News Letter of the Los Angeles County Public Library January 1950

              LEISURE TIME What to do with leisure time poses no problem for members of ACTIVITIES the Children's Division, and they don 1t spend all of it
reading either. Not many weeks ago several of us motored out to South Pasadena one evening to see a performance of The Passing of the Third Floor Back. We were mighty proud of our Ruth Binns, who was one of the cast of characters. Some day we hope to be on hand when the Lynwood-Compton P.T.A. chorus does some entertaining, because Dorothy Talbert is a member of that group.
Dorothy also spends one evening a week attending a class in machine sewing, while Ruth has been creating some very creditable ceramics in a night school class. Madalene Otteson has just completed an evening course in figure drawing; Naomi Blackburn, of all things, chose to enroll in a class in real estatei
HOME FOR Dreams of a white Christmas lured two members of the Children1 s CHRISTMAS Division to the Middle West and their families for the holidays. Home for Bernice Gantt was Omaha, Nebraska, while Ruth Binns went back as far as Richmond, Indiana .
STORK NEWS January 3 brought the welcome news t ha.·f:. /;r~:aline Hess is the
mother of a 5 lb., 13~ oz. boy, John lcay , born December 28.
Mrs. Hess had left the Children1 s Di vision on a maternity leave in July, but moved t o Longview, r:ashington in August, when her husbarili was offered an attractive position tl:ere.
FROM THE REFERENCE DIVISION
MUSIC TO One of the services we most enjoy giving to branch readers is PLAY Al'ID the furnishing of music scores. Central has quite a large SING collection which may be r equested and borrowed through any
branch library. We ar e gl ad to make short lists of available music for individuals t o hel p them choose what to ask for.
PIANO: There is piano music ranging from the simplest to the most difficult and representing most of the well known composers. Anyone who likes to play will find something suitable. We also have a file of the Etude music magazine. It contains music to play and articles about music study and teaching --mainl:r piano. Some patrons ask us to send several issues at a time for their browsing pleasure.
You may know of patrons who like to play duets . We have four-hand music arranged for one piano or two pianos in varying grades of difficulty.
SONGS: We have a fair number of song <llbums of di fferent types --art songs, folk songs, sacred songs, songs from operas or musical ccL~edies 1 etc. More can be purchased. When asking for songs, please be ::1·3'c to tell us what voice
the singer has: soprano, alto, tenor, or bass. Thu n_;i,iutation of the library will be better if we do not try to present an album arranged for tenor to a basso profundo.
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OPERA AND ORATORIO SCORES: The library is trying to collect the vocal scores
in single copies of all the better known operas and operettas. However, the
person who asks for the score of a first-run musical comedy like South Pacific
will continue to be disappointed. Such scores are not apt to be available
for purchase by libraries until later.
As for oratorios, we have some vocal scores now and plan to buy more in single
copies.
VIOLIN AND OTHER SOLO INSTRUMENTS: The selection of violin music is pretty
good now. We can have more if people want it. There is little for other
instruments as yet, plans for purchase depending upon evidence of interest.
ORCHESTRA AND CHAMBER MUSIC: We have some miniature scores of orchestra music.
Concert goers, owners of records and music students often like to see the
score (published in miniature for convenient size and economy) of the work
they are hearing. We think we should increase this collection, but would
appreciate your opinion. The library has some cha,mber music for trios,
quartets, etc. This comes in full size parts for the separate instruments.
Page the amateur chamber music groups in your community.
MUSIC THE LIBRARY DOES NOT BUY:
1.
Multiple copies of choral music.
2.
Separate parts for orchestra or band.
3, Sheet music. (For exmnple, we do not buy the songs on the Hit Parade or others not yet appe,:ring in collections. Music students may request slight instrumental piecos which we do not supply because they have been published only in sheet form.)
4. Records.
The policy may eventually be reconsidered. However, these restrictions seem
desirable until our basic music collection has become much more adequate than
it is now. Furthermore, it appears reasonable to decide that some kinds of
music should be purchased by the performer.
LET US HEAR FROM YOU; BRANCH LIBRARIANS!
Our present plan is to build up the music supply at Central first, using it
to fill branch requests. We may be able to furnish lists for distribution
later.
Please give us your ideas about music selection and service. Write or telephone the Reference Division. -Margaret Elder
SUNSET INDEX The Sunset Magazine index has now reached the stage of being
mimeographed. It may seem that the index is very slow to be
completed but like the tortoise it is rushing as fast as it can. We are under obligation to Mrs . Espy in the Office for doi ng the mimeographing
for us and she has many ot her duties which take precedence in addition to
which there are such delays as the wait for supplies.
A word of explanation as to hmv the index will be ~rnpt up to date. The monthly indexing will be continued here at Central. New entries for which no subject
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heading exists in the Sunset index will be mimeographed on cards similar to the main body of the index. These nevv entries will then be sent to each branch having an index and it will be the duty of the branch librarian to interfile these new entries with the others. But titles for which there is already a card with a subject heading in the Sunset index will be listed with
their subject heading in the monthly issues of the News Letter. The branch librarian can then copy these titles onto the card in her Sunset index which has the same subject heading as that under which the title is listed in the News Letter.
To save confusion we might mention that when the branch librarian receives her index she will find that each card has a number in the lower right hand corner. Please pay no attention to it. These were put there to help with filing at Central.
-Mrs. Joan Dugdale
REQUESTS, AGAIN! A point brought out in a recent meeting of the Reference
Staff was that we have not yet devised a method whereby we
know who and how many readers follow up the suggestions for further reading in the subjects of their specific reference questions. This has reference, of course, to the typed report which accompanies the material sent in reply to subject requests forwarded to Central, and to requests for non-fiction titles not immediately available but the rot'<.bject coverage of which could be adequately supplied from o-C,her sources. S:i.ace much thought and real physical effort go into the sum total of such reports it was quite natural that the discussion should continue along these lines as follows:
True, a few are returned to us with one or more of the suggested items checked and requested. There must be others which follow along as specific non-fiction title requests which if presented on the non-fiction title request form and correctly given never reach the Reference Division but are filled at once through the Branches Division.
From our point of view, these report notes if handled thoughtfully by the branch librarian might prove to be just the difference between a limited, half­hearted service, with branch-librarian satisfaction greatly watered down, and that buoyant success-feeling when she realizes that she has really succeeded in guiding the reader to full satisfaction.
How does she proceed when the requested material for John Doe reaches her
branch? Does she store it away out of sight and mind until he calls for it
in response to her message that material in answer to his request has arrived?
Or, has she examined it in advance, critically from her vantage ground of
having previously discussed John1 s problem with him, and is she confident that
we at Central have done an effective job? Does she personally explain to him
any accompanying information which has been sent? Does she act promptly in
informing us that we have missed the point?
A playwright may write a masterpiece, but the actor's i nt erpretation may make
or break its success. Only cooperation, constructive cri ti cism and increasing
understanding of each other's part can bring about t he d,;2ired end.
-t_;l i vo M. Ryder
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ADMINISTHATIVE NOTES
LENNOX Miss Jeanne Johnson, Chief Cataloger, reports that in January REGIONAL the Lennox Regional catalog was completed with the exception of CATALCG juvenile titles which will be incorporated later. The catalog
comprises approximately 40,000 cards which represent the holdings of the nine branches in the area, This catalog is the second regional catalog to be made and like its predecessor the Antelope Valley Regional catalog will require continuous servicing to keep it abreast with current additions and withdrawals.
INFORrnATION There will soon be released for branch distribution the long BULLETIN awaited leaflets describing County Li brary service. The
bulletins are being i ssued in six sets.; one for each express route. The bulletins cover general information about the Library including registration and circulation ruler:: tor:;ether with a list of branches in each express route. The contents arc .i. cutical except for the list of branches in the center pages where the servir::o '.JG.tl ets for only one express group are given. Branches will receive a supply of bulletins only for their own express group; these are for distribution to borrowers.
The bulletins inform the reader of the other branches in his group giving for each, name, address and hours of service. Each branch librarian will have a complete file for reference use so that she will know what other branches are served in the system, but for general distribution to borrowers, branches will issue the bulletin applying to their own express routes.
The purpose of the bulletin i s to inform our readers of our general rules, procedures and service, as well as of the branches receiving express deliveries in the group of which their community is a part. These mimeographed bulletins are offered in limited numbers since we want some experience with this release before going to the expense of having a large quantity printed. It is our intention to issue the same information in printed form after a few months' experience with the mimeographed trial run. We want branch librarians to inform us of their own reaction to t he material contained in the l eaflets; also, we wish to be infonned of comments made by the public. The suggestions received from the branch st aff and the public will guide us in determining what should be covered in the large quantity printed edition of this bulletin.
FINE FINE One of the largest fines in the history of this Library, and we
venture to say, any library, was r eceived recently. The amount
collected was $39.07 for a number of overdue technical books which had been misplaced by the firm to whom they wer e l oaned. It is a rather detailed story, but :l,n substance the firm's representat ive who borrowed the books turned them over to someone else who put t hem into a locker and did not
tell the right person where they Yicre . The original borrower left the company
and it was with great difficulty tlJat our correspondence reached him. In
checldng back and clearing through ch:mnel s, the collection of books was
finally located. In recognition nnd appreciation of the service of the
Library, the firm in question paid tho f j_nes due without hesitation.
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