The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-01-16
At The LIBRARY
General Rush for Books at
New Building This
Morning.
WELL pATROElzED BY CHILDREN
Fully Ten Thousand Visited
the Building Yesterday
Last Nights Music.
WELL PATROElzED BY CHILDREN

Everybody seemed to know this morn
ing that the Free Public Library would
resume business at nine o'clock, and there
was q crowd ready to rush right in the
moment the doors we're opened. 1t has
been decidedly busy day, but with
everything run in thoroughly systematic
manner, with separate departments and
a separate corps of workers for each de-
partment, the work has not been nearly
as trying as it would have been in the old
building.
Up to ten o'clock this morning five
thousand books had been delivered to
the various stations throughout the city.
The delivery wagons were started out
yesterday in order to facilitate the rush of
today, when borrowers should resume
borrowing from the Library direct
All day yesterday the children visited
the library in large numbers. The crowd
was even larger than the day before,
especially after school, between the hours
of three and six. when it was almost i'm
possible to move except with the crowd.
It is estimated that fully ten thousand
children visited the building between the
hours of nine and six yesterday.
In the evening children were excluded,
crowd of grown ups was quite as large
as on Monday night. The building looked
just as handsome under the brilliancy of
the electric light. The musicians were
stationed in the hall on the ground floor,
and rendered the most exquisite music.
under the leadership of Mr.. Victor Baier,
and by several members of the Philhar-
monic Society of New York Professor
fn5o r-fnJa f1,a +o1 Iicf af Navy
York, was exceptionally fine in several
solos.
Up to the time this paper went to press
the children were still visiting the build
ing. borrowing and reading in large num-
bers. During the noon hour and
after three o'clock thew were thick
est. They are delighted with their
own reference room on the third floor and
have been busy with all the new chill
drens books during leisure hours. This
morning every table in the room was
filled save one and such books as 'Chat-
terbox," est. Nicholas and other short
story volumes were in constant demand.
The High School reference room was not
so well patronized UP to three o'clock to-
day, probably because the Library and
school buildings are too far apart to give
time Tor reference study during the noon
hour
A great many books have been handed
out during the day, to both children and
adults, but just how many cannot yet
be determined, as during the general rush
for books there was no time to keep
count. 1t seemed as though nearly every
registered borrower turned up at once,
and not for ten minutes at time was
the borrowing room clear. AS fast as one
crowd cleared away another came to take
its place, and at times during the after
noon borrowers stood in a long row, three
thick, awaiting their turn before the bor-
rowing counter. The mems reading room
has been well filed all day, and the fact
that it has been moved a little further
up town does not seem to make a bit of
difference. 1t is just as much a Godsend
as ever.
Miss Burdick, Librarian, is suffering
from grip, and is unable to attend to
business. Dr.Leonard J. Gordon, presi-
dent of the Board of Trustees, however.
is remaining on the premises to see that
all goes smoothly. Besides Miss Burdick
has a well trained corps of helpers.
The library itself begins to show signs
of the crowd Of visitors and the damp
condition of the ground outside. The mar
BILE halls and stairs are covered with foot
prints of all widths and sizes, and in some
of the rooms it is impossible to keep the
dust from settling on the highly polished
furniture.
Altogether the first business day in the
new building has been most successful.
Everything has gone without hitch,
even though the rush was greater than
expected.