The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-12-10
[ M P R @ y in &
THE PUBLIC
LIBRARY

Plans for improving the Carnerle
Public library are presented by Rev.
j. r. Carver, chairman of tho library
board. In the following suggestions
as 10 Il moro inviting. comfortable
central reading room:
MANY of the people OF Ogden will
be surprised To know the demand
for good reading rs that demand is
evidenced almost daily in the Carnc-
gle library reading room This room
occupies the south hall of the FIRST
floor of the building and is plainly, but
well furnished There are In it seven
tables and about these scvcn tables
are twenty-clGht chairs. Four chairs
to table arc about as many as
can be seated comfortably and have
ample room for reading the maya
zines. papers. books, etc.
There are over forty periodicals
taken regularly for this room Those
include most OF the leading monthly
and weekly periodicals and a few
daily papers. About twenty of these
are donated by tho publishers and the
remaining ones paid for by the Ii
brary This room lis open to the pub
lie on week days from II to 8. and
on Sundays from 2 80 p m. TO $50
pI m
Now most every ono who is read
Ing this VIII say or think, that the
general reading room is very well
equipped for the needs OF ogden, hay-
ing twenty-eight chairs seven tables
and forty periodicals. So | thought.
also. until | learned the facts. and the
facts are as follows.
This reading room on an ordinary
day is usually filled and the periodi
Gals are so well read that many of
them are well worn by the time a
new one comes. and on special days
or when the weather is inclcment
there are not nearly enough chairs
for those who come For instance on
Sunday last 104 entered the reading
room between I and 4,30 Now, as
there were only tweuty-eight chairs
for all they either stood up OF went
away, Oltimes the halls are nllcd
with those standing. during the sun
day and special day hour
There is no other place In ogden
where anyone can go and read and
rest Many are transients here and
they use this reading room to n large
extent The room is n tavorlte place
for men who have been sick and are
just getting strong again There are
always several working men there
they seem to appreciate technical pub
llcauons. Many young men and WON
en- read the papers and magazines,
In short. II is ever coSmopoliton and
representative class that the reading
room serves.
"The Library Board has in view a
plan which when realized will be
about as follows
There Is a very large vacant room
which would make most excellent
reading room. As there is no room
for further expansion In the present
reading room, it may be used for O
muCh-needed purpose, and then lurr
nish the large room in such a man
ner as 1T would draw because of the
comfort and restfulness Of its fur
nishlngs. This would mean to Sc
cure a few rugs, easy chairs, arm
chairs. large rockers. a davenport or
two. one or TWO corDer seats and win
dow seats. a few ferns and few pic
lures. Then. have reading rules OF
uulencss observed. the result would
be that one could 30 there. take a
magazine or paper and sit not in a
rigid straight back chair, but in an
easy, enticlng one and read. |, Tor
one, firmly believe We could demon
strate To OGDEN that II twenty-eight
straight and uncomfortable chairs can
be filed with readers now. many more
easy ones could be under the above
conditions.
why should not the Free Reading
Room be comfortable one? Why
should II not be as entIcing and COM
Portable as the room in our clubs.
Most of the men and women of OG-
den cannot belong TO an exclusive or
expensive club. The eastern towns
are furnishing attractive reading
rooms why not Ogden2
Now, OF course, this will mean an
added expense I'm furnishing but hard
" any more expensive In the care of
such a room To meet this expense
the board members have plans now
developing and they ask the people
of ogden to remember this, to ex-
anime for themselves the conditions
and be ready to act accordingly