Arizona republican., 1922-05-08
PHOENIX LIBRARY
PROLONCS STAY OF
WINTER VISITORS

AS an attraction to tourists. few
citizens of Phoenix realize that the
public library plays an important
role 1t is a fact, however that the
Phoenix public library has been the
factor which has caused a great many
winter visitors to prolong their stay
in this city.
Many tourists have frankly ad-
mitted to library officials that it
was due to the excellence of the local
institution that they stayed longer in
this city than they had at first
planned. The public library at Riv-
erside, California, has been Of great
value to that city as it has been the
attraction which in past years has
decided many tourists to visit there.
The Phoenix public library has not
yet reached the point where it is we'll
known in the East. but the officials
of the local institution are hoping
that the ay will not be far off when
visitors will attracted to Phoenix by
this means in addition to the draw
ing power of the already celebrated
winter climate.
1t is the common average among
libraries in cities of the size of Phoe-
nix to have at least one volume Of
Shelves lUI 6N6IN uilll VI DOpuAdllOH.
Phoenix is below average in this re-
spect there being $4,000 books in the
library, while the population of the
city is 10000. 1t is hoped that within
the space of two or three years the
book population of the library will
equal the civil population. judging
by the present rate of increase.
Many valuable additions to the Ii
brary have been donated by the citi-
zens of Phoenix and departing visit
ors. Books have been obtained in
this way which otherwise would
never been secured on account of
the high cost of certain old and new
books.
The value to the library Of books
which have been donated has been as
high as $1,700 in one case, represent
ing books which cost the original
purchaser perhaps twice that much.
Any book has value, according to
library officials, even if it cannot be
used by the library itself. Books
which are not placed in the library
are given to the various tubercular
hospitals, the county Jail and to rural
libraries.
Not long ago a carpenter who was
leaving town gave a lot of books to
Tile OItlN lWO VI lHe
were any good to the library itself,
but those two books after being re-
bund were worth 800. They were
Greeley's History of the American
Conflict, a set which has been long
out of print and practically unob-
tainable.
Among the book treasures of the
Phoenix public library are three vol
umes which have been of particular
interest to tourists as well as the
permanent residents of this city In
cluded III the trio is the most COM
prehensive trdtise on the cacti that
has ever been published 1t is fully
illustrated with colored plates and
is not written in the dry. scientific
manner which makes most books of
| this nature impossible for the lay
man.
Agricola's book of metal mining
the first of it's kind that has ever
been handed down from the ancients,
| is another of the priced books in the
! library's collection. 1t was translat-
ed from the Latin by Mr.. and Mrs.
Herbert Hoover. who were many
| years in the interesting task and the
| old wood cut illustrations which illu-
minated the original book, have been
faithfully reproduced
The third book or the collection.
also a very expensive one, is book
of Persian textiles, illustrated with
colored original photographs.