The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-14
FOUR BRANCH LIBRARIES
PROPOSED TO ESTABLISH THEM IN
OUTLYING DISTRICTS.
Plan to BE Submitted to the School
Board-Substa tions for Delivery
of Books.

The project of establishing branch library
stations in remote parts of the city. with
substations in various other localities re-
moved from the heart of town is beginning
to take more tangible shape, and at the
next meeting of the School Board the IL
hrary committee will have a plan for this
proposed system. The library committee
recently appointed a subcommittee consist
ing of Miss Cropsey and Messrs. Adams
and Payne to inquire as to the feasibility
of establishing branches This subcommit-
tee met Saturday afternoon and decided to
recommend to the full committee the estab-
lishment of four branches-one northwest
one northeast, one southwest and one
southeast. In order to afford public dis
cussion of the plan the subcommittee
thought it would not be discourteous to the
full committee to outline the plan briefly
in the newspapers before the report is pre-
sented
North Indianapolis has petitioned for a
branch library and the extreme distance
of this territory from the Library building
makes it apparently good field for such a
branch. The suburb is DoDulous. and the
removal of several large factories to the
place promises to further increase the num-
Der of people who would be benefited by a
ing room there, to be opened several hours
in the morning and during the entire even
ing Magazines and periodicals. together
with a number of the useful books, such
are to be had on call at the reading room
at the main library, would be found at the
branch. A room would be rnodestiy fitted
up for this purpose, and in connection with
it would be a department for the collecs
ton and delivery of home books to be
drawn from the main library. 1t is argued
that the main library is lightly patronized
by people living this far from it, on account
of the long distance to be Travelled, the car
fare and the time taken in going TO and
from the library. The School Board is anz,-
ious that the books belonging TO the city
shall have the widest distribution and most
general perusal and where the people do
not come to the books it is anxious to take
the books to them, provided the expense is
within a reasonable limit, considering the
benefits conferred.
Another locality for a branch is in the
neighborhood of Prospect street and Vir
ginia avenue, where the territory is also
populous The third station is planned for
the vicinity of South West street and the
fourth, northeast, somewhere beyond the
observation-disclosures railroad station
These four stations would be conducted
largely on the same lines. The estimated
expense for annual maintenance of each
station. including cost of extra periodicals,
rent. fuel light, attendants, etc, is under
$500 a year, or a. total of about $500 for the
four stations. For the delivery of books to
be taken to the homes a system somewhat
similar to that of the main library would
be carried out. Slips and cards could be
left one day at the branch and the neXt
day the books would be delivered to the
borrowers. A wagon would carry the books
in boxes to and from the main library
The subStationS would be conducted IN
different way from the branch Libraries.
They would be established at drug stores
or other convenient places in outlying dis
tricts and would be used solely for the
delivery of home books from the main IL
brary Cards and slips could be left at
the substations before certain hour in the
morning and the books would reach the
substation in the evening. These stations
would not be established within walking
distance of the main library. The matter
Of expense would be small in the main
tenance of substations, for in other cities
where the system is carried out the drug
eists and storekeepers are anxious to nave
the opportunity of conducting the substa>
ton free of cost to the city, as 1t brings
neople to their places of business.
In the Public Library is a large number
of standard works of fiction in duplicates,
and there are enough of these books to be
spared for branch stations