Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-03
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE FREE LIBRARY.
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE SACRAMENTO
FREE LIBRARY.
List of New Books Which are Soon to be
Placed on the Shelves.


The Sacramento Library Association was
organized October u, 1857, and was first To-
Gated in Tukey's Building, corner of j and
Fifth streets. In 1872 the Association was
Incorporated and enabled to own and hold
property under the laws of this State. In
March of that year a lot was purchased on l
street, between Seventh and Eighth streets,
for 81. 600, and brick building and base
ment, 34xS0, was erected at cost of 81, 900,
and the library rooms finished up handsomely
and furnished with every convenience for IL
brary purposes. The books were removed
from the old rooms to the new building Sep
TENDER l, 1873. The Library was ther in a
prosperous condition. The rates of member.
ship were Life, $50; subscribing 50 per
quarter, and there were 26O member
ships at that time. The number of
books drawn during that year was
A, 234, classified as follows: Romance, 3, 573;
history, 70; biography, 80; travels, AS; es-
says, 100 scientific, Ga !; classic l ; reie ious,
80; poetry, 30 miscellaneous 81. The re-
ceipts for that year were Sc, 900. The Lii
brary Association had been necessitated to
mortgage the property to the Pacific Life In
surance Company, and the debt thus secured
became great burden. In February last its
patronage had diminished to such degree
that the Association felt it could not longer
meet its expenses, and as the Pacific Life In
surance Company debt was due, ard the
mortgage about to be foreclosed, proposal
was made to the City Trustees of this city
to purchase the library and building for the
amount of the Indebtedness, by assuming the
debt of the Library At the city election
held in March the question was submitted
to a popular vote. and was carried in the
affirmative by very large majority. The
property, real and personal, was transferred
to the city March 81, 1879 On the 9TH of
April an ordinance was passed by the Trus-
tees defining the powers of a Board OF Lii
brary Trustees, and the members of the Board
were elected at that meeting as follows S.
G. benson, VIM. II. Mills, Add. O. Hinkson,
S. II. Gerrish, w. G. Fitch, Mrs. Geo W.
Hancock and Miss Georgiana Brewster The
new Board met April 18th at the library
building, and organized by electing S. q.
benson, President, Mrs. Geo. w. Hancock,
Vice President, Add. G. Hinkson, Secretary
An inventory of the property was ordered
made, and Also a catalogue of the books, with
statement of present cash value. This was
completed and the library was opened
to the public June IA, 1879 by the
City Trustees and the Library Trustees Judge
benson, the President, addressing the public
at some length The Library Trustees have
adopted a set of rules by which any person a
resident of Sacramento city can obtain the
use of books without charge. The City Trus-
tees and Library Trustees issue these permits
to any responsible citizen who applies for
them. All books lost or damaged must be
paid for If of a set, the full value of the set,
the remaining volumes becoming the property
of the person paying. No books can be re.
moved from the shelves except by the Libra
rian, Assistant, City and Library Trustees.
Mr. Fitch, one of the Trustees, originated
and had placed in operation in the library
new system of cataloguing, consisting of hCri.
zontal wires running between the bookstands,
on which are strung tags with the name and
number OF the books on opposite shelves By
referring to the tags a person can readily
select book, and by copying the number,
section and shelf, with their name and resi-
dence, and taking it to the librarian, obtain
the book desired. Magazines, pamphlets and
newspapers from all parts of the world are
accessible to all without permit, being kept
on the tables and in the reading room CON
stantly. The Trustees have had to exercise
the greatest economy during the past nine
months as there was but So, 600 Available
with which to repair the building, ienovate
the rooms and catalogue the books. They
have recently agreed upon lis of new books
which are soon to be purchased and added to
the library. Since the opening of the library
last June the number of books drawn has
been as follows Total number drawn. Il, sic;
fiction, IA, 377 history, 675; biography, 1885,
travels, 676; literature, 65S; poetry and
drama, 251 religious, 6S; science and art,
AL. Aver,,e number of books drawn per
month, 2, 69l average per cay, IS; books
read in library, 204. Reference books used,
237. Illustrated papers, 147. Books donated,
Is. The number of patrons since the opening
of the library is l, 7S5. The average daily at
from 10 a. NJ. to 3 P. NJ, and from p NJ.
until 10 P. n.
If any book is not returned within three
DAYS after the lapse of the limit prescribed
bv the rules. the Assistant Librarian, under
direction of the Librarian, is to collect the
book. with fine of twenty-five cents for
the delinquency; and no person so fined is
entitled to draw another book until the fine
is paid. No more than one volume of any
publication can be drawn at one time by an
applicant, and in no case can a second book
be drawn from the Library while the appli-
cant stands charged with an uureturned book
or an unpaid fine. Dictionaries, periodicals
and hooks of reference cannot be drawn from
the Library at any time. The time for
which books can be drawn is: Works of fc-
tion which have been in the Library three
months and more, not to exceed fifteen days;
other books, twenty DAYS. Books in this
class may be drawn for two consecutive
terms upon return and renewal. Books on
shelf less than three months, as follows:
Fiction, five days; other books, fifteen days.
The following are additional books which
the Library Trustees have ordered purchased
and which will soon be placed upon the
shelves: J. G. Hollands Bitter Sweet,
Kathrina. Lessons in Life, Sevenoaks, The
Bav Path, Miss Gilberts Caleer The Marble
Prophecy, Every Day Topics, Arthur Bonni-
Minimum Garnered Shelves; c. d. Hav-
ner's Beipgla Boy Al.the Way Around, or
What a Bow Saw; Eliots Impressions of
Theopbrastus Such; Miss Msrtinesu's Sto-
ries Kingsley The Herces, or Creek Fairy
Tales: Cartoons Farm Legends, Farm Bal
lads, Young Folks Rhymes; NJ. NJ. Dodge's
Hans Brinker Seaman's Palms and Their
Allies. l vol; Dumas Memoirs OF Physi-
siciap. / vol; Boswell's Life of DIR. johnson;
owen Meredith's Poems; Jacolliot's The
Rible in India Hasekeils Life of Bis
marck Moeely's Life of Burke Yonge's
Young Folks History of England Stoves
Uncle Toms Cabin Annual StatistleIan.
1873: Abbott's Life of Napoleon Alice and
Phoebe Carey's. Poems Sam Johnson's Ras-
a7a5. Marco POlo's Travels Heroes OF his
tory; Boys of 70 Boys History Of the Re
beliion; Oliver Optic Mayne keia; NO
Name Series Bric-a-Brac Series Alcott's
Little Women, vols; American Eloquence
IA cyclopedia) vols; American Painters
Encyclopedias, Foreign and American Bi-
oerapby: Appleton's Dictionary, Mechanics,
Machine, Engine Work and Engineering;
vols; ApPleton,s Scientific Series. edited
N.tive Races of the Pacific States of
North America, 5 vols; Elementary Treatise
on Natural Philosophy, with Problems and
Index. vols; Figuirer's Birds and Reptiles,
Vegetable World, Human Race, Primitive
Man. World before the Deluge, vols;
Carlyles Life Of Cromwell forsters Lie OF
Michlet's Life of Luther; j. Stuart
N;li,s Autobiography Smiles Self Help.
Character; Core's History Of the House Of
Austria Kelly's History of Russia Won
Holtt's Constitutional History Of the United |