^t..^i^f^'€i '^ UC-NRLF B M 7D5 S=Jb O 00 Public Library of Cincinnati 1802-1808-1908 LIBEAEY SCHOOL LIBHAHlt PUBLIC LIBRARY OF CINCINNATf'''''^^ 1802—1808—1908 HISTORY At 6 o'clock on the evening of February 13, 1802, a few people met in one of the rooms of Yeatman's Tavern, in response to a call printed that morning in the Western Spy and Hamilton Gazette, and addressed to those interested in having a public library in Cincinnati. Jacob Burnet, Martin Baum and Lewis Kerr were ap- pointed a committee to open a subscription list, the subscribers to agree to take one or more shares of stock and to pay for these at the rate of $10 for each share. A second meeting of sub- scribers and "others desirous of encouraging the library" was called for Monday evening, March 8, also at Mr. Yeatman's, to receive the report of the committee. The list of subscribers was headed by Arthur St. Clair, the first governor of the Northwest Territory. The subscription paper, once owned by Robert Clarke, is now in the possession of the Historical and Philosoph- ical Society of Ohio. In a note on the back it is stated that the library went into operation March 6, 1802, with Lewis Kerr as librarian. Of the fate of the library nothing is known. It may have been merged in the collection of the Circu- lating Library Society. The early history of the Library Society has come down to us in a preface to a catalogue of the books of the society, published in 1816. In the autumn of 1808 several persons "desirous of 3 iV!5903G9 seeing a public library established in Cincinnati" assembled for the purpose of applying to the Legislature for a law of incorporation. A peti- tion and the draft of a bill were forwarded but for reasons never disclosed to the petitioners their prayer was not granted. In 1811 the pro- ject was revived and a subscription paper was circulated by George Turner, Esq. with consid- erable success. The subscribers, in answer to a call published in Liberty Hall of June 26, assem- bled at Goodwin's Tavern (Eagle and Plough) opposite the Court House, on the following Sat- urday, at early candle-light. Two meetings were, in fact, held and a constitution adopted, officers chosen and a committee appointed to apply for a charter at the next legislative session. This ap- plication was not made and all further exertions ceased for a twelvemonth. At the expiration of that period, two or three persons succeeded in obtaining the papers which the committee had prepared the year before and transmitted them to the Legislature, which en- acted a law of incorporation January 2, 1813. In this act seven directors were named, to hold their places until the annual election in the ensuing March. Still public enthusiasm at the prospect of having a public library was not at a white heat. No election was ordered in March and in a call for a meeting printed in Liberty Hall of May 25, to be held next day, the subscribers are urged to come forward and discharge their subscriptions without further delay and the directors express a regret that little attention had been given to pre- vious notices and indulge a hope that there will be no further cause of complaint. The subscrip- 4 tions were payable either in cash or in books. William Corry was the librarian. The original directors continued, by common consent, in the exercise of their functions until the spring of 1814, when the first election was held, and on April 16, the library, containing three hundred volumes, apparently all received in lieu of cash, was opened. To effect an immedi- ate increase in this diminutive collection was re- garded as so desirable that, in addition to a press- ing call for the unpaid subscriptions, the directors borrowed small sums of money on a credit of three years without interest, and purchased books on the same terms. With the money borrowed and collected from the subscribers or received from further sales of stock, there was made in the ensuing summer, at Philadelphia, the first purchase of books, amounting to about two hun- dred and fifty volumes. We will pass over the years intervening be- tween 1814 and 1908, stopping only to note that the library passed through the various stages common to many of those which undertook to supply the people with books in the first half of the nineteenth century. After the Circulating Library Society there were an Apprentice Li- brary, a Mechanic's Institute, then a School Li- brary, and, finally, with the opening of the second half of the century, the full-blown Public Library. Books in considerable numbers, very likely two hundred, belonging to the Circulating Library Society are on the shelves of the Public Library, though for the most part their identity cannot be proved, owing to the destruction of marks through rebinding. In one of the show-cases of 5 the Exhibition Room in the Main Building may- be seen a few books in which have survived the book-plates showing their line of ancestry. These are books which have served for a hun- dred years what has been essentially the Pubhc Library of Cincinnati. DESCRIPTION CENTRAL LIBRARY First Flocr. The Librarian's Office and the Order De- partment are at the left just within the front door. At the right is the meeting room of the Trustees and the office of the Clerk of the Board, who serves also as a business manager and superintendent of buildings. Thirty feet back from the entrance is the Exhibition Hall, furnished with show-cases which are used for dis- playing books and plates from the Art Depart- ment, and for exhibitions of current interest. The Registration Department is in this hall. At the left of the marble steps leading to the Main Hall is the entrance to the News Room, where one hundred and seventy-four newspapers from the principal cities of the world are kept on file. In the Main Hall on open shelves are forty thou- sand circulating books for adults. This collection contains the fiction and a selection of the more serviceable books in general hterature, philosophy, history, biography, and travel. Scientific books, and books on the fine arts and music, are not to be found in the Main Hail. The general card catalogues are at the left as one enters, and here a trained cataloguer is in constant attendance to 6 assist readers in using them and in selecting books. There is also an attendant specially as- signed to guide the reading of young people who are too old for the Children's Room, and yet not quite ready for the free use of the adult collec- tion. The general current periodicals, not scien- tific and not artistic, are on racks in one corner, and near them are the directories of the larger American cities, of Paris, London and Berlin. Back of the Main Hall, and not open to the public, is the general office for the branch libraries and the shipping department for the branch li- braries and stations. Second Floor. As Cincinnati is a manufacturing city and as its manufactures are varied, it has been the policy for the past six years to purchase all technical books of worth in the English language as they are published, and those in German and French so far as there is demand for them. There are four thousand volumes on open shelves, both circulating and reference, in the Useful Arts Room. The collection is especially strong in chemistry and engineering. About two hundred and thirty scientific periodicals and trade journals are regularly received. All reference work per- taining to science, pure and applied, is done here. A large collection of trade catalogues, indexed under the subject and name of the manufacturer, and many of the publications of the agricultural experiment stations and geological surveys are kept on file. The bound volumes of the Engi- neering Index are supplemented by card indexes consisting of classified mounted clippings from 7 the monthly issues. Immediately back of the room, and accessible to patent attorneys and in- ventors, are sets of the United States, British, and French patent specifications and drawings. The Seminar Room is much used by reading circles, debating clubs and University extension courses, not to mention the Story Hour. The Children's Room is referred to under the general heading. Children's Department, at the end of this de- scription. Third Floor. The Art Rooms are devoted to the fine arts and allied subjects. One of the treasures of this collection is a set of the original folio edition of Audubon's Birds of America, while the works on heraldry, textile design, furniture and metal-work, and the many reproductions of old and modern paintings, architecture and sculpture are of inval- uable service to the illustrators, architects and designers who are regular patrons of this depart- ment. A large number of books on art, architec- ture, music, the drama, photography, gardening, athletic and other sports, as well as a large col- lection of musical scores have been placed on open shelves. This department also contains a good assortment of Perry pictures, Detroit photo- graphic company photographs of scenery, public buildings, and manners and customs of various parts of the world, nearly ten thousand lantern slides, depicting archaeology, travel, history, art, literature, industries and the sciences, and a col- lection of stereoscopic views, all of which are in constant demand for educational purposes in clubs, churches, schools, and the Hbrary itself. 8 Another interesting collection, but which does not circulate, is a set of Braun carbon reproduc- tions of paintings in various European galleries; these prints are arranged in specially constructed cabinets. Many of the art books and portfolio collections, which on account of size and costliness, cannot circulate, are brought to the notice of the general public by being displayed, from time to time, in the show-cases in the Exhibition Hall on the first floor. The Study Room is for general reference work on historical, literary and sociological subjects. The collection is one of purely reference books which do not circulate. Books are reserved for general readers and also for debating clubs and for collateral reading in the high schools and the University. The many demands for genealogical material are met here, the collection of town and family histories being shelved just outside the room. In the Blind Room are books in raised char- acters. Here are given readings by volunteers, five times a week, to blind listeners. On Friday morning the room is occupied by adult blind persons who are receiving instruction in reading and writing. The education of blind children, formerly carried on in this room, has been taken up by the Board of Education, which has estab- lished a school for them. Other outgrowths from the modest work of the Blind Department are the home for the blind women and the indus- trial station for blind persons, both men and women, at Clovernook. Fourth Floor. The first room reached by the elevator, or by 9 the stairs, is that used by the Cataloguing De- partment. Adjoining this is the Finishing Room, where the work of inserting book-plates, slip pockets, and the general preparation of the books for the shelves is carried on. The Lecture Room is on this floor. It is a small room, only large enough to accommodate from one hundred to one hundred and twenty adults. Sometimes there have been two hundred to two hundred and fifty children crowded in. As in all of our lecture rooms, there is a stereopticon kept in constant readiness for use, and a screen. The screen is not of cloth but consists of a patch of plaster suitably framed. The plaster gives a much smoother surface than is possible with the usual cloth curtain. CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT The Children's Room in the Main Library, which was opened in 1900, was suitably furnished for children's work by Mr. Frank B. Wiborg, in the name of his three daughters, and was equipped with books by the Library. At present there are six similar children's rooms in the six Car- negie branches, the first of which was opened in 1906. The books in these children's rooms are carefully selected and librarians trained for spe- cial work with children are placed in charge. In the smaller branches one corner of the library room is set apart for the children, and, where there is only one librarian in charge, the chil- dren's work forms a part of her duty. Good books are brought to the attention of children by means of exhibits, pictures, bulletins, book- marks, reading lists, and through the Story 10 Hour, the children's clubs and the illustrated talks. A large number of children's clubs hold meetings in the Library. Some of these clubs are conducted by the librarians themselves, others by volunteers. In all of these clubs it is the aim to train the children to use the Library intelli- gently. Story Hours are held at which stories from the best literature are told. A plan for telling these stories is formed to suit the needs of each children's room, so that at the end of the year a definite line of reading will have been fol- lowed. Talks illustrated by stereopticon pictures are also given, and, in the Children's Room of the Main Library, six stereoscopic machines have been utilized to show pictures on subjects of special interest. Other agencies of the Library for children's work are the Home Libraries and School Li- braries. The Home Libraries are small collec- tions of books placed in homes not reached by the larger library distributing centers and the work, which is supervised by the Library, is done mainly by volunteers. The books are changed every eight weeks and in the summer are trans- ferred to the Public Playgrounds. Any teacher in a public or private school is entitled to a de- posit library which may be retained for one year and the books circulated among the pupils for home reading. These libraries do not contain supplementary text-books, but are intended to supply the "culture reading" of the child. 11 BRANCHES Large Branches. Cummins ville Branch, Hamilton Avenue near Chase Street, Northside. Opened April 27, 1908. Cost of building, $31,852.97. Number of volumes, 6,689. Circulation for five months, 46,719. Branch Librarian, Mary Rudd Cochran. Dayton Street Branch, Dayton Street, between Baymiller and Freeman. Opened January 6, 1908. Cost of site, $11,000; cost of building, $15,672.26; cost of cottage, $2,040.62. Number of volumes, 7,640. Circulation for nine months, 85,926. Branch Librarian, . East End Branch, Eastern Avenue and Don- ham Street, Tusculum. Opened March 14, 1907. Cost of site, $12,000; cost of building, $33,182.33. Number of volumes, 8,267. Circulation for year, 62,685. Branch Librarian, Annie S. Dresser. North Cincinnati Branch, Vine and Daniels Streets, Corryville. Opened April 2, 1907. Cost of site, $30,000; cost of building, $46,805.36. Number of volumes, 11,357. Circulation for year, 110,129. Branch Librarian, Lillie Wulfekoetter. 12 Norwood Branch, Montgomery Road and Weyer Avenue, Norwood. Opened July 22, 1907. Site, given; cost of building, $25,000. Number of volumes, 9,504. Circulation for year, 86,986. Branch Librarian, Lilian Davis. Walnut Hills Branch, Kemper Lane and Lo- cust Street, Walnut Hills. Opened April 7, 1906. Cost of site, $16,000; cost of building, $46,150.30. Number of volumes, 14,809. Circulation for year, 135,085. Branch Librarian, Jennie How. Small Branches. These small branches take their names from the villages in Hamilton County in which they are situated. All are in rented quarters. They can be reached by the various interurban lines, but are at some distance from the City. Harrison Branch. Open daily, except Sunday, morning, after- noon and evening. Number of volumes, 1,700. Circulation for year, 10,887. Hartwell Branch. Open three afternoons and evenings a week. Number of volumes, 2,205. Circulation for year, 11,580. 13 Lockland Branch. Open daily, except Sunday, morning, after- noon and evening. Number of volumes, 2,378. Circulation for year, 14,046. Madisonville Branch. Open daily, except Sunday, from 8 a. m. to 9 p. m. Number of volumes, 2,797. Circulation for year, 24,008. Pleasant Ridge Branch. Open three afternoons and evenings a week. Number of volumes, 2,842. Circulation for year, 8,634. Wyoming Branch. Open three afternoons and evenings a week. Number of volumes, 2,128. Circulation for year, 13,979. The buildings for the large branches were paid for out of a gift from Mr. Andrew Car- negie, with one exception — for the Dayton Street Branch an old dwelling house was remodeled, and the expense met out of the current funds of the Library. The cost of the buildings as given includes the furniture. Most of the sites were bought by the City and deeded to the Library Board. The Norwood Branch, also a gift from Mr. Andrew Carnegie, but directly to the city of Norwood, was erected under the direction of a 14 Local Board of Trustees and then turned over to the Trustees of the Public Library of Cincin- nati. The site was a gift from Mr. Edward Mills. STATISTICS For the Year ending September 30, 1908. Circulation Number of volumes Number of cardholders Main Library Branches Total Main Library Branches Total 670,548 610,663 1,281,211 278,075 72,540 350,615 69,499 15 OFFICERS. Eugene Schaefer, President. Washington T. Porter, Treas. Drausin Wulsin, Vice-Pres't. Ernst von Bargen, Secretary. Clarence L. Stanley, Clerk. N. D. C. Hodges, Librarian. BOARD OF TRUSTEES. W. T. Porter. Robert H. West. Drausin Wulsin. Henry W. Bettmann, Eugene Schaefer. Ernst von Bargen. James A. Green. Stockton, CaliK BERKELEY LIBRARIES CDS477ESbE .^^'^ 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LIBRAKY SCHOOL LIBRARl This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. T.!l^S^Vi^i "»'-S5'«-"'''