Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-22
,aournaI saS Gorrisr.
: s1NaLE cOpIEs THREE GENTS.
Wednesday, August 22, 1888.
A.PURL1C LIBRARY.

One of the most conspicuous wants of this city, which its high taxation should have supplied, Is free public library. There are few cities of its size in the country without public library of some sort. The record of the towns and cities of this State on this
 score is anything but creditable. As long
 ago as 1869 the legislature passed the first
 public library act of our law authorizing the
 towns and cities to establish and maintain
 public libraries and for this purpose toap-
 prop4iate mot moro than one dollar for each
 taxable poll. By the act of 1881 the cities are empowered to establish reading rooms as
 we'll as libraries and to levy tax not exceed ing one mill and half on all the taxable property. The cities and towns of the State have under various acts possessed the power of establishing libraries ever since 1869. Only one public library has been formed under this act, that of the city of Bridgeport In Massachusetts public library act was passed in 1851, similar to ours of 1869. In 1866 this act was repealed and another passed giving the towns of that State power to tax to an unlimited amount for the purpose of establishing public libraries. Under the pro- visioLsof these laws, out of the 346 towns in Massachusetts more than 200 have free pub lie libraries.
 It is commonly supposed that the forma- ton of public library is attended with good deal of expense, but the experience of thetowns of Massachusetts, shows that this is not, or at least need not be the case. Take the city of Worcester, for instance, 8 city of about the size of New Haven. It had in 1860 a population of about 25,OOO. It's present population, like ours, is supposed to be not far from 70, ,O0O.- The free public library of Worcester was established in 1859. Dr. John Green gave the city his private library, con- sisting of about 1000 volumes, and the Worcester Lyceum association also gave it their entire library consisting of about 1, ,50O volumes. The city accepted these donations and made an appropriation of $4 GOO. Only about twenty three hundred dollars of this appropriation was actually used the first year and that mainly for the purchase of books. For the first nine years Of the existence of this library the city of Worcester made for it's benefit an annual average appropriation of $5, 900. From 1869 to 1883 the annual appropriation has been about $11, ,O00
 It will be seen that the formation of the Worcester library presents close parallel to what is proposed in New Haven. aThe Young Mems Institute offers this city just about the same number of volumes as that donated in Worcester. By small annual appropriations the Worcester library has increased to about 6o, ,OOO volumes. As New Haven is nearly three times as large as Worcester was when it's library was founded it is probable that the immediate expenses Of 8 public library in this city would be greater. But it is to be borne in mind that considerable portion of the appropriation made in Worcester must have been used in providing 9 building for the library. The Institute offers to give New Haven the use of building sufficient for all immediate needs and which when necessary can be enlarged SO as to contain LOG, 1000 volumes. Moreover, a portion of this building not used at present by the In stitute is rented for two thousand dollars With this income an additional appropriation of five thousand dollars would probably be amply sufficient.