USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1910 > Part 19
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Miss Alice W. Sears, who rendered valuable service at the main library, was placed in charge of the branch, and the choice has proved a happy one.
There is never a loss without a compensating gain. The closing of the buildings gave us the much-needed opportunity to thoroughly clean and renovate the main library, and this, with the kind assistance of the building commissioner, Walter T. Littlefield, was thoroughly done. Every book in the library was taken down and thoroughly cleaned, the shelves, floors, and woodwork of the building thoroughly washed, the tables, chairs, and desks were varnished, and the whole building put in perfect order. At the same time we were enabled to make a complete inventory of the books.
Several important improvements have been made in the buildings, notably the separate entrance into the children's de- partment; formerly the children were obliged to enter the building and pass through the main reading room to the base- ment. This was a source of great annoyance to those persons
251
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
who used the reading room. New shelving has been added to the children's room, together with two new tables and chairs. A new table has been added to the binding room and much needed additional heating facilities placed in the new stack room. The space between the new and old buildings has been concreted. Stands for dictionaries have been added to both buildings, and separate cabinets for the cataloguing of foreign books and for music, also a new machine for typewriting has been purchased. New shelving has been added to the East Somerville agency, and new stacks and shelving for the refer- ence room at the branch. With the special appropriation nearly 1,000 volumes of standard worth were added to the branch library.
With the multitude of books on the market and the shrewdness of the advertising publishers, the choice of suitable books for a public library is a very difficult one, and greater care than ever has been exercised in the selection of books. No book is allowed to enter circulation until it has been passed upon by a member of the board of trustees.
The open shelf system continues to be successful and the loss of books trifling.
With the limited means at our disposal, we do not recom- mend the extension of library facilities in other sections of the city. When the proper time comes, we would recommend the establishment of reading rooms in the Union-square district and at East Somerville.
The phenomenal growth of the branch library has con- tinued to be a source of wonderment and of great satisfaction to the trustees. To carry on this work and to meet the ever- increasing demands of this rapidly-growing section of the city, a much larger appropriation will be necessary.
Nearly 200 years before the Christian era, Plautus wrote : "Each man reaps on his own farm." And we certainly, in spite of our various drawbacks, have reaped a rich harvest on our farm.
Our thanks are due to the staff of both libraries for their splendid co-operation in this most trying year of the library's existence.
Respectfully submitted for the board of trustees,
THOMAS M. DURELL, 1 President.
December 27, 1910,
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.
To the Trustees of the Somerville Public Library :-
I herewith submit the librarian's thirty-eighth annual re- port. Following my usual custom, I append a somewhat de- tailed statement of the work done by each department :-
The Cataloguing Department.
The cataloguing department, under the supervision of Miss Esther M. Mayhew, has performed a much larger amount of work than has ever been done before in the history of the library.
As will be seen by the detailed statement given below, the library system of Somerville has purchased over 9,000 books ; this, for a library the size of Somerville's and for the size of the city, is a very remarkable record. If the same rate of in- crease should continue for a period of ten years, nearly as many books would be purchased during that time as now belong to the library. Considering the rapidity of the growth of the li- brary, there is but little doubt that for the whole period of ten years this ratio of growth will be kept up. Of course this will bring up perpetually the old problem of over-crowded shelves, which must be met by the careful exclusion of worn-out, use- less, and obsolete books; but the best way to solve the over- crowded problem is to keep the books distributed in very many localities,-in the branch, in the schools, in the Sunday schools, in the police stations, the fire engine houses, the hospital, and the various charitable institutions of the city. One of the best ways to keep down the over-crowded shelves is a large and quick circulation.
It has been necessary this year to put considerable extra help at the disposal of Miss Mayhew, in order that her work might be accomplished with any degree of promptness. When we take into consideration the wholesale way in which books have been thrown into her department, she has done remark- ably well. Miss Duddy, from the beginning of the branch li- brary, has done the shelf listing for that institution. A com- plete catalogue of music books in the library has been prepared during the past year, also a complete catalogue of the foreign books in the library. These catalogues are installed in two at- tractive cabinets in the general delivery room.
In addition to their regular work, the cataloguing depart- ment took an inventory of the entire library, with the following results :-
Books missing by inventory of 1910 :-
253
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
December, 1910.
Main. 228
Branch.
Total.
Circulating department .
9
237
Reference department
5
0
5
Children's room
156
10
166
Total
389
19
408
Below are given the general statistics of this department :-
Books Added.
Accession number January 1, 1910
108,105
1911
117,674
Total number added during 1910 :- Main library
7,121
Branch
2,448
Total .
9,569
Books new to library
6,067
Duplicates
3,502
Total number withdrawn
19,510
Total number in library :- Main library
88,921
Branch
9,243
Total
98,164
Books Withdrawn.
Books worn out
1,646
lost in schools
72
66
by general readers
57
66
burned per order Board of Health
53
Total number of books withdrawn
1,828
Total number of books withdrawn to January 1, 1910
17,682
66
during 1910
1,828
Total
19,510
11,059 catalogue cards have been purchased from the Library of Congress during 1910. i
Binding.
Main.
Branch.
Total.
Volumes rebound .
3,893
748
4,641
Periodicals
324
324
Paper-covered books
52
52
Repaired
47
47
Total
4,316
748
5,064
.
Children's Department.
The children's department, Miss Anna L. Stone, librarian, has had a circulation of 54,030 fiction and 12,483 other works, making a total of 66,513. It may be interesting to know that of the "other works" circulated, General Works were 1,134; Philosophy, 42; Religion, 369; Sociology, 2,471; Philology, 176; Natural Science, 813; Useful Arts, 299; Fine Arts, 843; Literature, 2,251; Travel, History, and Biography, 4,085.
Although there has been some decrease in the circulation
·
.
.
254
ANNUAL REPORTS.
of the children's room, this is directly traceable to the estab-
lishment of the branch library at West Somerville. As has been detailed by the president in his report, several important improvements have been made in the room, and one, an en- trance directly from the outside, is a matter which has long been desired and for which there was urgent need.
The School Department.
The school department, Miss Mary S. Woodman, libra- rian, finds an increasing amount of work to be performed each year. Miss Woodman has been somewhat hampered in her work in the past because she was not able to give sufficient time to the direct management of her department. At present, how- ever, she devotes her time almost exclusively to school work, and has started one or two innovations which we hope will re- sult well.
She has prepared a course of lectures to be delivered be- fore the teachers of Somerville upon the work of her depart- ment, as well as upon the broader general work of the whole library. In order to give an idea of the scope of her lecture plan, the subjects she will consider this year are as follows :-
I. Classification and shelf arrangement. The principle of the deci- mal system and its use in the Somerville library. How and where the books are to be found.
II. The dictionary catalogue-its purpose and arrangement. What it tells and how to get at it.
III. Magazine indexes and books of general reference. The quickest way to find what you want. Some out-of-the-way sources of information.
IV. Resources of the library on topics of interest to teachers. Educational books and magazines. Illustrated books of travel. Books on literature, art, etc.
V. Evaluation of books. What we may learn from standing of authors and publishing house, date of issue, etc. Helpful lists on vari- ous topics.
VI. Direction of children's reading. Aids in selection. Sending children to the library for study. Discussion of some children's books, good, bad, and indifferent.
The library has long had in view a catalogue of the books in the school department, and it is possible, if the cost of print- îng is not prohibitive, Miss Woodman may now accomplish this work.
There are a great many well-known and inspiring poems which are frequently called for by teachers and which the library can only furnish by giving out a complete volume for each poem. With the assistance of the school department, which will probably do the neostyling, Miss Woodman hopes to ob- tain enough of these poems, each printed singly, to supply the needs of the teachers. The school department and the Somer- ville schools are working together with great harmony, for which we, on our part, have to thank the superintendent,
255
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Charles W. Clark, and the various teachers, many of whom are exceedingly zealous in the work.
As will be noted, there has been a very desirable increase in the work, the number of books in the library, and the gen- eral circulation of this department.
Below are the statistics of this department for the year :-
Books in library |
9,045
Increase during year
771
Libraries out
155
Libraries delivered
165
Volumes out
6,487
Volumes delivered
7,568
Circulation during year :-
Fiction
49,628
Non-fiction
74,563
Total
124,191
The Reference and Art Department.
The reference and art department, under the supervision of Miss Mabel E. Bunker, has performed its regular work. There is not much opportunity for anything spectacular in the man- agement of the reference room, but a great deal of work is fre- quently required to answer an apparently simple question. These questions are coming with greater frequency than ever. Sometime I hope it may be found feasible to have a regular reference room telephone, and for the public to be invited to use it when it so desires. This has already been done by some newspapers, notably the Baltimore Sun; but it would seem to be a function of a public institution supported by public funds to do this kind of work. It would be in keeping with the pro- gressive tendencies of the times.
Below is given the monthly attendance for the year :- .
January
615
February
800
March .
966
April
988
May ·
411
June
519
July
191
August
440
September
520
October
662
November
1,015
December
561
Total
7,688
Number of registered visitors to Art Room
203
66
Americana Room
87
Total
290
This does not give the complete number of persons who use the books in the Art and Americana rooms, as many books are brought to the main reference room to be consulted there.
$56
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Number of volumes in Reference and Art Department 10,418
Increase of volumes during the year 425
Number of volumes rebound 78
During the year there have been fifteen art exhibitions, as follows :-
Wells Cathedral.
Yellowstone National Park, Pt. 1.
Etchings by William Unger, No. 3. (Chiefly Modern German and
Austrian, with seven Italian and Spanish.)
Historic Dress in America. i
Photographs of American Parks (from our collection).
Italian Fountains.
Madonna in Art.
Pictures for Children, by Randolph Caldecott.
Jamaica.
Photographs of American Parks (from our collection).
Rulers of Italy, with some Historical Comparisons.
Photographs (our collection).
Naples, No. 1, From. Naples to Paestum.
Colored Illustrations Made by Coupil from Living Models Showing 1908, 1909, and 1910 Styles in Parisian Gowns.
Etchings by William Unger, No. 1, Dutch Art. (Chiefly Rembrandt and His School.) 1
Some of the books purchased during the year for this de- partment :-
Auge, Claude, pub., Le Larousse Pour Tous Nouveau Dictionaire Encyclopédique, 6v.
Chaucer, Works of, ed. by Skeat, 6v. 1
Clarke, Maud N., Nature's Own Garden.
Cundall, H. M., History of British Water Color Painting.
Cutter, W. R., Genealogy-Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, 4v.
Cyclopedia of Commerce, 'Accountancy, Business Administration, 10v. Duncan, J. H. Elder, Country Cottages and Week-End Homes.
Edwards, G. W., Brittany and the Bretons.
Fletcher, Hanslip, Oxford and Cambridge. 1
Gauss, H. C., The American Government.
Hichens, Robert, The Holy Land.
Hunt, W. H., Pre-Raphaelitism and the Pre-Raphaelite Brother- hood, 2v.
Lockwood, L. V., Colonial Furniture in America.
Masterpieces in Color (29v. in series).
Modes and Manners of the Nineteenth Century, 3v.
National Gallery (7v. in series).
Nelson Encyclopedia '(loose leaf), 12v.
New Century Book of Facts.
Pennell, Elizabeth R., French Cathedrals.
1
Seidlitz, W. von, History of Japanese Color Prints.
Sturgis, Russell, The Artist's Way of Working, 2v.
Thayer, G. H., Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom. Webb, W. M., Heritage of Dress.
Williams, L., Arts and Crafts in Older Spain, 3v.
Wodiska, J., A Book of Precious Stones.
Binding.
Since Miss Sears has assumed the position of branch libra- rian, the bindery department, which was really founded and
257
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
established by her, has been carried forward under the super- vision of Miss A. Myrtle Merrill. The work under her man- agement has been carried forward effectively, and has resulted in a great financial saving to the library. During the year she and her assistant, Miss Helen Spear, have repaired 7,528 books. In addition to this work, Miss Bessie S. Cobb, of the branch li- brary, has repaired 9,024 books, making a total of 16,552. This means that over 16,000 books, which would otherwise have been sent to the bindery at the cost of nearly fifty cents a book, have been, temporarily, at least, repaired at the library. Although our bindery bills have increased considerably from the bills of last year, the cost would be very much heavier if this repair work were not done at the library.
Agencies.
Since the opening of the West Somerville branch library, the agencies have been reduced to three in number. Of these, two are deposit stations. Since the resignation of Miss Flor- ence M. Barber, the agencies have been in charge of Miss Louise Thiery, and since her resignation the work has been taken up by Miss Ruby G. White. As the number of agencies decrease, we are able to do more for them. We find that the public much prefers to select books directly from the shelves at the agency than to send up and secure them from the central library. For this reason we have expended a respectable sum of money during the present year for the purchase of books for the two agencies that are deposit stations. This remark ap- plies especially to the agency at East Somerville. The shelving capacity at that agency has been more than doubled the present year, and it is the effort of the main library to keep the shelves well supplied with the books in public demand.
It is a matter of some regret that the circulation at the agencies is almost exclusively fiction; but every effort should be made that is possible to give the public that visits these agencies an opportunity to at least see good books in other lines of literature. It would be something of a calamity to have our agencies degenerate into merely free circulating libraries.
General Work.
The general work of the library has been accomplished this year under many grave difficulties. Last June, owing to the condition of her health, Miss Florence D. Hurter felt com- pelled to resign as assistant librarian. Her faithfulness, her conscientious devotion to duty, and her great industry will long be remembered, and the library feels a great sense of loss in her withdrawal from the staff.
From the resignation of Miss Hurter until August 20 Miss Alice W. Sears served as acting assistant librarian. As both the librarian and the assistant librarian were absent from the
258
ANNUAL REPORTS.
building, her position was a very trying one. She accomplished her work with credit to herself and to the library.
On August 20 Miss Nellie M. Whipple, who had served so successfully and satisfactorily as the head of the West Somer- ville branch from its beginning, was made assistant librarian at the central library. The work under her direction has gone forward systematically and satisfactorily.
Below is a table of circulation of the different agencies dur- ing the year :-
Agencies.
West
Somerville.
East
Somerville.
Somerville.
Union
Square.
January Shelves
·
49
4
150
8
903
446
February Shelves
51
1
201
6
973
496
March
96
1
248
8
Shelves
1,292
791
April .
47
2
166
4
Shelves
1,167
574
May
54
16'
2
Shelves
1,170
751
June .
34
4
174
11
Shelves
940
627
July
28
2
172
1
Shelves
719
1,314
August
47
2
267
4
Shelves
1,013
683
September .
54
1
199
Shelves
.
885
620
October
.
650
655
November .
83
4
244
3
Shelves
1,109
708
December
51
3
209
2
Shelves
1,314
756
Totals
.
659
12,159
2,410
8,473 .
Grand Total
·
. 23,701
·
65
213
3
Shelves
.
South
259
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The general circulation figures of the year are as follows :-
Fiction.
Other Works.
Total.
January
21,457
12,439
33,896
February
23,963
14,199
38,162
March
30,782
17,852
48,634
April 1
22,753
13,502
36,255
May
18,963
11,295
30,258
June ·
17,952
7,673
25,625
July .
14,982
3,035
18,017
August
18,369
3,599
21,968
September
14,382
4,500
18,882
October
18,833
9,216
28,049
November
26,874
15,456
42,330
December
21,095
12,533
33,628
Total
250,405
125,299
375,704
Below is given our shelf circulation figures (books deliv- ered from library shelves) :-
Fiction.
Other Works.
Total.
January
12,851
4,123
16,974
February
15,446
5,355
20,801
March
19,530
6,786
26,316
April ;
14,194
4,663
18,857
May
10,721
3,635
14,356
June
13,282
3,383
16,665
July .
12,954
2,720
15,674
August
15,684
3,191
18,875
September
11,002
3,374
14,376
October
12,034
4,348
16,382
November
16,595
5,982
22,577
December
12,107
4,073
16,180
Total
166,400
51,633
218,033
Below is given our circulation by classes, exclusive of fiction :-
General works
7,106
Philosophy
1,435
Religion
6,982
Sociology
22,859
Philology
1,456
Natural science .
15,663
Useful arts
4,926
Fine arts
8,058
Literature
15,874
History
28,457
Total of general delivery .
112,816
Delivered from children's room
12,483
Total of other works
125,299
Fiction
250,405
Other works
125,299
Total
375,704
Percentage, fiction
67%
other works .
33%
260
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Below are given the circulation figures of main library and West Somerville branch :-
Fiction :-
Main library
250,405
West Somerville branch
91,496
Total
341,901
Other works :- ·
Main library
125,299
West Somerville branch
22,163
Total
147,462
Fiction
341,901
Other works .
147,462
Total
489,363
As will be seen from the above, the total circulation of the year is 489,363. Undoubtedly if the library had not been closed in April on account of the scarlet fever epidemic, we should have reached the half-million mark the present year. Only nineteen libraries in the United States have a circulation in excess of the half-million mark. Perhaps, in proportion to the number of our books, our circulation is as large as any library in the country.
Percentage, fiction
70%
other works .
30%
Below is the statistical statement of the general work of the year :-
Accession number
Main. Branch.
117,674 Total.
Volumes in library .
88,921
9,243
98,164
66 added
7,121
2,448
9,569
discarded
1,743
85
1,828
Total circulation
375,704
113,659
489,363
Shelf
218,033
113,659
331,692
Children's room circulation
66,513 28,324
94,837
Cards issued
3,414
1,440
4,854
Delivered from East Somerville agency 66
24
shelves
12,159
South Somerville agency
2,410
Union Square agency
52
66
66
shelves
8,421
West Somerville branch
659
Knapp school
706
Volumes delivered to school libraries .
7,568
Volumes delivered to Sunday schools, pitals, etc.
1,559
Visitors in reference room
7,688
Vacation cards issued
438
Received, fines
$899.95
books
102.64
telephone
7.02
Total
. $1,009.61
1
clubs, hos-
·
261
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
By sundry expenses
$182.58
Cash to City Treasurer .
827.03
Total .
$1,009.61
During the year 438 vacation cards were issued, on which 2,454 books were taken out, 2,110 being fiction and 344 other works. Thirty-six sets of stereographs are now owned by the library. The circulation of these sets during the year amounted to 577.
The following Sunday schools take books from the library : Bow-street Methodist, Broadway Methodist, East Somerville Baptist, Flint-street Methodist, Highland Congregational, Pros- pect-hill Congregational, Randall Memorial, Second Advent, Second Unitarian, West Somerville Baptist, Winter-hill Con- gregational, and Winter-hill Universalist.
Books are also sent to the fire stations, industrial school, Home for the Aged, police station, Somerville Boys' Club, Som- erville hospital, and St. Joseph's Alumni Association. There were 1,559 books sent to the various Sunday schools, clubs, etc., of which 1,325 were fiction and 234 other works.
Suggestions.
Several recommendations, as will have been noted, have been made in the various departments. But there are a few suggestions I would like to formally make here.
I think it would tend toward more efficient service in the public library if the new assistants should start in at a salary of $300 per year rather than $200. Two hundred dollars is really not a living rate of wages, and it is difficult to obtain young ladies of a proper calibre to fill these places. There are other increases in salaries that should be made; but I realize that your board is eager to do along this line all that the means at your disposal will permit.
There is another recommendation I desire to make, which, if carried out, it seems to me would tend greatly to the effi- ciency of the library service. This is the removal of the door between the reading room and the north stack, and the station- ing of a member of the staff at a desk, where the present door is, who could have oversight of the reading room and at the same time of the stack. There are several reasons for this which appeal to me strongly. In the first place, it was never intended that this archway should be closed up. The rough temporary partition which I have dignified by the name of door is, of course, not a door at all, and was merely put there tempo- rarily to shut off the view of the unfinished stack room. It will be remembered that this stack room was not finished for a year or two after the rest of the new addition was completed. The great benefit that would result from this opening would be the benefit of oversight of two important parts of the library, the
262
ANNUAL REPORTS.
reading room and the stack containing all the works of the li- brary under the divisions of Philosophy, Religion, Philology, Sociology, Natural Science, Fine Arts, and Useful Arts. 3
In addition to this, all the bound periodicals are in this wing and our musical collection. Since the renovation of the library last May, the great department of literature has been transferred to this wing.
Now this wing of the library has never been patronized by the public as it should be. Without special search, it is invisible to the casual visitor at the library. As a matter of fact, hun- dreds of visitors who come to the library regularly never enter this stack. It is unknown territory to them. If the partition were taken down it could be easily seen that there is a large collection of books in this part of the library, and the special at- tendant could be of service to all visitors in making selections.
The library of late has been making unusual efforts to de- crease the amount of noise and confusion in the library build- ing. The removal of the children's entrance to another part of the building has helped out this matter to a great degree ; but it is our wish to take further precautions. An attendant could preserve order in the reading room and see to it that quiet should always prevail there. The reading room has never had any direct oversight, and this has been a matter of regret to the librarian and his staff for many years. This would furnish the oversight for which we have so long felt the need.
Of course this archway would not be the general entrance and exit. It would simply be an entrance to people using the reading room. The young lady in charge of this desk would be doing regular clerical work while not engaged in otherwise serving the public, and no extra help need be hired for the ser- vice. So there would be no extra cost.
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