Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-10
BRONSON LIBRARY AGENTS.
Met This Afternoon.-Librarian Sub-
 mitted Her Report for Year.

mitted Her Report for Year.
 At the meeting of the board Of agents of the Bronson library this afternoon the librarian sub mitted her report for the year, giving a detailed account of the work in all departments.
 There are now 6o,27S volumes in the
 library, 1,2e4 having been worn out during the year and 1866 added. Of the books worn out and lost, 1,OS2 were fiction. the additions in this depart ment, 800 valumes, not counterbalanc- ing the losses. Reference books 1n- cluded a fine edition of the Thousand and One Nights, Furniture of Our
 Forefathers, by Esther Singleton; Harriman's Alaska Expedition, finely
 Illustrated with colored plates and maps;' Hastings Dictionary of the Bible: SRrgent's Silva of North Ameri- ca, and the Gregorian Period, series of measured drawings Illustrating American architecture. To the im- portant collection of local history and genealogy "A volumes were added,
 making the totRl in that department about 2,o00 volumes.
 The circulation of books during the year numbered 92.1 volumes, of which about oneSthird were from the chfldren'E room. The issues of the lt- brary have increased 80, 7o1 volumes since the year 1900, and the reading of fiction has fallen off [ per cent The librarian thinks that with the dimin- ished income and increased cost of books, the circulation of the library cannot be developed much beyond its present amount. Increased circulation ments, and a more pressing demand for new books. Unless this demand is met by R liberal expenditure, dissatis- faction and the alienation of the pub lie result The best that can be done is to allow free access to the shelves and to diminish, as much as possible the restrictions on the use of books. The shelves of the main stack-room contain ing some 90,OoO volumes, were therefore thrown open to the public on the. 18th of August, 1902. Some anx- iety was felt lest crowding might re- suit around the narrow entrance to the stack room, but so far there has been no trouble and the best of order and quiet have prevailed.
 Outside of the fiction department there is practically no limit to the humber ot books which a reader mny take at one time. Books may be once unless they are rese wed for some other reader, and in cases where tha volumes are not of popr'c- char acter more than one renewal is al- lowed. The result of this generous policy is shown in an increase during the year of 10000 volumes in the is- sues of the main library. with a fall- inc off of two per cent in the reading of fiction.
 Reference was made in the report to the Improvements in the chfldTen's room: tine reJtinttng of the walls, the addition of more suitable furniture, and the purchase and framing of some aH'tisitc photographs.
 Between the hours of and in the afternoon. the rush of school children for books taxes the powers of the as- to the utmost. The children of foreign percentage French, Ger i man, ItalfamL PoIasth. Russian form l fully one-third of fIhe readers In this | and there are some among them of unusuRd mentaa abHity. At tine story hour on Saturdays, about | oneJhah of the children ars Americans | and the rest are of German or Russian parentage The story of Roland was l read to them dtlring the wtnber, and l for LincoIn's birthday they all memor- | ized and recfted tTSe Gettysburg speech, prizes Fbehrg awarded to tihe two most | successful orahors
 The rehaffon of the Nbrary to the l schools seems to be of 6 most pleasant 1 and helpful character, and special priv | ileges are allowed to the teachers. A | course of lectures on tine use of cata- | logue and reference books was given | to tine pupils of the training school by | the Nbrartan. and at the request of tfe | prfnctpaA will be continued during the | present year.
 The policy of making all parts of | the library accessible to the public was | continued by a special opening of the | art room dJ1ring February, March and | April. Oldver Barton was engaged for I two afthernoons and one evening dur- | ing tine week, and by hAs enthusiasm | and knowGeIige much to interest the | public. Informal talks on art were | given, amd three exhibitions were held, of which the JapaneSe proved the most popular.
 In concluding her report, the 1ibrar- fan referred with much feeIing to the death of Mrs Dayton Lassher, for ndne- teen years assistant in tine library, and expressed her appreciation of the manner in which the remaining mem bens of the staff have assumed the bur- dens imposed upon them by the loss of Bhedr frtend and associate.