Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-09
WANT A GOOD TITLE.
Library Commission to Ask POpu-
lar Vote on the Park Purchase.
TIE MAIN LIBRARY AT OAKLAND
Favored by Mr. Carnegie, Who Will Attend
at To-Day's Meeting.
A VALUABLE ADJUNCT TO EDUCATION

Mr.. Andrew Carnegie will welcome the
members of the Library Commission when
they assemble in the Carnegie Offices this
afternoon to discuss library matters. Mr..
Carnegie will devote much more time to the
matters than he expected to week ago,
when be contemplated sailing for Europe on
the 18th. He has changed his mind, and
will remain in Pittsburg several weeks.
The meeting of to-day is to set library
matters in motion, the recent action oi
Councils having rendered available the
much desired 10 acres of land at the Schen-
ley Park entrance. 1t is said that, acting
on high legal advice, the commission will
formally request Mayor Gourley to ask for a
popular vote on the acquisition of park
property. Other expedients to insure a
fawless title before 81, OCO, 900 or thereabouts
are expended, are likely to be actively
mooted.
Five District Libraries.
Action will be taken also upon the COM
munications from Lawrenceville citizens in
the matter of the selection of the site for
their library. There will be the following "dis-
trict libraries" "Old City," located at or near
Fulton street: "Lawrenceville," near the arsen-
and Frankstown avenues; "Southside." at or
near Eighteenth street and Carson; "West
End" in the heart of Temperanceville. The
original plans for district libraries have been
changed to include lecture halls.
James B. Scott had before him in his office
yesterday map of Pittsburg upon which he had
drawn sundry red lines and circles for the
benetlt of his fellow commissioners. He says
ar,f 70 trn md V
self that both geographically and from census
standpoint the 1e acres secured from Mrs.
Schenley is the center of the book-reading
music-hall-going population. Mr.. Carnegie
said to friend since his arrival, that 1t might
be considered eg otistical, but he believed that
the people of PIttsburg would 60 to such a
music hall as he hoped to be able to provide,
whether it were at the Point, Point Breeze or
on either river bank.
The commission will invite action on the SUBJ
ject of sites for district libraries from citizens
Not Pressing Matter
THE DISPATCH representative asked Mr..
Scott what attitude the commission would as
sumo toward the movement to create a Depart
ment of Libraries. or whether it would be
deemed proper to make the libraries in second
class cities an adjunct of the Department of
Public Works.
THAT is a very interesting matter in Allie
gheny, where there is Chief, but no depart
ment," he replied, "but in PIttsburg the actual
administration OIL libraries Is 1our years distant.
There will be two more sessions of the Legisla-
Iure, and no one knows how many decisions of
the Supreme Court in that time. 1t may be
safer to wait awhile before pinning faith to any
plan"
Have you heard anything Of the plan to
make a test case out of Allegheny City In order
to secure an opinion as to the scope Of existing
second class city legislationF'
No. If you want my opinion personally as
to the proper bent of public library manage
ment, / am free to say that it should be in har-
mony with and, if possible, allied with the
public school system, irrespective of the mud
die which has two rival libraries look
ing daggers drawn-fguratively speaking
across Diamond Square in Allegheny.
Keeping the Library Out of Politics.
"If books are simply an amusement then it
does not matte: pin how their circulation is
controlled 50 long as things are done decently
and in order. But Mr.. Carnegie contends and
many of us agree with him. that literature in
public libraries is valuable adjunct
to education, and it would stand to
reason that the closest alliance between
schools and libraries will be advantageous.
Politics should be absolutely divorced from
library control as in Boston, wher2 the City
Councils placed the control o. their grand
library in the hands of civilians. The discus
sion of the matter is timely and will no doubt
prove profitable"