The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-14
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Annual Meeting Of Its Trustees Last
Evening.

/
Old Board of Oacers Reelected President
Baxter Reports the Library To Be in
Excellent Notwithstanding Re-
ports from Treasurer Noyes and Miss.
Furbusl, the Libr ariau.
The annual meeting Of the board of
| trustees Of the public library was held
last night in the Public Library build
ing. Nearly all of the directors were
present and President James p. Baxter
presided.
The following officers were elected,
there being no change from former years:
President-James p. Baxter,
Vice President-JosiAh II. Drummond
Treasurer-Edward A. Moves.
Secretary 9. Wilson.
President Baxter presented his annu al
report, which was Us follows:
ut is gratifying to me to be able to
report continued growth and increased
use of the library by our citizens, and
especially Of the reference department.
1t is also encouraging to observe that the
pupils of the public schools are availing
themselves more and more of it's benefits
1t was originally designed to encourage
as much as possible the use of the library
by the youth Of the city, and fer this
purpose room was provided for them In
the basement. Unfortunately this room
proved unsuitable. and was devoted to
other uses. The necessity for snch a
room, however, has been felt, and when
the new addition to the library is COM
pleted as it will be In few weeks it will
be fully supplied. I regret to be obliged
to call attention to the frequent mutila-
ton Of books. It would seem that no
person oonld be SO lost to decency to
mutilate books, the uss of which IL gen
erously furnished them free of cost, and
it is to be hoped that there will be no
further occasion for complaint in this
particular.
with the nsw addition to the stock
room which will more than double our
present shelf capacity. and with the con.
siderable increase from funds by the Far
rington bequest the library should grow
much more rapidly than in the past, and
thereby Lecoine more important factor
in the intellectual progress OF the CITY,"
LIBRARIANS REPORT.
Miss Alice G. Furbush, the librarian,
presented her annual report. which was
aa follows:
To the Trustees Of the Portland Public
Library:
Gentlemen-The statistics for the year
ending March 81, 1897, show Ian encour-
aging condition OF the library, as regards
both it's growth and it's activities. Seven
teen hundred and forty seven volumes have
been added and 1913 Withdrawn, giving
net gain Of 1926 and making the total
number of volumes in the library at the
presents time 48, 008. OF the 1747 access1ons,
1925 were added BY purchase, 2S3 by gift
and a27 by binding, while two books
which were last year reported to be lost
from the reference room have been found
and re-entered.
Over 100 volumes have been added to
tae reference department., and our rather
meagre collection of French and German
literature has been enriched by 273 vol
umes. -Four hundred and nine volumes
of fiction have been purchased, about 100
of history and biography, and the depart
ments of travels, literature, sociology and
religion have all Eeen STRENGTHENED.
Among the noteworthy purchaees may be
mentioned, Battles and Leaders of the
Civil War, four volumes; One Hundred
Years of American Commerce, two vol
unes, History OF Banking, four volumes:
Williamson S photography of Maine, two
volumes; Harrer's Dictionary Of Classi-
cal Antiquities, Primes Pottery ami Por-
eelain, Muther's History Of Modern
Painting. three volumes; Longfellow's
Cyclopnedia OF Architecture, Mackenzie'a
Castles of England, two volumes; Jesuit
Relat ions, four volumes, and Appleton's
Scientific Library, sixty volumes.
The National Cyclopaedia of Biogra.
ply, six volumes, and New England
Manufacturers and MANUFACTURES, two
volumes, given BY an unknown friend in
our city, are useful additions to tie ref
erence department.
sent to US from Kansas City two hooks,
which should perhaps be accounted as
gifts, although many years ago they were
the property of the Portland Institute
and Public Library. They are 6oule's
6ynonymes and the Carmina Selecta Of
Horace, published in Brussels in 1873.
The stamp and shelf numbaIs on the
twenty years ago. They were returned
by express (prepaid without explanation
Or thanksl
There have been added to the list of
current periodicals annals of the Ameri-
can Academy of Political and Social
Science, Cumulative Index of PeriodI-
Gals, New World, Outlook, Public Libra
ries, Saturday Review, Great Round
World, and duplicate copies of st. Mich
olas. Gifts of several volumes of the
Nation and Appleton's journal have ena-
bled Us to.complete thosesets Our bound
periodicals now number about 1900 vol
umes.
REGISTRATION.
Thirteen hundred and forty six new
cards have been issued, making total
registration Of IA, 800. One hundred and
nine teachers cards ara in use, seventeen
OF which were issued during the past
year.
The change Of the age limit from IA to
10 years has put cards into the hands of
many children who before used those be-
longing to older mem bers of their fami-
lies. 1t is much Letter for each child to
have his own card1 as the sense of owner
ship developes feeling of responsibility
and wholesome pride.
CIRCULATION.
Eighty eight thousand and thirty six
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