The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-20
THE LIBRARY'S GROWTH
Interesting Facts About
Thos e Who Read and
What They Read.
A USEFUL DEPARTMENT.
Among the Books is a Volume
Once the Property of the
Poet Longfellow.

The Free Library is constantly grow
ing, both in the number of volumes
added and the subjects which the new
books embrace. 1t is steadily increasing
year by year and rapidly becoming one Of
the most com plete libraries in the State.
AS the library grows in volumes and
scope. the number of readers increases
and the demand for books of all descrip-
ton keeps rapid pace with the supply.
The average number of books now in
daily use is 914 and the largest number
used in one day during the month OF
November was 1920, which were taken
out on the Goth. while the smallest mum
Der used in a single day of the month
was ITO. on The 18th. An idea of the
manner in which the library is growing
can be gained by a glance at the statis-
tics for the month of September last as
compared with those for November.
The lumber of volumes taken out daily
on all average during that month was
S52. The largest number in a single day
was 1,476. and the smallest 81. The
volumes distributed through the delivery
stations was Is, 009, while In the month or
November the number had grown to
14.7l9. During September 2S9 new names
were added to the list. while during No
vember 3S7 persons awaited themselves OF
the advantages of the library. The read
ing room was utilized by 5,442 persons in
September, and by 1895 in November.
The library was opened on July 6. 1891.
and from that time to December l, it had
a total circulation of 423, 996 volumes. an
Increase since October l OF 81, 910 volumes.
There were in the library on December /,
30,845 volumes, an increase in two months
of LAO volumes. Among the volumes
added during that time are books dealing
with philosophy. sociology, foe arts,
language. natural science. religion, be-
sides general literature and fiction.
AN IMPORTANT FEATURE.
One of the most important features of
any library, public or private, is the Ref
erence Department., and Librarian
| George Watson Cole Is bending his ener-
gies to make this department of the Jer-
sey City Library one of the best in the
State. There are constantly being added
to the department complete sets of period
icals, new and old. The advantages of
these are apparent to the general reader,
but no one appreciates them more than
the student Most people are content
with the accounts OF events which they
read in the works of the generally accept
ed historians. But the student loves to
delve for himself in the periodicals, con-
temporary with The times which he is in
terested in, and when he can find those he
Is udppy. LIS Il res l1lOTdEN HIS OUUdlDoQ
many sets of English aud American mag
azines. extending back TO the early CEN
turtles of English literature. Among one
of the American sets is a volume that
was once the property of the Poet Long
fellow. 1t contains his library card, and
the fact set forth in the plain backhand
of the great author of "Hiawatha''
and "~Evangeiine," that it was pre-
scented by him to his brother Samuel.
MIR. Cole has purchased nothing but COM
plete volumes of these periodicals. and
magazines. and some of the sets he has
obtained are very valuable. Some idea
of the number of volumes of these valua-
may be CLEANED by the fact that all the
upper and lower shelves of the cases have
been filled with them.
SOME OLD VOLUMES.
Among these periodicals of which the
Jersey City Library has complete sets
are the annual Register from 175S to the
present day. comprising 1873 volumes; the
Edinburgh ReUieW from 1S02 to 1891, IT'S
volumes; BIdckWood's Edinburgh Mogd-
zine from 1917 to 1891, $50 volumes; At
lantic Monthly from 1857 to 1891, IS
volumes; the Quarterly ReUielc from
American Wing ReUie,o from 1S45
10 1852, Is volumes; Rdrper's Month
IN from 1851 to 1891, 1888 volumes, Mac
miuGn'S Magazine from 1859 TO 1891, 81
volumes. In addition to these there are
complete sets of all the leading maya
zines and periodicals now published in
the English tongue,
A most useful adjunct to this feature
of the Reference Department and one
with which the Jersey City Library is
supplied is. POOLS IndeT to Periodical
Literature. The compiler of this useful
work was until recently the librarian of
the Chicago Public Library, and is now
at the head of the Newberry Library in
the Windy City. 1t contains all the
articles in the leading magazines indexed
aud classified so that they can be located
at q glance.
The other features of the reference de-
partment are we'll equipped with encyclo-
pedias. lexicons, dictionaries aud stand
ard works upon snecial subjects. The
one great draw back to this library at the
volumes increase and the number OF per-
sons who avail themselves of the many
advantages the institution presents
grows the paucity of accommodations
becomes more and more apparent. Not
only is the space reserved for books
crowded almost to Its tulos capacity,
but the room in which the attaches of the
library have to work in is cramped and
wholly inadequate for the purposes TO
which it has been put.
The number of those using the library
is increasing day by day and it will only
be a question of months when the ~institu-
ton will have TO seek increased accom-
modationS. No section of q building will
be aple to meet its needs and in order to
accomplish the purDoSe for which it was
instituted the trustees will have to erect
a building especially adapted for the
library.