Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-30
LIBRARY ITEMS.
Some Points on Maine Institutions The
Original travelling Library.

! The Waterville library as will be seen
from the following article recently pub
lished is to undergo some changes:
| Architect Adams met the members Of
| the city building commission Wednesday
| evening, for a conference over the pro-
posed changes in the plans of the new
| city building. The changes have already
| been enumerated in the columns Of The
| Mail, but for the benefit OF those who NAV
have forgotten what they We're we again
| go over the list
| Provision is to be made for two rooms
| to be connected for the use Of the free
public library. the city officers who were
to occupy those rooms being transferred
| to other rooms on the main floor. Some
| changes in the municipal court room
| which will better accommodate the court
| Some changes which Will do away with
| columns in two of the larger rooms on
| the first floor using truss beams In place
| OF the columns. A change in the parti-
| ton between the city council rooms
which will make the two rooms capable
Of accommodating the superior court
| Mr.. Adams examined the proposed
| changes and decided that they could be
| made without affecting the cost of the
| building to any great extent either way
and has gone to his home in Lawrence to
make the working specifications for the
| changes.
| The commission have taken this action
! at his time in order to expedite the work
on the building when the decision Of the
court is rendered and the fact that they
have taken this step shows well how con-
| iident they are that the courts decision
will be in favor of the commission
Ellsworths chances for securing a pub
| lie library building are growing brighter
| daily. George Nixon Black of Boston
whose family estate in this city is one of
| the oldest in Maine. desires to present to
the city a building which will stand as
memorial to the name of Black. Colonel
| John Black founder of the family In this
| country, and grandfather of the present
| representatives Of the family. was prom
| inently identified with the early history
of Maine. He was the wealthiest citizen
of the District of Maine Commonwealth
of Massachusetts"
The following from the Washington
Book Chronicle. relating to the original
travelling library will be read with inter-
est:
The book possessions of the navy de-
partment represent vast library. In
the department here are more than "a 600
books, chiefly on technical topics. Every
one of the departments at Washington
has a library. and some of them are well
stocked with light literature. which is Is
sued to the clerks without charge. Not
one of these libraries Is as large as the
Heating library of the navy department.
On the fifty vessels of the navy are not
less than sc. 600 volumes.
These $1,000 volumes are not on one
ship. They are divided among the fifty
ships. and many are duplicates Still as
much variety possible Is preserved be-
cause the officer who is serving on the
Cincinnati today may be on the Maine
tomorrow. There has always been a H.
brary aboard ship in the navy but until
few years ago so little attention was
paid to the ship libraries that officers who
wanted reading matter took Ii with them
on cruise. There WAS little light read
ing, and the technical works and refer
enee books aboard ship We're obsolete.
Now the navy department has one of
its bright, young officers at the Brooklyn
navy yard. Lieut.. Tappan. assigned to the
work of organizing the libraries on ship
board and keeping them supplied with
fresh literature. In the old days a few
books OF travel, a Bible and some works
on seamanship and gunnery composed
ships library Now there Is a wide range
OF literature represented ON its shelves
There are two libraries on each ship-one
for the officers and one for the crew. On
the larger vessels the officers library
comprises 1900 volumes. chiefly historical
and technical works.
The classification and indexing of these
books are done at the navy yard under
the plan of the American Library Asso-
citation. There are thirty-one classes OF
literature beginning with general
works and ending with foreign fiction
and essays" Books are issued on ship
board twice week, under the customary
library restrictions. Each ship has print
Ell catalogues. Copies of these catalogues
are kept on file at the Brooklyn navy
yard, and the officer in charge takes a
survey of these lists at intervals for the
purpose of detecting obsolete books.
These books are recalled. and if they are
no longer available for any use they are
sold. Meantime accessions to the libra
ries are made from time to time. When
new ship goes into commission. COM
piete library must be selected for her,
ana it requires nice discrimination to
make a choice of books.