"The whole secret of success is really to be in sympathy with children,quick to see their needs and to look at things from their point of view;but above all to have a genuine,common-sense love for them."This point of view is expressed in the following paper on Personal work with children,read by Miss Rosina Gymer before the Ohio Library Association annual meeting in 1905.Rosina Charter Gymer was born in Cleveland,Ohio;received a special certificate from the Training School for Children's Librarians in 1904;was children's librarian in the Cleveland Public Library from 1904to 1907;supervisor of children's work in small branches from 1907to 1910,and since that time has been a branch librarian.
Work with children is so large in its scope and so rich in its possibilities that we shall only consider work in the library proper,passing over home visiting,school visiting and cooperation with social settlements and like institutions,all of which,however,are of the greatest importance to the work as a whole.
Work with children may be grouped under three heads--that with girls,that with boys and that with little children.While in each group the work differs in nearly every point,one point they have in common--the choosing of fiction according to the individual child,boy or girl;the choosing of classed books for the book itself.In giving fiction,the child must be known as well as the book,his character and needs,for it is on the character that fiction has most influence.In classed books,on the other hand,the book is the thing to know,for if a child wants to know something about electricity or carpentry,he is not being influenced so much in character as in education.If the book is not as good as some other,it will not injure him especially as to morals and character,but of course he should have the very best you can give him that he can mentally understand.Girls almost always become interested in books through the personality of the children's worker.While it is very desirable to use this regard as a means of influencing their reading,care must be taken to guard against a merely sentimental attitude on the part of the girls toward the worker.As a rule,girls want stories about people,other girls,school stories and so forth,and will take a book that you say is a good one without looking into it.If she likes it she will come to you to select another,and in this way you can lead her from pure fiction to historical fiction and biography and so on up to good literature,all through,at the first,knowing a book that would please and attract her.This is done,in great measure,through the girl's liking for the worker and also through her interest in people rather than things.
Boys,on the other hand,are not so much interested in people as in things,and when they ask for a book it is usually on some specific subject--electricity,carpentry,how to raise pigeons,how to take care of dogs.When the book is given them they usually examine it pretty thoroughly to see whether or not it is what they want or can use.To know what book will give the boy what he wants to know and in the most interesting way is to gain that boy's confidence.To sum up:Boys like you through the books you give them,while girls learn to like good books through their liking for you.The result is the same in either case--the personal influence of the worker with the children.
The problem of managing children is much the same everywhere.
Wherever they are there are sure to be some restless and disobedient boys and girls whose confidence and good will must be gained.A willing obedience must be sought for untiringly.The children's worker must be for and not against the child.To win is far better than to compel.Conquering may do for those who are expected to remain as enemies,but friends are won.While a display of authority should be avoided,a firm attitude must at times be taken,but it should be an attitude of friendship and fairness.If a loss to the child of some coveted pleasure can be made to follow his fault it is an effectual punishment.For instance,if a boy never misses the story and yet his general behavior in the library leaves a good deal to be desired,do not allow him to attend the story hour for one or two weeks.In extreme cases the plan of not allowing the boys to come to the library for a number of days or weeks has been tried with good results.
