The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-15
NEW YORK'S LIBRARY or ART.
The Genesis. Growth and Usefulness Of n
Remarkable Collection.

The public value of any great museum
OF art or of science lies in its practical utility
a. an institution for disseminating knowl-
edge quite a. much "a in being an orna-
mental storehouse for treasures to please
the eye. The library of the Metropolitan
Museum OF Art was founded some twenty
eight years ago. sOon after the museum
moved from it's old quarters in the Cru
ger Mansion on Fourteenth street to its
first building i'm Central Park. For a long
time the trustees had contemplated the
formation Of a good working library A
room was set aside for il, and an endow-
ment OF s., 100 made by the late Heber r.
Bishop. whose jade collection, famous the
world over. is now one of the most valued
possessions Of the museum. This endow-
ment was augmented by a gift. from the
late Henry G.. Marquand. Readily il will
be seen how tremendously important the
library became with the growth OF the
museum. The necessity Of books OF refer
ence in every department of fine and indus
trial art became more and more obvious,
not only the necessity OF books for the
use OF the director and his associates in
preparing catalogues. tracing sales prices.
the antecedents Of a work of art. &C., and
III N NhA ~ St2AC WGJs. SANAC W tutlE
tasks. but the necessity as well OF books for
the use of the student. who here under the
same roof could consult both the works Of
the masters and of the master craftsmen
and at the same time the opinions and
writings Of authorities concerning them.
This proximity Of the objects to the u
thorities consulted is Of such paramount
importance in all art investigation that the
utility OF the library along these lines alone
is Immediately apparent.
All, the great museums OF the. world
recognized this point years ago. although
when the South Kensington Museum of
London was forced by the demands of
students to start a library within the
museum some OF the short sighted men,
bers OF the Government OF 1855 raised
n opposition to the plan. which
plan finally won out in. the struggle. Now
this library. divided into two great sec
tons, il one of the most complete in the
world. Indeed, without it South Kensing-
tons usefulness would be lessened tremen-
dously. Likewise not without the proX-
unity Of the South K~ensington collections
would the usefulness of such a library be
anything near what it now IL. As an illus
tration you can picture to Yourself the loss
of time to you If you were intent on seri-
Ously studying some phase OF art and had
to verify what you were getting out OF the
volumes in. say. the Aston Library. by long
trips of several miles to the objects of art
in the Metropolitan Museum. Even il you
were to be ensconced in the new central
library at Forty-second street your study
would meet with slow progress under the
conditions.
The very fact that there is a fine library
in the Metropolitan Museum OF Art makes
that institution solidly serviceable beyond
what IL could be without it. This library
has had quite a jump from starting out with
barely 500 volumes in 1891. half of them
unbound and all housed In d little base
ment room. TO its present quarters con-
tanning l4.63A volumes. as the record of
to-day shows. However. the present ac-
commodations are far from adequate to
the needs Of the library. since the room
was planned to receive only 10000 volumes,
and art publications have a way. like works
on architecture. of taking up more room
thar any other sort ever printed.
The growth Of this library has been,
az it will continue to be. along the lines Of
the growth Of the museum itself in the fine
and industrial arts. Like the museums
collections. the library's must be useful
toward the progress Of art not wholly
ornamental. For that reason an authcri-
tative pamphlet finds as honorable a Place
upon its shelves az does an edition de luxe.
The study Of early American art and ror-
~trAiture viii suggest reference to the noted
Huntington collection OF books and en-
cravings relating to Franklin and TO early
Americastshistory! which was purchased
and presented to tbs museum by tho Hon.
John Bigslcw. Then the value to tho stu