Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-03-16
.S|XIY.F|VE Libraries
Carnegie Offers New York City
$500. 900 to Provide For
Libraries.
The City is Asked to Furnish
the Necessary Sites For
Buildings.
Averale Cost Of Structures TO
Be $780, City Must
Maintain.

New York, March 16.-Andrew Carne-
gle has offered to the city of New York
S5,2Oo.o00 with which to build sixty-five
branch Libraries costing about $4,000
each. These are intended TO put the adj
vantages of libraries within the reach of
the people in every section of the city.
Mr. Carnegie's gift is announced in a
letter to DR. John s. Billings, director Of
the New York public library. as follows:
Our conference upon the needs of
Greater New York for branch libraries
TIC reach the masses of the people in
every district have convinced me of the
wisdom OF your plans. Sixty-Ave
branches strike one at first glance as a
lerge order, but as other cities have
found one necessary for every $4,000 on
10000 of population the number is not
excessive.
You estimate the average cost of
these libraries at, say. $4,000 each be-
ing s5.200000 for all. IT New York Will
furnish sites for these branches for the
special benefit of the masses of the peo-
ple, as IL has done for the central libra
/ ry. and also agree in satisfactory form
Ito provide for their maintenance as
built. should esteem it a rare privilege
to be permitted to furnish the money as
#naeded for the buildings, say $500. 600
sSiNtN-five libraries at one stroke prob
ably breaks the record but this is the
day of big operatio and New York is
soon8ro be the biggest of cities
g; L. Rives, secretary of the New
York public library, by direction of the
library trustees, Immediately sent a
copy of Mr.. Carnegie's letter to Mayor
Van Nyck with a letter. in the course
I Of which he said IL the city authorities
favored the general plan the board of
trustees would hold itself in readiness
10 cooperate in every way possible in
lfurthering the purposes of Mr.. Carne-
g8gies offer
DR. Billings further explains Mr. Car
lnegieis proposition in the following
communicati ton sent to the mayor:
In the conference referred to by
| MIR. Carnegie the Suggestions which
have made related mainly to free pub
I lie library system for the borougns 81
Manhattan md the Bronx. have stat
ed that such a system should include
the great central reference library on
4 Fofiy-second street and Fifth avenue,
about forty branch libraries for circu-
ilatipn, s. small distributing centers in.
those public school buildings which are
adapted to such purpose and a large
a travelling library system operated from
the central building Each Of the
branch libraries should contain reading
rooms for from so to 100 adults and for
from rs to 125 children. There should.
be ample telephone and delivery ar
l1ef ri
the central library.
To establish this system would re-
quire AT least five years. The average
cost Of the branch libraries / estimated
4 at from $4,000 to sl25.oO0 including
iisites and equipment. The cost of main.
I, tanning the system when completed /
4 estimated a 100000 per year The cir
4 culation of books for home use alone
i In these boroughs should amount 10
a more than 5000, 600 volumes per year
4 and there should be at least 500 900 vol
unes in the circulation department.
A with additions of new books and TO re-
q place worn out books of at least 40. 900
A per year.
With regard to the other boroughs
a of Greater New York have made no
Special plans nor estimates but have
.issaid that about twenty-five Libraries
would be required for them
Some of the data furnished Mr. Car
negie by DR.. Billings showed that Bos-
q ton, with 560,s92 residents, has fifteen
, branch libraries and reading rooms and
!; fourteen delivery stations and appropri-
I ates s2s8.s41 for library purposes. being
,. at the rate OF over. so cents per head OF
! population. Chicago has 1.69s.575 popu-
: lation, six branch Libraries and sixty de-
J. livery stations. besides stations in the
public schools and appropriates $3.50,
397 for library purposes, being at the
s rate Of IS 5-10 cents per head OF ropu-
lation.
Speaking Of Mr.. carnegie's ofker, Or
: Billings said:
Mr.. Carnegie's offer, II accepted, viii
result In the greatest free library sys.
e TEN in the world. 1t is of the creates
Importance that the system OF public
schools in the city should be supple
!, mented by such system OF free publ,
libraries as Is proposed and the soone
that work can be commenced upon i
the better it Will be for the people ans
!. for the municipality as a whole"
: onrvyrr q Arnrasyn ne..--