Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-04
GREAT RUSHFO FREE BOOKS
OVER SOO APPLICATION BLANKS
FILED AT Ii LIBRARY.
Ignorance of Rules Governing the Is
sunnce of Blanks Causes Many
Applicants to he DisnppOint-
ed-WhO Are Eligible.
"Are you a property owner?"

Are you a property owner?'
"WelI, not exactly; but ] have lots of
money loaned on other peoples property.
You must have your application blank
signed by some property owner in the city
or established business man. You return
the blank to US. filed out and signed, and
then we will hold it for two days while II
IS being investigated. Then you can get
your library card"
This is a sample of one of several hun
dred dialogues which took place at the
desk of the public library yesterday. The
circulating department was made free TO
the public yesterday. and the delivery desk
was patronized like "A bargain counter at
a fire sale. All day long the entire force
of assistants in the circulating department.
was kept busy asking questions and eA-
planning the methods established by the
board by which the books in the library
can be used free of charge.
In order to prevent any books being
taken from the library by irresponsible
parties. the board of education, requires tne
applicant for free library cards TO MI OUT
an application blank, giving, ms name, re-
the Endorsement of some established pusl-
ness man or property owner. Inc Diaiths
also call for the applicants age, pIl liz
question is required 10 be answered oihs
by children between the ages OF . ana -.
When the library closed last evening;
over 500 application blanks had been hlieo
When the board decided to make the
library a free institution 1t saw than IL
governing the library. Until yesterday
morning the patrons of the library paid
q membership fee OF - a year; me b boaLa
TO he used. under the free system. py per
sons living outside of the school oistrlcI,
as the li Library d Is s rip. asd tSe ' Number nteeTee Of
books in the library at present Is barely
large enough to satisfy. the demands o.
l...-fnt MnnV np0nle
who made application for library cards
YESTERDAY were amazed when they discoV'
cred that they We're not eligible, ,
why. 1 live in Kansas City declared
one woman when told she lived outside o.
the school district. My husband votes q,
the city election n is now working al
one of the assistants then procured 9
man of the school distric: and a map OF
kansas as ci ,S. and then as sn9%sa Woman sonn mi Twins
in Westport. the wife of one or the leau.
ing merchants of this city. made applicatior
.I am very sorry. but you live outside thu
school district" explained. the assistant IL
But Westport was annexed to Kansa:
City last fall" contended the resident o.
Hyde park. ,-,u u.s con
PEELED to explain a very knotty legal prop
lem. over which the attorneys for the ooarS
of education are now puzzling themselves
pexation of the two city governments ha'
anything to do with annexing the wv
school districts" explained the librarian
Until tina question is decided the boar
is compelled to confine the CARDS 10 TN
citizens of the district. We are very SORT.
TO ~disappoint you. but I think 1t Will oni!
be a question of q short time When the tW'
districts are also consolidated"
One woman living on Thirty-frst stree
discovered that she lived on the wrong sid
of the street to be eligible for a llbrar,
card. She was very indignant to think tina
Just because she happened to live on tn
south side of the street she could not EMO
the blessings of the library, but 1t wa
explained TO her that the board could no
be partial and had decided to follow tn
school district boundaries and that II sh
were permitted TO use the library. other
living still farther out Of the district woul
demand equal privileges. One young WON
an who lives Just outside of the school dis
trict is a teacher at the Central high schoo
She was very Indignant when she foun
that she could not secure a card unde
the ruling of the board.
The boundaries of the school district ar
as follows: The state line on the west
Thirty-frst street to Troost avenue. sout
on Troost to Thirty-fifth. east on Thirty
fifth to Agnes. north on Agnes to Thirty
first. east on Thirty-irst to Cleveland avt
nue.. north on Cleveland TO Fifteenth; eas
on Fifteenth TO the Blue river, is the soutf
ern boundary: following the Blue rive
north to Rochester avenue, west on Roche:
ter to Indiana avenue and north on II
diana to the Missouri river, Is the easter
boundary, and the Missouri river Is tt
northern boundary,