Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-02
REPORTS ON LIBRARY WORK
Nebraska Commission Makes Showing for
It's Twc1Ysars Of Effort.
TRAVELLING LIBRARIES ARE APPRECIATED
Commission VIII 60 d to
Its Thirty Collections of Forty
volumes Each which Are
Kept In Motion.

President J. I. Wyer, jr., Of the Ne
braska Public Library commission, has
rendered his first biennial report OF the
work OF the commission. The law creating
the commission went into effect Jun 2S,
1901, but active work was not begun until
the following November. The law was the
elimination of a series OF efforts that had
been made by friends of libraries and edu-
cation during the previous six years. Since
the establishment OF the commission many
clubs have been encouraged to take up
the library work and new libraries are
assured in many of the cities and smaller
towns Of the state. During the past two
years there have been established free IL
braries at Falls City, Fremont, Louisville,
McCook, Stromsburg and Osceola. At Fair
bury and Columbus association libraries
have been converted into public libraries,
and new ones have been established or re-
vived at Sutton, Stanton and Valley.
"The greatest obstacle" says the presi-
dent, ito the establishment Of libraries,
after the ignorance Of their Importance
and desirability are disposed Of. is the in
e~fhcient revenue law of Nebraska. The q
mill levy provided for by law for library
purposes is worse than inadequate in most
towns. with an assessment roll Of $780,
600 and a 2-mill library levy, a town of
5000 people cannot support a public library
in any way commensurate with the educa-
tional necessities Of the community" He
states that the $500 is soon spent In ex-
penses for the operation OF the library.
leaving nothing for books.
New Books Necessary:
"a library without a fairly constant sup
ply Of new books might almost as we'll
$3.50 - a. AAa~Aa Na M
a force in the community" he adds.
There are three graduates of library
schools Of recognized standing engaged In
library work in this state, while several
others have had partial courses or received
ample training to qualify them.
The report reveals the fact that Nebraska
has comparatively few public Libraries. The
commission regards II as its business to
endeavor to increase the number and EN-
cheney, but the progress along those lines
has been retarded owing to limited FUNDS
placed at its disposal. There are In the
the state, according to the most correct
information possible to be obtained, TWEEN
ty-seven free public libraries organized
under the general library law. 1t Is re-
ported that some Of these have disregarded
the real intent Of the law and charge a
fee for the privilege Of borrowing DOCKS
An attempt will be made at once to curb
such In arrangements. In eighteen towns
where there are no public Libraries there
are association libraries, most OF which
make the borrowing Of books conditional
upon the payment OF fees. the commls-
sion will endeavor during the next Two
wears TO convert such into public libraries.
The needs of those who live outside OF
corporate limits will also be kept con-
stantly in mind.
Attention to school libraries
The commission has centered It's interest
and attention upon the school libraries OF
the state in addition to the establishment
Of public libraries. That money might not
he lavishly or aimlessly spent In procuring
now hooks for such libraries, 1t distributed
N avery county school superintendent In
the state a copy Of a graded list OF DOCKS,
the value Of which has already made itseii
manifest in savings alone. -,
The most important feature OF the worn
IA the travelling library. The commission
has now thirty collections OF forty volumes
each travelling about the state. Ihese re-
main three months at a place ana are 'neu
returned to Lincoln for inspection ana re-
pair before being reshipped' The demand
for such Libraries 10 rapidly increasing anu
at present greatly exceeds the supply Ihf
thirty Libraries have made sixty-slX trlps
and visited forty-four places In thirty
counties. In twenty-one OF these places
reporting, the average number OF borrowers
,s forty-eight; $40 volumes Of the library
were loaned 5,521 times in ten months anc
reached over 1000 actual borrowers.
During the ensuing biennial period the
commission states that it can use 10 tne
advantage of the state 100 travelling libra
ries. the additional books making an ag'
eregate cost Of 81, 800. The Nebraska FED
Grafton OF Woman's Clubs has given the
commission It's travelling library OF ovel
400 volumes Of reference books, valued a
over $500.
Refers to Library Buildings.
Speaking Of library buildings, the presi
dent states tha during the last two year
there has been given to seven towns II
this state cash aggregating 100000 for tina
purpose alone, the amount not representa-
the cost Of sites donated. 1t is claimed
that the Lincoln library building is on
which the most critical OF experiences
librarians can point to with pride as
model. New buildings are about to b
erected at South Omaha and Grand Island
The commission is aiming to make II
ONCE a great central clearing house, L
which might be sent by individuals all owe
the state odd numbers, volumes and set
OF periodicals or duplicate books of an,
kind for the equipment Of its libraries
Since the establishment of the commission
1883 books have been acquired. The ex
penses have amounted to 1906, while tn
balance left in the treasury Is tl'S9S.