New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-12-06
"A Public Library for New Ulm-
Why Not?

Il
Q many times and. has quite generall
. been answered by . shrug of th
9 shoulders. But Struggling tn
j. shoulders does not accomplish YER.
q much and for that reason the question
j. is still being asked by few Of tn
Q progressive citizens who realize tina
8 New Ulm really is far behind othel
8 cities of its size in this respect. Nearly
t oil cities of 5000, and even smaller
cities, have secured public libraries
> either with or without the aid of the
} Carnegie fund but New Ulm has never
I made = determined effort to secure
such On institution. The reasons are
not far to seek, but they ought not to
stand in the way much longer because
the younger people growing up are
being educated to require things that
seemed totally unnecessary to persons
OF the older generations and in few
years they will be demanding that
their children have every advantage.
So why not begin now to plan and
prepare for what must eventually be
provided
About twelve years ago there existed
in New Ulm an association known as
the New Ulm Library Association.
They owned several hundred books
and had rooms fitted up in the Otto
meyer Block. After time the Asso-
citation thought best to close the rooms
and abandon the project as it was
impossible at that time to secure any
assistance from the city toward meet
ing the expenses of the Library. The
books were packed away for a time
and later were moved to the High
School Library and taken in charge
by the Current News and Womans
Literary Clubs. There were about
800 volumes on hand at the time and
some $40 in money. The clubs ap-
pointed a Library Board consisting
of the following members: Mrs. H. D.
Beussmanu, Mrs. A. j. Vogel, Miss
L. Baasen, Mrs. M. A. Bingham and |
Mrs. F. Fl. Behnke. Mrs. A. Olsen
was recently appointed to fill the
vacancy occurring when Miss Baasen
was married and left New Ulm. The
members of both clubs contribute so
cents each yearly for the support OF
the library and this money HIS been
used to obtain the books of the Min
nesota Travelling Library to add to
the books of the old Library Assn,
and to pay . librarian for keeping the
library open to the public on Friday
afternoons. The books of the Travel
Ing Library have oeen loaned out
any charge and the books Of
The original library have been. loaned
9 anyone who purchased library
card ct cost Of cents, Isl card
him to draw books on it for
any length of time without further
charges. The cost Of securing The
books OF the Travelling Library
to about q per year and
his added to drsysge and the libra
'ian's compensation made it seem inn
possible for the clubs to keep up the ,
work and it was almost decided that
The library must be given up when
Miss Vera Stricken volunteered her i,
services as librarian, free of charge. .
The solved the question of expense
and the clubs once more took heart.
The Current News Club added set of
Stoddard Lectures and a number of :
volumes have been donated by in :.
1ividuals. The Library at the High
School Building is open every Friday ,,
from to and the ladies
II the two clubs will feel we'll repaid ,
or their efforts if the public generally
viii make use of the books. A new =
et OF 90 volumes is received every six ,
months from the Travelling Library =
Ind new shipment has recently been :
eceived and is now ready for use. A
lst OF the books was printed in last =
7eeks issue. Look them over and
ee 1t there is not among them some. :.
hing you have been wanting to read
nd then lend your enthusi astic
Import to the efforts of the clubs. II
veryone would help just a little, >
nough impetus would be given the II
Movement to carry it thru to a trium. .
hant finish and New Ulm would have !!
ne more attraction added to its list. "
he old Library Association members II
re still anxious to see a Library -
and number of the !
usiness men have spoken in favor of .
;. A Carnegie Library could be -
ecured at such expense that it would o
'ean very small amount when y
ivided up among all who would be "
enehted and if the Carnegie money =
GEMS tainted there's enough of easy :