White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-05
NEVADA STATE LIBRARY
HAS PRICELESS BOOKS
INSTITUTION Is CLASSED AS
THE BEST AND MOST COM
PLETE TO BE FOUND WEST OF
THE MISSISSIPPI.

A trip through the state library
building at Carson under the guild
ance of Secretary of State Brodigan,
the ex-oficio librarian or Frank
Pyne, deputy librarian, reveals the
fact that Nevada can undisputedly
boast of the best and most complete
library west of the Mississippi. But
little attention was paid to the IL
brary until Brodigan took Office and
during the past two years thousands
of dollars worth of law books have
been added to the collection through
the medium of exchanging duplicate
volumes, Nevada reports and codes.
ETC.. with the Libraries of other
states.
A prominent San Francisco law
yer recently took occasion to inspect
the library and at the conclusion of
several hours spent in investigation,
declared that the collection of law
books was the most complete to eyer
come under his observance.
Among the books on the shelves
In the library and it might be well
to state that when Brodigan took
charge there were $4,000 volumes
in the law department to which he
has added 269o additional volumes,
can be found a number of priceless
editions of old English manufacture.
Many were printed over a hundred
years ago and several were issued
in 1900 and 1900.
OF interest to both laymen and le-
gal practitioners are the copies of
the journals of the first legislative
sessions of the New England states.
These books, printed a century ago,
contain laws that today remain in
force. The old style type was used
and in the spelling it is noticed that
the letter IS had but little consider
alton. ~ takes its place in almost
every instance. The paper. although
slightly yellowed with age, shows
but little evidence of the wear and
tear Of a century, and the various
enactments can be plainly read.
The editions appear as a favorable
testimonial to he printers craft OF
the beginning of the last century.
The statutes and reports of every
state in the union are to be found
in the law department as we'll as the
reports of England and India. One
set of English reports has a value
running up in the thousands and a
large esatern publishing firm recent
ly sent out the announcement that
it was impossible to secure duplicate
sets of the works at the present time.
When Secretary Brodigan assum-
ed charge of the library he discover
ed that the priceless volumes had
been stored in the cellar beneath
the secretary of states office, in the
capital dome and even in various
closets of the capital building. He
Immediately commenced straighten-
ing out the chaos-like conditions and
today a complete index is Il be had
and it is but the work of a minute
to find any law book desired.
In addition to the law books, con-
siderable space is given in the IL
brary to the files of the various state
papers. Files have been prepared of
all papers published in this state and
in many instances the papers pub
lished years & were issued in min
ing camps that are now almost for
gotten. From a historical standpoint
tho newspapers filed are valueless
and this fact is keenly realized by
Brodigan, who is a member of the
printers craft and has served his
apprenticeship at the case.
Fiction, biographies and histories
are also TO be found in the library,
while considerable attention has
been paid to the juvenile department.
Carson is without a public library
and in supplying the residents of the
capital city with literature the IL
brarian has added to the state col
lection copies of the fastest fiction.