The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-02
FUNDS ARE RUN DRY.
Circulating Department of the
Library Closed.
NEW RESOURCES ARE NEEDED
Shrinkage Of Revenue Renders the
Step yecessary-Its Good Effects
ON the Public Taste.

At a meeting of the Seattle public IL
brary commission yesterday II was de-
cided to close the circulating department
of the library for one week. but the de-
parfment will be open until further no.
tice In order to permit those who have
books out to return them TO the librarian.
This action has been found necessary be-
cause the receipts for this month have
not been sufficient to pay the salaries OF
the employees and under the charter the
commission cannot run In debt Another
meeting has been called for Monday and
committee consisting of DIR. A. b. kibhe
and T. b. Hardin has been appointed to
meet the council MONDAY and lay the
matter before that Cody and ask for aid.
II is possible that the committee will ask
the council to appropriate sufficient
sum from some one of the various funds
to maintain the library until the resources
Of the commission will place the library
on a satisfactory footing.
1t was a sorrowful meeting OF the COM
mission yesterday afternoon. for all of
the members have taken a personal and
active interest In the library, although
they have received no financial remunera-
ton for their services. The entire COM
ifisSfOii, except ffdTuiiis was pEcscht
II was ascertaiaed that the appropriation
for February was only 500. while the ex-
penses were about $500 and. In the face of
existing circumstances. il was decided
that the only thing TO be done was to
close the circulating department for the
present. Last fall the newspapers of the
city and the members of the commission
by active work succeeded in raising a suf-
ficient sum to pay off the debt and thus
for the time being everything went along
smoothly. But now something has to be
done. for the source from which the rev.
enues Of the library are received has not
been a fruitful one. Mrs. j. C. Haines.
who has been one of the most enthusiasts
tic and energetic members of the conamis-
sion from the time that body was created.
said last evening:
.'Of course we are very sorry to close
even the circulating department. but un-
der the circumstances and the terms of
the charter there was nothing else for US
to do Yet we hope the council will take
an active interest in the affair and give us
the needed relief. This should be done.
for the library and the commission is a
part of the city government and the insti-
tuition is one of which this or any other
city should be proud. According TO my
idea the library Is next In importance 10
the public school system for II is and has
been educating the people of every class.
the poor as well as the rich. l have had
talks with the bookstore keepers of the
city and they have told me that since the
library was started the tastes of the peo-
pie for better class of reading has been
marked. Instead of many buyers for
trashy French novels and books of a like
order. the call has been for works OF
substantial and slevating order.
Between 1900 and 1900 people call at
the library every day and ii has 10000
patrons who hold membership cards. The
opportunities for good reading have been
embraced by many poor people and also
by the school children. great numbers of
the latter taking out books daily. The
reading rooms are full all the time and
the work has been so great that it has re-
Quired several assistants besides the IL
brarian and II is impossible for us to cur
tail expenses In any direction. We have
less help than any other library of the
same extent elsewhere I'm the country. Al
though the charter says that city en-
ployes shall work but eight hours. II is
seldom that any of the employees can quit
when the eight hours are up and in many
/ instances they have of their own yolition
worked many hours over time.
The income OF the library has been so
/ limited that for some time we have not
/ been able 10 buy new books and many of
! the books we now have are becoming
worn and the librarian and his assistants
have patched them up as best they can.
there not even being money sufficient to
: send them 10 a book hindery for repairs.
/ The monthly expenses average nearly $500
/ and when it has been reduced TO this fig
ure IL has reached minimum. The rent
/ under the lease Is 500 and our other ex-
+ penses, Including salaries for the librarian
and ASSISTANTS. bring II up 10 nearly $500
more. We all hope that II can De so ar
i ranged that the library can be maintained
/ by tax instead OF being supported from
the presen, unreliable and disagreeahle
source