In selecting reference books for the purpose,certain familiar ones come at once to our minds.Beyond those there have been suggested:Chase and Clow's "Stories of Industry,""Information readers,"Brown's "Manual of commerce,"Boyd's "Triumphs and wonders of the 19th century,"Patton's "Resources of the United States,"Geographical readers,Youth's Companion geographical series,Spofford's "Library of historic characters,"Larned's "History for ready reference,"Ellis's "Youth's dictionary of mythology,"Macomber's "Our authors and great inventors,"Baldwin's "Fifty famous stories,""Riverside natural history,"Wright's "Seaside and wayside,"bound volumes of the Great Round World,and text-books on various subjects.
A dictionary catalog will be useful in teaching the child to look up subjects for himself.If a separate catalog is provided for children,the question arises whether it is wiser to follow closely the A.L.A.headings or to modify them where they differ from topics commonly asked for by children or used as headings in text-books.This question suggests also the advisability of a modified classification for a children's library.
Last and not least,children should have room and service adapted to their needs,so that they may not constantly have to be put aside in deference to the rightful demands of adult readers.
So far as the writer knows,the Public Library of Boston was the first library to open a reference room expressly for children,well equipped and separate from the children's reading room or circulating department,and from the general reference department for adults.
