The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-02
TODAY IN HISTORY
First Library Established In America
TUESDAY, AUGUST 2. 1910.

Libraries are OF very early origin. There
are many evidences Of their existence III
Egypt In ancient times, but no remains
Of these collections nave been found,
From very early days Babylenis was the
seat OF n learned and literary people. ana
almost every important temple contained
It's library OF clay tablets with cuneiform
inscriptions, carefully shelved in regular
order. With the advent OF printing these
nurarles Increased rapidly.
The earliest library IN America was that
presented TO the Henrico college. which
was established by the colonists at James
town, Va, In 1871, but IL was OF very
snort duration. and was destroyed with
the colony the following year, The found
lhg or the Harvard university library, In
1898. and which is still In existence. is
usually looked upon the oldest library
in the country. This library was open for
The circulation oil books on August > OF
that year, and today II Is one OF the most
valuable libraries In the country.
The next public library in the country.
following that OF the Harvard university,
was the public library In New York. es
tablished in 100. This same year the
South Carolina congress passed the pro-
xIincial library law TO encourage parochial
founded In 11Ol, and in 1871 Benjamin
Franklin founded the Library company, OF
Philadelphia, which he called the mother
Of all North American subscription H.
braries.'
In 1900 the Library Of Congress, or. as
It was called In its first general catalogue.
founded The library was burned by the
British in 1914, after which congress pur-
chased ex-President Jeffersons collection
OF 1000 volumes as the basis OF a new
library, which was gradually Increased
until 1851 when ii had reached 80 900
volumes. and was again nearly consumed
AT the present time the Congressional Ii
brary Is the largest In the western helns-
phere, and is third largest in the world,
AT the end Of the last fiscal year the
ia L 20 n |
7O2,6S0 printed books and pamphlets.
! manuscripts, maps and charts. 1t Is the
only library in the United States receiv-
Ing the benefit OF the copyright law,
through which it viii in time come to
possess an approximately complete repre-
sentatlon OF The entire production OF the
Next TO the Library of Congress. in
brary of Boston. founded in iS4S. and
now numbering very close to a million
| volumes. The largest library Of the world
Is the Bibliotheque Rationale of Paris.
containing more than 100000 volumes.
| with the library of the British Museum
second. with more than 100000 vol
| umes
The school district library system
which was originated by New York in
| 1898, has been adopted by many other
states, A class OF subscription libraries
which have had much success In the
brarles, OF which those OF New York and
Boston, founded In 1920 the Philadelphia
| Mercantile in 1921 and tho Cincinnati In
| 1888, are tho most successful.
| The largest medical collection in the
United States Is the library of the sur
geon generals Office at Washington. next
to which stands the library of the Col
lege OF Physicians in Philadelphia, An
drew Carnegie, who has founded a sys-
tenn OF libraries throughout the United
States. has done an inestimable amount
| OF good In this direction. Aside from the
| Carnegie libraries. the leading public L.
] braries in this country founded by indi-
viduals are the Astor and Lenox libraries
| at New York. the Watklnson Reference
| library at Hartford. the Newberry and
| John Crerar Libraries at Chicago. and the
| Peabody institute and Enoch Pratt library
| at Baltimore.
August 3 1864. is the date of the treaty
OF peace at Albany between the Colonies
| and the Five Nations; the first circulating
| library was opened In 1Ti0, and on which
| the battle of Dug Spring. In the Civil
| war, was fought In 1861. II Is the birth
day OF Pope Leo XII Q760); Caleb :
Henry, American author and educator
| GSo4); Robert McClelland. secretary Of
the interior under Pierce GsOD Elisha
| Cray. inventor GS35). and Francis Marion
| Crawford, author (1S54). It Is the date
| OF the death of William III. of England
! Gl00l: Henry III. of France l5S9b
| Thomas GaipSborough. famous English
| painter GISS); jacques EIienne Mont