News Letter of the Los Angeles County Public Library July 1948

              FROM THE BRANCHES DIVISION
NEW BOOKS The new book shelves at the Central liorary bear a close resen­SOON blance to those in Mother Hubbard's cupboard as we go to press.
Due to the great increase in book costs, funds were expended before the end of the fiscal year leaving a gap before new appropriations were available. We are pleased to announce that large orders are out and new books are beginning to arrive to fill the requests in our overflowing files. Requests were heavier in June than in the previous month, although with the end of the school year a dropping off might be expected. In spite of the fact that we had comparatively f ew new books in June more than 12,000 books were shipped to branches. That is not a record month but it approaches the record.
REGISTRATION The ebb and flow of reeistration applications usually follows OF BORROWERS the same pattern each year w:i. th the largest number of borrowers
registering in March and October and the smallest number in the summer months, especially in July. Due to vari ous factors the statiqtics for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1948 show some variations. This year the larg­est registration was in February 1948 when 9 ,674 borrmvers signed applications during the change in t he method of registration, while in Septc,~ber 1947 only 4,748 borrowers registered, making September the month 1vi.th the smallest regis­tration. In looking over the registration statistics for June, 1948 when 5,292 borroYmrs wore registered, the most interesting figure was the number of borrowers added to the Lennox Branch, where 388 persons signed applications. For the six months period from July through December 1947 there were 336 now borrowers registered at the Lennox Branch. l!Jhcn Lennox Branch :noved into a beautiful new building it was expected that ther e would be an increase in the number of borrowers using the library but only a fortune t eller could have foretold that more borrowers vmuld be r egistered in one month than had been added in six months previous to t he movot
VACATIONS True, the weather has been unusually warm and that may be what is
causing many to look longingly toward tho anticipated vacation schedule. Some of our staff have already returned from theirs and you can identify them by those broad smiles and that refreshed look, tinted with a touch of the sun. Mrs. Holen 01C. Wright, our chief, took off in a pink cloud, this l ast week -destination Port Orford, Oregon. They say hunting and fish­ing is out of this world up there now. -lHHh'*' Mrs. Beryl Martin returned to us beaming with enthusiasm over Lake Arrowhead. In fact she is planning on spend­ing most of her week-ends there now at her iiewly acquired summer home; Hunlock Lodge. -lHHHf. Miss Elsie Kittle came back Monday morning, July 12th from Yellow­stone National Park eulo~izing tho benefits of mountain hikes and revealing many humorous i ncidents of her travels. Talk about being i n the clouds, you shoul d hear her on altitudes 1 iHHH~ Mrs. Holen \:"foods, Registration Desk, en­joyed her trip north. She visited in Richmond, Berkel ey, San Franci sco, and Oakland. ih'HHt-Louis Saunders, returnod recently from a motor trip up north. He is still grinning f rom ear to car -must have been a jolly vacation. -:HHH~ Miss Marshall motored to Yosemite and the High Sierra country. iHHB~ Both NJiss Tapper and Mrs. Hopkins have taken a short recess from their routines to relax and rest before ANNUAL REPORTS called them back to duty. Who mentioned ANNUAL REPORTS? We know you all love themt
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our own cards in preference to using Library of Congress cards. Now we learn with considerable satisfaction that the university has actually changed i t s
name. Since our form is now in order we are spared the laborious revision being
carried on by our cataloging colleagues.
One of our objectives is to use modernized and popular headings in our catalogs
as much as is practicable, even at the expense of revising the catalogs contin­uously.
FROM THE REFERENCE DIVISION
NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA Branch librarians will be glad to know that the new ency­YEAif BOOKS ARRIVE clopediaannuals are now beinc delivered to the branch
libraries. They were published in 1948, but cover the happenings of the year 1947. Some branches received the Britannica Book of the Year, some the Americana Annual, and others the New International Year Book --whichever a branch needs to supplement its encyclopedia set and bring its year book series up to date. Some of the largest branches have all three.
These new books will be as helpful in reference work with libra~J r eaders as the previous ones. They not only give reliable information in convenient form, but we think they are truly beautiful books. They almost rival Life Magazine with their hundreds of photographs.
Branch librarians and their readers havo probably spent hours going.through magazines, gathering bit by bit, here and ther e, the information needed about what happened in Congress last year, the United Nations, or the Peace Confer­ences. We certainly have at Centra.l. Now we find the information summarized by authorities in one handy volume.
The articles cover all kinds of popular subjects almost sure to be asked for -­atomic energy, medical discoveries, television, communism, labor relations, sports; conditions in P2.lestine, China, Indi2., Germany, Russia; military affairs; social security; music and the theater; important larm and court decisions; facts of the year about business, education, agriculture and prices. These are a few samples of the topics. Where the Yforld Almanac ma;)r give the bare nar.ies and statistics concerned, tho year book fills in the rounded sto~J and often illustrates it vfith photographs. ·
Of course, the developments in 1948 still have to be followed up in magazines like Time and Newsweek, and in the daily papers. Tho best year book can•t relieve us of all our reference searching. Still, it is a great time savor and furnishes tho recent backgrotmd for understanding what is going on right now.
The index in the back of each volume is helpful. We also like the Calendar of Events, 1947, at the f ront. This revlows the high spots of the year day by day as they occurred.
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PEACE EXHIBITS A letter from Mrs . Alesia Arnold, librarian of Wilmar Brnnch,
brought an account of an energetic effort to publicize her documents and pamphlets on the subject of World Peace. The news releases pro­parecl for the initiation of a peace shelf in 36 branches she reported as hav­ing been sent to five clubs, the Chamber of Commerce and the local newsp.::por which last published the news i tern. She regretfully states that the resi)onse in use of the material has not been noteworthy. Sho believes that she can now afford to retire one copy of each of the suvoral publications, tho larger number being those of the State Department, to her pamphlet file and r eturn the duplicates to Central. Wherever the smne situation has occurred in any of the thirty-six branches where a Peace Shelf has been set up it is advica"!Jle that the branch librarian follow the same plan. It will bo nofod that each i t om bears the subject heading under which it is to be filed in the branch pamphlet file" It is expoctod. that tho duplicate i t oms returned will come wrapped and addressed to the Referonco Division.
Only recently, Mrs. Josephine l1IcAdams, Librarian of El Monte Branch, asked us for suggestions for publicizing a display of l.J11J-CSCO documents 11;hich one of her readers, a young Mi lls Coliego girl, wishoJ to have shown 2.nd distributed throur;h the library. The young wom~i.n, with othors of her class, had been attending the recent 1JN2SCO Conforoncc in San Frc.i.ncisco c:.nd had come homo imbued vd th the i.dca of ar o;;..sing i r.tor est in her com::1!u1-r!.t,y on t.he ·;mrk of the Uni t ,:;cl lJettions Educational;, Scientific.• and Cultural Organization -:.'Those mission it is t o promote inturnati or:.al intollec-cual cooperation throue;h the free ex­change of infornation and ideas on education, art, ar.d scionco. Mrs~ McAdams stated that much of tho matcrinl vrhich her young reader wished distributed was already on her Poacc Shelf.. Vfo shall appr eciato hearing fror1 other branches how much and by ·whom the Peace Shelf is being used.
FROM THE OFFICE
REQUSSTS FOR Some branches are sending their requests for supplies to Central SUPPLIES by putting them in the pockets of hooks being returned. THIS IS
A GOOD WAY TO NOT GET S:JPPLIES as it may be sevor::il days b.::.:Tore your supply slips arc found.., All supply r eq_uests should bo sont to Centr::i.l, eithor by express or regular I11..til.
FROM THE STAFF ASSOCIATION
VENDORLATOR The Welchade machine is here to stay·t The machine was rentE":d for
a two-month trial por:i.od, and it proved so popular t h2..t it seemed highly desirable to· keep it pormanontly. VI'non tho discovery Vias made that it could not be begged, borrowed, or rented, thirty magnanimous Gtaff members pooled enough of their hard-earned cash to buy the machine. They expect event­ually to be paid back with tho revenue from the machin(J and are accepting the improved morale of nm1··thirsty staff members as their interest. As soon as the ''Vendorlator Stockholders" are repaid the machine will be presented to tho Staff
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Association. Central staff members want to extend an invitation to branch libr;:;,rians to stop off on the third floor for C'. nice, cold drink (five cents, please).
The staff has enjoyed tho convenience of a candy vending m2.chine for some months now, besides tho soft drink vendorlator. Our Poet Laureate, Mao VfoostEJr, sensed a rivalry between tho two and, with her usual case, expressed it thus.:
Who Spoke for Coke?
On the last day of April -the year of the drought -
Vfuen even tho coke fiends were still holding out ­A vcnding m::i,cl1in0, all enar:iol and chrome
Appeared in tho hall of our Libra!'IJ homo.
This now shiny model was stream-lined but fat,
The poor Candy Vendor, as thin as J2.ck Spratt,
Selling Love Nests and Hershey bars ncr oss the hall
Didn't like Uds now rivnl at all, not at all.
He gr owled at the Bottle Yct.ng, "These ar e hard times,
I hope you don't think tbat you'll got nany dimest"
1f\:1Te'll see," said the Cooler, "these gals may be fickle."
Said Old Candy Jack, 11But I sell for a nickle,
And ce,ndy is energy food for the thinkers,
Whilo you --you would make them professional drinkersl"
Now maybe you' r e thinldng I ' d had too much Coke,
But these arc the words tho~w machines out there spoke.
STAFF MEETINGS
REPORT OF The Oregon State Librari an, Eleanor Stephens, well knO"wn to our
A. L. A. staff for her outstanding service as Assistant County Librarian CONVENTION here, spoke at a special meeting of the staff July 2. Miss
Stephens gave us a very li vcly nncl full account of tn:e A.L.A. convention Et Atlantic City. She was visiting in Los Angeles on her return to Oregon. We were happy to have her come and see us, 2.s Troll as to l oarn about the more important activitics at the I.tlantic City convention.
SERVICE PINS A special staff meeting, called in cel ebration of an event of AWAHDED unusual interest, was held on July 16. All of the employees
of the Department wer e called t oeother for the purpose of award­ing service pins to county em~loyees of more than t en yc~ars standing. We were honored to have John Anson Ford represent the Board of Supervisors on this occasion. The meeting vms called in accordance with formal acti on taken by the Board under which it will be the policy to award service pins to county personnel after ton years of enploym0nt. Those on the Library staff receiving pins vrere:
25 Years Service
Niss El eanor F. Hamilton, Hospital Librarian III
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