ed, however, that he thinks that
notwithstanding the reputation which the famous Harris collection of
poetry gives to the library throughout the country, it is the best for
that library to devote itself almost exclusively to supplying the
general needs of Providence.

In conclusion, it may be stated that Mr. Adams does not claim that the
plan of weeding out libraries adopted at Quincy has never been thought
of before. He was not indebted to any book for the idea, but it had
occurred to other persons before. Action upon it had always been
recommended. Mr. Adams has taken the bull by the horns. He has put the
plan in execution and to a considerable extent has systematized it. He
has also called attention to it and made it a living subject for
discussion.

RELATION OF FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES TO THE COMMUNITY

Presentations of Library questions to the general reading
public from authoritative sources are exceptionally hard to
find, even at the present day. The one reprinted below was
contributed to _The North American Review_ for June, 1898,
by Herbert Putnam, then librarian of the Boston Public
Library.

Herbert Putnam was born in New York, Sept. 20, 1861, the
youngest son of the founder of the publishing house. He
graduated at Harvard in 1883 and studied law. He served as
librarian in Minneapolis, first of the Atheneum and then of
the Public Library in 1884-91, meanwhile being admitted to
the bar in 1886. He practised law in Boston in 1892-95, but
in the latter year became librarian of the Boston Public
Library, serving until appointed in 1899 Librarian of
Congress. His administration has been marked by the
development of this institution along the line of service of
a national library. During the great war he was Director of
Library War Service.

Free libraries have existed for less than a half a century. Their
establishment assumed that books are beneficial: but it involved also
the assertion that it is the proper function of government to supply
books to such of its citizens as may require them at the expense of the
community as a whole.

Libraries of this special type do not yet form the major portion of the
institutions supplying books on a large scale to groups of persons.
Under the head of "Public, Society and School Libraries," these
institutions in the United States aggregate 8,000 in number, with
35,000,000 volumes, with $34,