The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-03
ANNUAL REPORT OF FARGO
PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD

Following is the complete official an
nual report Of the Fargo library board:
To the Board of Education: The IL
bTary board OF the city of Fargo. state
or North Dakota, herewith presents to
you the report of the librarian for the
year July 1, 1909 to July 1, 1910.
1t gives a condensed statement OF the
work of the library for the year, and
Its rapidly increasing usefulness to the
public. We believe that the board of
education will view the report with
satisfaction in its exhibit both as to
the enlargement of the materials of
the library and the development Of the
utilization of those materials.
In making this report, the directors
feel that they must present in it some
testimony of their sense of the ire
parable loss which the library has sus-
tanned through the death of Librarian
Frank Jared Thompson on Feb. %, 1910.
At meeting held April 10, 1910. the
following minute was adopted. which
we desire to include in this report:
I'VE feel that in the death Of Frank
Jared Thompson the public library of
Fargo has met with a loss literally ir-
reparable. He was identified with the
library from its beginning; and to him.
far more than to any other person or
persons, has been due its success.
His large acquaintance with men
and books, his intense zeal for social
and intellectual progress, his business
knowledge and executive ability. his
genialfty and courtesy, all combined
to make him the most active and i'm
portant member of this board.
whether In the concerns of this
Fargo library, or in those Of Libraries
throughout the state, he was always
on the alert for advancement and i'm
provement. While we are confident
that the good work he did will abide,
and that our library will never lose
the impress he made upon It, we are
sadly conscious that we shall never
cease to miss his presence and his
counsel in all our plans and endeavors
for the support and advancement and
betterment of the work which he
shared with us in the past years.
Respectfully submitted,
Cameron Mann, President.
Hubert Harrington, Secretary.
Mrs. H. L.. Bolley,,
Mrs. F. F.--Grant, Directors.
Attest: Mary Schlanser, Clerk"
Report of the Librarian.
Annual report to the board of direc-
tors Of the Fargo public library for the
year ending July 1, 1910:
CIRCULATION: The past year has
seen the circulation reach still higher
figure than in the past; 26,O23 books
were circulated, Of which 22,393 were
from the main library and $3.50 from
the children's department The in
crease over the preceding year was 92o
REGISTRATION: Even more i'm
portant than the gain in circulation is
the gain in registered borrowers. The
total number of new cards issued was
991,
ADDITIONS: The number Of books
added during the year was 979. There
were $50 added by purchase, $40 gifts
and 100 bound periodicals. The num-
Der Of volumes withdrawn was 100. The
total number Of books is 9,492.
The number of books added in for
eign languages was as follows: Ger
man, Is; Norwegian. AZ,
chiIdren's Room.
Up to within the last year the chill
| dren's books were shelved in the main
| library, and the children drew their
books at the main desk.
This was not very satisfactory for
the adults nor for the children. We had
been looking forward to the time when
the children would have their own
room, and we were able this last year
to fit up room for them downstairs,
with new shelving and reading tables.
1t is open in the afternoon, and there
is a special attendant, an apprentice,
who gives out the books. The number
of books added was S14, giving us
about 700 volumes in the children's
room.
Special attention was given to the
development of the story hours. Two
story hours week were given from
January to April, with an attendance
ranging from fifty to seventy-five chill
dren.
The stories for the older children
were a series taken from the Greek
myths, the Had and the Odyssey. The
story hour was held every Thursday
afternoon at o'clock. The little chill
dren came every Friday afternoon, and
to them were told nursery rhymes, le-
gends Of places and favorite folk tales
-