The New York herald., 1877-03-19
OUR PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

wAsuiSGroS, March II, 1871
"Tho Public Libraries OF tho United States their
history, Condition and Management" is tho ttlc OF
special report In two bulky Volumes modcsily termed
''parts" recently published by the Commissioner OF
Education. few items selected for tho readers OF
the HERALD from the tables OF statistics, with which
the volumes abound, viii indicate the remarkable
growth and importance OF our pubic libraries.
In 1915 there twenty-nine public libraries In
the thirteen American colonies, numbering altogether
49, G23 volumes 1900 libraries had increased TO
fory-nine and tho volumes to about So 600: in 1876
there reported 1852 libraries with H. 276 96l vol.
umcs aud $780, 900 pamphlets tho latter very ncom-
plccly reported Common school libraries with
few exceptons), church, Sunday school and private
libraries not Included IN the above.
The census Of 1870 showed that thcrc were about
10000 900 volumes in school and church libraries and
sos volumes IN private Libraries. Of which tho
return anything but exhaustive 1t lis. therefore,
safe to say that at tho present time there least
so OOO OOJ volumes OF books In the public and private
libraries OF tho United States.
LIBRARIES IN THE SOUTHERN STATES.
tits noteworthy TACT that IN the quondam slave.
properly SO called, containing 125,45S volumes.
namely Florida oI 500 volumes; in Ken
tucky 900 volumes one IN louisiana, 1000 vouines
ono In Maryland, 57,45S volumes; Two ia Tcnncssce,
$500 volumes. and one In Texas, 10000 volumes The
total number OF Libraries OF all kinds IN the hftccn
tain 1,v4l, ,S63 volumes.
SonrnEGx AND WESTERN LIBRARIES
New York stands first in the number Of libraries
(0l7 and second tho number OF volumes e. 1884, 777l
Massachusetts stauds first the number oi volumes
r. 2OS, 30i) and second In the number OF libra.
RES Pennsylvania has 367 libraries and !, POI 665
volumes; Onio, 237 libraries and 634, $50 volumes;
illinois, III horaries and 463 s26 volumes; Indaun
l37 libraries and 2332l9 volumes; Connecticut, III
libraries and 414, ,a06 volumes. California has made
such rapid strides in the reading world that she has
already dslanccd all her elder sisters except Maryland
and the SIX States last named and has 81 libra.
rles and 306,97S volumes.
EXTENSIVE LIBRARIES
There are nineteen librares having 90, 600 volumes
each and upward, viz.:-The Congressional Library,
800 600; Boston Public Library, 239 500; Mercantile
Library Association, Now York. l60.el3; Harvard Col.
egc lj4 900; Astor Library, 1852 AT; Mercantile lib
iary Philadelphia, 1876 66S seriously damaged by fire
and water, February %, lS77 House OF Representa-
tves Washington l2o 900 Boston A,hcnnum: los, 900;
Library Company oi Philadelphia, 104 900; state Lib.
rary, Albany, $4,000; Yale college, 49, 600; Public
Library Cincinnati II, ,405; Now York Society Library
B5. 900; American Antiquarian Society, Worcester,
Mass, 80 497; New York Historical Society oO,ooO;
Peabody Institute Library, Baltimore. 81 45S Apprcn.
liccs' Library. Now York, 600; Mercantile Library,
Brooklyn, 5O,2o7; Public Library, Louisville. So, 900
CLASSIFICATION OF LIBRARIES
Tho 6S2 libraries divided seventeen classes
fa