USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1873 > Part 21
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Our purchases of books have now become so large that it is not practicable to mention more than a few of the most note- worthy. During the past year we have bought many valuable French works on industrial and architectural subjects. Among others may be mentioned a set of the Journal de Menuiserie, or the Cabinet Maker's Journal, a work which is valuable in its sug- gestions to persons interested in in-door carpentering, furniture makers, and others, a set of the Journal Manuel de Peintures, or Hand-book of Painting, relating to the decoration of public buildings, rooms, stores, etc., the valuable work of M. Liénard,
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on Specimens of Decoration and Ornamentation in the XIXth Century, a set of the admirable Architectural Sketches of the Intime Club, both series of César Daly's fine work on the Ar- chitecture of Private Houses in the XIXth Century in Paris and suburbs, and Paul Letarouilly's great work on the Buildings of Modern Rome. The last mentioned work was obtained through the kind offices of Prof. Thompson of the Technical School.
To this list may be added the following German publications of similar character, imported by us recently : G. G. Unge- witter's useful volumes on City and Country Houses, City and Country Churches, Brick and Stone Work, Furniture, Wood- Work, and Funeral Monuments, and a set of the celebrated Ar- chitektonisches Skizzenbuch, or Sketch Book of German Archi- tecture in the XIXth Century, published by a society of architects, and containing a nice collection of city buildings, country seats, cottages, kiosks, specimens of interior and garden decoration, &c. We have also bought Dégen's two volumes on Brick and Wood Work and Daly's Spécimens de Tombeaux. Although the text of these books is in French or German, they are full of illustrations of great practical value, and these, of course, are in a language that all understand.
Of English and American publications on industrial subjects, the following must serve as specimens of purchases during the year : Hofman, Carl. A Practical Treatise on the Manufacture of Paper ; Talbert, B. J. Gothic Forms applied to Furniture, &c. ; Vose, George L. Manual for Railroad Engineers ; Clark, D. K. Railway Locomotives ; Hopkinson, J. The Working of the Steam Engine explained by the use of the Indicator ; Leigh, Science of Modern Cotton Spinning ; Pole, Description of Cor- nish Pumping Engine ; Latham, B. Sanitary Engineering. Natural history is represented by such works as Sullivant, Icones Muscorum, Edwards, Butterflies of North America, Tuck- erman, Genera Lichenum, and Coues, Key to North American Birds. Whitney's Scientific Survey of California is among the year's additions. Care has been taken to put into the library such attractive works on scientific subjects, as Guillemin's Forces of Nature, Glaisher's Travels in the Air, and Thomson's Depths
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of the Sea -and works of travel, treating of subjects in nat- ural science, such as the Cruise of the Curacoa among the South Sea Islands, by Julius L. Brenchley.
Many valuable dictionaries have been added to our collection. Among them are Benfey's Griechisches Wurzellexikon, 2 vols .; Hilpert's English and German and German and English Diction- aries, 4 volumes ; Littré's Dictionnaire Française, 4 volumes ; Rose's Biographical Dictionary, 12 volumes ; Michaud's Biogra- phie Universelle, 45 volumes ; Fétis's Biographie Universelle des Musiciens, &c., 8 volumes ; McCulloch's Dictionary of Commerce and Commercial Navigation; Men of the Time ; the volumes issued of Spon's Dictionary of Engineering ; the American Cyclopædia ; and McClintock & Strong's Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature.
Valuable works on bibliography have been bought, including several on the various editions of the Bible. Among the more general works are Timperley's Encyclopædia of Literary and Typographical Anecdote ; Nichols's Illustrations of Literary His- tory of the 18th Century, 8 vols. ; Nichols's Literary Anecdotes of the 18th Century, 6 vols. ; Clarke's Bibliographical Diction- ary, 6 vols. ; his Miscellany, 2 vols. ; and Beloe's Anecdotes of Literature and Scarce Books, 6 vols. We have so much as has been issued of Sabin's Dictionary of Books relating to America. The library is indebted to Nathaniel Paine, Esq., of the library committee, for valuable suggestions in regard to the purchase of books of this class.
Of magazines and reviews we have procured during the last year, the volumes needed to complete our set of the London Quarterly Review, a set of Notes and Queries, and, with rare fortune, a full set of the English edition of the Westminster Review.
The remaining volumes of the Transactions of the Royal So- ciety have come to hand during the year, and we have also bought a set of Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences, one of the Transactions of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, and nearly full sets of the Collections and Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. A new set of Harper's Weekly has also
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been procured. A copy of the new edition of Black's large atlas is among the purchases. On the list is also a valuable work for purposes of reference, entitled, Catalogue of Scientific Papers, (1800-1863) compiled and published by the Royal Society of London, 6 vols., 4º.
Among works added representative of the fine arts, I find on our accessions catalogues, Hamerton's Etching and Etchers, two volumes of etchings by the French Etching Club, Lübke's History of Sculpture, Scott's Murillo, and the Spanish School of Painting, Solley's Memoir of David Cox, Crowe and Cavalca- selle's Lives of the Flemish Painters, Catalogue of the Gray Collection of Engravings in Harvard College, heliotype repro- ductions, such as have been made, of these engravings, and such volumes of the new edition of Ruskin's works as have been is- sued. Also, Jackson & Chatto's Treatise on Wood Engraving, and an English work relating to the catacombs, entitled Roma Sotteranea. We have bought copies of Billings's Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland, and of the Baronial Halls of England.
Musicians and persons interested in the history of music, will now find here such books as Burney's General History of Music, Chappell's Ballad Literature and Popular Music of Olden Time, and Novello's Theoretical Series of books on musical subjects.
Recent annotated editions of the works of Homer, Virgil, and Horace, are among the additions, as is also Eustathius's famous old commentary on the Iliad and Odyssey.
In the the departments of history and topography, we find Charlevoix's New France, Crowe's History of France, Mill's British India, and two recent works on Rome and Athens, by Wey, and Dyer.
Large additions have been made to our collection of plays. Sets of French's Standard and Minor Drama have been placed in the circulating department, and the intermediate department has been enriched by a full set, in 98 volumes, of Lacy's Acting Edi- tion of Plays. Oxberry's English Drama has been added to the Green Library.
Nice editions of Gower's Confessio Amantis, and of the Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, a set of Arber's English Reprints,
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and Ellis's work on Early English Pronunciation, have been se- cured. So have also several volumes needed to complete our set of Legge's Chinese Classics, and a few volumes containing Budd- histic writings.
Such volumes as have appeared of the new edition in English of Augustine's works, have been bought, and also such publica- tions as Williams's Devotional Commentary, the commentaries issued by the Clarks of Edinburgh, the Holy Bible, with Com- mentary (known as the Speaker's), translations of many of Dr. Döllinger's works, and Darras's General History of the Catholic Church.
Many rare and valuable biographies have been obtained.
This list of additions could be extended indefinitely. It would be burdensome, however, to listen to the titles, even of the most important. In a word, it may be said it has been the aim of the managers of the library to make our purchases meet actual wants as they show themselves, and to anticipate in so far as possible these wants of our citizens. The purpose has been to help, in so far as we can in a single year, to build up here a great popular library. No attempt has been made to provide for the minute investigations of scholars, excepting as scholars have actually appeared to profit by the use of books adapted to such investigations.
The popular character of the library is at once seen, when it is remembered that 2,657 volumes have been added by purchase during the past year, to the books which can be taken out of the library building, and that the great bulk of these are works of the lighter kinds of literature, such as the patrons of the li- brary best like to read. Very generous additions are constantly making in the departments of popular history, biography, sci- ence, of books of poetry, selections for reading and speaking, books of adventure and travel, of stories and novels, of juvenile literature, - in fact, of books calculated to meet every taste that is wholesome. Sports and games are not forgotten. Even the collection of postage stamps, and other pursuits of boys and girls are aided. Many entertaining books in the German language have been added to the library during the year. It remains only to mention in this connection that two very valuable works
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were purchased in Paris last summer, out of the income of the Green Library fund. One of these is a very nice copy of the Government edition of Napoleon's great work on Egypt, in 23 folio and large folio volumes. This is a sumptuous work, in which, besides a voluminous text, are contained hundreds of en- gravings of monuments of Ancient Egypt, of views of Egypt in the time of Napoleon, and a vivid pictorial reproduction of the fauna, flora, &c., of the country. It is probably the best work to be had on Egypt for general purposes, and seems cer- tainly to be the one best adapted to the wants of such a com- munity as ours.
The other purchase was of a copy of the famous work by the two Piranesi, on the Antiquities, &c., of Rome and its Neigh- borhood, in 29 large folio volumes of plates, bound in 27 vol- umes. Careful consideration was given to the question of buy- ing this set of books, and it was unanimously decided to be very desirable to make the purchase. Inquiries were then made in some of the chief markets of the world as to what copies were then procurable. A choice of two good copies was given us in Paris, and these were offered at a very reasonable price. One of these was selected, and this splendid work is now a portion of the Green or reference library.
USE OF THE LIBRARY.
In the Circulating Department, 66,855 volumes have been given out during the year. 73,264 is the number of volumes delivered to holders of cards during the previous year.
The books given out this year were distributed among the several months as follows :
December, 1872,
6,040
January, 1873,
6,237
February,
5,618
March,
6,412
April,
4,558
May,
4,377
June,
3,381
July,
4,631
August,
5,350
September,
5,780
.
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October, November,
6,575
7,896
In all, numbering
66,855 books.
The number of books given out during the year covered by this report, is, it thus appears, 6,409 less than the number given out the year before. The first thought occurring in explanation of this loss, is that the greater strictness observed in regard to allowing persons to hold cards, and the watchfulness used under our new system of keeping accounts with borrowers, have les- sened the number of books taken out. This, however, is evi- dently not the case. The loss was wholly in the early part of the year.
Thus, from December to June, and during June, every month shows a decrease as compared with the corresponding month of the preceding year. But from July to December, every month shows an increase over the corresponding month of the preced- ing year, and it will be remembered that the new issue of cards and new system of accounts date from July 1. Counting only the first seven months of the year, and 9,840 fewer books were given out than in the first seven months of the year before. During the five months of the operation of the new system, the number of books given out this year is 3,431 greater than the number given out last year.
Perhaps it would be wise for me to leave sociologists to ex- plain the loss in the early portion of the year. I am confident, however, that it was owing largely, if not wholly, to the exist- ence in our midst, for several months, of the small-pox. This disease prevailed and caused disquietude, you will remember, contemporaneously with our loss of circulation. My opinion is confirmed by one expressed by the superintendent of the Boston Public Library. During every one of five months covered by his last report, which correspond with five of the seven months when there was a decrease here, there was a similar decrease there. He says in his report, while referring to the Lower Hall circulation : " A very perceptible falling off has been owing to an apprehension with some, during a part of the year, that the
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circulation of the library was accountable in some way for the spreading of the small-pox."
Some light is thrown on the increase in the use of the library during the latter portion of the year, by current events.
It is evident that the library has been used much more than it otherwise would have been, since the middle of September, in consequence of the number of persons thrown out of their usual employments by our financial troubles. While persons in many avocations have been lying idle, we have been busier than usual. Increased activity has been apparent in both reading-rooms, and shows itself particularly in the circulating department. Thus during September, October, and November, 566, 808, and 1,841 more books respectively, were taken out than during September, October, and November of the previous year.
Financial troubles do not account for the whole increase, how- ever. Social questions are always intricate, and it appears in this case that the tide turned in July, instead of September 19, when the failure of the great banking house, which precipitated our difficulties, was announced. Thus in July, 127, and in August, 89 more books were given out this year than last.
The circulating library has been kept open 306 days during the year. That is, it has only been closed on five legal holidays, Memorial Day, and the fifty-three Sundays of the year. The average daily issue of the volumes or books is 218 against 238 of the previous year. During the months of June, July, and August, this average daily issue was 169 against 187 the year be- fore.
During the months of January, February, and March, the num- ber of books given out daily was, in the average, 240 volumes against 297, the record in the last report.
The largest number of books issued in any one day is 588, the number given out March 22. The largest number the year be- fore, was 632. This number was given out February 24.
The smallest number of books given out in one day is 43, which number is the record of delivery for June 18. This, not- withstanding the average daily issue for June, July, and August, as stated above, is 169.
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The number of persons who availed themselves of the privi- leges of the circulating department for the first time during the first seven months of the past year, or after a long disuse of them, is 1,326. The number for the twelve months of last year is 2,412. 3,611 persons took out cards under the new issue between July 1 and December 1. .
Full use of the reference department, or Green Library has been allowed every day in the year, excepting five legal holidays and Memorial Day. On these days, also, books from this de- partment have been procurable for use in the lower reading room, upon application to the assistant in attendance there.
In the Green Library, applications have been met by giving out to 10,448 persons the books needed for answering their in- quiries, or to give them enjoyment. Reckoning, as we may do, with assurance we are not exaggerating, that one-half as many more persons have helped themselves to information from dic- tionaries, encyclopædias, &c., which class of books can be con- sulted without application to an officer, information or pleasure has been obtained by 15,672 persons from the reference depart- ment during the past year. That is to say, 34 persons, on an average, have been assisted to information, or put in the way of enjoyment, and 17 more have helped themselves to information or have derived enjoyment from the use of books within the library building, every day of the 306 secular days, during which the library has been accessible in the course of the year. The Sunday use of the reference department is reported on elsewhere.
12,408 persons were reported as having received benefit or pleasure from this department during the previous library year.
Thus there has been in this, as in the two preceding years, a steady and large increase in the use of this department of the library. The increase this year is the more noticeable, owing to the temporary decrease in the use of the circulating depart- ment.
ACCOUNTS WITH USERS OF THE LIBRARY.
A new system, as you know, has been brought into use here
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during the past year, for charging and discharging books taken out from the circulating department.
The system has decided advantages over the one before in use. The most important of these is that the fact of the detention of a book beyond the time allowed by our rules, is at once discov- ered, or rather is thrust upon the attention. Under the opera- tion of the old methods, in many cases it was not known for months, or even for a year, that a book had been kept out over time. The result has been a heavy annual loss of books hitherto, a loss of some 200 volumes a year. Now, it being known at once when the user is delinquent, he is immediately notified that his book has been kept out a longer time than our rules allow, and that he is incurring a daily fine. If the book is not returned within a reasonable time after the dispatch of the notice, it is sent for by a messenger.
Another advantage of the new system is, that it can be found out in a minute where any book belonging to the library is. If not on the shelves, it is immediately apparent that it is at the bindery, among books discarded because worn out, or charged to some borrower, and to which borrower it is charged.
While there are these advantages in the new system, the good features of the old have been retained. It is equally patent now as before, when any user of the library has out more than one book.
The system now in use is one of double entry ; accounts being kept with the books in the library, and also with the borrowers.
For that portion of the system which relates to the accounts with books, we are indebted to William I. Fletcher, Esq., Librarian of the Public Library in Lawrence, of this State, and formerly Librarian in the Bronson Library, at Waterbury, Con- necticut. This portion of the system is also in use in Cincinnati, Ohio, having been introduced into the Public Library there by Mr. Poole, lately its Librarian. The system is an adaptation of that in use in the Boston Public Library, made by Mr. Fletcher. The portion of the system in which accounts are kept with bor- rowers, is an extension of my own.
As stated in the last report, it had been for some time evi- dent that a change in our methods of keeping accounts was, for
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several reasons, very desirable. The expense, however, of in- troducing and operating the systems having the desired features which had then come to my knowledge, is so great that I was deterred in that report from recommending a change from the one then in use here, except in modification of its details. My attention was called to the system we have now adopted, soon after the publication of the report. This promised to be inex- pensive, and has proved to be so. More time is required in its administration, but it is a feature peculiar to the system that the extra work demanded can be put off from busy portions of the day to those less occupied. Apart from the increased ex- penditure of time, the new system is less costly than the old.
This new method of keeping accounts has proved eminently successful. It has been in use for five months, having been in- troduced July 1. During this time we have lost only two books. One of these is a story book, taken out by a boy soon after the new system was introduced. The book is not on our shelves, and the boy asserts positively he has returned it. I do not feel at all certain that he has done so, but knowing that my assist- ants were liable to make some mistakes immediately after the introduction of a new system, did not think it best to procced to extreme measures in this case. The other book is a copy of one of Wilkie Collins's novels, and is in the possession of a young man who has moved from the city. I have written several letters to him. He has answered one of these, and sent back a book, but not the book. The book returned belongs to Cham- berlin's circulating library. 'The young man is probably care- less. He does not deny having the book, very likely has mis- placed it. I have not given up all hope that it will be returned. At any rate, I have thought it wise not to make any further efforts at present to secure its return.
Without careful administration of the system, our losses would have been considerable. Some cases have caused me much trouble. With care, however, very few books need be lost.
It has been pleasant to notice, what I anticipated would be the case, that delinquencies of various kinds are readily discovered in the use of the new methods. Young persons have several
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times altered the date written by us in lead pencil in books when given out. This was done so as to enable the offender to take out two books on the same day. Not liking the first book re- ceived, although one he had asked for, and wishing for a second, he alters the date so as to make it appear that he took out the first book on an earlier day. But such delinquencies are necessarily discovered almost immediately. In two cases offenders have been summarily cut off from the use of the library for a month.
One offence of a more serious character has occurred. A boy signed the name of a companion, so as to get a card with this companion's name on it to use in taking out books. He was easily found out, however. Here seemed to be a case where severity was required, particularly as the offence was aggravated by the erasure of dates in two cases. Going immediately to the police office, I requested the assistant city marshal to go to the boy's house, to take him, and bring him to the library. He un- dertook to do it, but before the time came at which we had agreed the boy should be brought, he appeared here himself. The sit- uation having been explained to him, his fears were aroused, and he confessed everything. I am happy to say that he showed so much mortification, as well as fear, that milder measures than those intended were found suitable. It may become necessary, however, to adopt severe measures in case such an offence should be repeated.
Hardly a day passes that cards do not have to be sent to borrowers to remind them they have kept books longer than they are allowed to keep them without incurring a penalty. On the average, 12 or 13 cards have been sent daily to delinquents. These are paid for by them, and also the charge for a messen- ger's services, where a book is sent for. A single card, only, was sent September 1; 28 were sent October 20. From the 16th to the 31st of July, 179 cards were used ; in August, 298, in September, 272, in October, 376, in November, 308.
The notice that the book has been kept out too long, proves enough, generally, to secure its return. Only 16 books have been sent for by a messenger since the adoption of the system.
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Of course much of the satisfaction which has come in the use of the new system, is owing to the fact that contemporaneously with its introduction the new issue of cards was made.
In looking about for a system of charging to answer our needs, care was taken to seek for one that would not give much trouble to users of the library. This desideratum has been very hap- pily accomplished in the system introduced. The additional work required under it comes upon the attendants in the library exclusively, and no one is discouraged or annoyed in the use of the library by unnecessary formalities.
It may be of interest to you to know that our system has been carefully examined by the managers of the Public Library in Clinton, and adopted there in all its features.
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