Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-14
STATELIBRARY
IS OVERCROWDED
State Librarian Montgomery
Points Out the Necessity
For Enlargement

Urgent recommendations for the
construction of a building which will
care for the States rapidly growing
collections of books and historical and
educational collections is made by
State Librarian Thomas Lynch Mont
| gomery in his annual report to the
Governor on the State Library and
Museum. The library now contains
| 16S,976 volumes. 5000 having been
added in the last year, of which SS5
| related to the history of Pennsylvania,
its people or its lifel over $4,000
volumes have been loaned through
travelling libraries and $500 volumes
| of pamphlets completed.
on the subject of more room Mr..
Montgomery says:
The problem of providing for the
various collections of the State will
soon become a serious one. We have
| practically reached our limit as to
the storage of newspapers in the at
| tic and the alcoves of the main library
would be insufficient but for the fact
| that so many volumes are circulated
through the State. New York has
provided at a cost of $1,000, 600 what
is known as the educational building
| in which provision is made for all
the educational interests of the State.
Would ii not be we'll to look forward
to the time when such n building
may be erected to the east of the
Capitol in such a position as would
add to the architectural effect of the
east side of the Capitol building. Here
quarters should be provided for 50O,-
900 volumes and the rapidly increas-
ing collections of the Museum and of
the Division of Public Records. The
cases and shelving which have been
procured in recent years for the State
Library are of the most modern and
satisfactory pattern and all of these
may be utilized in any new quarters
that are provided"
Growth of Museums
DR.. Montgomery gives considerable
attention to the State Museums which
have finished eleven new groups of
Pennsylvania animals and birds in
representations of habits and enlarg-
ed the forestry and botany groups.
while valuable collections from
Berks county have been received in
the historical division and other arti-
cles of early days installed for public
view. Big increases were made to
the natural history division which is
under Boyd r. Rothrock. During the
year 149 places were visited by the
free library commission staff, eight
new libraries organized in Ambridge,
y
port, Roulette, Shinglehouse and Tay-
lor while Pine Grove teachers were
aided to establish a library.
The gift of $1,000 to the Harris
burg Public Library in memory of
the late Lyman ID. Gilbert is noted
among the donations to IibrarieA
throughout the State, as is the Mart
those made by Mrs. Bell at Mt. Holly
Springs: by Mrs. Coyle at Chambers
burg and by Mrs Bosler at Carlisle.
Tribute to Mr.. KelIler
DR.. Montgomery says relative to the
late Luther r. Kelker: THE only
casualty during the year was the
death of Luther Reilly Kelker, custo-
was chosen for the custodianship, up
on the organization of the division in
1908, on account of his interest in
Pennsylvania history and his familiar
ity with the muster rolls and marriage
records. He assisted in preparing the
material for some twenty-eight vol
umes of archives including the fifth
and sixth series and the indexes there
to.a His work has made 1T possible
for anyone to secure records concern
ing individuals engaged in the French
and Indian wars, the War of the
Revolution, the War of 1S12-14 and
the Mexican War in a few minutes
time, when formerly this was a la
borious and most uncertain task He
also arranged in books the papers of
the governors and repaired and
mounted tremendous collection of
provincial papers. He was neat and
accurate in the preparation of his
material and the work done in the
division will compare favorably with
that of any similar departments in the
United States"
The division of public records dur
ing the year completed the Cumber-
land county papers in sixteen volumes,
the Berks county papers in seventeen
volumes and the York county papers
in twenty-seven volumes. Fees for
certificates amounted to S30022,
which has been turned over to the
State Treasurer. Just 1,1S6 letters.
many of them requiring extended re-
search, were received and answered