Silence Is Leaden

In gentle jest, the Wilson Library Bulletin printed a sign that read NO SILENCE. Mrs. Jeanne Phipps, chief librarian in Ogden, Iowa (pop. 1,500), found wisdom in the wit: "For a long time I had felt that our library was too formal. The association sort of said, 'We dare you to put this sign up,' and so we did."

Mrs. Phipps is hugely pleased with the result. Her little library, which was becoming rather dusty from disuse, is now a busy community center. Mothers are no longer wary about coming into the library with their unpredictable children, who are occasionally entertained there by a local high school girl softly strumming a guitar. The real gain is that book circulation has increased. Mrs. Phipps may have hit upon the perfect gambit to lure the marginal reader who thinks all reading and no conversation makes the library a dull place.

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