Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-24
MANY USING THE LIBRARIES
More and More Draw Out the Books
Each Year.
SOME BIG PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Omaha Public Library Houses Some
Splendid Collections of Various
Kinds, I'm Addition to
the BOOka.

The present Omaha Public library Is a
lineal descendent of a society which was
formed by a number of Omaha people in
1871 for the purpose Of establishing a cir
culating library. To this library people
were admitted upon the payment Of quar-
terly dues, the first meeting being held in
December 1871. The nucleus OF the present
library was a collection Of books which had
been turned over to the city from some
source or other and were by 1t given to the
society. II was only for a short time, how
ever, until the purchase Of the Crosby col
lection for 5000 brought 700 additional vol
umes to the library.
An act of the legislature, in 1877, which
authorized the city to maintain a public
library was followed almost Immediately
by the appointment of a board OF nine
members who have with their successors
since maintained control, and the taking
over by them of the collection which the
private society bad gathered up 10 that
time
The public library had its first
home in the building owned by ]. C. Willis
from which 1t was moved to the Labor tenn
nel at Fifteenth and Dodge streets. The
next move was to quarters over Falconer' s
store, now occupied by Thomas Fitzpatrick
& Co., and from there in 1888 another
move was made to the Paxton block.
The agitation for a permanent home now
began to take shape and the donation OF
the present location as a part of the late
Byron Reed bequest made possible the cree
ton of the present beautiful permanent
home OF the library which was first occu-
pied in 1894 The building, which was cree
ted by the city, cost approximately
100000. The structure Is of Renaissance
style Of architecture and is designed with
the convenience OF its patrons as the first
consideration.
Competent Librarian in Charge.
The library is under the general care OF
librarian who has a number Of capable
assistants. The several departments ar,
each under the charge of a special attend
ant. These departments are: home circula.
ton, catalogueing, reference ROOM reading
room and children's room. Another depart
ment is the bindery, which is operated II
the building, where needed repairs such al
arise from hard usage, are made to the
books.
One of the most interesting things in the
library, although it is aside from the
library proper, is the Byron Reed collection
the time they came into the possession o.
the city, were estimated to be worth $50 OO
and with every year their value increases
Especially complete is the collection Of
paper money and coins, and there are sew.
eral Of the autograph letters which cannot
be duplicated anywhere.
There is another collection in the library
the work Of George w. Lininger. This con
tains specimens Of Egyptian, Babyloniar
and other schools of art. Mr.. Lininger':
intention was to collect specimens OF every
age of art, but he found In the course Of
collecting it, that the accumulation hat
become so unweldy as to make 1t impos
sible TO keep it all at his home He there
fore, donated the earlier specimens, rep
resenting the art Of periods previous to the
fourteenth century to the library, keeping
the rest at his home