The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-31
New Board Resolves Upon MAX
ing Many Improvements.
MORE FICTION is DEMANDED.
seventy-nve Per Cent. Of Readers
Want Light Literature and Only
20 Per Cent. of This Class Ii ON
the shelves = Thirty Thousand
More books to be Added I'm Two
Years-Works for the Juveniles.

wave OF progress seems to have en-
quilted the members of the commission
having the advisory direction Of the Sc
attic public library, for they have deter
mined to meet regularly hereafter and
take n detailed interest in the welfare or
that institution, as well as requiring the
committees to take more ardent inter-
est In their special fields OF work II Is
intended to make this year historic
one, both in the securing of new books
and in the rehabilitation OF those now on
the shelves. More fiction Is to be added,
To meet the great and heretofore only par
TALLY satisfied demand of the general read
ers, as well as a better and more extended
class of histories of the United States,
England and all the leading nations.
Nearly every phase of library direction,
and how to meet the best interests OF the
public, was discussed and wholly or partly
agreed upon at the first 1900 meeting OF the
commissioners. held at the library build
ing Monday afternoon. 1t was the first
time the present board had assembled,
and G. A. c. Rochester, succeeding
Charles L. Shepard, whose term as
member expired December 81. formally
took his seat with Charles A. Taylor. Col.
r. H. Lindsay, J. A. Stratton and II. A.
Chadwick, the other members.
The new chairman, Prof. Taylor, adj
dressed the meeting at some length, urg-
ing increased attention by the members
to the advancement of the library. He be-
ieved this would be a record-breaking
year in the history of the institution. and
the opportunity to develop 1t on syste-
matte basis should not be neglected
The chairman appointed the following
committees: Book, Stratton, Chadwick,
Taylor; reading room, Chadwick, Lind
say; library, Rochester. Taylor, Chadwick;
finance, Lindsay. Rochester, Stratton. The
time of holding regular meetings was fixed
at 8 o'clock in the evening Of the first
Monday of every month.
More Fiction Wanted.
The debatable question of what classes
of reading matter should predominant in
the library's purchases then came up. and
was discussed with great interest. By
the end Of the session it developed that a
majority of the board favored getting
more fiction, believing that at least half
the books on the shelves should be of that
class, some favoring as high as IS per
cent According to careful Investigations
being made by the librarian. and reports
received from libraries in Eastern cities,
fully three-fourths of the books called for
by the patrons are fiction, and this de-
mand must be catered to.
In the one case of David Harum," of
which there are ten or fifteen volumes in
the library, 1t is next to impossible to
get a copy of the work, so great Is the
demand, and 1t was proposed to get to-
tai of at least fifty copies of 1t and then
follow the modern plan of putting ten or
fifteen of these on the shelves and send
Ing the others to the duplicate room, where
they could be gotten by the overflow in
quirers upon payment of cents. AS soon
as the contributions of cents amount to
enough to balance the cost of the book, 1t
is transferred to the open shelves. In
this way it is proposed to have enough of
all the books that are in such great de-
mand, and at the same time not deprive
the library of the finances necessary to
keep UP other departments. The plan Is
said to have succeeded admirably where 1t
is used In the East, and the patrons are
given the reading they want without un-
necessary hardship upon those who do
not wish to peruse such class of reading.
1t is believed that the system would be
success here, as soon as the people become
used to the scheme and realize that they
are having a better opportunity to crafty
their desires which they ordinarily could
not, without some such plan of reim-
bursement
More Books for Boys.
1t is also proposed to have more popu-
lar reading matter for the boy and girl
patrons. There is said to be a lamentable
shortage of the old-style popular works,
such as those of Oliver Optic, Harry Cas-
tlsman, Horatio Alger, Dolly Dimple and
others, though the juvenile readers are
almost constantly asking for them. In
history there is demand for standard
works that the facilities are not ade-
uuate to handle, and it is the intention to
cater to this more successfully.
But in the matter of fiction there has
been a wide divergence of opinion in the
past, and in many libraries it has been
with difficulty that the greater share of
this class could be gotten. There seems to
be general antipathy to fiction on the part
of library commissions and directors, who
generally hold that the public should be
compelled in some way to read more rec
reative literature, even going to the extent
of abolishing much fiction from the
shelves in the purpose of forcing this po-
sition. But the general readers, however,
persist in demanding fiction, it is said,
the percentage in Seattle patronlzing this
class being 20 per cent, including nearly
all the juveniles and 50 to 60 per cent. Of
the adults.
Opposing this is the condition Of the Sc
atte shelves, where only 20 to % per
cent. of the books are of the popular
class. The result is that people are stand
ing in line before the fiction desk aud
securing the shelves for books that are
not there. When they cannot find what
they want, instead of getting heavier
reading matter they go away. finding fault
Much Money for Expansion.
Under the assistance of the special ap-
portionment of two-terfths of a mill of the
taxation. and the increased from the IL
eenses and fines fund of the city reye-
nues, the library will have abundant IA
cliities this and next years for making
developments along these lines. 1t is es-
timated that after all the expenses are
paid there will be $4,000 left in 1900 for
books. and the same amount in 1901
enough TO add Is, 900 to 5000 volumes to
the shelves and bring the local institu-
ton within the list of the twenty most
up-to-date libraries in the United States.
To carry out these plans more intelli-
gently and Systematically, the book COM
mittee was instructed to report at the
monthly meetings Of the board what
books were purchased subsequent TO the
previous meeting, and a list of those in
tended for purchase prior to the next ses-
sion. thus giving the entire board an OPP