BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-02-18
Porto Rican Libraries.
An Historical Sketch By R. A. Van
Middeldyk.
CONTINUED from February ~.

The college was opened and in lS4G four
youths, under the guidance of professor
Rufo were sent to Spain to complete their
studies in Physics; two of them died shortly |
after their arrival in Madrid. When the
other two returned to Porto Rico after
completing their studies, they found the
College closed by order of Count de Mirasops
successor and the public subscriptions tor
its maintenance returned to the donors.
[June 1S49I.
In 1860 the Society made another and,
this time successful, attempt at illumination
Of the people. 1t initiated a subscription for
the establishment of Public Library and
the appeal was responded to with equal
generosity as had been that for funds for the
Central College.
This and the library of the Royal Acad.
envy which the Society had also acquired
formed q small but excellent nucleus and
with the produce of the public subscription
of 1874 it was now enabled to st0ckitg
library with many of the best endard
works of the time in Spanish and French
and open to tue Porto Rio16s the doors of
the first long desired "Public Library" in
1868.
Since then it has contributed in no small
degree to the enlightenment of the better
part of the laboripg classes in the Capital.
till it was closed at the commencement OF
the war; during the transition period, the
books were transferred from one locality to
another and in the process many of the best
works disappeared, until Governor Allen
rescued the remainder by ordering the for.
m s;ion of tie first American Library.
The second Porto Rican public library
was opened by Don Ramon Santaella on
the 18Th of October 1881 Sin the basement
of the Town-hall" Il begun with 400 vol.
umes and possesses to day 6,36l literary
ard didactic books in different languages.
The place is we'll attended and open to the
public from 30 to 9p. m.
"The Puerto Rcan Atheueum Library
was established in 1876; Its collection OF
books, consisting principally of Spanish and
French literature, is an important one, both
as regards numbers and kind, and has but
lately been enriched by accessions Of rem.
n ants of books from the library of the extinct
8 eiety of Friends of the Country; 1t is
open to members of the association only or
to visitors introduced by them.
"The Casino Espafiol" possesses small
but select library 9TH comfortable reading
room; LIS collection of books and periodicals
il said to be the richest and most varied in
4 the country. 1t was founded in 1871.
The religious association knoWn under the
hume of "Uonferences OF st Vicent de Psula
had small circulating library of religious
works duly approved Of by the censors; the
congregation was broken up in 1887 and the
lib ~ disappeared with it.
The "Provincial Institute of Secondary
education," which was located in the build
ind now occupied by the Free library, and
Legislature, possessed q small pedagogical
library which shared the same fate as that
Of the Society of Friends of the Country.
The "Spanish Public Works Depart
ment" possessed another valuable collection
of books mostly on technical and scientific
IsuSjects. A number of books on other thar
technical subjects, probably derived from tie
extinct libraries referred to above, have beer
added to the original collection and the
whole to the number Of 1,544 volumes exist
in excellent condition under the care of Mr.
Stierle the actual Chief OF the San Juar
Department of Public Works.
Besides the above mentioned libraries oi
a public and collegiate character there
0tO o Vi pLltdl0 GOltOCtlOub
of books in the principal towns in the island
Chief among these is the splerdid collection
of 10 600 volumes belonging to Don Manuel
Fernandez Juncos of San Juan. His
library contains the best works of classic and
precepive literature and social and econo.
mic science and LEGO of them are much
enhanced in value by bearing the authors
autographs.
i The desire for intellectual improvement
begun to manifest itself in the interior oi
the island few years after the establish
ment of the first Public Library in the
Capital. The Municipality of "Ponce'
established Public library in 1894. II
contains 500 bound volumes and 669 pam
phlets in English, German, French and
Spanish, many of them duplica es the gen.
eral condition Of the books is bad and Il q
location of the library altogether unsuitable
tor the purpose. There was a Municipal
appropriation of $3.50 per annum but since
1898 it has not been available. A reading
room also Scas inaugurated by public enter.
prse in the second half of last century
which flouriShed for while and then Ian.
gushed, till 1t becsms extinct in 1892
"Mayaguez" founded its public library in
1872 it possesses over 5000 volumes witl
a small archaeological and Natural History
Museum attached to it.
Some Of the smaller towns also felt the
need OF Intellectual expansion and tried to
supply it by the establishment of s'rsading
rooms. Arecibo, Vega bsjs, Toa alta, Yau
co, Cabo rojo, Aguadils, Humaeao and
Others, made efforts in this direction eithers
through their Municipalities or private
initiative. A few only succeeded but they
did not outlive the critical times that com
menced with the war and followed on the
hurricane of August 1898.
Since the American occupation Of The
island four public Libraries have been estab
lished. Two Of them are exclusively Spanish
these are "tke Circulating Scholastic
Library" inaugurated sin San Juan" on the
22nd of February 1901 by professor Don
Pedro Carlos Timothee, and ''the Oirculat.
ing Scholastic library of Yauco" established
month later under the auspices of profess
sor Sarriera Egozcue OF that town. The