., . THE LIBRARY SITUATION IN DARKE COUNTY, OHIO WITH A SUGGESTED PLAN FOR COUNTY LIBRARY SERVICE A Thesis Presented for the Degree of Master of Soienoe by Wilbur B. Wood, B.Sc. in A.gr. II TEE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 1936 Approved bys Xef~~--$ CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ------------------------ 1 CHAPTER I FIN.ANCIAL AID FOR LIBRARY SERVI CE Laws Governing Distribution of Intangible taxes to Public Libraries ------------ 5 The Greene County, Ohio 1 Unit.of Library Service --- 8 The Bryan Public Library, Williams County ------- 12 The Book Truck1 Richland County1 Ohio.• ------- 13 The Book Trailer, Clark County 1 Ohio. --- - - • - 14 Warder Public Library1 Springfield1 Ohio. ---- 16 CHAPTER II THE LIBRARY SITUATION IN D.ARKE COUNTY 1 OHIO. The Carnegie Public Library in Greenville1 Ohio. 17 The Arcanum. Public Library -------- 19 Summary of the Library Situation in Darke County -- 21 The School Libraries in Darke County -------- 24 CHAPTER III DARKE COUNTY AS A FIELD FOR COill{TY-YrIDE LIBRARY SERVICE Darke County as an Agricultural County - 28 The Population of Darke County ---- 29 The School Districts of Darke County - 31 Vocational Agriculture and Home Economics in Darke County ---------------------- 37 The Churches of Darke County -- 40 The Grange in Darke County -- ---- 42 The Farm Bureau in Darke County ------------ 44 CONTENTS (Continued) Page Agricultural Extension in Darke County --------- 45 Adult Education through the Federal Emergency Schools- - 50 Boy Scout Organizations in Darke County -- 51 Telephone Service in Darke County ----- 52 Rural Free Delivery Mail Service - 55 The Highways in Darke County --- 57 The Railroads in Darke County - 58 The County Fair -------- 58 Agencies Conflicting with Library Service by Providing Activities for Leisure Time -------------- 60 CHAPTER IV COUNTY-?ITDE LIBRARY SERVICE FOR DARKE COUNTY, OHIO. Supporting Viewpoints for the County as a Unit for Library Service --------------- 62 Criteria for the Organization of a County-Wide Library Service -------------------- 66 CHAPTER V THE TENTATIVE PLAN FOR DARKE counTY LIBRARY SERVICE Classification of Service -- 71 Budget for Tentative Plan - --- .. ------- 72 Suggestions for Book Additions ------------ 74 Distribution of Books and Periodicals in the System -- 76 State Aid for Library Service ------------- 85 BIBLIOGRAPHY ------------------------ 87 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I CLASSIFICATION OF BOOKS IN THE ARCANUM LIBRARY - 20 II CLASSIFICATION OF MAGAZINES IN THE .ARCANUM LIBRARY ---------------------- 20 III SUliiIM.ARY OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SITUATION IN DARKE COUNTY, OHIO. ---------------- 21 IV THE LIBRJ!RIES IN TEE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS AND THE INVESTMENT FOR BOOKS DURING THE YEAR 1935-36 • - 24 V ENCYCLOPEDIA REFERENCE AVAILABLE IN THE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS OF TEE COUNTY, 1935-36 • - - - - 25 VI THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT FOR NEW BOOKS IN TEE TWO ROOM SCHOOLS • • - - - - - - .. --------- 26 VII THE LIBRARIES OF TEE OlIB-ROOM SCHOOLS OF DARKE COUNTY WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPEUT DURING THE ;t, SCHOOL YEAR 1935-36 .. ------------- 26 VIII THE SCHOOLS OF DARKE COUNTY, TEEIR ENROLLMENT, PARENT-TEACHERS ASSOCIATIOI~S MD COMMUNITY CENTERS ---------------------- 33 IX GRADE SCHOOLS OF TWO OR MORE ROOMS IN DARKE COUNTY -------------------- 33 X ONE-ROOM GRADE SCHOOLS OF DARKE COUNTY ---- 34 XI FARMERS INSTITUTES HELD IN DARKE COUNTY DURilifG THE YEAR 1935-36 ------------------ 49 XII BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA TROUPS IN DARKE COUNTY WITH MEMBERSHIP OF EACH TROUP ----------- 51 XIII THE TELEPHONE SERVICE IN DARKE COUNTY -------- 52 XIV RURAL FREE DELIVERY MAIL SERVICE IN DARKE COUNTY -- 56 r-1 DIVISION OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR DARKE COUNTY LIER.ARY SERVICE ------------------ 72 XVI ESTIMATED BUDGET FOR THE DARKE COUNTY LIBRP..RY FOR THE INITIAL YE.AR ---------------- 73 r,fll BOOKS NEEDED IN THE DARKE COUNTY LIBRARY SERVICE TO MEET THE MINIMUM STANDARD ------------ 74 LIST OF TABLES (Continued) TABLE PAGE XVIII BOOKS AND PERIODIC.M.S AVAILABLE FOR COUNTY LIBRARY SERVICE IN DARKE COUNTY UNDER THE PROPOSED PLAN -------------- --- - - 76 XIX DISTRIBUTION OF THE AVAILABLE BOOKS AND PERIODICALS IN TEE DIVISimrn OF THE PROPOSED LIBRARY ORGANIZATION ----- - - - - - - 77 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE PAGE l THE GREENE COUNTY, OHIO, DISTRICT LIBRARY --- 11 2 PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN DARKE COUNTY, O:HIO. 1936 --- 23 3 THE POPULATION DISTRIBUTION IN DARKE COUNTY, OHIO. ------------------ 30 4 THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF DARKE COUNTY ------ 32 5 TEE VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURAL JIND HOME ECONOMIC DEPARTMENTS IN DARKE COUNTY WITH THE ENROLLMENT OF ALL DAY AND PART-TIME STUDENTS, 1936 ------ 38 6 TEE CHURCHES OF DARKE COUN'fY • - - - - - - - - 41 7 THE LOCATION OF SUBORDINATE GRANGES OF DARKE COUNTY - - - • - - - - - - - - - - - - 43 8 4-H CLUBS IN DARKE COUNTY WITH MEMBERSHIP IN EACH, 1935-36 --------- .. --------- 48 9 FREE TELEPHONE SERVICE EXCHANGES IN DARKE COUMTY, 1936 ------------------------ 54 10 TEE RAILROADS OF DARKE COUNTY ---------- 59 11 AGENCIES CONFLICTING WITH LIBRARY SERVICE IN PROVIDING ACTIVITY FOR LEISURE TIME ---- 61 12 PLAN FOR COUNTY-V/IDE LIBRARY SERVICE UNDER PRESENT BUDGET ------------------- 80 13 EXTENDED PLAN FOR COUNTY-WIDE LIBRARY SER.VICE IN DARKE COUNTY AS MORE FUNDS BECOME AVAILABLE ---- 81 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply grate£ul to all who have cooperated in making this study possible and to those who have assisted in its preparation. To Dr. w. F. Stewart, Department of Agricultural Education, Ohio State University, under whose direction the study was made, £or the guidance, inspiration, and worthwhile criticisms he so willingly gave throughout the study; To Junior Dean H. w. Nisonger, College 0£ Agriculture, Ohio State University, for the kind assistance and inspiration he gave in organizing the study; To Dr. Ward G. Reeder, College of Education, Ohio State Univer- sity, for the advice and direction that came as a result of classes and con£erences with him; To Paul A. T. Noon, State Librarian, and to Mildred W. Sandoe, State Library Organizer, £or the time, in£ormation and advice they so willingly gave and for their acting as a committee of two in evaluating the criteria used in setting up the plan for county-wide library service in Darke County, Ohio; To Albert E. Gower, County Superintendent of Schools in Darke County, Ohio, and to the superintendents of the consolidated schools in the county, and the librarians 0£ various libraries for their coop- eration in £illing out questionnaires used in the study, recognition is hereby gratefully given. IN'IRODUCTION That the people of the United States., as a whole., were without adequate library service was well illustrated in the 1926 report of the .American Library Association in the following: Rural people with library service •.••••••• 9.,624.,939 '.Rural people without library service••••• 47.,054.,168 Urban people with library service•••••••• 54.,404.,568 Urban people without library service••••• 3.,415.,418 It is evident from this report that the library service at that time was inadequate and that this inadequacy fell largely on the rural people. There has been an improvement in this situation since 1926., but not so great as one might think. 11 The number of people in the United States with public library service increased during the decade more than 17,000,000 •••• But the population increased more rapidly. It is startling to find that the number without library service actually in- creased slightly. 111 According to a recent recount made by the American Library Associa- tion., 11Rural people in general are still handicapped, constituting 88 per cent of the number without library service as compared with an urban 12 per cent. Moreover., the 39,673.,217 rural people who live out- side library service areas form 74 per cent of the total rural popula- tion11.2 Forty-five million citizens in the United States., forty million of these living in rural areas., are without access to a public library and having fevr books of their ovm., are being deprived of a 1Public Librar Extension and Develo ment. Reprint from the Bulletin of the American Library Association. June., 1935). P• 324. 2Ibid. p.325. 2 basic means of education.1 Out of 3100 counties in the United States, less than 300 have county-wide library service, offering equal facil- ities to rural and town people. More than one thousand counties, roughly one out of three, are without a single public library within their boundaries. 2 According to Paul A. T. Noon3, 11 Under existing laws all resi- dents of Ohio have library service. However, there actually exists a condition in which we find two million of our citizens without easy access to library service.it It is with those people living in Darke County, Ohio, who come within this two million, that the author is primarily interested in th.is study. Just as we have experienced a more rapid development of schools in the population centers or urban districts because of the concen- tration of wealth there, so have we seen a similar development of library facilities in these same areas. Furthermore, just as the new foundation program is tending vrl.th rapid strides to equalize educational opportunities in this state, so is the intangible tax law tending to equalize libraJ:"'IJ service for rural and urban people. However, this equalization of library facilities is in its earliest stages and there still exists an un- balanced condition in which the urban centers are fardn the lead. For example, the cities of Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton have built up fine and expensive library