USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Fairhaven > Town annual report of the offices of Fairhaven, Massachusetts 1952 > Part 11
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High School Library inventory: This was taken just prior to the opening of school and was the first since 1946. The record showed 36 books missing in that period. The col- lection in the High School Library contains 401 books belonging to the Millicent Library, which has loaned books for high school use since its early days.
Thoughtfulness: At the East Fairhaven playground during the summer, youngsters made several interesting scrap- books. At exercises held on August 13th these were pre- sented to the library for the use of the little tots.
SEPTEMBER CALLING
"September comes, sedate and calm, like manhood in its prime; The blossoms now are changed to fruit, to ripen in its prime; Thus onward all things ever tend, nor good nor ill abide, But each alternate in their course, as ebbs and flows the tide." (1852)
Noteworthy: On September 3rd, at a service in the Trinity Methodist Church in New Bedford, the librarian of the Millicent Library accepted for the library one of the three copies of the Revised Standard Version of THE HOLY BIBLE presented by the Interchurch Council of New Bedford to three organizations in this area. The edition, bound with the library's name on its cover and containing a special inscribed page, is on the Reference Shelf for the use of borrowers who may wish to consult it in the library.
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'Twas our turn: The Old Dartmouth Library Club met in Fairhaven as our guests for its fall meeting on September 24th. Following the usual custom of this club, our library staff was hostesses at morning coffee, after which a splen- did program gave food for thought along professional lines. This Club had as one of its founders, the late Mr. Galen W. Hill, a former librarian here from 1911-1926, and whose sudden passing on September 22nd, on the eve of his retirement, saddened his many professional friends.
OCTOBER: TURNING POINT
"Our forests, that so lately stood Like any green familiar wood, Aladdin's fabulous tale repeat,- The trees drop jewels at our feet." -Lucy Larcon (1888)
Finance Problems
Town action: The Town Finance Committee met on October 6 at the library to consider with the Library Board the critical financial situation which the library had been facing since May. On October 16th, at the special Town Meeting, Town Meeting Members acted upon the recom- mendation of the Finance Committee, voting a supple- mentary appropriation of $7,600 equal to the amount which would have been forthcoming from the Fairhaven Water Company had they been able to have paid the ex- pected dividends of $9,600 for the year. However, this amount, as voted, was earmarked to stretch beyond the
215
normal twelve months' calendar year and to last until the March 1953 Town Meeting. Thus the anticipated and approved budget for 1952 became a fourteen months' one. With the extra town aid, we have been able to loosen our tightened belts a bit, but cautiously, however. We bought the most important books being called for by our patrons. We postponed buying the needed titles for replacement and many new books we would normally have purchased. Children are not dependent upon new books for enjoyment of reading, so the proportion of juvenile books bought in 1952 was much more below normal than was the adult supply. The purchase of office supplies has been kept at a bare minimum, with no reserve being built up. Some expected improvements planned for and approved by the Town last March have of necessity been delayed.
NOVEMBER PLEASURES
"Now read from the treasured volume The poem of thy choice, And lend to the rhyme of the poet The beauty of thy voice." (1864)
On the air! Book Week is always one of our special weeks of the year. It was filled to the brim with activities in 1952. WNBH Radio Station graciously gave us time for two programs on the air on November 19th and 21st at 5:15 P.M. Excited youngsters took part in our FUN WITH BOOKS program. Chosen because of their good work as members in the summer Teladventure Club, the four younger girls-Debby Knox, Grade 2, Bethany Hawes and Martha Langlois, Grade 3, and Patricia Barrow, Grade 4- presented the first program. The second was given by
older girls-Jeremy Jackson, Andrea Kucharsky, and Diana Zieba, all of Grade 6, and Sheila Tunstall of Grade 7. Each gave a resume of a book read, the librarian filling in with brief comments between the reviews. The girls gave a really fine radio performance, and Fairhaven boys and girls listening in were asked to cast their votes on slips previously distributed at the schools, first, for the one each considered had presented her story best and, second, for the story which appealed most to the voter. Those results were interesting. 228 votes came in from
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the school children, with 10 others coming from New Bedford voters. Voting results showed that these young- sters had done some campaigning for themselves (why shouldn't they after hearing on the radio and seeing on television the way a presidential campaign is conducted ?). Many votes came from the candidates' classmates. Voting from the upper graders was very close, only a few votes between three of the candidates. Patricia Barrow, for the first group, and Andrea Kucharsky, for the second, received the highest number of votes and so earned the cherished title of SCREEN STAR. We learned with considerable interest that "Cinderella," the old time favorite, by a large majority over any other, was voted the story the children liked the best even by some of the older boys and girls.
Fifty years old: Peter Rabbit's 50th anniversary year was observed during Book Week with a large Peter Rabbit and a huge birthday cake with carrots for candles. Attractively arranged by Mrs. Staples, this drew attention from the children.
Book Week Tea: A colorful affair as usual, the Book Week Tea on Thursday, November 20th was attended by between 50 and 60 people. Mrs. Eldred E. Besse and Miss Mabel L. Potter poured and were assisted by the eight girls who had appeared on the radio program. Fluttering around in their pretty, gay aprons and caps, they looked like busy little butterflies and received many compliments on their efficient help.
Story Hour: The special Book Week Story Hour on Sat- urday morning, November 22nd, brought out about 50 children whom Mrs. Joseph Rogers entertained with her trained birds, much to the delight of her young audience.
More Girl Scout help: Eight girls from Girl Scout Troop #126 from Sconticut Neck, under the leadership of Mrs. Gerard Angers began rendering service to the library in early November, helping in many odd tasks.
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1
2
3
1. Daddy introduces his young son, Jay Oliver Stevens to the Library.
2. Eight members of the Tel-Adventure Club competed over the radio for the votes of their schoolmates. They all did so well that with the upper group particularly, voting reached almost the state of being a tie.
Andrea Kucharsky, Grade 6, left, and Patricia Barrow, Grade 4 right, won the titles of Screen Star by popular vote.
(For details of the Reading Club program, see page 216)
3. After the Christmas holidays, business always picks up. Borrowers settle down to more reading, and students work on school assignments.
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DECEMBER: TIME TO REMINISCE
"How swiftly pass the fleeting years! How silently they glide away! As noiseless as the starry spheres, At close of day."
(1854)
Another visit:
A second 4th-grade class, with their teacher, Mrs. Winokoor, came to the library on a tour of inspection on December 4th.
Book list:
Holiday greetings went out to our borrowers in the form of a mimeographed list of new books added late in the year.
Christmas baubles:
As the gay Christmas season approached, the library, too, became a festive place to visit. The two Christmas trees, one a pretty cedar given by Miss Mabel L. Potter, and the other a tall pine from the New Bedford water Works, made bright the eyes of many of the little children, and many an adult commented on other attractive decor- ations in the library.
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Bird's Eye View of Services in 1952
Borrower's services:
58,760 books and magazines were taken by our borrowers.
As usual, the borrowing of current periodicals led, biography held second place, travel loans increased 54.3% over 1951, pure science 45.3%, sociology 20.7%, and applied science 16.9%.
41% of non-fiction borrowing, as against 37.3% in 1951-which topped a 25-year record-set another new high.
1,733 (3.4%) gain in circulation at the main library, 348 being adult, 1,385 juvenile.
134 more Duplicate Pay books circulated.
974 (5.1%) more juvenile books borrowed than in 1951.
876 (11/2%) net gain in entire system after deducting the loss of circulation at the Oxford Branch of 984 (59%) due to closing the Branch in June, and a loss of 7 books at the High School Library.
65 books loaned to the King's Daughters Home.
76 books loaned to Our Lady's Haven.
84 classroom libraries prepared, consisting of 3,082 books and, according to teachers' records, circulated 10,787 times.
343 books, of which 96 were new, added to the basic school collection. This figure would have been larger had we not been forced to reduce our book expenditures.
612 notices of books reserved for patrons - 473 phoned, 139 mailed.
1,780 overdue postals sent to notify borrowers of overdue material.
71 lost cards replaced.
1 cent added to fines of 14c or over by vote of the Board of Trustees on February 1, 1952, to offset the increased postal charges.
220 -
Our borrowers:
211 gain in borrowers for the year-125 adult, 86 juvenile, with a total 1952 registration of 994. Of the latter, 51.9% were new borrowers, 8.3% were non-residents.
72 gain for the 3-year registration period, with a grand total of 2,665 registered borrowers, 65.48% being adult, 34.52% juvenile.
A few behind-the-scenes records :
228 books mended, 229 rebacked, 10 recased, and 5 recovered was a time-consuming job done by Mrs. Hewitt, who is expert at it.
1,234 books accessioned, 76.6% adult, 23.4% juveniles. Of these, 222 were donated from many sources. Our total collection now numbers 45,972.
1,457 books were cataloged, 903 adult, 554 juvenile. 810 adult and 438 juvenile were new titles, while the rest were added copies and volumes, including gift books.
47 new books were added to the Duplicate Pay Col- lection, costing $97.75, while we earned $60.70 from the 33 titles withdrawn in 1952.
Building Maintenance
Repairs were made to broken slates on the roof over the entrance to the library, some tiles were replaced on the landing in a section from which the tiles had been re- moved and thrown about the lawn by youngsters who apparently do not yet sense what the cost means to the town for their thoughtless pranks. In late December, we encountered difficulty with steam pipes that feed heat to the Children's Room, involving considerable expense for its repair.
Our Exhibits
These include :
Carved wooden birds, artistically done by Mr. Gerhard E. Steele.
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Early accession records of the library and old-time photographs used for our Open House program.
Miniature pitchers of all description, collected and loaned by Mrs. William A. Coe.
Adorable Hummel figures loaned by Mrs. Mona W. Staples.
Old-time Thanksgiving postal cards.
Miniature elephants from the collection left to the library several years ago by the late Mrs. James Baker.
Petrified wood given to the library long ago by the late Mrs. Z. W. Pease.
The Cost
LESS THAN THIS 2 lbs .- $1.78
Hamburg 89¢ a lo
r library's 1952 cost per cap
Our budget called for $1.90 per capita. Because of the enforced curtailment, we operated on $1.69 per capita, less per capita than the cost of two pounds of good hamburg would have been. The American Library Association standard for good service calls for $2.25 per capita. We're not looking for a bouquet, but we are sort of proud of the service we've given. Of course, we could do better if we had the means.
222
Our Donors
A gift to the library means a gift to the many the library serves. The variety of gifts in 1952 was unusual. The list of 222 book gifts is too long to be given here, but we are grateful to each and every one who has thought of us in this way.
Literary gifts which should be noted especially are as follows:
The late Mr. Ernest J. Haydon and Mrs. Haydon pre- sented a collection of 26 unusual presidential por- traits, from Washington to Taft.
The Misses Edith and Grace Dana gave us a copy of their mother's Journal of a Trip to the Azores in 1847. This is an account of a young girl's adven- tures when she was 17, fascinating not only for this reason, but also because the voyage was made in the ship SYLPH, which sailed from Fairhaven.
Mr. Malcolm E. Campbell gave the library a copy of the fascinating book "John Manjiro," written by I. Ibuse. This is the story of Manjiro Nakahama, and we are glad to have it as a supplement to other material on the subject.
Mrs. Charles S. Hamlin sent us a delightful type- written account of the end of the festivities at the time of the presentation of the Samurai Sword to the town. She included little-known facts and entertaining comments about the interesting Jap- anese visitors.
Lord Fairhaven sent us a magazine showing pictures of his home, Anglesey Abbey, and a clipping of the chapel he has given in memory of his mother, the late The Lady Fairhaven, at Holy Trinity Church, Bottisham.
Mr. Alvaric Bellenoit gave us in late December a letter sent him by Wendell L. Willkie. We are glad to have this autograph as one more in our in- teresting file of autographs of well-known people.
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Other gifts
Mr. Thomas W. Casey and Mr. Richard G. Ruby most graciously rendered service when our electric fans gave out in the hottest part of a very hot summer. We appreciate their thoughtfulness in donating parts to help us get our fans in operation again.
Mr. Allen C. Ashley, Jr., passed on to us a sign which, when repainted, will serve as a splendid beacon to point the way to the new location of the Oxford Branch.
The Fairhaven Lions Club gave the library a Webster Dictation Wire Recorder, which was presented in late November by a committee from the Club con- sisting of Mr. Domingo Benton, who presented it, Mr. Walter Silveira, Mr. Philip Gidley, and Mr. William Grindrod, President. The need for audio- visual equipment in our program is becoming acute, as we struggle to keep up with the modern trend. We sincerely appreciate the Fairhaven Lions Club's thoughtfulness in giving us the first piece of audio- visual equipment that we may call our own.
Cooperation
Reviewing the year, the librarian looks back on an unusual amount of public interest, with many people cooperating in our program. There were the donors of gifts and lenders of exhibits already mentioned, and splendid publicity donated by the New Bedford Standard- Times and the Fairhaven Star. Radio station WNBH gave us the opportunity to present our special Book Week program. There was cooperation with those representing the schools. Story tellers coming repeatedly to our assist- ance for Story Hours year after year were Mrs. Carol Anderson , Mrs. Beth Chollar, Miss Elsie-Lee McCarthy, Miss Beatrice C. Mosgrove, Mrs. J. Milton Rex, and Mrs. Joseph Rogers. We can't thank them enough.
Staff Changes
We are very happy to have again on our staff Miss Rita E. Steele, a former very capable assistant from 1944- 1948, who returned to us on January 21st, 1952. The first person on our staff to hold the title of Assistant Librarian, Miss Steele's duties have covered much ground, although
224
her special charge during the past year has been work with schools. With the resignation on December 10th of Miss Rosemary Lang, who found it necessary to return home to England, Miss Steele has taken over the cataloging duties until the readjustments are made after the vacancy left by Miss Lang is filled.
A Moment of Reminiscence
As the librarian looks back over the almost quarter of a century she has had the privilege of guiding the work of the Millicent Library, she has much satisfaction in the response of the youngsters to our ever expanding work with them,-in the appreciation and attitude of many adults in regard to our active program of services to the community,-and in the joy of an artistically redecorated library. There have been frustrations, too, because im- provements could not come sooner, because the work could not expand faster, for there has been a personal as well as a professional pride in keeping the library up to the high standard set for and maintained by it in its early days. It is with gratitude to the Trustees for their long- time continued loyal support that your librarian closes the 25th report she has written about the annual services rendered by the Millicent Library to Fairhaven's young and old citizens.
1952 with its problems is over. We look ahead to the library's 60th anniversary date on February 1, 1953, and to the challenge of the brand new year ahead of us.
AVIS M. PILLSBURY
January 13, 1953
Librarian
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Financial Statement
Report of the Treasurer for the year ended December 31, 1952
December 31, 1951, Balance on Hand
$ 333.20
Receipts for 1952
Town of Fairhaven
$19,611.00
Fairhaven Water Company
2,000.00
Commonwealth of Mass. (Trust Fund)
2,500.00
Lost and damaged books
13.58
Cards lost and damaged
3.60
Fines
379.85
Duplicate Pay books
42.15
24,550.18
$24,883.38
Payments
Salaries-Library Staff
$14,157.74
Salary-Janitor
2,014.00
Social Security
228.17
Books
1,925.22
Periodicals
531.66
Binding books
75.66
Library of Congress cards (catalog)
170.49
Annual report
4.00
Bus service
90.00
Library and Office Supplies
533.79
Telephone
156.37
Gas and Electricity
567.84
Fuel
489.18
Insurance
284.75
Water
15.00
Building Maintenance and Repairs
213.61
New equipment
132.29
Repairs to equipment
16.95
$21,615.72
Balance cash on hand December 31, 1952.
3,267.66
$24,883.38
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Investments
1600 shares of Fairhaven Water Company Endowment with Commonwealth of Mass. $100,000.00 New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank 512.58
Examined and approved :- January 10, 1953
WALTER SILVEIRA STUART BRIGGS Signed HARRY L. POPE
(Signed) GEORGE A. GREENE Treasurer
227
Statistical Report
THE MILLICENT LIBRARY, FAIRHAVEN, MASS.
American Library Association Form of Statistics
Annual Report for the year ending December 31, 1952
Name of Library-The Millicent Library
Town-Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Librarian- Avis M. Pillsbury
Date of Founding-1893
Population served (Census 1950) 12,764
Assessed valuation of town $14,020,990.
Terms of use-Free for lending and reference.
Total number of agencies 11
Consisting of- Central Library
4 Stations (Oxford Branch, High School Library, King's Daughters Home, Our Lady's Haven)
6 Schools (84 classroom collections)
Volumes placed in classroom collections are counted in circulation on the day they are moved from the Central Library and no complete record of use at the school is recorded.
Number of days open during year (Central Library) 304
Hours open each week for lending 63
Hours open each week for reading 63
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BOOK STOCK
Volumes at beginning of year
Adult 39,046
Juvenile 8,934
Total 47,980
Volumes added by purchase
712
283
995
Volumes added by gift
216
6
222
Volumes added by binding material not
otherwise counted
17
17
Total volumes added
945
289
1,234
Volumes lost or withdrawn
3,138
104
3,242
Total volumes at end of year
36,853
9,119
45,972
Periodicals currently received
(Titles 145, Copies 166)
Publications issued (1 annual report, December list of books)
USE
Adult
Juvenile
Total 34,742
Volumes of fiction loaned
20,715
14,027
Total volumes loaned
38,835
19,925
58,760
Percentage of fiction of total volumes loaned
50.7%
70.4%
59%
Circulation per capita
4.5
Circulation per registered borrower
22
Pictures, photographs, clippings, etc., loaned
24
REGISTRATION
Adult
Juvenile
Total
Borrowers registered during year
640
354
994
Total of registered borrowers
1,745
920
2,665
Percent registered borrowers of population served
20.88%
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Table 1
CLASSIFIED BOOK STOCK
BOOK STOCK CHANGES IN 1952
TOTAL BOOK STOCK
ACCESSIONS
WITHDRAWALS
CLASS
Adult
Juvenile
Total
Adult
Juvenile
Total
Adult
Juvenile
Total
*General works 000 Philosophy 100
17
1
18
45
45 118
2,702
136
2,838
Religion
200
27
2
29
81
3
84
1,204
116
1,320
Sociology
300
69
14
83
589
2
591
2,626
488
3,114
Language
400
6
6
37
4
41
215
265
480
Science
500
42
20
62
88
5
93
1,097
354
1,451
Useful arts
600
98
12
110
385
3
388
2,595
261
2,856
Fine arts
700
62
9
71
51
2
53
2,907
268
3,175
Literature
800
92
6
98
156
1
157
3,456
466
3,922
History
900
42
49
217
2
219
2,591
260
2,851
Travel
910-919
92
5
97
267
2
269
2,522
423
2,945
Biography B-920
87
16
103
238
238
3,571
482
4,053
Total non-fiction
Total fiction
664 (53.9%) 281 (22.7%)
92 (7.4%) 197 (16%)
756 (61.3%) 478 (38.7%)
2,272
24
2,296 946
26,188 (56.9%) 10,665 (23.2%)
3,527 (7.7%) 5,592 (12.2%)
29,715 (64.6%) 16,257 (35.4%)
GRAND TOTAL
945 (76.6%)
289 (23.4%)
1,234 (100%)
3,138
104
3,242
36,853 (80.1%)
9,119 (19.9%)
45,972 (100%)
30
30
118
702
8
710
230
* Includes bound magazines
866
80
Table 2
1952 DISTRIBUTION OF CIRCULATION
% Contribution to Total
Non- Fiction | Fiction|
Total
| Grand Total
Non- Fiction | Fiction | Total
MAIN LIBRARY
Adult
19,482
16,399
Juvenile
13,735
5,736
35,881 19,471 617 55,969
55,969
57.5%
37.7%
95.2%
*OXFORD BRANCH
Adult
199
130
329 339
Juvenile Total
441
227
668
668
7%
4%
1.1%
HIGH SCHOOL
Adult
Juvenile Total
417 50 467
1,591 ·65 1,656
2,008 115 2,123
2,123
.8%
2.9%
3.7%
TOTALS
Adult
Juvenile
Grand Total
34,742
18,120 5,898 24,018
38,835 19,925 58,760
58,760
35. 24. 59 %
31. 10. 41 %
66. 34. 100 %
Percent
59%
41%
100%
* Closed June 13-December 31 because of building construction at the Oxford School.
231
.. .
242
97
..
. .
617 33,834
22,135
Dup. Pay Total
·
20,715 14,027
Page
Superintendent's Report
121
High School Principal
126
School Nurse 131
Expenditures
142
Sealer of Weights and Measures
85
Selectmen's Message 14
Sewer and Water Commissioners
81
Shellfish Inspector 86
Tax Collector
55
Town Accountant
Analysis of Appropriation Accounts 43
Balance Sheet 18
Cash Receipts and Payments 22
Town Clerk
Births 153
Marriages
159
Deaths
163
Town Meeting Members
167
Town Meetings 1952
190
Town Officers
8
Treasurer
Cash Account 48
Debt and Interest 1953 50
Outstanding Debt 1952 49
51
Trust Funds 1952
Tree Warden
94
Trust Fund Commissioners 53
I
authority over the planning and construction of the high school chairman of the school committee, he was given almost complete building presented the town by Henry H. Rogers, Fairhaven's bene- factor, and was closely associated with Mr. Rogers in other civic developments.
As a result of this association, Mr. Tripp was made a life trustee of the Millicent Library, another of Mr. Rogers' gifts to Fairhaven, and served for many years as president and director of the Fairhaven Water Co., which Mr. Rogers had established to provide a town water supply and a means of support for the Millicent Library.
Mr. Tripp actively supported religious institutions, and gave liberally of his time to official positions in the Society of Friends, of which he was a birthright member, and the Unitarian Memorial Church of Fairhaven. He was an authority on the early history of the town of Fairhaven and this entire region, and was noted as a speaker before civic organizations on this subject. He was also known for his lectures on the manufacture of glass and on the history of the Society of Friends.
Fairhaven received great benefits from Mr. Tripp's services during his long and extremely active life, during which he accom- plished tasks normally allotted by destiny to several men, in many fields of endeavor, and his memory will long be alive in the minds of its residents.
* Thanks to Mr. John Burr DeGraw, Editor of the Fairhaven Star for the above story.
** The cover design was created by Kenneth R. Vining and sketched by Milton K. Delano, Artist.
W
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