The Portland daily press., 1877-04-16
Annual Meeting Of the Portland Institute
md PuhIsc Ii

Il
| and Public Library.
| The adjourned annual meeting of the Port
| land Institute and Public Library was held at
the library room Saturday afternoon.
| The Librarian, Mr.. Edward A. Noyes, re-
ported as follows:
Gentlemen,-In submitting my annual re-
port, 1t gives me pleasure to record the usual
increase IN the usefulness of the library as evi.
denced by the number of books issued to bor-
rowers, viz, 1874 volumes; an increase of 1000
issues over last year, in spite of the closing of
the library for twelve days in March. The ad-
dlton OF pleasant and commodious reading
room has largely increased the number of read
ers at the rooms, of which no record has been
Kept; an omission which will be remeded in
the future.
The accessiops to the library were 1862 bound
volumes and 1l6 pamphlets, classification of
which accompanies this report
1t was found necessary to close the library on
the 9Th of March to make Encouragement of
the books and prepare for catalogue. The
delay IN re-opening the library has been greater
than at first expected; but a part of the books
can be issued by Wednesday of next week, and
it is believed that under the new system of de-
livery no general closing of the library will
ever be required again.
Since the close of the library, ten new cases
have been added, and the bookssfor circulation
placed in the main library ROOM which, under
the new arrangement, will accommodate 20, 600
additional volumes.
The catalogue, now ready for the printer, will
be finding list, arranged by subjects under the
authors name, and will be printed on brown
wrapping paper, at trifipg cost to the library,
owing to the aid received from advertisements
printed with the catalogue.
The indulgence OF the patrons OF the library
is asked for the annoyance incidental to so radi-
cal change as their exclusion from the shelves
of the library. 1t was found that, although the
saving in the cost of attendance would more
than pay the cost of books stolen and destroyed,
yet the defacing of books by cutting out leaves,
and the disarraDgement of books in library as
large as ours, made the adoption of the close
system necessity. The loss of books is not as
large as reported, although considerable, but is
confined to juvenile and fictitious books almost
entirely, the losses in other classes being very
small. L regret that, owing to the pressure of
catalogue work. no actual count of losses can
be presented at this time.
The library rooms have been kept open the
past year between the hours of 10 a. m. and
p. m.
In closing this report, cannot but congratu-
late the friends of the library at the active and
Intelligent interest awakened in all parts of the
couRtry in the cause of public libraries. The
issue of the report of the commissioner of edu-
cation on the public libraries of the United
States, with the accompanying essays on SUBJ
jects connected Herewith, and the conference
Of librarians at Philadelphia, make this the
most remarkable year since the public library
system was inaugorated. May the present year
enable you to realize some appreciable benefit
from the interest thus awakened.
Mr.. Noyes also submitted the following &C.
commit traaSurpr.