Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-01-03

the REQUIRED standard OIL circulation.
This condition is most strilSingly
shown by the free circulating library
started by Ellen NJ Coe, without mu-
nicipal aid in two rented rooms in Bond
street, New York, in 1880. 1t grew un-
der her fostering care, aided by private
benevolence, till in 1898 in had 6S.25S
volumes and circulated 531,037 vol
umes. 1t developed into the free lend
ing library system of the city of New
York, with 457, sos volumes. circulating
1851, $50 volumes in 1898. supported by
the city at an annual expense of over
100000 In the state at large in five
years time the number of volumes in
creased more than three-fold and the
circulation increased more than seven
fold.
For more than fifty years New York
paid out $4,000 a year in aid of school
district libraries which for want of SUI
pervison was almost as water poured
upon the ground. The state still pays
out ,e same amount in aid of school
district libraries, the first and fayorite
library thought of the past; but, taught
by experience, the money is now dis
ltributed under stricter regulations and
better Conditions. But at the same
time that same state adopts ana aids
the free lending library system, the
5outgrowth of the library experience of
the past fifty years, and through its
system of supervision, inspection and
reporting it produces results that slim
ulate and develop the generosity and
beneficent intert of its larger towns
and cities.
Thus we see that great state gather
up the fruits of the generous thought
of its citizens, with studied careflilness
hand them out to the present, and with
wise economy preserve and hand them
down with all their wealth of possibili-
ties to the future.
Iowa in 1910 passed library law, in
the main copied from the New YORK
law. allowing district townships to es-
tablish libraries. The law has never
been made TO work effectively. In 1895
the school libraries Of Iowa reported
only 1851 volumes. In 1897 the law
was so amended as to allow the direct
ors of the school townships and of the
independent school districts to expend
SIS a year for each room under its
charge for books and apparatus, thus
placing within the power of each town
ship funds which if wisely used would
establish and maintain a good township
library or if unwisely used would re-
suit in no permaipnt good
4. If they shall make the township the
unit of the library. dividing it into as
many snaillibra1ies as there are sub
districts in the township. circulating
these small libraries among the sub
districts after the manner of travelling
libraries each sub-district Will receive
the benefit of the united expenditure
of money. and thus the township IL
sbraiy may become a fresh and pure.
stream of knowledge circulating
through the township. But if they
shall make the b-district the unit of
the library the amount of money al
lowed TO each sub-district will not buy
books enough TO Keep up the interest
and the library and the money eN-.
pended for it will be lost.
An address TO the members of the
Twenty Eighth general assembly by
W. II. Johnston. johnson Brigham and
Mrs II. NJ. Towner. special committee
appointed at the convention of the
State Library Association. held in Ce-i
dar Rapids, November 10, 1899