jil l be mot with enthu­siasm
on branch trips by t.'1ose1 in tho branches who l::ncvr h0r befor e .
Miss Robbins, on a t empo racy appointment for some nonths , l oft i n July to
take over t eaching dutieG in 1~he Dakotas. She had v"i.si t ed a number of
branches vr.i. th the regular supe!rvisors .
**~~~}*
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It is vii th sincere r egr et that. we announce the resignation of Miss Dorothy
Hannon, effective August 23 . U:i.ss Ho.:nnon has acce~tcd. n posi-tion at U.C.L.A.
Library i .n tho Acquisitions Department .
***~~*
ltlss Hannah Watterson, who has· been on l eave of absence since Sept. 1, 1947,
to set up a catalog system in the li br<'.ry nt St. J3rideet 1 s Col lege in
Batangas, Philippine Islands, has submitted her resigmtion effective Septem­ber
1, 1948. It has not been possibl e for l~iss ~atte rson to compl et e her
assignment in the year allotted to her so she decided to r esign in order to
finish the work she bognn a year ago. It i s hoped that reinstatement ·\'.'ill
be possible before another yoa.r has elrtpsed .
Iliss Franke Davis continuos t o be out en si ck l eave . Although her condition
has improved materially she i s not ablo t o r esume her full time duties .
~} ..; r ~r 4~ 1*
' \ 1 I ft-.,/ I
~ f ·t \.. j ,./ ./{&.<..£CV....t...x-J-v(v
County Librarian
JDH :AVI
August 20, 19h8.
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