Sewickley Herald

              The Herald
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The Sewickley Valley’s Home News Weekly
Voi. 45 No. 26
SEWICKLEY, PENNA., THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1948
Price Ten Cents
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Library Dedication
4
Open house will be held at the Sc ley Public Library starting at 8 p. Friday, June 25th, in commemorati the twenty-fifth anniversary of die the building, given in 19: Mr, W. L. Clause in memory of his Elizabeth Ann Clause.
Reverend Lockhart Amerman wil side at the short exercises and Robert L. Clause, son of the donoi re-read the original dedication si Paul N. Critchlow will give an inf and the Board of Trustees w
inTu' ?lery one in the Valley inte tattle Library is corcIially invited tend the open house.
The program has been arranged
DuTp i Mnotins of Mrs- J°sel T^PaU Critohl°w, Mrs. Alex
unHi1RLibrary.is now °Pen from 10 Worth P> i1’* ®nee tlle residents of : raj and Osborne, through die
infte'«,SCll°f c0rirds’ are now 1 Helchk1 DD°irt °f 11115 library. Sew to S o u“18 have als° boon i: po;th ° ln 11,6 Privileges of librar
Worfe .resrilts since die
joined ini b0rne Scl10t)1 distriots N.Critchl!,wSsaM,0rt °f ^ Library
been°mM years ibo Librai Sewickleynfromd	tho,,.tnj:-Ijny<
by the L • n a one “ill tax as
ls‘i'o^
a Librarv	can be assess
School Codc Tl	i0? 2507 0
amounted tn 7lia lai{. f°r 25 yea Aatesll,, 0,, ab,0111 $200,000. teceived f!nm added about $325 Lib aw ir, n°n-resident users , «y who have paid an annual
THE LATE WILLIAM L. CLAUSE
$1.50, and about $400 per year that has been contributed by a group of interested persons. The total annual income of die Library has been about $9,000.
“About two years ago die cost of maintaining die Library increased beyond its income. This was due to necessary increases in die salaries of die librarians, to the higher cost of books, and to increases in the other operating expenses.
“Of die three librarians diat are necessary ■ to operate the Library on a fulltime basis, one resigned about two years ago, since when die Library has been operated on a part-dme basis and the purchase of new books has been materially curtailed.
“It was not until the expenses of the Library exceeded its income tiiat the Sewickley School Board invited Edge-worth and Osborne to join in the maintenance of the Library tinder Section 2517 of the School Code. In the light of what I then learned concerning the educational alvantages in the Library to die school children and their use of them, I now feel that the Sewickley School Board has been derelict of its duty to the school children of the surrounding districts in failing sooner to invite their school boards to join with it in maintaining and managing the Library, as Mr. Clause hoped would be done 25 years ago.
"The following facts show die extent to which school children use the Library when they have free opportunity to do
SO!
(1)	Of die pupils in grades 2 through 8 of the Sewickley schools, 97% have library cards.
(2)	About 90% of the pupils in the Sewickley High School, grades 9 through 12, have library cards. The smaller percentage of high school
pupils is probably due to the fact that die High School lias a reference library of its own.
(8) Until free use of the Library was given to die pupils in the Osborne School in April, 1947, very few of them bad library cards. Of die 44 pupils now in grades 2 through 9, 34 have library cards.
. (4) Since April 6, 1948, when the free use of die Library was given to the pupils of Edgeworth School, 41 of the 120 pupils in grades 2 through 9 have obtained library cards. Prior to diat time only 14 had cards.
“Of course the mere possession of a library card does not prove diat the owner uses it. However, die head librarian told me that a very large majority use their cards extensively. This is confirmed by the Library records, which show that during die last eight months juvenile books have been borrowed at the rate of 1,287 per month. This is a high rate of borrowing by the 884 juvenile book borrowers diat are now registered.
“The free use of the Library by die school children is only a part of the educational advantage to diem. For many years one of the assistant librarians has been a childrens librarian, having Special training and aptitude Tor the position. Beginning with grade 2 and continuing through grade 7, which is die highest in the Sewickley grade school, the children’s librarian lias had special classes during school hours, usually in the Library, but sometimes in School classrooms, in which she has instructed the pupils in various library topics, typical of which arc the following! Library conduct,
Library rules and privileges,
Care of hooks,
Parts of a book,
Classification of books,
Book history,
Library card catalogs,
Shelf arrangement of books, Reference book problems,
Authors and illustrators.
“Five such instruction classes have been given each year to die pupils in grades 2 and 3, and eight to the pupils in die higher Grade School grades. It is probably due to die interest tiius created in die Library that 97% of die pupils in grades 2 through 8 in die Sewickley schools have library cards. In my judgment this library instruction is as important to the education of school children as some of the other subjects that are taught. Library instruction classes have been extended to the Osborne School pupils dirougbout the current school year, and to die Edgewordi School pupils since the middle of April.
“In addition to die educational advantages of the Library to the school children, there are other tilings of general but nevertheless important interest concerning die use of the Library. According to the 1940 census, the total population of Sewickley, Edgeworth and Osborne was 7,829, It is probably now over 8,000, but a substantial number .are below reading age. The Library now lias a total of 3,422 registered book borrowers, 2,538 of whom are adults and 884 juveniles. This shows that nearly lialf of the population of the three boroughs who are able to read have library cards, That the Library is used extensively appears during die last eight months—despite the fact of part-time operation—books, both adult and juvenile, have been borrowed at the average rate of 3,302 per month.”
THE AMERICAN LEGION
Sewickley Valley Post No. 4
Russell W. Richert
On June 17, 194S, at our regular monthly meeting of Sewickley Valley Post No. 4, American Legion, die following officers were elected for 1949, our next American Legion year: Commander, Russell W. Richert; Senior Vice Commander, George L. Pollinger; Junior Vice Commander, Paul Graff Kaufman; Sergeant at Anns, Charles .V. Lucas; Chaplain, Charles II. Eaton; Historian, Robert W. McKniglit. Executive Committee, Thomas Cronin, Harry Miles Ferrell, Sr,, William E. Evans, Ross Rogers, B. II. Handy, John N. Skrabut. Delegates to American Legion State Convention at Philadelphia: Charles G. Gordon, Thomas Cronin, Walter S. Smidi, William Me. White, Edward J, Parks, James P. Cronin, William F. Mc-Crea. Delegates to die Allegheny County Committee, Fred Wertenbach, Ross Rogers, William McC. White, Charles V. Lucas, Charles H. Gordon, Robert Foleno, George L. Trudell.
June 30di: Last day for amputees to secure cars.
July 31st: Last day to reinstate insurance widiout physical examination.
Sept. 1st: Last day for application of terminal leave.
Chairman George L. Trudell and his American Legion Junior Baseball Team are playing championship ball and all George needs now is attendance of all the American Legion members at tiiese games. Check up with George as to what nights die team plays at the YMCA field.
The American Legion Drum & Bugle Corps made a good showing at die Elks Flag Day parade at Ellwood City and then went to Tarentum Pa., to compete in their first Drum & Bugle Corps contest and won fourth place and the praise of the judges that they were very good for a new corps. Any American Legion member or any boy that is eligible to join die American Legion that would like to join the Drum & Bugle Corps, get in touch witii Paul G, Kaufman or John Grazioli,