The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-12-12
Moline Public Library.

The opening of the Moline public library
will occur Tonight with literary and vocal
exercises and an oyster supper.
This institution was established in June,
1878. The first annual report in June
1874 was as follows: Number of volumes
2, l44; issued during the year ii ,522; at
tendance 1888. Report for 1875: Num-
Der of volumes 22,776; issued 1862; at
tendance 1880; number of book borrow
ers 1850. Report tor 1876: Number of
volumes 3,046; issued 1861; attendance
20, 98l; book borrowers 1916. Report for
1877: Number of volumes $500; issued
Is, l42; attendance 24.422; book borrowers
| 1865.
Considerable additions have been made
| since the June report SO that it will open
now with 4.5O0 volumes upon the shelves.
| Besides this it has an excellent class Of
periodicals, consisting of II monthly
magazines and Is newspapers; 5 of which
are daily, 2 semiweekly and Ii weekly, 3
being Swedish and the balance English.
The rooms as now provided are much
more convenient than formerly, and are
arranged as follows: The partition be-
tween what was theIold reading and library
rooms has been moved s feet to the east,
making a room On the east side l73 by l9,
which is designed for conversation and
natural history room, cases being supplied
on two sides for geological specimens, The
| library room proper. which is the original
reading room having been enlarged by de-
creasing the size OF the conversation room,
| is "a by 3S, facing Rodman avenue on the
west and affordIng a view of the bluffs
on the south. The north and
south walls of this room are
studded with alcoves of elegant
design in which are kept the books jude
iously classified under the headings of art
and science, history, religious, juvenile.
fiction, poetry, etc. At the east end of
this room is the librarian desk. command
ing view of the library and conversation
rooms on the right and the reading
roor:, Is by A, on the left, the latter being
the metamorphosed office rooms of Dr.
McKinne, w. Il. Moore and c. q. Glen
denim, a passage way 10 to II feet in
width having been made connecting them
with the original library rooms. At the
rear OF the reading room is small apart
ment ii by Is designed for an Office and
, meeting room of the board.
The board and officers are j. NJ. Gould,
president; Rev. 4. G. Barnard. vice
president; H. FL. Grover, secretary; s.
Fl. Viele, treasurer. j. T. Browning, A.
S. Wright, p. l.. Mckinnie, L. D. Dunn,
: and Eugene Lewis members OF the board
r and Miss Kate Holt, librarian
This is an institution upon which Moline
can justly pride herself, but she should
T. not forget to ascribe credit for it's success:
:, to those who have with their wealth ano
7 labor mad it what it is. S. w. WheelocR
e and wife will ever live in the hearts of al
1 appreciative community for their magnif
. cent donation Of the library building, and
= Il. Il, Grover, who has been the effcien
9 secretary OF the board from the time o.
e its organization, always attending to tht
. duties of that Office with an interest such
t as one might be expected to show only il
0 his own affairs, and not hesitating to per-
! form services of any kind which would bt
{ for the advancement OF the library; anC
ali without the least compensation.
e Miss Kate Holt, the librarian, has alsC
proved to be especially fitted for the
+ arduous duties connected with that Office
I mastering all the details and attending t.
E them TO the entire satisfaction of the board
{ and the public