New England

MAINE

Bar Harbor. Jesup Mem. L. Inez M. Suminsbey, lbn. (Rpt.—yr. ending Sept. 10, 1913.) Accessions 376; total number of volumes in library 10,000. Circulation 20,996. Expenses for salaries $975; for books and periodicals $417.47.

An attractive brochure with two doublepage illustrations and several full-page pictures showing exterior and interior views of the library, and containing a short sketch of the growth of the library and description of its building was issued with the annual report.

Brewer. At the March town meeting the question of accepting the proposed gift of the Free Public Library, offered to the city by the Library Association, was voted on. Conditions of the gift were that the city should assume the entire support of the library (instead of a part of it as at present); that the library should be kept up to its present standard; that the library should be managed by a permanent board or commission, composed the first year of persons satisfactory to the association, one (or two) of whom should retire each year, a successor being appointed by the city. By a vote of 302 to 292, the gift was refused. Several reasons were given for the result. First, the population at one end of the town is largely foreign and at present lacking in library interest; second, a large number of people living away from the center of the town felt they would derive little benefit from the institution; third, the tax rate is already reported abnormally high and a burden to the farmers of the town; and at the last minute news was received that a bequest of $5000 made to the library by a former citizen had been annulled by the breaking of the testator's will, a fact which discouraged many from voting for the acceptance of the gift. By its last report the library was shown to possess about 3500 books, 314 books having been added during the year. There were 712 cardholders who had used 13,723 books and 7336 magazines. Expenses were about $1200. Last year the city appropriated $500 for the library, to which the state added $50. The rest of the money was raised by the Library Association. No help has ever been received from Mr. Carnegie, and only about $100 in all from outside the town.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Keene P. L. Mary Lucina Saxton, lbn. (38th annual rpt.-yr. ending Dec. 1, 1913.) Accessions 701; total number of volumes in library 19,753. Circulation 40,254. New registration 582.

Manchester.

With the near approach of the time for the removal of the 70,000 and more books stored away in the Public Library Building on Franklin street to the new Carpenter Memorial Library, the question arises as to the uses to which the old library building will be put. The Manchester Federation of Women's Clubs some months ago petitioned that the old library edifice, when vacated, be turned over to the uses of the federation under proper restrictions, and intimated that the federation was in a position to expend whatever sum of money might be necessary to equip and furnish the building for social, philanthropic and educational work. Since that petition was filed the question has arisen in City Hall circles as to the occupancy of at least a part of the old library building by the overseer of the poor, the school department, and also the assessors, still leaving room for federation purposes.

MASSACHUSETTS

Amherst. The Amherst College faculty has appointed President Alexander Meiklejohn, Librarian Robert S. Fletcher, Prof. J. F. Genung, Prof. H. de Forest Smith and Treasurer Harry W. Kidder to consider plans for a new library building.

Attleboro. The sum of $500 has been left to the Public Library by the will of the late Mary Lee Buffum of Providence.

Barre. The bequest of $2000 and books, left to the public library by Katherine Allen of Worcester, has been accepted.

Boston. A few librarians of Boston and vicinity have been meeting for luncheon on the last Thursday of each month, for informal discussion of professional matters.

Boston. Residents of the Franklin Park section are protesting Mayor Curley's action in causing the closing of the Park Branch Library and reading room. They declare it is the first Boston reading room to be closed since the building of the Public Library, and that thousands of patrons are put to serious inconvenience.

Boston. According to the last catalog of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, the Sheppard Library of that institution now contains about 7500 volumes. The library is especially strong in literature of pharmacopœias and dispensatories and in its sets of American and foreign pharmaceutical journals.

Boston. The Insurance Library Association, recently made an annex of the National Board of Fire Underwriters, is now established in new quarters on the fourth floor of the Oliver Building. The book stack room has been thoroughly fireproofed by rebuilding partitions, doors and windows to conform to National Board standards, and is equipped with steel stacks. All other shelves, cases and cabinets for files are of steel, the only wooden furniture being the desks, tables and chairs of the reading room. The librarian has a private office, and two assistants are now employed for the detail work.

Cambridge. The late John L. Cadwalader of New York City, bequeathed $20,000 to Harvard University for the purchase of books for the law school.

Peabody Inst. L.

Danvers. Emilie D. Patch, lbn. (46th annual rpt.--yr. ending Mar. 31, 1913.) Accessions 617. Total number of volumes in library 27,743. Circulation 49,973.

Gloucester. Four oil paintings in the Sawyer Free Library were cut from the frames recently, and some Indian relics and similar articles were taken. These were given to the city from the collection of the late Samuel E. Sawyer, donor of the library. The paintings stolen were on the second floor, access to which has always been free and unsupervised. Hereafter all visitors to the second floor of the building will be required to register. Hudson P. L. Grace M. Whittemore, lbn. (46th rpt.-1913.) Accessions 434; total number of volumes in library 10,630. Circulation 42,028. Total registration 1724. Receipts $2096.29. About one-fourth of the population of the town are library patrons.

Malden P. L. Herbert William Fison, lbn. (36th rpt.-1913.) Accessions 3999; total number of volumes in library 63,886. Circulation 197,899. New registration 3062. Receipts $33,616.30.

The past year has been the busiest in the history of the library. The increase of circulation over last year is 14,900; the insur

ance has been doubled; a painting by Maes, and a smaller one by Symonds have been purchased; a branch has been established at Maplewood; a recataloging has been begun; rebinding and repairing of all fiction and juveniles has been finished; a case for exhibiting photographs has been added to the art gallery; 2000 photographs have been purchased.

Marlboro. Edward L. Bigelow, for fortyfour years chairman of the Public Library Committee, has resigned.

Melrose. The Melrose Public Library has established the first branch of the library, located in the southeast section of the city in the Middlesex Associates block on Forest street. The library trustees are also planning to open a branch in Melrose Highlands provided the city government makes an appropriation for the work. The associates defray the cost of the library branch, open the library one afternoon and evening each week and provide attendants there besides carrying the books to and from the library. Reports of the library trustees show 904 books added during the year to the central library and a circulation of 63,261 for 1913.

Needham. After $700 has been paid to relatives and friends, Mrs. Myra S. Greenwood, formerly of Needham, under the terms of her will, directs that the residue be given to the town of Needham for the purpose of erecting a public library, the work to be done within three years after her death. She further directs that if the town now has a library the money be used as a trust fund to be known as the Greenwood Memorial Fund.

Orange. Resolutions of appreciation of the gift to the town of the library on East Main street, have been presented to Mrs. Almira Wheeler Thompson by a special committee. The library was erected by Mrs. Thompson in memory of her late husband.

Rockland P. L. Angela W. Collins, lbn. (35th rpt.-1913.) Accessions 351; total number of volumes in library 13,462. Circulation 36,042.

was 8487. There is an annual appropriation of $300 for the general library, increased by from $50 to $200, from the "Lovering bequest."

"This library is said to be the best institution library in the world, and certainly there is no other which has so fine a collection of books in the general library, for the use of patients, or where this branch of hospital therapeutics has been so carefully worked out. Within the last four or five years the desirability of well-selected, systematically managed libraries in hospitals for mental diseases has been much discussed, and library commissions and hospitals alike are doing what they can to establish and maintain such libraries. The annotated list published by the A. L. A. Pub. Board, entitled 'A thousand books for the hospital library,' is based upon the shelf-list of McLean Hospital General Library."

Westborough Town L. Flora B. Brigham, lbn. (Rpt.-1913.) Accessions 394; total number of volumes in library 17,377. Circulation 42,919. Receipts $2434.27.

Worcester. A library where books on every topic may be secured in the French language is being founded by members of the Jeanne Mance Society, the largest organization composed of French-speaking women in Worcester. Members are especially anxious to secure French books on literature, history and biography, as well as approved French fiction and religious topics.

RHODE ISLAND

Centredale. The library books and all other property of the Union Library Association of Centredale have been presented to the town. Approximately 5000 volumes are contained in the library building, which is located on Mineral Spring avenue, near the center of the village.

Providence. Brown Univ. L. H. L. Koopman, lbn. (20th annual rpt.-yr. ending May, 1913.) Accessions 6530. Circulation for home use 6448. Two special collections of importance were added during the year: the Chambers Dante collection, numbering fully 2000 pieces, and a collection of about the same number of broadside ballads, chiefly American, many relating to the Civil War. With the latter gift came provision for mounting and binding. An alumnus has made possible the more complete cataloging of all works on history, which represent more than half the

books in the library, and this work has been begun.

Providence. After a careful survey of the funds available, the Providence Public Library has been obliged to curtail its usefulness by cutting down appropriations in nearly every line of activity. At the Central Library, on Washington street, it has been necessary to close some of the departments for a portion of the day. Moreover, till further notice, the whole building is to be closed on some of the days on which it has heretofore been open. It has been necessary to cut off a liberal slice from the list of

periodicals subscribed for, as well as from the amount available for rebinding. And in addition to all this a most unfortunate cut has been made in the amount available for new books.

CONNECTICUT

The latest printed report of the Connecticut Public Library Committee (for the year 1912-13) suggests that the public library being a public institution every town should be compelled to establish and maintain one as it now establishes and maintains free public schools. At present, under the law of 1893 and a later amendment, every town which establishes a free public library and provides for its maintenance and increase receives a grant of books not exceeding $200 in value the first year and not more than $100 in any succeeding year. There are now in Connecticut 175 libraries, of which number 152 are free libraries (99 of them free public libraries under the state law), and 23 are subscription libraries. These libraries contain 1,548.540 volumes, 84,126 volumes being added during the year. culation amounted to 3,305,545. Total expenditures were $178,299.08, of which $111,744.20 was used for salaries, $56,378.00 for books, and $10,176.88 for periodicals. A series of tables, covering 53 pages, give complete details concerning the libraries of the state. In addition to the regular public libraries there are in the state 1095 schools having libraries, which contain 293,921 books. Of these 140 draw the state grant, the total amount so drawn being $8130.

Cir

Ansonia P. L. Ruby E. Steele, lbn. (17th rpt.-yr. ending Sept. 30, 1913.) Accessions 1280; total number of volumes in library 19,257. Circulation 57,360. New registrations 540, total 2923. Receipts $5899.60; expenses $4904.71, including $1768 for salaries, and $1080.44 for books and periodicals.

Hartford. In answer to communications from the Civic Club and others in regard to the establishment of a municipal library in the new municipal building, the Municipal Building Commission states that there is sufficient space unallotted in the new building to house the proposed library, and at the direction of the city authorities this space could be reserved for the purposes noted in the communications. Huntington. Plumb Mem. L. Jessamine Ward, lbn. (21st annual rpt.-yr. ending Aug. 31, 1913.) Accessions 747; total number of volumes in library 13,201. Circulation 39,501. New registration 361; total 744. Receipts $4117.34; expenses $3500.76.

Meriden. Mrs. Augusta Munson Curtis, aged 81, donor to Meriden of the $100,000 Curtis Memorial Library and widow of exMayor George R. Curtis, died April 1.

Middletown. The trustees of Wesleyan University have decided to erect a new library building, as part of extensive changes and improvements to be made within the university grounds.

Norfolk. The Norfolk Library, founded and maintained by Miss Isabella Eldridge, is twenty-five years old. It is thirty-three years since Miss Eldridge took the first step toward what later was realized in the present library, when she opened, in 1881, a reading room in the house of G. W. Scoville. The library does not cost Norfolk one cent, all expenses connected therewith, even to the purchase of books, being borne by Miss Eldridge.

Norwich. The Otis Library has received from the state the "Vital records of the town of Norwich," in two volumes, published by the Society of Colonial Wars.

during a century by George Washington Doane, bishop of New Jersey, and his son, the late bishop of Albany.

Alden. The new building of the Ewell Free Library is completed, and the furniture is now being installed. It is built of Warsaw blue stone, trimmed with Indiana limestone, and is one of the most complete library buildings in the state. It is the gift of Colonel and Mrs. Joseph E. Ewell of Bath, former residents of Alden, as a memorial to their daughter, Florence Josephine Ewell.

Amangansett. The movement for the establishment of a public library in Amagansett is having warm support. An offer to donate 400 volumes has been made by an interested party.

Auburn. It is not generally understood by citizens that the library of Auburn Theological Seminary is open for use by the public. To meet this apparent misunderstanding the seminary authorities wish to state that their library is a free, public library, and its use is not confined to the faculty and students. The building is open on every week day during the seminary year from 8 to 12 in the morning, from 2 to 5 in the afternoon, and from 7 to 10 in the evening. An exception is made of the evening hours on Saturday. During vacations the hours are from 8 to 12 in the morning, and from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. Rev. John Quincy Adams, D.D., is the librarian in charge. It is a general as well as a theological library. In it are now 35,450 volumes and 13,200 pamphlets, and about 70 periodicals.

Brooklyn. In a letter to the Brooklyn Eagle of April 12, David A. Boody, president of the Brooklyn Public Library, answers the frequent question why work does not proceed in the construction of the new central building. In the first place, to quote Mr. Boody, "this building is being constructed by the City of New York and not by the Brooklyn Public Library. The work is in charge of our local borough officials. The amount which has already been appropriated for this building is $500,000. No further work can be done until an additional sum shall be available as a portion of the original $500,000 must be retained to pay for architect fees, etc., as work goes on in accordance with the contract. In order to make a portion of this building available as soon as possible

for the present needs of the library, it was suggested by the trustees that the Flatbush avenue wing be first constructed. By a further appropriation at the present time of $500,000 the wing can be completed to the second story and made to house the valuable collection of books and records now in the Montague branch. This collection is estimated to be worth $750,000, but in many respects it has a valuation which money cannot measure. The Montague building is without adequate accommodation for these books and records and is not fireproof. A watchman is on duty night and day, but such a condition allowed to remain beyond the limit of necessity does not coincide with official obligation."

Brooklyn. Children's Museum L. Miriam S. Draper, lbn. (Rpt.-yr. ending Dec. 31, 1913.) Accessions 223; total number of volumes in library 5895. Total attendance for 1913 was 47,798, and 329 books were loaned for home use.

Work on enlarging the reference room was begun during the year, and when completed will give considerable additional space for book shelves, besides providing tables for teachers and older students. Many students in the Training School for Teachers used the library in their preparation of lessons, and pupils of one biology class in the Commercial High School spent their study periods there, following the outline of a special course. Boys and girls use the library constantly in connection with their hobbies. Visits to the museum have been made by thirty different groups of librarians and by several curators of museums both in this country and abroad.

Buffalo. The councilmen have reconsidered the budget and have raised the library appropriation from $83,174.59 to $110,000, after Librarian Walter P. Brown and Director Thomas T. Ramsdell had presented figures showing that it would be necessary to close some of the branches unless the appropriation was increased.

Buffalo. The Buffalo Public Library is to send to Spokane, Wash., for the Inland Empire Teachers' Association demonstration, an exhibit of the library work in the schools of this city. Requests for displays illustrating this phase of library work, which originated in Buffalo, have come from all over the world. An exhibit has been sent to Leipsic and this in turn is to go to the San Francisco Exposition in 1915. Recently the superintendent

of the Oregon schools sent to all the district superintendents pamphlets describing the school library work of Buffalo and urging the adoption of the service wherever possible.

Canandaigua. Major Charles A. Richardson of Gorham street, this city, has made a gift of his valuable library to the Wood Library Association, which is to occupy quarters in the building of Ontario Historical Society, now in process of construction. Over 1700 volumes are contained in the collection, which is valued at many thousands of dollars. Major Richardson has also assured the Library Association that he has provided for an endowment of $5000 for the institution. One-half the income from this amount is to be expended annually in the upkeep of the Richardson library and the other half is to be used to buy reference books to keep the collection up to date. It has been agreed that an alcove shall be set aside in the library portion of the Historical Building for the purpose of keeping the Richardson volumes together and that the gift is to be known as "The Major Richardson Collection."

Canton. Mrs. Eva Remington, the widow of the artist, Frederic Remington, has made a valuable addition to the College Library, to be under the direction of the Fine Arts Department of St. Lawrence University. The library is to be a memorial to Mrs. Remington's parents, Lawton and Flora Caten. The selection of books has been made by Prof. Hardie of the college, and the books cover the whole field of fine arts. For the present these books will be kept in the classified library, but when a suitable bookcase has been made they will be housed in the fine arts room. Mrs. Remington plans to make additions from time to time.

Carthage. F. W. Woolworth has given $100 to the Carthage Free Library, and the money will probably be used for current expenses. Mr. Woolworth was a native of the town of Champion, and donations from other former residents of Champion to the amount of $300 have been received. This with the $400 that was appropriated at the last village election by the taxpayers of the two villages places the library in a good financial condition. The board of trustees of the library association is considering the proposition of starting an active campaign to raise by popular subscription a building fund.

Corona. A delegation of residents of the North Corona section, at the March meet