The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-04-04
Portland institute and Public Library

Portland Institute and Public Library.
The annual meeting of the Portland Insti-
tute was he'd yesterday afternoon, the Presi-
dent John Neal, Esq. in the chair. Owing to
their being but few of the members present
the report of thu Directors was not read. The
meeting adjourned to Monday afternoon next
at O. clock, when it is hoped that every Life
and Annual member that can make it conve-
nent will be present
From the report of the Librarian, Mr.. 1. B.
Cboate, whose term of Office commenced Nav
LIST, 1S7O-just one month less than year ago
we learn that the Library has been open for
the delivery of books and as a free reading
room nine hours day for 283 days, being clos
ed only on Sundays and legal holidays. The
aggregate number ofvolumes issued during the
period was 31.197 making daily average of
ITO issues; the monthly average varies greatly,
however, that of March being more than $500
against 1900 in June, 1870 The number of
borrowers was 5066, the largest number in any
one month being $50, and the smallest 339.
Besides lfe-members and subscribers persons
OF almost every age have been admitted to the
rooms, who sought the advantages of the insti-
tatoe for the sake of reference, study, or rec
reation; even children under fourteen years of
age have been admitted, when tidily dressed,
as the library law excluding them was constru-
ed by the Librarian as intended for his protec-
library. This class has largely outnumbered
the regular subscribers, adding to the care OF
the officers, and increasing the wear and tear
of the books, but their demeanOr has been quiet
and they have been generally very studious.
The librarian thinks that when we consider
that the reading matter should be we'll select
ed. During the past year 1895 volumes have
been added to the Library, 619 by gilt and 416
by purchase Of the donors 225 volumes were
bestowed by Hon. Joseph Howard, III by Hon.
John Lynch, 49 by Mrs: P. G.: s. Ten Brock.
20 by Miss s. M. Cummings, 40 by John Neal,
% by the American Unitarian Association, %
by Brown ThurstoD, 16 by Prof III. W. Long
fellow, q by John A. s. Dana, II by Mrs. VIM.
J. Thorn, 8 by the U. S. War Department., 5 by
Fish, and the remainder by others in donations
of from to one volume. The enumeration
does not include pamphlets, papers and I'M
hound books. The number Of the donors was
81.
The committee upon the purchase of books
recommended scientific and works of reference
should be purchased in preference to others
Among those purchased some of which have
already been mentioned in the PREss-were
the concluding volumes of Allibone's Dictiou-
airy of Authors, Barlow & Babbage on Manu-
features and Machinery, Cressey's Encyclo-
pedia Of Civil Engineering, -JohnsoD's Physi-
cal Atlas in four folio volumes. Muspratts
Chemistry. Nichols Cyclopedia of Natural
Science, Stephens book of the farm, and 9TH
ers of similar character. The popular clam
novels comprising mainly the earlier writings
of Wilkie Collins, Anthony Trollope, Mrs.
Trollope, Mrs. Oliphant, many of whose works
were already on the shelves, have been pur-
chased. The librarian thinks that standard
authors complete works should be secured
brief popularity without possessing any litera-
~ merit. Very few Of the last class have
been purchased although those novels have
been procured for which there was a great
demand. Fiction is demanded more than all
other classes of literature combined, say in
the proportion of seventy per cent; next
comes Juvenile Literature; then Voyages
and Travels followed by Biography and Histo-
ry. Neither Burke or Baco have been called
for or read at the room. Of Addison, Cole
have been taken. OF DeQuincy and Carlyle on
ly four or five volumes. Hawthorne has been
much read. The author for whom there has
been the most unvarying demand is Irving.
GrOte, among historians, has had one faithful
reader. Froude has had the most while Ban
crOft's series is rarely broken by the absence of
volume from the Shelf Willis History of
Portland is the most popular book in those al
cOves. Thelpoets are left to enjoy undisturbed
quiet in their well shaded retreats except such
as the poetic frenzy may have driven to dra-
matte writing. Woe to such unfortunates SO
often as the public dspenses its charities
Then are they to be pnlled down by hands,
gentle and ungentle, GLOW ed and ungloved, to
be put up in strange comp anionship and left,
likely as otherwise, standing upon their heads.
Several changes have been made the past
year and others needed. The Public Docu-
ments have been removed to another room and
arranged in order. The Reviews have been
taken from the lowershelves where they were
much exposed to injury and put where more
accessible. The bound volumes of newspapers
have been removed because people injured
them by employing them as fOot-stool.
The subscriptions the past eleven months
amounted to $768, 90, the fines to $112.47 max
ing total of $880.47.
From the Treasures report, Mr.. J. w. Sy-
monds, we get the following summary for the
wear ending mil Cd 1871