Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1926-01-07
ANNUAL LIBRARY
REPORT FOR 1925
the Carnegie Library Board,


1t is my privilege as your city IL
brarian, to make to you my eleventh
annual library report.
1t is interesting to have watched
the growth of the library during these
eleven years and as librarian, l have
felt peculiar pride in seeing the IL
brary increasing in size and in favor
with our citizenship. Being in po-
sition to see all the needs of the IL
brary and the wonderful opportunity
we have for giving service, both In
the town and in the county, it is la
ways a source of disappointment to
me, that our financial growth has not
been greater AS the membership OF
the library increases each year, nat
urally the desk work is heavier and
my time, that could and should be
devoted to work in the reference
room is necessarily taken with the
everyday desk routine. Consequently
the school reference work is not ham
died as efficiently as | would like it
to be.
In recent letter from Miss Bev-
erly Wheatcroft, our State Library
Secretary, she said, ''Fitzgerald al
ways stood first in the state in show
ing a fine library community spirit. "
1t is this spirit that makes our library
what it is today and it has ben a joy
to the heart of the librarian to see
that spirit tried out this year and
found true blue"
Unfortunately we have no county
library law in the state of Georgia
and without this law, the County
Commissioners felt they could no
longer give the County Library their
annual appropriation. Without this
aid from the county the use of the IL
brary would of necessity be confined
to people living within the city linz
it's. AS Ben Hill County had become
famous for her county library service
it seemed a pity to take this back
ward step. So the privilege OF rails
ing this money from other sources
was asked. The librarian appealed
to the County Board of Education,
the Woman's Club, the Review Club,
the P. T. A. Associations and Lynn
wood School and several individuals
from the county volunteered aid. Mr..
G. E. Kicker, manager of the Grand
Theatre, gave a motion picture to
help raise this fund. This picture
was splendidly attended by, county
and city citizens and in fine spirit
our County Library was saved for at
least one more year.
The Woman's Club observed their
annual library day on February ~,
with a beautiful Georgia Products
dinner. The county and city contrib
uting great many things used in the
preparation of this. dinner. The XII
wants Club attended in a body and
boosted the sale of the Library's
birthday cake. This dinner, with the
sale of the eggs from the city and
county school children added $145.45
to the library book fund. 81.
The D. A. r. Chapter placed q very
valuable reference book on the Geor-
gia shelf in July.
The Third Ward P. T. A. again
showed their appreciation of what
good books mean to children, by MAX
ing a contribution of $1,000 to the
children's room during Christmas
Book Week. This National Book
Week was very fittingly observed
at the library and down town in
Bradshaw's beautiful display window.
The kindness of Mr.. Ratcliff in fur
nishing ice during the summer
months and the two local papers in
publishing notices and giving pub
licity to the library work, are cour-
tesies that continue from year to
wear and are deeply appreciated, not
only by the Library Board but by all
the library patrons. The library is
omen to the public and at any time
anv interested friends would like to
know more of the work, the librarian
will be delighted to explain any de-
Figures show very little of the ac-
tual everyday work but they will per
haps open the eyes of the city to the
The statistical report follows:
Nv~her Of Books Circulated