Excerpt from The Literature of American History: A Bibliographical Guide
Only those who have to do with the work of public libraries know how much there is of the desire for substantial knowledge among people who can satisfy it nowhere if not at those libraries, and how much such readers are misled towards books which are obsolete, or shoddy-made, or otherwise unprofitable, missing the ones that would instruct them most and inspire them best. All that librarians can do to light the way of the seeker to the worthiest literature is generally being done, with anxious and inventive zeal; but the utmost they are able to accomplish in their catalogues, without help from special students in a thousand different regions of knowledge, answers to the need of common students scarcely more than a railway; map for travelers as compared with a Baedeker guide. The case is one that calls for information to be given with particularity and discrimination, by critics of recognized acumen and character, whose judgments are set forth with no claim to finality, but stand open to revision as error is detected or new truth disclosed.
An early perception of this need led the Society for Political Education, in New York, to publish in 1880 a list of books in political science recommended by Professor William G.Sumner, Mr. David A. Wells, and other special students in that department of knowledge. In 1891 this little bibliography was amplified, under the editorship of Messrs. E. R. Bowker and George lies, who were assisted in the selection and annotation of titles by many well-known publicists and economists, including James Bryce, David A. Wells, Andrew Dickson White, Horace White, Professors Felix Adler, Davis R.Dewey, E. R. A. Seligman, Richmond Mayo Smith, and others. The work thus enlarged was published by the same society as "The Reader's Guide in Economic, Social, and Political Science," and proved to he a valuable and welcome aid.
With his understanding of the need of such "guides" much deepened by the experience obtained in this work, Mr. Iles brought the subject into discussion at a meeting of the American Library Association in 1892, by reading a paper on "The Evaluation of Literature," in which he urged the Association to undertake the organization and execution of some plan "which shall give an inquirer in any specialty of literature, at every public library, at all times, the services of the best informed and fairest adviser to be had in the Union." "A merchant or banker," said Mr. lies, when he has taken an inventory of his assets, is not content with a mere enumeration of them; he deems a bare list as of no worth whatever until each item has been carefully valued. So, I take it, the trustees of literature will enter upon a doubled usefulness when they can set before the public not catalogues merely, but also a judicious discrimination of the more from the less valuable stores in their keeping."
The suggestions of Mr. lies were discussed with warm interest, and were referred to a special committee for more careful consideration; but the Association bad many things to do -with. slender means, and it hesitated to enter on a project of labor and expense which showed no bounds. Then Mr. lies began to give practical effect to the proposition he had advanced. Produced at his expense, and mostly by his own exertions, the American Library Association published in 1895-an exceedingly useful "List of Books for Girls and Women and their Clubs, with descriptive and critical notes and a list of periodicals, and hints for girls' and women's clubs; edited by Augusta H. Leypoldt and George Iles."
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