Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1954-09-30
Library
CONTINUED from Page u

redIAZSu tnat IdfgCf quarters mus
eVentuaily De 4odnu. me ASSo
cation mad already Appealed with
out success to the CornegIe FunC
for library building; SO thu
Board of Trustees of the Librar,
Association set about considering
the possibility of enlarging thu
little building on the high schoo
grounds. In 1924 the Association
hired its first paid employee;
janitor for the winter months a
So month. In 1926 there wa:
serious thought of plan by
which the Board of Education
would deed the Library a small
piece of land adjacent to the little
building to give room for enlarge
ment, the ground to revert to the
Board of Education when the Lii
brary no longer needed it, but
after careful estimates the Asso
citation decided against enlarge
ment, since it felt that the ex
pense would be too great and the
results inadequate.
AS early as 1920 the Associa.
ton had hoped for housing in the
Academy Building, but this wish
was not granted until 1886. In
that year the Association learned
according to the minutes, that
the Board of Trustees of the
3 Rockville Academy would sane
ton the use of the main Academy
building for Library purposes
The Academy property is under
the control Of the Board of Edu
cation by an agreement with the
Academy Trustees, the kinder
garten being continued on the
ground; the County continuing
the operation of janitor service
heat, etc, as part of the school
operation. The Academy Trustees
are willing to pay 100000 per
year as salary of a teacher, in
lieu of which the Board of Edu
cation would make available a
similar amount to the Library
Arrangements were made to get
the necessary construction work
shelving, lights, etc. installed and
to work with the director of the
State Library to get the Library
properly organized in the new
situation. A paid librarian was ap.
pointed in February, 1887, and a
housewarming celebrated the
move into the new building.
At the time the Library moved
to its new quarters its annual
circulation was about 5000 books.
Ten years later the circulation
reached 1879 books. In 1948 the
Annual Meeting of the Rockville
Library Association took the
problem of pressing need for
more funds into careful consid
erateion and came to the conclu
sion that the only possible solu.
ton was to ask for a Rockville
District tax and make the Ii
brary free public library. A new
constitution was drawn up pro.
{ viding that the Rockville Public
Library should be free to all resi-
dents of the election district.
In 1949 a financial need which
was already serious became acute
when the Board of Education
withdrew from all connection
with the Academy Building. AT
this time the grounds mainten.
ance and janitor service it had
provided was withdrawn and,
even worse, the money grant
which had come through it from
THE Board of Trustees of the
Rockville Academy. The Rockville
Public Library was left high and
dry with housing, heat, and light
which the Academy Trustees
were willing to provide but with
only money from book fines on
which to buy books and pay the
salaries of librarian and janitor.
The Library Board presented a
bill to the County Council for a
Rockville District tax, but the bill
was defeated. The Library faced
the probability of closing its
doors. At that point the Mayor
and Council of Rockville stepped
in and granted the Library $500 a
month for the year 1949.1950.
With a new lease on life the
Rockville Library Association re-
vised its Constitution to provide
free service TO Rockville resi-.
dents or property owners, and to
establish a nonresident fee of So
a year per family. An assistant
librarian was appointed, the Ref
erence Room was established, and
the Children's Room was moved
to the large room on the second
floor. A small branch library was
opened at Lincoln Park, which op.
Grated for two years but was then
abandoned as an unnecessary du
plication which was impractical.
In 1850, after the establish
ment of the County Library the