USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > History of the city of Omaha, Nebraska > Part 40
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 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114
purchase of eight hundred volumes from O. E. Crosby, of Fremont, formed the nucleus of this library.
In 1872, the city received from J. M. Pattee a collection of books which, under certain conditions, were given the associa- tion, making a total of 2,600 volumes. These were catalogued and numbered, a room rented in the second story of the Simpson Block, on Fourteenth, between Douglas and Dodge Streets, and May 1, 1872, the room was opened, with Mrs. Aliman as librarian. An annual fee of three dollars was required to become a member. The first catalogue was issued in the same year.
Mrs. Aliman served but a few weeks and was succeeded by Miss Louise Honey, a. former teacher in the public sehools. She held the position until September Ist, 1872. Upon her resignation Miss Delia M. Sears was elected to fill the vacancy.
In 1874 the library was moved to the sec- ond story of the Marshall building, on the north side of Dodge, between Foureenth and Fifteenth Streets, where it occupied the whole floor. This gave the association very pleasant rooms and it was hoped the list of subscribers would rapidly increase.
On the resignation of Miss Sears, in December, 1876, Miss Jean M. Allan was elected to the position.
At the thirteenth special session of the Nebraska State Legislature, a bill was intro- duced in the Senate by T. B. Kennard, Jan- uary 16, 1877, entitled: " A Bill for an Act to Authorize Cities to Establish and Main-
257
17
258
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
tain free Public Libraries and Reading Rooms."
This bill was referred to the judiciary committee, who reported the same back, with the recommendation that said bill be passed, with the recommendation to " Amend the title of the bill so as to read, 'incorpo- rated towns and cities.'"
The amended bill was passed in the Senate February 8, 1877, by a vote of 31 to 19 and in the House February 15, 1877, the vote being 49 to 29.
The fees charged and the proceeds from entertainments were the only source of in- come. Among some old papers the follow- ing tickets were found by the writer:
HOME LECTURE COURSE OF 1876. OMAHA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.
J. M. WOOLWORTH, December 8th-" An Afternoon in the Houses of Parliament."
A. J. POPPLETON, December 15th - "Edmund Burke "
JOHN D. HOWE, December 22d-"Frauds:"
LECTURE COURSE OF 1877.
RT. REV. JAMES O'CONNOR, Bishop of the Catholic Church, January 31st.
DOCTOR E. B. FAIRFIELD, Chancellor. University of Nebraska, February 8th.
RT. REV. ROBERT H. CLARKSON, Bishop of the Episcopal Church, February 15th.
After struggling until June, 1877, the directors, convinced that with its prospect- ive income it would be impossible to longer keep open its doors, adopted this resolution :
" WHEREAS, it is evident that this associa- tion is not able to keep the library and reading room open with its present and prospective income, be it
" Resolved, That the president pro tem. ap- point a committee of three to consult with the city council of Omaha and inquire whether it will establish and maintain a pub- lic library and reading room for the use of the inhabitants of this city, under the act of the legislature approved February 17, 1877."
By an ordinance approved .June 12th, the city signified its willingness to maintain
such an institution, to be known as the Omaha Public Library, and elected the nine directors, namely: W. Wallace, N. T. Spoor, L. S. Reed, A. Rosewater, Lyman Richard- son, Mrs. O. N. Ramsey, J. II. Kellom, J. M. Thurston and II. J. Lucas.
To maintain the library, a tax of one- fourth mill was levied, ninety per cent. only, being available. This gave an income of $1,274.80. At the first meeting of the directors, J. H. Kellom was elected presi- dent, Lewis S. Reed, secretary, and Miss Jean M. Allan, librarian.
August 6, 1877, the board received from Leavitt Burnham, secretary of the Omaha Library Association, a certificate, dated August 4th, being a transfer of the books and property of the said association to the Omaba Public Library Board; this was read and placed on file. With the assurance of a settled income, the library awoke to a new life; its success was certain and its growth rapid and uniform. In January a room was secured on the second floor of the Williams Block on the northeast corner of Dodge and Fifteenth Streets, the accommodations being a large reading room with an alcove for the books.
Owing to the rapidly increasing number of book borrowers, it was found necessary to change the system used by the association, and blanks, methods of circulation, etc., sim- ilar to those used in the Chicago Public Li- brary, were adopted. The library was opened to the public in its new rooms in February, 1878. On the opening day over two hun- dred cards were issued, showing that the citizens fully appreciated the institution. The first finding list, numbering seventy-four pages, was published by private parties, every alternate page being used for adver- tisements. With the increased list of news- papers and periodicals, the reading room soon became a popular resort. The income being small, it was not until the latter part of April that the first installment of books was purchased.
259
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIBRARIES.
In 1878 the library tax levy was increased to one-half mill, amounting to $2,782.09, thereby allowing a sum sufficient to make additions, both to the library and reading room. Among them were many juvenile publications, a class that had been some- what neglected, and, as a result, this brought to the rooms many young people who never before had known that there was such an institution in the city.
There was no change in the board of di- rectors until August, 1879, when the council elected C. V. Gallagher and H. H. Von Raven to succeed those whose terms had expired.
February 2, 1880, the librarian tendered her resignation, Mary P. Allan being elected to fill the position.
The death, March 5, 1880, of II. J. Lucas, caused a vacancy in the board, which was filled by the appointment of F. R. McCon- nell.
Early in the year the first finding list pub- lished by the library was issued. This con- tained forty-seven pages and sold readily.
June, 1880, J. II. Kellom, president, re- signed, also F. R. McConnell. These places were filled by the election of J. W. Savage and J. M. Ross. Wm. Wallace was elected president.
In October the work on the accession cata- logue was commenced, there being, up to that time, no complete record of the books.
This year had seen such a decided growth that it was necessary to find larger quarters. The rooms on the same floor, vacated by F. C. Currier, were secured, giving much more space, better light and ventilation. Through the courtesy of United States Senator Pad- dock, the library was made a depository of congressional documents from November, 1880. Senator Manderson has also used his influence to the benefit of the library.
The next change of directors occurred in July, 1881, W. A. L. Gibbon and John T. Bell being elected, vice A. Rosewater and Lyman Richardson, whose terms had expired.
Until this time all the work had been
done by the librarian; but the increasing bor- rowers, and the additions of new books, re- quired another pair of hands; and, in Decem- ber, 1881, the first assistant was employed.
The increased expenses compelled the di- rectors to petition the council for a levy of three-fourths of a mill, which was given, in- creasing the income to $4,847.12.
C. D. Iline and W. A. L. Gibbon resigned from the board, Miss E. E. Poppleton and H. P. Lewis filling the vacancies thus caused.
In 1882, L. B. Williams, requiring for his business the rooms occupied by the library, fitted up others on the same floor for its use. These were held until the addition of a third story, when the institution was enabled to secure nearly the whole of the additional room, and for the first time possessed accom- modations in any degree commensurate with its needs. Though on the third floor, and lacking an elevator, the library was thronged with borrowers and the reading room over- crowded.
The experiment of having boys as run- ners was tried here, but was not a success, so another assistant was procured. In only two years the library had outgrown rooms that had seemed spacious, and compelled another change. After careful consideration of the rooms offered, those owned by N. B. Falconer were deemed the best. These rooms were situated on Douglas, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth Streets, and consisted of the second and third floors. These, while objectionable in many respects, were such an improvement over the old quarters that the disadvantages were overlooked. Here the reading room was on the third floor and the circulating department and the reference room on the second. This was the first effort toward a reference room proper. It was so well pat- ronized by young and old that additions were rapidly made to its shelves, and it gave promise of becoming a valuable addition. Two new directors were elected: E. Dunn and J. P. Metzger, John Wilson succeeding Mr. Metzger in 1887.
260
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
In May, 1886, another change was made in the office of librarian, Miss Jessie Allan, the assistant librarian, assuming charge. In 1887 it was decided that the system in use since the beginning had proved entirely in- adequate for a large and growing library. As the force was too small to attempt alone the extra work, the services of Mr. Charles Evans, formerly librarian of the Indianapolis Library, was secured. April, 1887, the re- organization was begun. The entire library, then numbering about fifteen thousand vol- umes, was re-classified, re-numbered, and the majority of these books card catalogued; at the same time a new finding-list was being completed, and was published in April, 1888. It contained 252 pages and was admirably classified and indexed. To this list has been added three supplements, it being the plan to publish such an additional list once a year. On the resignation of H. P. Lewis and John T. Bell, in 1887, Miss Claire Rustin and T. K. Sudborough were elected members of the board.
When the building, corner Douglas and Fifteenth Streets, occupied by N. B. Fal- coner, changed hands, Mr. Falconer required all of his own building. This prospeet of another move brought up the subject of a permanent library building. October 31, 1887, there was received from the city clerk a resolution adopted by the city council on the 18th of October, 1887, of which the fol- lowing is a copy :
" Resolved, That the directors of the Pub- lic Library submit to the council plans for a library building to be located on Jefferson Square, with an estimated cost of same."
The special committee was directed to present to the city council an estimate of $80,000 for a building, with the request that the council submit to the electors a proposi- tion to vote bonds for that amount. This failed to pass the city council, and for a time the subject was dropped.
January 21, 1888, found the library es- tablished on the third floor of the Paxton
Block, on the corner of Sixteenth and Far- nam Streets, its present quarters. Here is space enough for a large reading room and a reference room distinct from the other departments.
The largest number of books purchased at one time was in August, 1889, when the library of the late O. F. Davis was bought. This contained about eight hundred vol- umes, of which 327 were afterwards sold to the Kearney, Nebraska, Library.
In 1888 the tax levy was increased to one mill, making an annual income of $16,429.16.
The vacancy caused in August, 1890, by the resignation of Jolin Wilson was filled by the appointment of W. S. Curtis.
November 21, 1890, the library sustained a loss in the death of Judge James W. Sav- age, the president of its board of directors. At a special meeting of the directors these resolutions were passed :
" The directors of the Omaha Public Li- brary, in expressing their deep sorrow on account of the death of the Honorable J. W. Savage, wish to show their high esteem for his rectitude of purpose, faithfulness to duty and kindly disposition, not only in all the relations of life, but especially in the dis- charge of all the labors pertaining to the work of our board. Ilis enlightened and enthusiastic interest in the library work during a long period as director, and includ- ing nine years' service as our president, las raised a debt of gratitude which the com- munity can never discharge; therefore be it
" Resolved, That we hereby testify to his worth as a citizen, a neighbor, a friend, as a member of this board; and we tender to his relations our heartfelt sympathy; and, fur- ther, that, as a testimonial of our apprecia- tion, it is ordered that his portrait be pro- cured and hung in the library to the end that all may bear witness to our apprecia- tion."
A. J. Poppleton was elected to fill the va- cant membership.
January 3, 1891, Mr. Poppleton intro-
261
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIBRARIES.
duced the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted:
" WHEREAS, The City of Omaha has power (under the charter for metropolitan cities and the general laws of this State) to pur- chase or lease grounds for a library, and to erect thereon 'an appropriate building for the use of such library,' and also power 'to establish and maintain public libraries,' and to provide the necessary grounds or build- ings therefor; and
. "WHEREAS, Said city has also power to issue bonds for the erection of 'needful buildings for the use of the eity,' upon ap- proval of two-thirds of the electors of said eity; and
" WHEREAS, The present quarters of the library are unsafe and inadequate, and the provision made therefor in the city hall will be inadequate; therefore
" Resolved, That a committee of three, of this board, be appointed by the president, with power and authority to confer with the city council, or such committee as it may raise for that purpose, with instrue- tions if possible to agree upon and re- port a plan for the selection and acquire- ment of a suitable site for such library building, with a view to the erection thereon, as soon as funds can be provided by law, of a suitable, indestructible, fire-proof library building.
" Resolved, That it is the sense of this board that, in view of the fact that the library now contains books, publications, and manuscripts (many of them of great and exceptional value) to the number of over 33,000 volumes, the time has come for effectual measures for its preservation, and also for rendering the use and enjoy- ment thereof convenient and accessible to the people at large as well as to such per- sons as may be engaged in special investiga- tion or general literary work."
As will be seen the foregoing preamble and resolutions were adopted by the library board in January, 1891, but, before the city
council took any action on the matter, an event happened which located the library and provided a site for the building. The late Byron Reed, who had devoted much time and expended considerable money in gathering together one of the most valuable collections of coins, books, periodicals and newspapers, bequeathed the whole collection to the City of Omaha, and also gave to the city a lot upon which to ereet a library building. The fifth, sixth and seventh clauses of his will are as follows:
Fifth-I hereby give and devise to my son, Abraham L. Reed, a lot of land, at the southeast corner of Harney and Nineteenth Streets, in the City of Omaha, and State of Nebraska, 88.5 feet front on Harney Street, by 93.8 feet on Nineteenth Street, in trust, to be by him conveyed to the City of Omaha, provided said city accept the same, subject to the following conditions, to-wit: That said city ereet a first-elass fire proof building thereon, covering the whole of said lot, and at least four stories high, suitable for a pub- lic library, or art gallery, the erection of said building to be commenced within one year from the day this will is admitted to probate, and to progress so far as to be under roof within two years after it is commenced. As soon as said building is enclosed the trustee above named is directed to execute and deliver to said City of Omaha a deed for said lot. Conditioned that said premises shall ever be used for the benefit of the pub- lie as a public library and art gallery and for such other purposes as may be necessary or incidental thereto. The management of said institution shall be conducted and di- rected by said City of Omaha, and shall be wholly in the interest and for the benefit of the public.
Sixth-In case said lot of land, with the conditions thereto attached, as aforesaid, be accepted by said City of Omaha (and not otherwise), and such acceptance be in writ- ing and filed with this will within one year from the day this will is admitted to probate,
262
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
then I do hereby give and bequeath to said City of Omaha my private library of books, documents, manuscripts, pamphlets, files of newspapers and other periodicals, auto- graphs, and literary relics, together with my collection of coins, medals, paper money, bonds, drafts and currency, and the cases in which they are contained. This gift shall not take effect until the building above pro- vided for shall be fully completed and ready to receive the same; and, in case the City of Omaha shall decline to accept the devise of said lot at the corner of Harney and Nine- teenth Streets, with the conditions thereto attached, as aforesaid, then this gift of said library and coin collection shall be void, and of no effect. In case the above conditions be complied with by the City of Omaha, so that this gift is made effectual, then said libra- ry and coin collection shall be placed in said building, and forever thereafter be used and displayed for the benefit of the public, under such reasonable rules and regulations as may be provided therefor by the City of Omalia, one of which shall be that no books or other articles shall be taken outside the building by any person wishing to read or examine the same; and another rule shall be that, for at least a portion of the time (if not all the time), the public shall be admitted free of charge to all the benefits of said library and coin collection, under reasonable rules and regulations. In selecting and delivering said library and coin collection, my executor is directed not to include any book or other literary property a duplicate of which is at the time in the Omaha Public Library; and, in selecting and delivering the collection of coins, medals, and paper money, bonds, drafts and currency, he is not to deliver any dupli- cate pieces, nor any pieces that have no nu- mismatic value.
My said executor, knowing my wishes in this matter, is constituted the sole judge as to what pieces and articles to deliver and to retain, under this, the sixth, clause of my will.
Seventh-In case the above described lot at the corner of Nineteenth and Harney Streets be not accepted by said City of Omaha, with the terms and conditions thereto attached, as hereinbefore set forth, and within the time limited, as aforesaid, then the devise of said lot, together with all the gifts and bequests contained in the fifth and sixth clauses of this, my will, are hereby revoked and made null and void, and said trustee above named shall convey said lot to my residuary devisees, and all the real and per- sonal property described in said fifth and sixth clauses hereof shall be included with the other property of my estate, and shall be disposed of according to the residuary clause of this, my will, omitting the fifth and sixth clauses thereof.
Subscribed June 4, 1891.
Filed June 13, 1891; G. W. Shields, County Judge.
In accordance with the provisions of Mr. Reed's will, the city council submitted a proposition to the citizens authorizing the issuance of bonds to the amount of $100,000, for the purpose of erecting a building on the lot. The bond proposition was carried by a large majority, and the bonds issued by the city and sold, and the money turned into the library building fund. On the 8th day of December, 1891, the city council passed an ordinance formally accepting the bequest, under the conditions of the will. The library board also purchased additional gronnd, had plans prepared for a building, which were adopted, and the work of construction is now going on. It is estimated that, exclusive of the lot, the Byron Reed gift is worth $50,000.
The directors of the public library sub- mitted to the city council the following statistics for the year ending December 31, 1891:
In the showing, where any comparative statements are made, they are for the whole of the year 1891, as compared with the year ending May 31, 1891:
Total number of volumes in accession cat-
263
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIBRARIES.
alogue, 36,274; volumes added since last report, 2,631; total accession for 1891, 5,051; total accession for the year of the last report, 6,004; number of book borrowers' cards is- sued during year, 4,269; number of book borrowers' cards issued during year of last report, 3,757; number of cards in use at end of year 1891, 10,080; number of cards in use at end of last report, 9,275; number of books issued for home use during year 1891, 175,- 102; number of books issued for home use during year of last report, 162,702; number of books issued for use in reference room during 1891,21,420; number of books issued for use in reference room during year of last report, 16,342; total amount of money ex- pended by the board for year 1891, 825,- 257.93; total amount expended for year of last report, 820,971.73.
The above amount, $25,257.93, includes $6,000.00 recommended by the board to be applied as a first payment upon the purchase of land to be used for a library building.
The foregoing statistics show substantial growth in the use of the library, and a slight falling off in the rate of book accessions.
In closing this brief history of the Omaha public library it is interesting to note that two directors, Messrs. L. S. Reed and Wil- liam Wallace, have served continuously. It must be a source of gratification to these gentlemen to have witnessed the growth of this institution from 2,600 to 40,000 vol- umes, with a home circulation of 200,000.
Miss Jessie Allan has charge of the city library and is assisted by the following named: Miss Maggie O'Brien, Miss Blanche Allan, Miss Edith Tobitt, Miss Theodora Burstall, Miss Cora MeCandlish, Miss Mary Devitt.
Through the generosity of the New York Life Insurance Company one of the finest law libraries in the West was brought here. It was placed in rooms in their building, northeast corner Seventeenth and Farnam Streets, and opened in October, 1889, for the free use of the tenants of said building.
There are at present eight thousand volumes in the library, embracing English, Scotch and Irish reports, the State and territorial reports, complete to date, and all the lead- ing text books, covering every branch of the law. The sum of forty thousand dollars was expended for this collection. To main- tain and keep it supplied with leading law periodicals and publications requires from four thousand dollars to five thousand dol- lars yearly. The librarian is Mr. E. E. Wil- lever, who has been in charge since its or- ganization.
The Omaha Law Library Association owes its inception to the disinterested efforts of some of the oldest members of the Doug- las County bar. Organized in December, 1871, it has had a somewhat migratory ex- istence. It occupied at first, as a sort of a joint tenant with the Omaha Library Asso- ciation, rooms of the latter in Simpson's building on Fourteenth Street. Soon after, however, the library was moved to rooms over the Omaha National Bank, then situ- ated on the southwest corner of Thirteenth and Douglas Streets. These quarters ad- joined the law office of the llonorable E. Wakeley, the first president of the associa- tion, and he undertook the charge and gen- eral supervision of the library. About the year 1877 the library was again moved to the Monell building on Douglas between Fifteenth and Sixteenth Streets. llere it remained for several years, and, when the present court house was completed, the county commissioners placed at the disposal of the association the northwest court room, better known as " No. 3," and occupied more especially of late by Judge Melville R. Hopewell as a court room. Elaborate book- cases and suitable furniture were also fur- nished by the commissioners, and those of the association who had followed the library in its peregrinations supposed that here, at last, a fixed anchorage had been found. Not so, however. Lawyers and legal business and cases in court grew and multiplied with the
264
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMANIA.
growth and expansion of Omaha's other business. In brief, the association was com- pelled to find another home. At this junc- ture W. A. Paxton, who had just completed his magnificent block on the corner of Six- teenth and Farnam, having always in view the wishes and convenience of his tenants, many of whom were lawyers, offered to the association, rent free, for a term of five years, suitable rooms upon the fifth floor of his block, the single proviso being that the library would occupy and maintain the same, a request which it is, perhaps, needless to say met with a speedy compliance upon the part of the board of directors. Thus it was that on January 1, 1889. the library was moved from the court house to its present quarters in the Paxton Block.
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.