The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-28
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Its Accommodations Taxed to
the Utmost by Readers.
DAILY OUTPUT OF VOLUMES.
Members OF the Commission and the Er
ecutive-The Plan Adopted for
Cataloguins Books.

The public library has not fallen off in
popularity, but on the contrary gives every
proof that its use is only limited by its
capacity. The rooms, which seemed so
spacious when first opened, are now un-
comfortably crowded. The sparseiv flied
sheives OF year ago are now occupied by
S,433 books, and the small and altogether
inadequate office is numbered with maya
zines waiting to be bound and with books
TO be remembered. The commission now
consists of Mrs. Belle c. Haines Mrs.
Frank n. Wilcox, Judge Eben Smith, r.
Z. Washburn and Junius Rochester.
Mr.. Rochester who was appointed to
NIL the unexpired term of John Z.
aver, Will probably be reappointed
III January, and there will be an
other vacancy to fill caused by the
election of Mr.. Washburn to the state
legislature. 1t was supposed that Frank
J. Foster, one of the fire commissioners,
would receive the appointment, and he
has made no secret of his liking for the
Office. but political reasons are likely to
prevail and keep him where he now is.
Mayor Ronald has already about decided
who shall fill the vacancy of the commits
sion If the proposed appointee will &C
cept.
The executive department consists of
Mrs. Harnett. the librarian; Miss Henry,
hrst assistant; Miss Banks. Miss Proper
and Peter Pirret. Occasionally other as
slstance is had on account of the renum-
bering Of the books, which D now pro-
ceedlng. The accommodations Of the
reading room do not exceed eighty per-
sons, and it is no uncommon thing for a
dozen or SO of readers to stand
around the room unable to procure
seats, and as many as $50 books are passed
out to borrowers on card during the day.
This is at the rate of one for every minute
and half in ten hours. This fact should
be impressed upon the minds of littera-
teurs who drop in and expect half an
hours gossip with the fair young librari-
ans over favorite authors. Each visitor is
entitled to just three minutes at the coun-
ter when there are two librarians in at
tendance.
The income of the library varies month
by month according to the receipts from
licenses, fines and fees, of which the
library receives 10 per cent. The average
will be rather less probably than 81. 200, or
$14, 400 a year. OF this the current ex-
penses consume about $500 month. leav-
ing 500 a month for new books and extra
expenses. The library has about $1,000
cash on hand.
The constant handling of the books
places percentage monthly in the re-
pair room; but very few books are lost
even from the reference book room to
which every visitor has access without re-
straint. The experience of libraries is
that the cost of putting any book on the
shelf beyond its first cost, that is, adding
freight numbering, cataloguing, ETC., is
40 cents, a charge of so cents is therefore
made over the prize cost Of any book lost
by borrower.
The plan of REMEMBERING, as to which
there is some controversy, is a combina-
ton of the Cutter numbering system and
the Dewey decimal system of classification.
To layman it looks as beautiful and
symmetrical as a kaleidoscope view, but
the absolute advantages and the possible
disadvantages can only be known to those
familiar with its practical working.
One feature which has been adopted
from the first has been so long tried in the
libraries of the world that it has passed
entirely beyond any doubt, 80 far as it
goes. That is the card catalogue system
by which names of authors and subjects
are kept together, with every facility for
making additions without disturbing the
previously arranged order, and allowing
each new work and each new author to
drop easily to the assigned place.