The record-union., 1894-10-16
THE CITY FREE LIBRARY.
1t Will be Opened Again This
Evening.
Something of It's History and the Place
it Fills in This Community
The improvements.


closed several weeks for repairs and
alterations, will open again this evening.
For some time the directors have real
lied that its needs had outgrown its ac-
commodations and had decided that as
soon as funds could be made available
it should be enlarged and remodeled.
Heretofore only one floor has been in
use for library and reading-room. Here
after there will be two. The upper floor
has been refitted and painted and will be
used for reading-room. At the north
end reading-room tor ladies exclusively
has been repapered and newly carpeted,
making a most cosy and inviting place.
1t will be eagerly welcomed by many
ladies, and it Is to be hoped will be
literally patronized by them, as, if the
experiment does not prove that they de-
sire to be so favored, it will be turned
1nto something else. Adjoining it room
has been fitted up for the directors use,
an improvement long needed.
The stairs which formerly led to the
upper story have been taken out entirely,
and stairs leading to it have been con-
structed at the rear of the library proper.
This adds about 100 square feet of avail
able room 10 the library, much needed
Improvement. a fine plate-glasS window
now adorns the front OF the library, sur
mounted by two handsome stained-giass
sashes, giving light to the interior as well
as adding much to its beauty. There is
now shelf room for about q, 900 volumes,
three new stacks, holding 5000 volumes,
having been added, and there being room
Tor i've more whenever they shall be-
come necessary, which will make room
for nearly $4,000 books.
New chairs, tables and desks have been
M .hnG cod for hn Il
ladies' reading-room, the walls will be
hung with pictures and the room embel-
HShed with plants. 1t will also be we'll
lighted by day and night, both gas and
electric lights being used in the evening.
Cases for periodicals and newspapers,
neatly labeled, are on the sides OF the
room, and it is hoped that the complete
arrangements made for their comfort will
attract many new habitueS. Mrs. E liza
a. Quinley has been selected to take
charge of the new reading-rooms.
In the rear of the library-room, on the
lower floor, the catalogue-room has been
fitted up, and also tollet-rOom eXcIu-
siveIy for ladies. The Librarians desk
is IN the front, having as a background
the large pIate-glaSs window. 1t is a
beautiful counter, finely carved in front
and fitted up with an elegant standard
gas jet.
Miss Caroline Hancock, Librarian;
:
brarian; Miss Retta Parrot, Second AS
sistant, whose pleasant faces are so well
known to the public, will have charge of
this floor.
The total expense of refitting will
amount to about 81 900, and one wonders
how so much has been accomplished at so
little expense 1t has been done by the
Library Directors under the direct super
vision of the President, w. G. Fitch, who
has been untiring in his care that every
thing should be well done. The work is
all first-class and was done by Silas Carrie,
who secured the contract.
On Saturday evening, June IA, 1879, the
Library was opened, the Sacramento Lii
brary Association having turned over to
the city their library, which was from
that time made Free Library, and the
City Trustees turned over to the Library
Directors the custody and possession of
the Library and property. 4 vote of
thanks to director Fitch was at that time
passed for his untiring labors of the pre-
VlouS three months as Chairman of the
Committee on Repairs. which had en-
tailed much work upon him.
Judge 5. G. benson, the then President,
made an address recapitulating what had
been done. The library at that time was
indebted to the amount OF So, 900, and the
city assumed the Indebtedness and re-
ceived in consideration for so doing
books worth more than that amount and
property worth at least $4,000 to So, 600.
MIR. Fitch had invented a system of
catalogulng that was novel and effective,
and the plan was so excellent that, nav
ing since been modified in some small
particulars, 1t received a special diploma
at the Columbian Exposition at Chicago
last year as being the best in use in this
country.
In speaking of it that night, Judge
benson said: SIT may seem as it did to
GlTnpt0rE thInO tn
catalogue the library. but on the contrary
IL is a work of the utmost nicely and
greatest difficulty, and has engaged the
attention of the best minds for years. a
system had to be adopted by which hun
dredS of people can with rapidity and
ease fix on exactly the volume they want
and enable the librarian to get it with uhe
least possible loss of time. Such a sys-
tenn, it is believed, has been fixed upon.
1t Will explain itself and needs but a mo-
ments examination to be thoroughly un-
derstood.
zone of the chief difficulties of the di-
rectory was the question o! how to let
out the books. This is a free library, and
unless some complete system is enforced
there will soon be no library left. Unfortu-
nately there are many people who think
they are entitled to dividend out of pub
lie properly; who favor public plunder:
who want "a divide before the time comes.
one proposition was to require a deposit
by all who take books, but that would
work hardship on many poor people,
though 1t is the plan enforced in very
many libraries in the world. Another
was TO require bond or guaranty. but
that would entail great labor and occa-
sion much Inconvenience, and subject
many people to great annoyance.
$50 the board resolved to trust to the
honor of the people; TO adopt the golden
rule and trust our citizens to do like
wise. This is our library, your library;
the library of every man, woman and
child that lives in Sacramento. We want
you to feel a pride i'll il, that it is pre-
serving your own when you care for it.
and we hold you will act with it as you
would with the property of your own
which you greatly value. We hope each
one will say to himself something like
this: There is a book in the library that
] want. 1t is out, but | hope my fellow
citizen who has it will be very careful of
it and return 1t promptly, in order that
may receiveit in good order and enjoy its
pages That is, let each one act as the
golden rule commands, and thus our
library Will be carefully kept and will
never suffer loss. We all have a partner
ship interest here-a right TO use, but not
to appropriate the books; a right to use.
but not TO abuse. Let US all take pride
in our personal rights and possessions in
this library
That the trust reposed in the citizens
by the directors was not misplaced is
shown by the fact that in the fifteen years
that have elapsed, only 2lS books have
been taken out and not returned, which
have not been paid tor-an average OF
only l4l books year, many OF which
have been by families who removed from
the city and presumably forgot to return
them. As the average number of VOL