Report of the city of Somerville 1909, Part 18

Author: Somerville (Mass.)
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Somerville, Mass.
Number of Pages: 510


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1909 > Part 18


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1.087


.984


.920


.828


.757


.757


.796


.804


.825


.806


.862


. 841


1.061


1.097


1.126


1.016


1.014


1.037


1.037


.960


.802


..


....


...


66


9


.704


.579


.498


.445


.440


.433


.497


.461


.518


.485


.485


.468


.569


.614


.679


. 731


. 702


10


.350


.369


.349


.333


.386


.370


.388


.367


.374


.369


.459


.501


.546


.588


. 621


....


...


....


....


....


..


66


12


.248


.312


.261


12


245


.212


.226


. 226


.241


.249


.287


.246


.282


.270


.293


.305


.337


....


....


....


....


..


...


....


....


..


66


13


.220


.271


.237


13


.206


.180


. 207


.209


.224


.208


.251


. 228


.245


.243


.269


.273


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


Grad.


.195


. 248


.200


* Graduated from Ninth Grade.


11 years, 1894-1904, the entering class was 85.4 per cent. of mean of grades 1-5 inclusive.


PROPORTION BETWEEN GIRLS AND BOY'S IN ATTENDANCE.


(Girls equal 100.) Figures are per cent. Boys.


MEANS.


Year Attend'g


1886


1887


1888


1889


1890


1891


1892


1893


1894


1895


1896


1897


1898


1899


1900


1901


1902


1903


1904


1905


1906


1907


1908


1909


1886 to 1897


1898 to 1909


1886 to 1909


Kinder- garten.


1


137


136


135


125


122


127


118


114


111


115


113


111


116


111


114


108


110


113


108


114


105


102


113


108


1


110


116


3


133


116


124


119


114


120


117


104


101


106


103


109


104


98


105


101


106


113


101


100


111


10€


97


100


2


114


104


109


4


132


133


103


115


112


114


119


99


100


106


92


111


108


104


102


102


102


112


109


100


100


109


112


98


4


111


105


108


5


129


129


114


113


116


119


106


97


102


101


93


115


95


98


103


102


107


110


112


103


102


107


115


5


113


106


110


6


118


144


122


121


107


126


115


100


117


105


84


97


94


84


86


91


102


9-1


90


91


95


100


103


10-


96


99


106


96


101


8


84


102


82


103


92


105


94


98


108


78


82


87


89


80


84


91


83


82


83


85


85


102


99


90


8


93


88


90


9


93


81


94


80


90


77


97


88


90


96


77


73


72


96


83


82


73


71


83


84


79


90


96


9


86


82


84


10


92


66


51


80


68


60


53


81


68


91


74


68


66


80


74


87


79


88


69


73


71


85


78


91


10


71


78


74


11


56


68


77


59


65


52


52


44


72


54


76


85


63


59


72


63


87


71


74


69


69


72


80


70


11


63


71


67


12


57


44


67


83


45


63


42


47


37


60


56


79


49


56


57


64


58


76


68


76


67


59


65


79


12


57


65


61


13


36


66


35


66


97


32


63


35


59


38


61


46


72


50


47


57


57


53


79


64


73


63


55


61


13


53


61


57


.944


.941


.928


.946


.875


.885


.903


.938


.966


.947


1.071


1.062


1.099


1.186


1.156


1.161


1.076


1.106


1.157


1.113


1.057


66


6


.820


1.038


.917


.831


.690


.705


. 661


.764


. 726


. 754


.716


.758


. 755


.875


.924


.939


.952


.981


.961


.726


.551


.540


.523


.612


.587


.636


.627


.617


.628


.705


.815


.859


.858


.813


.792


.754


...


..


....


....


....


Pro.


.473


.659


.535


11


·288


.277


.278


.260


.279


.288


.324


.290


.333


.315


.385


.393


.423


.465


....


..


...


...


..


..


Grad.


.182


.158


.182


.186


.192


.190


.220


.203


.224


.215


.248


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


....


8


.605


807


.682


.531


.483


.471


.466


.526


.481


.543


.531


.514


.498


.591


.661


.746


.777


. 695


..


....


....


66


10


.366


.543


.425


11


.294


416


.329


.736


.942


.822


8


.504


1.136


1.033


4


5


6


7


7


9


*Pro.


...


....


110


105


103


110


11


106


110


110


119


127


131


122


116


121


102


110


112


107


98


98


97


104


109


106


104


132


93


94


92


100


92


8


102


98


70


99


106


109


107


133


89


80


101


10


111


99


100


107


G


111


100


100


7


110


115


124


109


118


112


88


102


94


92


86


101


96


94


96


99


114


108


Kinder- garten.


87


93


.974


.978


1.008


8


1909


1.305


.908


12


134


.936


٦


234


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


TABLE C. - DECREASE OF MEMBERSHIP.


Proportion between number entering each year and the member- ship of the same class in succeeding grades :-


MEANS ONLY.


1886 to 1895.


1896 to 1909.


1886 to 1909.


Grade


1


1.344


1.391


1.372


66


3


.908


1.136


1.033


66


5


.884


1.087


.984


6


.820


1.038


.917


6


7


.736


.942


.822


66


8


.605


.807


.682


66


9


.504


.704


.579


10


.366


.543


.425


11


.294


.416


.329


66


12


,248


.312


.261


66


13


.220


.271


.237


Grammar Graduates


.473


.659


.535


High Graduates.


.195


.248


.200


RATIO OF THE SEXES.


Comparison of girls and boys in attendance in several grades. These figures give the per cent. which the boys bear to the girls :-


MEANS.


1886 to 1897.


1898 to 1909.


1886 to 1909.


Grade 1


2


3


4


5


113


106


110


66


6


111


100


106


106


96


101


66


8


93


88


90


9


86


82


84


10


71


78


74


66


11


63


71


67


12


57


65


61


13


.


.


53


61


57


66


2


.978


1.180


1.092


4


.927


1.159


1.024


Kindergarten


87%


102%


98%


122


110


116


115


106


110


114


104


109


111


105


108


7


.


·


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


·


·


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


·


.


.


.


·


.


.


.


.


.


. .


.


·


·


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


·


·


·


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


66


66


238


ANNUAL REPORTS.


TABLE D .- DIAGRAM.


Normal


3 4


5 6 7 8 9 2 10 11 12 13 G


Diagram showing ratio between membership and number entering. The normal line represents the number entering. The diagram is the mean result of years 1886-1909.


239


TABLE E. - DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS BY AGES, OCTOBER 1, 1909.


AGE.


GRADE.


Total.


4


5


6


7


8


9


10


11


12


13


14


15


16


17


18


19


Per cent. Above Normal Age.


1


29


999


368


89


18


00


3


3


1


4


..


1,522


37


2.4


2


·


27


722


423


132


38


10


3


51


3.8


3.


..


27


563


441


198


60


20


8


4


1


1,322


93


7.0


4


39


495


396


228


83


36


14


3


1


1,295


137


10.5


5.


2


44


430


356


214


122


52


12


2


1


1,235


67


5.4


6.


1


50


380


365


222


122


36


7


1,183


165


14.0


8.


.. .


....


....


2


44


322


337


198


82


13


2


1


1,001


98


9.8


9. .


....


....


. .


. .


4


36


246


232


161


42


6


1


· ...


728


49


6.7


Total.


29


1,026


1,119


1,158


1;517


1,049


956


986


1,010


978


579


281


63


8


1


1


10,761


841


7.8


Under Normal grade ...


18


46


73


109


156


149


120


63


8


1


1


841


Per cent. under Normal grade ..


1.2


4.4


7.6


11.0


9.6


16.0


25.7


42.7


100


100


100


100


7.1


-


7.


..


3


59


342


333


239


107


30


1,120


144


12.9


...


1,355


Above Normal Age.


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


240


ANNUAL REPORTS.


TABLE F .- Distribution of Pupils, 14 but Not 15, October 1, 1909.


NUMBER OF GRADE


2


3


4


5


6


7


8


9


10


11


12


13


Total


Latin ..


. .


:


. .


.


79


20


1


100


English .


144


40


2


186


Prescott ..


13


. .


. .


. .


. .


Davis.


Bennett.


1


2


Baxter.


. .


..


3


11


24


22


. .


Perry .


1


Pope .


.


1


2


13


14


12


.


.


. .


..


. .


. .


..


Glines.


28


Forster


. .


..


.


5


9


S


18


..


40


Carr. .


1


1


1


1


12


27


1"


. .


1


Durell


. .


. .


. .


. .


..


. .


. .


..


. .


. .


. .


6


8


1:2


. .


26


Highland


. .


·


1


2


1


S


17


20


. .


. .


49


Lincoln


. .


. .


..


..


..


..


. .


. .


. .


Lowe.


..


. .


. .


. .


..


. .


..


Total by grades P. C. by


1 .001


.003


.014


.041


.122


198 .226


232 . 265


223 . 255


60 .068


3 .003


875 .99S


TABLE G .- A COURSE IN MANUAL TRAINING FOR SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADES AND ITS AIM.


A definite course of graded models is herein outlined to be followed generally. The purpose of this course is to supply additional hand work, to train the pupil in the use of tools, to develop power of obser- vation, habit of orderly procedure and precision, and the ability to do the thing undertaken. While these are general aims, a particular aim is to arouse and develop the creative power of the child. To this end he may be encouraged to make other models suggested by this course, while he is held to the careful doing of whatever herein is undertaken.


TOOLS.


The tools to be used may be classified in two groups: (a) for the teacher, (b) for the pupil.


Group A.


Group B.


Pencil.


Block plane.


Pencil.


Rule.


Hammer. Rule.


Try square.


Bench hook.


Try square.


Knife.


Oil stone.


Knife.


Back saw.


Oil can.


Hammer (3 to each set).


..


34


Hanscom


2


. . :51 ::: 1 5 .. .


. .


. .


. .


. .


..


. .


. .


Knapp.


42


Bell.


43


Cummings


Edgerly


6


42.2


23


7


..


. .


39


Bingham


. .


14


13


16


13


. .


59


Proctor


1


..


..


. .


.


..


Brown.


51


Hodgkins.


. .


. .


3


12


36


107


·


·


. .


.


2


6


14


19


. .


.


1


1


1


15


23


57


Morse


2


Burns.


:26


.


6


12


33


. .


The knife to be furnished by the pupil and to be in the nature of a strong jackknife.


For use in connection with these sets a suitable number of pencil compasses will be placed in each building.


Each building will have one permanent set (a), while set (b) will be transferred as called for by schedule.


3


. .


. .


. .


. .


3


60


1


51


12


..


9


:


2


241


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


STOCK SHEET. (Seventh Grade.)


The material for the present year will be given partly prepared, as the opportunity for getting out such stock in the schoolroom is very limited.


Kind and Size.


Model.


Stock.


1. Plant stick. 1-2 in. white pine


2. Penholder


1-2 in.


3. Crumb knife.


1-4 in. gum wood


4. Peggy


7-8 in. whitewood


5. Peggy bat.


3-8 in.


6. Windmill 66


1-2 in. 66


66


13 in. x 3-4 in. 10 in. x 5-8 in. 8 1-2 in. x 5 1-4 in.


7. Crumb tray 66


1-3 in.


1-8 in.


66


7 1-2 in. x 2 in.


66


66


1-4 in.


18 in. x 1 1-2 in.


8. Bracket


3-16 in. basswood


9. Envelope rack. 66


..


66


66


5-16 in. 5-16 in.


12 1-2 in. x 2 1-2 in.


9 3-4 in. x 5 1-4 in.


STOCK SHEET. (Sixth Grade.)


The material for the present year will be given partly prepared, as the opportunity for getting out such stock in the schoolroom is very limited.


Model.


Stock.


1. Ruler


3-16 in. basswood


12 in. x 1 1-4 in.


2. Key tag. 3-16. in.


3. Seed label. 3-8 in. white pine


4. Key rack. 3-8 in. whitewood


7 in. x 2 in.


5. Calendar board. 1-4 in. gum wood 6. Yarn winder 1-8 in. cherry


3 1-4 in. x 3 in. 4 in. x 21-2 in.


7. Door button.


7-8 in. white pine


3 1-2 in. x 1 3-4 in.


8. Paper knife


1-2 in.


66


2 1-2 in. x 11-8 in.


6 in. x 3-4 in.


1-8 in.


Size. ¡


3 1-2 in. x 13-8 in.


5 1-16 in. x 1 1-2 in.


7 1-2 in. x 5-8 in.


9. Stamp box


5-8 in.


1-8 in. 66 66


2 1-2 in. x 13-8 in.


board form 9 11-16 in. x 3 5-16 in.


5-16 in. white pine 66


Size. 12 in. x 3-4 in. :


7 in. x 5-8 in. 12 in. x 1 7-8 in. 4 in. x 1 in. 16 in. x 1 3-4 in.


.1-2 in. gum wood


242


ANNUAL REPORTS.


TABLE H .- Number of Books in Use in the City, December, 1909.


SCHOOL.


Arithmetics.


Geographies.


Dictionaries.


Histories.


Language.


Music.


Spellers.


Physiology.


Reading


Books.


Miscellaneous.


Charts and


Maps.


Total.


Prescott .


515


475


358


308


468 204


776 502


642


95


2,941


593 498


13


3,734


Davis.


101


105


51


0


50


200


156


31


891


117


8


1,710


Bennett .


375


173


56


17


182


521


272


57


1,862


186


7


3,708


Baxter


607,


124


111


25


103


253


269


28


1,516


28


11


2,677


Knapp


985


603


435


588


611


917


638


181


2,564


1,433


61


9,016


Perry .


142


193


101


48


150


361


292


32


1,168


189


18


2,694


Pope


587


408


390


395


447


724


541


163


2,460


875


33


7,023


Bell


476


400


383


291


452


607


497


149


1,386


161


23


4,825


Cummings


225


73


2


0


46


190


150


31


982


214


6


1,919


Edgerly


830


328


402


379


563


866


683


217


3,513


433


14


8,228


Glines


448


475


368


281


409


807


633


85


1,713


551


19


5,789


Forster


1,177


643


550


556


679


1,189


853


128


4,957


548


50


11,330


Bingham


663


392


401


242


505


873


712


125


1,825


843


50


6,631


Carr


699


638


506


416


572


915


831


109


3,484


263


38


8,471


Morse


913


526


403


504


483


1,043


822


203


3,312


1,070


31


9,310


Proctor


269


158


169


85


279


462


458


25


2,188


157


8


4,258


Durell


170


0


4


0


46


207


150


29


923


312


7


1,848


Burns .


505


110


146


143


209


537


362


36


2,113


729


19


4,909


Brown


401


263


256


161


305


575


481


125


1,812


201


23


4,603


Highland


890


519


602


396


650


872


637


75


2,276


1,425


34


8,376


Hodgkins


652


548


477


391


540


880


695


153


3,046


243


36


7,661


Lincoln .


2


29


2


0


1


174


193


4


1,501


261


0


2,167


Lowe .


51


109


7


0


51


362


289


28


1,379


332


2


2,610


Total


11,513


7,472


6,287


5,276


8,005


14,813 11,604 2,139


51,386 11,662


553


130,710


English.


French.


German.


Latin.


History and


Civics.


Greek.


Mathematics.


Science.


Commercial.


Elocution.


Miscellaneous


Latin English


1,982 3,725


966 2,969


1,151 1,091


1,968


765 2,500


500


756 1,366


202 882


1,112


1,073


422 1,149


8,712 17,043


Total ..


5,707


3,935


2,242


3,144


3,265


500


2,122


1,084


1,112


1,073


1,571


25,755


42


7,213


Hanscom


228


180


107


50


348


30


1,574


1,176


....


243


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


- TABLE I. - Somerville High School Athletic Association. Treasurer's Report. JULY 1, 1908, to JUNE 30, 1909.


Harry L. Jones, Treasurer.


Receipts.


Expenses.


Balance


$110.18


Football


$1,793.19


Football


2,598.04


Hockey


47.64


Baseball


390.99


Basket ball


167.01


Basket ball


53.30


Baseball


1,017.45


Treasurer


100.00


$3,152.51


$3,125.29


Balance June 30, 1909. 27.22


Treasurer's Report. 1909.


Receipts.


Expenses.


Balance


$27.22


Football :-


Supplies


$806.17


Manager's expenses .. 16.89


Coaching


375.00


Field


178.64


Labor at field.


135.73


(Secret practice and


games, etc.)


Telephone


34.23


Printing


83.42


Traveling expenses.


45.85


Advertising .


10.10


Medical attendance and supplies


88.64


League dues


10.00


Express


4.20


Postage


30.82


Miscellaneous expenses,


5.00


Treasurer's expenses .. .


84.95


$1,909.64


Balance December 31, 1909.


$3,004.31


Football


4,801.23


Membership, 1908-1909.


85.50


$4,913.95


244


ANNUAL REPORTS.


MONEY EXPENDED AT BROADWAY FIELD BY THE SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION FOR STANDS, LABOR, MATERIAL, ETC.


1904.


1905.


*Stands


$1,000.00


*Stands


$452.53


Labor


17.52


Labor


30.00


Insurance


30.00


Insurance


30.00


Settees


15.50


Settees


15.00


Numbering stands . .


15.90


Numbering stands


19.85


Signs


13.15


Signs


13.80


Miscellaneous expenses .. . 9.00


Miscellaneous expenses. 11.00


$1,101.07


$572.18


1906.


1907.


*Stands


$421.95


*Maintenance of field.


$143.80


Labor


79.50


Labor


30.00


Insurance


30.00


Insurance


30.00


Numbering stands


14.10


Numbering stands.


18.78


Settees


5.00


Signs


6.85


Signs


....


$229.43


$560.05


1908.


1909.


*Maintenance of field.


$132.00


*Maintenance of field ....


$171.40


Labor


79.25


*Labor, Everett and R. M. T. S. . ..


180.20


Signs


1.30


Extra labor, secret prac- tice for games, etc ....


135.73


Numbering seats


21.60


Signs


7.70


Settees


6.00


Miscellaneous


expenses. .


8.00


-


$530.63


1904


$1,101.07


190


...


572.18


1906


560.05


1907


...


229.43


1908


235.25


1909


.... 530.63


$3,228.61


FOOTBALL STATISTICS, SEASON OF 1909, 12 GAMES.


Attendance


.


24,497 $11,346.10


Police


$443.00


Field


245.00


Officials


410.00


Printing


151.50


Supplies


128.75


Miscellaneous expenses.


364.27


Visiting teams, receipts and expenses.


4,802.35


Somerville's receipts.


4,801.23


Total


$11,346.10


·


·


.


.


·


.


. .


.


-


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


. . ...


.


. .


..


.


.


.


.


.


. .


.


.


. .


.


.


...


·


.


.


.


. ...


.


.


.


*Paid City of Somerville.


..


9.50


Miscellaneous expenses. .


2.50


$235.25


Numbering stands.


20.20


. ..


..


Gross receipts


.


215


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


TABLE J .- Amendments to the Rules of the School Committee. MADE SINCE THE PRINTING OF THE LAST ANNUAL REPORT.


Section 130 of the Rules was amended to read as fol- lows :-


Kindergartens may be established and maintained by the Board whenever it is deemed wise.


Adopted May 24, 1909.


Section 58 was amended by substituting the sum of $1,350 for the sum of $1,300 as the maximum salary of the truant officer, he to furnish and maintain his own team.


Adopted November 29, 1909.


The following was substituted for Section 116 :-


There shall be twenty-five minutes of recess in the high schools at such time as the head master shall choose.


In elementary schools there shall be a recess of ten min- utes midway of the morning session.


In the first three grades of the elementary schools there shall be a recess of seven minutes midway of the afternoon session. This recess may be allowed in other grades of ele- mentary schools by the principal.


Pupils shall not be required to take an open-air recess in inclement weather.


No pupil shall be deprived of any portion of the regular recess of his class.


Adopted November 29, 1909.


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS


OF THE SOMERVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1909.


Trustees.


EDWARD C. BOOTH, M. D. JOHN B. VIALL. J. FRANK WELLINGTON. FREDERICK W. PARKER.


THOMAS M. DURELL, M. D. WILLIAM L. BARBER. REV. CHARLES L. NOYES, D. D. FREDERICK W. HAMILTON, D. D.


WILLIAM H. BURGESS.


Officers.


EDWARD C. BOOTH, M. D. SAM WALTER FOSS


President


·


·


Secretary


Committees.


Building and Grounds - Viall, Wellington, and Noyes. Administration - Wellington, Parker, and Durell.


Books and Catalogues -- Booth, Viall, Noyes, Durell, Barber, and Hamilton. Finance - Parker, Barber, and Burgess.


Librarian. SAM WALTER Foss.


Assistant Librarian. FLORENCE D. HURTER.


Cataloguer. ESTHER M. MAYHEW.


Assistant Cataloguer. EDITH B. HAYES.


Children's Librarian. ANNA L. STONE.


School Librarian. MARY S. WOODMAN.


Reference and Art Librarian.


MABEL E. BUNKER.


247


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


BESSIE L. DUDDY. ALICE W. SEARS. FLORENCE M. BARBER.


CECIL M. BARLOW. WILLIAM E. BAGSTER.


Assistants. A. MYRTLE MERRILL. RUBY G. WHITE. LOUISE THIERY.


Attendants.


EDGAR L. KAULA. HARRY BENSON.


Janitor. CHARLES A. SOUTHWICK.


WEST SOMERVILLE BRANCH.


Branch Librarian. NELLIE M. WHIPPLE.


Assistants. ETHEL M. NUTE.


BESSIE S. COBB. ANNIE M. CURRIE.


Attendant. RONALD MOORE.


Janitor. JOHN J. KILTY,


PUBLIC LIBRARY ACCOUNT.


Receipts and Expenditures for 1909.


CREDIT.


Appropriation


.


$16,000 00


Dog tax


3,796 11


West Somerville Branch


19 92


Somerville Y. M. C. A.


2 21


Fines, etc.


768 50


Total


$20,586 74


Books and periodicals


$6,809 35


Binding


1,631 84


Cards


105 00


Printing


608 40


Stationery


70 42


Salaries


9,959 24


Agencies


587 55


Express


315 34


Postage


39 00


Telephone


42 71


Supplies


107 35


Binders


78 40


A. L. A. membership


5 00


Repairs


27 95


Insurance


7 50


Disbursements


35 00


Sundries


60 48


Stereographs


16 86


Ice


19 35


Total


$20,586 74


West Somerville Branch.


CREDIT. .


Appropriation


$2,500 00


Fines, etc.


133 27


Total


$2,633 27


Books and periodicals


$1,354 62


Binding


214 91


Cards


19 43


Printing


16 90


Stationery


24 54


Salaries


855 52


Express


35 30


Telephone


14 23


Supplies


37 32


Binders


53 50


Ice


5 00


Frame


2 00


Total


$2,633 27


DEBIT.


DEBIT.


249


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


Isaac Pitman Art Fund.


CREDIT.


Balance from 1908


$115 62


Interest July 31, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. .


80 00


Interest December 31, American Telphone & Telegraph Co.


80 00


Interest accruing on deposits December 31


20 40


Total


$296 02


DEBIT.


Books and pictures purchased in 1909


$168 75


Balance carried to 1910 .


127 27


Total


$296 02


Isaac Pitman Poetry Fund.


CREDIT.


Balance from 1908


$44 29


Interest July 31, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. .


20 00


Interest December 31, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. ·


20 00


Interest accruing on deposits December 31


5 10


Total


$89 39


DEBIT.


Books purchased in 1909


$55 13


Balance carried to 1910 .


34 26


Total


$89 39


Frances A. Wilder Fund,


CREDIT.


Interest accruing on deposit of $100


$4 40


REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES.


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


Gentlemen,-The thirty-seventh annual report of the trus- tees of the public library is herewith respectfully submitted.


.The report of the librarian is grouped with this more gen- eral and cursory report, and to the former your honorable body is referred for a detailed and statistical statement of the opera- tion of the library for the year.


The affairs of the library are in a healthy condition, and the institution is enjoying in an enviable degree the confidence and good will of the people of Somerville.


The year has been a uniformly prosperous one, and has been unusually marked by the completion and opening of the West Somerville branch library building, which was mentioned as being in course of erection at the time of our last report.


Although three' flourishing agencies at the northwesterly part of the city have been discontinued in consequence of the establishment of the branch, the new institution has enabled the library to offer its opportunities more effectively to the people at large, and to those of West Somerville, in particular, as is shown by the considerable increase in the circulation.


The circulation of the three agencies,-the West Somer- ville, the Teele-square, and the Highland,-was 23,477 books for the six months of 1908 corresponding to the six months of 1909, in which the new branch circulated 54,534. The natural increase in business which these three agencies would have shown, had they been continued and the branch not built, is partly offset by a deduction which should be made in the figures of the Highland agency, which drew probably from one-quarter to one-half of its borrowers from territory that the branch draws little or nothing from. Therefore it is safe to say that the circulation of books in the West Somerville district is con- siderably more than doubled by the establishment of the new library.


The cataloguing department has been crowded with busi- ness during the year, as it has done the same character of work in preparing for circulation the books of the branch as it has done for the main library.


The children's department at the main library has naturally been somewhat less attended since the establishment of the branch, but with the children's work done at the latter institu- tion. the results have exceeded those of any year since the es- tablishment of the department.


251


PUBLIC LIBRARY.


The bills for binding have been increasing so alarmingly in the last few years, with the increase in circulation, that it is with satisfaction that we can report a substantial reduction in this item. This reduction has been brought about by the set- ting up of a simple and inexpensive binding plant within the library building, which has been efficiently operated by one of our assistants, Miss Sears. The origin and work of the new feature are fully described in the librarian's report. By this arrangement we have been able at moderate cost to utilize many books previously used for circulating-library purposes, and thus come nearer supplying the great demand of our readers for recent fiction. For the modern, up-to-date metro- politan library, from the nature of its patrons and the character of its business, which is confined almost exclusively to fiction, is particularly sensitive to the waning popularity of the season's novels, and proceeds early to unload its surplus copies, whereas the vogue of the new novel is much longer at a public library.


The branch library was opened to the public on May 27, in charge of a branch librarian, Miss Nellie M. Whipple, and two assistants, on a schedule of fifty-two hours per week,-the hours being from one to nine o'clock P. M. on five secular days of the week, and from nine o'clock A. M. to nine o'clock P. M. on Saturday. From the beginning the new branch has been patronized beyond the expectations of the most sanguine. The circulation on a more than 100,000 basis is larger than that of the parent library when Mr. Hayes became librarian in 1893.


It is a matter of congratulation to the trustees that a re- cent inventory taken of the 6,000 and odd books at the branch disclosed the loss of only six, and this while the public has had at all times free access to the shelves.


An investigation into the geographical distribution of the patrons of the new branch and the characteristics of the terri- tory tributary to it may prove of interest. In regard to the location of the city's libraries, it may be remarked that the cen- tral library is situated on a main avenue between the city hall and the two high school buildings, nearly in the geographical centre of the city, which at this point is upwards of a mile and three-quarters in width. The West Somerville branch building is situated a mile and a half northwesterly from the main library on the line of the city's long axis, near the business centre of West Somerville, somewhat beyond a point where the city nar- rows to a width of less than three-quarters of a mile and con- tinues for seven-eighths of a mile at substantially the same width. This district is succeeded by a strip of land near the debouching of Alewife brook into the Mystic river, now to a considerable extent under improvement as a part of the park system of Greater Boston,-a little more than half a mile long and a little less than a quarter of a mile wide, soon to be partly available for residential purposes, but as yet hardly built upon.


252


ANNUAL REPORTS.


The entire region tributary to the branch is a comparatively new one, and is occupied by a fairly homogeneous community of enterprising people. It was not without good library privi- lege before the establishment of the branch, as there were then three agencies in the district,-the West Somerville agency near the new branch; the Teele-square agency near the half- mile circle on the northwesterly side; and the Highland agency, also on the half-mile circle to the southeast, in the general direction of the main library. A circle drawn around the branch as a centre, with a radius of a quarter of a mile, comes close to the Cambridge line. The half-mile circle cuts into Medford on the northeast, embracing eight acres of that city's territory, and on the southwest extends into Cambridge some 600 feet westerly of Massachusetts avenue, and returns to Som- erville nearly a mile from where it entered, encircling ninety- seven acres of that city's lands. The area of a circle of a quarter-mile radius is 125 acres. The greater part of this is thickly settled, probably as much so as it will be for a long time to come. The population is upwards of 4,075 on a basis of four persons to a household. The patrons of the branch within this area number approximately 1,480, 864 being new card holders, who had never used the main library, and 615 who had been borrowers at the main library, but wished to avail themselves of the privileges of the branch when it was opened. The area contained between the quarter and the half-mile circle is 377 acres, 271 of which are within Somerville territory. The population of this area by a similar estimation to the above is 8,700. It contains a park of four and a half acres and about fifty-nine acres of Tufts College grounds. Some twenty-five acres of this last tract is now being opened for settlement, about one-half of it being already built upon. Otherwise this larger circular area is nearly as thickly settled as the smaller. The




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