66 "LIBRARY ACT HELPFUL 1 on "The Rural Library Services Act, passed in 1956, has already provi to the rural families of America. The most obvious evidence of this prograre the many more bookmobiles observed in the rural areas of the Nation, brig the world of books closer to the American farm family. "The rural area school, because it also most usually serves as a community center, is a popular stopping place for the bookmobiles. This, of course, is a valuable aid to the rural teacher and the rural children. Caution must be exer cised, however, to see that rural school boards are not tempted to use the rural public library services as a substitute for the rural school library. The responsibility of a rural school board to provide a permanent library within each school is in no degree lessened by the bookmobile service. The traveling library can and should be used to supplement, but not supplant, the school library in the rural and small community school. "The American Association of School Librarians recently endorsed the 1ollowing statement from the American Library Association publication, Puble Library Service; A Guide to Evaluation With Minimum Standards, 195 "Public library service to schools is not a substitute for a library within a school. The public library activities should be designed to encourage the growth of school libraries.' "In those areas or counties where effective intermediate units are in operation, the area or county school libraries should continue to expand services to the component schools. In those areas where such organization does not yet exist, it is reasonable to expect that the bookmobile program will stimulate the development of a county or area school library as the appetite for good books is whetted by the experience of the children and adults who are served by the rural library service bookmobile program. This is, in part, one of the purposes of the Rural Library Services Act. There is already some evidence that such stimulation is being achieved. For school librarians and public librarians in rural areas, there are many questions relating to the improvement of school libraries and public library service to children which need exploration through cooperative State and local meetings." STATEMENT OF ASSOCIATION FOR CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL The Association for Childhood Education International wishes to file a statement supporting H.R. 9812, a bill to provide for the extension of the Library Services Act. The association is an organization concerned with the education and well-being of children from 2 to 12 years of age and with the adults who work with them. The association has nearly 80,000 branch members in the United States in urban and rural areas who can profit from library services for themselves and the children with whom they work. Since books play an important role in the education of young children, it is to be hoped that library services will be extended and improved, especially in neglected rural areas. ALBERTA L. MEYER, Executive Secretary, Association for Childhood Education International. (The subcommittee adjourned at 12:20 p.m.) |