ian as to material needed in carrying out their literary
programs. More than one other organization might be mentioned which
would help the library and be helped by it through increased
cooperation, thereby extending the influence of both. It is the sense of
obligation and responsibility that needs to grow.

The public press is an agency which certainly ought to be a firm ally of
the public library, cooperating with it directly and indirectly.
Newspapers should be ever ready to give space to any matter that will
bring the library to the attention of the public, and they should also
keep the public informed of progress in library interests. Deeper than
this, the press should constantly exemplify and teach culture ideals,
the true mission of journalism.

The hope of stimulating greater cooperation between the community and
the public library seems to me to lie largely in the library club or,
better, library association, movement. First, local library clubs should
increase in number, becoming more truly local, thus exerting a stronger
influence upon the libraries in the section represented and coming into
closer relation with the community. The membership should include people
who are neither librarians nor trustees, but whose sense of
responsibility will be awakened as their interest is increased. The
district represented should not be so large as to prevent meetings being
frequently held in the same vicinity. These local clubs should be in
close relation with the state club or association, and the state library
commission. The local clubs will do the actual close work, while having
the support, advice and assistance of the state club and state
commission. The local clubs will give information as to conditions and
needs, and will be agencies for the application of progressive ideas.
The study of conditions, of what may be called the environment of
libraries, comes within the province of library-club work. The study of
the conditions and needs of the small towns and rural communities is of
leading importance. From what other source except from the library
movement with a greater development of its possibilities is help for
those towns to come? The initiative in personal effort to give
advantages for want of which some of the small towns are suffering has
been taken by the women's education association in the loan of their
traveling libraries accompanied by personal visits and the study of
conditions and needs.

But ther