The Beginnings of Libraries

The Beginnings of Libraries

This talk is addressed to those beginning library work as a life work. This connects library work with two significant phrases, those beginning and as a life work. This phrase as a life work suggests what is perhaps the chief value of a library school training. The distinction of and main justification for all kinds of higher education is that such education aims to put the student in position to view his work to be done as a whole, and life as a thing to be wrought out as a whole, not to be lived from hand to mouth. Presence at a library school means that the student has had foresight enough to be willing to spend energy, money, and a good bit of that most precious capital time, in sitting down to draw plans for his life building as a whole instead of starting in to build by rule of thumb. There are however in this matter two factorsones self and the library. In order to sketch out ones life work as librarian and live it, one must needs first know what libraries are, what they are capable of becoming and how one can best apply such knowledge and energy as one may have to making these libraries accomplish what they were intended to do for human society. This involves looking at libraries as a whole as well as at ones life work as a whole, and the task of the library school is to give this view of the situation. In the last analysis this is the most important thing which any technical school does for one, this giving the vision of the whole of experience in ones chosen field in order that one may draw his life plan in view of it. And for that matter, the task of technical education does not differ in this regard from the task of general education, which is simply the vision of the whole of human experience, as a whole, with reference to ones own life among all kinds and conditions of men. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 49849
Author: Richardson, Ernest Cushing
Release Date: Sep 2, 2015
Format: eBook
Language: English