The San Francisco call., 1896-04-10

within few months the work on the
structure will be commenced. -.
In 1877 the library was established with
about 500 volumes. DR.. William P. Glib
bons was the president OF the first board
OF trustees and George H. Mastick was the
secretary The library was first located at
Park Opera-house. 1. was removed to
fuckers Hall at the end of year and re-
mained there until the present quarters on
Park street were obtained.
Librarian Harbourne, in historical
sketch. says:
The State Legislature on March 1S, 1878,
having passed act providing for the main
tenance OF public libraries by special tax
levy, the trustees, on August d, 1878, IN
structed Drs Gibbons and Mclean to appear
before the Board of Town Trustees and offer TO
give its property to the City and ask for its
cooperation and the appoint tment OF COM
mittee of conference. Town Trustees George
\. Williams, w. B. Clement and j. b. Vosburgn
were appointed such committee on conference,
but not until the last day OF the year was the
proposition reported on and unanimously
adopted The Free Library thus passed under
municipal CONTROL to be maintained by public
tax as provided j n the act of 1878.
The first meeting OF the Trustees OF the Ala
media Free Library and Reading-room was held
on January 8. 1870. with J. C. Tucker, George
n. Williams, Daniel T. Sullivan, George H.
Mastick and Mrs. John Green acting for the
Gibbons and W. B.Clement and Mesdames Mar
garet w. Andrews and Helen NJ. Brown as Hon.
orary Trustees, representing the old associa-
ton.
DR.. Gibbons WAS chosen president. Thomas
A. Smith vice-president and George 81. Mastlck
secretary, and on the 2Sth day of February,
1879, the library was opened for the cireula-
tion OF books, with George II. Strip as its
librarian.
In 1880 the Legislature passed library act
taking the place of the act of 1873, and max
ing the office of Library Trustee elective.
From 1880 10 1884 the Library Trustees were
elected. and the last board eieeted comprised
NJ. P. Wiggin, George H. Mastick, w. p. Glib
bons, J. 7. Mclean and Thomas A. Smith.
In 1884 the town of Alameda passed into q
city OF the fifth class, and under the corporate
law the Library Trustees were appointive. The
first board, appointed December o. 1894, was
composed of Dr.. William p. Gibbons, George H.
Mastick, NJ. P. Wiggin, DR.. ]. L. Mclean and
q. l.. Birkmaier.
There are upward of 10000 volumes in
the library. Of these books $3.50 are works
of fiction, 3060 are books of reference and
1870 are of the juvenile class.
The circulation of the books in the
library last year was 10S,270. Mr.. Har-
bourne says: In 1893 the percentage of
fiction reached as high as 708 per cent,
juvenile works 20.9, as against 1913 per
cent of all other classes, representing the
solid reading matter. For 1S94-95 the de-
mand for fiction had fallen to 494, and
that for solid reading advanced to 31.9."
The following figures are given as show
ing the circulation of books in several
well-known California libraries last year
Los Angeles 2S7 ,O54
San Francisco Mechanics institute e.......l5: 7O9
San Francisco Public Library $50
San Francisco Mercantile ntile................... 1892
Oakland. ...........,..,,......1lS lS 600
Alameda a-....-..-......-...... lOS,27o
Upon this representation it is claimed
that Alameda, not Oakland, is the Athens
of the West