Article June 16, 1951 Issue

The Lending Library

Many branches of The Mother Church maintain a Sunday School lending library so that pupils who do not have access in the home to all of the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and other authorized works on Christian Science may have an opportunity to borrow them. Although it is an established practice to take into the classes only the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, together with a current copy of the Christian Science Quarterly, it is quite in order to have the library set up in the main Sunday School room so that it may be convenient for the pupils to borrow and return books either before or after the Sunday School exercises. The librarian, as an officer of the Sunday School, is eligible to remain throughout the session and takes part in the opening and closing exercises. In some of the smaller Sunday Schools the secretary, or perhaps the assistant superintendent, serves as librarian.

Only the works of our Leader and books published or sold by The Christian Science Publishing Society are used in the library. The plan for issuing and returning books may differ in different Sunday Schools. In the Sunday School of The Mother Church books may be borrowed for a period of two weeks and renewed for two weeks as many times as desired. Each child in a family may borrow a Bible and one other book.

The first time a pupil borrows a book a card is filled out with his name and address and the name of his teacher. This card is kept in a file on the librarian's desk. When a book is issued, the library card bearing the name and number of the book is taken from a pocket attached to the inside front cover. On it is entered the date and the borrower's name. It is then filed with the pupil's card. Also, for the borrower's information, the due date is stamped on a form attached to the inside back cover of the book. When the book is returned, the date is entered on the library card and the card is again placed in the book. Inasmuch as this system is similar to that which is in effect in most public libraries, forms usually can be purchased from firms that deal in office supplies.

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