Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-08-11
LIBRARY WORK AND PLAY
Increased Circulation in the Last
Eighteen Months.
scmc FUNNY ThinEs People Do--!fow
the Library HIS Brnnchcd Ont and
How II Helps boys and Girls.

! ton mas lNcr"nScU over ~ per cent. JUS,
what and how much work the library ie
doing isn't generally known and appre.
ciated. Not only Is the usefulness OF thai
institution Increasing along the old ant
established lines. but its activities are be-
coming more numerous and II Is reach.
| Ing the people for whom libraries are
mainly intended, not the privileged few
| who can afford TO own books and the still
| smaller number who want to do re-
| search work, but the men. women, and
especially the children who have &c
scramble for something to eat 1t is this
last and most numerous class that needs
the boost upward that books can give.
| Along this particular line the library
In cooperation with Miss Juiia Smith has
Instituted branch reading room at
the Ncighborhood House. nnd during the
months Of March. April and May of this
| year II was in successful operation 1t
| Will reopen again in the autumn
Three evenings every week the Neigh
5orhood House branch was open to the
| public. Mrs. Sally W. Farrar, of tho reg
| ular library staff. and Mrs. G. T.. Kecch
! taking charge. Tho boys and girls of tho
vicinity took an active and somewhat I'm
expected interest and kept Mrs. F'arra r
and Mrs. Keech busy reading to them UNI
til tho STORY hour came TO he q regular
matter. And ono Of the best results is
| that many of them have been led to
| come this summer to the Fletcher library
and read instead OF spending their time
In the streets.
TO the travelling public the library IS
more or less of a blessing for it furnishes
,i,.n 1,.1,.
spend few hours while waiting for u
train or boat Nearly every day this
summer the library has had visitors of
this sort and most of them have taken
the trouble to comment to some member
of tho STAFF upon the attractive appear
ance OF the interior. Almost always the
comment is comparison with some
other library ana It seldom fails to be in
favor Of the Fletcher
For the past two summers exhibitions
Of wild and garden flowers have been
made in the main part OF the library. tho
garden flowers coming largely through
the generosity Of w. J. Van patten. It
was at the suggestion of Mr. Van Pattcn
that these exhibitions were started. 9th
eTs. however, have become Interested
and now almost every day contributions
to the exhibit are made so that two ahles
of flowers are fun nearly all Of the time
In the past year a portrait of Mary
Fletcher. the founder of the library. has
been acquired. and another of Miss Sarah
HaEar. whose name and work are gem
orally familiar to everyone in Burlington,
is the gift Of some members of the Yer
mont Library association.
The Seth annual report Of the library,
for the year ending January |, 1910, gives
some interesting facts regarding the
progress made recently. Among the more
important new features introduced it
mentions: A new registration of borrow
ers; Introduction Of a modified form Of
the Newark charging system; establish
mcnt of a pay duplicate collection Of fic-
ton; circulation OF the unbound numbers
of periodicals. and an exhibition OF field
and garden flowers from April to Oc-
tcber
During the year 1,22S volumes We're
added to the catalogue OF accessions.
making the total number 3i267. The
sources of the additions were: BY pur-
chase los, by gift ISL, by exchange :.
transferred from the pay duplicate col
lection So. OF the number purchased rs
,,ns ra,,'..i. ,1,t. ,-,
IN ala ora roro ,ao,.. l.. Iso. ..
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iort Is made 10 purchase BOOKS upon
,,, - ''' ''e e.".' 90 '"''''-a
p"oi,.' 'a''''ui'r stress If peinR .hi" up
VIZ ,'''' '''''''''' 'fe'" Oh Tue "''"!
oIo'" VEN OF con'eo! r""'hhE
"rous' inc IRE OF the librarian and MS
assistants. In fact every day has its share
~. "'''e's 'nciu'h'S "hicn h''p |" n''h'
'"c ""'nS Oh IN" CLOCK jump II Is nov
50 'o"S N'ice tnat II was told III IL" fr"c
reS'' no" stolld old German wandered
i'lo 'ae library Tor the first t4me and
asked 10 see Mary Fletcher, he was
surprised to find that she had been dad
Tor some years.
i''Ve"'N an iraScloie sentieman ono
W we 0'SPepuc fihc' went II? To one
OF 'ho assistants and asked for The
winding stairs, The young man thought
carefully and then said that there was no
such book on the shelves. You don't
mean the Circular Staircase do you?'
no asked, feeling perfectly sure thAt ,his /
was the book desired. At this reflection
Oh ms hnowiedSe the old man f!ar,d NJ