The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-04
Library of the Y. P. 1.
BY a Member of the v. p. l. Faculty.

It has been we'll said that. Books are
berators of our intellectual life: and so
they are for what incentive to intellectual
activity would there be in any line OF re-
search or thought If every man had to
begin at the bottom, knowing well that
in his short span OF life he could not hope
to touch more than the outskirts OF that
great domain of truth which is the goal
of every man who thinks2 Instead of
that, books give, to every seeker after
truth all that has been accomplisne- by
his predecessors, and so new fields are
explored and each generation should come
closer to the ultimate goal. And what Is
a library but a collection of books SO
classified and arranged as to be imme-
diateIy accessible to the seeker after
knowledge? Books properly used are tie
greatest aid we have to that broad Gull
ture which Is defined as the systematic
Improvement and refinementAof the mind
In writing the history and describing
the work of the Library of the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute. we can but say
that the early promoters of the interests
of the then Virginia Agricultural and Me-
chanical College did not develop NC
library as Its importance to general e.Al-
cation would seem to warrant. although
the office of librarian was created by the
Board of Visitors at their first meeting,
at the Montgomery White sulphur
Springs. July IS. 10 and 20, 1872. AT this
meeting one man was made Treasurer.
Secretary OF the Faculty and Board of
Visitors, Librarian and Proctor In the
first annual report the President says that
accom1n odations are SO inadequate tnat
.'but small chamber can be spared for a
library and office combined" In this
same report the enumerated donations to
the library OF the college amounted to oul
volumes chiefly government documents
and reports of different kinds. There Is
no further mention of the librarian or the
library, except tho statement OF the
amount paid the librarian for his various
duties, until 1873, when 80 was spent ON
the library Then silence again until 1872.
when the newly appointed President, in
enl,merating the lack OF equipment. says:
'.rhink of n State College without
library!" The following year the libra
rian, who was also. at that time, Pro-
fessor of Modern Languages, states In his
report that his duties as librarian consist
in providing "a stock of text books 40 be
sold to the students at cost" This ex-
) plains the seeming anomaly OF librarian
without n library. In 1883 the financial
statement Of the treasurer shows that
500 was spent on the library, and the fol-
lowing year over $1,000,
The first mention Of the library in the
Is found In the report for 1886. when the
library Is credited with 1900 volumes.
This increase In the number OF volumes Is
evidently the result of the expenditure of
the 5000. From this time until 1893 only
such small sums as SIS or $50 a year We're
spent on the library. One OF the recon-
| mendations Of the present President In
! his first report was that the library facili-
| ties should be increased At that time the
| library was opened only one afternoon
| in the week. His recommendation re-
| sultedrin the appointment Of q librarian
| selected from the students---and tho ~
| brary was kept open few hours every
/, day. Besides the salary paid the librarian,
| about $500 q year was spent on tho library
| until 1908 when a regular librarian was
| appointed, having no other connection
! with the college. In May, 1904. the library
! was designated as q government deposit
| tory through the courtesy of Congressman
Carter Glass, and the following summer
| the Board of Visitors acted on the recon-
,nendation of the President and imposed
a fee of $500 a student for the benefit of
| the library. When the present librarian
| took charge there We're about $500 books
| in the library, and about 10000 pamphlets
| and unbound periodicals, exclusive Of Ex-
| pertinent Station Bulletins There was no
| plan OF arrangement or classi fication, but
| by means OF the invaluable assistance OF
the Assistant Librarian of the Department
of Agriculture. the library was Completely
overhaued. every book taken OIL the
shelves and individually classified accord
| ing to the Dewey Decimal System The
| library furniture at that time consisted
! of two very large library tables, two
smaller tables. one with a drawer being
used as the librarian's desk, seventeen
chairs, and a few newspaper files. There
were fourteen large bookcases In the
room, each covered with n glass sash.
which slid back and forth on n groove.
move these sashes. to insure free access
to the shelves. Then the duplicate gov
ernment documents were returned to the
Superintendent of Documents--about Go0
| or 500 In all,