In the Lending Library. 1 HP HE philosopher-librarian which term will, I think, cover all -* my craft-brethren and craft-sisters of this Association I will suppose to be seated meditatively in the lending library, after having broken the record with an unparalleled issue ; thinking over the strange unfathomable people, and the too easily fathomable books which he has been distributing to them, and over the never-ending problem of how to fit the right people with the books suited to them, whether by Cot- greave or Robertson mechanical means, or by the older system of human conversation. As philosopher, he or she is sure of one great fact, that there are in the world books to suit every man, woman and child, and as librarian he or she has confidence that the library contains them. There may be some slight initial im- pediments such as the readers not knowing themselves what they want, or, greater impediment still, thinking they do. But this is one of the true objects of philosophy, to teach mankind what to want, and of course is applicable to readers and books, and our next step will be to get them to ask for it. Bearing in mind the infinite variety and complexity of the human minds we have to deal with, our problem is not an easy one, but I hope to show is both practical and useful, and may be stated thus How to read ouv readers. Whenever I have heard a paper descriptive of the work at the People's Palace Library, it has struck me that a gallant attempt was made by the lady who administers the mind-food to Her Majesty's East End of London subjects to solve this problem in her sphere, and that a mind-concert with harmonious results is carried on between librarian and readers in the circular domed portion of that building, as the ear-concert is in the Queen's Concert Hall. My own readers, chiefly drawn from the families of the Queen's legislators, past, present and future, are not them- selves easy reading, ay, and require translating, too, some of them ; not unillustrated with comic cuts. 1 Read at a Monthly Meeting of the Library Association, February, 1894.
