Page 187 - Training for librarianship; library work as a career

TRAINING FOR LIBRARIANSHIP

or get his studying done for liim, he will fall
an easy prey to those who are looking out to
better their own selfish ends. Therefore we
must shorten and digest and make clear all
information that we put within his reach.
This is a tremendous task but not an impos-
sible one."
Nearly all of the state libraries do some
legislative reference work, although the char-
acter of this varies with different localities.
In some states legislative reference bureaus
or departments have been provided; in
others, the service is performed as part of the
general work of the state library.
What has been said of the state applies
in equal degree to the city. To-day about
half of the population of the United States is
to be found in cities, as against somewhat
more than one-third in 1890 and about one-
tenth in 1800. New York City alone has a
population greater than that of any state
except its own. Chicago's population ex-
ceeds that of any of forty states in the Union.
The ten leading cities in the United States
comprise over one-eighth of its total popu-
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