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THE LIBRARY AND THE IMMIGRANT

Frances H.Kelly

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Tim LIBRARY USD TB?l IMtflGRASE

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$hc foreigner can no logger " e ignored* By mere force of numbers
b

he holds the balance of power in our politics*in our Industries and
In our social life* To-day in BVBTJ field a knowledge of immigration
and the methods of Americanization is almost essential;in library work
it has become a neccesity*
In a district like South Side of Pittsburgh,where over i<$G of
the population is mad© up of AustraliansfAustria»sBelgians,Irishg
ItaliansfLithuaniansNorwegians^PersiansfPolish #HouaaniansfRussiansf
ScotchtServianStSwedish^SwisStSyrianStand Welch BVBTJ

effort has been

anft ie still being made to welcome the foreignertnot only giving him
books and papers in his own language for hie pleasurefbut also books
which will help him to adapt himself to the different conditions in
the land so new to him**books which will wxplain America and its oppor«*
tunities-books which will help him in learning English and in securing
the necessary knowledge concerning methods for becoming an American
©itisen*
Just how eager ho is to learn the different stops necessary to
get his naturalization papers you may get some idea of by visiting one
of our night schools whore he learns this important data while he is
learning English*
In trying to present to you the practical side of the experience
of the South Side Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh with
the immigrant, I shall speak of(1)

Selection of foreign books for the public library
Because ffirst of allfyou must have the foteign book coll**
action if you r;ou!d do much work with the immigrant*

(2)

Brief summary of traits T*hieh characterise all foreigners*

(S)

How the S#8»llbrary has tried to meet the foreigner1s needs
(aThose who come to the library
(b)5Tnoae who do not come . o the library ,
t

I
{4} Pro'bldiae in library
to be ra@t*

wmk wlfli f§r®&g&®v& w i o e )mt%
lif.

BOOK SELECTION
The aeleetion of books for the foreigner Is naturally one of
the first a M mast difficult problems that confronts the librarian
who has to to with the foreign borrower* Yon may already know of
excellent lists of books in foreign languages published by the A*L*A#
Thee© splendid short lists are available for FrenchtOerrmn,Hungarian,
Norwegian ana Danish,3?olIsh ana Swedish collections and may be had
for a small sum on

application to the A»1*A«Publishing Board„Chicago*

Some of the large libraries in the country have published their
foreign lists and these are also very helpful in the selection of
boofce-eapeoially for larger collections necessary so often in a com**
munity where a large majority of one nationality la centered* 2?hese
large libraries (I aa thinking particularly of the f*Y* Public and
the 0*1*of P»5 have aided in checking tp the publishers1 catalogues
ff foreign books by several representatives of each nationality** the
result being a composite selection* Any or all of these lists are
available*
Undoubtedly,those of you who have had any demands for foreign
books have borrowed the foreign collections from the Pennslyvania
Free library Commlssloau fhey have collections#I believe,in Oerman*
Italian.tHungarianflithuanian and Polish* 5h© Pennslyvania library
Sot©8 for January,1916 has an excellent article on "Work with for**
tigmers*1 whioh brings out all thes® lists I have mentioned in greater
detail*
Share la one other list Just published by the Detroit Public library1
which I must mention-It appeared in Publishers Weekly April,28,1816*
lf

Betk© for foreigners learning Bnglish,1f

I
iX) Headers ^ranKn&re and handbooks
(Si B^oks on'naturalisation and citizenship
(3) Books about America
?hi® Mm% list will bo a splendid help to the Libraritft ;Wh# Is
exonerating with the teaoher in our Bight schools In getting together:
simple English reeding for foreigners*
<i«?5«.Steohert in Sew York City is the one publisher to whom I
can refer

yon for the purchase of any foreign hook yon h a w hat diffi*

oulty la getting* Tom ean get books in all languagesthere*

mmm rnimmi of IRAITS WHICH CHARAOKsaizs AIL FORBIOTIHS
im aa attempt to geaerallE® ahout ©alightealag dh&r&eterlstiea
t?hiQh oae must r#e©g»i0e and otrerooae in dealiog with the immigrant
«tir ©x^eriesee has Deext that
(I)

They are as a rule shy ana timi&~there heiug a tendency perhapa

t© avdii ewtythiag la the &ature~Araerl#afi* fhey realign there ia u^ine
ftifferen&e between th#m amd Amerieamsi later,in their ar&aat desire to
heoetae g<ao& eitlBens of America theypattevn after our mode of li-riag
and gradually lose this feeling.
(g)

fhey are sensitive ~and are on their guard against overtures

from Amerieans*
f3)

3?h@y Ilk® te he treated aa eguala»sM not as charity recipients

(4)

fhey welcome an spportuni% to shew to America what their nation*

a! ©ulture a&n oostribwte to her
Sif© them #f®ry eh&mce to do this for they h a w amah t® eeftta*lo«te
Many thing® the .American ean learn from them*
Experience ha® taught na,however, that heeaase the foreigner**®
a rule la tlaif aad shy*fearful when h© first eomes to thia civilisation
so different froa what h® hastoeenaoousstomed to,that it is very helpful
to heooaie a®attainted with an influential memher ef the raa*t«ne who

taows and lores the best In hooks-a doetorta prlestte*g* through the
aid of these individual leaders »lists »ay " e distributes at places whete
b
the people are wout to gather. Printed slip® thleh tell where the library
Is located &&& what it has to offer-that it is free* that it beloags to
the®#raay ' e distributed after Mass if the clergy can be interested ia
b
the library* Through the agency of the press also masy may he reached*
We disoofered that most of the Polish people O H the South Sid® read the
cosmopolitan aolumu of the "Post". If we desire to get word to the major*
ity of the Polish people all we have to do 10 to contribute tb this colUJS&

of the paper*
HOW SBS SOtHS SIDE LXBHARY HASffHIED10 MBET THE HBSDS

Special effort^ ia made at the first visit to the library to show eaoh
new borrower Just where the booke of special interest to him are located
m t M shelves as well as tie section of the catalogue where the- hetfla*
S»
in hie language are oolleeted in one grower(he ia aleo taken to the read*
Ing He em and there shewn the newspapers and periodie&ia in hie languaget
if we hare anything for him* This

first visit can mean much;if the irn^

preasion made then ie a good one f he is lxk#ly to feel a certain sense of
ownership in the library and will make it a point to bring friends with
him when he 0ernes again*
At enr library we h a w on the regular staff two pagest one "Mthmanian
and one Polish who,.in addition to their duties of putting up boofcs aet
as interpreters* We have had printed in Polish and Mthuanian the follow**
ittg forms whieh are very helpful in ta&ing the registration of those for*
eignars who cannot apeak or understand English^
IWrite yoxir full name

Z
2-Where do yon l i v e ?
3~With whom do you board?
IrfWieare A§ yon wori?

§

g#4fhat do yon do?
$«*0ive the names sad addresses of two people in tint city
who Imow you and do mot live in the house with you*
through the sehcels ^parochial ana publicize get the chilflren
to come t© us j through the children we try to reach the parents* fhis
M s been very effective way of reaching the older people* Buring the
winter months when we are w r y busy t o allow the children to take
?
home in addition to the two boote to which they are entitled a foreign
book: for the father of mother who cannot come to the library* A record
is kept ot the name and address of the child as well as the nationality
for fatnre referenda* In the spring theseelips are mrmg®&

according

to locality and nationality and a member of the staff accompanied by
one of the foreign pages goes to make a home visit* On days whm the
children are lively to be at home it is not necessary to take the page
as the children can act as interpreters* At these home visits a oerdial
invitation is given to coma at least once to the library to see what
we have and an attempt is made to get a rough idea at least of the ohsr#
aeter of the book, most desired^history^biografhyi^travel^blaclcsmithing^
etc* fhese personal tenches are greatly appreciated and the foreignert
we have found*is very rtspohsive to them*
Existing foreign organisations are invited to meet at the library
for one meeting a year and at this time boofes and periodicals in their
language are placed cut on tables for exhibition* One of their number
is invited to speak to them on "Soofce and Reading"* it our library the
Polish and LiJhnaniana have had national gatherings with excellent re**
suits* 3?hes@ have always been held Just after we have heeeived a new
collection of books* fhrough the smaller organisations we have ?/orkei
to reach the larger national groups*
fhe nigrht school claaaes for foreigners in English we incite to

6
e © i to u s for aa evening* She teachers come with them s»& we work
'Be
s
together in ascertaining the "boots of interest as wsll as hooks of
'praetieal help to them in school work;
At th@ window eshlhltss held from .time to tiae to advertise the
loo&ti oarand opportunities available at the lihrary on© of the aaia
festiir<ss "brought out by means of posters as well as by the hooks
themselves Is the fact that there are books for the foreigner in his
own language as well as in English* Notices ana posters to the same
effect are posted in the mills and factories,and other industrial
centers where large numbers of foreigners are employed* However,if
the priest eoneents to announce that the library h - ? a new collection
as
of books in SagS&s-h Polish or that there will he a meeting for the
Mthn&aiane at the lihrary not much further advertising is neeessaryw

pgggiapgs i i LIBRAE* mmz WITH JORSISIIBSS WHICH mm w BE KISS*
Registering foreign borrowers is ofteatlmes a difficult propositi
lon*X h a w already mentioned the aide in getting the necessary Inform**
ation* The spelling of names Is often quite involved,espeeially when
the English name is assumed and it has no relation in sound ^rletters
to the original foreign one* Sometimes*too„each member of a family
spells his name in a different way from all the others and sometimes
one person has an indefinite numfeer of ways of spelling his own name*
for exaiaple^oae mam who signed his card aa Hendiat signed hi a daughter§
application Bt-inhaus* The little girl says that her father is Helnhardt
at woaMc.Helnhaus at home and Hendiat in Surope* The registration car**
talnly demands "brains and good judgements)
She inability to give adequate references is another hard question*
Tim foreigner who has only I i s been here a few weeks often knows no**
fxt
one outside of his landlord* V e try to make it as easy for him as posse
7
ible and if ha will promise to bring two references when he oomes a *
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f

gainfwe let him take a "book*
Misunderstandings are often apt to arise over the fact that we do
ask tor a reference * One Polish woman we had great fifficultiee with
because she thought * e wore insulting her by *M&s4iBg insinuating
w
that she would take our ho-ko* .-hen aha understood that all Americana
had to give references it i aa alright*
Our problems in the city arc "perhaps irory different from the onos
you aro meetingfbut after all v e are working toward the mme goal* If
/
there are anp matters 1 hare not matte clear or about which you may be
interested to question concerning our work with the immigrantfplease
feel at liberty to do so* I wi31 answer to the best of my ability* I
would greatly welcome an imfotflial discussion of some of your eBrperien**
ees with the foreigner*

Frances H.KellyiLibrarian
South 3ido Lvaneh

Oamegio l i b u r r y ox i'ittsburgii.