Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-12
5 LIBRARIES
Philanthropist Has Erected
Fifty-two Public Buildings
in State of Iowa
HAS ALSO AIDED COLLEGES
Twenty five of the Ninety-five coun-
ties Of State Are Without Libraries
Six Cities of Over 5000 Population
Without Buildings for Library Pur-
poses-commission's Report.
Special 70 Tlmes-Republican.

Special 70 Tlmes-R Republican.
Des Moines. Oct. 12.--According to
the report of the Iowa library commits
sion for the year 1907 which has
just been issued, there are but ninety
free public libraries in the state of Iowa
and there are twenty five counties
out of the ninety-nine in the state that
have no free public libraries. Further
more there are thirty-nine county
seats that have no free public librar-
les. Because of this condition the COM
there is great need for additional eff
forts in the extension department of
the library commission work.
The report is one OF the best that the
commission has ever made. 1t records
the fact that there are now seventy
three of the ninety free public Libraries
of the state that occupy buildings of
their own and that of these buildings
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie erected fifty two.
The other twenty-one have been
erected by gifts from local residents OF
the town in which they are located or
else by public taxation. OF the seven
teen libraries not occupying buildings
of their own, seven have received an
offer from MIR. Carnegie and five OF
these have accepted and met the ccndi-
tons he prescribes. In addition Mr..
Carnegie has assisted number OF the
colleges of the state by erecting library
buildings for them, Among these are:
Upper Iowa University, Cornell Col
'lege, Iowa College. Parsons College and
Simpson college. Drake. Leander Clark
and Ellsworth are trying to meet the
requirements Of his offer and secure
library buildings from him.
The report points out that Oelwein,
Creston, Red Oak, Belle Plaine, De-
corah and Knoxville. all cities of over
5000 have no free public libraries and
are the only such cities in the state.
The report further shows that sec
tons of fifty books each have been sent
out regularly by the commission to 500
places in the state These sections are
usually sent out for three months and
at the expiration of that time are re-
turned to the commission and another
section of different books sent. There
are seven counties of the state Whlch
have made no attempt to avail them
selves oil this opportunity to get DOORS
from the library commission. The u
brary commission has 14,76S volumes
on it's shelves. OF these $3.50 are put
up in sections of fifty each to be sent
to the schools and rural districts ana
small villages and towns where the
community is too small to support
a free library. The other 1918 are
kept for general use. They are sent
out to anyone who asks for them and
spays the transportation charges. They
are intended for public men, teachers,
editors. ministers and lawyers who
wish to study up on some particular
subject and have not a library avail
able. They are also supplied 10 Won-
ems clubs which make a study OF some
particular subject.
The $3.50 volumes in the sectional
libraries sent out had circulation OF
3O422 or nearly equivalent to each
hook being taken out by five persons.
In addition to all this the commits
sion has a number of volumes of books
for the blind with the raised letters.
These are now being supplied to ~
persons who have availed themselves
of the books. The government ana
the railroads carry these books Tree
and hence they can be secured by any
blind person with absolutely no cost.
During the year the Spencer Wom-.
ans club, the Study clubs of Coun-
Gil Bluffs and the Monday club OF Du-
buuue have each donated to the COM
mission a section of so books for the
travelling library section. That from
Spencer is a library on Russia, that
from Council Bluffs on Household
Economics and that from Dubuque
miscellaneous collection.
While the legislature created the IL
brary commission some years ago and
has been making appropriations for it's
benefit each session it is nevertheless
true that scarcely member OF the
legislature is familiar with the work
the commission is doing and during the
last session of the legislature only two
or three members Of the legislature
ventured inside the commission rooms
in the historical building. All are
familiar with the fact that Iowa has
a magnificent state library which has
collection Of books Of which the state
can well feel proud. But few of the
legislators know that while the state
library is used by the Judges of the
supreme court, lawyers, students and
the employees about the state capitol,
the library commissions $4,000 volumes
are available to the humblest citizen
of the state. The state library can be
used only by those who come to it..
The library commission books at small
expense are sent out to anyone WflA