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is: Beatrice Evans, Chief g libraries with ci few of 9 books in stock and boxes udy to send out in response n E FIND OURSELVES facing the bleak winter months with no available read- , ing material. We have no library and I the supply of magazines leaves us with little or no .hoice. Could you send us a travelling library?“ This appeal came to the Travelling Libraries ranch of the Ontario Department of Education. Ontario. The answer was that of course a :brary would be provided. All the woman would ave to do would be to get her neighbors together " form a group who would be responsible for . their return to the library. The group began ith eight prospective adult readers which they pect will increase to twenty, as well as what ‘ ver children are in the homes where the books 0. About a dozen of the men are single. railway i mployees living in a staff house and ready to ake use of books. This is only one of many Vocal situations where the travelling library meets ‘ special need. 2 Where else do travelling libraries go? They ere originated to provide small collections of bolts for those areas of the province where there i- as little or no library service; and one of the "i eatest needs seemed to be found in the small ral school. Even today. of the 75,000 books in ock. three-fourths are books for children. lcav- g about 20,000 books for adults. Small libraries ‘ ith limited funds to buy new or expensive books it ay have their stock supplemented with one or 0 or more boxes of travelling library books. everal hundred books are sometimes loaned to sist in launching a community library. French nguage books also are sent on loan to libraries at yet in a position to establish their own ench collection. And both English and French Well as some Italian and Polish language books i ,e supplied on request to Frontier College work- 8 (Frontier College is the adult education pro- ! where the leader works by day with men in struction. mining. lumbering, et celera, and in e evening directs them in study. which may be mething as simple as reading and writing or asic English or as advanced as high school ‘i‘ “INTER ‘I 961 matriculation work.) And of course the service best known to most of its is the providing of boxes of books for local groups such as Women‘s institutes. Farm Forums. Home and School Clubs, church groups. company developments in outlying places or groups of residents of any contmunity who may organize themselves solely for the pur- pose of borrowing a library. There is no charge for the service, The local group is required only to pay express charges on the books when they arrive: the Libraries Branch pays the charge for their return. (it must be added that travelling libraries are not loaned to counties having a County Library service.) A travelling library is not made tip of books merely for entertainment. Fiction constitutes only a limited part of any collection. The rest is made up of juvcnilcs and general reading â€" biography. world affairs. books about Canada. science. Naâ€" ture. philosophy, sociology, economics. essays and poetry with a few technical and handicraft guides. But one of the special advantages about borrow- ing books from the Travelling Libraries is that the Chief Librarian. Miss Beatrice Evans. will consult with the borrowers about the books they would like to have. Sometimes a woman from it local library group will time a visit to Toronto so that she can drop in at the Travelling Libraries head- quartcrs â€" the new address is 278 Davenport Road. Toronto â€" and Miss Evans will sit down with her to make up a book list suited to the interests of her group; but most libraries will be requested by mail and Miss Evans encourages her correspondents to feel free to say just what sort of books they want. even to ask for some special titles. if a hook requested is not in stock but is considered up to good library standards. copies will be purchased. In the choice of chil- dren's books. Miss Barbara Smith. Supervisor of Children‘s Library Service is just as eager to help. Speaking of reading for children. Miss Smith says. “Most parents agree that reading is a ‘good thing‘ for children. But what. if anything. are the majority doing about it? "in the first place. child guidance experts tell us that the first five years in a child's life are the 17