Omaha daily bee., 1901-03-16
ANOTHER CARNEGIE OFFER
Proff.u New York $5,2OO,OOO to Establish
Branch Libraries
ASKS ONLY SITES ANo MAINTENANCE
Desires to "Rcacb the Masses of the
People In Every District"-Dr.
Billings Tells the
Plan.

NEW YORK, March 15.--Andrew Car
negie, who, since retiring as an active
figure in the steel world has been able to ,
devote his time exclusively to his other
passion, the founding of Libraries, has made
his departure for Europe this spring mem
orable by the largest effort of that kind
ever advanced II New York will provide
the sites and the maintenance, he has
without other conditions promised to give
s5,2 200, 600 to establish sixty-hve branch
Libraries in this city.
The offer was made in the following letter
to DR.. John S. Billings, director of the
New York public library, last Tuesday:
Mr.. Carnegie's OTcr.
OR John S. Billings, Director New York
Public Library--.Our conference upon the
needs of Greater New York for branch
Libraries to reach the masses Of the people
in every district have convinced me OF
the wisdom of your plan. Sixty-hve
branches strike one at first as very large
order, but as other cities have found one
necessary for every 10000 or 10000 of popu-
lation, the number is not excessive. You
estimate the average cost of these Libraries
at $50 900, being 81, 200 600 for all. II New
York will furnish sites for these branches,
for the special benefit of the masses OF
the people. as it has done for the Central
| library, and also agree in satisfactory form
| to provide for their maintenance after
building / would esteem it a rare privilege
| to be permitted to furnish the money as
needed for the buildings, s. 200 900. Sixty
| FIVE libraries at one stroke probably breaks
the record but this is the day Of big
operations and New York Is soon to be the
biggest of cities.
| "tSigned) ANDREW CARNEGIE"
Secretary G. l.. Rives OF the New York
Public Library association, wrote to Mayor
VanWyck, submitting Mr.. Carnegie's let
ter.
DIR. billings Plan.
In communicating the proposal tc the
board DR.. Billings accompanied 1t with the
following statement: "a free public library
system for the boroughs OF Manhattan and
the Bronx should include the great central
reference library on Forty y-second street
and Fifth avenue, about forty branch
Libraries for circulation, small distributing
centers in those public school buildings
which are adapted to such purposes, and a
large travelling library system operated
from the central building. Each OF the
branch libraries should contain reading
rooms for from fifty to 100 adults, and
from seventy-hve to 125 children, and in
these reading rooms should be about 500
volumes OF encyclopedia, dictionaries, at
lases and large and important reference
books. There should be ample telephone
and delivery arrangements between the
branches and the central library.
ITO establish this system would require
at least Ave years. The average cost Of the
branch Libraries | estimate at from $75 00C
to sl25, 900, including sites and equipment
The cost of maintaining the system, wher
completed | estimate at s50O,O 900 per year
The circulation of books for home use alone
in these bOroughs should amount to more
than 100000 Of volumes per year, ant
the circulati tion department, with additions
of new books and to replace wornout
books, of at least 900 per year.
Twenty-Five Others Required.
Greater New York | have made no specia
plans or estimates, out have said that about
twenty-five Libraries would oe required FOL
them"
In an interview today Or. Billings said
"Mr. Carnegie's offer to provide library
buildings for Greatr New York at a cost o
over $1,000, 900 is made with his usual con
ditions. If accepted it will result in the
greatest free public library system in ;ht
world. We may fairly infer that Mr. Car.
negie's idea is that the whole system should
tees OF the New York public library, bu
this is not made one of his conditions.
"As to the question OF sites 1t is not i'm