Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-04-26
Circular fran thc State Superintendent.
sEw scHooE I1reaRr l,:v or wls..oSs,S.

Circular fran tho State Superintendent.
NEW SCHOOL LIBRARY Law WISCONSIN.
We append portion 81 n circular frosn the
State Superintendent, containing re marks on
the New School Library Law of wiscs .in.''
We would be GLAD 10 publish the whole of 1t.
but II is toe ioag The parts omitted are main
ly devoted TO showing tie immense value IL the
!" town library system the State The Su-
perlntendent is jealous IN his labors andswe see
no reason to douhs tlat his, crime exAecta-
tions III this matter may be realized
The new Scho,l Llbrar- Lew recently enact
Ell 10y our Stat. Legislature, his four prominent
provisions, namely
L. 1t provide, per:namen; Town School liz
bray + und, by settling apart far this purpose.
ten per cent, OF the ScauJi Fuad Income sab
jet to apportionment Ia 1859 and annsally
the eafter, together with the proceeds OF special
State tax, tn be levied each year of one-tenth
OF q mill on the dollar Talurion of taxable prop
erty.
/ = 1t provides tina. this fund shall set apart
'cciicaliv, for establishing aud replenishiny
/ Ioica School Libraries.
/ 5. Ii provides that the hooks for these libra
RES snail be purchased by pnbiic authority. and
not By the local School Boards as heretofore
/ i 1t provides tiiat ri extra number of the
t" supply each Town and City Schnol Library
with set, shall be printed by the State Print
ct, and delivered to the State Superintendent.
and these shall be- substantially bound. under
the direction oil the State Superintendent with
the approval of the Governor, at 4 cost not ex-
ceeding thirty cents per volume, to be paid out
ut the State Library Fund
The precise manner in which tiIa books shall
be purchased and distrt Dated except that they
shall be purchased by pubic authority, aud
II IT.. Il
towns and cities in the STATE. is not specific in
the act As the means for the first purchase
can not, from the terms of the law he collected
and ready Tor use until next Spring it was
thought best not Ia cucumber the act with de-
tails, which might have embarras scd and endan
sered It's passage. These details. providing for
the selection and regulations of The. tIanaorn.nt
of the Libraries. VIII be carefully considered bv
zion. Henry Barnard. the Superintendent OF
Public instruction. and Prof J. L. Packard of
the Ilatieflile Acatidmy, Who have been a,1-
puInted toy the Legislature to make such revI
sion of the School Laws of the State As they
may think necessary and report the same to the
Governor IN s.issofl Ia be BIZ him submitted IL
the LegIsi"' ire Tor lis consideration. it need
only be said III this connections that c.erv pre-
, caution VIII be taken to guard the interest O
the State, and prevent by every restriction o
Law, the possibility OF > winding or Cheating
IL the contract for he booke-isr upon the faith.
III. investment oi This sacred fund will much @
ihe popularity and usefulness Of this law de-
pend
The School Library Fund will amount to NJ
least >53o,oOo annually, and will gradually in.
crease IA proportion Ia the increase of the School
FUND Income. and tIe Increase OF the taxable
property Of the Stale There will be sor,-ti,ino
: like Sto,0Oj 4 year from the Schsol Fund In.
come and ono-tcntl at a mill tax on the dol.
. lar valuation, GA $iI5,OJ0.0J0 of taxable prop.
erty in the Stale, elnalizrd last year. woui,
realize lfJoJ-It The taxable property SHOULD
5 be equaiized, n 1t may he. ut two hundred mil
lions, then the income from the special Library
tax would amount 10 $50 900 annually
should conclude that the Library Fund will
reach not less than ;; ~. 900 a wear within In,
next three years. But cstima'i ing it at sS35 900
IL would give. on an average. to each OF the 65t
towns and cities OF the State SOB per year n
hooks at wholesale rates and deducting the
probable pro rdtd Tor the cities and vllIares
: there would be about : To npon an average te
each OF the rural towns. Est ina. ing the pre-.
sent population of line State at $3.50 900 and
dividing 1t by the number of towns and cities
; we should have an average of 1893, persons fo
each town and city and : 10 or S5u ,,cr Ven,
IN books for this number would appear bat ;
very moderate Investment. his amount .hsugl
small, viii nevertheless afford respectable be
ginning for Town School Library when w
take into copsiderat ion that a similar arn,un
e will he added annually thereafter.
d A single volume may as many as TWEEN
+, ty-siN persons "A year, each having It's use tw
weeks. Many School Libraries have reporte
~ twelve times the number OF books loaned anna
IS ally that there IN the Library-e1ch vol
urne upon an average. having been taken on
once month during the entire year.
( presume that provision will be made. tina
should the citizens 1T any town deem prone
they may sub divide their town Library int
~ two or three sec ions. and have them placed
p As many convenient localities for six months
,e year, and then interchange these sections Wit
the other sections sub divisions of tho Lihrar
would bc placed within the convenient reach ,
lie every part of tie town, thus suh>etvipp nearl
l. every facility OF the District Library with tn
j. most decided superaddcd advantages
It Is a noble and beneficial law and will =,
be regarded. when fully known. and lts beneii
oeSih 10 be realized, as tie most important edit
>" cational measure ever insu.utated in WiSconS III
r | confess to caeri5kng no ordinary Feelings
Sc hope and pleasure IN view Of The. unspeak K ali
good that must inevitably result from a iudicior
expenditure. every twenty-five years OF full o,
n1shto' 81 dpf!Grs III books scltter ar,on,r n,
pe9pic-Pr"c lrlng nos less than million tn.
he quarter of volumes of the chuiccst literature
ID the age; and | envy not the man who c,up,
., partake Of this feeling OF hope and iov. ia vie
OF the prospective progress and happiness .
/ tins race.
y LYMAN c. DRAPER
State S~,t Of PaJiic Eqstr,stion
Madison, Wis, April oth, 1853