Evening journal., 1902-02-07
WHAT ROCKFORD
LIBRARY is DOING
Room Comfortably Furnished and
Much appreciation Shown
Assistant Librarian in Charge Extends
Invitation to People Of NtighbOrhsed
to PatrOnize The Branch

Motion has been made from time 10
time In these columns of the improve
ments at the Wilmington Institute
Free Library as applied to the chill
dren's department. The policy has
been to make that section OF the IL
brary as cheerful and beautiful for the
children as possible The results have
fully justified the labor and expense de-
voted to this end. The same policy
has recently been applied to the Rock
ford branch Of the library 90 that now
the children of that section OF the city
have a corner of the library especially
devoted to their interests.
Formerly the north wall in the room
in which the Rockford Library is
housed was covered with ancient maps
of New Castle county and Wilmington.
These have been removed and in their
place a low case, the top shelf Of
which is not too high for 10-year-
old child to reach. has been put In.
At either end of this case and across
its top have been placed bulletin
boards made of wood composition COW
cred with soft green paper and enclosed
in handsome moulding. The librarian
of the branch. Miss Sayers, has drawn
on the pictures collected for the special
bulletin at the central library and is
now showing groups of pictures, one
devoted to William Mckinley and the
other to President Roosevelt. These
bulletins will from time to time be re-
placed by others following matters OF
current interest One table has been
cut down to the right height for chill
dren and has been set apart for their
use. Iilliputian chairs have also been
ordered for the special use Of the chill
dren.
Not only the children of the Rock
ford neighborhood, but the parents have
been very much interested in these bull
letins. They have expressed their
satisfaction with the efforts to make
their little library more pleasant and
attractive. AS 1t is likely that a con-
siderable number Of people living with
In easy reach OF the Rockford branch
do not know of its existence or loca-
ton. 1t may be we'll to give some fur
Their information about this library.
Sometime after the library Of the
Wilmington Institute was made free
the Rockford Library, also a proprie-
tary library was turned over to the
Wilmington Institute Free Library
and by an arrangement became a
branch of this Institution. The library
is housed in a large room on the sec
ond floor of a building on the Rockford
road the lower floor Of which is occu-
pied by Charles Cassidy's grocEy store
The original library was composed OF
about 2.200 well selected volumes to
which have been added from time Il
time enough to make the total collec.
tfm number about 5000 volumes. It Is
Jne policy, Of the library in cases where
several copies of any book are pur.
chased to send one Of these to Rochfort
to form permanent part OF that col
lection. Other books are from time t
time sent from the central nbrary
either ON the request of Rockford read
ers or when it is especially desired L
bring them to the knowledge of read
ems who frequent that branch. 1t II
thus possible to make available L
readers in that locality practically al
OF the resources of the circulating de
Dartment Of this library. There Il
likewise a small but well selected refer
ence collection at the Rockford branch
In passing, it is interesting to not
the effect produced upon the circulation
at the Rockford branch by removing
the covers from the books. Som
months ago. 1t was found that neari.
all the books that formed the origina
collection of the Rockford brancl
were covered with dark linen covers
These covers not only helped to MAKE
the room more dark and gloomy bu
also protected the books all too well
for readers who examined the shelve
did not realize that those covers hi
from view attractively bound and In
teresting books. The result was tina
when the covers were removed book
that had never before been out, wer
almost instantly taken out by BOZ
rowers.
In addition to the well-selected Il
brary of the branch, there Will also b
found constantly on file five daily pc
pers-one from New York. two froI
Philadelphia and two from Whining
ton-seven weekly periodicals and foul
teen monthly magazines. Unfortl
nately this branch is at present opene
only from z to in the even
ing. This no doubt somewhat curtail
its usefulness. Notwithstanding tina
fact a. large number of children an
their parents living in Rockford, Il
gether with adults from the Highland
Forty Acres and the vicinity west I
the B. & o. railroad make use Of tn
library.
Miss Anna NJ. Savers, of the WI
mington Institute Free Library sta
is directly in charge of this branc'
She is devoted to the work and Is stri
ing to make the branch as widely us
full to the readers as possible. A co
dial invitation is extended by the ma
agement OF the library and by Mi
Sayers to all people of the neighbo
hood to make large use Of the branc