The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-13
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Annual Meeting Saturday and Official
Reports.

The annual meeting of the Board of
Trustees of the Public Library was held
at the Library building, Saturday eve
ming. President Baxter presided. The
meeting was short one. The old board
of officers was reelected and the annual
reports were read. The reports showed
the library to be In gratifying state of
growth ard prosperity. Tbs reports, in
part, are as follows:
PRESIDENT BAXTER'S REPORT.
TO the Trustees of the Portland Public
Library:
Gentlemen-In former reports I have
been able to testify TO the constantly in
oreastng usefulness of the library, and
am happy to find upon reviewing the
! statistics of the year PAST that this has
By the librarians report you willEsee
that we have added to the library 1850
volumes, and that the circulation of
books for homo use has constantly in
| creased. The great value of the reference
room TO our citizens is shown by the
largely Increased number of visitors to
1t during the year, namely 19, 1923. which
is 3.77l more than the previous year.
Our per capita circulation of volumes
| is nearly up to that Of the Public Library
of Minneapolis which claims 80 have the
| largest per capita circulation of any
library in the country. Two years ago
L recommended that when subjects of
general interest were before the public,
that special bulletins referring to books
| relating to such subjects should be post
ed in the rooms of the library. This
| has been done the past year, and I am
informed has been Of great advantage to
students interested in studying current
events. / recently visited the Boston
Public Library and carefully inquired in
ments. 81 was particularly interested in
the children's reading room where boys
and girls could go TO the shelves and
select the books which they pleased with
out applying to an assistant. l was told
that this room had proved success from
its opening. anda believe that such a
room should be added TO our library as
soon as possible. I believe, also, that
we should have a bindery and that with
out greater demand upon the treasury
than is now made for binding and repair
ing books, that the library could be kept
in much better condition.
The past year there have been rebound
538 volumes, and bound for the first
time, 100 volumes, while there have been
mended 7, 1S9 volumes, and yet much more
should have been done. ! would recon-
mend this subject to the attention of the
trustees.
I ain gratified to see the teachers and
pupils Of the public schools are using
the library more and more every year,
and trust that the book committee will
constantly keep in view their wants and
supply them as fast as practicable.
Teachers and pupils should both under
stand that we are interested in helping
them. and that the library is intended to
be the strong support of our public edu-
cational system.
Ny attention has been forcibly called to
the disturbance caused to people in the
reading rooms and to the attendants by
the use of the lower hall as thorough
fare from Dsering to Congress street. 1t
was never intended that this hall should
be used for the public as common pas
sageway, but only for persons desiring
to visit the Art Building in the rear, yet
hundreds of persons of all ages have been
| in the habit Of passing daily through this
| hall, many OF them INDUCING in loud talk
and laughter. Some effective measures
should be adopted to remedy this annoy
ance.
| I again desire to testify to the faithful
ness, efficiency and courtesy of the libra
rian and assistants.
| rREASURER'S REPORT.