'^■>'
f^
s^
-^pp
«J
9//oPuritens had
onebook'i^Bible:
on it they founded
^« Commonwealth
il J
CTfe. People of A\dssac(iusclls have access Lo
9,000,000 volumes on all subjects, .^«.
. 413 PUBLIC LIBRARIES ..«^ |
275 BRANCH LIBRARIES j
i 4,585,000 Income -an average of over - 1"5? per capita
LAnmial Circulatioiu ■ 6 3ool?s per clwIIjju.
SEVENTY-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
TRUSTEES
OF THE
PUBLIC LIBRARY
OF THE
CITY OF BOSTON
1930
BOSTON
PUBLISHED BY THE TRUSTEES
1931
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF THE CITY OF BOSTON: PRINTING DEPARTMENT.
S.S.3I; 2S0O
TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
ON JANUARY 1. 1931
FRANK W. BUXTON. President
Term expires April 30, 1935
GORDON ABBOTT ELLERY SEDGWICK
Term expires April 30, 1931 Term expires April 30, 1933
ARTHUR T. CONNOLLY LOUIS E. KIRSTEIN
Term expires April 30, 1932. Term expires April 30, 1934.
CHARLES F. D. BELDEN.
DIRECTOR.
ORGANIZATION OF THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT.
The Trustees of the PubHc Library of the City of Boston, organized
in 1 852, are now incorporated under the provisions of Chapter 1 I 4 of the
Acts of 1878, as amended. The Board for 1852 was a preliminary or-
ganization; that for 1853 made the first annual report. The Board at
present, consists of five citizens at large, appointed by the Mayor, for
five-year terms, the term of one member expiring each year. The follow-
ing citizens at large have been members of the Board since its organization
in 1852:
Abbott, Gordon, a.b., 1926-
Abbott, Samuel Appleton Browne, a.m.. 1879-95.
Appleton. Thomas Gold, a.m., 1852-56.
Benton, Josiah Henry, ll.d., 1894-1917.
BiGELow, John Prescott, a.m., 1852-68.
Bowditch, Henry Ingersoll, m.d., 1865-67.
Bowditch, Henry Pickering, m.d., 1894-1902.
Boyle, Thomas Francis, 1902-12.
Braman, Jarvis Dwight, 1869-72.
Brett, John Andrew, ll.b., 1912-16.
Buxton, Francis William, a.b., 1928-
Carr, Samuel, 1895-96, 1908-22.
Chase, George Bigelow, a.m., 1876-85.
Clarke, James Freeman, d.d., 1879-88.
CoAKLEY, Daniel Henry, 1917-19.
Connolly, Arthur Theodore, 1916-
Currier, Guy Wilbur, 1922-1930.
Curtis, Daniel Sargent, a.m., 1873-75.
De Normandie, James, d.d., 1895-1908.
Dwight, Thomas, m.d., 1899-1908.
Dwinnell, Clifton Howard, b.s., 1927-28.
Everett, Edward, ll.d., 1852-64.
Frothingham, Richard, ll.d.. 1875-79.
Gaston, William Alexander, ll.b., 1923-27.
Green, Samuel Abbott, m.d., 1868-78.
Greenough, William Whitwell, 1856-88.
Haynes, Henry Williamson, a.m., 1880-94.
FIiLLiARD, George Stillman, ll.d., 1872-75; 76-77.
Kenney, William Francis, a.m., 1908-1921.
KiRSTEiN, Louis Edward, 1919-
Lewis, Weston, 1868-79.
Lewis, Winslow, m.d., 1867.
Lincoln. Solomon, A.M., 1897-1907.
Mann, Alexander, d.d., 1908-1923.
Morton, Ellis Wesley, 1870-73.
Murray, Michael Joseph, ll.b., 1921-26.
Pierce, Phineas, 1888-94.
Prince, Frederick Octavius, a.m., 1888-99.
Putnam, George, d.d., 1868-77.
Richards, William Reubkn. a.m.. 1889-95.
Sedgwick, Ellery, a.b., litt.d., 1930-
Shurtleff. Nathaniel Bradstreet, ll.d., 1852-68.
Thomas. Benjamin Franklin, ll.d., 1877-78.
TicKNOR, George, ll.d., 1852-66.
Walker, Francis Amasa, ll.d., 1896.
Whipple, Edwin Percy, a.m., 1868-70.
Whitmore. William Henry, a.m., 1885-88.
Winsor. Justin, ll.d., 1867-68.
The Hon. Edward Everett was President of \he Board from 1852
to 1864; George Ticknor. in 1865; William W. Greenough,
from 1866 to April. 1888; Prof. Henry W. Haynes, from Mav 7,
1888. to Mav 12, 1888; Samuel A. B. Abbott, May 12, 1888. to
April 30. 1895; Hon. F. O. Prince. October 8, 1895, to Mav 8,
1899: Solomon Lincoln. May 12, 18^^. to October 15, 1907;
Rev. James De Normandie, Januarv 31, 1908. to Mav 8. 1908;
JosiAH H. Benton. May 8. 1908. to Februarv 6, 1917; William F.
KenNEY, February 13. 1917. to Mav 7. 1920: Rev. ALEXANDER
Mann, May 7. 1920. to January 22. 1923; MsGR. Arthur T.
Connolly, April 13, 1923 to June 13, 1924; Louis E. Kirstein,
June 13, 1924 to June 19, 1925; HoN. MiCHAEL J. MuRRAY, Tune
19, 1925 to July 2, 1926; Guy W. Currier. July 2. 1926 to May
2. 1927; Msgr. Arthur T. Connolly, May 2, 1927 to June 22,
1 928 ; Louis E. Kirstein. June 22, 1 928 to June 21. 1 929 ; Gordon
Abbott, June 21, 1929 to June 20, 1930; Frank W. Buxton
since June 20, 1 930.
LIBRARIANS.
(From 1858 to 1877. the chief executive officer was called Superintendent; since
1923. Director.)
Capen. Edward, Librarian, May 13, 1852 - December 16, 1874.
Jewett, Charles C, Superintendent, 1858 -January 9, 1868.
Winsor, Justin, ll.d., Superintendent, February 25, 1868 -Septem-
ber 30, 1877.
Green, Samuel A., M.D., Trustee, Acting Librarian, October 1 , 1 877 -
September 30, 1878.
Chamberlain, Mellen, ll.d, Librarian, October 1 , 1 878 - Septem-
ber 30, 1890.
Dwight, Theodore F., Librarian, April 13, 1892 -April 30, 1894.
Putnam, Herbert, ll.d.. Librarian, February 1 1, 1895 -April 30,
1899.
Whitney, James L., a.m., Acting Librarian, March 31, 1899 -De-
cember 21, 1899; Librarian, December 22, 1 899 — January 31,
1903.
Wadlin, Horace G., litt.d.. Librarian, February 1, 1903 -March
15. 1917; Acting Librarian, March 15, 1917-June 15. 1917.
Belden, Charles F. D., a.m., LL.B., litt.d.. Director, since March
15, 1917.
LIBRARY SYSTEM, JANUARY 1, 1931.
Departments.
fCenlral Library, Copley Square .
f East Boston Branch, 276-282 Meridian St. .
§South Boston Branch, 372 Broadway .
||FelIowe» Athenaeum Branch, 46 Millmont St.
fCharlestown Branch, 43 MoRument Square
■{■Brighton Branch, Academy Hill Road .
^Dorchester Branch, Arcadia, cor. Adams St.
JLower Mills Branch, Washington, cor. Richmond St.
JSouth End Branch, 65 West Brookline St. .
■fjamaica Plain Branch, Sedgwick, cor. South St.
JRosllndale Branch, 4210 Washington St.
tWest Roxbury Branch, 1961 Centre St. .
§Mattapan Branch, 7 Babson St. .
tNorlh End Branch, 3a North Bennet St. .
§Neponset Branch, 362 Neponset Ave. . .
§Mt. Bowdoin Branch, 275 Washington St. .
§Allston Branch, 161 Harvard Ave.
JCodman Square Branch, Washington, cor. Norfolk St.
JMt. Pleasant Branch, Vine, cor. Dudley St.
JTyler Street Branch, Tyler, cor. Oak St. .
tWest End Branch, 13! Cambridge St. .
JUpham's Corner Branch, 500 Columbia Rd.
^Memorial Branch, cor. Warren and Townsend Sts
§Roxbury Crossing Branch, 208 Ruggles St. .
§Boylston Station Branch, 160 Lamartine St.
§Orient Heights Branch, 5 Butler St. .
JCity Point Branch, Municipal Bldg., Broadway
§Parker Hill Branch. 1518 Tremont St. .
tHyde Park Branch, Harvard Ave., cor. Winthrop St,
tFaneuil Branch, 100 Brooks St. .
§Andrew Square Branch, 394 Dorchester St.
§Jeffries Point Branch, 195 Webster St.
* Baker Library, Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
j"Kjrstein Memorial Library: Business Branch first and second floors;
Kirstein Branch third floor .
^Opened.
May 2, 1854
Jan. 28, 1871
May I. 1872
July 16, 1873
Jan. 5, 1874
Jan. 5. 1874
Jan. 25, 1875
June 7, 1875
1877
1877
3, 1878
6, 1880
Aug.,
Sept.,
*Dec.
*J^
*Dec. 27. 1881
*Oct.. 1882
»Jan. I, 1883
♦Nov. 1, 1886
*Mar. 11, 1889
*Nov. 12, 1890
*Apr. 29, 1892
*Jan. 16, 1896
Feb. 1, 1896
*Mar. 16, 1896
»May I. 1896
*Jan. 18, 1897
*Nov. 1, 1897
*June 25, 1901
*July' 18, 1906
*July 15, 1907
Jan. 1, 1912
♦Mar. 4. 1914
♦Mar. 5, 1914
♦Oct. 15. 1921
Jan. 15. 1927
May 7. 1930
U In the case of the Central Library and some of the branches the opening was in a
different location from that now occupied. ♦ As a delivery station. t In building
owned by City, and exclusively devoted to library uses. J In City building, in part
devoted to other municipal uses. § Occupies rented rooms. \\ The lessee of the Fel-
lowes Athenaeum, a private library association. JUnder agreement with Harvard.
CONTENTS.
Report of the Trustees 1
Balance Sheet 20
Report of the Examining Committee 26
Report of the Director 35
Appendix to the Report of the Director 67
Index TO THE Annual Report, 1930 85
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Frontispiece: by the courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Edu-
cation, Division of PubHc Libraries.
Map of the Library System . . . . . .At the end
To His Honor James M. Curley,
Mayor of the Cit^ of Boston.
Sir- The Trustees of the PubHc Library of the City of Boston
present the following report of its condition and affairs for the
year ending December 31,1 930, being the seventy-ninth annual
report.
ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD.
The Board organized at the annual meeting on June 20, 1930
by the election of Mr. Frank W. Buxton as President, Msgr.
Arthur T. Connolly as Vice President, and Miss Delia Jean
Deery as Clerk.
Mr. Guy W. Currier, a Trustee since 1 922, died on June 2 1 ,
and on July 1 , Mr. EUery Sedgwick was appointed a Trustee
for the term ending April 30, 1933.
On July 9, 1 930, the Trustees adopted the following Resolu-
tion on the death of Guy W. Currier:
The Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston in ex-
pressing their regret at the death of Mr. Guy W. Currier on June 2 1 ,
1930, are conscious that the Library has suffered a great loss.
By his faithful, interested, and successful discharge of his official
duties Mr. Currier is entitled to the gratitude of all friends of the
Library. To many important matters especially referred to his
consideration by the Board he gave devoted attention and outstand-
ing ability. Always considerate, modest, and showing great sym-
pathy in the intimate affairs of the Library, Mr. Currier had not only
the good will but the highest respect of every member of the Board.
His unselfish and efficient service has been a fine example to the City
of his residence and a memory to be cherished by his Library
associates.
Resolved: That this matter be placed upon the records of the
Board, and that a copy be sent to Mrs. Currier.
[2]
RECEIPTS OF THE LIBRARY.
The receipts which may be expended by the Trustees for the
maintenance of the Library consist of the annual appropriation
by the Mayor and City Council, and the income from Trust
Funds given to the institution and invested by the City Treasurer.
During the year 1930 these receipts w^ere:
Annual Appropriation $1,173,144.00
Special appropriations: Library .Bldg., Fireproofing, Foundations,
and Branch Libraries, Establishment of. .... 373,712.53
Income from Trust Funds ......... 27,245.40
Unexpended balance of Trust Funds income of previous years . . 38,423.19
$1,612,525.12
Receipts which are accounted for and paid into the City
Treasury for general municipal purposes during the past year
have been as follows :
From fines $21,520.22
From sales of waste paper ........ 90.85
From sales of catalogues, etc. ........ 171.97
From commission on telephone stations ...... 604.45
From payments for lost books ........ 1,266.55
Interest on bank deposits ......... 55.82
Refund 36.82
Total
$23,746.74
ESTIMATES FOR 1931.
The estimates submitted on November 1 , 1 930 for the main-
tenance of the Library for the year ending December 31, 1 93 1 ,
in segregated form, are as follows:
A — Personal service
B — ■ Service other than personal
C — Equipment
D — Supplies
E — Materials
F — Special items
$883,903.00
250,866.00
227,549.00
49.747.00
34,805.00
854.00
$1,447,734.00
Total . , .
THE YEAR'S PROGRESS.
The year 1 930 has been one of activity and growth through-
out the entire library system. The new accessions totalled
I 18,527 volumes, an increase of 6,181 books over the accessions
[3]
received during the preceding year. An enlarged city ap-
propriation and many gifts are responsible for the increase. Of
the 97,832 books purchased, 14,188 were for the Central Li-
brary and 83,644 were for the branches and the Branch Deposit
Collection. The total expenditure for books, periodicals, news-
papers and other library material from the city appropriation and
trust funds income was $181,588.70. The total number of
volumes in the Central Library and branches is 1 ,526,95 1 .
The outstanding purchase of the year was the Franciscan
library of the late Paul Sabatier. The collection consists of
2,396 books, and includes practically everything in print per-
taining to St. Francis. It includes valuable books of antiquity
and is a conspicuous addition to the scholarly collections of Bos-
ton and of the country.
Gifts to the Library during the year were numerous and
generous. Through the bequest of the late Walter Updike
Lewisson of Boston an unusually rich collection of 5,964 items
relating to George Washington was received. The bequest of
Mrs. George E. Richards, in memory of her husband, of 1 ,294
books on biography, history, horticulture and travel was of inter-
est. From Dr. Edward C. Streeter came the gift of 369 volumes
in general literature. The bequest of $2000 from Charles
H. L. M. Bernard, establishing a fund, the income of which is
to be expended for books, was most welcome. A list of the more
important gifts of books and other library material will be found
in the Report of the Director.
The most notable event of the year was the opening on May 7
of the new Kirstein Memorial Library, housing on the first two
floors the Business Branch, and on the third floor, a general
branch library for adults. The building and its equipment, the
gift of Mr. Louis E. Kirstein in memory of his father, have proved
admirable in all respects. In March, 1930, a special appropri-
ation of $200,000 was received, being the first installment on
the suggested building program of Your Honor for the branch
library system. The first fruits of the program will be revealed
when two nevv^ branch buildings now in process of construction,
one in the Parker Hill district. Cram & Ferguson, Architects,
[4]
and the other in the Mattapan district, Putnam & Cox, Archi-
tects, will open to the public next spring. These modern build-
ings will replace wholly inadequate rented quarters.
The reconstruction of the Music and Treasure Rooms and
the North Gallery in the Central Library was completed early
in 1930, and has attracted much favorable com.ment. For the
first time there is a room suitable for the exhibition of the many
outstanding treasures of the Library.
Exhibits were arranged, as customary, during the year, the
most important being that of the Tercentenary celebration. The
Library published a scholarly description of the main exhibit,
and a pamphlet of 166 pages on "The Massachusetts Bay
Colony and Boston ; being a selected list of books in the Boston
Public Library," the first considerable adventure in the bibli-
ography of the city.
The lecture activities of the Library resulted in capacity audi-
ences at most of its entertainments. The number of free public
lectures and concerts offered to the public in the Central Library
Lecture Hall during the year was 1 26. The Lectures on the
Symphony Concerts conducted with the co-operation of the
University Extension Division of the State Board of Education
were well attended, and doubtless have done not a little in de-
veloping the musical taste of the audiences. It is gratifying to
note that Mrs. Elizabeth S. Coolidge again offered a series of
quartet concerts at the Central and branch libraries. The Li-
brary also conducted a series of weekly ten-minute talks over
radio station WNAC, as a part of the Wednesday afternoon
"Women's Federation Hour." The circulation of books was
4,133,459, a gain of 203,391 over the previous year. The
number of new registrations received at the Central Library and
the branches were 32,373. On December 31, 1 93 1 there were
1 60,201 "live" registration cards in use, a gain of 6,22 1 over the
year 1 929. It is no exaggeration to state that the Library System
as a whole is alive, active, and branching out in all reasonable
directions to serve in a larger way the reading public of the City
of Boston.
[5]
EXAMINING COMMITTEE.
The Trustees desire especially to call to the attention both of
Your Honor, and of all friends of the Library, the appended
report of the Examining Committee. The members of the Board
acknowledge with gratitude the assistance rendered by the Com-
mittee. Its recommendations will receive careful consideration
and will be followed as rapidly as means are found available.
The membership of the Committee for the year consists of the
following persons :
Miss Anna M. Bancroft Mr. Melville D. Liming
Mr. Arthur H. Cole Mrs. Edward L. Logan
Mrs. Frank D. Comerford Mr. Percival Merritt
Mr. Allen Curtis Mr. George R. Nutter
Mr. Charles P. Curtis Hon. James P. Parmenter
Mr. Frederic H. Curtiss Mrs. Elizabeth W. Perkins
Mr. Carl Dreyfus Mrs. Edward M. Pickman
Mr. Hollis French Dr. David D. Scannell
Miss Susan J. Ginn Mr. William B. Snow
Mr. John L. Hall Rev. William M. Stinson, S.J.
Mr. Henry Lewis Johnson Mr. Charles H. Thurber
Rev. Harry Levi Mrs. Eva Whiting White
TRUST FUNDS.
The Trustees welcome bequests of money, and hope that
generous testators may remember the Library. It is from such
sources only that they can make purchases of rare works, which
give value and rank to a great educational institution.
As a matter of interest to the public, the Board has pleasure in
listing herewith the present trust funds of the Library, with ex-
planatory notes.
Artz Fund — Donation from Miss ViCTORlNE ThomAS Artz, of Chi-
cago: the income of this sum to be employed in the purchase of
valuable, rare editions of the writings, either in verse or prose of
American and foreign authors. These books are to be known as the
"Longfellow Memorial Collection." Received in 1896.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $10,000.00
Bates Fund — Donation made by JosHUA Bates, of London, in March,
1853.
"The income only of this fund is to be each and every year expended
in the purchase of such books of permanent value and authority as
[6]
may be found most needful and most useful," Payable to the
Mayor of the City for the time being.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $50,000.00
Charles H. L. N. Bernard Fund — Bequest of Charles H. L. N. Bei-
nard. Received in I 930.
Deposited in Hibernia Savings Bank . . . $2,000.00
Bigelow Fund — Donation made by JOHN P- BiGELOW in August,
1850, when Mayor of the city.
The income from this fund is to be appropriated for the purchase of
books for the increase of the library.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $1,000.00
Robert Charles Billings Fund — Bequest of ROBERT ChaRLES BiL-
LINGS.
"The sum to constitute a permanent fund for said library, to be
called the Robert Charles Billings Fund, the income only to be used
for the purpose of the purchase of books for said library." Re-
ceived in 1903.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one quarter
per cent Bonds $6,000.00
City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . . . $88,000.00
City of Boston Three and three quarters per cent
Bonds $6,000.00
$100,000.00
Bowditch Fund — Bequest of J. Ingersoll Bowditch. Received in
1890.
The v/hole income in each and every year to be expended in the
purchase of books of permanent value and authority in mathematics
and astronomy.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter
per cent Bond $10,000.00
Bradlee Fund — Bequest of the Rev. CalEB DaviS Bradlee to the
Boston Public Library. Received in 1897.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-half per
cent Bond $1,000.00
Joseph H. Center Fund — Bequest of JOSEPH H. CENTER, the income
thereof to be at all times applied to the purchase of books and other
additions to the library. Received in 1905.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds $1 ,600.00
City of Boston Three and one-half per cent Bonds 32,300.00
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Three and one-half
per cent Bond 6,000.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930. . 8.89
$39,908.89
(7]
Children's Fund — Bequest of JosiAM H. BentoN of $100,000. to be
held as "The Children's Fund," and the income applied to the pur-
chase of books for the use of the young, to be applied for those pur-
poses only in years when the city appropriates for the maintenance
of the Library at least three per cent of the amount available for
department expenses from taxes and income in said city. In any year
when the city does not thus appropriate at least three per cent of the
amount available for department expenses from taxes and income in
said City, the income given in said will for the purchase of books
shall be paid to the Rector of Trinity Church in the City of Boston
to be by him dispensed in relieving the necessities of the poor.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter per
cent Bond $15,000.00
City of Boston Four per cent Bond .... 36,000.00
City of Boston Three and three-quarters per cent
Bond 6,000.00
City of Boston Three and one-half per cent Bond . 20,000.00
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Three and one-
half per cent Bond 20,000.00
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Four per cent
Bond 6,000.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930 . . 1 I 7.74
$103,117.74
Clement Fund — Bequest of the late Frank Clement, of Newton, to
be known as the "Frank Clement Fund," the income to be applied
to the purchase of books. Received in 1915.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $2,000.00
Henry Sargent Codman Memorial Fund — This is a contribution from
the friends of Henry Sargent Codman, to be used to perpetuate
the memory of Mr. Codman by the purchase of books upon land-
scape gardening. It is the desire of the subscribers that a special
book plate shall be inserted in each of the volumes purchased, identi-
fying it as part of their memorial collection. Received in 1 898.
Invested in City of Boston Three and one-half per
cent Bond $2,000.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930 . . 854.41
$2,854.41
Cutter Fund — Bequest of AbRAM E. Cutter of four thousand dol-
lars and his library of books, the income of the fund to be expended
for the purchase of books, and for binding. Received in 1901.
[8]
Invested in City of Boston Three per cent Bond . $4,000.00
City of Boston Four and one half per cent Bond . 100.00
City of Boston Four and one-quarter per cent Bond 1 00.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930 . . 30.00
$4,230.00
Elizabeth Fund — Bequest of SaRAH A. MatchetT, late of Brookline,
who died October 6, 1910, the object of which is stated in the fol-
lowing extract from her will :
"I give and bequeath to the Trustees of the Public Library of the
City of Boston, twenty-live thousand dollars, to be called the Eliza-
beth fund, to be received, held and securely invested, and only the
net income therefrom expended every year in the purchase of such
books of permanent value and authority as may be most useful in
said Library."
Invested hi City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $25,000.00
Daniel Sharp Ford Fund — A bequest of Daniel Sharp Ford to the
Public Library of the City of Boston. Received in 1900.
Invested in City of Boston Three per cent Bond . $6,000.00
Franklin Club Fund — Donation made in June, 1 863, by a literary asso-
ciation of young men in Boston, who, at the dissolution of the asso-
ciation, authorized its trustees, Thomas Minns, John J. French and
J. Franklin Reed, to dispose of the funds on hand in such manner
as to them should seem judicious. They elected to bestow them on the
Public Library, attaching thereto only the following conditions:
"In trust, that the income, but the income only, shall, year by year, be
expended m the purchase of books of permanent value, for the use of
the free Public Library of the city, and as far as practicable of such
a character as to be of special interest to young men." The trustees
expressed a preference for books relative to government and political
" economy.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter
per cent Bond $1,000.00
Isabella Stewart Gardner Fund — Bequest of Isabella SteWART
Gardner.
"To the Trustees of the Boston Public Library, for the Brown
Musical Library, for a memorial to B. J. Lang." Received in
1924.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . $5,000.00
Morris Gest Fund — Donation made by Mr. Morris Gest in December
1925, the gross receipts from a benefit performance for the Library
of "The Miracle", — $2,652.50, the income to be used in the in-
terest of dramatic art.
Deposited in Hibernia Savings Bank . . . $2,652.50
[9]
Green Fund — Donations of Dr. Samuel A. Green of $2,000, the
income of which is to be expended for the purchase of books relating
to American history. Received in 1 878 and 1 884.
Invested In
City of Boston Four per cent Bond . . . . $500.00
City of Boston Three and three-quarter per cent
Bond 1000.00
Cash in City Treasury 1930 . . . . 500.00
$2,000.00
Charlotte Harris Fund — Bequest of CHARLOTTE HARRIS, late of Bos-
ton, the object of which is stated in the following extract from her
will: "I give to the Charlestown Public Library $10,000, to be
invested of interest, which interest is to be applied to the purchase
of books published before 1850. I also give to said Public Library
my own private library and the portrait of my grandfather, Richard
Devens." Bequests accepted by City Council, July 31, 1877.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter
per cent Bond $10,000.00
Thomas B. Harris Fund — Bequest of Thomas B. HaRRIS, late of
Charlestown, for the benefit of the Charlestown Public Library.
Received in 1 884.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $1,000,00
Alfred Hemenway Fund. — Bequest of Alfred Hemenway. Received
in 1928.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds. . $5,000.00
Hyde Fund — Bequest of Franklin P. Hyde of Boston, to be known
as the "Franklin P. Hyde Fund," the income to be applied to the
purchase of books and other library material. Received in 1915.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . $3,600,00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930 . 32 AO
$3,632.40
David P. Kimball Fund — Bequest of David P. KiMBALL.
"I give to the Public Library of the City of Boston, the income to
be used for the purchase of books, $10,000." Received in 1924.
Invested in City of Boston Three and three-quarters
per cent Bond 1 ,000.00
City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . . . $8,000.00
City of Four and one-quarter per cent Bond . 1 ,000.00
$10,000.00
[10]
Louis E. Kirsteln Fund — Donation of $1,000 made by Mr. Louis E.
KiRSTEIN in October 1925, "to be used for any purpose of the Li-
brary that the Trustees see fit to put it to."
October. 1925 $1,000.00
October. 1926 1,000.00
November, 1927 1,000.00
October, 1928 1,000.00
October, 1929 1.000.00
Deposited in Hibernia Savings Bank . . . $5,000.00
Arthur Mason Knapp Fund — Extract from the will of Katherine
KnapP: "To the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of
Boston, the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000), to be known
as the Arthur Mason Knapp Fund, of which the income only shall
be used for the purchase of books for said library. And I hereby
request that such books be designated with an appropriate label or
inscription, bearing the name of the Fund." Received in 1914.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $10,000.00
Abbott Lawrence Fund — Bequest of AbbOTT Lawrence, of Boston.
Received in 1 860. The interest on this fund is to be exclusively
appropriated for the purchase of books for the said library having
a permanent value.
Invested in City of Boston Three and one-half per
cent Bond $10,000.00
Edward Lawrence Fund — Bequest of Edward LawreNCE. of Charles-
town. Received in 1 886. The following clause from his will
explains its purpose:
"To hold and apply the income and so much of the principal as they
may choose, to the purchase of special books of reference to be kept
and used only at the Charlestown branch of said Public Library."
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $500.00
Mrs. John A. Lewis Fund — Bequest of ELIZABETH Lewis, to be known
as the Mrs. John A. Lewis Fund: "I give and bequeath to the Bos-
ton Public Library the sum of $5,000 as a fund, the income of which
is to be used for the purchase of such old and rare books as shall be
fitly selected to augment the collection known as the John A. Lewis
Library." Received in 1903.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $5,000.00
Charles Greely Loring Memorial Fund — Donation from the family of
Charles Greely Loring, the income of which is to be expended
for the purchase of books for the West End Branch. Received in
1896.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $500.00
[11]
Charles Mead Fund — Bequest of Charles Mf.AD, to constitute the
Charles Mead Public Library Trust Fund for the promotion of the
objects of the Public Library in such manner as the government of
said library shall deem best, and so far as the government shall deem
consislenl with the objects of the library to be used for the benefit
of the South Boston Branch Library, Received in 1 896.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-half per
cent Bond $2,500.00
Gardner O. North Fund — Bequest of Gardner O. North. Received
in 1928. $2,000.00
The Oakland Hall Trust Fund — By an interlocutory decree of the
Probate Court for the County of Suffolk, the amount of $1 1 ,781 .44
was received, the same being one-half of the net amount received from
the disposition of certain property held by the Trustees, under an
indenture between Amor Flollingsworth, Sumner A. Burt and Amor
L. Hollingsworth, all of Milton, Mass., and John H. McKendry,
of Boston, Mass., entered into the sixth day of August, 1870. The
above amount was accepted by the City, January 2, 1924, and the
Trustees of the Public Library voted to invest the same under the
name of "The Oakland Hall Trust Fund," the income to be applied
to the purchase of books and other library material for the Mattapan
Branch.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . $1 1,780.00
Cash, December 31, 1930 1.44
$11,781.44
John Boyle O'Reilly Fund — Donation received from the PaPYRUS
Club to establish a fund in memory of John Boyle O'Reilly, late
member of said club, the income of said fund to be devoted to the
purchase of books for the Boston Public Library. Received in 1 897.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter
per cent Bond $1,000.00
Phillips Fund — Donation made by JONATHAN PniLLIPS, of Boston,
in April, 1853.
The interest of this fund is to be used exclusively for the purchase
of books for said library.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $10,000.00
Also a bequest by the same gentleman in his will dated September
20, 1849.
The interest on which is to be annually devoted to the maintenance of
a free Public Library.
Invested in City of Boston Three and one-half per
cent Bond $20,000.00
Both of these items are payable to the Mayor of the City for the
time being.
[12]
Pierce Fund — Donation made by Henry L. PieRCE, Mayor of the
City, November 29, 1873, and accepted by the City Council, De-
cember 27, 1 873.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . $3,000.00
City of Boston Three and one-half per cent Bond . 1 ,000.00
City of Boston Four and one-quarter per cent Bond $1 ,000.00
$5,000.00
Sarah E. Pratt Fund — Bequest from Sarah E. PraTT, late of Boston,
under the 1 4th clause of her will, for the benefit of the Dorchester
Branch, $500.00. Received in January. 1922.
Distribution of residue of estate in May, 1924, $964.30.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $500.00
City of Boston Three and three-quarters per cent Bond 90.00
Cash in City Treasury, December, 1930 . . 904.18
$1,494.18
Guilford Reed Fund — Bequest of Helen Leah Reed, as a memorial to
Guilford S. Reed; the income to be applied to the purchase of books
of non-fiction.
Deposited in Dorchester Savings Bank . . . $1,000.00
John Singer Sargent Fund - — - Balance remaining in hands of surviving
trustees of fund originally raised to install in the Library decorations
by John Singer Sargent; the income to be used for the care and
preservation of the Sargent decorations, etc.
Deposited in Dorchester Savings Bank . . . $3,858.24
Scholfield Fund — Bequest of ARTHUR ScHOLFIELD, who died in New
York. January 1 7, 1 883. The interest to be paid to certain heirs
during their lives, and then to be used for the purchase of books of
permanent value. The last heir, Joseph Scholfield, died November
1 8, 1 889, and by his will bequeathed to the City of Boston the sum
of $1 1,766.67, which represents the income of said fund received
by him up to the time of his death, to which was added $33.33
accrued interest on deposit up to the time of investment, to be added
to the fund given by his brother.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . $39,800.00
City of Boston Four and one-quarter per cent Bond 1 4,000.00
Ciiy of Boston Four and one-half per cent Bonds 6,000.00
City of Boston Three and three-quarters per cent Bonds 2,000.00
$61,800.00
Sewall Fund — Extract from the will of RiCHARD BlacK SewalL:
"Tenth. — I bequeath the following pecuniary legacies clear of lega-
[13]
cy tax, namely. To the Trustees of the Public Library of the City
of Boston $25,000 (twenty-five thousand dollars) to be added to
their funds and the Income to be used for the purchase of books."
Received In 1918.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter per
cent Bond $25,000.00
Skinner Fund — Extract from the will of FraNCIS SkinNER:
"Eleventh. — All my books and library I give and bequeath to my
son, to be enjoyed by him during his life and after his death to be
distributed as he shall appoint among such public libraries, as he shall
judge fit, and In case he makes no such appointment then to the
Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston.
"Sixteenth. — All the rest and residue of my said property of what-
ever kind, I give and bequeath to Augustus P. Loring and J. Lewis
Stackpole in trust to pay the net Income to my son Francis Skinner,
Jr., during his life, or to apply the same to his maintenance and sup-
port, or the maintenance and support of any issue of his, as they shall
think best during his life; and at his death to apply the income to the
maintenance and support of his issue until his youngest child shall
reach the age of 2 1 years and then to distribute said property among
among the following legatees: The Trustees of the Public Library
said issue, the issue of a deceased child to take the share a parent
would have taken if living.
"If there shall be no issue surviving at the time of my son's death,
then to turn the said property into cash and to divide it equally
among the following legatees: The Trustees of the Public Library
of the City of Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston, Massa-
chusetts, the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Medical School
of Harvard University, and the Free Hospital for Women, Brook-
line, Massachusetts." Received in 1914.
Invested in City of Boston 1 hree and one-half per
cent Bond ; $40,000.00
City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . . . 10,250.00
City of Boston Four and one-half per cent Bond 200.00
1 6 shares Worcester Street Railway Company . 1 ,280.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 3 1 , 1930 . 2.14
$51,732.14
South Boston Branch Library Trust Fund — Donation of a citizen of
South Boston, the income of which is to be expended for the benefit
of the South Boston Branch Library. Received in 1 879.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter per
cent Bond $100.00
[14]
Mary Elizabeth Stewart Fund — Bequest of MaRY ELIZABETH STEW-
ART of $3,500 to the Trustees of the Boston PubHc Library. The
Trustees voted under date of June 29, 1923, that the income be
applied to the purchase of books and other library material.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $3,500.00
James Jackson Storrow (Harvard '57) Fund — Gift of Helen Storrow
and Elizabeth Randolph Storro^v as a memorial to James Jackson
Storrow, Senior; income to be used for the purchase of Italian books.
Deposited in Boston Five Cent Savings Bank . $10,000.00
" Dorchester Savings Bank . . 5.000.00
" Suffolk Savings Bank . . . 10,000.00
$25,000.00
Patrick F. Sullivan Bequest — Extract from will: "I give and bequeath
to the Trustees of the Boston Public Library the sum of five thous-
and dollars, the principal or income of said sum to be expended by
them for the purchase of Catholic standard books, said books to be
approved by the Archbishop of the diocese of Boston, Mass.. or by
the President of the Trustees of Boston College, in Boston, Mass."
Received in 1908.
This bequest, together with interest amounting to $339.61, has been
expended for books.
Ticknor Bequest — By the will of George TickNOR, of Boston, he
gave to the City of Boston, on the death of his wife, all his books and
manuscripts in the Spanish and Portuguese languages, about four
thousand volumes, and also the sum of four thousand dollars. After
the receipt of said sums the city is required to spend not less than
one thousand dollars in every five years during the twenty-five years
next succeeding (i.e., the income of four thousand dollars, at the
rate of five per cent per annum) in the purchase of books in the
Spanish and Portuguese languages and literature. At the end of
twenty-five years the income of said sum to be expended annually in
the purchase of books of permanent value, either in the Spanish or
Portuguese languages, or in such other languages as may be deemed
expedient by those having charge of the library. The books be-
queathed or purchased are always to be freely accessible for reference
or study, but are not to be loaned for use outside of the library build-
ing. If these bequests are not accepted by the city, and the trusts
and conditions faithfully executed, the books, manuscripts and money
are to be given to the President and Fellows of Harvard College.
In order that the city might receive the immediate benefit of this
contribution, Anna Ticknor, widow of the donor, relinquished her
right to retain during her life the books and manuscripts, and placed
them under the control of the city, the City Council having previously
[13]
accepted the bequests in accordance with the terms and conditions of
said will, and the Trustees of the Public Library received said be-
quests on behalf of the city, and made suitable arrangements for the
care and custody of the books and manuscripts. Received in 1871.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-half per
cent Bond $4,000.00
William C. Todd Newspaper Fund — Donation by WiLLIAM C. ToDD,
accepted by order of the City Council, approved October 30, 1 897,
the income to be at least two thousand dollars a year, to be ex-
pended by the Library Trustees for newspapers of this and other
countries.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bond . $25,000.00
City of Boston Three and three-quarters per
cent Bond $25.000.00
$50,000.00
Townsend Fund — Donation from William Minot and William Minot,
Jr., executors of the will of MarY P. ToWNSEND, of Boston, at
whose disposal she left a certain portion of her estate in trust for such
charitable and public institutions as they might think meritorious.
Said executors accordingly selected the Public Library of the City
of Boston as one of such institutions, and attached the following con-
ditions to the legacy: "The income only shall, in each and every
year, be expended in the purchase of books for the use of the library;
each of which books shall have been published in some one edition
at least five years at the time it may be so purchased." Received in
1879.
Invested in City of Boston Three and one-half per
cent Bond $4,000.00
Treadwell Fund — By the will of the late Daniel TreadwELL, of
Cambridge, late Rumford Professor in Harvard College, who died
February 27, 1872, he left the residue of his estate, after payment
of debts, legacies, etc., in trust to his executors, to hold during the
life of his wife for her benefit, and after her decease to divide the
residue then remaining in the hands of the Trustees, as therein pro-
vided, and convey one-fifth part thereof to the Trustees of the Public
Library of the City of Boston.
By order of the City Council, approved May 1 7, 1 872, said bequest
was accepted and the Trustees of the Public Library authorized to
receive the same and invest it in the City of Boston Bonds, income
of which is to be expended by said Trustees in such manner as they
may deem for the best interests of the Library.
[16]
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-half per
cent Bond $1,000.00
City of Boston Four and one-quarter per cent Bonds 3, 1 00.00
City of Boston Four per cent Bonds. . . . 9,850.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930 . 37.69
$13,987.69
Tufts Fund — Bequest of Nathan A. TuFTS, of Charlestown. to be
known as the "Nathan A. Tufts Fund." the income to be applied
at all times to the purchase of books and other additions to the library
to be placed in the Charlestown Branch. Received in 1906.
Invested in City of Boston Three and one-half
per cent Bond $ 100.00
Invested in City of Boston Four per
cent Bonds 10.000.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930 . . 31.77
$10,131.77
Twentieth Regiment Memorial Fund — Donation on account of the
Twentieth Regiment Memorial Fund, the income to be used
for the purchase of books of a military and patriotic character, to be
placed in the alcove appropriated as a memorial to the Twentieth
Regiment. Received in 1897.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter per
cent Bond $5,000.00
Wales Fund — Extract from the will of George C. WalES:
"After the foregoing bequests I direct that the sum of five thousand
dollars be paid to the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of
Boston, the same to be held, managed and invested by them, so as
to produce an income, and the said income to be applied to the pur-
chase of such books for said Library as they may deem best." Re-
ceived in 1918.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter per
cent Bond $5,000.00
Mehitable C. C. Wilson Fund — Bequest of MeHITABLE C. C. WiL-
SON. the income to be expended for the purchase of books for the
Boston Public Library. Received in 1913.
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds . $1 .000.00
Whitney Funds — Bequests of James Lyman WhitNEY, who died Sep-
tember 25. 1910.
Alice Lincoln Whitney Fund — The twelfth clause of his will di-
rected that: One-tenth of said remaining income of the principal
fund, I direct to be paid to the Trustees of the Public Library of the
City of Boston, to be held and accumulated by said Trustees and
permanently invested and re-invested. The first five thousand dollars
[17]
of income so accumulated, including the income thereon arising during
the period of accumulation, I request to be funded in the name of
my sister, Alice Lincoln Whitney, and the income of said fund after
its accumulation or so much of said income as may be required, to
be paid to such employees of the said Library, who are sick and in
need of help, as the Trustees may in their discretion deem most
worthy (there are often such cases). Any amount of income from
said accumulated fund not needed for the purpose just mentioned
shall be used for the purchase of books and manuscripts.
Invested in City of Boston Four and one-quarter
per cent Bond 1,000.00
Invested in City of Boston Four per cent Bonds. . 4,000.00
$5,000.00
James Lyman Whitney Fund — The Alice Lincoln Whitney Fund
having been established, all amounts of income of the principal fund
paid to said Trustees, after the accumulation of said fund of five
thousand dollars shall be held as the James Lyman Whitney Fund,
and invested and re-invested and the income used in equal shares,
one share for the purchase of rare and expensive books, and one share
for the purchase and care of manuscripts; one half at least of the
share devoted to manuscripts to be expended for their cataloguing
and proper care.
invested in City of Boston Four and one-half per
cent Bonds $1,200.00
City of Boston Four and one-quarter per cent Bonds 3,700.00
City of Boston Four per cent Bonds ... 1 2,800.00
City of Boston Three and three-quarter per cent Bonds 800.00
Cash in City Treasury, December 31, 1930 . . 77.54
$18,577.54
In addition to the above Mr. Whitney created a trust, directing that
of the net income seven hundred dollars a year be paid to the Trustees
of the Public Library of the City of Boston, to be expended on
bibliographic work for the benefit of the Library.
Central Library Building Fund — Donations in response to an appeal by
the Trustees in Apiil, 1925, setting forth the needs of the Library,
from
Percy Lee Atherlon $ 25.00
William York Peters 25.00
John T. Spaulding 100.00
/nves/eJ rn City of Boston Four per cent Bond . . $150.00
Donations — Besides the preceding, the following donations have beeii
made to the Public Library, and the amounts have been appro-
[18]
prlated for ihe purchase of books, according to the intention of the
donors, viz. :
J. Ingersoll Bowditch $6,800.00
Samuel Appleton, late of Boston. . . . 1.000.00
Sally Inman Kast Shepard 1.000.00
James Brown, late of Cambridge .... 500.00
Andrew Carnegie 980.75
Nathaniel I. Bowditch 200.00
James Nightingale 100.00
Dorchester and Milton Circulating Library, for the
benefit of the Dorchester Branch Library . . 335.13
$10,915.88
RECAPITULATION OF PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUST FUNDS.
Artz Fund $ 10,000.00
Bates Fund 50,000.00
Charts H. L. N. Bernard Fund 2,000.00
Bigelow Fund 1,000.00
Robert Charles Billings Fund 100.000.00
Bowditch Fund 10,000.00
Bradlee Fund 1. 000.00
Joseph H. Center Fund 39,908.89
Central Library Building Fund 150.00
Children's Fund 103,117.74
Clement Fund 2,000.00
Henry Sargent Codman Memorial Fund ...... 2,854.41
Cutter Fund 4 270.00
Elizabeth Fund 25,000.00
Daniel Sharp Ford Fund 6,000.00
Franklin Club Fund 1,000.00
Isabella Stewart Gardner Fund 5,000.00
Morris Gest Fund 2,652.50
Green Fund 2,000.00
Charlotte Harris Fund 10.000.00
Thomas B. Harris Fund ......... 1,000.00
Alfred Hemenway Fund 5,000.00
Hyde Fund 3,632.40
David P. Kimball Fund 10.000.00
Louis E. Kirstein Fund 5,000 00
Arthur Mason Knapp Fund 10.000.00
Abbott Lawrence Fund 10,000.00
Edward Lawrence Fund ......... 500.00
Mrs. John A. Lewis Fund 5.000.00
Charles Greely Loring Memorial Fund ....... 500.00
Charles Mead Fund 2.500.00
Gardner O. North Fund 2.000.00
The Oakland Hall Trust Fund 11.781.44
Carried forrvard $444,867.38
[19]
Droughi foricard . $444,867.38
John Boyle O'Reilly Fund 1.000.00
Phillips Fund 30.000.00
Pierce Fund 5.000.00
Sarah E. Pratt Fund .• . . . 1.494.18
Guilford Reed Fund 1,000.00
lohn Singer Sargent Fund ......... 3,858.24
Scholfield Fund 61,800.00
Sewall Fund 25,000.00
Skinner Fund 51,732.14
South Boston Branch Library Trust Fund ...... 100.00
Mary Elizabath Stewart Fund 3,500.00
James [ackson Storrow (Harvard '57) Fund ...... 25,000.00
Ticknor Fund 4,000.00
William C. Todd Newspaper Fund 50,000.00
Townsend Fund 4,000.00
Treadwell Fund 13.987.69
Nathan A. Tufts Fund 10,131.77
Twentieth Regiment Memorial Fimd 5,000.00
Wales Fund 5,000.00
Alice Lincoln Whitney Fund 5.000.00
James Lyman Whitney Fund ........ 18,577.54
Mehitable C. C Wilson Fund 1,000.00
$771,048.94
CONCLUSION.
The Board of Trustees would call attention to the interesting
and detailed Report of the Director, which follovv^s. It is an
encouraging account of the work of the Library Department
during the year, and is worthy of study.
We record our satisfaction and appreciation of the spirit of
co-operation which prevails throughout the system between
Director and the entire library staff. We also have pleasure in
commending the efficient work in the interest of the public of all
the library employees.
Frank W. Buxton
Gordon Abbott
Arthur T. Connolly
Louis E. Kirstein
Ellery Sedgwick
[20]
BALANCE SHEET. RECEIPTS AND
Dr.
Central Library and Branches:
To expenditures for
Permanent employees (exclusive of Printing
and Binding employees)
Temporary employees ....
To expenditure for equipmen
Machinery
.
Motorless vehicles
Furniture and fittings .
Educational and recreational
Oifice
^
Books:
City appropriation
1 54,807.48
Trust funds income
(including transfer to
(London account)
29,875.84
Newspapers
City appropriation
1 ,024.03
Trust funds income
1,799.91
Periodicals (city)
Photographs
Trust funds income
49.50
City appropriation
93.98
Lantern slides:
City appropriation
166.70
Trust funds income
50.00
Music
City appropriation
638.54
Trust funds income
690.96
Tools and instruments
.
General plant
.
$619
117,
,953.43
846.67
Service other than personal
Printing and binding . . . . . . 28.55
Advertising
67.50
Transportation of persons .
1,371.36
Cartage and freight
8,645.76
L ighf and power
17,899.20
Rent, taxes and water .
21,610.00
Surety bond and insurance .
462.43
Communication
3,270.66
Cleaning
1 ,598.85
Removal of ashes
47.00
Removal of snow
254.95
Medical ....
25.00
Expert ....
2,750.91
Fees . .
75.00
Photographic and blueprinting
261.51
General plant
23.465.39
,923.66
354.50
454.33
195.00
,799.18
184.683.32
,823.94
,988.59
143.48
216.70
,329.50
826.34
,678.09
$737,800.10
81,834.07
Carried forward
215,416.63
$1,035,050.80
[21]
EXPENSES. DECEMBER 31, 1930
By City Appropriation 1930 . . . . 1,173,144.00
Income from Trust funds ..... 27,245.40
Income from James L. Whitney Bibliographic account 700.00
Interest on deposit in London .... 40.62
Transfer from Domestic Funds to London account 1 5,000.00
Special appropriation, FIreproofing, Improvements, etc. 70,000.00
Special appropriation. Foundation, Improvements, etc. 68,404.21
Special appropriation, .Branch Libraries,
Establishment of .... 140,000.00
Cr.
1,494,534.23
Carried forjvarj
$1,494,534.23
[22]
BALANCE SHEET, RECEIPTS AND
Dr.
Brought forward
To expenditures for supplies
Office
Food and ice
Fuel
Forage and animal
Medical
Laundry, cleaning, toilet
Agricultural
Chemicals and disinfectants
General plant
To expenditures for material
Building
Electrical
General plant
To Special items
Pension ....
J. L. Whitney Bibliographic Acct.
A. L. Whitney — sick benefit
To Binding Department:
Salaries
Transportation of persons
Light
Repairs
Equipment
Supplies
Stock
To Printing Department
Salaries
Transportation of persons
Light
Communication
Repairs and material
Equipment
Supplies
Stock
Outside work
To Special Appropriation
Branch Libraries, Establishment
Central Library Building,
Fireproofing, improvements, etc.
Central Library Building,
Foundation, improvements, etc.
Carried fonvard
of
$1,035,050.80
9,561.71
775.69
20,079.76
30.55
37.78
2,263.27
762.00
199.68
2,522.53
8,339.86
3,111.38
1,024.04
834.74
1 80.00
1 50.00
57,339.98
1.00
54.84
109.15
128.84
11.10
6,929.13
14,390.33
3.05
36.56
3.31
64.39
483.31
52.56
4,290.51
213.77
36,232.97
12,475.28
1,164.74
64,574.04
19,537.79
31,570.65 31,570.65
138,522.17 138,522.17
67,869.29 67,869.29
$1,406,997.73
[23]
EXPENSES, DECEMBER 31. 1930
Drought forward . .....
By Balances Brought Forward from 1929:
Trust funds income, City Treasury .... 37,652.85
Trust funds income on deposit in London . . . 770.34
City appropriation on deposit in London ... 1 ,326.22
James L. Whitney Bibliographic account . . . 8,538.33
Special appropriation, Fireproofing, Improvements, etc. 95,308.32
Cr.
$1,494,534.23
143,596.06
Carried forivard
$1,638,130.29
[24]
BALANCE SHEET, RECEIPTS AND
Dr.
Brought forward
To Amount Paid into City Treasury:
Fines
Sales of catalogues, bulletins .
Commission on telephone stations
Payments for lost books .
Interest on bank deposit .
Refund
Sales of waste paper
To Balance, December 31, 1930
Trust funds income on deposit in London
City appropriation on deposit in London
Trust funds income. City Treasury .
James L. Whitney Bibliographic account
To .Balance Unexpended:
General appropriation
Central Library Bldg., Fireproofing
Central Library Bldg., Foundation .
Branch Libraries, Establishment of .
$1 ,406,997.73
21,520.22
171.97
604.45
1,266.55
55.82
36.88
90.85
3,896.34
2,647.49
39,156.04
9,058.33
40,623.94
26,786.15
534.92
108,429.35
23,746.74
54,758.20
176,374.36
$L661 ,877.03
[25]
EXPENSES, DECEMBER 31. 1930
Cr.
Brought fonvarJ
By Receipts:
From Fines ....
Sales of catalogues, bulletins and lists
Commission on telephone stations .
Payments for lost books .
Interest on bank deposit .
Refund ....
Sales of waste paper
$1,638,130.29
21,520.22
171.97
604.45
1,266.55
55.82
36.88
90.85
23,746.74
$1,661,877.03
REPORT OF THE EXAMINING COMMITTEE
To THE Trustees of the Public Library
OF THE City of Boston.
Centl
emen :
The Examining Committee appointed by you herewith sub-
mits its report. As usual sub-committees were appointed and
these sub-committees have investigated quite thoroughly and
reported in detail their findings. This report of the main com-
mittee has largely adopted their recommendations.
PERSONNEL
The uniform opinion of the visitors is that in general the per-
sonnel is capable, devoted and hard working, and from its
personnel the best value of a library is obtained. Especially is
its care of the children to be commended. The opinion how-
ever cannot be escaped that the Library does not and cannot
draw from the best material for its personnel as long as the
salaries have to remain as they are, not relatively we believe as
high as the standing of this great Library should be, and as long
as there is no classification for the service whereby an employee
can see just what is ahead without the casual advancement as
at present, there is not the necessary incentive to attract the best
quality of library workers.
This committee therefore recommends as one of the most im-
portant of its findings that a survey be made by the Trustees in
this question of classification and salaries.
administration, building, and equipment
In recent years a great improvement has been made in the
physical condition of the Library; the Treasure Room, the
[27]
new Music Room and the new North Gallery show what can be
done with a reasonable amount of money. It appears obvious
to us that somewhat similar changes should be undertaken in the
Fine Arts Gallery and in the Technical Division. These changes
would provide more space for books and would decrease the
fire risk. The storerooms in the basement for periodicals and
bound newspapers should have steel shelving, and the lighting
system in the annex should be improved as has been so success-
fully done in the Central Library stacks.
The members of the Committee are unanimous in expressing
the need of acquirmg more space for the work of the Library.
This because of the already crowded conditions in some sections
of the building and with normal future growth in mind.
There is urgent need of bettering conditions in the Photo-
graphic and West Room of the Art Department. At present
the primitive, white-painted, wooden cases in the West Gallery
are entirely too crowded and take up too much space. Large
folio volumes are piled, one upon another, six, seven and eight
deep, making access to the volumes extremel}^ difficult. The
wooden cases themselves are antiquated, and present a sorry
appearance for an art department. The splendid improvements
made in the North Gallery of the Art Department (which for-
merly was in the same condition as the West Gallery now is)
show what can be accomplished in beauty of effect and economy
of space by renovation work. The committee strongly recom-
mends that the renovation of this West Gallery be undertaken
as soon as possible.
There is need of a mezzanine floor for the east wall of the
floor in the main building devoted to the service of the branches.
The flooring of the Newspaper Room and Exhibition Room
needs renovating.
An important and desirable improvement is suggested in the
removal of the Catalogue and Order Departments and the use
of their present quarters as Children's and Teachers' Rooms.
This suggested change brings us back to our first recommenda-
tion, viz. the need of acquiring more space for the future work
of the Library, for at present there is no space available for the
[28]
Catalogue and Order Departments other than that which they
are using.
The use of a Hbrary is confined to the books it can supply and
it was found that with the great number of branches there were
often many titles of which there were too few copies. We are
aware that the City has increased the amount available for the
purchase of books very considerably, but we urge that the ap-
propriation for books be as recommended by the Trustees.
BOOKS AND CATALOGUES
In buying books the question at once arises of the proper
division of the available funds between temporarily popular
books and those of more permanent value. No hard and fast
rule can be laid down. Both kinds must be bought. We ap-
prove the policy now followed, of endeavoring, insofar as is
reasonable, to buy books of not merely ephemeral interest, thus
increasing the lasting value of the Library. As was said in our
report last year, the Library possesses one of the most notable
collections in the country of works of a scholarly type, is largely
used for purposes of study and research and must not be allowed
to fall behind in the extent and character of its resources. Gifts
and bequests for the purchase of works of importance are of
great use, and persons of wealth may here find a fruitful field for
benefactions which would directly and indirectly contribute much
to the higher interests of the community. This brings us again
to the suggestion made last year of increasing if possible the
endowment of the Library by means of an association of sub-
scribers of say five or ten dollars annually, as is done by the
Museum of Fine Arts and the Symphony Orchestra. Such
subscribers might receive the various publications of the Library,
showing new acquisitions and in this way, while the amount of
money received for some time would be inconsiderable, yet it
would arouse an interest in the affairs of so valuable a part of the
City's life which at present is wholly unknown to a large circle
of its citizens and might lead to valuable benefactions.
We commend some such plan to the attention of the Trustees,
with the addition of giving wider publicity to the valuable and
[29]
interesting contents of the Treasure Room.
We do not comment on the subject of missing books as the
Trustees are already deeply concerned with this problem.
PRINTING AND BINDING
We would report that the output of the Printing Department
is most commendable, but it is recommended that such additional
employees be given this department as may be necessary to meet
the needs of the Cataloguing Department. The work of the
Binding Department appears to be substantially and well done.
A new oversewing machine should however be added to carry
forward much needed binding. Both departments were in good
order and in full activity.
CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT AND WORK WITH SCHOOLS
The sub-committee on Work with Children is somewhat con-
cerned with the over-crowding of children's quarters in some of
the branch libraries. This is apparent in the following-named
branch libraries:
Jeffries Point Codman Square
Neponset Lower Mills
South Boston Roslindale
The first three mentioned probably will be cared for in the
building program which has been suggested for these three sec-
tions. The libraries mentioned in the second column can be
helped by the enlargement of the quarters. At Codman Square
there is land sufficient for an addition. Roslindale might be
cared for by an addition at the back of the building or by taking
a section of the very large assembly hall.
The committee respectfully recommends to the Trustees that
baby clinics, court sessions, and any other organizations which
interfere with the children's work be removed from library quar-
ters.
The cooperation between the Library and the schools is an
important factor. For example, the Library provides collections
[30]
of books for class use in the schools. Just how this work can be
developed in a satisfactory manner to both institutions is im-
portant. The Committee, therefore, respectfully recommends
that a permanent cooperating committee be appointed. This
committee might number six members, to include three from the
Library staff and three from the schools. The Supervisor of
Children's Work would be the logical chairman. The three
school members could well include an Assistant Superintendent,
a representative from the high schools, and one from the inter-
mediate or elementary schools.
SPECIAL LIBRARIES
We would suggest that some method of keeping the dust out
of the Music Room should be studied and installed as it is quite
a nuisance in this particular room. There is also need of light-
ing the card catalogue better.
In the Barton-Ticknor Room the outstanding necessity is
greater care in the preservation of valuable volumes there housed.
Humidifiers may be necessary here, and as a partial remedy for
past neglect, some expert should be employed to oil the bindings.
In the Treasure Room, humidifiers also would be an improve-
ment.
The recent improvement has been so extraordinary that it
makes it all the more necessary that the remainder of this floor,
containing the special libraries of Architecture, Art, etc., be
improved. The work in these departments will not be nearly
as expensive as that which has already been done in the others,
but it will enlarge the capacity of them and will make the work
therein very much easier. Serious problems will be involved in
carrying the extra load of books, but these undoubtedly can be
worked out by the Architect.
We recommend carrying out the improvements in the remain-
der of this floor as rapidly as possible consistent with the appro-
priations which can be obtained for that purpose, though it is
realized that there are other absolutely pressing expenditures
which must be made first.
[31]
STATISTICAL DEPARTMENT
This department is rather poorly located, being somewhat
difficult to reach, and is struggling under a considerable handi-
cap in that many books which ought to be a part of the Statisti-
cal Department files are housed in other parts of the Library.
This department possesses a large and extensive collection of
documents and should rank as one of the most important sections
of the whole Library.
We should like the suggestion considered that the name of
this section be changed from Statistical Department to Social
Science Collection, or some equivalent name, and its formal
elevation to the position of a special library.
The recent needs of this department have been fairly well
taken care of by last year's budget, and requests for further
improvement are distinctly moderate and are approved by us.
These suggestions include improving the light and refinishing
of the reading room, the addition of a library-trained woman
to help on the work of filling in gaps in the documentary files,
and an increase in the book purchase fund from $ 1 ,200 to
$2,500.
When it is considered that it would probably be easy to keep
busy a staff of eight people and that they have five, the addition
of one trained worker seems a very moderate request and ought
to be granted.
It is hoped that when the projected Annex is built, this depart-
ment will be allowed sufficient space convenient to the public
and commensurate with its important field.
BRANCHES
As its major recommendation in regard to the branches, the
Committee agrees with what your President recently said before
the City Council, and it would say that the number of branches
should not be further increased, except as their increase may
appear especially necessary, until adequate provision has been
made for the branches now existent. The following criticisms
[32]
will show how much there is that should be done in this direction.
The branches may be divided into three classes. First — those
in which the conditions are satisfactory or for which provision
is made already for their improvement. Second — those where
the condition is moderately good. Third — those in which the
condition is distinctly unfortunate.
Those where the conditions appear to the committee satis-
factory are; Allston, West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Uphams
Corner, Jamaica Plain, Mt. Pleasant, East Boston, Mattapan
and Parker Hill. The two latter on account of the new build-
ings they are soon to enjoy. East Boston also comes into this
category, although there is need of another assistant — true also
of several other branches.
In the second group where the difficulties are not very serious,
we find —
Brighton. Improvement of the grounds around the building
is suggested, and there is need for better lighting and for ad-
ditional space for the storage of books.
AndreJV Square. A second entrance and exit is desirable
even at the expense of relocating the desk of one of the atten-
dants. The present single entrance and exit appears to have
been established in order to secure better control over book
losses.
Fellowes Athenaeum. The night lighting of streets ap-
proaching the branch is inadequate and effort should be made
to. induce the City authorities to improve this situation.
Mount Bowdoin. Linoleum floor-covering would be the
means of decreasing materially one of the bad features of this
branch, namely the noise of children stamping through the rooms.
There is also need of a more adequate rest room for the library
staff.
South End. This branch suffers from poor ventilation; and
it is also somewhat afflicted by loafers who flock to the municipal
building in which the library is located.
T])ler Street. The lights are in need of attention inasmuch
as they give an unpleasant glare to users of the building, and
[33]
there is adequate reason for increasing the size and improving
the equipment of the staff room.
West End. Rearrangement of the desks of the staff is
suggested for both the downstairs and the gallery to the end of
securing better control of adults and children who make use of
this branch. The interior of the building also needs renovation
in the line of painting and whitewashing.
Kirstein. Some changes in the lighting arrangements appear
desirable even in the case of this new institution. Moreover,
attention should be called to the possibility that soon there may
be need of moving this branch to another location. Increased
demands upon the Business Branch, now located in the same
building, may require turning over the whole three floors to this
latter institution.
Orient Heights. A fence, ornamental in character, to pro-
tect the hedge in front of the building is needed, and, more im-
portantly, a more adequate separation of the two sections of
the floor allotted to children and adults respectively.
CharlestoiOn. Complaints are made of the insufficiency of
the heat supplied — which seems a fairly serious difficulty. We
would suggest, also, the advantage of exchanging the space given
to adults and to children, so that the adults would have the
ground and the children the upper floor.
This disposes of nineteen branches where the findings are
relatively satisfactory.
Of the thirteen remaining branches, two. City Point and
Boylston, appear to be poorly located geographically. City
Point might be further away from South Boston, and Boylston
seems to be especially well located to attract loafers.
The branches that appear seriously overcrowded are Faneuil,
South Boston, Dorchester, Memorial, Codman Square, Lower
Mills, Roxbury Crossing, Jeffries Point and North End. De-
tails of this situation will be found in the findings of the individ-
ual members of the Committee.
The branches where the children overrun the rooms to the
detriment of reading adults are South Boston, City Point, Ne-
[34]
ponset and Codman Square and, as last year, the Committee
finds this a most undesirable situation.
In three branches, Codman Square, Dorchester and Memorial,
activities foreign to the library work are very harmful. In the
first two, baby clinics interfere seriously, and in the third, in-
roads of children prevent a general usefulness of this branch.
At Tyler Street, Roslindale, City Point and South End there
are difficulties which arise from the other occupants of the build-
ing.
The Committee suggests that it would bring more clearly into
agreement with the general public's understanding of the situ-
ation if the confusion of names between the Business Branch
and the Kirstein Branch were the former called the City Hall
Avenue Branch and the latter the Kirstein Business Branch.
Vigorous action is recommended in an attempt to secure re-
moval of competing activities as soon as possible and the trans-
ference of libraries out of all municipal buildings.
Adopted as the Report of the Examining Committee, Febru-
ary 18, 1931.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR
To THE Board of Trustees :
I respectfully submit my report for the year ending December
31, 1930.
The past year was one of growth and progress in every de-
partment of the Library. Among the high Hghts of the year was
the opening of the new Kirstein Memorial Library at 20 City
Hall Avenue, housing on the first two floors a business library
and on the third floor a general library for adults. The building
and its equipment, the gift of Mr. Louis E. Kirstein, in memory
of his father, has proven admirable in all respects. The use of
the Library has exceeded all expectations. The total number of
persons making use of the building from the date of its opening on
May 7 to December 31 was 1 14,629, being an average of 636
persons each day. The daily average attendance in the Business
Branch was 438; in the general branch 198. The Library is
not open evenings, Saturday afternoons or Sundays.
Two new branch buildings, one in the Parker Hill district,
Cfam and Ferguson, architects; the other in the Mattapan dis-
trict, Putnam and Cox, architects, are in process of erection and
will be open to the public in the spring, replacing wholly in-
adequate rented quarters.
The reconstruction of the Music Room and the Treasure
Room was completed early in the year. Both rooms have at-
tracted much favorable comment. For the first time the Music
Collection is adequately housed, and for the first time in the
history of the Library there is a room suitable for the exhibition
from time to time of the many outstanding treasures of the Li-
brary. It is desirable that an appropriation be made in the near
future whereby the rest of the third floor of the main Library may
be similarly remodelled, both for the accommodation ot readers
and for the enlargement of book space.
Fire doors, partitions, and other minor alterations have added
to the elimination of fire hazards. New marble floors were laid
[36]
in the main lobby and through the back hall of the Central build-
ing. The usual work connected with painting, carpentry, and
masonry has been carried on throughout the Library system.
The circulation of books shows a steady increase. The gain
over last year has been 203,391 making the total number of
books issued for home use 4,133,459. On the last day of the
year there were 160,201 card-holders, — 6,221 more than the
year before. Many unemployed persons who had not made
use of the Library for several years renewed their cards. Not
only has the economic situation acted as a stimulus for the use of
the Library in the adult departments, but also in the children's
rooms. This was indicated by a larger number of children's
books drawn for home use, by an increase of young people in the
Library's rooms both for study and reading, and by a greater
attendance at the story hours carried on throughout the system.
The Reference Department of the Central Library has suc-
cessfully handled the usual personal inquiries made at the desk
and an unusually large number of telephone calls. It has an-
swered over 500 letters on a great diversity of subjects. Inquiries
have come from 43 states as well as many foreign countries. The
Tercentenary Observance brought a large number of visitors, of
whom many sought information on Boston history and genealogy.
The call for reference books on these subjects was unusually
heavy, especially during the tourist season. The Library has
maintained outstanding exhibits since the early summer relating
to the Tercentenary. It has published a scholarly description
of the main exhibits, and a pamphlet consisting of 1 66 pages
entitled "The Massachusetts Bay Colony and Boston; a selected
list of books in the Boston Public Library," — the first consider-
able venture in the bibliography of the city.
During the year the Library has had the privilege of conduct-
ing a series of ten-minute weekly book talks over station WNAC.
The talks form a part of the Wednesday afternoon "Women's
Federation Hour." The lecture activities of the Library have
resulted in capacity audiences at most of its entertainments. One
hundred and thirty free public lectures and concerts have been
offered to the public in the Central Library Lecture Hall during
[37]
the year. As in the past, these lectures and concerts are given
without expense to the Library. Of the 33 concerts given in the
Hail, 4 were given by the London String Quartet through the
generosity of Mrs. EHzabeth Sprague CooHdge. In addition to
the four concerts at the Central Library, Mrs. Coolidge extended
her gift to two of the branch libraries, in each of which the Lon-
don String Quartet gave the same series of concerts. It is a
satisfaction to state that Mrs. Coolidge will again offer in the
spring a series of quartet concerts in the Central and branch li-
braries of the system. The lectures upon the Boston Symphony
Concerts conducted by the Extension Division of the State Board
of Education in cooperation with the Music Division of the Li-
brary continue to be well attended, and have done no little in
developing the music taste of those interested.
In addition to the need of more books, appropriations should
allow for the natural growth of a live institution. There is
need for more trained employees both in the Central Library
and in the branches. Provision must soon be made for a re-
classification of employees and for a reasonable increase in
salaries of certain classes of them.
The activities of the various departments may be summarized
as follows:
ACCESSIONS AND GIFTS
The total number of volumes added to the Library collections
in 1930 was 1 18,527 compared with 1 12,346 volumes added
in 1929. The volumes were acquired as follows: 97,832 by
purchase, 18,877 by gift, 82 by exchange, 1,345 by binding of
periodicals, 232 by binding of serials, and 159 by binding of
newspapers. Material other than books — lantern slides, photo-
graphs, prints, phonographic records, etc., — numbered 24,070
pieces, of which 1663 were by purchase, and 22,407 by gift.
The total number of volumes and pieces was 1 42,597.
Of the 118,527 volumes added 35,766 were placed in the
Central Library and the Business Branch, and 82,761 in the
branch libraries and in the Branch Deposit collection in the Cen-
tral Library. The latter serves as a reservoir for the branches.
[38]
The total amount expended for purchase of books was
$181,58870. of which $159,999.93 was taken from city ap-
propriations and $21,588.77 from the income of trust funds.
The corresponding amount for the preceding year was
$192,033.98, including $49,823.04 paid from the trust funds
income.
The city appropriation for books and library material was
$1 60,000 compared with $1 40,000 the year previous. All but
seven cents of this amount was expended.
Of the $159,999.93 expended from the city appropriation
$43,303.67 was for the Central Library, (including $9,523.47
for the Business Branch) and $1 16,696.26 for the branches.
Of the $21,588.77 expended from the trust funds income,
$20,662.59 was for the Central Library and $926.18 was for
the branches.
The installation of a new accounting system in the Ordering
Department, which was put in operation on January 1 , 1 930,
has had satisfactory results. Approximate figures of ex-
penditures, which are essential as a guide in making further ex-
penditures, have been constantly and immediately available in-
stead of being unavoidably delayed because of compilation in
other departments as was formerly the case. Furthermore, the
system has supplied certain figures never before available. It
is now possible to tell at any time just how much has been spent
from the book appropriation for each of 28 divisions or depart-
ments of the Central Library, for books, periodicals on sub-
scription, periodical back numbers, newspaper subscriptions, and
miscellaneous items, and how many items have been acquired.
For each of the thirty-three branches and for the deposit collec-
tion, one can learn the number of items and amounts spent under
the headings: adult English fiction, English non-fiction, foreign
books, juvenile fiction, juvenile non-fiction, periodicals on sub-
scription, periodical back numbers, newspapers, and miscellane-
ous. This information is obtainable regarding both purchases
from city appropriations and those from trust funds.
The average cost per volume for books bought with city ap-
propriations in 1930 was $1.53 compared with $1.51 in 1929.
[39]
The increase was in non-fiction since there was a decrease of
one cent in the average price per copy of fiction. The two cents
increase in non-fiction can only be accounted for by the ordering
of books of higher price since the price level of books decreased
rather than increased during the period.
The outstanding purchase of the year was that of the prin-
cipal portion of the Franciscan library of the late Paul Sabatier,
the French scholar, biographer, and lifelong student of St. Fran-
cis of Assisi. The Library was bought in France from the widow
of M. Sabatier. It was shipped from Marseilles in twenty-four
large cases and was received in perfect condition. It consists
of 2,396 volumes, including a number of incunabula. The Sa-
batier Library was located with Collections in the North Gallery
and forms a notable addition to the scholarly resources of the
Library.
As always, the Library has depended upon the trust funds
for the purchase of the unusual and rare books. The following
is a list of notable items selected from the purchases of 1930:
Badger, George Percy. An English— Arbic lexicon, in which the equiva-
lents for English words and idiomatic sentences are rendered into
colloquial Arabic. London. 1881.
Connett, Eugene V., 3rd, editor. Upland game bird shooting in America
by David Wagstaff, Arthur B. Lapsley, etc. Introduction by
Col. Lewis S. Thompson. Illustrated by Lynn Bogue Hunt,
William H. Schaldach, and others. New York, 1 930.
Dial, The. An occasional publication. Edited by C. S. Ricketts &
C.H.Shannon. No. 1-5. 1889-97. (London.) 5 v. Plates.
(Bound with the original covers. A complete file.)
Eckardt, Andreas. A history of Korean art. London. 1 929.
Fournier, Pierre Simon. Fournier on typefounding. The text of the
"Manuel typographique" (1764—66) translated into English and
edited with notes by Harry Carter. London. 1930.
Gardilanne, Gratiane de, and Elizabeth Whitney Moffat. Lcs cos-
tumes regionaux de la France; deux cents aquarelles avec un text
historique par Henry Rovffre. 4v. New York. 1 929-30. Colored
plates in portfolios. (No. 78 of an edition of 500 copies.)
Gillespie, George. VVliolesome severity reconciled with Christian liberty.
Or, the true resolution of a present controversie concerning liberty
of conscience . . . London. 1645.
[40]
Kenyon, Sir Frederic George. Ancient books and modern discoveries.
Chicago. 1927. 30 facsimiles. (One of an edition of 350
copies. )
Manuscripts. A certificate of appointment issued by the Emperor Kang
Hsi in the 61st year, 1 1th month, and 20th day of the dynasty.
Issued at the Court at Peking, China. 1 723 A.D. A scroll, silk
on paper, in the Manchu and Chinese languages.
— Twenty pieces of manuscript relating to the history of Reading,
Mass., from the collection of William C. Eaton of Wakefield,
Mass. Various dates, 1701—89.
— A two-page letter of Richard Gridley, engineer at Louisburg in
1 745 and at Bunker's hill, concerning the fortifications of the
harbor and the mainland of Boston and particularly Castle William.
Holograph letter signed with initials. Boston, December 9, 1 776.
Addressed to General Washington.
Munsell Color Company. Munsell book of color, defining, explaining,
and illustrating the fundamental characteristics of color. Baltimore.
1929.
Orsbridge, Philip. Views illustrating the siege of Havana, 1 762. Drawn
on the spot. Plates 1—3. (London. 176—?) 3 plates. Com-
pletes the set of 12 plates.
Pennell, Joseph. Catalog of the etchings of Joseph Pennell. Compiled
by Louis A. Wuerth. With an introduction by Elizabeth Robins
Pennell. Boston. 1928. Plates. (No. 11 of an edition of
465 copies.)
Riviere, Henri Laurent. La ceramique dans I'art d'extreme orient.
Colored plates. 2 v. Paris. 1921.
Royal Primer, The. Or, An easy guide to the art of reading. Author-
ized by His Majesty King George II to be used throughout his
Majesty's Dominions. Adorned with cuts. Boston. 1 770.
Symonds, R. W. English furniture from Charles II to George II. Lon-
don. 1929. Plates.
Tiepolo, Giovanni Battista. The drawings of G. B. Tiepolo. Edited
by Detlev Baron von Hadeln. Paris. 2 v. Portraits. Plates.
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Catalogue of
the McAlpin collection of British history and theology. A list of
15,000 full titles ... 5 v. New York. 1929. (One of ^n
edition of 750 sets.)
Weddell, Alexander Wilbourne, editor. A memorial volume of Vir-
ginia historical portraiture, 1585—1830. With an introduction
by Ellen Glasgow and a review of early American portraiture by
Thomas B. Clarke. Richmond. 1 930.
Through the will of a Bostonian, Mr. Walter Updike Lewis-
son, who died last October, the Boston Public Library came
[41]
into the possession of a large collection of Washingtoniana. The
collection comprises 5,964 items: books, pamphlets, broadsides,
old newspapers, and clippings. While the material is of unequal
value, it is safe to state that at least 600 items of the collection
have a distinct bibliographical and a correspondingly high mone-
tary value. The collection has been located in an alcove in the
North Gallery. The bequest, in memory of her husband, by
Mrs. George E. Richards of 1 294 books on horticulture, travel,
history, and biography is likewise interesting, as is also the gift
of 369 volumes in general literature by Dr. Edward C. Streeter.
The bequest of $2,000 from Charles H. L. N. Bernard, estab-
lishing a fund, the income of which is to be expended for books,
was also most welcome.
Apart from the above bequests and gifts the year was notable
for a large number of gifts from individuals, of which a list of
the more important items may be found on page 81 of the
appendix.
The need for an increased appropriation for the purchase of a
larger number of copies of certain books is still outstanding. The
book asked for by an inquirer is very frequently out, not only in
the Central Library but in the several branches. The Library
is able to purchase only one or two copies of a title of most of its
volumes of non-fiction, while the number of copies of a title of
fiction, even of the best, is still wholly inadequate to meet the
legitimate demands of the Library patrons.
CATALOGUE AND SHELF DEPARTMENT
During 1930 the number of volumes and parts of volumes
catalogued was 131,644, covering 103,882 titles. Of these
45,325 volumes (27,755 titles) were taken care of in the Cata-
log Department and 86,319 volumes (76,127 titles) were as-
signed to the branch libraries and catalogued in the Central
Branch Department.
Of the books catalogued in the Catalogue Department 30, 108
volumes and parts (21,508 titles) were new to the Central
Library; the number of serials added was 6,004; and 9,213
volumes and parts (6,247 titles) were recatalogued — thus
making the total quoted above.
[42]
The number of printed cards added to the catalogues of the
Central Library alone was 67, 1 65 distributed as follows : 23,786
were filed in Bates Hall Catalogue, 27,731 in the Official Cata-
logue, and 15,648 in the Special Libraries Department, In
addition 24,432 new printed cards were used for compiling
bibliographies, or, for the larger part, set aside for such use in
the future; from this number, cards were also sent as usual to
the Library of Congress. The total of new printed cards, thus,
was 91,597.
In order to hasten the appearance of new books in the cata-
logues, 22,100 temporary cards have been typed and filed by
the Card Division to be replaced later by printed cards. As a
result of this practice, titles of recent accessions have been in the
catalogues as soon as the books have been placed on the shelves.
For the use of the Editor in making up the List of New Books
in "More Books" 7,669 cards have been typed. To replace
old cards the Division typed and filed, besides, 2,662 other
cards. Corrections were made and new editions were indicated
on 47,799 cards, a larger number than has ever been done before.
In addition to the above 67,974 printed cards and 8,682
typed cards were added in the Branch Catalogues.
The number of requests for photostats of books, plates, maps
and manuscripts was slightly larger than last year. Most of the
work was done by the Boston Photocopy Print Company and
the rest at Harvard, the Massachusetts Department of Archives,
and the Massachusetts Historical Society.
The work of the Shelf Division has progressed satisfactorily.
During the first part of the year the music collections were moved
into the new Music Room and the fine arts and technology
collections were relocated in the east, west and south galleries.
For the reclassification of the map collection a schedule has
been prepared by the Chief Classifier under whose supervision
the work has been begun in the Barton-Ticknor Division.
REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT
On January I, 1930 there were 153,980 "live" cards, i.e.
cards available for present use in the hands of residents, entitling
[43]
them to borrow books for home use. Through the Central Li-
brary and its thirty-three branches there have been added 32,373
new registrations and 50,832 renewals, making a total of 83,205
cards added during the year. There have been 76,984 borrow-
ers who have allowed their home use privilege to lapse. Thus
the total number of "live" cards on December 31, 1930 was
160,201 , a gain of 6,221 over last year. The gain in the num-
ber of card-holders in the year previous was 5,309.
Of the above, 827 new registrations (mostly business cards)
and 279 renewals came through the Business Branch and through
the Kirstein Branch 276 new registrations and 312 renewals.
Prior to January 1 , 1 930 there had been issued to teachers
1 1 ,355 cards. Of these 1 ,694 were renewed during the year
and remain alive and 352 were added thus giving a total of
2,046 teachers' cards as against 1,932 in the year 1929. Of
the 4,493 special privilege cards hitherto issued 459 have been
renewed during the year while 23 1 new cards have been granted
making a total of 690 special privilege cards in use as compared
with 573 in 1929.
ISSUE DEPARTMENT
The number of books issued during the year for home use from
the Central Library direct to readers was 334,320, an increase of
2,364 from last year. Through the branches 87,347 books
were issued to readers. Those, however, were chiefly taken
from the Branch Deposit Collection and are accounted for in
the report of the branches.
The average daily circulation — not including the books
which went through the branches — was 984. The largest
circulation on a single day, February 21 , was 1 ,577. The num-
ber of works of fiction was 151,1 70. Between June 1 and
Oct. 15, for summer reading, 1 ,193 books were issued for an ex-
tended period.
To hasten the delivery of books to readers in Bates Hall, the
attendants have been instructed to mark the time on the slips
when received as well as the time when the book was delivered.
Because every effort has been made to quicken service, the com-
[44]
plaints in this respect have been reduced to a very small number,
A considerable amount of miscellaneous work has been done
by assistants in the stacks. In all 72,225 books were relabelled,
2,709 volumes were repaired, 2,442 book covers were shel-
lacked, 1,275 Central and 5,132 deposit books were collated.
To recover the books which were over-detained, 40,056 mail
notices and 4,649 messenger notices were sent out. The fines
collected for these delays amounted to $4,488.15. For 127
lost and 15 damaged books $261.31 were paid to the Library.
This department handles also the articles lost and found in
the building : 1 ,324 articles were found, of which 692 were re-
turned to the owners. Sums of money amounting to $36.25
found in the Library were likewise returned to the owners.
BATES HALL
During the j^ear 274,745 books from the stacks were used in
Bates Hall, which was 1,480 more than in 1929. These
figures do not represent all the books used in the Hall, as there
are no means of recordmg the use of reference books taken from
open shelves. During the academic season the Hall is usually
crowded. The maximum attendance at a given hour was on
February 23, when 319 persons were recorded at five o'clock in
the afternoon.
The reference collection was entirely revised, and in many
subjects the old books were replaced by newer ones. In ad-
dition the collection was renumbered and the outworn volumes
were rebound.
Books from the stacks are obtained now in considerably shorter
time than before. Unfortunately there are still many "crossed
slips" due probably to careless reshelving.
The Division of Genealogy and Heraldry has completed its
fourth year of service. The concentration of town histories and
other genealogical works, together with the complete file of
Massachusetts Vital Records and as many of the same of Maine
and Connecticut as published, has proved very helpful to the
public. The usual number of letters has been received, totalling
183. There have been numerous requests for coats of arms, for
[45]
which pencil drawings have been supplied, often made from
descriptions, by the Division.
PUBLICATIONS
More Books, the Bulletin of the Library, has completed its
fifth year under this title. Ten issues were published in 1 930.
In all, the Bulletin comprised 528 pages, seventy-two pages
more than in 1929. Of each issue 4,000 copies were printed,
of which about 750 were sent by mail to other libraries, news-
papers and subscribers, while the rest were made available at the
Central Library and at the branches.
As in earlier years, each issue of MoRE BoOKS has carried
a leading article of from four to eight thousand words, written
on the book treasures of the Library or on some topic of library
interest, and occasionally illustrated with facsimile reproduc-
tions. The publication of a detailed descriptive catalogue of
fifteenth-century books in the Library has been continued; four
instalments having been published during the year, in the
January, February, October and November issues. In the June
issue a long article was published on the Tercentenary Ex-
hibit, arranged in the Treasure Room in connection with the
Massachusetts Tercentenary Celebration. This article was re-
printed also in pamphlet form. Of the other articles published
during the year mention should be made of John Singleton
Copley's painting "Charles I in the House of Commons"; the
Copley letters and manuscripts in the Library; the revival of
Gothic architecture; the documents of a New England town; a
descriptive article on the new Kirstein Memorial Library, etc.
"Ten Books" and "Library Notes," popular features of the
Bulletin, have been continued. In the first, ten of the outstand-
ing new books are reviewed in an informative rather than critical
manner; in the latter, important new acquisitions are described
in brief paragraphs, and library news of public interest and com-
munications from the Director's Office are published.
The articles and notes, in all, occupied 288 pages out of a
total of 528. The rest were used for the classified lists of new
books.
146]
One number has been added to the series of "Brief Reading
Lists" — No. 43, "Tercentenary Celebration. 1630-1930."
This pamphlet, consisting of 1 66 pages, is a selected list of books
in the Library on the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Boston.
It is the first considerable venture in the bibliography of the
subject.
Bibliographical lists have been printed, as in former years,
for the lectures on the concerts of the Boston Symphony Or-
chestra and programmes for the free concerts given in the Lec-
ture Hall of the Library,
The Library's annual publication "Opportunities for Adult
Education" was issued in the first week of September. It con-
sisted of 128 pages. The list of lectures given at The Public
Library was published in a separate booklet of 8 pages.
INFORMATION OFFICE AND OPEN SHELF ROOM
The circulation of books from the Open Shelf Room amounted
to 50, 1 77 volumes, an increase of 1 ,012 volumes over last year.
Considering that the collection consists of about 4,200 volumes,
it follows that there has been a complete turnover on an average
of each month. Should the Library be able to provide more
space for open shelf service, the circulation would be correspond-
ingly higher. The public unquestionably appreciates the ser-
vice of the open shelves. The ready reference files as well as
the vocational and business files, directories and school cata-
logues continue to serve their purpose. They are selected with
a view to the special requirements of the service.
The Information Office has distributed as usual a large num-
ber of library publications: copies of "More Books," the An-
nual Report, Lecture Lists and Adult Education pamphlets.
Thousands of copies of University Extension Bulletins, the
Strangers' Directories, Elevated Railway Guides, and various
maps, books and folders have been freely given to students and
visitors.
NEWSPAPER AND PATENT ROOMS
The total number of papers on file is 250^ — 3 less than last
year. One paper was added to the files, and 4 were merged or
• [47]
ceased publication. Of the 250 papers on file, 1 83 are Ameri-
can and 67 foreign. The number of American dailies is 148,
that of foreign dailies is 5 1 ; the number of American weeklies
is 34, that of foreign weeklies is 16.
The collection of bound volumes of newspapers consists of
9,766 volumes. One hundred fifty-seven were added during
the year. In all, 19,498 readers consulted 34,878 volumes.
The attendance in the room is always large. The maximum
was 1 93 on February 23 at 6 p.m.
The Patent Collection consists of 12,154 volumes, an in-
crease of 502 volumes over last year. During the year 19,189
persons used 1 1 1,753 volumes. It is impossible to record the
actual use of the books on the open shelves, since they are ac-
cessible to the public.
PERIODICAL DEPARTMENT
The outstanding feature of the service of this department
during the past year was the consolidation of debate material in
order that time might be saved for students and others interested
in debating. The newspaper clippings have been also extensive-
ly augmented.
The Tercentenary Celebration, as was to be expected,
brought a large number of inquirers. In connection with the
Celebration as well as in answer to a long felt need a file iof
special material relating to New England in general has been
collected. Students are increasingly realizing the value of
magazine articles in their courses. This naturally results, on
busy days, in the overcrowding of the rooms, especially since the
overflow from the Newspaper Room fills many of the seats. The
following figures show the attendance during the past year as
compared with that during 1 929 :
ATTENDANCE ON WEEK DAYS.
At the hours: 10
12
2
4
6
8
9.45
A.M.
M.
P.M.
P.M.
P.M.
P.M.
P.M.
1929 . . . 21,204
1930 . . . 21,453
23,792
24,237
40,827
42,174
44,762
45,352
27,943
28,217
29,925
29,439
16,871
16,275
Sundays at 1 P.M.
1929
1930
10,765
10,689
[48]
During the day throughout the year 70,216 and during the
evening and Sundays 26,435 bound volumes of magazines were
consulted, as against 69,842 and 26,143 in the previous year.
The unbound numbers of magazines consulted in the day-time
were 74,148, and during evenings and Sundays 33,792 as
against 73,935 and 33,184 in the preceding year.
The number of bound volumes on the shelves in the Depart-
ment was at the end of the year 23,546. The current periodi-
cals, exclusive of those issued by State and Federal Govern-
ments, regularly filed for readers in the Periodical Department
number 1 ,3 1 7,
In addition there are filed in other Departments a number of
other current periodicals: in the Fine Arts and Music Divisions
156, in the Ordering Department 27, in the Statistical Depart-
ment 49, in the Teachers' Reference Room and Children's
Room 65 — making the total number of periodicals currently
received in the Central Library 1,614.
SPECIAL LIBRARIES DEPARTMENT
The major event of 1930 was the opening of the Treasure
Room and the installation of the Music Division in its new
quarters. It was a busy year and the use of books within and
without the Department shows a gratifying increase.
The number of books issued for home use from the Fine Arts
and Technology Divisions (including inter-library loans) was
26,927, an increase of 937 books over last year and representing
the highest circulation ever recorded for the two Divisions. The
number of volumes issued for home use in the Music Division
was 7,652, an increase of 532 books over last year. The use
of books in the Barton-Ticknor Division was 12,211, an in-
crease of 33 books over last year.
The reorganization of the Fine Arts picture collection, begun
in October, 1928, has been continued during the year. Over
four thousand pictures have been selected, classified and added
to the increasingly satisfactory files of mounted pictures, and
over three thousand to the equally satisfactory school collection.
[49]
The result is reflected in an increase in circulation: the number
of pictures issued amounted to 25,680, as compared with 24,053
in 1929.
The loan of lantern slides amounted to 9,546, showing some
decrease owing to the fact that a number of the more frequent
borrowers of the past made fewer demands than previously.
The patronage of the Barton-Ticknor Division has shown a
distinct change. The policy of forbidding the use of rare books
by young students has been msisted upon, and consequently few
undergraduates at present visit this Division. Graduate students
and professors, on the other hand, are attracted to the room
again m an increasing number. It is understood, of course, that
any student who is doing a special piece of work requiring ma-
terial that his college library could not be expected to have has
access to the books of the special collections.
Various kinds of work have been started during the year.
Most important among these has been the reclassification of
maps on a geographic-chronological basis. Five thousand maps
have been so far relocated and the necessary records made.
The Barton-Ticknor Division has been in its renevv^ed quarters
for a year and three months, and already the problem of space
is acute. Three new collections — the Defoe Collection, bought
from Professor William P. Trent, the St. Francis Collection
bought from the widow of Paul Sabatier, and the collection of
Washingtoniana bequeathed by Walter U. Lewisson — have
been acquired during the last two years, with the result that there
is no additional shelf space left in the North Gallery.
The condition of the leather bindings of the rarer books pre-
sents a problem which must be solved before long. The dryness
of the room can easily be remedied by the installation of electric
humidifiers, but in addition the bindings should be not only
cleaned regularly, but oiled.
The new Treasure Room has attracted much and deserved
attention. During the seven months in which it has been open
37,710 visitors were recorded. Two exhibitions were arranged
during the year : the first showing the history of printing together
with a selection of the Library's rarest treasures; the second —
[50]
a Tercentenary Exhibit — illustrating the history of Boston with
maps, manuscripts and rare books.
During the summer months the Library had the privilege of
exhibiting in the Treasure Room, through the courtesy of Mr.
Eldridge R. Johnson of New Jersey, the owner, the original
manuscript of "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll (the
Rev. Charles L. Dodgson), with related material, which proved
of much interest.
STATISTICAL DEPARTMENT
The reorganization of the Department, begun toward the end
of 1 928, has been continued. An accurate inventory of the book
stock has been completed. The routine work of revising the
shelf-list, developing an up-to-date continuation list, devising a
satisfactory classification for early American documents, round-
ing-out the collection generally and the maintenance of an effi-
cient service to the public have placed a severe strain upon a
staff inadequate in numbers.
The document files in the Department itself are now almost
complete, although there are large gaps in the files of documents
shelved in the stack ranges. It is desirable that all documentary
material should be assembled in one department and adminis-
tered as a unit. This unification is, unfortunately, impossible,
until the staff and the quarters of the Statistical Department are
enlarged.
The statistics for 1 930 indicate that the opening of the Kir-
stein Business Branch has not diminished the use of the Statisti-
cal Department. No figures are available for the attendance
during evenings and on Sundays and holidays. During the day-
time on week days 12,724 persons used the Department. The
circulation of books amounted to 2,926. Of course more books
are used in the Department; generally speaking, they do not
circulate and are readily accessible to the public.
WORK WITH CHILDREN
Direct circulation of books classified as juvenile shows a very
slight increase from that of the preceding year, — 1 ,739,972 in
[51]
1930 as against 1,739.089 in 1929. Although a faUing off in
circulation has been reported from children's rooms nearly every-
where, this is not to be interpreted entirely as a decrease in the
use of books by children. On the contrary, it shows the result
of a deliberate effort on the part of library staffs to encourage
boys and girls to reach earlier toward general literature. In all
the children's rooms the stock has been enlarged to include a fair
selection of fine books with equal appeal to children and grown
people. Such recent titles as Byrd's "Little America," Part-
ridge's "Amundsen," Eaton's "Daughter of the Seine" are read
eagerly by young people who are still reading also many books
in the juvenile class.
For a number of years the Library has been developing, in the
adult divisions of the branches or in their children's rooms, special
collections of books for older boys and girls. It is the purpose to
strengthen constantly these collections by further addition of
mature reading that makes an appeal to those who have read
widely among children's books but are not yet registered as adult
borrowers.
The gain in the percentage of adult circulation has also an-
other significance. It shows that the Library is retaining as adult
readers the boys and girls who have grown up in the children's
rooms. When it is possible, children's librarians are substituting
longer stories for the easy books, which are taken home one day
and returned the next. This makes the turnover less rapid but
it is of more value in the development of the child. The pro-
portion of non-fiction read is also increasing.
Books. To supply the children's requirements the Library
purchased 49,866 books. Replacement of worn-out copies of
standard and popular titles always constitutes by far the larger
percentage of the j'^early accessions, but the growing excellence
in the field of books for boys and girls calls for a generous supply
of nev/ publications. Owing to the lessened cost of beautiful
picture books, it has been possible to provide these more lavishly
than ever before. Consequently, all the branch children's rooms
have received gay and colorful picture books from other lands as
well as those made in America. The new contributions inspired by
[52]
Mexican art, "The Painted Pig" and "Pancho and his Burro,"
Elsa Beskow's Swedish picture-story books, Leslie Brooke's
"Roundabout Turn," Kurt Wiese's "Liang and Lo," as well
as many another have been distributed throughout the city to
gratify the children of all ages and satisfy mothers who draw
books for the younger ones at home. To present enjoyment are
added lasting standards of good illustration as well as enlarge-
ment of ideas by picture books of this type.
The high imagination of poet and artist lies back of "The Cat
who went to Heaven" by Elizabeth Coatsworth with Lynd
Ward's unusual pictures. It has been a pleasure to note its
widespread appeal to boys and girls of different ages an<l en-
vironments. "Floating Island" by the novelist Anne Parrish,
and Rachel Field's "Hitty," awarded the Newbery Medal are
other favorites of the last year that seem destined to secure
places on library shelves for years to come.
Books on aviation are in steady demand everywhere. Not
only the narrative accounts of aviators' achievements, but more
technical directions for making and flying planes show to what
an extent boys are becoming air-minded.
Children s Rooms. No new children's rooms were opened
during the year and much needed expansion of work with chil-
dren has been delayed in the communities which have outstripped
the Library facilities in growth. Brighton Branch is showing the
good effect of the removal of the children to a separate room in
1 929, as are Andrew Square and Mount Bowdoin, though not
merely in the circulation of books. The Dorchester Branch has
been for another year saddled with the Baby Clinic and the Chil-
dren's Room is consequently closed to readers two afternoons in
the week. It is a trying and unreasonable situation for which there
seems to be no immediate relief. In two other branches. Cod-
man Square and East Boston, the story hours have been sus-
pended because of the encroachment of other city departments.
With new building plans for the near future in several very
needy neighborhoods there is reason for great hopefulness. At
Mattapan, for instance, where the circulation has increased
elevenfold in five years, the new building is eagerly awaited.
[53]
The serious handicap, however, should be stressed under
which South Boston, RosHndale and Codman Square function.
South Boston Branch in particular serves a district where the
children turn with unusual loyalty to their Library for spaec
for study as well as for recreative reading. They wouM ap-
preciate and make good use of a large light room properly equip-
ped for comfortable study. The present cramped and unattrac-
tive quarters are wholly inadequate. For nearly twenty years
the Branch has been hoping for some space of its own for the
story hour. The group gathered in an unsuitable rented room
has long been one of the most devoted and appreciative in the
city, but the story teller works under a serious handicap because
of the lack of a room at the Library.
At Roslindale the children's room is far too small to care for
the children who flock there. On one typical Monday after-
noon between four and five there were 75 to 1 2 1 children in the
room which seats 28. All this affects orderly conduct, for a
room in which one cannot reach immediately the source of
trouble is a difficult room to control. Nor can the children receive
the attention which leads to intelligent and satisfied library
membership.
Just what such membership means to a child, it is easy for an
older person to forget. Possession of a library "ticket" for the
first time is sometimes cherished as a happy memory. One of
the librarians reports the recent visit of a man who watched the
children coming and going during the rush hour after school.
He recalled his own experience forty years before when he ap-
plied for library membership and rushed home with the registra-
tion blank to obtain his father's signature. "It was the greatest
thrill of my whole life, when I received the coveted card," he
said.
In spite of some difficult problems of arrangement the children's
librarians show resourcefulness in their efforts to make their rooms
attractive to children. New exhibition cases have been supplied
with collections loaned by the Children's Museum and the Junior
Red Cross Society. These stimulate mental alertness and open
new channels of interest. One very successful kind of exhibit
[54]
consists of well-executed school projects and examples of the
children's own handwork. This makes an excellent contact
between the Library and the home. During the year many of
the exhibits focussed on the Boston Tercentenary.
Book Week was observed by book displays to which parents
and teachers were invited. One branch held its annual "Library
Day" in all the schools of the district. Another invited the
teachers to tea when the new books were shown and reviews of
them given by the staff.
Central Children s Room. In the Children's Room at the
Central Library the opening of the Book Week exhibit m the
Venetian Alcove was accompanied by a puppet show by Miss
Jean Mardin, who, for the first time, presented the familiar story
of Master Skylark as a marionette performance. This filled the
Lecture Hall twice on a Saturday afternoon and afforded the
audiences much enjoyment.
The Children's Room shows an increase in "home use" circu-
lation of some two thousand books. Visitors and readers num-
bered many grown persons, whose object for coming differed from
that of the children, since they were seeking material bearing upon
the different aspects of the production of children's books. They
have the viewpoint of author and illustrator, of playwright and
producer. There are also foreign visitors, and many letters
arrive from other countries with definite questions about books
and administration.
S/ori; Hours. Each year gives further evidence of the value
of the story hour as an introduction to books. It has become even
more completely entrenched as an indispensable part of our ser-
vice to children during this time of unemployment, when necessity
has curtailed the entertainment of many boys and girls. The li-
brarians speak of the undying welcome that awaits the tradition-
al stories of gods and heroes, of King Arthur and Robin Hood
and the knights of chivalry. Some of the children's librarians,
under Mrs. Cronan's training, have developed a happy gift as
story tellers. Because of lack of room there are still too many
branches unable to provide a suitable meeting place, so the
Librar}'^ turns to the schools for accommodation. But as has
[35]
been noted before, this is not wholly a disadvantage, since the
story teller reaches more children in this way and demonstrates
to the teachers the value of an oral presentation of literature.
Schools. The schools and the Library are closely related in
many ways. A large part of the children's room work lies in
answering questions and providing reference material for young
people in connection with their studies. Since a knowledge of the
efficient use of libraries and catalogues is somethmg that many
people never acquire independently, a number of libraries are re-
ceiving classes from the schools for the purpose of giving instruc-
tion in reference tools. The past year has added several branches
to the group now undertaking this service to school children. Me-
morial Branch with its public high school pupils under the same
roof has offered the largest number of such lessons, but other
branches have also invited the students to visit with this object
in view; notably Hyde Park, Andrew Square, and Dorchester.
TTie close relation between the Public Library and the Public
Schools is the oldest cooperative movement in library history.
Perhaps the most familiar expression of cooperation is the prac-
tice of lending books on deposit to be kept in the school and
used by pupils throughout the school term.
The Need for a Schools Department. For a number of years
it has been apparent that the Library has outgrown the present
method of caring for deposit requests from the schools. Not only
are the increasing demands taking books that are needed on the
shelves of the children's rooms, but the pressure of choosing and
preparing the deposits is a heavy burden on the staffs of the
branches. A report on the situation prepared by the children's
librarian of a large branch shows the difficulties from the point
of view of a library carrying on this work. The following para-
graphs are quoted from this report :
"A demand which the school has made upon the library and which
has become an almost unbearable burden to many of the Boston branches
is the custom of lending books to be kept in the school and used by the
pupils throughout the year. Each library is supposed to supply the schools
in its own district. Consider a district where there are twenty-two schools,
many of them containing from ten to fifteen rooms and none less than six.
Each teacher is entitled to a deposit of books if she wants it. Seldom is a
[56]
request made for less than tv/enty-five books, and many teachers hke
thirty-five or forty volumes which is the number of pupils in the average
class. In such a district almost four thousand books are sent to the schools
in the fall of the year alone. No library, not even one with a deposit
collection of fifteen hundred books, can meet such a demand w^ithout
infringing seriously on the other phases of its work. Even if the library
could spare the books, such an amount of extra work v/ould overtax the
staff and require too much time. Anyone acquainted with library sched-
ules realizes that each branch is run with a minimum number of employees,
the largest number being concentrated on afternoon work, which means
work with the public that comes to you and demands immediate service.
On such a basis deposits become 'fancy work', so to speak. Something to
be picked up at odd moments. One half hour here, another ten minutes
a little later, and so on until the person in charge of the work wonde|rs
how she is expected to accomplish anything. The selecting of deposits is
interesting and exacting work. If the library sends books, why not send
good books which will mean much to the pupils and give the teacher a
chance to introduce worthwhile material to her class. Hit or miss selection
of the books is not satisfactory.
"Referring to the above-mentioned district almost 2200 books from
the Branch were suplied in the fall of 1 930. That means that every book
must be selected, slip and charging plate carefully marked with the school
symbol and the teacher's name, the slips must then be filed and a schedule
typed. After this, the books must be tied securely, a record made and a
notice sent to the teacher. At a conservative estimate at least seventy
minutes are needed to prepare a deposit of twenty-five books, then nearly
minutes would be required to complete this process properly and thorough-
ly, provided that interruptions to the worker are not frequent. If seventy
I I 0 hours will be necessary to fill requests calling for 2200 books. An
average working week consists of forty hours, so nearly three weeks would
be required for this work. If any one person were suddenly absent from a
library for three weeks, the work would be crippled and a falling off in the
efficiency of the Branch would be noticeable. In just the same way the
work of the branches is being crippled in the fall by this excessive deposit
work, and the schools are not getting good service because the required
three weeks of solid time drags out to twelve or thirteen weeks while de-
posits remain the 'fancy work' of the branches."
The logical solution of this problem is the centralization of
all deposit work for the whole city. The Branch Issue Division
is now handling the greater part of it and should take it all. In
the over-crowded quarters of that Division, however, it is im-
possible to find sufficient space to prepare deposits rapidly enough
to keep up with the many requests made at the beginning of the
[57]
school year. This inabihty causes a number of delays each
year. A larger room where books may be assembled, scheduled
and tied into bundles is urgently needed. Furthermore, the
books suitable for school work should be separated from the
general collection used to supply daily calls from the branches
— a move which would facilitate selection.
Last year the Library sent 66,509 books on deposit for school
use, but even more expansion should be expected of a large li-
brary like this institution. In other cities where the cooperation
between the Public Library and the Public Schools is most
successful the administration of all school work is assigned to a
Schools Department. It seems that this is the right solution also
in Boston. A Schools Department with a trained librarian in
charge, with intelligent and sympathetic assistants organized to
take over the deposit work for the whole city, should also handle
the circulation of pictures in the schools and thus unify work
now scattered among several different departments. This divi-
sion of work with children is large and important enough to call
for special organization. No existing department is equipped to
care for it adequately, since the large field of cooperation between
the schools and the library requires the undivided attention of a
staff of interested persons.
The Teachers* Room. The Teachers' Room seems logically
a part of the Reference Department of the Library. However,
its development from a single case of books for kindergarten
teachers in the Children's Room and its gradual usurpation of the
Children's Reference Room have allied it to the Children's De-
partment. At the present time its greatest use is by college
students and more particularly those who are enrolled in courses
in education at Teachers' College and Boston University. There
are 44 periodicals relating to education currently received for
the room and the bound files of these magazines are shelved in
the gallery of the Children's Room. No one can doubt the use-
fulness of these magazines. Because of the constantly changing
methods and theories of education the freshest material is in de-
mand by students so that some of the articles are literally worn
out by constant and reasonable use. With the growth of the col-
[58]
lection it was felt necessary to reclassify the books, so the atten-
dant in charge was admitted to the Training Class to take the
course on Classification and Cataloguing. The books are now
being reclassified under the direction of a committee appointed
by the Director.
THE BRANCH SYSTEM
The total circulation through the branch libraries and the
Central Branch Department for the year was 3,792,982. This
is a gain of 194,870 over last year.
The total branch circulation was made up -of the following
items: 3,218,102 books were issued for home use directly from
the branches; 487,533 books were issued to schools and various
institutions partly from collections of the branches (210,573)
and partly from the Branch Deposit Collection in the Central
Library (276,960) ; and finally, in response to calls from the
public at the various branches, 87,347 books were issued from
the Central Library through the branches — 67,294 from the
Deposit Collection and 20,053 from the stacks at the Central
Library.
Of the 3,218,102 volumes drawn out for home use directly
from the branches 1 ,534,857 were for adults and 1 ,683,245 for
juveniles. Among the books for adults there were 1,187,898
volumes of fiction and 346,959 of non-fiction ; among the books
for juveniles there were 1,151,244 volumes of fiction and
532,001 of non-fiction.
The number of volumes sent on deposit from the Central
collection and from branch libraries to 324 agencies was 90,284.
Among these agencies were 1 5 branches, 5 1 engine houses, 6 high
schools, 1 98 grammar schools, 1 5 parochial schools and 39 in-
stitutions of various kinds. To the 2 1 9 schools 66,509 volumes
were sent in all. Last year the number of agencies was 338 and
the number of volumes sent on deposit, 87,234; to 224 schools
6 1 ,99 1 books were sent in 1 929.
Besides books, 44,730 pictures were sent to schools. The
inter-library loans amounted to 2,775 volumes: 2,250 books to
libraries in Massachusetts and 525 to libraries outside of the
[59]
state. In all, 2,385 applications were received, of which 870
had to be refused.
Twenty-seven of the branches gained in circulation. The
greatest gains were at Upham's Corner, Orient Heights, City
Point, Hyde Park, East Boston, Allston, Brighton, and Jamaica
Plain. The largest circulation reached at a branch was 184,595,
and the lowest, 51,195.
The increase of 5 per-cent in the circulation of books through
the Branch System is gratifying.
On May 7, 1930, the Kirstein Branch, on the third floor of
the new building at 20 City Hall Avenue, was opened to the
public. The first two paragraphs of the Branch Librarian's
report testify to the progress that has been made :
"Eight months have elapsed since the Kirstein Branch, on the third
floor of the Kirstein Memorial Library, was first opened to the public.
Situated m the heart of the business district, the value of a general branch,
housed in the same building with a business branch, could not be ascer-
tained until after the experiment.
"A survey of circulation figures is a conclusive proof of the need
for a branch library in this part of the city. During the 1 8 1'/2 days the
Branch has been opened, 18,020 books have been issued — 10,870
fiction and 7,150 non-fiction. Nine hundred seventy-seven books were
also obtained from the Central Library in response to requests for the
titles which were not in our collection or which were in circulation when
asked for. Month by month a steady and persistent growth in circulation
has been noticed."
THE BUSINESS BRANCH
The Business Branch, for the accomodation of which The
Kirstein Memorial Library was primarily built, was opened to
the public on May 7. The response of the business men and
women of Boston to this new special service proved from the
outset to be most gratifying. Again and again one is told —
"This Branch meets a very great and definite need." The at-
tendance averages 438 a day. November was the busiest month,
with an average of 538. November 10 had the largest atten-
dance; namely, 662. This marks the Business Branch at the
beginning of its existence as the most heavily used of all similar
institutions.
[60]
The class of patrons is made up almost without exception of
those groups the Business Branch was especially designed to
serve. Also, many persons who are suffering from the unem-
ployment situation have been making use of the branch by
studying to prepare themselves for better work when a new
job may open. There are, as was to be expected, many more
men than women.
The unexpectedly heavy use found the branch with an in-
adequate staff to take care of the necessary daily service and
make progress with the cataloguing. Some progress has been
made, but it has been made slowly. It is evident that the branch
must have a somewhat larger staff. That in its turn will aid the
reference and other work of the Library.
The number of volumes on the shelves is a little over eight
thousand, of which some two thousand are in the reference col-
lection on the first floor. The reference work of a library of this
type IS a considerably more important service than the circulation
of books. Many of the books which might circulate are used
here for reference purposes. The circulation has, none the less,
consistently increased during the eight months that the Business
Branch has been open.
While the attendance is heavier than in Newark, for example,
the use of the telephone has not been built up to be nearly as
large. The sersace by telephone is especially important because
business men appreciate the saving of time, and because the
collection of trade and city directories, statistical yearbooks,
financial services, atlases and maps particularly lend themselves
to questions easily ansv/ered over a telephone. The librarian of
the branch is exceedingly anxious to increase the extent of this
service.
The very large use of the branch, a relatively small staff and
the work of organization which had to be met this first year have
allowed no opportunity for the librarian to make outside con-
tacts. Little attempt has been made so far at special publicity.
However, the splendid publicity given by the local press during
the past year and more has made the Business Branch known to
every reader of a newspaper, and has no doubt counted in con-
[61]
siderable part for its heavy use from the beginning. Its continued
and increasing use is undoubtedly due to various reasons : to the
real need of such a service ; attractiveness of the building and its
fittings; convenience of location and the adequacy of its book
collections. The fine exhibit window on the first floor in which
book displays have been changed every two or three weeks have
also brought in many people to see additional material.
A source of great satisfaction has been the up-to-dateness of
the books. In this type of library this is absolutely essential.
The magazines, business services, trade and city directories and
statistical yearbooks consume four-fifths of the book appropri-
ation. The directories, j'^earbooks, etc. are expensive and make
a generous appropriation necessary if the branch is to continue
to give efficient service. This expense is lessened by the fact
that all city directories, the Rand NcNally Atlas and many
trade directories are used the second year in other parts of the
library system.
A well-attended meeting of the Boston Special Libraries
Association was held at the Business Branch in October. The
librarian has given two talks on the work of the branch; one at
Swampscott at the meeting of the Massachusetts Library Club
in June and one before the librarians of the general branches in
December.
THE LIBRARY TRAINING CLASS
The third year of the Library Training Class opened October
I, 1929 and closed June 12, 1930.
Seventeen students were enrolled. The policy has been to
give those who were selected from the library staff tvv^o years
in which to complete the work of the course. The subjects as-
signed for the first year were Reference Work, Children's Litera-
ture, Library Administration and practical work. The subjects
for the second year were Book Selection, Classification and
Cataloguing. Those students who came from outside the Li-
brary system were required to complete the course in eight
months.
For the course in Reference Work about 250 standard refer-
ence books were studied and discussed. Problems were assigned.
[62]
giving opportunities to members of the class to do actual fact-
finding and thus put to practical use the knowledge acquired.
Talks on methods of research and on meeting the public were
given by Mr. Chase and by the Supervisor.
The course in Children's Literature was designed to give to
general assistants some acquaintance with the different types of
books included in children's libraries everywhere. During the
thirty lessons the class studied and discussed the source material
of traditional literature, national epics, legends, medieval ro-
mance and poetry. It then passed on to modern books written
for children. The course aims to teach the principles governing
the selection of books for boys and girls and to give students a
discriminating sense of values.
The course in Library Administration began with a study of
the noteworthy features of the library building itself as set forth
in the Handbook of the Library : the object being to qualify the
students to act as library guides in case of necessity. There fol-
lowed a series of lectures by the Director and the Heads of De-
partments, in which each explained the various activities under
their jurisdiction. Three lessons in book-mending were conducted
by the head of the Branch Binding Division. A talk on the
American Library Association was given by the Supervisor, and
its Code of Ethics was read and discussed. Visits were made
to Boston publishing houses and book stores, and to the Business
Branch, the State Library, and the Boston Athenaeum. A lec-
ture on book-binding was given by Mr. H. R. Huntting, and the
functions of the State Division of Public Libraries were explained
by Miss E. K. Jones, Miss E. L. Jones, and Miss Edna Phillips.
The course in Book Selection was given with two objects
in mind: first, the theoretical aspect of choosing books for a li-
brary; second, the more practical task of selecting from the
shelves "the right books for the right person at the right time."
It was approached by stimulating, through lectures, reading,
and both oral and written book reviews, the desire for a wide
acquaintance with all types of books. As in the previous year,
Mr. Haraszti gave three lectures on early manuscripts and the
history of the printed book. Miss Bradbury of the Fine Arts
[63]
Division lectured twice upon book illustration. In connection
with these talks the class was given an opportunity to examine
the treasures of the Library.
The object of the course in Classification was to give some
conception of modern systems of classification, and of the
problems involved in arranging books on the library shelves.
With the decimal classification of Melvil Dewey as a basis, each
student classified and assigned call numbers for three or four
hundred books.
The study of cataloguing has been greatly facilitated by the
use of the galley-proofs printed by the Card Division of the
Library of Congress. These proofs have been cut up and slips
containing interesting points in cataloguing have been grouped
together to use as illustrative material for the class. Hundreds
of such proofs of the Library of Congress cards are now available
for class purposes.
As books needed by the class in its regular work are not always
available in the main Library, the Supervisor has built up a
working collection of books for the exclusive use of the Training
Class. This has proved of great value. The same work can
often be read with some interest in book selection and can later
be used as a problem in cataloguing and classification.
Certificates were issued in June for the first time and were
presented to all who had graduated from the Training Class.
READERS ADVISER.
The policy followed by the Readers' Adviser during 1 930
has been to talk over and suggest books to patrons or to make
lists for them, encouraging them to return as they have felt the
need for further material.
This apparently more nearly meets their needs than the prac-
tice of reserving books, as in previous years.
In all, thirty-two formal lists including 648 titles have been
compiled. In making such lists, each book is examined with a
[64]
view to the specific needs of the individual. Assistance has also
been rendered in the arranging of a number of club programs.
In August the Readers' Adviser was requested by WNAC
to provide a weekly ten-minute radio talk on books. The speakers
have been drawn from all parts of the library staff and have
talked briefly on both the new and older books.
BINDERY
It is gratifying to record that the accumulation of branch
work has been dispatched so that in the near future more time can
be devoted to the demands of the Central Library. During the
year nearly 50,000 volumes were taken care of for the branch
libraries.
There is a real need for the installation of a second over-
sewing machine for the thousands of unbound patents that are
awaiting binding in the Patent Room. This new machine should
be procured as soon as possible, especially since the old machine
needs an entire overhauling and may have to be stopped for re-
pairs at any moment.
The work has been continued on the old and valuable books,
in the Barton, Prince and other special collections, adding some
500 volumes to the nearly 1 000 volumes finished during the
past two years. The repair of these old and often very fine
bindings consumes much time. Yet the work has already re-
sulted in an improved appearance of these collections.
The various library publications issued in connection with the
Tercentenary Celebration have necessarily imposed a large
amount of additional work on the Bindery.
MECHANICAL AND OTHER REPAIRS
During the year much needed repair work and many improve-
ments were made both at the Central Library and in the several
branches.
The following accomplishments may be specified in the Cen-
tral Building: new steel lockers were installed for the employees;
the lighting in the Statistical Department was improved ; a new
[65]
ornamental lantern and reflector were added to the Sargent
staircase; fire partitions and fire doors were placed at hazardous
points; galvanized iron was placed on the flooring beneath the
ventilating fan under the roof; the ventilation in the Newspaper
Room was improved ; a steam driven vacuum machine was placed
in operation in connection with the pneumatic tube system; the
book railway serving the book stacks was equipped with a device
recording the trips made by the cars during the day. An im-
portant improvement was the installation of automatic soot-i
blowers on the boilers which increased the efficiency of the power
plant. During the year the power plant consumed 1 600 tons
of coal for heating and lighting the building.
At the branches the following improvements may be especial-
ly noted: repairs were made on the roofs of the Brighton, Hyde
Park, Neponset and West Roxbury buildings; radiator shields
were installed in the Hyde Park, Brighton, Charlestown and
North End Branches; additional shelving was built at several
of the branches, the furniture refinished and ventilating fans
installed.
CONCLUSION
During the year the following persons retired under the Bos-
ton Retirement Act: Dorchester Branch; Margaret S. Barton,
first assistant, (retired January 31,) entered service June 1,
1885; Central Library: Mary Connors, cleaner, (retired April
30, voluntarily), entered service July 1908; East Boston
Branch: Everett F. Matthews, janitor, (retired April 30, disa-
bility), entered service April 23, 1900; South End Branch:
Margaret A. Sheridan, librarian, (retired June 30), entered
service September 7, 1875; Central Library: Charles J. Wy-
zanski, janitor-laborer, retired July 31), entered service No-
vember 8, 1920; Ordering Department: Margaret F. Collins,
assistant, (retired September 30, voluntarily), entered service
October 1, 1902; Brighton Branch: Ellen F. Conley, first as-
sistant, (retired October 31 ), entered service May 27, 1891 .
[66]
The death on December 1 2, 1 930 of Frank Herbert Chase,
Assistant Librarian, employed in the service of the Library since
October 2, 191 1 , is noted with deep regret.
On the loyalty and efficiency of the staff depends at all times
the successful operation of the Library system. To those mem-
bers in all departments who have given faithful service I express
my heartfelt appreciation.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles F. D. Belden,
Director
APPENDIX.
TABLE OF CENTRAL AND BRANCH CIRCULATION.
1925* 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930
Central Library 608.852 644,896 657,977 678,834 676,240 698,627
Business branch
6,15/
Allsfon
63,434
74,297
81,994
86,960
97,445
108,557
Andrew Square
68,772
89,662
92,926
104,563
110,225
116.196
Boylsfon Station
64,559
71,261
68,196
81,405
80,097
79,946
Brighton
89.384
101,286
98,907
96,586
92,223
103,145
Charlesfown
95,288
107,562
110,069
105,659
100,483
100,914
City Point
50,108
51.154
54,232
56,686
83,558
97.264
Codman Square
119.758
145,001
156,559
1 57,498
153,372
158,881
Dorchester
90,123
100,188
101,957
109,553
99,255
102,790
East Boston
125,820
138,691
140,379
151,099
145,759
157,746
Faneuil
31,560
43,782
50,212
60,143
72,005
78,436
Fellowes Athen.
, 84,765
85.151
89,479
91,463
88,381
85,739
Hyde Park
93,582
98,147
107,168
110,679
108,512
120,878
Jamaica Plain
67,232
73,117
85,262
86,398
85,935
95,895
Jeffries Point
53,004
58,218
61 ,893
63,185
62,111
70,768
Kirstein
18,020
1 ower Mills
25,488
32,274
35,835
38,428
44,730
52,279
Mattapan
58,290
69,364
95,085
124,374
133,210
139,723
Memorial
135,913
147,263
171,034
178,142
180,344
1 78,467
Mt. Bowdoin
112,320
125.907
129,487
132,424
134,008
134,310
Mt. Pleasant
53,778
59,101
66,315
72,367
72,167
76,956
Neponset
39.479
43,349
48,331
48,639
51.228
57,043
North End
121,651
137,896
143,381
146,616
145,201
145.326
Orient Heights
45,395
58,913
55,625
49,01 5
42,571
56,954
Parker Hill
39.860
43,719
45,862
51,412
56,209
60,815
Roslindale
93.154
105,074
113,150
122,260
124,995
130.268
Roxbury Crossing
58,634
62,462
77,770
78,269
78,803
80.022
South Boston
148.751
169,625
170,911
181,376
171,805
163,266
South End
112,578
118,315
116,226
1 1 7,982
123,794
124,352
Tyler Street
37.436
43,421
39,868
42,875
46,058
51,195
Upham's Corner
100,288
126.010
152,140
171,260
169,027
184.595
West End
1 52,043
169,142
1 75,683
183,887
180,854
177.125
West Roxbury
88,482
104,889
1 1 1 ,754
3,705,657
119,249
119,463
120,804
Total .
3,129,781
3,499,137
3,899,286
3,930,068
4,133,459
*A period of eleven months.
[68]
The net gains and losses in circulation are presented, apart
from the totals, in the following form :
1925* loss from preceding year
1 926^'* gain over preceding year (of 1 1 months)
1927 gain over preceding year
1928 gain over preceding year
1929 gain over preceding year
1930 gain over preceding year
VOLUMES.
2,413
369,356
306.520
193,629
30.782
203,391
USE OF BOOKS.
Circulation from Central by Months.
January, 1930
February
March
April
May
June
July "
August
September
October
November
December
Totals
HOME USE '
HOME USE
SCHOOLS AND
DIRECT.
THROUGH
INSTITUTIONS
TOTALS.
BRANCH DEPT.
THROUGH
BRANCH DEPT.
33,490
9,253
29,190
71,933
32,448
8,721
29,300
70,469
35,387
9,458
31,850
76,695
30,451
8,166
32,900
71,517
27,027
7.147
31,865
66,039
18,562
5,189
30,450
54,201
20,426
5,047
6,580
32,053
20,313
5,082
4,585
29,980
21.034
5.352
7,075
33,461
29.924
7.791
16,815
54,530
33,361
7,884
26,025
67,270
31,897
8,257
30,325
70,479
334,320
87,347
276,960
Distribution of Total Circulation.
Central Library:
a. Direct ....
b. Through Branches
1 . Deposit Collection
2. General Collections .
c. Schools and Institutions through
Branch Department
Business Branch
Branches:
Allston
Andrew Square
Bolylston Station
Bnghlon
Charlestown
City Point
HOME
USE.
334,320
67,294
20,053
SCHOOLS AND
INSTITUTIONS.
276,960
Carried forioard
577,719
28,303
*E,leven month fjeriod.
**Gain over an approximation of preceding twelve months 233,279.
698,627
698,627
6,157
108,557
108,557
116,196
116,196
79,946
79,946
85,119
'18 026
103,145
90,637
10.277
100,914
97.264
97,264
606.022
[69]
Brought forwafi
/
577,719
28,303
606,022
Codman Square
148.421
10,460
158,881
Dorchester
96.937
5.853
102.790
East Boston
139,366
18,380
157.746
Far.euil
78.436
78.436
Fellowes Alhenaeui
T»
68.622
I7,M7
85.739
Hyde Park
105.184
1 5.694
120,878
Jamaica Plain
85,105
10,790
95,895
Jeffries Point
70,768
70.768
Kirstein
18,020
18,020
Lower Mills
52.279
52.279
Mattapan
139.723
139.723
Memorial
177,708
'759
1 78,467
Mt. Bowdoin
134,310
134.310
Mt. Pleasant
76,956
76.956
Neponset
57.043
57.043
North End
144.356
'97b
145.326
Orient Heights
56.954
56,954
Parker Hill
60,815
60.815
Rosiindale
120,558
'9,71b
130.268
Roxbury Crossmg
80,022
80.022
South Boston
138,835
24.431
163,266
South End
114.009
10,343
124.352
Tyler Street
51,195
51,195
Upham's Corner
184,000
' 595
184,595
"West End
. 141.152
35,973
177,125
West Roxbury
99,609
21,195
120,804
3,218,102
210,573 3,428,675
These figures are condensed into the following:
Books Lent for Home Use, including Circulation through
Schools and Institutions.
From Central Library (including Central Library books issued through
the branches) .........
From Business Branch .........
From branches (excluding books received from Central Library)
698,627
6,157
3,428,675
Total
Comparative
Central Library circulation (excluding
schools and institutions).
Direct home use ....
Through branches ....
Business Branch
Branch Libraries circulation (ex-
cluding schools and institutions) .
Schools and institutions circulation (in-
cluding books from Central through
the Branch system)
4,133.459
331,956
87,259
1929
419.215
3,037,755
473,098
3^30.068
1930
334,320
87,347
421,667
6.157
3,218,102
487,533
4,133,459
[70]
Under the inter-library loan system with other libraries the
following use of books for the purpose of serious research is shown
for two successive years:
Volumes lent from this Library to other libraries in Massachusetts
Lent to libraries outside of Massachusetts .....
Total
Applications refused:
From libraries in Massachusetts
From libraries outside of Massachusetts .
1929
1930
1.158
2,250
368
525
2.326
2,775
670
711
135
159
Total
805
870
The classified direct circulation of the branches was as follows,
for two successive years:
Fiction for adults .
Non-fiction for adults
Juvenile fiction
Juvenile non-fiction .
1929
VOLUMES. PERCENTAGE.
1,035,386 34.1
318,073 10.5
1,163,730 38.3
520,566 17.1
1930
VOLUMES. PERCENTAGE.
1,187,898 36.9
346,959 10.7
1,151,244 35.4
532,001 17.
At the Central Library the classified direct circulation shows
the following. percentages:
Fiction
Non-fiction
1929
1930
PERCENTAGE.
PERCENTAGE,
45.8
45.2
54.2
54.8
BOOK ACCESSIONS.
BOOKS ACQUIRED BY PURCHASE.
For the Central Library:
From City appropriation .
From trust funds income .
1929
1930
15,501
12.484
7,390
4.511
22,891
16,995
For branches:
From City appropriations
From trust funds income .
70,446 80,529
1.002 308
71,448 80,837
Total
94.339
97,832
[71]
The following statement includes the accessions by purchase
combined with books received by gift or otherwise:
Accessions by purchase
Accessions by gift
Accessions by exchange
Accessions by periodicals bound
Accessions by newspapers bound
Accessions by serials bound
Totals
CENTRAL.
BRANCHES.
TOTAL
VOLUMES.
16,995
80,837
97.832
17.017
1,860
18,877
61
21
82
1,302
43
1,345
159
159
232
232
35,766
82,761
118,527
THE CATALOGUE.
VOLS AND
TITLES.
VOLS. AND
TITLES.
PARTS.
PARTS.
Catalogued (new) :
1929
1930
Central Library Catalogue .
27,203
17,924
30.108
21.508
Serials
6,702
6.004
Branches
60,253
53,545
86.319
76.127
Recatalogued . . . .
1 5,890
8,412
9,213
6.247
Total .
. 110,048
79.881
131.644
103.882
SHELF DEPARTMENT.
The number of volumes shelved and thus made available for
public use, taken from the report of the Shelf Department, is:
Placed on the Central Library shelves during the year:
General collection, new books (including continuations) .... 25.623
Special collections, new books and transfers ...... 3.088
Books reported lost or missing in previous years but now found, transfers
from branches, etc. . . . . . .
Removed from Central Library shelves during the year:
.Books reported lost or missing, condemned copies not yet replaced, trans-
fers, etc. .........
Net gain at Central Library
Net gain at Branches
Placed in Business Branch
14.042
16.615
26.585
8.008
Net gain entire library system .......•• 51,208
The total number of volumes available for public use at the
end of each year since the formation of the Library is shown in
the following statement;
1852-53
1853-54
1854-55
1855-56
9.688
16.221
22.617
28.080
185^57
1357-58
1858-59
1859-60
34.896
70.851
78.043
85.031
[72]
1860-61
1861-62
1862-63
1863-64
1864-65
1865-66
1866-67
1867-68
1868-69
1869-70
1870-71
1871-72
1872-73
1873-74
1874-75
1875-76
1876-77
1877-78
I87&-79
1879-80
1880-«1
1881-82
1882-83
1883-84
1884-85
1885 .
1886 .
1887 .
1888 .
1889 .
1890 .
1891 .
1892 .
1893 .
1894 .
1895 .
Volumes
Volumes
Volumes
97,38f
189^97
105,034
1897-98
110,563
1898-99
116,934
1899-1900
123,016
1900-01
130,678
1901-02
136,080
1902-03
1 44,092
1903-04
I 52.796
1904-05
160,573
1905-06
179,250
(906-07
192,958
1907-08
209.456
1908-09
260,550
1909-10
276,918
1910-11
297,873
I9II-12
321,010
1912-13
345,734
1913-14
360,963
1914-1)
377,225
1915-16
390,982
19]t>-17
404,221
1917-18
422,116
1918-19
438,594
1919-20
453.947
1920-21
460,993
1921-22
479,421
1922-23
492.956
1923-24
505.872
1924-25
520,508
1925
536.027
1926
556,283
1927
576,237
1928
597,152
1929
610,375
1930
628,297
663,763
698,888
716.050
746,383
781.377
812.264
835,904
848,884
871,050
878.933
903.349
922,348
941.024
961.522
987,268
1,006,717
1,049,011
1,067.103
1,098.702
1,121.747
1.139,682
1,157.326
1,173,695
1,197.498
1.224,510
1,258,211
1 ,284,094
1,308,041
1,333,264
1.363.515
1,388,439
1,418,489
1 ,442.802
1 ,475.743
1,526,951
in entire library system
in the Bus-ness .Branch
in the branches
,526.951
8,008
441,936
These volumes are located as follows ;
Central Library
1,079,170
Hyde Park
31,259
Business Branch
8,008
Jamaica Plain
18,476
Allston
9,298
Jeffries Point
6,135
Andrew Square
8,809
Kirstein
3,849
Boylston Station
8,558
Lower Mills
5,865
Brighton
20,757
Mattapan
12,051
Charlestown
16,337
Memorial
17.722
City Point
9,360
Mt. Bowdoin
1 1 ,692
Codman Square
15,119
Mt. Pleasant
6,876
Dorchester
14,456
Neponset
6,151
East Boston
22.749
North End
13,229
Fellowes Athenae
;um
39,288
Orient Heights
6,830
[73]
Parker Hill
Roslindale
Roxbury Crossing
South Boston
South End
7.019
12,880
5,806
22,434
13,273
Tyler Street
Upham's Corner
West End
West Roxbury
THE BINDERY.
Number of volumes bound in various styles
Magazines stitched
Volumes repaired .....
Volumes guarded ....
Maps mounted ....
Photographs and engravings, etc. mounted
Library publications folded, stitched and trimmed
1929
67,385
211
2,001
1.065
103
6,891
119,174
7,047
15,100
22,242
19,963
1930
65,860
121
1,262
358
126
7,534
1 1 1 ,086
THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT.
1929 1930
Requisitions received and filled ...... 197 163
Card Catalogue (Central Library) :
Titles (Printing Department count) 6,768 8,670
Cards finished 105,409 91,597
Card Catalogue (Branches):
Titles (Printing Department count) 840 688
Cards finished 54,638 67.974
Signs 263 213
Blank forms (numbered series) 3,265,600 2,923,150
Forms, circulars, and sundries (outside numbered series) . . 61,350 50,320
Catalogues, pamphlets, and bibliographical programmes . . 68,754 103,836
LECTURES — CONCERTS
During the year there were given in the Lecture Hall 1 32 free
lectures, concerts, and entertainments. These were given under
the auspices of the Library, the Brookline Bird Club, the Drama
League, the Field and Forest Club, the Ruskin Club, and other
organizations interested in presenting programs of an educational
nature to the public. In all, the lectures numbered 99, of which
30 were on travel; 21, literature; 14, drama; 10, history; 8, art;
7, music; and 9, miscellaneous subjects. The larger number
were illustrated with slides or motion pictures or a combination
of both. The concerts given in the hall during 1 930 were 33 in
number, of which four were given through the generosity of Mrs.
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. In addition to the four given in the
[74]
Central Library hall, Mrs. Coolidge extended her gift to two of
the branch libraries, in each of which the same series of four con-
certs was given.
As in previous years, the Division of University Extension has
held many of its classes in our Lecture Hall. The course of
Lectures on the Concerts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra,
which was again offered by the Massachusetts Division of Uni-
versity Extension in collaboration with the Library, coincided in
length with the season of the Boston Symphony. These lectures
were again under the supervision of Richard G. Appel of the
Library staff, who had the generous cooperation of some of the
composers and of other musicians. Prior to the opera season
the Massachusetts Division of University Extension also offered
a short course on the operas scheduled for presentation.
THE LECTURES OF 1930.
All lectures, except those marked with an asterisk (*), were
illustrated with lantern slides or motion pictures.
Jan. 2. Unfrequented Trails in the Canadian Rockies. George H.
Browne.
Dramatic Reading of one act plays. Isabella Taylor.
Concert. Orchestra of the Lincoln House Association, Jac-
ques Hoffmann, Conductor.
Oldest America the Newest Way. Henry Warren Poor.
(Field and Forest Club Course.)
Make-Believe, by A. A. Milne. Auspices of Community
Service of Boston, Inc. and the Lend-a-Hand Masque.
The Theatre in New England: Then and Now. Frank
Chouteau Brown. (Drama League Course.)
Folk Songs from Colorful Lands. In Costume. Ellenor
Cook. Accompanied by Camilla Edwards.
Hawaii and her Volcanoes. Prof. George H. Barton.
(Ruskin Club.)
The Wild Flowers of New England. Franklin I. Jordan,
A.R.P.S.
Concert. Paul Hastings Allen, composer and pianist, Mar-
jorie Gilchrist, soprano, and Einar Hansen, violinist.
Concert. Seventeenth Century Ensemble.
An Hour with American Sculptors. Marguerite Rand.
Jan. 26. ^Clara Barton. Dr. P. H. Epler.
Jan.
5.
Jan.
5.
Jan.
9.
Jan.
n.
Jan.
12.
Jan.
12.
Jan.
13.
Jan.
16.
Jan.
19.
Jan.
19.
Jan.
23.
Jan.
26.
Jan.
27.
Jan.
28.
Jan.
30.
Feb.
2.
Feb.
2.
[75]
America's Oldest Meeting House, the "Old Ship," Hing-
ham. Rev. J. Harry Hooper.
*The Poets of the Ruskin Country. Mrs. Herbert J. Gurney.
(Ruskin Club.)
Concert. Alexander Tansman, composer and pianist. In a
program of his own compositions.
The Falcon and the Lady. The Studio Club. Under the
direction of Helen Adelaide Shaw.
The Art of Florence. Mrs. Everett W. Varney.
*A Message through Drama. Lucile Vandiver. Illustrated
by a one-act play given by the Parker Memorial Players.
Feb. 6. Egypt: Ancient and Modern; its Art, Monuments, and
Mysticism. Mme Beale Morey. ^Vith lantern slides
and music.
Feb. 9. Melodrama: the Palmy Days. Robert E. Rogers, A.M.
(Drama League Course.)
Italy: a land of sheer delight. Hugh Wallace Smith.
*Observance of John Ruskin's Birth Anniversary. Agnes
Knox Black, A.M. (Ruskin Club.)
Motoring to our National Parks. Parker B. Field. (Field
and Forest Club Course.)
Switzerland : Peaks and People. Fletcher Briggs.
Piano Recital. Elizabeth SiedofT.
History of English Gardens. Katherine Brooks Norcross,
landscape architect.
Feb. 23. *Vachel Lindsay. Lynn H. Harris, Ph.D. (American
Poetry Association Course.)
Feb. 23. Concert. Alexander Romanesque, viohnist.
Feb. 24. ^England — The Home of John Ruskin. Mrs. Arthur Dud-
ley Ropes. (Ruskin Club.)
Feb. 27. Thrills Among the Alps ; Ascent of the Grepon, I 929. Brad-
ford Washburn.
Mar. 2. ^House Music Past and Present. Otto G. T. Straub.
Mar. 2. Concert. Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra. Joseph F.
Wagner, Conductor.
Mar. 3. ^Anne Hutchinson. Rev. Carroll Perrv. Auspices of Massa-
chusetts Societj' of the Colonial Dames of America.
Mar. 6. *How to Grow the Gladiolus. William E. Clarke.
Mar. 9. Important American Historical Pageants. Marie Ware
Laughton, Director of the Out Door Players.
Mar. 9. Concert. Wheaton College Glee Club. Herbert J. Jenny,
Conductor.
Mar. 10. ■'^Virgil. In honor of the Virgil Observance this year. Joseph
P. MacCarthy. Ph.D., D.D. (Ruskin Club.)
Feb.
9.
Feb.
10.
Feb.
13.
Feb.
16.
Feb.
16.
Feb.
20.
Mar.
13.
Mar.
15.
Mar.
16.
Mar.
16.
Mar.
17.
Mar.
17.
Mar.
20.
Mar.
22.
[76]
Mar. 10. *The Witchcraft Delusion. Rev. Carroll Perry. (Auspices
of Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of
America.)
A Naturalist in the Canadian Rockies. Dan McCowan.
(Field and Forest Club Course.)
Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. (At Municipal Build-
ing, South End.)
Readings from Shakespeare. George Francis Pearson.
Chamber Concert. London Siring Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.
^Stratford and the Shakespeare Players. Sir Archibald
Flower.
^Dorothy Quincy and John Hancock. Rev. Carroll Perry.
(Auspices of Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames
of America.)
Cape Cod : Past — Present — Future. Edwin A. Freeman.
Chamber Concert. London Siring Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. (At Municipal Build-
ing, South End.)
Mar. 23. Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. (At Municipal Build-
ing. Roslindale.)
Mar. 23. *An Afternoon with Flowers." Birket Foster Letson.
Mar. 23. Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.
Mar. 24. ^Ideals and Aims of Art in Massachusetts. C. Edward Newell.
(Ruskin Club.)
Mar. 24. *The Tories and the Loyalists. Rev. Carroll Perry. (Aus-
pices of Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of
America.)
Mar. 27. From Village to Metropolis; Boston, 1630-1850. Rev.
Henry Wilder Foote.
Mar. 30. ^Unemployment Today and the Way Out. William Trufant
Foster.
Mar. 30. Concert. German Singing Society, A.L.Y.P.S. Under the
direction of Erdine T. Oedel.
Apr. 3. The Strolling Players under the direction of Helene Martha
Boll in two one-act plays.
Apr. 5. Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. (At Municipal Build-
ing, South End.)
Apr. 6. Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. (At Municipal Build-
ing, Roslindale.)
Apr.
Apr.
6.
6.
Apr.
7.
Apr.
8.
Apr.
Apr.
10.
12.
[77]
Haiti, an Island of Contrasts. Arthur L. Sweetser.
Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity
of Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.
7. *The Jean Berte Color Process. William J. Orchard. (Bos-
ton Club of Printing House Craftsmen Course.)
The Birds of Northwest Greenland. W. Elmer Ekblaw,
Ph.D., geographer. (Brookline Bird Club Course.)
The Bay Colony Circle. Lyman V. Rutledge, D.D.
Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. (At Municipal Build-
ing, South End.)
Apr. 1 3. Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. (At Municipal Build-
ing, Roslindale.)
Apr. 1 3. Neither Christian nor Pagan. Dorothy Adlow.
Apr. I 3. Chamber Concert. London String Quartet. Generosity of
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.
Apr. 14. Ruskin and the Rhythmic Life. Jane Desmond. (Ruskin
Club.)
Apr. 1 7. The Passion Play at Oberammergau. George L. Plimpton.
Apr. 20. *The Recovered Wagon in American Fiction. Eleanor Brooks
Gulick, M.A.
Apr. 20. Music of the World. Mrs. Caroline King Hunt and assist-
ing artists.
^Modern English Composers. Hubert Foss.
The Beauties of Switzerland. Mrs. Arthur Dudley Ropes.
^TTiree Kinds of Poetry. Robert E. Rogers, A.M. (Ameri-
can Poetry Association Course. )
Concert. The Waltham Musical Club. Augusto Vannini,
Director.
^The Abundant Life — Ruskin's Day and Ours. Arthur W.
Gilbert, Ph.D. (Ruskin Club.)
Concert. The Harvard University Orchestra, Pierian So-
dality of 1 808.
Annual Meeting. (Ruskin Club.)
A Historical Outline of Massachusetts to the End of the
American Revolution. Mrs. George J. Putnam. (Aus-
pices of National Society of the Colonial Dames of
America.)
June 9. ^Demonstration of psychiatric work. Given by the Judge
Baker Foundation. (Auspices of National Conference
of Social Work.)
Oct. 2. The Copley Club Singers and Entertainers. Under the
direction of Pauline Hammond Clark.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
23.
24.
27.
Apr.
27.
Apr.
28.
Apr.
28.
May
May
6.
14.
[78]
Oct. 5. The Passion Play of 1930. John C. Bowker, M.D.
Oct. 5. Jewish Music: a lecture. Professor S. Braslavsky. Part I.
Secular Music and Jewish Folk Songs. Soloists. Boston
Jewish Choral Society.
Oct. 6. *The Beautiful Friendships of Boston's Golden Age. Lilian
Whiting. Music. (Ruskin Club.)
Oct. 9. Virginia, Historical and Beautiful. Edv/in A. Freeman.
Oct. 1 2. '^^The World on the Eve of Columbus' Voyage. Rev. Carroll
Perry.
Oct. 1 2. Colonial and Revolutionary Music. Alice Pope Taylor.
Assisted by Bessie Talbot Fosgate, soprano. In costume.
Oct. 1 6. "Dollarway" through the Orient. Walter W. Allerton. In
Mandarin costume.
Oct. 19. ^What Price Poetry? Laura Simmons.
Oct. 19. From Bach to Debussy. A Program of Piano Music, for
Young People of All Ages. Persis Cox.
Oct. 20. Along the Florida Keys. Andrew Oliver, Ph.D. (Ruskin
Club.)
Oct. 23. Chichen Itza: a Wonder-City of Yucatan. George Allan
England.
Oct. 26. *Mark Twain; Humorist and Humanist. Caroline Ticknor.
Oct. 26. *The Aframerican in the "Allied Arts." Maud Cuney-Hare.
Music illustrations by William Richardson.
Oct. 30. The Scenic Maritime Provinces. Arthur H. Merritt.
Nov. 2. *Early American Humorists and their Humor; with illus-
trative readings. Francis Henry Wade, M.D., Ph.D.
Nov. 2. Modern Decorative Art in Europe. Roger Oilman, A.M.
Nov. 3. ^'The Jew that Shakespeare Drew. Clayton Hamilton.
Nov. 6. A Chile Trip. Arthur L. Sweetser.
Nov. 9. *The Whirligig of Dramatic Taste. Robert E. Rogers, A.M.
(Drama League Course.)
Nov. 9. Chamber Concert. Sulzen String Quartet.
Nov. 10. *Ruskin's Faith in God. Adelbert L. Hudson, D.D. (Rus-
kin Club.)
Nov. 1 0. Bird Song Recital. Edward Avis, bird mimic, whistler,
violinist. (Brookline Bird Club Course.)
Nov. 1 3. Fortieth Anniversary Meeting of Massachusetts Library Club.
Lectures: "Children's Books of the Season" by Alice M.
Jordan, "The Great American Paradox" by H. Adding-
ton Bruce, M.A., and "Changing Ideals in Library Archi-
tecture" by Ralph Adams Cram, LL.D., Litt.D.
Nov. 1 3. Where Nature Sm.iles in Old Vermont. Percy A. Brigham.
(Field and Forest Club Course.)
Nov. 15. Master Skylark. A Marionette dramatization from John
Bennett. Presented by Jean Mardin.
Nov.
24.
Nov.
30.
Nov.
30.
Dec.
1.
Dec.
4.
Dec.
7.
[79]
Nov. 16. ^Dramatic Scenes from the Prophets: Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Hosea. Mr. and Mrs. John Pratt Whitman. In costume.
Nov. 1 6. A Recital of Pianoforte Music and Poems of Robert Brown-
mg. Laura Huxtable Porter.
Nov. 20. The Lure of Alaska. Mrs. Adelbert Fernald.
Nov. 23. Japan, Progressive and Picturesque. Walter W. Allerton.
In Japanese costume.
Nov. 23. Operatic and Ballad Recital. Mme Alice Baschi and as-
sistmg artists.
A Holiday in Europe. Mrs. Carl Watson. (Ruskin Club.)
A Woman Alone in Darkest Africa. Alice Howland Ma-
comber.
Concert. The Viking Male Chorus. August C. Hulten,
Director.
*The Real Bernard Shaw. Maurice Colbourne, author and
actor.
Unfamiliar Mediterranean. Charles Ernest White.
Concert. Jane Leland Clarke, pianist and composer, and
assisting artists.
Dec. 7. Concert. "The Nutcracker and the Mouseking" and "Christ-
mas Songs." Eleanor Brigham, pianist, and assisting
artists.
*The Christmas Message, and Author's Readings. Henry
Hallam Saunderson, D.D. (Ruskin Club.)
^Mexican Art. Count Rene d'Harnoncourt. (Auspices
American Federation of Arts.)
The Romance of Germany. John George Bucher. (Con-
tributed by the Bureau of Commercial Economics, Wash-
ington, D.C.)
The Theatre of Yesterday and Tomorrow. Frank Chouteau
Brown. (Drama League Course.)
^Chants de France. The Soul of France through her Folk-
lore. Mme Jeanne Brondel Allen.
A Cruise through the West Indies. J. Morton Kemp. (Rus-
kin Club.)
^A Picture Drama of Noel. (Under auspices of Dramatic
Department of Community Service of Boston, Inc.)
Dickens' "Christmas Carol." Edward F. Payne.
The First Christmas Tree; a Story of the Forest. Marguerite
Rand. Music.
*The Significance of Handcraft. Grace Carleton Mansfield.
Illustrated with fabrics.
Scotland in Song and Story. Mme Beale Morey. With
Scotch songs.
Dec.
8.
Dec.
8.
Dec.
11.
Dec.
14.
Dec.
14.
Dec.
15.
Dec.
18.
Dec.
Dec.
21.
21.
Dec.
28.
Dec.
28.
[80]
Dec. 29. The Romance of News Gathering. Alton H. Blackington.
(Auspices of New England Association of America.)
EXHIBITIONS 1930.
Jan. 1 . No exhibitions scheduled during this period owing to the fact
that the Exhibition Room was occupied by the Music De-
partment during reconstruction of the Music Room.
Jan. 27. Original sketches of musicians, by Lydia Hess.
Mar. 3. Mounted plates and books selected from the 1 929 accessions
of the Division of Fine Arts, in observance of "Art Week in
Boston."
Mar. 1 0. Pictures of the Stratford-on-Avon Company, lent by Sir
Archibald Flower. Supplementary exhibition of Shake-
speare prints from the Division of Fine Arts and the Barton-
Ticknor Room.
Apr. 7. Negro art: pictures, oils, pastels, watercolors, etchings, and
two pieces of sculpture, the work of American negro artists.
Lent by the Race Relations Commission of the Federal Coun-
cil of Churches in America.
Apr. 1 4. Musical publications of the Oxford University Press, New
York City.
Studies in the dance: original drawings by Stella Bloch.
Original sketches by Edith Rudin.
Photographs and autographed letters of famous musicians,
lent by Boaz Filler, of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
May 5. "Printing for Commerce" and "Fifty Books of the Year,"
exhibits lent by the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
May 19. "Historic Business Houses of Boston." Photographs lent by
Mrs. Fitz.
May 26. Boston Tercentenary Exhibition. Photographs, prints, and
maps from the Barton-Ticknor Room, in observance of this
tercentenary year.
Original water-color paintings of Boston, England, by W.
Ratcliffe. Lent by the Grace Home Galleries.
Oct. 8. World War posters lent by Richmond C. Wight. (Placed
in the Sargent corridor).
Dec. 26. Massachusetts Tercentenary medals and souvenirs, lent by
Henry Schuhmacher.
Dec. 29. Eight original prints of the fifteenth and early sixteenth cen-
turies, lent by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
[81]
SELECTED LIST OF GIFTS AND GIVERS.
Ball, James D., Brookline. Six hundred and twenty-two colored lantern
slides of scenes in New England.
Boston Chess Club, Boston. Seventy-nine volumes, works on chess
and chess, playing, including The Chess Monthly, The Chess
Chronicle, and eight volumes relating to chess by Franklin K. Young.
Columbia Phonograph Company, New York City, New York. Twenty-
two volumes of the "Masterworks" Series and two volumes of the
Operatic Series, comprising one hundred and two phonograph records
enclosed in portfolios.
hish, Frederick P., Boston. A collection of forty volumes on in-
dustrial problems and conditions, published by the National Industrial
Conference Board. (For the Business Branch.)
Florance, E. L., Dorchester. A miscellaneous collection of one hundred
and sixty-two volumes on art, history, and literature, including
twenty-six volumes of Exposition de Beaux-Arts Salon, 1 880— I 903 ;
Schiller's and Goethe's works in German; and Les Contes d' Ander-
sen, traduits en Franqais par £tienne Avenard.
Great Britain Patent Office, London, England. Specifications for in-
ventions. 1 1 2 volumes.
Hale, Phillip, Boston. A collection of ninety-seven volumes of plays and
books on the theater and the art of drama. (For Brown Dramatic
Collection.)
Herschel, Clemens, Estate of. A portion of the library of the late dis-
tinguished hydraulic engineer, Clemens Herschel, comprising four
hundred and twelve books, together with a quantity of magazines,
pamphlets, clippings, blueprints and miscellaneous material, all on
hydraulics and kindred subjects.
King, George R., La Canada, California. A collection of six hundred
and fifty pieces of standard organ music, comprising compositions by
European and American composers (Guilmant, Franck, Faulkes,
Trueite, Kinder, Yon and others), from the library of the late Mrs.
Florence Rich King, and given by her husband in her memory.
Mrs. King, a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, was well
known among organists in Greater Boston. She played for several
years at the Second Church in Dorchester, the First Baptist Church
in Brookline, and at the Congregational Church in Wellesley.
Lewisson, Walter Updike, Estate of. Five thousand nine hundred and
sixty-four volumes and pieces comprising the Walter Updike Lewis-
son Collection of Washingtoniana.
Lovewell, S. Harrison, Arlington. Consonance and dissonance. A dis-
cussion of the principles of harmonic dualism. The elementary text-
book of harmony designed for use in schools. (Authorized trans-
lation from the German by S. Harrison Lovewell. In manuscript.)
[82]
McKibbin, Miss Emily W., Boston. A collection of thirty-five volumes
of w^orks containing reproductions of paintings and sculpture by
noted artists; Faust von Goethe. Mit Bildern und Zeichnungen
von A. V. Kreling, erster Theil, Miinchen; and the American
edition of Boydell's illustrations of the Dramatic Works of Shake-
speare, by the most eminent artists of Great Britain. Restored and
published with the original descriptions of the plates by Shearjashub
Spooner, M.D., 2 volumes, New York, 1852.
A large oak book-stand for the display of the volumes.
The books are all in folio and the greater number bound in full
morocco.
Nichols, Frederick, Estate of. Harvard College Class Reports. Twenty-
one volumes of various years between 1873 and 1919, selected
from the Estate of the late Frederick Nichols. Lacking in the
Library collection.
Page, Ellen E., Estate of. One hundred and twenty-four lantern slides
consisting of scenes in Gibralter, and cities in Spain, England and
Italy. Also one hundred and thirty numbers of periodicals, Masters
in Art and International Studio.
Richards, Anna M. (Mrs. George E. ), Estate of. A collection of
twelve hundred and ninety-four volumes, comprising works of
biography, history, horticulture, books of travel, and including a
set of Dumas' works bound in half morocco, in forty-four volumes.
(Given in memory of Dr. George E. Richards.)
Saminsky, Lazare, New York City, New York. Full score of "Littanies
des Femmes" in m.anuscript. (For the Brown Music Library.)
Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation. Three hundred and eighty-
three volumes for the Business Branch.
Streeter, Dr. Edward C. A collection of three hundred and sixty-nine
volumes of works on history, biography, fiction and travel, includmg
Literature of Italy, 1265-1907, edited by Rossiter Johnson; Cour-
tiers and favorites of Royalty, twenty volume edition limited to
fifty copies; Hume's History of England, 8 volumes, London, ! 767
and Goldsmith's England in four volumes, 1 779.
Victor Talking Machine Company, Camden, New Jersey. Forty-six
volumes of "The Musical Masterpiece Series of Victor Records,"
comprising three hundred and fourteen phonograph records en-
closed in portfolios. (For the Allen A. Brown Collection.)
Wilson, Mrs. A. Chalm.ers, Osterville. A collection of twelve volum.es,
including Raccolta di Ercolano, di Pompei e di Stabia che ammi-
ransi nel Museo Reale Borbonico, Napoli, 1843; Pen drawing
and pen draughtsmen, by Joseph Pennell, London, 1920; Cata-
logue of the Secretan Collection, 2 volum.es, Paris, 1889; and two
volumes of The Fables of LaFontaine illustrated by Gustave Dore.
[83]
OFFICIALS OF THE LIBRARY.
Director. Charles F. D. Belden.
Assistant Librarian, emeritus, Frank C. Blaisdell.
Assistant Librarian, Frank H. Chase.
Assistant Librarian, Theodore D. Money.
Bates Hall Centre Desk, Newspaper and Patent Department: Pierce E.
Buckley, Chief.
Bindery Department: James W. Kenney, Chief.
Branch Department: Edith Guerrier, Supervisor of Branches.
Catalogue Department: Samuel A. Chevalier, Chief.
Children's Department: Alice M. Jordan, Supervisor of Work with
Children.
Editor: Zoltan Flaraszti.
Engineer and Janitor Department: William F. Quinn, Supt. of Buildings.
Information Office: John H. Reardon, Assistant in Charge.
Issue Department: Thomas F. Brennan, Chief.
Library Training Class: Bertha V. Hartzell, Supervisor.
Ordering Department: Louis Felix Ranlett, Chief.
Periodical Room: Francis J. Hannigan, Assistant in Charge. '
Printing Department: Francis Watts Lee, Chief.
Registration Department: A. Frances Rogers, Chief.
Special Libraries Department: George S. Maynard. Chief.
Statistical Department: Richard G. Hensley, Acting Chief
Stock Room: Timothy J. Mackin, Custodian.
Branch Librarians:
Allston, Katherine F. Muldoon.
Andrew Square, Elizabeth H. McShane.
Boylston, Lucia M. Stevens, Acting Librarian
Brighton, Katrina M. Sather.
Business Branch, Mary W. Dietrichson
Charlestown, Katherine S. Rogan.
City Point, Helen L. Morrisey.
Codman Square, Elizabeth P. Ross.
Dorchester, Marion C. Kingman.
East Boston, Theodora B. Scoff
Faneuil, Gertrude L. Connell.
Fellowes Athenaeum, Mary E. Ames.
Hyde Park, Grace L. Murray.
Jamaica Plain, Katie F. Albert.
Jeffries Point, Margaret A. Calnan.
Kirstein, Grace C. Brady
[84]
Lower Mills, Isabel E. Wetherald.
Mattapan, Ada Aserkoff.
Memorial, Beatrice M. Flanagan.
Mount Bowdoin, Pearl B. Smart
Mount Pleasant, Margaret H. Reid.
Neponset, Margaret I. McGovern.
North End, Mary F. Curley.
Orient Heights, Catherine F. Flannery.
Parker Hill, Mary M. Sullivan.
Roslindale, Annie M. Donovan.
Roxbury Crossing, Edith R. Nickerson.
South Boston, M. Florence CufTlin.
South End, Clara L. Maxwell
Tyler Street, Sara L. Lyon
Upham's Corner, Beatrice C. Maguire.
West End, Fanny Goldstein.
West Roxbury, Carrie L. Morse.
INDEX.
Accessions, (See Books).
Alice in Wonderland, exhibition of
original manuscript, 50.
Balance Sheet, 20-25.
Bates Hall, 44.
Bernard, Charles H. L. N., bequest
of, 3, 41.
Bindery, 64, 73; Examining Commit-
tee on, 39.
Book week, 54.
Books, accessions, 2, 37, 39, 70-71 ;
circulation, 4, 36. 58, 67-70; Ex-
amining Committee, 28; expendi-
tures, 3, 38, 41; gifts, 3, 37, 81-82;
inter-library loans, 58, 70; lost and
condemned, 71 ; reclassification of,
58; special purchases, 39—40; total
number and location, 3, 71-73.
Borrowers, (See Registration).
Branches, circulation, 58, 67-70; Ex-
amining Committee on, 35; repairs
and improvements, 3, 35, 52, 65.
Building. Program, 3, 35, 52; Ex-
amining Committee on, 27.
Business Branch, (See Kirstein Me-
morial Library).
Buxton, Frank W., elected Presi-
dent. 1.
Catalogue and Shelf Department, 41,
71 ; Examining Committee on, 27.
Chase, Frank H., death of, 66.
Children, work with, 50; Examining
Committee on, 27,29.
Circulation, 4, 36, 58, 67-70.
Coolidge, Mrs. Elizabeth S., donor of
concerts, 4, 37, 73-74.
Connolly, Arthur T., elected Vice-
President, I.
Cram & Fersruson, architects for
Parker Hill branch, 3, 35.
Currier, Guy W., death of, I .
Deery, Delia J., reappointed clerk of
Board, 1.
Defoe Collection, 49.
Deposits, 55-57, 58.
Director's Report, 35—66.
Employees, reclassification of, 37; Ex-
amining Committee on, 26.
Endowment, increase of, 28.
Examining Committee, members of, 5;
report and recommendations, 26-34.
Exhibitions, 36, 49, 53, 80.
Finance, balance sheet, 20-25; book
expenditures, 3, 38; estimates, 2;
receipts, 2; statement of trust funds,
5-19.
Franciscan library, 3, 39.
Genealogy and Heraldry, 44.
Gifts, 3, 37, 81-82.
Information Office, 46.
Inter-library loans, 58, 70.
Issue Department, 43.
Kirstein Memorial Library, opening of,
3, 35; Examining Committee on, 34;
report, 59-61.
Lectures and Concerts, 4, 36, 46, 73-
80.
Lewisson, Waller U., gift of, 3, 40.
Maps, reclassification of, 42, 49.
Newspaper Room, 46.
Open Shelf Room, 46.
Ordering Department, 37.
Patent Room, 46.
Periodical Department, 47.
Personnel (See Employees).
Picture collection, 48.
Printing Department, 73 ; Examining
Committee on, 29.
Publications, 36, 45.
Putnam & Cox, architects for Matta-
pan branch, 4, 35.
Radio book talks, 4, 36, 64.
[86]
Rare books, condition of bindings, 49;
Examining Committee on, 30; use
by students, 49.
Readers' Adviser, 63.
Registration Department, 42; regis-
trations, 4, 36.
Repairs and improvements, 4, 35, 48,
64; Examining Committee on, 26.
Retirements, 65.
Richards, Mrs. George E., gift of, 3,
41.
Sabatier Collection, 3, 39.
Schools Department, the need for a, 55.
Sedgwick, Ellery, appointed as trus-
tee, I.
Shelf Department, (5ee Catalogue and
Shelf Department).
Special Libraries, 48; Examining Com-
mittee on, 26, 30; reconstruction of
rooms, 4, 35, 48.
Staff, officials, 83-84; retirements, 65.
Statistical Department, 50; Examining
Committee on, 31.
Story hours, 54.
Streeter, Dr. Edward C, gift of, 3, 41.
Teachers' Room, 57 ; Examining Com-
mittee on, 27.
Tercentenary celebration, 4, 36, 45,
46, 47, 50, 80.
Training Class, 61 .
Trustees, organization, 1 ; report, 1—19.
Trust Funds, statement of, 5—19.
Unemployed, The, 36, 60.
Washingtoniana, 3, 40.
Central Library, Copley Square. 1
Branch Libraries. December 31. 1930.
Crrr Proper.
Kirstein Memorial Library, 20 City Hall Ave. .
Norlh End Branch, 3a North Bennet St.
South End Branch, Shawmul Ave. and West Brookline
West End Branch, Cambridge, cor. Lynde St.
Tyler Street Branch, Tyler, cor. Oak St.
Brighton.
Brighton Branch, Academy Hill Road .
Allston Branch, 161 Harvard Ave.
Faneuil Branch. 100 Brooks St
Charlestown.
Charlestown Branch, 43 Monument Square .
Dorchester.
Dorchester Branch, Arcadia, cor. Adams St. .
Codman Square Branch, Washington, cor. Norfolk Si.
Upham's Comer Branch, 500 Columbia Road
Lower Mills Branch, Washington, cor. Richmond St.
Mallapan Branch, 7 Babson St. ,
Mount Bowdoin Branch, 275 Washington St. .
Neponset Branch, 362 Neponsel Ave. .
East Boston.
East Boston Branch, 276-282 Meridian St. .
Jeffries Point Branch, 195 Webster St.
Orient Heights Branch, 5 Butler St. .
Hyde Park.
Hyde Park Branch, Harvard Ave., cor. Winthrop St.
Jamaica Plain.
Jamaica Plain Branch, Sedgwick, cor. South St. .
Boylslon Station Branch, 160 Lamarline St. .
ROXBURY.
Fellowes Athenaeum Branch, 46 Milmonl St.
Memorial Branch. Townsend. cor. Warren St. .
Mount Pleasant Branch, Dudley, cor. Vine St. .
Parker Hill Branch, 1518 Tremont St.
Roxbury Crossing Branch, 208 Ruggles St. . .
South Boston.
South Boston Branch, 372 W. Broadway .
Andrew Square Brancn, 394 Dorchester St. .
City Point Branch, Broadway, near H St.
West Roxburv.
West Roxbury Branch, Centre, near Ml. Vernon St.
Roslindale Branch, 4210 Washington St. .
Area of City (Land only) 45.60 Square miles.
Population (Census of 1930), 781.188
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