The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-15
The Free Libraries OF New York.

Judge HENRY E. ROWLAND made a very
interesting address at Chickering Hall the
other evening on the Free Circulating Ii.
brary Society of New York and the system
of libraries under its management. That
system was started only sixteen years ago,
and in a very humble way; but already its
libraries are surpassed only by those Of Bos-
ton aud Chicago in the extent Of their circu-
lation Of books. All this has been accom-
plished, too, at a minimum of expense and
without any flourish Of trumpets.
Those circulating libraries, conducted &C
cording to a system already established and
working so successfully, need merely to be
increased to satisfy the whole demand for
their reading on the part Of the people, and
thus render entirely unnecessary any prof.
ect for great expenditures on an independent
undertaking for the same general purpose.
Judge Rowland said that the society
was ready to join the consolidated Aston,
LENox, and T1LDEN libraries, and to con-
stitute itself the free circulating depart
ment of that united library system; but he
explained that a central library building
like that proposed at Bryant Park would not
meet the requirements of the people in
the matter of reading. Twenty circulating
Libraries, eight below and twelve above
Fourteenth street, are needed; and they
could be established for "a small part Of the
cost Of the structure which the trustees of
the consolidated libraries want the city to
put up on the site of the reservoir. The top
Of Murray Hill may be a fine situation
for an imposing architectural pile, but
1t is not adapted for a popular circulating
library. No single site is sufficient.
There must be many; and instead of
concentrating the expenditures on a Fifth
avenue building, the money will not serve
the interests of the people unless it is dis
tributed in the maintenance Of many libra
ries in different parts of the town. That
end could be attained also at a compare
lively small cost, for convenience Of access
and adaptation to their uses, and not gran
deur Of surroundings and of architecture,
would be the main consideration in choos-
ing the sites and planning the buildings.
1t appears, therefore, that so far as the
free circulating feature Of the consolidated
Libraries is concerned, there is no excuse for
the sacrifice OF any Of the park space of the
town, or for appropriating millions of dol
lars from the public treasury for the erec-
ton of an imposing library building; yet
the trustees OF the consolidated Libraries
are begging the reservoir site and the money
to erect a vast structure upon it. on the
ground that otherwise they cannot meet
the expense of maintaining a free circu-
lating library. II the building were put up
there at a cost of five millions of dollars, the
necessity for the erection Of many different
Libraries throughout the city would still re-
main unsatisfed. The main use, IL not the
sole use. Of the Forty-second street build
ing would be as n reference library. For a
tenth Of its cost ten times as much could be
done in establishing circulating libraries
where they are needed, and providing them
with the books they should contain in order
to meet the public demand.