The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-05-19
There have also been added los pamphlets.

Total ltooO
There have also been added los pamphlets,
all of them being gifts.
OF the f. 1888 volumes given, 3,549 were the
gift of the Indianapolis library association:
Ofthis collection too much can not be said
in its praise; selected with care and discrim-
ination by its officers, this library showed
throughout the good taste and knowledge
of literature ofits purchasing committee, and
was exerting a large influence in forming
the taste Off members. Seeing in public
library an opportunity for greater influence
and more extended good than the associa
tion probably ever could offer, they gener-
ously donated their entire collection TO the
public. / would recommend, gentlemen,
that a copy Of the catalogue be presented to
each of the members of the association as
slight acknowledgement OF the value OF the
gift. The Rev. Z. T. Fletcher has shown his
warm interest in the library, by donating,
with other gifts, the bound volumes OF
newspapers collected by his father, the late
Mr. Calvin Fletcher. The collection num-
bers 1S4 volumes, all of them in an excellent
state of preservation number OF them being
unique. AS an addition to the local history
of the city the collection Is invaluable. i
would mention in this connection, the inten-
tion of the management TO make the library
the depositoryUf everything in any way re-
lating to the history of the city and state,
and would ask the cooperation of all friends
of the library to assist them; no book or
pamphlet, however trivial, can be of so little
value as not to find a place in such collee-
ton as 1t is our desire to make.
THE SCOPE OF THE COLLECTION.
At present there is no library in the state
where the future historian can find his ma
terial at hand. among other gifts, that of
Mr.. Charles Cox, of 14S volumes, is worthy
of special mention. Our representatives in
congress. Hon. o. p. Morton and Hon. John
Coburn, have also kindly remembered the
library during the past year. list of all
the donors of books and pamphlets will be
found appended to this report. The total
number Of names registered during the
year from April 1, 1873, to April l, 1874, was
800; of these IL have chosen to make the
deposit. pine OF wnom have since with
drawn. This exhibit is a gratifying one,
as showing how much the library was
needed, and its popularity with all; and
compares favorably with that of other
cities. The registration at Cincinnati
for 1s72-3 being 4,41O, and at Boston for the !
same time, 6,6SS. An examination of the
table at the end of this report will show no |
falling off in the gains to the library in this |
respect. The number OF days during which |
the library has been open for the delivery of
book during the year was Jl3, and for
twelve hours of each day. The number of
volumes received from the library during
the wear was l10l ,2S1. A comparison of the |
number OF volumes in the library and the
number taken during the year, will show
that il every volume belonging to the I
library had been taken, which, of course, is
not the case, each volume would have cireu
lated nearly seven times. How this use of
the library compares with that of other
cities, will be seen from the following table,
taken from the report of the Lawrence pub
lie library;