The Portland daily press., 1877-01-27
Our Public Library.

the fullness of its reference department. Un-
til it be well equipped in that respect il is
chiefly source whence people draw books
that amuse them. Some instruction is Incl
dentally gathered from the volumes, but they
are rarely consulted for that end. While the
circulating department of a library is of bene-
fit and merits support it should not be the
department upon which the most money and
care are bestowed. The chief use of public
library should be as the storehouse of vol
umes which men frequently want to consult,
but which because of cost or cumbrousness
most men cannot afford to purchase. In
deed few men if they possess the means have
the house room for hundred thousand vol
umes. The public library should contain, in
addition to dictionaries, cyclopedias, gazet-
teers, aliases and the ordinary reference
books, treatises upon every subject in which
men are interested. 1t should be vast
store-house of information. The man inter-
ested in our political history should be able
70 find there the annals of Congress, the
records of departmental work, and the papers
of state. He who desires to look up the
affairs Of this State should find there
its official history as told in the state
reports, or the history of its towns,
or the statistics of its material progress. He
who desires to make wider researches ought
to find there the history of all countries. But
the scope of the inquirer is not to be con-
fined to the history of men. The man seeking
some fact in chemistry, in botany or other
sciences, should find it in the library. The
antiquarian cropping for some thread which
may lead to the discovery of some forgotten
fact should be enabled to avail himself of all
the knowledge of his co-laborers in the same
field of inquiry. So the student in all the
arts should look to the library for the infor-
nation he needs. The house decorator
should find the treatises which concern his
business. The artisan should find the man.
uals of his trade. The inventor should find
the records and descriptions of patents.
The machinist should find the volumes
which describe the engines and tools with
which he has to do. In short, all men in all
walks OF life should find in a public library
the volumes which it is desirable for them to
consult, but which for want of means or
other good reasons they are not able to pur-
chase. For example, few artisans can af-
ford to buy Knights Mechanical Dictionary,
work of great value to them all. Compar-
atively few ministers orSabbath School teach
ers or others interested in Bible exegesis can
afford to buy Smiths Dictionary of the Bible
or NJ Clintock and Strong's Cyclopedia. Few
house decorators can afford to buy Jones's
Grammar of Ornament. Few of the many
interested in legislation or political history
can afford to buy Benton's Debates. The
examples can easily be multiplied.
Now it is in this very reference department
where it should be strongest that our public
library is weak. 1t has many excellent books
of reference, but not tithe of the number it
should have. 1t is gradually strengthening
itself in this particular, but progress is neces-
sarily slow. The fault or misfortune is not
due to the management of the institution.
The library is supported in part by fees from
| the citizens, and the citizens are more inter-
ested in the circulating than in the reference
department. In order 10 procure renewal
of subscriptions the funds must be expended
for recent publications of popular and imme-
date interest. AS soon as the public demand
reference books the demand will be supplied.
In order to create that demand people must
be made to feel its necessity, must be taught
the value of a reference library, must be in.
structed in its use, must be encouraged 10
consult it. In order to effect this the admir-
able system which has worked so well in the
Worcester library, (mentioned in Tuesdays
issue of the PREss) should be adopted. The
attendants in our library are courteous and
well informed, and are glad to give all in
formation in their power. They would
doubtless be ready to extend their researches
were there necessity for it. When people are
once convinced of the great value of refer
| ence library they will gladly contribute to its
enlargement, and the city in its corporate
capacity will be supported in making reason
able appropriations for that purpose.
The work is not to be accomplished in one
year or five. But much can be effected even
in short time if determined effort is made
and many years will not pass, il the project
is heartily prosecuted, before our public
library will take good rank with the great in.
stitutions of the kind elsewhere.