Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-04
School Library-Its History-Publicatiouo o
the CafalOguc.

the Catalogue.
Libraries, more clearly than any thing else,
mark the progress and status of community.
If education and literature are confined to
the few, libraries will be altogether private,
or formed upon principles which must neces-
sarily exclude the masses; and the collection
is fair index to the character and attain
ments of the collectors. But, free and cheap
subscription libraries, are indices, not of the
requirements of few individuals only, but
of the community at large; and when sus-
tanned by legislative taxation, can be taken
as conclusive evidence that the great majority
of the people are fully aware of the necessity
of better facilities for reading than can be
afforded by private individuals generally.
The free, or public school library, of Gin
cinnnti, is decidedly the best of the kind
in the West, and promises to increase in use
fulness, in ratio much greater than the in
crease of population. 1t owes its origin to
the school law of 1853, which provided a
fund for the purchase of books for library
purposes, to be distributed among the differ
ent school districts in the State, in proper
ton to the number of youth therein, entitled
to attend the common schools. l.,.s.--
This enactment, if it had been literally ad-
hered to, in this city, would have created n
lumber of small libraries thereby greatly
impairing the usefulness of each; Il was,
therefore, deemed best to form one central
library, to be open to the whole city, and,
accordingly, the necessary arrangements
were made for that purpose. F a''
The first purchase of books amounted to
about fifteen hundred volumes, and was made
in 1856; at the same time, contract was
entered into with the Ohio Mechanics Insti-
tute, to add their library, containing about
six thousand volumes, to this collection, thus
enabling the enterprise to be inaugurated
with sufficiency of books to make it at
once respectable and attractive.
During che years of 1867, the public tax
was suspended, and the library received no
accessions, except from private individuals;
as the "Shield's Collection" consisting of
FIVE hundred volumes, of which three hun
dred have already been received.
BY contract with the Ohio Historical So
ciety, their books were likewise placed in the
alcoves of the free library, and have since
been open for reference, but not for circula-
tion. Er flHurs tf f.l tffgTaIIa q
The library tax having been reinstated in
1858, during that and the following year,
large additional purchases were made, the
shelves and alcoves entirely rearranged, and
the reading-rooms enlarged to accommodate
the rapidly increasing number habitually re-
sorting there. r-lr
The repeal of the tax, by the last Legisla-
ture, suddenly checked the growth Of the
library, Just as it had arrived at point in its
fortunes in which aid was most needed, and
when its usefulness began to be fairly ap-
preciated. fg lthN1f 1fH'h
The following table of circulation (that of
the last month of the present year being es-
timated) dispenses with any necessity for
comment upon the popularity of the institu-
ton; 4-s-' = tft.l ~ sos .CFg
Year. No. Of Readers Circulation.
~ -si'"'i'''''''""'''1155yy 5y r,rf...s 2asg