USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Middleborough > Town annual report of Middleborough, Massachusetts 1944 > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
Since it has been recognized for a long period that equal ed- ucational opportunity for all children is essential in American democracy, and since good citizenship, including emotional and so- cial adjustment, is one of the objectives of education; and since the tool and skill subjects are merely one of the means toward that end, and since there are at least 2 percent of the school pop- ulation so typical socially and emotionally that regular teachers, without help, cannot reasonably be expected to be adequate to deal with such situations, and since these atypical persons unless redirected and assisted will become a very serious drain on our civilization.
The School Committee have added a trained teacher to the high school staff to help solve this problem.
During the year, there have been the following changes in our teaching staff.
Withdrawals:
John Ashworth, High School
Harvey B. Scribner, High School
Edward L. Spalding, High School
Virginia Lewis, High School (leave of absence) Margaret E. Dick, High School
Ruth Armitage, High School (leave of absence)
Effie D. Tucker, Bates School Sybil Pilshaw, Bates School
Benjamin D. Thomas, School Street School
Lillian Rogers Rudolph, Rock School
75
Appointments.
Barbara Stanhope, High School Dorothy L. Wetherell, High School Philip G. Johnson, High School Teresa M. Kelly, High School Edward W. Sawicki, Bates School E. Olivia Pearson, Bates School Samuel L. Abbott Jr., School Street School
Cost of Our Schools
Probably the clearest way to present the relative cost of our schools is by comparison with the cost of the schools of our own neighbors together with our position among the 85 towns of 5,000 population or over in the state. For this purpose, the latest offi- cial figures are taken from the School Returns to the Department of Education for the school year ending June 30, 1944. The facts are presented; the reader may draw conclusions.
Towns of 5,000 Population or Over and Neighbors of the Town of Middleboro
Teaching Staff in All Pub- Value lic Day Schools (Full Time)
Popula- Valua- tion 1940
tion 1943
per Capita
pals
visors
ers
T'1.
Plymouth
13,100 $21,679,100 $1,654
5
7
74
86
Fairhaven
10,938
11,000,490
1,006
3
1
61
65
MIDDLEBORO
9,032
8,438,110
934
6
1
54
61
Dartmouth
9,011
13,080,375
1,452
3
2
55
60
Bridgewater
8,902
5,086.477
571
4
1
42
47
Stoughton
8,632
8,334,903
965
2
1
44
47
Barnstable
8,333
26,079,690
3,129
1
1
69
71
Rockland
8,087
8,778,722
1,085
1
2
48
51
Whitman
7,759
7,852,960
1,012
1
1
48
50
Falmouth
6,878
22,751,138
3,308
3
4
58
65
Wareham
6,364
13,783,385
2,165
1
2
47
50
Abington
5,708
5,560,670
974
3
2
38
43
Easton
5,135
5,060,010
985
2
0
39
41
Pupils Average Teacher Teacher Average Average
Enrolled Daily
Load Number
Attend-
Load 1944
1942
Days in Session
Mem- bership
Plymouth
2,159
1,968
28.4
28.8
176
2,102
Fairhaven
1,624
1,454
25.5
27.7
178
1,554
MIDDLEBORO
1,660
1,434
28.9
29.8
175
1,559
Dartmouth
1,514
1,306
25.8
26.9
177
1,418
Bridgewater
1,060
943
24.5
25.6
177
1,031
Stoughton
1,334
1,186
29.4
29.3
181
1,296
Barnstable
1,643
1,395
21.8
25.8
173
1,506
Rockland
1,253
1,139
25.8
27.3
175
1,239
Whitman
1,358
1,243
27.4
26.2
180
1,316
Falmouth
1,550
1,257
24.5
26.0
179
1,423
Wareham
1,334
1,030
24.2
25.0
178
1,137
Abington
996
889
25.2
26.2
171
957
Easton
1,017
915
25.6
29.0
181
999
State Average
25.5
26.2
176
Princi- Super- Teach-
EXPENDITURES FOR SUPPORT OF ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
General Control
% of Cost
Salaries Instruction
% of Cost
Textbooks
% of Cost
Janitors
% of Cost
Plymouth
$9,046
3.7%
$158,815
64.5%
$6,150
2.5%
$14,379
5.8%
Fairhaven
5,946
3.6%
114,067
69.3%
2,482
1.5%
16,954
10.3%
MIDDLEBORO
5,482
3.6%
102,819
67.3%
3,813
2.5%
9,220
6.0%
Dartmouth
6,788
4.1%
97,290
59.4%
2,333
1.4%
9,877
6.0%
Bridgewater
2,955
2.8%
66,597
63.2%
1,858
1.8%
4,354
4.1%
Stoughton
5,405
4.9%
69,954
63.0%
1,955
1.8%
7,659
6.9%
Barnstable
8,326
3.6%
135,531
59.1%
2,658
1.2%
13,845
6.0%
Rockland
6,625
5.0%
91,214
68.3%
1,967
1.5%
9,726
7.3%
Whitman
5,458
4.2%
91,420
70.6%
2,973
2.3%
10,223
7.9%
Falmouth
7,225
4.1%
110,257
62.0%
3,144
1.8%
10,178
5.7%
Wareham
5,957
4.4%
83,564
61.2%
3,228
2.4%
10,637
7.8%
Abington
5,441
4.9%
76,670
69.7%
1,889
1.7%
6,389
5.8%
Easton
5,088
4.8%
68,385
64.8%
1,908
1.8%
7,985
7.6%
State Average
4.1%
67.2%
1.5%
7.4%
76
77
Fuel
% of Repairs % of Health Cost
Cost
Trans. to % of Schools Cost in Town
Plymouth
$12,165
4.9%
$9,179
3.7%
$9,345
3.8% $15,459
Fairhaven
6,168
3.7%
2,225
1.4%
2,179
1.3%
4,325
MIDDLEBORO
4,899
3.2%
1,418
0.9%
1,882
1.2%
14,652
Dartmouth
7,694
4.7%
7,136
4.4%
3,914
2.4%
20,745
Bridgewater
3,944
3.7%
3,153
3.0%
252
0.2%
8,613
Stoughton
5,371
4.8%
3,248
2.9%
2,280
2.1%
6,603
Barnstable
8,447
3.7%
13,037
5.7%
2,645
1.2%
26,850
Rockland
4,941
3.7%
4,687
3.5%
2,540
1.9%
3,577
Whitman
2,218
1.7%
4,158
3.2%
2,068
1.6%
1,620
Falmouth
9,538
5.4%
5,353
3.0%
3,376
1.9%
16,937
Wareham
6,830
5.0%
4,555
3.3%
2,553
1.9%
11,370
Abington
4,491
4.1 %
3,714
3.4%
1,946
1.8%
2,288
Easton
3,320
3.1%
3,285
3.1%
2,803
2.7%
6,451
State Average
3.7%
2.9%
1.6%
Total for Support
Value per Tax for Schools per $1000 Pupil in Net Average Membership Valuation
Tax Rate Cost pupil 1943 in average Membership
Plymouth
$246,367
$10,727
$10.60
$31.20
$117.17
Fairhaven
164,564
7,378
11.53
33 00
105.86
Middleboro
152,876
5,678
16.34
34.00
98.01
Dartmouth
163,855
9,270
10.70
29.40
115.51
Bridgewater
105,468
5,086
20.07
38.50
102.23
Stoughton
111,064
6,678
34.40
85.65
Barnstable
229,146
17,421
8.08
22 00
152.12
Rockland
133,569
7,131
13.24
35.00
107.75
Whitman
129,506
6,598
14.89
34.00
98.40
Falmouth
177,600
16,216
7.27
22.80
124.81
Wareham
136,579
13,304
8 09
24.50
120.05
Abington
110,021
5,896
17.06
41.00
114.94
Easton
105,676
5,216
16.28
27.00
105.71
State Average
8,033
12.95
116.13
Elementary School
per Pupil
Member- Load ship
per Pupil
Plymouth
37
1,165
31.5
$99.06
18
523
29.1
$112.35
Fairhaven
41
1,112
27.1
89.11
Middleboro
35
1,120 .
32.0
79.61
Dartmouth
44
1,128
25.6
102.30
Bridgewater
22
568
25.8
85.23
11
278
25.2
101.19
Stoughton
28
901
32.2
75.90
Barnstable
34
854
25.1
112.37
18
371
20.6
175.71
Rockland
22
630
28.6
86 08
10
355
35.5
91.13
Whitman
29
929
32.0
73.70
Falmouth
33
871
26.4
108.08
13
347
26.7
122.02
Wareham
34
885
26.0
99.04
Abington
23
678
29.5
81.34
Easton
20
560
28.0
89.16
10
252
25.2
98.81
State Average
27.7
93.83
25.2
120.47
.
Junior High School Teachers Average Teacher Cost Teachers Avg. Teacher Cost Member- Load ship
78
Senior High School
Teachers Average Member- ship
Teacher Load
Cost per Pupil
Avg. Salary Rank All Principals, Supervisors Teachers
Plymouth
19
414
21.8
$151.45
$1,846
43
Fairhaven
20
442
22.1
134.66
1,755
60
.
Middleboro
19
439
23.1
132.62
1,685
68
Dartmouth
11
290
26.4
143.34
1,621
73
Bridgewater
9
185
20.6
140.38
1,417
85
Stoughton
16
395
24.7
94.33
1,488
81
Barnstable
17
281
16.5
212.31
1,908
30
Rockland
16
254
15.9
158.86
1,788
53
Whitman
19
387
20.4
143.10
1,828
46
Falmouth
12
205
17.1
165.27
1,697
64
Wareham
13
252
19.4
170.48
1,671
70
Abington
15
279
18.6
177.13
1,783
55
Easton
9
187
20.8
137.65
1,668
71
State Average
21.7
149.09
. WE CAN MAKE THE FUTURE WORK
I believe the following letter from a serviceman overseas to his sister best sums up our responsibility to youth and their idea of the value of education.
"Dear Sis,
Mom wrote me something of your wondering about returning to school this year, and like a big brother, I had to have my say.
All around you there are people talking and writing about what we are working and fighting for . . . I think it's really for more than most of us realize, right now. But, any way you look at it, it gets down to as simple a thing as the right and opportunity for you to go to school.
We know that the end of the war isn't going to settle every- thing. There's going to be plenty of troubles to be taken care of, plenty of decisions to be made. It will take hard work-some clear heads-and all the learning we can get. That's a part of your coming job.
We're going to build a bigger and a greater country. We are going to make more, so that we can all have more. And that needs skilled hands, and trained minds, with plenty of "know how." It will need people as big as the growing we'll do, and people who can guide it. Here's another part of your job.
You are living in the right time. We can make the future work-we can make wars just a memory for the history books- that's our responsibility. And that's why I say, for all the educa- tion you can get right now, the better the future of the people of our country.
Your loving brother, Alexander"
"We can make the future work" by giving our youth the best of education within our power and means, may we continue to do our best.
Respectfully submitted, J. STEARNS CUSHING, Superintendent of Schools
79
STATISTICS AND INFORMATIONAL TABLES
SCHOOL CALENDAR 1945
First term-January 2-February 16
Second term-February 26-April 13
Third term-April 23-June 8, Elementary Schools June 15, High School
Fourth term-September 5-December 21
No-School Days
Memorial Day
ยท Columbus Day
Armistice Day
Thanksgiving Day and the following day
FINANCIAL REPORT-DECEMBER 31, 1944
RECEIPTS
Tuition, State and City Wards $ 2,713.78
Tuition, Outside Towns
6,639.55
George Deen Fund
1,001.25
Smith Hughes Fund
140.85
General School Fund
12,147.00
Miscellaneous receipts
$22,661.33
DISBURSEMENTS
Salaries
Superintendent
4,300.00
Teachers
112,958.72
Janitors
9,699.18
All Others
6,768.07
Testbooks and Supplies
7,411.59
Transportation
15,050.90
Fuel, Light, and Water
8,250.79
Maintenance Buildings & Grounds
1,688.02
Telephone
449.90
Tuition
467.94
Printing, Stationery & Postage
1,000.00
Other Expenses
422.68
George Deen Fund
889.08
Smith Hughes Fund
132.50
Repair of Buildings
3,991.51
$173,796.43
$151,135.10
Net Cost of Schools (disbursements less receipts)
315.55
Physical Education Program
18.90
80
LIST OF TEACHERS, DECEMBER 31, 1944
HIGH SCHOOL
*Lindsay J. March, 17 Barrows Street, Principal
*Ernest E. Thomas, 38 Pierce Street, Assistant Principal
*Walter G. Hicks, Oak Street, Head of Commercial Department *Henry E. Battis, 66 School Street, Head of Physical Ed. Depart.
*Edward W. Whitmore, Barden Hill Road, Head of Science Dept.
*Herbert L. Wilber, Wareham Street, Latin, History
*Jack Sturtevant, 110 South Main Street, Vocational Agriculture Joseph D. Teeling, Plymouth Street, Physical Education Philip G. Johnson, South Main Street, Science
*Anna C. Erickson, Wood Street, Mathematics
*Lillian M. O'Neil, 21 Pearl Street, Commercial
*Mary Brier, 63 Pearl Street, French
*Margaret H. Ryder, Main Street, Lakeville, English
*Evelyn F. Whitty, 11 Everett Street, Mathematics, Science, Athletic Coach
*Arline Merrill, 79 Pearl Street, Dean of Girls, English Madelyn W. Sturtevant, 110 South Main Street, Mathematics Margaret E. Dick, 39 Oak Street, Commercial Ruth Armitage, 39 Oak Street, Social Studies Dorothy L. Wetherell, 82 Pearl Street, English Barbara Stanhope, 82 Pearl Street, English Catherine L. Thompson, 12 Court End Avenue, Physical Education
BATES SCHOOLS
*Henry B. Burkland, 50 School Street, Principal, Social Studies *Norman W. Lindsay, 327 Wareham Street, Assistant Principal, Science
*Martinia K. Donahue, 6 Reland Street, English, Music
*Lucy E. Merrihew, 22 East Grove Street, Mathematics
* Abby Rugg Field, 182 North Main Street, English, Home Economics, Crafts
*Harriett M. Jones, 56 Everett Street, Social Studies, Music *Faye H. Deane, 63 Oak Street, Social Studies, English
*Lois R. Wright, 63 Oak Street, Special Class Frieda H. Churchill, 9 North Street, Mathematics, Health Loretta G. Ring, State Farm, Bridgewater, Mathematics, Music, Health
E. Olivia Pearson, 39 Oak Street, English Edward W. Sawicki, 551 Center Street, Social Studies
SCHOOL STREET SCHOOL'
Samuel L. Abbott, Jr., Plymouth Street, Principal, Grade V * Edith Frost, Wood Street, Grade V
*M. Alice Jones, 12 Court End Avenue, Grade V
*Esther M. Spooner, 12 Court End Avenue, Grade IV
*Rose Maley, 9 Reland Street, Grade IV
* Leah M. Boutin, 60 Everett Street, Grade IV
*Louise M. Nutter, 62 School Street, Grade III
*Elsie A. Cahoon, 10 Courtland Street, Grade III
*Mildred K. Bowman, 74 School Street Extension, (Part time)
81
UNION STREET SCHOOL
*Alice R. Begley, 7 Benton Street, Principal, Grade III
*Bessie B. Bailey, 15 Forest Street, Grade III
* Marjorie M. Hanson, 110 South Main Street, Grade II
*Eleanor H. Thomas, Wareham Street, Grade II
*R. Naomi Simon, 39 Oak Street, Grade II
Amelia L. Boutin, 60 Everett Street, Grade I
*Marianne Madeiros, 30 West Grove Street, Grade I
* Dorothy Harlow, 39 Oak Street, Grade I
*Mildred K. Bowman, 74 School Street Extension, (Part time)
WEST SIDE SCHOOL
* Mary R. Hammond, 70 Barden Hill Road, Principal, Grade IV & V
*Margaret E. Peck, Main Street, Lakeville, Grade III
*Etta W. Toothaker, 29 Oak Street, Grade II
*Sara E. Matheson, 66A Everett Street, Grade I
FLORA M. CLARK SCHOOL
*Raye F. Guidoboni, 14 Southwick Street, Principal, Grade II *Hilda M. Dowd, Miller Street, Grade I
SUBURBAN SCHOOLS
*Maude DeMaranville, Lakeville, Pleasant Street School
* Dorothy H. Bradford, 9 Warren Avenue, Plymouth Street School
*Elsie LeBlanc, 107 North Street, South Middleboro School Phyllis E. Johnson, 39 Oak Street, Rock School
SUPERVISORS
*Luther Churchill, 59 Cottage Street, East Bridgewater, Music *Sylvia G. Matheson, 91 Oak Street, Art *On Tenure
LIST OF JANITORS, DECEMBER 31, 1944
CENTRAL SCHOOLS
Charles H. Goodwin, Memorial High School
Norman L. Flood, Assistant, Memorial High School
Warren Jefferson, Bates School
Ernest S. Maxwell, School Street School Louis J. Tessier, Union Street School
Preston Southworth, West Side School
Frank M. Gibbs, Flora M. Clark School
82
School
Number of
Teachers
Number of
Pupils
Enrolled
Non-Resident
Enrolled
Average
Daily
Attendance
Average
Daily
Membership
Yearly
Percent of
Attendance
Memorial High
23
476
60
409.8
439.2
93.3
Grade XII
84
Grade XI
111
Grade X
128
Grade
151
Post Grad.
2
Bates
12
292
6
253.1
274.3
88.8
Grade VIII
114
Grade VII
125
Grade VI
39
Special Class
14
School Street
9
329
5
291.9
316.4
92.3
Grade VI
44
Grade VI
43
Grade V
45
Grade V
44
Grade IV
40
Grade IV
. 37
Grade IV
37
Grade III
39
Union Street
8
262
3
221.8
248.0
88.6
Grade
III
39
Grade III
38
Grade II
32
Grade II
32
Grade II
31
Grade I
33
Grade I
29
Grade I
28
West Side
4
101
0
83.6
92.5
89.8
Grade V-IV
35
Grade III
18
Grade II
25
Grade I
23
Flora M. Clark
2
45
0
44.7
49.2
90.7
Grade II
25
Grade I
20
Pleasant Street
1
30
0
27.0
28.9
93.4
Plymouth Street
1
23
0
17.6
20.1
87.8
Pratt Free
1
22
0
20.9
22.0
94.9
Waterville
1
18
0
15.0
16.5
91.2
Rock
1
33
1
24.8
28.6
86.5
South Middleboro
1
26
3
22.7
25.5
88.9
Pupils
83
LIST OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
CLASS OF 1944
*Stanley Francis Alger, Jr.
*Eunice Louise Anderson
* Lillian Rita Banus Mary Ann Banus
*Elsie Bartlett
(IS) Peter Otto Becker Charlotte Ann Bell Anthony Belmont
*William Frederick Boucher, Jr.
*Oliver Cary Brett, Jr. Vernon Lincoln Brooks
*Walter Lewoczko Magdalene Ann Lobl Alice-Marie March
*George Collin McLeod
*Jeanne Francis Mendall Mary Eva Moquin
(IS) John Joseph Murdoch, Jr. * Mary Louise Murphy John Rogers Perkins
(IS) David Edward Pimentel Robert Leonard Powers
Marjorie Frances Quelle
(IS) Phillip Kenneth Lockhart Robertson
Rose-Anne Savard
Jonathan Sayward
Walter Paul Scholz
Ruth Ann Perkins
Beverly Ann Shurtleff
Madeline Sisson
Chester Edward Smolski
Isabel Agnes Souza
Beatrice Marie Standish
Rose May Standish
*Henry Sullivan Robert Alexander Sullivan
(IS) Bruce MacGregor Surrey Ellen Tornari Marjorie Waugh
*** Dorothy May Wilber Faith Elizabeth Williams Jeannette Louise Wood Bigelow
*Roger Deane Harris
*Lillian Johanna Heleen
Lawrence Noel Holmes Winsor Whitten Holmes
*Caroline Eaton Johnson John Francis Jurgelewicz Chester Ralph Kennedy, Jr.
** James David Kilpatrick Beatrice Elsie Kyrouz Jeannette Elaine Leighton
#Charles William Leonard
Patricia Burnett Jeanne Ellen Carver Dorothy Lois Caswell
*Pearl Dorothy Chartier Doris Arlene Clark
*Margaret Elizabeth Clark Alice Francis Cobb
*Claire Lynet Coleman Arleen Virginia Corayer
*Edward Allen Devlin Natalie Dewhurst
*Eleanor Germaine Doucette
*Esther Gardner Edlund Anna May Evanoff
*Kathleen Marguerite Farley Dorothy Gertrude Fowler #Patricia Hosmer Furlan Paul Roger Gamache Ruth Evelyn Gates
(IS) William Francis Gaudette
*Beverly Lois Gay Delores Mary Ann Giberti
*Jeanne Arvilla Glover Arthur Thomas Gorrie, Jr. Barbara Helen Grows Charles Leo Guertin, Jr. Natalie Evelyn Guilford Alice Anna Haire
John Wilfred Halahan, Jr. Kenneth Parker Hanson
*John Everett Young
*** Valedictorian ** Salutatorian *Pro Merito #Work Incomplete
(IS) In service of United States
1
84
ANNUAL REPORT OF MIDDLEBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY
January 13, 1945.
To the President and Board of Trustees,
Middleborough Public Library:
While the Middleborough public library is not for one moment losing sight of the fact there is still much work to be done to win the war, we are looking toward the time of peace when the re- turning veteran will turn to the public library for help in solving his problems of readjustment to civilian life. There will of course be counseling and placement agencies to aid him, but he will be seeking material on jobs available, on the G. I. Bill of Rights, and on mental hygiene problems connected with the transition from army to civilian life. The demand for information and research material will tax our abilities to the limit and to be prepared for this we must make our plans now. To this end the Middleborough public library is building a collection of books to answer these needs that the returning veteran may find this library a center of information to which he may come with confidence.
We believe that "community contacts" are very important and welcome any opportunity for co-operative relationship. The library was proud to aid the Education Committee of the Cabot Club in, presenting a series of lectures on current events given by Mr. John Ashworth of the faculty of Memorial High School. At each lecture books and maps pertaining to the subject of the after- noon were displayed and circulated.
Girl Scouts of the Wild Rose Troop gave much appreciated aid in cleaning shelves and books in the stackroom, a great boon to the library and benefiting the scouts by helping win their Community Service badge. Members of Miss Abbie Field's classes of Bates Junior High School made hundreds of attractive book- marks to be used by the library during Book Week.
As part of the celebration of Book Week, the Board of Trust- ees of the library and members of the staff entertained the teach- ers of the town at a tea. At four o'clock on Thursday afternoon the teachers gathered in the lecture room at which time the li- brarian welcomed them and set forth the many services the li- brary has to offer teachers. Tea was served in the Trustees' room, after which the teachers enjoyed the various exhibits arranged in honor of Book Week.
The Old Middleborough Historical Association also enjoyed a meeting held in the library on the evening of February seventh, when the facilities of the library were made available to the Association.
As will be noted in the statistics, the library serves each one of the rural schools by maintaining a collection of books, as well as supplying book deposits in most of the class rooms in the cen- tral schools. The librarian is kept very busy making out certifi- cates for children using the State reading list of books. This is time well spent, however, for the plan assuredly serves as an in-
85
centive to reading. Of the small certificates given for five books on the list, 262 were awarded to pupils in Grades IV to VIII, and 72 Honor certificates to those reading twenty books.
Among exhibits displayed this year was one of Indian arrow- heads and Indian implements loaned by William Taylor and Ron- ald Craig of the Pratt Free School of North Middleboro, relics found by the boys on the banks of the Taunton River near their homes. Water colors and etchings loaned by the Extension Divi- sion of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts have been exhibited each month and posters and dolls of foreign lands were used during Book Week to tie up with the theme "United Through Books." Miniature rooms made and furnished by members of Holly Troop of Girl Scouts were a part of the requirements for an Interior Decoration Badge and were on exhibition in the Young Peoples' room.
The library building has received some much needed repairs. The roof has been given a thorough reconditioning and all outside trim of the building painted. Of the interior, the staff room has acquired draperies and a new covering for couch and pillows.
A piece of equipment long desired has been added this year, an A. B. Dick duplicating machine. This will facilitate mimeograph- ing required in the clerical routine of the library and will make possible lists of new books much more frequently.
While summertime is a period of comparative quiet in the circulation and reference departments, it was not a period of in- activity for the staff. Advantage was taken of the lull to make an inventory of part of the non-fiction collection and all of fic- tion. Each book was examined for condition and usefulness. Miss Jean Thomas, student at Amherst College, spent several weeks as part time worker helping with the inventory.
Work is continuing on the compilation of service records of men and women of Middleborough taking part in World War II, and in gathering material for scrap books of newspaper clippings regarding those in service. We are still collecting books for serv- ice camps and forwarding them to the Massachusetts Victory Book Committee.
While no record is kept of the number of reference questions answered during a year, the past year was an unusually busy one in this department. It is encouraging to note that more books were circulated during the last twelve months, showing a gain over last year of 6,850 volumes, 3,987 volumes in the juvenile de- partment and 2,863 in the adult department.
The librarian gave many book talks before local groups. She is serving as secretary of the Old Colony Library Club, a mem- ber of the Public Relations Committee of the Massachusetts Li- brary Association and is one of the Local Committee for Preser- vation of Historical Records of World War II.
The library was the recipient of many gifts during the year, one of which came from the library of the late Miss Lenda Hanks and consisted of a large collection of scientific and garden books. Shelf space is to be arranged so these collections may be kept to- gether. Through the thoughtfulness of the late Charles Cobb of Lakeville, a large collection of novels came to the library from the estate of Mrs. Susan T. Hall. Mr. Thomas Weston, a trustee, presented his personal library of books for youth.
86
The Home Department of the Central Baptist Church present- ed three books dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Abraham G. New- kirk. The Cabot Club placed three books on the Cabot Club Mem- orial Shelf in memory of members of the Club.
Magazine subscriptions have been augmented by a gift from Mr. Ernest L. Maxim, a year's subscription to "Industry"; "Bank- ing", through the courtesy of the Middleborough Trust Company; "The Silver Cross", gift of the King's Daughters of the Central Methodist Church and "Linn's Weekly Stamp News" from Mr. Edward B. Thomas.
Grateful acknowledgement is given the following who have presented the library with books and magazines:
Mrs. Albert W. Charbonneau
Mrs. Edward H. Cleveland
Mrs. Carl Dunbar
Mrs. George H. Higgins
Mrs. Ernest M. O'Toole
Mrs. Ernest S. Pratt
Mrs. Rufus M. Richmond
Mrs. J. Augustine Sparrow
Miss Amy Whittemore
Mr. Bourne Wood
With many unusual problems confronting us due to the un- usual demand of the times, the Trustees have been called upon for help and advice more often than ever, but they have responded always with never failing aid and support. The staff, too, has rallied to the many demands made upon them in a manner to de- serve commendation-all of which is most deeply appreciated.
Respectfully submitted,
MERTIE E. WITBECK,
Librarian.
Statistics
Circulation of Books
Central library Adult
Fiction
35,250
Non-fiction
16,627
,
51,877
Juvenile circulation
Fiction
10,516
Non-fiction
7,773
18,289
87
Branches and Deposits
South Middleboro Branch
1,974
Montgomery Home
75
Hannah Shaw Home
100
West Side School
1,011
South Middleboro School
30
School Street School
689
School of the Seventh Day Advent
60
Plymouth Street School
254
Pleasant Street School
122
Bates Junior High
250
4,565
Total circulation 1944
74,731
Total circulation 1943
67,881
Increase of circulation 1944
6,850
Number of volumes owned January 1, 1944
40,009
Number of volumes added by purchase
1,042
Number of volumes added by gift
166
Number of volumes added by binding newspapers 3
Number of volumes transferred from rental
collection 96
Total number of volumes added 1944 1,307
41,316
Number of volumes lost and discarded
(Many discarded at time of inventory)
2,229
Number of volumes owned December 31, 1944
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.