The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-08-27
LIBRARIES in
HOOSIER STATE
INDIANA RANKS 2ND IN
COUNTRY IN NUMBER
OF CARNEGIE LIB
RARIES-CREDIT
DU E CLUB
WOMEN

interesting lillOIllldllOn III re-
gard to the Public Library Com
mission of Indiana is contained
in a pamphlet which has just
been prepared by the commits
SION. 1t is stated that the COM
mission was organized in 1899 in
to the demands Of Indi-
ana club women and others that
the State encourage more and
better reading Discussing the
work which is being done the
pamphlet says:
1.-The commission furnishes %
towns of less than one hundred
inhabitants with libraries. OF
these one had nine libraries or
$50 books; another fourteen lib
iaries or $50 books. There are
over one hundred associations in
places of less than five hundred
population. In ten communities
the population ranges from thir-
teen to ninety-five. The books
are sent to sixteen rural schools.
In 1907 the commission had
1859 Libraries containing 5,S25
books. AT the present tlmethere
are 1874 Libraries containing 6,4S5
books; 126 are general collection,
containing forty books each; 6S
are for use in the study clubs; IL
OF them contain from eight to ten
books on agriculture. The annu-
al expenditure in the travelling
library department is $1,000.
The general libraries contain
readable books OF non-hction,
both standard and current, and a
good supply OF nature stories, his
torie, travels, biographies and
stories for the young people and
children.
The study club Libraries con-
sist of collections on the history
literature and art OF the various
nations, collections on athletics
domestic science, nature study
sociology, music, Shakespeare,
Browning, Tennyson and others. y
Taking up the training for lib,
rary work in Indiana, the bulletin
says that in 1899 there was only
one Indiana librarian who had
graduated from an accredited lib
rary school. AT present there are
IN the state eighteen librarians
who are graduates of library
schools outside Indiana; more
than thirty who have graduated
within the State and one hundred
and fifty who have taken the sum
mer library courses conducted by
the public library commission.
Approximately 100 personal Wis
its have been made to local lib
raries of Indiana by public lib
rary commission workers during
the last year.
Library buildings in Indiana
are discussed as follows:
''In 1899 there were seven spec
tally erected library buildings in
Indiana AT present there are
over seventy such buildings, with
several additional ones in process
OF construction.
The greatest number of lib
rary buildings in this State meet
the demands made upon them ex-
cellently. Nearly all Indiana lib
rary building have special shild-
ren's rooms, rooms for reference
work, assembly room for public
occasions, an adult readers room
and librarians room. Many In
diana library buildings show in
eresting provisions made for To-
cal history collections, meeting
rooms for clubs, class rooms for
visiting schools, museums for
natural history collections, art
galleries, game rooms for boys
and few buildings have smok-
ing rooms for men and converse
tioral rooms.
"The cost Of specially erected
public library buildings IN Indi-
ana ranges from $1,000 to $780,
600.
Indiana stands second among
the States in the Union in the
number of public library build
ings erected with funds present
ed by Andrew Carnegie"