New-York tribune., 1901-03-24
PART III.
TEN PAGES.
READY FORNEW BUILDINGS
RANCHES OF THE NEw-YoRK FREE
CIRCULATING LIBRARY WHICH
SHOULD BE BETTER HOUSED
BY THE CARNEGIE
MILLIONS.

The recent munihcent gift Of Andrew Carne-
eie for the erection of branch circulating
pbraries throughout this city is particularly
fortunate at this time. coming as ii does imme-
aatey after the consolidation with the New
York Public Library of the NewYork Free
Circulating Library. institution that has
thoroughly tested the needs Of the CITY, in all
its various districts. in this special direction.
For nearly a quarter Of a century the New
York Circulating Library has been distributing
hooks for home use to the New-York public
and its experience in the planning erection and
administration Of a branch library system is of
inestinable value.
OF the eleve branches formerly operated by
this organization and now constituting the Cir
chatting Department of the New-York Public
library five occupy buildings that were erected
specially for their use, dating from 1888 to
1895 and representing fifteen years of library
nroeress. These are in order of erection, the
Bond-st. branch. al No. 40 Bond-st.. near the
Bowery; the Ottendorfer branch. No. 135 Sec
ond-ave.. between Eighth and Ninth sts.; the
George Bruce branch, No. 226 West Forty-sec-
ond-st between Seventh and Eighth aves; the
Jackson Square branch, No. POI West Thir-
teenth-st- near Eighth-ave.. and the Blooming
dale branch. No. 206 West -hundredth-st.,
between Amsterdam-ave. and the Boulevard
Free Circulating Library from its own funds:
the others were erected for il by friends
The experience of the New-York Free Cir
culaIing Library taken in connection with the
general trend OF the free library movement
throughout the country, which has been toward
the freer access OF the public TO the books on
the shelves has indicated the special needs of
such branch Libraries as these in a community
like New-York- In the first place library
centres must be multiplied almost to as great
degree as schools. In the second place these
sub-stations of the great central library. al
though in way purely circulating branches.
should contain facilities for reading ana ref
erence work to a certain extent. They must
also be arranged that the reader may so TO
the shelves and select his own book, instead OF
asking il over a counter, he would buy
pound of tea. There must also be provision
for the children in a separate place from the
adult users. so that the young people may be
properly overseen and attended TO without MAX
ing them nuisance TO the older borrowers and
readers. Each OF these functions the modern
public lending library must fulfil, and each Of
them these existing branch libraries full
filing so far as local conditions and limita-
tiCns allow. In the new buildings they will
doubtless be Adequately provided for and car
ried out.
The prospect of sixty-ive new Carnegie build
ings is especially gratifying for those OF the
free circulating library branches that have yet
no permanent homes of their own, but in
adequately housed in rented quarters. OF those
may be mentioned the Yorkvlle, at Seventy
ninth-st. and Second-ave.. which is doing a
rnarkable work in a corner store - by so feet
the Muhlenberg, at No $50 West Twenty-third-
ST. which occupies only one floor of a business
building formerly a private dWelling); the
Chatham Square. in East Broadway. which is
situated in a remodeled private house, and is
n urgent need Of a new home; the Harlem, in
One-1undre red -and-twenty-ff -fffth-st, near Third
ave. c.1e Riverside. in Sixty-ninth-st near
West End-ave, and the Thirty-rourth Street.
between Second and Third aves. It is urged
that these libraries which already doing
such a large part OF the city's branch work and
fr7c hs. 4ha SirS- ha ho,.
in the Carnegie library buildings, together, Of
course, with such organizations may con-
soidate with the New-York Public Library in
the immediate future. The Governor has just
signed bill facilitate such consolidation. and
this il is expected, will result in the accession
of several new branches 10 the circulating de-
partnent in the next few months.