Report of the city of Somerville 1902, Part 20

Author: Somerville (Mass.)
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Somerville, Mass.
Number of Pages: 518


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1902 > Part 20


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15 Park ave.


650


1896


1


Almena J. Mansir,


77 Albion st.


650


1899


5


MAY E. SMALL, Principal,


7 Kingston st.


$725


1900


4


Eliza H. Lunt,


50 Curtis st.


650


1890


3


Charlotte F. Mott,


154 Charles st., Boston.


650


1886


2


Alice T. McNamara,


35 St. James ave., Boston.


650


1895


1


Martha A. Jencks,


102 Orchard st.


650


1899


EVENING SCHOOL


PRINCIPALS.


ALBERT L. WARE, Drawing.


CHARLES T. MURRAY, Prescott.


JOHN S. EMERSON, Bell.


FRED C. BALDWIN, Forster.


CHARLES E. BRAINARD, Highland.


* On leave of absence.


87 Orchard st.


1,800


1903


S. Adelaide Blood,


Washington st., Ayer.


700


1882


Edith W. Emerson,


Arlington.


700


1896


HIGHLAND.


Ernest W. Robinson, Substitute,


WM. H. HODGKINS.


LINCOLN.


33 Wallace st.


251


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


TABLE 29 .- Teachers in Service January, 1903 .- Concluded.


Grade.


NAME.


Residence.


Salary.


Beginning of Service.


SPECIAL TEACHERS.


MUSIC.


S. Henry Hadley,


$1,700


1869


6-1


Charlotte D. Lawton,


900


1898


DRAWING.


9-1


Mary L. Patrick,


Newtonville.


$1,000


1895


8-5 8-5


Emma J. Ellis,


650


1900


8-5


Bertha P. Paul,


600


1900


PENMANSHIP.


9-1


Wmn. A. Whitehouse,


94 Summer st.


$1,200


1895


TABLE 30 .- OFFICERS IN SERVICE DECEMBER, 1902.


NAME.


Residence.


Salary.


Beginning of


SUPERINTENDENT.


Gordon A. Southworth,


40 Greenville st.


$3,000


1803


CLERK.


Cora S. Fitch,


273 Medford st.


$650


1901


TRUANT OFFICERS.


Lemuel H. Snow, Jairus Mann,


75 Benton road. 80 Porter st.


$1,100 50


1886 1872


SEWING.


60 Bartlett st. 54 Marshall st. 23 Monmouth st.


$650


1888


Mary L. Boyd,


46 Pearl st. 60 Bow st.


Service.


252


ANNUAL REPORTS.


TABLE 31 .- SCHOOL JANITORS, DECEMBER, 1902.


SCHOOL.


Name.


Residence.


Salary.


Latin High, S .


Joseph Young.


51 Oxford St.


$1,000 00


English High, S


Lewis G. Keene.


54 Prescott St.


1,200 00


Prescott, S, 12 .


George A. McGunnigle.


50 Pearl St. 830 00


Edgerly, S, 12 .


David G. Marston.


20 Everett Ave.


830 00


Davis, F, 4.


N. L. Pennock.


54 Putnam St.


400 00


Bell, S, 12 .


F. S. Dickinson.


1 Putnam St. 830 00


380 00


Pope, F, 12


.


Hiram A. Turner.


16 Gibbens St.


830 00


Bennett, S, 12


Daniel T. Campbell.


140 Medford St.


890 00


Forster, S, 13


James L. Whitaker.


146-R Sycamore St.


720 00


Forster, S, 13


John H. Kelley.


11 Richdale Ave.


900 00


Glines, S, 14


Roy C. Burckes.


249 School St.


950 00


Bingham, S, 8


John F. O'Brien.


5 Richardson St.


600 00


Morse, F, 12


·


Charles Gale.


10 Brastow Ave.


830 00


Durell, S, 4 ·


Albert C. Taylor.


46 Oxford St.


540 00


Burns, S, 8


Charles Gallaway.


160 Hudson St.


600 00


Highland, F. 12


E. P. Cook.


241 Elm St.


830 00


Lincoln, S, 4


W. B. Higgins.


82 School St.


480 00


Hodgkins, S, 12


Andrew B. Colesworthy.


33 Simpson Ave.


890 00


Hanscom, S, 6 .


Albert Gilman.


66 Glen St


600 00


Carr, S, 15 .


·


James W. Rich.


206 Highland Ave.


1,080 00


Perry, S. 6


·


Henry C. Bradford.


72 Boston St.


600 00


Brown, S, 6


·


John F. Richardson.


23 Appleton St. 600 00


Baxter, S, 6


William Winterbottom. .


2 Bolton St.


600 00


.


Cummings, F, 4 Knapp, S, 13


William T. Higgins.


82 School St.


John C. Sampson.


11 Fountain Ave.


890 00


Buildings heated by steam are marked "S," by furnace "F." The numbers show the number of rooms.


The high schools are heated by a single plant in Latin building.


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS


OF THE SOMERVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1902.


Trustees.


CHARLES A. WEST. JOHN B. VIALL. J. FRANK WELLINGTON. CHARLES S. SOULE.


HOWARD D. MOORE. IRVING G. HALL. FREDERICK W. PARKER. EDWARD C. BOOTH, M. D.


GEORGE W. PERKINS.


Officers.


CHARLES A. WEST


President.


SAM WALTER FOSS


.


Secretary.


Committees.


Building and Grounds-Viall, Perkins, and Hall.


Administration -Wellington, Soule, and Parker.


Books and Catalogues -West, Viall, Booth, Wellington, Moore, and Hall. Finance - Perkins, Hall, and Parker.


Librarian. SAM WALTER FOSS.


Assistant Librarian.


ADELE SMITH.


, Cataloguer. F. MABEL NORCROSS.


Assistant Cataloguer.


ESTHER M. MAYHEW.


Children's Librarian. ANNA L. STONE.


School Librarian. EDITH B. HAYES.


Reference and Art Librarian. MABEL E. BUNKER.


Assistants.


MARY J. WARREN. MARY S. WOODMAN. FLORENCE D. HURTER. BESSIE L. DUDDY.


NELLIE M. WHIPPLE.


ALICE W. SEARS. GARDNER STACY. DAVID COUNTWAY. CHARLES A. PERRY. F. STUART DEAN.


Janitor.


CHARLES A. SOUTHWICK.


PUBLIC LIBRARY ACCOUNT.


Receipts and Expenditures for 1902.


CREDIT.


Balance from 1901


$220 75


Dog tax


3,230 95


Appropriations


14,500 00


Fines, etc.


716 89


A. L. Cadwell (money refunded)


4 75


E. B. Hall


10 00


Total


$18,683 34


Pay Roll for January


$1,260 19


66


66


February


1,196 87


66


66


66


April


1,447 87


66


66


66 May


1,420 84


66


66


June


1,634 50


66


66


July


1,034 03


66


66


August


1,226 96


66


September


1,229 44


66


October


2,016 61


66


66


66 November


2,358 88


66


December


2,183 45


Balance


93 55


Total


$18,683 34


Isaac Pitman Poetry Fund.


CREDIT.


Balance from 1901


$85 64


Interest


40 00


Total


$125 64


DEBIT.


Books purchased in 1902 .


$37 12


Balance carried to 1903


88 52


Total


$125 64


Isaac Pitman Art Fund.


CREDIT.


Balance from 1901


$18 91


Interest


160 00


Total


$178 91


DEBIT.


Books and pictures purchased in 1902


$162 35


Balance carried to 1903


16 56


Total


$178 91


66


66


March


1,580 15


DEBIT.


.


REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES.


To His Honor, the Mayor, and Board of Aldermen of the City of Somerville :-


The trustees of the Public Library beg to submit herewith their thirtieth annual report.


During the past year the work carried on by the Library has been virtually along the same lines adopted in previous years, but at the same time the continual growth of the various departments has called for new methods, and the Trustees are impressed with the necessity of providing additional room that the reading public may be served to the best advantage.


The Reference Department has developed rapidly during the past year, and is now used very largely by the pupils of the High and Latin Schools. That the Library is so conveniently situate to the school buildings is indeed fortunate as its usefulness is thereby greatly enhanced. The demand for books of reference from this source has very largely increased as the character and numbers of the books in the Library have become more generally known and appreciated by the teachers and scholars. It has been found necessary to duplicate many of the prominent works of reference and even then the demand has not been satisfactorily answered.


The School Department has developed rapidly. A special school librarian now devotes her whole time to the work of the schools, which she visits systematically, co-operating with the teachers in every possible way. A room has been fitted for her work, where books are arranged according to grades, and here she meets and consults with teachers and scholars. The work done by her department is greatly appreciated, and is of great value to the cause of education.


A system of co-operation with the Sunday Schools has been inaugurated. Five churches are already receiving one hundred books each, from the Library, and several more have specified their intention of using the library books at an early date. It looks as if this system might become very generally adopted. This method of service to the Sunday Schools has attracted wide attention, and several other libraries already have signified their intention to adopt a similar system.


The number of vacation cards issued during the summer months showed an increase over last year.


The Cataloguing Department has issued the printed cards furnished by the Library of Congress whenever they have been


256


ANNUAL REPORTS.


procurable. This has resulted in a considerable decrease of labor in that department, and an increased efficiency of service.


Free access to all the books eligible to card holders was in- stituted in January last. This new departure meets with the uni- versal approval of the public. Perhaps no act of the Public Library has been so popular or caused so much satisfaction to its patrons. The privilege granted was limited for a time, but as it became apparent that the opportunity of handling and examining books at leisure was a pleasure and a great help to the public in making their selections, all of the stack rooms were soon opened to the public.


A complete inventory has recently been taken of all of the books in the Library, by which it appears that less than one-quar- ter of one per cent. of the whole number of books catalogued are unaccounted for. This is particularly gratifying, as no inventory has been taken for several years, and speaks well for the faithful- ness of the employees and the trustworthiness of the public.


Several exhibits of art work done by the scholars of the pub- lic schools have at times been on view in the Library. These exhibits attract more attention than any others, and exert a strong educative influence along artistic lines.


The circulation of books for home use continually increases, and the Library still maintains its position in this state as second only to that of Boston in point of circulation.


The Trustees take particular pleasure in again testifying to the value to the Library of our present librarian. He is faithful to the interests of the Library in every department, and ever ready with some new idea to advance its usefulness and increase its cir- culation.


The new methods and ideas that have been inaugurated are so successful that the Somerville Public Library is becoming known as one of the most progressive and up-to-date libraries in New England.


Respectfully submitted, CHARLES A. WEST, President.


December 29, 1902.


REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.


To the Trustees of the Somerville Public Library :-


I herewith submit the Librarian's thirtieth annual report. Below is a statement in detail relative to the various depart- ments :-


The Cataloguing Department.


The Cataloguing Department, under the supervision of Miss F. Mabel Norcross, in keeping pace with the growth of the Li- brary finds an increased amount of work. During the past twelve months the Library has purchased from the Library of Congress 8,300 printed cards at a cost of $58.59. None but author cards can be purchased in this way, and so a considerable amount of work is entailed upon the cataloguing department in the writing in of the subject and title headings, the shelf numbers, etc. In the present state of the service there are many cards that cannot be obtained from the Library of Congress, and many others, which can be obtained, but are obtainable only after considerable delays. A Library desirous of keeping its card catalogue fully abreast of its purchases is sometimes inconvenienced by these delays. But this Library of Congress service is a newly inaugur- ated system and is steadily developing toward a high state of effi- ciency. We have availed ourselves of this service to such an ex- tent that we have purchased an extra set of all the cards fur- nished. This extra set we have laid aside and, in due course of time, we can employ them in some of the agencies. They will serve as a nucleus for a card catalogue similar to the card cata- logue now in use at West Somerville. Perhaps such a card cata- logue might be established in East Somerville during the coming year. Such a catalogue would, of course, be very incomplete, at first ; but it would contain most of the new books-and it is for new books that the majority of the people who consult card cata- logues are looking. With free access to the shelves the patrons of the agencies are really more in need of catalogues than are the patrons of the Central Library, who can freely examine the books themselves upon the shelves. Perhaps it would be wise to con- sider the feasibility of gradually installing card catalogues in all the successful agencies.


Below are the statistics of books withdrawn from the Li- brary, books added to the Library, and books bound by the Li- brary during the year :-


258


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Books Withdrawn.


Number of books worn out


856


lost by general readers 18


66


in schools 25


burned on account of infectious exposure


30


Total number withdrawn


929


Total number of books withdrawn to January, 1902


5,534


during 1902


929


Total


6,463


Books Added.


Accession number January 1, 1902


57,692


6 66 January 1, 1903


63,002


Total number of books added during 1902


5,310


Books new to the library


4,227


Duplicates


1,183


Total number withdrawn


6,463


Total number of books in the library


56,539


Binding.


Volumes rebound


3,761


Periodicals bound


165


Paper-covered books bound


75


Pamphlets


39


Total


4,040


The School Department.


The School Department, under the supervision of Miss Edith B. Hayes, is doing a steadily increasing amount of work. Since the opening of the last school year, Miss Hayes has given nearly her exclusive time to the work. A room has been spec- ially fitted up for her, lined with book-shelves sufficient to accom- modate all the books at present demanded by the various school libraries. Since the beginning of the year 6,717 books have been sent to the schools. One hundred and forty-seven of the two hundred and forty teachers in the primary and grammar schools have been supplied with libraries of twenty-five books each. The High Schools have been supplied, with a few unimportant ex- ceptions, with whatever books have been requested by the teachers. These teachers have suggested a large number of ex- cellent books for purchase. Books thus recommended have, of course, been books of a high order and have been unhesitatingly supplied. In July, forty-eight books were sent to the Prospect Hill Summer School.


Miss Hayes has visited each of the twenty-five school build- ings twice during the year. In one building, at the request of the principal, she talked with all the children, from the fourth grade through the ninth, and supplied them with lists of good


259


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


books suitable to their needs. Lists of books in the Library treating of the subjects studied in school and suitable for the children have been made out and sent to the teachers, whenever they have signified a desire for such lists.


The circulation through school boxes sent to the school has been 2,094. This circulation is now confined to the Morse and Knapp schools.


Miss Hayes is at present employed in making a complete catalogue of all the books contained in the School Department and also upon a graded list of books for children.


The Library has purchased a very large number of books for the school libraries during the past three years. As a conse- quence we now have a sufficient number of books on hand to supply the demands of the teachers when only twenty-five books are sent to each schoolroom. But twenty-five is an inadequate supply, and I would recommend that we still continue to purchase as many books as ever for this branch of our work, and to begin with the New Year to supply school libraries of forty books to a room. Even this number in many instances would not furnish a book apiece to the pupils.


The Children's Department.


The Children's Department, under the supervision of Miss Anna L. Stone, has been doing excellent work during the past twelve months. Since the opening of the general stack rooms to the public many young people who formerly flocked to the Children's Room have transferred their attention almost entirely to adult books. The maturity of the childish mind in literary matters is much more advanced than we seniors are apt to recog- nize. And, in fact, it is much better for a child to read books slightly above his comprehension than to stunt his intellect and arrest his development by reading books below his comprehen- sion. Consequently, instead of being depressed we are some- what elated to learn that the circulation of the Children's Room has decreased rather than increased since the opening of the stacks. The children have taken out more mature books than can be found in the Children's Room, and we feel like congratu- lating them on graduating from a primary to a higher grade in their intellectual development. The Children's Room is a mag- nificent adjunct to the Public Library as long as children remain children ; but they should not be compelled to wear intellectual short dresses and knickerbockers after their sturdy minds have outgrown them.


The shelving capacity of the Children's Room has been in- creased more than one-half by the erection of a double-faced stack on the northern side of the room.


The circulation of the Children's Room by months is here subjoined :-


260


ANNUAL REPORTS.


January


7,790


February


8,242


March


9,171


April


10,750


May


8,304


June


5,884


July


4,847


August


4,302


September


4,772


October


6,743


November


8,460


December


7,093


Total


71,444


Of this circulation, 79.05 per cent is fiction and 20.95 per cent other works. This high per cent. of fiction is due to various causes. The children obtain a large proportion of their "other works" from the numerous school libraries that are distributed throughout the city, and come to the Library for the sole purpose of obtaining fiction. Perhaps the term "fiction," at least in its obnoxious sense, ought not to be applied to the harmless story books and fairy tales, which are a natural and wholesome type of youthful reading. The story is well-nigh the only variety of lit- erature that the young child can assimilate.


The Reference and Art Department.


The Reference and Art Department, under the supervision of Miss Mabel E. Bunker, has been increasingly used by the public.


Below is given the monthly attendance for the year :-


January


1,562


February


1,723


March


1,948


April


1,112


May


1,235


June


2,170


July


523


August


486


September


1,204


October


1,460


November


1,487


December


1,115


Total


16,025


There have been during the year seventeen Art exhibits in the Library, as follows: Albrecht Durer, Poster exhibit, Hawaiian Islands, Contemporary Masterpieces of French Art, French Art in Paris, Somerville High School Art work, Somer- ville Grammar and Primary School Art Work, Raphael, Califor- nia, Autograph collection, Venice, Somerville Evening School work, Alaska, Greek and Roman Art, Siena, York.


261


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


Through the Pitman Art fund we are enabled to buy a con- siderable number of fine pictures and a few art books. Works of this kind are very expensive and the income from this fund is sufficient to purchase only a small part of what a good Art De- partment requires. A few excellent pictures of a high order of artistic merit would be a valuable addition to the walls of our Art Room. The Library would not be justified in purchasing such work from the public appropriation ; but private generosity might find here an excellent opportunity for its benefactions.


The Americana branch of the Reference Department has not been neglected during the past year, and a considerable sum has been expended upon it. This money has been devoted very largely to the purchase of Maine and New Hampshire town his- tories.


An increasing amount of our appropriation should be ex- pended upon our Reference Department. It is through this de- partment that the Library finds an opportunity to do exclusively educational work.


It is gratifying to note to what an extent the Reference Room is used by the scholars of the schools.


General Work.


The general work of the Library, under the immediate su- pervision of Miss Adele Smith, the assistant librarian, has moved forward smoothly and an increased amount of business has been accomplished. Our Vacation Card system has been continued and has been increasingly appreciated by people who spend their vacations out of town. The past summer 274 cards were issued on which 1,371 books were taken out, as against 1,250 of last year. Of this number, 1,150 were fiction and 221 other works.


The general circulation figures of the year are as follows :-


January


23,969


February


24,546


March


33,708


April


23,777


May


22,178


June


24,199


July


16,584


August


15,080


September


20,155


October


21,386


November


24,206


December


27,118


Total


277,106


Last year the circulation was 264,227. Consequently, there has been a net increase of 12,879. Seventy-two and one- half per cent. of the circulation this year has been fiction, and 27}


262


ANNUAL REPORTS.


per cent. other works. Last year our circulation consisted of 732 per cent. fiction and 262 per cent. other works.


Below is given our circulation by classes exclusive of fiction :--


General works


6,803


Philosophy


1,077


Religion


1,389


Sociology


1,893


Philology


223


Natural science


2,952


Useful arts


2,559


Fine arts


6,163


Literature


8,933


History


12.762


Children's Room


14,974


Schools, Specials, etc.


16,504


Totals


76,232


Below is the statistical statement of the general work of the year :-


Volumes in library


63,002


66 added


5,310


Delivered for home use 66 at West Somerville


13,321


66


" East Somerville


5,421


66


" South Somerville


3,722


66


" Magoun square


326


66


" Beacon street


2,393


at grammar schools


2,341


Volumes out in school library


6,717


Number of Reference Room visitors


16,025


Art Department, number of photographs Cards issued


3,032


Books covered .


1,437


Cash, Fines


$529 72


66


Books


114 03


66


Finding lists


6 40


66


Telephone


3 20


Total


$653 35


Free Access.


Beginning with the first day of January, 1902, all the books of the Library intended for circulation have been free of access to the public. No act of the Library has probably ever been re- ceived with such favor as this. It is no exaggeration to say that this act has increased the usefulness of the Library two-fold.


Sunday School Libraries.


By a vote of your Board in September the librarian was au- thorized to loan books to the various Sunday schools of the city


277,075


66 from Children's Room


71,444


Sunday Schools


354


400


263


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


that might be desirous of such service. A letter was accordingly prepared and sent to the pastor of every church in Somerville, offering books to the various Sunday schools of the city up to the number of 100. Already five Sunday schools, the Winter-Hill Congregational, the Winter-Hill Universalist, the Prospect-Hill Congregational, the Union-Square Baptist, and the First Meth- odist church, have accepted this service. The Sunday schools select excellent books, and through their agency the Library can be instrumental in getting a large number of inspiring, helpful, and really meritorious books before the public. Since the adop- tion of this Sunday school service by the Somerville Library, sev- eral other libraries have adopted a similar service.


House Delivery.


The Library still continues its house delivery of books. If the boy who engages in this work is energetic and possessed of some address he finds the work remunerative. The boys who have sections at some distance from the Library hold their cus- tomers permanently. It is difficult, however, to hold customers who live within easy reach of the Library. During the year there have been delivered by our boy carriers books to the number of 7,990.


Binding.


During the year $1,838.41 were expended for binding. As the Library is increasing at the rate of about 6,000 books a year, as a natural consequence the binding required must naturally in- crease in like ratio. The folly of a cheap class of binding grows more and more apparent. Books sent out by the publishers, in too many instances are wretchedly bound. These bindings some- times 11tterly collapse within a few weeks. Publishers' bindings are frequently so notoriously worthless that an organized refusal to buy such bindings on the part of the libraries of the country might be a wholesome measure. But the Public Library should not imitate the publishers in the cheap nature of its bindings. Strong, durable, and as far as possible artistic bindings should be insisted on. It was thought inexpedient by your Board to estab- lish a bindery of our own at present, in connection with the Library, and the time has not yet arrived, perhaps, when in the interest of economy this bindery should be established. But our expense for binding is sure to increase probably at the rate of about $400 a year. If this prediction shall be found a true one it will not be many years before such a bindery can be justified on the score of economy.


Inventory.


During the summer months an inventory of the complete Library was taken. This work was a long and arduous one, and


264


ANNUAL REPORTS.


was the first thorough inventory that has been made for a period of several years. As a result of this inventory we discovered that 199 books were missing from the Children's Room, 116 fiction, nineteen picture books, and sixty-four other works. It must be remembered that no inventory of the Children's Room has been taken for a period of three years, and that during that time the collection has been subjected to two removals. From the general Library fifty-nine books have been found missing, twenty-eight fiction and thirty-one other works. The total number of books found missing from the entire Library is 258. When it is con- sidered that the Library contains about 60,000 volumes, with a circulation upwards of 270,000 a year, and that no complete pre- vious inventory has been taken for three years, this number is a remarkably low one.


Gifts.


The Library has received the following donations of books, pamphlets, and periodicals during the past year :-




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