Morris tribune., 1903-04-25
CARNEGIE LIBRARY
LIBRARY BOARD WANT ONE FOR
MORRIS.

MORRIS.
Messrs. Ross and Harris Appointed
to Investigate Methods of Obtain.
ing a Library Building from the
Great Philanthropist.
The library board met on Wednes.
day evening to consider the secre
tary's annual report to the common
council. and also to discuss the mat.
ter of obtaining library building
from Andrew Carnegie, who has re-
Gently modified his custom of giving
library buildings to cities, and is Civ,
ing them to small cities like Morris
provided his usual conditions are met
His usual conditions are that the
city provide an annual fund for cur.
rent expenses which shall amount to
ten per cent of his donation. The
usual donation to cities of this size
for the building is $4,000, and ter
per cent of this would be $1,000, an
amount but slightly in excess of what
the village is providing at the present
time.
The one mill tax for library pur-
poses last year brought in $436.7l
and under state law recently pass
ed, villages are permitted to increase
this to two mill tax, and this slight
increase would provide the necessary
funds
There are many other items of in
terest in the annual report, as quoted
below
Following are the statistics requir-
ed by law to be submitted
Number of volumes in library. .260C
Number of volumes worn out or lost. q
Average number of volumes issued per
month";. ........................ IOO
Number of volumes added by purchase
(none),.
Number of volumes added by gift......
Percentage of juvenile works read. SO
Percentage of works of fiction read. 40
Percentage of historical works read. 10
SIT will of course be noted that no
new books have been purchased dur
ing the year. The board has been
waiting until there should be enough
cash on hand to enable them to make
large purchase of new books there
by buving to better advantage as to
price. 1t will be noted from the
financial statement herein contained
that the board is DOW in condition to
not only buy large number of new
books but also to rebind and other
wise repair a large number of the
old ones. AS a matter of fact, the
book committee has been authorized
both to purchase such new books and
rebind and repair such Old books as
in their judgment should seem ad
visable. Within a short time the
new books will be on the shelves.
During the year ending March l,
1902, the average number of volumes
issued per month was $50. During
the year ending March l, 1903, the
average number of volumes issued
per month was 700, an increase of
just 100 per cent. This splendid
showing may perhaps be accredited
to the causes, first, the moving of the
library to the new quarters in the
Armory building; and, second, the
efforts of the board to keep the
library up to date as to fiction of the
standard and current kind.
The removal OF the library from
the old quarters over the engine
house to the present much more
pleasant. convenient and accessible
room was recommended in the last
annual report of this board and was
further urged upon the then common
co'.ncil by a committee appointed
from the board. Acting upon the
suggestion thus made, the then com.
mon council very generously and
with commendable public s oilit
the re noval of the library
10 the Armory and betrayed all the
expense of such removal, all of which
mas yielded generous and profitable
'eturn in the greater use of the
library and the greater benefits de-
lived therefrom by the patrons. AS
shown by this report, the patronage
If the library has increased 100 per
cent during the past year.