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THE:
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X^rxT
ANNUAL
OF THE
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY,
PEORIA, ILLINOIS,
FOR THE YEAR ENDING MAY 31, 1893.
PDWARD HINE & Co., PRINTERS.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
M. GRISWOLD, Term expires 1894
M. HENEBERY, ....... ;- " 1894
T. M. McILVAINE, ...... " " 1894
B. CREMER " " 1895
H. W. WELLS, " 1895
EDW'D HINE " " 1895
J. C. DOLAN " 1896
R. C. GRIER, ..." " 1896
HENRY ULLMAN " " 1896
OFFICERS.
M. GRISWOLD PRESIDENT.
M. HENEBERY VICE-PRESIDENT.
B. CREMER, SECRETARY.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Henebery, Grier, Dolan.
Library and Reading Room Wells, Cremer, Mcllvaine.
Building and Grounds Grier, Ullman, Hine.
Administration Ullman, Dolan, Griswold.
Binding Hine, Cremer, Wells.
LIBRARY SERVICE.
Librarian E. S. WILLCOX.
Assistants.
Emilie E. Brendel, Rose E. Reynolds, Mary B. Lindsay,
Loura B. Grant, Anna L. Archer, *Elizabeth T. Ellis,
Harry Werschutz, Maclay Booth.
In the Bindery.
Geo. F. Walker, Ruth McKenzie, Rachel Garrabrant.
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Janitress Mrs. Mary Theena.
*Absent since October 1, at the Albany Library School.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS.
To the Mayor and City Council of the City of georia.
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with the requirements of Chapter 81,
of the revised statutes of the State of Illinois, the directors of the Peo-
ria Public Library herewith respectfully submit to your honorable body
the annexed report of our librarian, showing the condition of the li-
v^ brary May 31, 1893; the receipts and disbursements of moneys, the num-
ber and character of the books purchased and loaned out during the
year, and the whole number and character of the books now composing
the Peoria Public Library. Respectfully submitted,
MATTHEW GRISWOLD,
President.
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.
To the Board of Directors of the Peoria Public Library.
GENTLEMEN: I hand you herewith the twelfth annual report of
the Peoria Public Library for the year ending May 31, 1893.
It shows a steady growth in number of volumes and in appreciation
by the public. Two years more of such growth and we shall have to
have more room or smother in our own fat.
Referring to the appended tables of statistics for details, the li-
^ brary was open during the year 305 week days and 52 Sundays. It
was closed on 8 legal holidays. The number of books in circulation
one year ago was 42,306; deduct lost and paid for 12, worn out 157, and
add the year's increase 3,129, and we have in circulation May 31, 1893,
a total of 45,266; to these add duplicates and pamphlets and we have
a grand total of 49,383.
The circulation of the year was 96,382, a gain of 6,738 volumes over
the year 1891-2.
By reference to the tables it will be seen that in Theology, Fine
Arts, Fiction and Juveniles there has been a falling off in the relative
per cent, of issues, and an increase in all other classes.
The issue of fiction and juveniles for 1891-2 was 72 48-100 per
j, cent, of our total issue, while for 1892-3 it was 68 64-100 per cent, a fall-
111134
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
ing off of 3 84-100 per cent. During the same time the absolute issue
was 1,187 volumes greater.
The explanation of this diminished per cent, of fiction is found, per-
haps, in our practice of giving every member a second or extra member-
ship card on which no fiction can be drawn.
People come for a novel, they see our attractive array of new books
exposed to view, and carry home for a second book a history, a volume
of essays or some book of travels.
It is our experience at the delivery desk that the issue of books
other than fiction to people who come for a novel, and but for the novel
would not come, has been much increased by this plan of a second,
non-fiction card. This is especially noticeable with our young folks
who generally want all they can have, and after selecting their story for
themselves, are ready to take some other good book on the recommen-
dation of the assistant.
It is therefore quite possible that a more liberal supply of choice
fiction duplicates of the better kind might have the surprising result
of reducing still lower the relative per cent, of fiction issues.
It was an old fisherman who said, that in selecting bait he did not
consult his own taste but that of the fishes. We offer pleasant little
baits to Sunday school children and hire opera singers to help fill our
pews. The novel draws people to the library.
Of the intellectual equipment of the young woman who reads nothing
but novels with such a world of other delightful books before her, I
have a very poor opinion. She probably eats candy and chews gum.
Nevertheless a good novel now and then is as entertaining as in-
structive and as true as another book. It will continue to be so and
to be with us, so long as the proper study of mankind is man.
If I were compelled to choose between a nineteenth century without
telephones and a nineteenth century without Dickens, Thackeray, Victor
Hugo, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walter Besant, remembering how their en-
thusiasm of humanity has quickened our love for man and sympathy with
men, to how many millions they have given wholesome amusement, solace
in hours of weariness and cheer and strength along the highway of life, I
think I should hold on to David Copperfield and Col. Newcome and
Jean Valjean and Uncle Tom and All Sorts and Conditions of Men and
let the next century make all it could out of the Bell telephone patent.
Our issues of fiction, not including juveniles, were 45>^ per cent, of
our total issues for the year, while our purchases of fiction were, in dol-
lars and cents, only 17^ per cent, of our total book purchases and 23%
per cent, of the total volume purchases.
As bearing on this subject I may say further, that our per cent, of
fiction issues is lower than that of any of a dozen or more libraries whose
reports have lately come to hand, the most of them running above 70
per cent. The average at Lawrence, Mass., for the last seven years was
over 75 per cent. At Newark, N. J., last year it was 80 per cent., and at
the new Carnegie library at Allegheny it was over 90 per cent.
TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT.
DAILY ISSUE.
Our highest daily issue of books on any one day was 873, as against
643 for the year before; our lowest was 146, as against 129 for the year
before. Since November, 1892, the issue department has been closed
on Sunday, the reading room only being open from 2 to 6 p. m. This
has been a great relief to our working force and no material loss to
the public.
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The experiment which we tried year before last in a small way and
late in the season at the Franklin school on the bluff, was continued this
last year on the same lines at the Sumner school, Mr. Barnhart princi-
pal, and at the Garfield school, Mr. O'Brien principal. These schools
are respectively two and one-half and three miles distant from the cen-
ter of the city in districts far away from the library.
The plan was briefly as follows : We made up for each school a
carefully selected library of 100 volumes, partly from new purchases
and partly from duplicates on our shelves, and placed them in charge
of the principals, they giving us receipts for the books. At the same
time we supplied them with blank forms of application to be given to
such children as wished to use the books. These applications, duly
guaranteed by some householder, were presented by the children at
the desk of the public library and membership cards were issued to the
applicants in precisely the same manner as to other applicants. Pro-
vided with these membership cards, the pupils obtained books from
their respective principals on certain appointed days of the week under
the same rules and limitations as to time, fines, etc., as are in force at
the library. We established thus at each of these schools, a small but
useful branch library at no cost to us for administration.
As a matter of interest I give herewith a list of the books sent to the
Sumner school with the number of times each book was issued. It is
worth studying. At the end of five months Mr. Barnhart returned the
100 volumes to us without loss and with only a very moderate amount
of wear and tear.
List of books loaned to the Sumner school with the number of
times each book was issued during the period of five months, Novem-
ber 1st to April 1st :
No. of issues
Boy Travelers in Ceylon, etc . . 12
" " " Cent. Europe 13
An English Bodley Family ... 15
The Bodley Grandchildren .... 12
The Viking Bodleys 12
A Silver City 28
Travels in Mexico 7
On the Banks of the Amazon . . 20
Span.-Amer. Republics 11
Strange Corners of our Country 16
A White Umbrella in Mexico. . 10
TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE.
21 vols.
No. of issues
Zigzag Journeys in Europe 17
" Brit. Islands 10
" " " Sunny South 18
Three Vassar Girls in Italy 11
" ."Eng.... 7
" " " Russia. . 9
Family Flight Through France 15
" " Spain. 6
Boy Travelers in Japan, etc .... 16
" " " Siam, etc 13
278
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SCIENCE. 12 vols.
. No. of issues
Lookabout Club 15
Boys' Workshop 10
Fairy Land of Science 13
Birds and Bees 7
Birds Nesting 8
Madam How, etc 4
Six Little Cooks 25
Folks in Feathers, etc 8
A Song of Life 13
Boys' Book of Sports 23
Biography of a Locomotive .... 22
Advent, of a Young Naturalist. 19
167
FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS.
12 vols.
Through the Looking-glass ... 26
German Popular Stories 19
Greek Fairy Tales 26
Water Babies 18
Blue Fairy Book 20
Enchanted Moccasin 23
Scudder's Fables 33
Back of the North Wind 20
Story of Siegfried 13
Red Fairy Book 21
Mopsa the Fairy 27
Alice in Wonderland 27
273
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.
19 vols.
Old times in the Colonies 19
Stories From Herodotus 5
The Story of Liberty 18
Child's History of England 6
Young Folks' Hist, of Russia. . 11
First Book in American History 26
War of Independence 9
Plutarch's Lives 3
Young Folks' History of U. S. . 19
Young Folks' History of Mex . 18
Short History of France 6
Ten Events of History 8
Valentine at Sedan . , 17
No. of issues
Stories of the Civil War 12
Life of Lincoln 18
Life of La Fayette 16
Life of Montezuma 11
Life of Pocahontas 10
Life of Tecumseh 10
242
STORIES AND FICTION. 36 vols.
Five Little Peppers I 21
Five Little Peppers II 23
Five Little Peppers III 24
Letters From a Cat 34
Wm. Henry Letters 19
Gunnar 15
Little Men 22
Little Women 21
Rose in Bloom 22
Old Fashioned Girl 21
Eight Cousins 19
Boy Emigrants 17
To the Lions 14
The Jimmy Johns 27
Polly Cologne 28
Christmas Stories 23
Man Without a Country 10
Nellie's Silver Mine 24
Being a Boy 24
Robinson Crusoe 14
Lucy Stories 11
Lucy at Study 11
Lucy on the Mountains 11
Rollo at School 11
Rollo's Experiments 7
Rollo Fire and Water 13
Rollo Work and Play 6
Rollo Talk and Read 12
Rollo Sky and Air 9
Rollo's Travels 6
Jonas on a Farm in Winter 18
Jonas on a Farm in Summer . . 18
Jonas Stories 17
Jonas In Country 16
Jonas In Town 17
Jonas A Judge 18
623
THE CATALOGUE.
Upon the return of the Misses Reynolds and Lindsay from the Al-
bany library school a year ago, they were assigned to the duty of first re-
vising, enlarging and subdividing our system of classification and then
of making a subject catalogue on cards as preliminary to a printed
catalogue.
TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT. t
What the resources of a library may be, its ability to impart in-
formation on any one of 50,000 different subjects of possible inquiry, can-
not be known until the books on its shelves have passed singly under
examination, and every principal subject treated of been noted and
entered in some kind of a list with us a catalogue on cards and these
cards arranged alphabetically and made accessible to the public. No
librarian or book-worm, familiar beyond the average with the contents
of books, and sitting at an information desk to answer questions and di-
rect inquiry, could begin to do what a good subject catalogue does, as it
were, automatically. Let me give an illustration:
Once a year the school children descend upon us for something
about Arbor Day, and 'our assistants have spent hours at a time in former
years trying to help them out. Hereafter they will simply refer the
children to the card catalogue, subject Arbor Day, when, in one mo-
ment's time, they will find a reference to whatever our library contains
on that subject, among others to a book entitled " Third Annual Report
of the Ohio State Forestry Bureau," in the back part of which will be
found just what they want, viz., an admirable essay of 64 pages by John
B. Peaslee, superintendent of the Cincinnati public schools, on " Trees
and Tree Planting," with exercises and directions for the celebration of
Arbor Day.
There is nothing in the title of the book, nor in the classification of
the book, nor yet in the appearance of the book, which is that of an or-
dinary public document, to suggest that this much wanted essay lay hid
there within our easy reach all this time.
It is such analytical work as this that our cataloguers are now en-
gaged upon. It demands accuracy and thoroughness at every step and
must therefore take time.
Owing to the loss of two of our assistants, the young ladies who
were to devote their time exclusively to cataloguing have had to render
frequent assistance at the delivery desk and in other departments of
work. It has also been a patriotic duty to do our share of work in pre-
paring the library exhibit for the Columbian Exposition at Chicago, that
there might be some adequate showing there of what the American Free
Public Library is doing. Consequently we have really had the continu-
ous labor of not more than one person at cataloguing during the year.
Nevertheless we have completed rather more than one-third of our
task and hope to finish the remaining two-thirds this present library year.
MUSIC.
During the year some sixty volumes of song albums, octavo form,
by Beethoven, Brahms, Franz, Grieg, Jensen, Lassen, Rubinstein, Schu-
bert, Schumann and others, and over thirty volumes of selected piano-
forte works in the most approved editions, of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin
Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert and Schumann have been added to our cir-
culating department for issue like other books. They form a small but
choice collection of the best examples of the great masters and will
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
have an educational influence in the matter of music. We have here in
Peoria an increasingly large number of music teachers and musicians
who are laboring hard to cultivate the taste for good music in the rising
generation. It is no more than proper, and you have lent it the support
of your hearty sanction, that a public library should provide help in this
line also.
GIFTS.
A library is always grateful to its friends for remembering it with
gifts. Among those of especial value received during the year are
the following:
Tne Peoria Journal Co. for publishing our lists of new books.
R. C. Grier Last Speech of Wm. Windom.
J. M. Rice Small Arms Practice, etc., 4 vols.
Justin Winsor Catalogue of Harvard University, 22 vols.
Bishop J. L. Spalding History of the Catholic Church, 4 vols.
Mrs. A. L. Schimpff German Fiction, 14 vols.
M. Griswold Family Histories and Genealogies, 5 vols. folio.
H. W. Wells History of the Town of Shrewsbury.
Christian Literature Co. Ante-Nicene Fathers, 9 vols.
Geo. F. Wightman Map of Supposed Site of Fort Creve-Cceur.
Dr. I.W. Johnson Four large photographs of the mummied remains of
Seti I and Rameses II, the two most celebrated Pharaohs of an-
cient Egypt. Also a plaster cast, head and shoulders, of the
Hermes of Praxiteles, one of the best preserved of ancient stat-
ues, and without doubt the most perfect expression of manly
beauty left to us by antiquity.
THE BINDERY.
We have employed in our bindery through the year, one foreman
and two young women assistants, as formerly, and have kept them
very busy. The report shows:
Books bound, all sizes 1,229
Newspapers 50
Rebound 799
Repaired 752
Portfolios and cases for periodicals 37
Total volumes 2,968
THE ASSISTANTS.
The library force during the past year has consisted of the librarian
and seven assistants as follows:
Miss Brendel and Miss Grant at the delivery desk and in charge of
the statistics, desk receipts, and entry and preparation of the periodicals.
Mrs. Archer in charge of the accessioning and cataloguing of the
new books; also of the business accounts, cash book and ledger.
TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT. 9
Miss Reynolds and Miss Lindsay in charge of the recataloguing.
Mr. Harry Werschutz in charge of the alcoves and the whole list
of periodicals after they have left the reading room. Maclay Booth,
youngest assistant; and all helping more or less at the delivery desk
during the busy hours.
It gives me pleasure to say that they are all faithful workers at
their respective posts, enjoying the work and animated with a desire to
do their full duty to the library and to the public.
There is a fascination about work in a library not unlike that which
draws us toward refined and cultivated people. Here we are continually
making new friendships or renewing old ones with the master spirits of
our own time and of past ages. If we cannot tarry long with them we
can at least catch a glimpse of their serene and benignant features, a
word from their eloquent lips, and we pass on, or stop to enjoy a double
pleasure in introducing them to our friends and neighbors.
To aid others in the search after elevating and refining pleasure or
knowledge is our daily duty. It is, therefore, gratifying to note an in-
creasing use of our library by the public and particularly by the teachers
and pupils of our schools, but why the number is not twice as large, is
our constant wonder.
Where are our lawyers, doctors, teachers; where are our clergy-
men, all supposed to be reading people, that we see them so seldom in
the library ?
You, of the Board of Directors, look with some mistrust on our
large issues of fiction. Send us then, educated people, lovers of books,
who can enjoy history, art, poetry, political economy, theology. We
have the books for them, the latest and best, and if we haven 't them we
will get them. Clergymen and book lovers from our neighboring towns
in increasing numbers are glad to take advantage of these privileges
at the cost to them of four dollars a year and some considerable trouble
and travel. We feel neglected and hurt when our own near neighbors
pass by on the other side.
The public library is the people's college, the radiating source and
center of light for our city and the surrounding country:
" Hither as to their fountain, other stars repairing,
" In their golden urns draw light."
Very respectfully,
E. S. WILLCOX,
Librarian.
10
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1892-1893.
RECEIPTS.
From city appropriation $12,162 55
Desk receipts on hand 22 66
Fines 405 90
Books damaged and paid for 3 90
Books lost and paid for 17 75
Extra books loaned 5 60
Duplicate cards 5 00
Memberships 8 00
Duplicate books sold 3 25
Periodical account refunded 1 00
$12,635 61
EXPENDITURES.
Books ... $ 2,702 58
Periodicals 709 41
Binding, labor 1,302 80
material 259 06
Rent 677 68
Light 348 96
Salaries 5,540 37
Expense 514 35
Stationery and printing 219 05
Furniture and fixtures 129 10
Insurance 232 25
$12,635 61
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June 1st, 1892
Books in circulation 42,306 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,016 vols.
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 2,070 "
Losses
Lost and paid for 12 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn 157 "
Total losses - 169 vols.
42,137 vols.
Additions
By purchase 2,448 vols.
By donation 310 "
By periodicals bound 368 "
Otherwise 3 "
Total additions 3,129 vols.
Total books in circulation 45,266 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,019 vols.
Pamphlets 2,098 "
4,117 vols.
Total contents May 31, 1893 49,383 vols.
TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT.
11
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading-
room.
Dailies 10
Weeklies 59
Monthlies 125
Bi-Monthlies 4
Quarterlies 15
Total.. ..213
The following table shows the number of volumes in each class
June 1, 1892. Also the losses and additions during the year, together
with the total contents of the library May 31, 1893.
Total Vols.
in Library
May 31, 1892.
Lost and paid
for.
Worn out
and
Withdrawn.
Balance.
-a
-a
*S
2i '
6 1 " 1
fc
Total Vols. in
Lib. May 31, '93.
No.
Per
Cent.
580
1,704
1
579
1,704
5,780
5,130
2,765
37
127
344
283
251
46
728
405
223
482
203
616
1,831
6,124
5,413
3,016
46
6,960
3,864
3,758
9,163
4,475
1.36
4.05
13.53
11.96
6.66
.10
15.38
8.54
8.30
20.24
9.88
Theology
Social and Political Sciences
5,780
Natural Sciences and Useful Arts
Fine Arts and Poetry
5,130
2,765
Instrumental Music
Fiction
6,317
3,525
3,546
3
4
82
62
11
2
6,232
3,459
3,535
8,681
4,272
Literary Miscellany
8,684
4,275
1
3
Cyclopaedias and Periodicals
Total
42,306
12
157
42,137
3,129
45,266
100.00
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English 2,930
German 116
French 37
Spanish 3
Latin 25
Greek 3
Other languages 15
Total 3,129
Purchased 2,448
Donations 310
Periodicals bound 368
Otherwise 3
Total ..3,129
12
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Volumes issued and per cent, of issue from each class, year ending
May 31, 1893.
I'ER CENT. FOR
YEAR ENDING
NO. VOLS. PER CENT. MAY 31. 1892.
Philosophy 823 0.86 0.76
Theology 955 0.99 1.10
Social and Political Sciences 1564 1.62 1.51
Natural Sciences and Useful Arts.. 4420 4.59 4.14
Fine Arts and Poetry 3306 3.43 2.95
Fiction 43700 45.34 46.90
Juvenile Literature 22464 23.30 25.58
Literary Miscellany 4089 4.24 3.76
History and Travel 10649 11.05 9.72
Cyclopaedias and Periodicals 4412 4.58 3.58
Total 96,382 100.00 100.00
Highest issue on any week day during 1892-3, February
18, 1893 873 vols.
Lowest issue on any week day during 1892-3, September
29, 1892 146 vols.
The library was open 305 week-days and 52 Sundays, closed on
8 holidays.
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June 1st, 1892 4440
Memberships issued during the year 2368
Total.. ; 6808
Memberships expired during the year 2307
Memberships in force May 31st, 1893 4501
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept over time during the year 8582
Number of fine notices sent 693
Number of notices to guarantors 13
Number of notices for books reserved 179
BINDERY.
Books bound 1229
Newspapers bound 50
Books rebound 799
" repaired 752
" resewed in old covers 101
Portfolios and cases . . 37
Total ., . 2968
STATE OF ILLINOIS,
COUNTY OF PEORIA,
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th day of June, 1893, by
E. S. Willcox, Librarian. RUDOLPHUS R. BOURLAND,
Notary Public.
Illinois State Library Law
Approved and in force March 7, 1872.
As amended and in force March 26, 1891.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois represented
in the General Assembly :
SEC. 1. Establishment by City Tax Funds. That the city coun-
cil of each fncorporated city, whether organized under general law or
special charter, shall have power to establish and maintain a public li-
brary and reading room, for the use and beneht of the inhabitants of
such city, and may levy a tax of not to exceed two mills on the dollar
annually on all the taxable property in the city; Provided, that in cities
of over one hundred thousand inhabitants after the year 1895, such tax
shall not exceed one half of a mill on the dollar annually; such tax to
be levied and collected in like manner with the general taxes of said
city, and to be known as the library fund; Provided, that the said an-
nual library tax in cities of over ten thousand inhabitants, shall not be
included in the aggregate amount of taxes as limited by Section one (1)
of article eight (8) of "An Act for the Incorporation of Cities and Vil-
lages," approved April 10, 1872, and the amendatory acts thereto, or by
any provision of any special charter under which any city in this State
is now organized.
SEC. 2. Directors. When any city council shall have decided to
establish and maintain a public library and reading room under this Act
the mayor of such city shall, with the approval of the city council, pro-
ceed to apoint a board of nine directors for the same, chosen from the
citizens at large with reference to their fitness for such office; and not
more than one member of the city council shall be at any one time a
member of said board.
SEC. 3 Term of office Removal. Said directors shall hold office
one-third for one year, one-third for two years, and one-third for three
years, from the first of July following their appointment, and at their
first regular meeting shall cast lots for the respective terms; and an-
nually thereafter the mayor shall, before the first of July of each year,
appoint as before three directors, to take the place of the retiring direc-
tors, who shall hold office for three years, and until their successors are
appointed. The mayor may, by and with the consent of the city coun-
cil, remove any director for misconduct or neglect of duty.
14 ILLINOIS STATE LIBRARY LAW.
SEC. 4. Vacancies Compensation. Vacancies in the board of di-
rectors, occasioned by removals, resignation, or otherwise, shall be re-
ported to the city council, and be filled in like manner as original ap-
pointments, and no director shall receive compensation as such.
SEC. 5. Organization Powers of Directors Funds. Said di-
rectors shall, immediately after appointment, meet and organize by the
election of one of their number president, and by the election of such
other officers as they may deem necessary. They shall make and adopt
such by-laws, rules and regulations for their own guidance and for the
government of the library and reading room as may be expedient, not
inconsistent with this Act. They shall have the exclusive control of the
expenditure of all moneys collected to the credit of the library fund, and
of the construction of any library building, and of the supervision, care
and custody of the grounds, rooms or buildings constructed, leased or
set apart for that purpose; Provided, that all moneys received for such
library shall be deposited in the treasury of said city to the credit of the
library fund, and shall be kept separate and apart from other moneys
of such city, and drawn upon by the proper officers of said city, upon
the proper authenticated vouchers of the library board. Said board
shall have power to purchase or lease grounds to occupy, lease or erect
an appropriate building or buildings for the use of said library; shall
have power to appoint a suitable librarian and necessary assistants, and
fix their compensation, and shall also have power to remove such ap-
pointees; and shall in general, carry out the spirit and intent of this
Act, in establishing and maintaining a public library and reading room.
SEC. 6. Who may use library. Every library and reading room
established under this Act shall be forever free to the use of the inhabi-
tants of the city where located, always subject to such reasonable rules
and regulations as the library board may adopt, in order to render the
use of said library and reading room of the greatest benefit to the great-
est number; and said board may exclude from the use of said library
and reading room any and all persons who shall wilfully violate such
rules. And said board may extend the privileges and use of such li-
brary and reading room to persons residing outside of such city in this
State, upon such terms and conditions as said board may from time to
time by its regulations prescribe.
SEC. 7. Report of Directors. The said board of directors shall
make, on or before the second Monday in June, an annual report to the
city council, stating the condition of their trust on the first day of June
of that year, the various sums of money received from the library fund
and from other sources, and how such moneys have been expended, and
for what purposes; the number of books and periodicals on hand, the
number added by purchase, gift, or otherwise, during the year; the
number lost or missing; the number of visitors attending; the number of
books loaned out, and the general character and kind of such books;
with such other statistics, information and suggestions as they may deem
of general interest. All such portions of said report as relate to the re-
ILLINOIS STATE LIBRARY LAW. 15
ceipt and expenditure of money, as well [as] the number of books
on hand, books lost or missing, and books purchased shall be verified
by affidavit.
SEC. 8. Penalties. The city council of said city shall have power
to pass ordinances imposing suitable penalties for the punishment of
persons committing injury upon such library or the grounds or other
property thereof, or for injury to or failure to return, any book belonging
to such library.
SEC. 9. Donations. Any person desiring to make donations of
money, personal property or real estate for the benefit of such library,
shall have the right to vest the title to the money or real estate so do-
nated in the board of directors created under this Act, to be held and
controlled by such board, when accepted, according to the terms of the
deed, gift, devise or bequest of such property; and as to such property
the said board shall be held and considered to be special trustees.
SEC. 10. Powers of Villages, Towns aud Townships. When fifty
legal voters of any incorporated town, village or township shall present
a petition to the clerk of the town, village or township (or trustee of
schools in counties not under township organization), asking that an an-
nual tax may be levied for the establishment and maintenance of a free
public library in such town or township, and shall specify, in their peti-
tition, a rate of taxation not to exceed two mills on the dollar, such
clerk (or trustee of schools in counties not under township organization)
shall in the next legal notice of the regular annual election in such
town or township give notice that at such election every elector may
vote " For a mill tax for a free public library," or "Against a
mill tax for a free public library," specifying in such notice the rate of
taxation mentioned in said petition, and if the majority of all the votes
cast in such town, village or township shall be "For the taxation for the
free public library " the tax specified in such notice shall be levied and
collected in like manner with other general taxes of said town or
township, and shall be known as the "Library Fund;" Provided, that
such tax shall cease in case the legal voters of any such town, village or
township shall so determine by a majority vote, at any annual election
held therein; and the corporate authorities of such towns or villages may
exercise the same powers conferred upon the corporate authorities of
cities under this Act.
SEC. 11. Directors in Villages, Etc. At the next regular election
after any town, village or township shall have voted to establish a free
public library, there shall be elected a library board of six directors,
one-third for one year, one-third for two years, one-third for three years,
and annually thereafter there shall be elected two directors, who shall
hold their office for three years, and until their successors are elected
and qualified; which board shall have the same powers as are by this
Act conferred upon the board of directors of free public libraries in cities.
THE
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
3/th Annual Report since its First Organization
as the Peoria City Library
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May 31, 1894
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
M. GRISWOLD, .
M. HENEBERY, .
T. M. McILVAINE,
B. CREMER,
H. W. WELLS,
EDWARD HINE,
CHAS. R. VANDERVORT,
R. C. GRIER,
HENRY ULLMAN,
Term expires 1894
" " 1894
" " 1894
1895
1895
1895
" " 1896
" " 1896
" 1896
M. GRISWOLD,
M. HENEBERY,
B. CREMER, .
OFFICERS.
PRESIDENT.
VICE-PRESIDENT.
SECRETARY.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Henebery, Grier, Vandervort.
Library and Reading Room Wells, Cremer, Mcllvaine.
Building and Grounds Grier, Ullman, Hine.
Administration Ullman, Vandervort, Griswold.
Binding Hine, Cremer, Wells.
Emilie E. Brendel,
Loura B. Grant,
Harry Werschutz,
Geo. F. Walker,
LIBRARY SERVICE.
Librarian E. S. WILLCOX.
Assistants :
Rose E. Reynolds,*
Anna L. Archer,
John M. Youngman,
In the Bindery :
Ruth McKenzie,
Alpha Van Tassel.
Mary B. Lindsay ,f
Elizabeth T. Ellis,
Maclay Booth.J
Rachel Garrabrant,
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Janitress Mrs. Mary Theena.
*Died September 10, 1893.
tResigned May 15, 1894.
+ During the summer vacations.
Report of the Directors.
To the Mayor and City Council of the City of Peoria :
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with the requirements of Chapter
8 1 of the revised statutes of the State of Illinois, the directors of the
Peoria Public Library herewith respectfully submit to your honorable
body the annexed report of our librarian, showing the condition of
the library May 3J, 1894; the receipts and disbursements of moneys,
the number and character of the books purchased and loaned out dur-
ing the year, and the whole number and character of the books now
composing the Peoria Public Library.
Respectfully submitted,
MATTHEW GRISWOLD,
President.
Report of the Librarian.
To the Board of Directors of the Peoria Public Library:
GENTLEMEN: I beg leave to present herewith our annual report
for the year ending May 31, 1894, being the lAth annual report of the
Peoria Public Library and the 37th annual report of the same library
since its first organization as the Peoria City Library.
GROWTH OF THE LIBRARY.
For detailed statistics I refer to the tabulated statements at the
end of this report.
The number of volumes in the library and in circulation one year
ago was 45,266. During the year there have been lost and paid for,
or worn out and withdrawn, 329 volumes, and there have been added
by purchase and gift 5,200 volumes, making the number in the library
ANNUAI> REPORT
and in circulation at the present time, 50,139, or, with duplicates and
pamphlets, a grand total of 54,327.
There are 70 cities in the United States larger than Peoria, but
only 19 libraries larger than ours, and, if I am not mistaken, only five
cities with libraries larger than ours in proportion to their population,
viz: Boston, Worcester, Springfield, New Bedford, and Taunton, all
in Massachusetts.
In addition to the current literature of the day the purchases of
the year have included an unusually large number of valuable works
and completed sets to supply deficiencies, for a partial list of which I
beg leave to refer below. It is a matter of no small pride that our
library possesses so large a collection of complete, or nearly complete,
sets of the standard periodicals, the great quarterlies and monthlies, in
which is gathered the cream of the best thought for the last hundred
years.
I have to report also a larger number than usual of valuable gifts
to the library from our own citizens, and there are many more prom-
ised us as soon as we have a reasonably fire-proof building in which
to store them.
It was a pious custom among the old Greeks and Romans, on
coming home from a sea voyage, to bring some votive offering to the
temple of Neptune in grateful recognition of their safe return. I beg
leave to commend this custom to the consideration of our friends who
travel in foreign lands.
CIRCULATION.
The circulation of books for the past year has been by far the
largest in any one year in the history of the library. For the year
1892.3 it was 96,382 volumes, the largest we had ever had; for the
year just closed it reached 119,860. For the three years following
the fire in the library in 1888, the average increase in circulation, year
by year, was 3,351. Year before last the gain in circulation sprang up
to more than double that average, to 6,738; this last year the gain has
been three and one-third times that again, viz: 23,478 volumes, or a
gain on the total circulation of the previous year of 231/3 per cent.
This gain is remarkable, and still more so that it is very evenly
distributed over all classes of books, and not, as might be suspected,
in the class of fiction mostly. Indeed, fiction shows a slight falling
off, being for this last year 44.48 per cent, of our total issues as com-
pared with 45.34 per cent, for 1892-93 and 46.90 percent, for 1891-92.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
I think it impossible to overestimate the pleasure and profit to be
derived by our public from the perusal in the course of a year of 119,-
860 volumes of carefully selected, entertaining and instructive books.
It tells in the general elevation of the character of our population, it
gives an impulse to the intellectual and spiritual life of our city, such
as could not be accomplished so easily in any other way.
The cultivation of the reading habit has become a necessity of
the first importance in our day as a corrective to the temptations that
assail the youth in our cities. There is no pleasure we can provide
for our young people so cheap, so innocent and so profitable as the
companionship of good books. I could, tell of many an anxious
mother who comes to our library in search of some attractive book
for her boy, if peradventure, by that means she may keep him off
the street and from bad companions at night.
THE CATALOGUE.
Work on our new subject catalogue, which includes at the same
time a complete revision of our entire card catalogue, has gone on
slowly. In January the board decided to suspend the work tempor-
arily and get out a Finding List of Fiction and Juveniles to meet a
more pressing demand. This Finding List, now completed and in
the hands of the printer, will be ready for issue shortly after July i.
It will be on sale at the desk at the very moderate price of 10 cents.
Work on the subject catalogue has been resumed.
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The plan adopted by the board three years ago of placing small
libraries of selected books in the public schools farthest removed
from the center of the city, was continued this year in the Sumner,
Garfield and Lee schools, and with still more gratifying results.
The selected books were given in charge of the respective prin-
cipals, Mr. Barnhart, Mr. O'Brien and Miss Beseman, and were
issued to their pupils under the same rules and restrictions as from
our main library. I am assured by the teachers that their pupils
manifest a real eagerness for the books, and this is further shown by
the number of issues, which was much larger than the year before;
being for the Sumner school 2,264, ^ or trie Garfield school 1,951 and
for the Lee school, the first year of the experiment in that school,
628 a total in the three schools of 4,832 vols., as against 2,160 in the
previous year.
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
Following is the number of books of each class, issued at the
Sumner School:
Travel and adventure, . . . . . . . 421
Fairy tales and legends, . '.' . . . . . 224
Science, . . . i :. . . . . . 197
Miscellaneous, ......... 122
History and biography, . . . . . . . 323
Fiction, . . . . . . .... 977
THE BINDERY.
We have kept one foreman and two assistants busy in the bindery
all the year and a third assistant a large part of the year, and could
employ still another to advantage in catching up with the large
amount of work constantly accumulating.
The number of new books received in paper covers, of weekly,
monthly and quarterly periodicals to be bound as each volume is com-
pleted, of old books to be rebound or repaired, and of the daily news-
papers, chiefly local, that must not be forgotten, runs up into the
thousands every year.
Besides this, one of the assistants is occupied a large part of her
time in preparing and entering our daily bundle of periodicals in their
respective cases, in providing all new books with pockets and labels
and in much patching up of old books, the cost of which in other
libraries that have no bindery, goes into the general salary account.
Of all the work done in the bindery the most expensive in the
way of time is the collating, preparing and binding of our local papers,
yet the large and increasing number we now have forms one of our
most valuable possessions, and one which, if lost or destroyed, it
would be absolutely impossible to replace. They preserve for us and
the future the daily history of our city.
THE ASSISTANTS.
On May 15 Miss Mary B. Lindsay of the cataloguing department
left us to accept the very nattering position of chief librarian of the
public library at Evanston, 111. We have thus lost during the year,
by the death of Miss Reynolds and the resignation of Miss Lindsay,
two of our most experienced assistants. Miss Ellis now takes charge
of the subject catalogue, and the other assistants remain substantially
as reported one year ago. I have no words but praise for their faithful
work, which, owing to our increased circulation, has been more than
usually arduous during the entire year.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
GIFTS.
Many of the most valuable acquisitions of a library come to it in
the shape of gifts, which are always welcome.
From other libraries, from public institutions and from individuals
we are in constant receipt of reports which are duly acknowledged
at the time.
Among gifts of a special value received during the year are the
following:
The Peoria Journal Co., for publishing our bi-monthly list of
new books.
Dr. W. G. Eggleston, Souvenir of Illinois Legislature; Draining
Channel and Waterway at Chicago.
W. M. Sterrett, thirteen vols. on Photography and Astronomy.
Aloys Zotz, by will, 185 vols. miscellaneous.
F. Cantelo, Spanish-English Dictionary, 2 vols.
Sunset Club, Chicago, 2 volumes of proceedings.
I. E. Wells, Supt. of schools, Wisconsin, Arbor Day and Wiscon-
sin Trees; Springtime and Arbor Day; List for township libraries.
Art Interchange Co., Picturesque Vienna.
Bishop J. L. Spaulding, Views of Education.
City of Minneapolis, Annual report for 1893.
I. C. Edwards, Book of Mormon, 3d edition.
Miss Jennie Bryan, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy.
Mr. Yorekitchi Matsumato, Japanese New Testament.
RARE AND VALUABLE PURCHASES.
Among the more noticeable purchases during the year are the
following:
New Eng. Historical and Genealogical Register, 45 vols.
Massachusetts Historical Society's Proceedings, 28 vols.
American Almanac, 1830-1861, 32 vols.
Spofford's Almanac, 1878-1889, 12 vols.
Spofford's Library of Choice Literature, 10 vols.
Lieber's Encyclopaedia Americana, 13 vols.
Reclus' Earth and its Inhabitants, 19 vols.
Magasin d' Education, 1864-1882, 35 vols.
Cabinet des Fe"es, 41 vols.
Thrum's Hawaiian Almanac, 1876-1893, 18 vols.
Hobbes' Works, 16 vols.
Priestley's Works, 8 vols.
8 THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
Tooke's History of Prices, 6 vols.
Halkett and Laing's Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudony-
mous Literature, 4 vols.
Wifltes' U. S. Exploring Expedition, 5 vols.
Asiatic Researches, 12 vols.
Percy Anecdotes, 20 vols.
Calderon, Comedies, 4 vols.
Lope de Vega, Comedies, 4 vols.
Annual Register, 1821-1831.
Christian Examiner, 19 vols., completing set.
Galaxy, vol. 3, completing set.
Knickerbocker Magazine, vols. 19-20.
New Review, vol. i, completing to date.
Niles' Register, vols. 27-28, completing 1-49.
Knowledge, vols. 1-7, completing to date.
Fortnightly Review, 28 vols., completing to date.
Blackwood, 37 vols., completing to date lacking i vol.
North American Review, 82 volumes, nearly completing to date.
Contemporary Review, 18 vols., completing to date.
British Almanac, 1829-1865, 37 vols.
Year-book of Facts in Science and Art, 1839-1872, 34 vols.
Monthly Review, 81 vols.
English Illustrated Magazine, 10 vols.
Classical Review, 7 vols.
Eclectic Magazine, 9 vols.
Littell's Living Age, vols. 51-56, 6 vols.
IN MEMORIAM.
The death of Miss Rose E. Reynolds, of the cataloguing depart-
ment of the library, on the loth of September, after a very short ill-
ness, was an irreparable loss to our working force, a loss, indeed to the
city. Miss Reynolds had been connected with the library for more
than five years, and of all our assistants was the best informed as to
the contents of the library. To a natural strength of character
and an amiability of disposition very rarely found united to such a
degree in one person, she had by the most assiduous labor added a
familiarity with books and the wants of the public which were of in-
estimable service to our large body of readers.
On the 1 2th of December occurred the death, after a lingering
illness, of Mr. James C. Dolan, one of the original members of the
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Public Library Board. From its first organization in April, 1880,
he served continuously until his death, a period of nearly fourteen
years. His long experience in municipal affairs as city collector,
alderman and mayor, combined with sound judgment and integrity of
character, made him a very useful and influential member of the
Board, and especially so in the earlier years of the library.
Mr. Chas. R. Vandervort was appointed to fill the vacancy
caused by Mr. Dolan's death.
CONCLUSION.
In looking back over the work of the year, while I am only too
well aware that our library might have done more for the people of
Peoria than it has done and it must do more next year- still it is a
satisfaction to know from our records and from our daily observation,
that in no former year has it ever done so much. The increase in cir-
culation of 23,478 volumes upon last year's total circulation of 96,382,
without in the least lowering the high quality of that circulation, is a
matter for congratulation. The large number of clubs for reading
and study, teachers, pupils in our schools, students of literature, art,
science and music, our cultivated people, and people seeking cultiva-
tion, resort to the library for help in increasing numbers each year.
The Public Library is becoming more and more a vital and stim-
ulating force in the intellectual life of our city.
" Let knowledge grow from more to more."
When we recall what our eyes have seen this past six months,
the wild tumult in the air, the swarms of crazy projects threatening
the existence of social order, we realize how dangerous, how cruel a
tyrant, ignorance may become.
For ignorance is power a tyrant and his club; but knowledge
too is power Jack the Giant-Killer.
It was Socrates, the wisest of the Greeks, who said, " There is
only one good, namely, knowledge, and only one evil, namely,
ignorance."
Respectfully submitted, '
E. S. WILLCOX,
Librarian.
Statistics for the Year 1893-1894.
RECEIPTS.
From city appropriation, ..... $14,743 83
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1893, ... 36 58
Fines, 430 44
Books damaged and paid for, ..... 4 20
Books lost and paid for, . . . . . < 15 45
Extra books loaned, . . . . . . 8 40
Duplicate cards, ...... . 5 75
Memberships, t ...... 14 oo
Duplicate books sold, ...... 6 50
Rebate on freight, ..,,... 63
$15,265 78
EXPENDITURES.
Books, , $4,927 47
Periodicals, ........ 780 55
Binding (labor), ....... 1,463 67
Binding (materials), ...... 240 50
Rent, 688 oo
Light, 343 69
Salaries, 5,459 54
Expense, 669 93
Stationery, ........ 184 41
Furniture and fixtures, ...... 160 76
Insurance, ........ 298 10
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1894, ... 49 16
$15,265 78
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June i, 1893, ....... 4,5 O1
Memberships issued during the year, 2,782
Total, 7,283
Memberships expired during the year, ...... 2,133
Memberships in force May 31, 1894, S^S
12
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June ist, 1893
Books in circulation, .... 45,266 vols.
Duplicates not in use, ....
Unbound pamphlets (estimated),
Losses
Lost and paid for, ... 16 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn, . 311 "
Total losses,
327 vols.
Additions
By purchase, . . . 4,232 vols.
By donation, . . " . 517 "
By periodicals bound, . . 451 "
Total additions, . .
Total books in circulation, .
Duplicates not in use, ....
Pamphlets, ...
Total contents May 31, 1894,
44.939 vols.
5,200 vols.
2,054 vols.
2,134 "
2,019 vols.
2,098 "
50,139 vols.
4, 1 88 vols.
54,327 vols.
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading-room
Dailies, ........... 10
Weeklies, ........... 61
Bi-weeklies, .......... 7
Monthlies, .......... 141
Bi-monthlies. .......... 10
Quarterlies, .......... 27
Total,
256
NUMBER OF VOLUMES ISSUED.
Philosophy, ....
Theology, ....
Social and Political Science,
Natural Science and Useful Arts,
Fine Arts and Poetry, ..
Fiction, .....
Juvenile Fiction, . . .
Literary Miscellany, ..
History and Travel, ..
Cyclopaedias and Periodicals, .
Total,
PER CENT.
749
0.63
1,302
I.O9
Si
4.66
3,599
3.00
53,3i2
44.48
30,150
25-I5
4,644
3-87
1 3,44 i
II. 21
5,229
4-36
119,860 100.00
Highest issue on any week day during 1893-4, Feb. 10, 1894, . 1,102 yols.
Lowest issue on any week day during 1893-4, Sept. 12, 1893, . 165 "
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* * oT w _- ' 2 ^ i c
U C _ Q) in ^^
" C ^ ~*~* "* iM W
SlililUll
3 S" O . TO "i H -. -i "r *->
PH H CO /5 fa &H K-,1-1 I! U
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept over time during the year,
Number of fine notices sent,
Number of notices to guarantors,
Number of notices for books reserved,
9. 2 97
877
15
455
The following table shows the number of volumes in each class June i,
1893, the losses and additions during the year, together with the total contents
of the Library May 31, 1894.
.a <s
a
C c
*4
Total vols. in
rft-t
1
S
Library
"? 2 -
o
3 ?
V
i.-
May 31, 1894.
- "5
"o J2
H %
rt b
O
-5
u
c
1
li
S-o
No.
Per
Cent.
Philosophy, ....
616
616
156
772
1-54
Theology, ....
1,831
I
.
1,830
170
2 OOO
3-99
Social and Political Sciences,
6,124
I
6,123
445
6,s68
13.10
Natural Sciences and Useful Arts,
5,4i3
I
54 1 2
394
5,806
u. 58
Fine Arts, Poetry and Music,
3,062
3
9
3,050
274
3,324
6.63
Fiction, .....
6,960
6
170
6,784
1,073
7,857
I5-67
Juvenile Literature, .
3,864
4
119
3,74!
676
4,4'7
8.81
Literary Miscellany,
3,758
i
3
3,754
33o
4,084
8.14
History and Travel,
9,163
i
8
9,i54
848
10,002
19-95
Cyclopaedias and Periodicals,
4,475
4,475
834
5,309
10.59
Total, . , . ..
45,266
16
3"
44.939
5,200
50,139
100.00
English,
German,
French,
Italian,
Spanish,
Latin,
Greek,
Japanese,
Danish,
Total,
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
5,200
Purchased,
Donations,
Periodicals,
Total,
517
5,200
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
BINDERY.
Books bound,
Newspapers bound,
Books rebound,
Books repaired,
Portfolios,
Total, .
687
1,557
565
90
2,949
SIZES.
32 24 16 12 8 4 Folios
3 74 586 843 489 145 154
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes,
Total, 2,294
655
Total, 2,949
ss.
STATE OF ILLINOIS,
COUNTY OF PEORIA,
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 2ist day of June, 1894, by E. S.
Willcox, Librarian.
LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
THE
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
38th Annual Report since its First Organization
as the Peoria City Library
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May *1,
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1895-96.
Term expires
R. C. GRIER,
HENRY ULLMAN,
CHAS. R. VANDERVORT, .
M. GRISWOLD, .
T. M. McILVAINE,
FRANK MEYER, .
B. CREMER,
L. F. HOUGHTON,
H. W. WELLS,
1897
1897
1897
R. C. GRIER,
H. W. WELLS,
B. CREMER,
OFFICERS.
PRESIDENT.
VICE-PRESIDENT.
SECRETARY.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Ullman, Houghton, Meyer.
Library and Reading Room Wells, Cremer, Mcllvaine, Vandervort.
Building and Grounds Mcllvaine, Vandervort, Grier.
Administration Houghton, Griswold, Ullman.
Binding Meyer, Cremer, Wells.
LIBRARY SERVICE.
Librarian E. S. WILLCOX.
Assistants :
Anna L. Archer,
Elizabeth T. Ellis,
John M. Youngman,
In the Bindery:
Ruth McKenzie,
Alpha Van Tassel,! Edith A - Q uinn -
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Janitress Mrs. Mary Theena.
Emilie E. Brendel
Loura B. Grant,
Harry Werschutz,
Geo. F. Walker,
Irene Stewart,
Maclay Booth,*
Jesse D. Akard.|
Rachel Garrabrant,
*Occasional.
tTwo months.
tUntil March ist.
From March ist.
Report of the Directors.
To the Mayor and City Council of the City of Peoria.
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with the requirements of Chap-
ter 8 1 of the revised statutes of the State of Illinois, the directors
of the Peoria Public Library herewith respectfully submit to your
honorable body the annexed report of our librarian, showing the
condition of the library May 31, 1895; the receipts and disburse-
ments of moneys, the number and the character of the books pur-
chased and loaned out during the year, and the whole number
and character of the books now composing the Peoria Public
Library. Respectfully submitted,
MATTHEW GRISWOLD,
President.
Report of the Librarian.
To the Board of Directors of the Peoria Public Library.
GENTLEMEN: I beg leave to present herewith our annual re-
port for the year ending May 31, 1895, being the I5th annual re-
port of the Peoria Public Library and the 38th annual report of
the same library since its first organization as the Peoria City
Library.
For detailed statistics I refer to the tabulated statements ap-
pended.
CIRCULATION.
The usefulness of a well selected library is measured by its
circulation, as the success of a mercantile enterprise is measured
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
by the amount of profitable sales. It is for this reason that we
watch our circulation closely, noting its varying per cent of in-
crease from year to year.
The circulation of books for the year just closed was 136,083
much the largest ever attained a gain of 16,223 over that of
the year ending May 31, 1894, and of 39,701 over that of the year
ending May 31, 1893. Meanwhile our membership has risen dur-
ing the year from 5,150 to 5,715.
In the early days of public libraries, while they were slowly
feeling their way into the best methods of management, it was
generally the rule to make up book orders very deliberately three
or four times a year, in large lots. After the books were ordered
a month might pass before they were received; another month or
two would be required to enter and catalogue them, and by the
time they were ready for issue to the public, the public had lost
its first interest in them. A dry-goods merchant who should re-
plenish his stock of goods after this manner would soon find his
sales-rooms deserted. He could not expect to draw customers by
a display, no matter how brilliant, of last year's novelties. The
same holds good in a public library, which caters to the general
public and not, like college and special libraries, to the learned
few. The patrons of a public library want their books at the
same time when the rest of the world is reading and discussing
them.
Your book committee have for the last few years pursued
this latter policy in the purchase of books, and the results are
shown in largely increased issues.
The circulation for the year ending May 31, 1882, was 48,703
The circulation for the year ending May 31, 1892, was 89,644
Total gain in circulation in 10 years 40,941
Or an average, gain each year of 4,094
The circulation for the year ending May 31, 1892, was 89,644
The circulation for the year ending May 31, 1895, was 136,083
Total gain in circulation in 3 years 46,439
Or an average gain each year of 1 5,480
This is a gain of 5,498 more in the last three years than in the
ten preceding years.
In a public library that can afford it, it is a matter of business
as well as a matter of satisfaction to see that books likely to be
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
5
called for either on account of the popularity of the writer or the
importance of the subject, shall be on its shelves ready for its
patrons as soon as they are on the shelves of the bookseller ready
for his customers. Of course, there is more risk of buying now
and then a worthless book than if we waited until the book was
a hundred years old and had become a classic or was forgotten,
yet, what is required of the book buyer is only the same art which
buyers in all lines of business have to learn, and which comes
from practice, experience, familiarity with books, literature, all
knowledge.
The character of the circulation, as will be seen from the
tables, shows but little variation from that of former years. Con-
trary, however, to the last two preceding reports fiction shows a
slightly increased demand, which is to be credited, at least partly,
to one or two popular novels which appeared during the year.
The percentage of fiction issued this last year, not including
juveniles, was 45^% per cent, as against 44^ per cent the year
before, an increase of ij 3 ^ per cent. At the same time the pur-
chases of fiction for the year were only 545 volumes out of 2,141
purchased, or 25/3% per cent, and the money spent for fiction was
$337, out of $2,361 spent on the purchase of books, or i4 T ^j per
cent.
The total issue from the Garfield, Sumner and Lee schools,
which, from October to June each year serve to some extent as
branch libraries, was 4,495 volumes. The books so issued are
read not only by the pupils but also, in a great number of cases,
as reported by the children, they are read with avidity by the pu-
pils' parents, who thus derive advantage from the library brought
more nearly within reach.
Following is the number of books of each class issued at the
three schools:
Lee.
Garfield
Sumner.
TotaJ.
Literature ....
12
67
220
283
61
276
823
655
62
349
772
915
'35
692
1,815
1,853
Science, Art, R
History, Biogra
Fiction, Fairy
Total..
eligion
phy, Travels
Tales, Legends
182
I.8K
2.008
4.4.01;
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
GROWTH OF THE LIBRARY.
The number of volumes in the library and in circulation one
year ago was 50,139. During the year there have been added by
purchase and gift 3,062. Deducting 380 volumes lost and paid
for or worn out and withdrawn, the number in the library and in
circulation at the present time is 52,821. This does not include
duplicates and pamphlets.
In the year 1893-94 the number of volumes added to the
library was 5,200, as compared with 3,062 this last year. The di-
minished number added this year is explained by the fact that for
the past six months, with the erection of a new library building
in prospect, it has been deemed a matter of prudence to husband
the resources of the library somewhat and buy fewer books until
it was known how much the building was going to cost.
THE CATALOGUE.
The work of revising and enlarging our system of classifica-
tion has gone on steadily during the year, and we hope to com-
plete the work easRy during the coming twelve months. The
number of new cards already in place in the drawers of the sub-
ject catalogue now exceeds 18,000.
In the Bindery we have employed one foreman and three as-
sistants constantly. The work done is shown in the appended
table.
GIFTS.
From other libraries, public institutions, societies and indi-
viduals we receive many reports, catalogues and pamphlets, which
are duly acknowledged at the time.
Among gifts of a special value received during the year are
the following:
The Peoria Journal Co., publishing our bi-monthly lists of new books.
Dr. F. Brendel, Humboldt's Essai Politique, 5 vols.
John E. McDermott, Selections from the Private Correspondence of James
Madison, i vol.
Am. Swedenborgian Publ. Society, Swedenborg's Works, 12 vols.
James S. Barkman, Godwin's Life of Bryant, 2 vols.
Wm. Hawley Smith, Walks Abroad, i vol.
M. W. Goss, Latin Bible, i vol.
S. W. Dodge, Boston Almanac, i vol.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Mrs. Mary W. Rouse, Miss Cobbe's Modern Rack, i vol.
Miss Mary Bestor, Large etching of St. Lorentz Platz, Nuremburg.
John H. Roth, Large photograph of St. Peter's, Rome.
Among the more valuable purchases during the year are the
following:
Macmillan's Magazine, 30 vols.
North American Review, 3 vols.
We lack now only seven volumes Vols. i, 2, 3, 4, 9, 68, 97 of a com-
plete set of the N. A. Review from 1815 to date.
Eclectic Review, 1809-1848, 80 vols.
New York Review, 1037-1842, 10 vols.
Am. Antiquarian, 1878-1890, 10 vols.
Appleton's Art of the World, 10 vols.
Appleton's Cyclopaedia of Applied Mechanics, 3 vols.
Savage's Genealogical Dictionary, 4 vols.
Reports of the New York Park Commissioners, 1858-1870.
Corneille, Oeuvres, 13 vols.
Shakespeare's, Scott's and Cooper's complete works in German.
THE ASSISTANTS.
The number of assistants remains the same as one year ago,
Miss Irene Stewart, a graduate of our High School and of Michi-
gan University, having been appointed to a place in the cata-
loguing room after the resignation of Miss Lindsay.
It is but justice to my able and amiable assistants to call your
attention to the fact that with a library membership 25 per cent
larger than it was 'four years ago, viz., 5,715 now, as compared
with 4,549 then, and a circulation 58 per cent, larger, viz., 136,083
now, as compared with 86,137 then, which means a proportionate
increase of work in all departments of the library, there has been
no increase in the number of assistants, but on the contrary, we
have one less than in 1891.
THE NEW LIBRARY BUILDING.
Since the spring of 1882 the Public Library has occupied
leased rooms in the Mercantile Library Building, corner of Main
and Jefferson streets. It has now the prospect of possessing a
new home of its own before another year comes round, and since
tne history of the library makes a not uninteresting chapter in the
history of our city, a short summary of it may be appropriate
here.
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
What is now the Peoria Public Library had its origin in the
autumn of 1855 in two small rival libraries the Peoria Mercantile
Library, organized October 22, 1855, and the Peoria Library As-
sociation, organized November 8, 1855, which, a year later, No-
vember 22, 1856, were very sensibly consolidated into one, under
the name of the Peoria City Library.
Every library begins with a gift of books from a few book
lovers, and some of the rarest and most valuable books in the
library to-day bear on their fly-leaves the names of its early found-
ers doctors, lawyers, business men intelligent, public-spirited,
far-seeing men, prominent in the early annals of our city.
For nearly ten years the library remained in a small third-
story room over what is now 3 1 1 Main street, and, until his death in
1863, the Rev. Thomas Griffiths, a man of scholarly attainments
and respected by all who knew him, was the librarian, succeeded
for two years by his son, Thomas H. Griffiths. The annual dues
were $2.00.
In the spring of 1865 the library was incorporated by a special
act of the Legislature as The Peoria Mercantile Library Associa-
tion, and the very handsome sum, for those days, of $13,262.50 was
raised in a few weeks by individual subscription for the purchase
of the house and lot corner of Main and Jefferson streets, 54x171
feet, now known as the Mercantile Library property. This cost
$10,000 as it stood. The building, a dwelling house, was remod-
eled inside, and here on this corner the library has continued to
remain until now.
In 1878 the old building was torn down and the present three
story library building erected, at a cost of more than $32,000,
with money borrowed on the property, provision being made to
pay off the debt gradually from the rents of offices and stores in
the building. Still, as a subscription library, with annual dues of
$4.00, the membership never exceeded 286 in any one year, and
the friends of the library felt then what now, with a free public
library membership of 5,700, is a well assured fact, that this was
not doing for our city what a public library ought to do.
Very naturally, therefore, when in 1880 the City Council
passed an ordinance establishing a Free Public Library, to be
supported by taxation, under the State Library law of 1872, pub-
lic sentiment was already ripe for it.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The first meeting of the nine directors, appointed by the
Mayor, Col. John Warner, was held April 20^ 1880, and shortly
after Mr. Fred. J. Soldan, of St. Louis, was chosen librarian.
April 19, 1881, the German Library gave their fine collection
of 1,900 volumes to the Public Library, and in the spring of 1882
the Mercantile Library Association turned over as a gift to the
Public Library, its entire collection of some 12,000 volumes, and
leased its rooms to the same for a term of years.
Mr. Soldan remained librarian, to the eminent satisfaction of
the public, until his untimely death, November 5, 1891. He be-
gan the library with nothing, and left it a well selected and well
arranged library of over 40,000 volumes.
He was succeeded by the present librarian.
Early in 1894 the overcrowded condition of the library had
become so pressingly noticeable that an agitation was begun to
purchase another site and erect a new building exclusively for
library purposes. The conditions were favorable. The Mercan-
tile Library Association owned valuable property, which, with the
growth of the city and by careful management, had risen in value
from $10,000 to $75,000, less a debt of $11,000 to $12,000, which
yet remained to be extinguished, and the Public Library owned
50,000 books. There was no good reason why the two should not
now unite in the one common object of giving Peoria a great li-
brary to be proud of, provided some method could be devised for
effecting the union satisfactorily to all parties.
At a meeting of the Directors of the Mercantile Library
April 8, 1894, the subject was discussed in all its bearings and the
initiative taken, the sense of the meeting being that an effort
should be made to secure a new location as soon as possible and
that a proposition should be made to the City Council to secure
its cooperation in the matter. A committee was also appointed
to obtain options on a suitable lot.
On the i8th of June the Directors of the Mercantile Library
took formal action by making the following proposition to the
City Council, in a communication addressed to that body, the
vote being without a dissenting voice, to-wit:
" Whereas, the Directors of the Peoria Mercantile Library Association be-
lieve it would be a wise disposition of their trust as owners of the valuable li-
brary property, corner of Main and Jefferson streets, Peoria, 111., to unite with
IO FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
the Directors of the Public Library in the common purpose of providing the
city of Peoria with a new and more commodious library building in a quieter
location, less exposed to danger from fire, and exclusively for library purposes,
and,
Whereas, at the suggestion of this Board the City Council of Peoria has
now under consideration the matter of appropriating $15,000, in three equal an-
nual instalments, for the purchase of a suitable site for such library building;
now, therefore,
Resolved, That if said City Council shall at its next regular meeting make
such appropriation, the Directors of the Peoria Mercantile Library Association
will at once proceed to advertise and, as soon as it can be done to advantage,
sell their property, corner of Main and Jefferson streets, the net proceeds of
such sale to be applied to the erection of such proposed library building, with
the understanding that upon the completion of such library building it shall be
and remain the exclusive property of the Board of Directors of the Peoria
Public Library, as existing under the Public Library Act of the Legislature of
the State of Illinois, approved and in force March 7, 1872.
Resolved further, That in our opinion the most satisfactory results will be
obtained by uniting the judgment and experience of the two boards the Peoria
Mercantile Library Board and the Public Library Board each with an equal
voice in selecting a site, adopting plans and in carrying the same out to a final
completion."
June 20, 1894, the City Council, after reciting the above pro-
position made to them by the Directors of the Mercantile Library,
took the following action without a dissenting voice:
"Resolved, That there shall be and is hereby appropriated the sum of
" fifteen thousand dollars to be applied towards the purchasing of a suitable site
" and grounds upon which to build and erect a new and appropriate Public Li-
" brary building for the City of Peoria and its inhabitants in pursuance of the
" foregoing proposition."
June 28, 1894, at a joint meeting of the two library boards, all
the members being present, the purchasing committee having re-
ported that they had purchased from Dr. S. O. Loughridge and
Mrs. Thos. Lindsay, subject to approval, three lots on Monroe
street, nearly opposite the Government Building, 108 feet front by
171 feet deep, beginning 144 feet from the corner of Main and
Monroe streets, for $16,000, it was voted unanimously that the
report of the committee be approved and their action concurred
in and ratified.
In August the Librarian was sent east to visit libraries, with
a view to the preparing of plans for the new library.
December 24, 1894, the Directors of the Mercantile Library
Association sold their property, corner of Main and Jefferson
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. II
streets, to Dr. W. A. Gray for the sum of $75,000, and on March
19, 1895, the joint building committee of six J. D. McClure, E.
S. Willcox and Philip Zell from the Mercantile Library Board,
and T. M. Mcllvaine, R. C. Grier and C. R. Vandervort from the
Public Library Board, selected Messrs. Richardson & Salter, of
this city, as architects, and instructed them to prepare plans.
July 10, 1895, bids were opened and the contract for the erec-
tion of the building was awarded to Mr. James Deal for $52,786,
he being the lowest of five bidders. This includes the erection of
the building, steam heating, plumbing, gas fitting and electric
wiring complete, but not the fire-proof framing, flooring and
shelving of the book or stack room. The work of excavating for
the foundation walls began the following morning, July 11.
The plans contemplate a three story building, 78x135, the
lower story front to be of Lake Superior red sandstone, the upper
stories and the rear to be of red brick with red stone trimmings.
The main delivery room and reading room will be on the second
floor with the book or stack room of five stories, each 7J4 feet
high from floor to floor, at the rear.
Since, for some years to come, it is not likely that the ground
floor rooms will be needed for library purposes, nor all of the
third story, the Directors have thought it not foreign to the ob-
jects of a public library to invite under their roof, and so concen-
trate around the library and foster, two other educational institu-
tions of our city. It is proposed therefore, to let the Peoria Sci-
entific Association occupy for the present, one-half of the first
story, With its large and valuable natural history collection, and
the Peoria Art League, one-half of the third story for a studio and
art gallery. There will still remain unassigned, one-half of the
first story, a convenient location for the Public School Board, if
they should desire it.
Concerning the choice of an inside lot for the new library it
may be not amiss to say: If the committee had had $150,000 at
their disposal their choice might have been different, but they had
not the half of that sum. The new library building will be a gift
out and out from the Mercantile Library Association to the City
of Peoria, from the proceeds of the sale of the Mercantile Library
property.
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
The site chosen is on one of the quietest streets in the heart
of the city, midway in the block between our two street car lines.
It is retired and yet easily accessible. The width of the lot, 108
feet, is sufficient to admit of a building of 78 feet front and still
leave 15 feet of open space on each side for light and air. Its
depth, 171 feet, will permit future extensions to the rear.
A corner lot as near the center of business, would have cost
much more money and would have demanded a more expensive
structure. It would also have exposed the library to greater an-
noyance from the noise and dust of street traffic. As it is now,
only one front is required, and future enlargement, which should
always be provided for, can be made by an extension of the stack
room towards the alley at the rear, without affecting the front
elevation and main building.
As planned, the library will be provided with all the delivery
rooms, reading rooms, study rooms and offices needed for 100
years to come, and, without any alteration of plans, our successors
here, fiftyyears from now, can extend the stack room onthesame
lines to accommodate 250,000 volumes more.
It will be seen then, that the committee, unless they were
willing to run the city in debt, found themselves compelled to
forego the pleasure of giving our people an imposing edifice, an
architectural ornament to our city, to point to with pride. They
had not the money to do it with. They confined themselves from
necessity to providing a plain, serviceable building for our own
every-day use, suitable for the convenient and secure storing, con-
sulting and issuing of books, for fifty or a hundred years to come.
Respectfully submitted,
E. S. WILLCOX,
Librarian.
Statistics for the Year 1894-95.
RECEIPTS.
From city appropriation $14,154 02
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1894 49 16
Fines 489 77
Books damaged and paid for 7 55
Books lost and paid for 12 10
Extra books loaned 8 65
Duplicate cards 8 10
Memberships 10 oo
Duplicate books sold 761
Catalogues sold 70 30
$14,817 26
EXPENDITURES.
Books $ 2,360 98
Periodicals 788 50
Binding (labor) ^569 14
Binding (materials) 178 40
Binding (tools and machinery) 16 85
Rent 688 oo
Light 336 51
Salaries 5.5Q2 25
Expense 778 41
Stationery . . 182 09
Furniture and fixtures 22 oo
Insurance 372 60
New library building 531 21
Real estate 1,101 89
Catalogues 336 1 5
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1895 52 28
$14,817 26
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June i, 1894 5,150
Memberships issued during the year 2,932
Total 8,082
Memberships expired during the year 2,367
Memberships in force May 31, 1895 5.7 1 5
14 FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June ist, 1894
Books in circulation 50,139 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,054 vols.
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 2,134 "
Losses-
Lost and paid for 21 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn 317 "
Given to the Bowman Library 42 "
Total losses 380 vols.
49,759 vols.
Additions
By purchase 2,141 vols.
By donation 462 "
By periodicals bound 459 "
Total additions 3,062 vols.
Total books in circulation 52,821 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,064 vols.
Duplicates given to the Bowman Li-
brary 108 "
1,956 vols.
Pamphlets 2,384 "
4,340 vols.
Total contents May 31, 1895 S7> 1 & 1 vols.
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading-room
Dailies 12
Weeklies 57
Bi-weeklies 9
Monthlies 132
Bi-monthlies 9
Quarterlies 33
Total 252
NUMBER OF VOLUMES ISSUED.
PER CENT.
Philosophy 894 0.66
Theology 1,174 0.86
Social and Political Science 1,867 1.37
Natural Science and Useful Arts 5,?86 4.25
Fine Arts and Poetry -. 3,944 2.90
Fiction 62,394 45-85
Juvenile Fiction 35>4 2 ' 26.03
Literary Miscellany 4,823 3.55
History and Travel 14,144 Jo-39
Cyclopaedias and Periodicals 5,636 4.14
Total 136,083 loo.oo
Highest issue on any week day during 1894-5, Feb. 23, 1895 1,265 v l s -
Lowest issue on any week day during 1894-5, Sept. 12, 1894 183 "
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
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FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept over time during the year 10.123
Number of fine notices sent 982
Number of notices to guarantors 54
Number of notices for books reserved 817
The following table shows the number of volumes in each class June i,
1894, the losses and additions during the year, together with the total contents
of the Library May 31, 1895:
Total vols. in
Library
May 31, 1894.
Lost and paid
for.
Worn out and
withdrawn.
Balance.
o
o
o
T3
is
;*
?%
6
Z
Total vols. in
Library
May 31, 1895.
No.
Per
Cent.
772
2.OOO
....
I
5
i
2
4
169
148
4
24
I
771
* >9 ? 5
6,565
5,804
5,319
7,680
4,267
4,079
9,971
5,308
34
121
471
289
I8 7
545
441
154
43
390
805
2,1 IO
7,036
6,093
3,506
8,225
4,708
4,233
IO,4OI
5,698
1.52
4.01
13.32
11.54
6.64
15-57
8.91
8.0 1
19.69
10.79
Social and Political Sciences..
6,568
5,806
3.3 2 4
7,857
4,417
4,084
IO.OO2
5,309
2
I
8
2
I
7
Natural Sciences and Useful Arts.
Fine Arts Poetry and Music
Fiction
Juvenile Literature
Literary Miscellany
History and Travel
Cyclopaedias and Periodicals
Total
50,139
21
359
49,759
3,062
52,821
IOO.OO
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English 2,864
German 140
French 41
Italian 2
Latin 15
Total 3,062
Purchased 2,141
Donations 462
Periodicals 459
Total 3,062
BINDERY.
Books bound 854
Newspapers bound 41
Books rebound 1,522
Books repaired 509
Portfolios 32
Total 2,958
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SIZES.
32 24 16 12 8 4 Folios
6 58 531 759 823 114 126 Total, 2,417
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes, 541
Total, 2,958
Fiction lists bound in paper, 797.
STATE OF ILLINOIS, >
COUNTY OF PEORIA, $
Subscribed and sworn to before me this loth day of June, A. D. 1895, by E.
S. Willcox, Librarian.
LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
THE
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
39th Annual Report since its First Organization
as the Peoria City Library
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May ?1, 1896
DIRECTORS OF THE PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY FROM ITS ORIGIN,
APRIL, 188O.
John S. Lee 1880 to 1889
James C. Dolan 1880 " 1894
Mathew Henebery 1880 " 1894
Bernard Cremer 1880 " date
Henry Ullman 1880 " date
Austin F. Johnson 1880 " 1884
J. M. Hutchinson 1880 1884
Chas. B. Allaire 1880 " 1883
Geo. B. Foster 1880 " 1886
James Millard 1884 " 1886
Matthew Griswold 1884 " 1896
Robert C. Grier 1884 " date
Henry W. Wells 1886 " date
DanF.Raum 1886 " 1889
Thos. B. Burnett 1889 " 1890
Geo. B. Foster 1889 " 1892
Thos. M. Mcllvaine 1890 " date
Edward Hine 1892 " 1895
Chas. W. Vandervort 1894 " date
Frank Meyer 1894 " date
Leonard F. Houghton - . . 1895 " date
Mark W. Goss. . ..1896 "date
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1896-97.
MARK W. GOSS, 322 South Washington Street . . .
THOMAS M. McILVAINE, 516 Main Street ....
FRANK MEYER, 1313 South Adams Street
BERNARD CREMER, German- American National Bank
LEONARD F. HOUGHTON, Peoria National Bank . .
HENRY W. WELLS, 325 Main Street
ROBERT C. GRIER, Board of Trade
HENRY ULLMAN, 120 South Washington Street . . .
CHARLES R. VANDERVORT, 519 N. Jefferson Ave. .
Term expires 1897
1897
" -1897
1898
1898
1898
1899
1899
1899
R. C. GRIER,
H. W. WELLS,
B. CREMER,
OFFICERS.
PRESIDENT.
VICE-PRESIDENT.
SECRETARY.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Ullman, Houghton, Meyer.
Library and Reading Room Wells, Cremer, Mcllvaine, Vandervort, Goss.
Building and Grounds Mcllvaine, Vandervort, Grier.
Bindery Meyer, Cremer, Wells.
Administration Houghton, Goss, Ullman.
Emilie E. Brendel,
Loura B. Grant,
Harry Werschutz,
LIBRARY SERVICE.
Librarian E. S. WILLCOX.
Assistants :
Anna L. Archer,
Elizabeth T. Ellis,
Irene Stewart,
John M. Youngman,
Maclay Booth.*
George F. Walker,
In the Bindery :
Richard J. Cross, J Ruth McKenzie,
Rachel Garrabrant, Edith A. Quinn.
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Janitress Mrs. Mary Theena.
The library is open for the delivery of books, except on Sundays and
holidays, from 9 A. M. until 8 P. M.; on Saturdays until 9 P. M.
Reading Room open from 9 A. M. until 9 p. M.; on Sundays, from 2 p. M.
until 6 P. M.
* Occasional, t Until April. J From April.
Report of the Directors.
To the Mayor and City Council of the City of Peoria.
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with the requirements of Chap-
ter 81 of the revised statutes of the State of Illinois, the directors
of the Peoria Public Library herewith respectfully submit to your
honorable body the annexed report of our librarian, showing the
condition of the library May 31, 1896, the receipts and disburse-
ments of moneys, the number and the character of the books pur-
chased and loaned out during the year and the whole number
and character of the books now composing the Peoria Public
Library. Respectfully submitted,
R. C. GRIER,
President.
Report of the Librarian.
To the Board of Directors of the Peoria Public Library.
GENTLEMEN: I beg leave to present herewith my report for
the year ending May 31, 1896, being the 16th annual report of the
Peoria Public Library and the 39th annual report of the same
library since its origin as the Peoria City Library.
For detailed statistics I refer to the tabulated statements ap-
pended.
The number of volumes in the library and in circulation one
year ago was 52,821. During the year there have been added by
purchase, gift and periodicals bound, 3,338 vols. Deducting 566
vols. lost and paid for or worn out and withdrawn, the number
in the library and in circulation at the present time is, 55,593.
This does not include duplicates and pamphlets.
6 SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
The circulation of books for the year just closed was 139,565
as compared with 136,083 for the year immediately preceding, a
gain of 3,482. Of these there were issued for home use 134,137
and for use in the library alone 5,428.
This latter item, 5,428, is, however, of very little value as a
matter of statistics, since no record is kept of the large number
of works of reference consulted from the open shelves in the
reading room, nor of the 261 periodicals always accessible to the
public without request, and only a very imperfect record is kept
of works of reference called for from the alcoves. An accurate
count of all works of reference consulted would have shown
probably more than 20,000 to the credit of room use instead of
5,428.
The gain in circulation of only 3,482 this year is disappoint-
ing when compared with that of our report one year ago, which
was 16,223. This is partly accounted for in our fiction issues.
For the year 1894-95 our issue of fiction and juvenile fiction
was 97,815 vols. or 71^^ per cent, of our total issue, while for this
last year our issue of fiction and juvenile fiction was 95,872 vols.,
or 68 T y o per cent, of our total issue; or, in other words, our total
circulation shows a gain of 3,482 vols. but a loss in fiction of 1,943
vols.
This falling off in fiction may be partly owing to the bicycle,
partly to a natural lassitude and reaction following after a number
of highly stimulating novels the year before, and also partly to
the fact that for two years now, for economic reasons, our book
purchases have been held somewhat in check until our new library
building shall be completed.
Furthermore, the experience of the last two years has made
librarians a little slow and somewhat shy in the purchase of fiction.
The well-earned reputation of a famous novelist, the honored
name of a great publishing house, these are no longer the guaranty
they once were of the fitness of a book for the public library.
According to our usual practice, we last fall placed a carefully
selected library in each of four of our city schools farthest re-
moved from the central library, viz:
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
In the Lee School 108 vols.
" " Sumner School 182 "
" " Douglas School 199 "
" " Garfield School 259 "
these school libraries thus serving to some extent as branch
libraries in their respective neighborhoods, for the families of the
pupils as well as for the pupils themselves.
The number and character of the books issued at each school
were as follows:
Garfield
Sumner
Lee
Douglas
Total
Literature
77
55
25
28
185
Science, Art, Religion
988
242
85
200
1,515
History, Biography, Travels..
Fiction, Fairy Tales, Legends
2,212
1,243
620
296
120
110
495
167
3,447
1,816
Total
4,520
1,213
340
890
6,963
The work of revising and amplifying our system of classifi-
cation was completed in March and a thorough revision and cor-
rection of our card catalogue is approaching completion. Our
new subject card catalogue, comprising more than 23,000 cards in
23 drawers, is now fairly complete, forming one of our most
valuable tools for daily use.
From other libraries, public institutions, societies and indi-
viduals we receive many reports, catalogues and pamphlets which
are duly acknowledged at the time. Among gifts of especial value
received during the year are the following:
The Peoria Journal Co., publishing our bi-monthly lists of new books.
Rev. S. H. Moore, Peoria, English art in 1884.
Geo. E. Dawson, Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of the Sanitary
District of Chicago, 1893, 1894, 1895.
Mr. Cantelo, Histoire generale de christianisme, by Bost, 4 vols.
James Barkman, Drown's Peoria directory for 1844.
J. B. Greenhut, American Jew as patriot and soldier, by Simon Wolf.
W. McRoberts, Rounding Cape Horn.
Hon. Rich. Dallam, Maryland, it's resources, industries, etc.
Sam'l. C. Busey, Personal reminiscences.
Chas. Gildehaus.In rhyme and time.
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Sarah Storrs Proctor Howe, The Storrs' family genealogy.
Hon. Bernard A. Eckhart, President Board of Trustees of the Chicago
Sanitary District, map of Drainage District, profile of the Illinois River, and
cross-sections of American and foreign canals.
Among the more valuable purchases during the year were:
Pugin, Examples of Gothic architecture.
Heitman's Historical register of the U. S. Army.
Kirkman's Science of railways, 12 vols.
American ancestry, 9 vols.
Coues' Expeditions of Pike, 4 vols.
Cram's Standard American railway atlas.
Huebinger's Standard Atlas of Peoria City and County.
Hazlitt, History of the Venetian republic.
Viollet le Due, Dictionnaire de 1' architecture, 10 vols.
Transactions and proceedings of the American society of civil engineers,
vol. 1 to date, 34 vols.
American naturalist, 1869-1874.
Annual register, 1820.
Journal of the Franklin institute, 1839, 1841, 1856-1860.
THE NEW LIBRARY BUILDING.
In our last report mention was made of the letting of the con-
tract for the new library building on Monroe Street.
This building, a gift from the Peoria Mercantile Library As-
sociation to the Peoria Public Library Board, is now completed,
all but the inside finishing, and has been carried through without
any material change in the original plans.
One considerable additional expense not originally provided
for, was decided on the artistic decoration of the ceiling and side
walls in the third and clere stories. The contract for doing this
work was given to Messrs. F. C. Peyraud and H. G. Maratta, of
Chicago, whose work so far as it has progressed, gives every
promise of most satisfactory results.
It is now confidently expected that the entire building will
be ready for occupancy by October 1st.
The number of assistants in the library and bindery remains
the same as one year ago, and to their faithful and obliging services
the smooth working of the library is chiefly due.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
MR. MATTHEW GRISWOLD.
Died, January 13th, 1896, Mr. Matthew Griswold in the
eightieth year of his age, a Director in this library and, until
prostrated by his final illness, its honored President.
Mr. Griswold was born in New York City, Nov. 20th, 1816,
of a family prominent in the early history of Connecticut and
distinguished likewise for an honorable mercantile career in the
City of New York.
He removed to Peoria in 1840. In 1855 he assisted in the
starting of the first public library here. In 1860 his name ap-
pears as one of the Directors, and, under its successive growths
into City Library, Mercantile Library and Public Library, con-
tinuously thereafter until his death. He was thus connected with
our Peoria library uninterruptedly for forty-one years, a Direc-
tor for thirty-six years, and for sixteen years of that time its
President.
This is an extraordinary if not a unique record of life long,
disinterested service in the interest of a public library.
It is hardly necessary to add, that Mr. Griswold was a man
of refined tastes, a liberal minded, public-spirited citizen, but by
those who were for years associated with him he will always be
remembered as something more as a man respected and beloved
by all who knew him, one of the kindest hearted men that ever
lived, a wise counsellor, a genial gentleman and a sympathetic
friend.
Mr. Mark W. Goss was appointed by the Mayor to fill out his
unexpired term of office.
Respectfully submitted,
E. S. WILLCOX,
Librarian.
Statistics for the Year 1895-96.
RECEIPTS.
From City appropriation '. $14,096 00
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1895 52 28
Fines 475 '97
Books damaged and paid for 9 30
Books lost and paid for 33 62
Extra books loaned 6 30
Duplicate cards 7 10
Memberships 7 35
Duplicate books sold 1 07
Catalogues sold 22 50
$14,711 49
EXPENDITURES.
Books $ 3,109 89
Periodicals 768 83
Binding (labor) 1,511 12
Binding (materials) 220 79
Rent 688 00
Light 373 78
Salaries 5,540 69
Expense 524 66
Stationery 245 45
Furniture and Fixtures 2 40
Insurance 411 70
New library building 1,272 62
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1896 41 56
$14.711 49
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June 1, 1895 5,715
Memberships issued during the year 2,890
Total 8,605
Memberships expired during the year 2,783
Memberships in force May 31, 1896 5,822
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 11
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June 1st, 1895
Books in circulation 52,821 vo^.
Duplicates not in use 1,956 vqls,
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 2,384, ,"
Losses
Lost and paid for 29 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn 537 "
Total losses . . . . 566 vols.
52,255 vols.
Additions
By purchase 2,544 vols.
By donation 347 "
By periodicals bound 447 "
Total additions 3,338 vols.
Total books in circulation 55,593 vols.
Duplicates not in use 1,966 vols.
Duplicates returned to Commissioner
of public documents 279 "
1,687 vols.
Pamphlets 2,738 "
4,425 vols.
Total contents May 31, 1895 60,018 vols.
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading-room
Dailies 12
Weeklies 58
Bi-weeklies 9
Monthlies 143
Bi-monthlies 7
Quarterlies 32
Total 261
NUMBER OF VOLUMES ISSUED.
PER CENT.
Philosophy 1,213 0.87
Theology 1,396 1.
Social and political science 1,742 1.24
Natural science and useful arts 6,774 4~.86
Fine arts and poetry 3,772 2.70
Fiction 61,566 44.11
Juvenile fiction 34,306 24.58
Literary miscellany 5,100 3.66
History and travel 17,654 12.65
Cyclopaedias and periodicals 6,042 4.33
Total . . . . 139,565 100.00
12
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Of the above, were taken for home use 134,137 vols.
. '{ I " issued in the Library 5,428 "
y Q \ Total 139,565 vols.
Highest issue on any week day during 1895 6, February 8, 1896 1,110 vols.
Lowest issue on any week day during 1895-6, July 17, 1895 218 "
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept over time during the year 9,940
Number of fine notices sent 1,203
Number of notices to guarantors 52
Number of notices for books reserved 558
The following table shows the number of volumes in each class June 1,
1895, the losses and additions during the year, together with the total contents
of the Library, May 31, 1896:
Total vols. in
Library.
May 81, 1895.
Lost and
paid for.
Worn out aud
withdrawn.
Balance.
No. Volumes
added
1895-96.
Total Vols. in
Library,
May 31, 1896.
No.
Per
Cent.
Philosophy
805
2,116
7,036
6,093
3,506
8,225
4,708
4,233
10,401
5,698
1
....
1
8
13
3
2
"i
"i
i
300
226
6
1
1
804
2,115
7,036
6,091
3,504
7,917
4.469
4,224
10,398
5,697
30
99
381
341
140
669
692
164
461
361
834
2,214
7,417
6,432
3,644
8.586
5,161
4.388
10,859
6,058
1.50
3.98
13.34
11.57
6.56
15.45
9.28
7.89
19.53
10.90
Theology
Social and political sciences
Natural sciences and useful arts . .
Fine arts, poetry and music
Fiction
Juvenile literature
Literary miscellany
History and travel
Cyclopaedias and periodicals
Total . .
52.821
29
537
52.255
3.338
55.593
100.00
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English 3.131
German 173
French . . 33
Latin
1
Total 3,338
Purchased 2,544
Donations 347
Periodicals. . 447
Total 3,338
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
13
Philosophy
Theology
Social science
Natural science, useful
Fine arts and poetry. . .
Fiction
Juvenile fiction
Literary miscellany . . .
History and travel
H
Philosophy
Theology
Social science
Natural science, useful
Fine arts and poetry. . .
Fiction
Juvenile fiction
Literary miscellany . . .
History and travel
Cyclopaedias and perioi
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14 SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
BINDERY.
Books bound 419
Books rebound 1,831
Books repaired 2,591
Portfolios . . 53
Total 4,894
SIZES.
32 24 16 12 8 4 Folios
15 90 576 961 441 112 55 Total, 2,250
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes 2,644
Total 4,894
Fiction lists bound in paper 423
Fiction lists check bound 30
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian.
STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) gs
COUNTY OF PEORIA, >
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th day of June, A. D. 1896, by E.
S. Willcox, Librarian.
LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
THE
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
AM) THE
Fortieth Annual Report since its First Organization
as the Peoria City Library
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May 31, 1897
FIRST PLOOR.
FLOOR PLA.M -
PUBLIC LIBRARY- -PcroRi A ILLINOIS-
FLOOR PLAA<-
DIRECTORS OF THE PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
FROM ITS ORIGIN, APRIL, 1880.
John 8. Lee 1880 to 1889
James C. Dolan 1880 " 1894
Mathew Henebery 1880 " 1894
Bernard Cremer 1880 " date
Henry Ullman 1880 " date
Austin F.Johnson 1880 " 1884
J. M. Hutchinson 1880 " 1884
Chas. B. Allaire 1880 " 1883 -
Geo. B. Foster 1880 " 1886
James Millard 1884 " 1886
Matthew Griswold 1884 " 1896
Robert C. Grier , . 1884 " date
Henry W. Wells 1886 date
Dan F. Raum 1886 " 1889
Thos. B. Burnett 1889 " 1890
Geo. B. Foster 1889 " 1892
Thos. M. Mcllvaine 1890 " date
Edward Hine 1892 " 1895
Chas. R. Vandervort 1894 " date
Frank Meyer 1894 " 1897
Leonard F. Houghton 1895 " date
Mark W. Goss 1896 " 1897
Samuel D. Wead 1897
James P. Nailon 1897
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1897 98.
BERNARD CREMER, German-American National Bank, Term expires 1898
LEONARD F. HOl'GHTON, Peoria National Bank " " 1898
HENRY W. WELLS, 325 Main Street " 1898
ROBERT C. GRIER, Board of Trade " " 1899
HENRY I'LLMAN, 120 South Washington Street " " 1899
CHARLES R. VANDERVORT, 519 N.Jefferson Ave " " 1899
THOMAS M. McILVAINE, 516 Main Street " " 1900
.SAMUEL D. WEAD, 129 N.Jefferson Ave " " 1900
JAMES P. NAILON, 310 Liberty Street " " 1900
OFFICERS.
R. C. GRIER, . . . PRESIDENT.
H. W. WELLS, . . . VICE-PRESIDENT.
B. CREMER, . . ' .' . SECRETARY.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Ullman, Cremer, Nailon.
Book Wells, Yandervort, Wead.
Executive Grier, e.\-offido, Mcllvaine, Houghton.
LIBRARY SERVICE.
Librarian E. S. WILLCUX.
Assistants :
Emilie E. Brendel, Anna L. Archer, John M. Youngman,
Loura B. Grant,* Elizabeth T. Ellis, Maclay Booth,*
Harry Werschutz.t Irene Stewart, Harold H. Willcox,
Helen M. Ballard.
In the Bindery :
Richard J. Cross, Ruth McKenxie,y\
Rachel Garrabrant, Edith ifci Quinn.
Evening- Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Engineer John J. Steiger.
Jaiiitress Mrs. Mary Theena.
The Library is open for the delivery of books, except on Sundays and
holidays, from 9 A. M. until 8 i>. M.; on Saturdays until 9 i>. M.
Reading Room open from 9 A. M. until 9 i'. M.; on Sundays from 2 i. M.
until 6 P. M.
H'ntil Dec. 12. +Until March. JFroin February. (jFroin March. Occasional.
Report of the Directors.
To the Hon. John Warner, Mayor, and to the Members of the City
Council of Peoria :
On behalf of the Directors, the Annual Report of the Public
Library, as required by the statute, is hereby submitted.
The library year terminating May 31, 1897, has been of more
than usual interest to the citizens of Peoria. The year was especially
eventful by the completion and occupation of the new library build-
ing, February it. This coming into possession of a permanent
home, ample in proportions for library use for many years to come,
with all the appliances suggested by library experience as developed
in similar enterprises in different sections of our country, attractive
in appearance, and in all ways a structure worthy of commendation,
is a cause for sincere congratulation. We may refer to it as a new
era from which to date renewed interest and increased usefulness.
It is a strengthening of foundations, a spur to activity in library
affairs.
Library development in Peoria, with its beginning more than
forty years ago, is interesting in review. There was the early effort in
the day of small things. The energetic devotion of citizens with the
higher good in mind during years of struggling effort. Then an en-
thusiastic rally, resulting in the Mercantile Library being charter-ed.
There were liberal subscriptions and endowments, careful manage-
ment, judicious investments, and an abiding hope during thirty years
of a result that would grant lasting benefits to library interests in
Peoria.
Soon after the founding of the Free Public Library in 1880, it
received as a donation the valuable collection of books, the property
IO SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
of the Mercantile Library Association, and in 1895 the commercial
assets, about $70,000, as represented in the new Public Library
building.
The year in review, as you may note by the Librarian's report
herewith, shows advance possibly commensurate with the facilities at
hand. The current year and present equipment should note decided
advancement.
The Public Library is the property of all the citizens of Peoria.
There can be no difference of opinion as to the great good possible,
and benefits to be derived by its frequent use. There is anxiety by
your Directors that there should be better and more extended appre-
ciation of the library by the people of all conditions, all ages, all
faiths, without in any way even an appearance of discrimination.
It is the intention of the Directors and those especially charged
with administration, to extend, through the medium of the public
schools, the advantages of the central home to more distant portions
of the city, thus affording better facilities for selection and securing of
books desired.
If possible, it is our desire to arrange, at the larger industries,
for supplying the desires and needs of working men unable to come
to the central location, either because of distance, expense, or lack of
time. This feature is under discussion and investigation.
We deem it our duty to leave nothing undone; to extend to all
who will accept, the benefits of the Public Library.
We wish to popularize. Your Directors are ready to drop old
established ways and adopt improvements and new ways; are not
wedded to ideas and plans that do not satisfy or please the public
our constituents.
In visiting the Library, if there is an air of constraint or discip-
line, we wish to displace it with a home feeling. We can trust to
good common sense and a natural tendency of propriety on all occa-
sions for a proper standard of library good manners. Pleasant antici-
pations should always accompany a visit to the library. Attention
and faithful service are sure to gain the respect of all who enter our
doors.
t>EORIA PUfci.IC I.IBHAilV. il
We wish to express our appreciation of the ability and satisfac-
tory performance of duty on the part of the young ladies and gentle-
men employed in the library.
We have pleasure in acknowledging the disposition of successive
Mayors and Council men to liberally appropriate and provide for the
support of the library.
Respectfully,
R. C. GKIEK, President.
Report of the Librarian.
To the Board of Directors of the Peoria Public Library :
GENTLEMEN: I beg leave to present herewith my report for
the year ending May 31, 1897, being the Seventeenth Annual Report
of the Peoria Public Library and the Fortieth Annual Report of the
same library since its origin as the Peoria City Library.
For detailed statistics I refer to the tabulated statements ap-
pended.
The number of volumes in the library and in circulation one
year ago was 55,593. During the year have been added by purchase,
gift, and periodicals bound, 3,000 volumes. Deducting 488 volumes
lost and paid for, or worn out and withdrawn, the number in the
library and in circulation at the present time is 58,105. This does
not include duplicates and pamphlets.
The circulation for the year was 138,464, a falling off of 1,101
from that of the preceding year. But for the interruption caused by
closing the library eighteen days in January and February for re-
moval, the circulation would have exceeded that of last year.
According to our usual practice, we last fall placed a carefullv
selected library in each of three of our city schools farthest removed
from our central library, viz :
In the Douglas School 174 vols.
" Sumner School 228 "
" Garfield School 257 "
12
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
these schools thus serving to some extent as branch libraries in their
respective neighborhoods, for the families of the pupils as well as for
the pupils themselves.
The number and character of the books issued at each school will
be found under Statistics for the year.
The gratifying interest shown by both parents and children in
these issues from the schools leads us to expect much larger demands
upon us for the coming year, when three more schools the Blaine,
Lee and Whittier will be supplied in the same manner.
Our card catalogue of authors, titles and subjects, arranged in one
alphabetical order on the dictionary plan, has been completed and is
now kept up to date. It comprises over 75,000 cards in 82 drawers, and
is conveniently placed near the delivery desk. From the constant use
of it by our public, it appears to be well understood and much appre-
ciated.
No exact inventory of the books in our library has been taken
since 1889. The removal into our new building and the more con-
venient arrangement of the books in the new quarters gave us an
opportunity to take such an account of stock with the following
result:
BOOKS MISSING AT THE TAKING OF INVENTORY,
Class.
2 ^
1889.
616
,,
1 7 14. .
31
35 63
33
6468..
24
69
211
70
192
7178. .
38
7Q 07. .
159
98-100. . . .,
36
626
1897.
\
I
7
26
J 4
77
65
16
22
9
241
Of the 626 volumes missing in 1889, 16 were found while taking
the present inventory.
In our scheme of classification, classes 2-63 include philosophv,
religion, social, political and natural science, and useful arts. 69 is
fiction, 70 is juveniles, 71-78 literature, and 79-100 geography and
travels, history, biography, and miscellaneous.
PUBLIC LIBRARY. 13
REFERENCE WORK.
A good test of the usefulness of a library lies in its ability to
furnish answers to the thousand and one questions ranging over the
entire field of human inquiry, which are brought to it for solution;
for a great library is the modern Delphic oracle to whose portals all
Greece, all the world, comes questioning, and the priestess of Apollo,
sitting on her tripod there, must give no ambiguous answer.
Our library is now so large and, what is still better, so well
balanced in its various departments, that very few questions are likely
to arise which have not their answer somewhere within its four walls
if we only know just where to look for them. The greater number
of inquiries are easily answered by the regular assistants at the de-
livery counter; but for the prompt and satisfactory answer to more
recondite questions from students, teachers, reading clubs, and investi-
gators pursuing special subjects, a much more than average acquaint-
ance with the contents of books is needed. One of our assistants,
well equipped for such work from having just finished the re-classi-
fying and cataloguing of the library, has been assigned to this duty.
Her reference or information desk is conveniently placed in a corner
of the reading room near the card catalogue case, and I am sure that
this new department will become one of the best appreciated and
most serviceable to the public of any in the Library.
THE NEW LIBRARY.
The one memorable event of the year for us was the completing
and occupying of our new library building on Monroe street.
How it came about that the City of Peoria became the recipient
of so splendid a gift to one of its institutions from another of its insti-
tutions is recounted in the historical address given at the opening
exercises of the new library.
The total cost of the building, not including the land, for which
the city paid $16,000, nor counting such improvements as paving,
etc., that is, the cost of the building proper, was $67,856.34, and'this
amount was paid entirely by the Peoria Mercantile Library Associa-
tion, from the proceeds of the sale of their property, corner of Main
Street and Jefferson Avenue. Nor should it be forgotten that the
Mercantile Library Association had already, in January, 1882, given
to the Public Library its entire collection of books, 12,000 volumes,
the careful accumulation of seventeen years, forming thus the nucleus
of our present library.
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
The following tabulated statement cannot but be of interest, not
only to the members of the two library boards, but also to every
citizen of Peoria:
STATEMENT of moneys received and expended by the Peoria Mercantile
Library Association in closing up its affairs and in erecting the Peoria
Public Library building.
January i, 1895
The Mercantile Library had on hand from rents ..... $754.91
Rents collected to April i .......................... 2,519.30
Interest on bank balances to May 3, 1897 ............ 385.73
- $3,660.53
January-September, 1895
Paid out Expense items .......................... $548.73
Taxes and assessments ................... 1,690.05
2,238.78
Leaving balance to apply on bonds $1,421.75
Outstanding bonds
Paid January 2 to March i, 1895 $i 1,237.34
Paid from rents $1,421.75
Paid out of W. A. Cray's payments 9,815.59
- $11,237-34
W. A. Gray's purchase payments $75,000.00
Interest on deferred payments $2,795.00
Less interest on advance payments 123.07
- $2,67193
Total received from W. A. Gray , $77,671.93
Paid from this on bonds 9,81 5.59
Total put into the Library bnilding $67,856.34
As follows
James Deal, on contract $54,510.20
" " " extras 1,176.49
$55,686.69
Snead Iron Works, stacks 6,820.00
Richardson & Salter, architects 3,427.73
Peyraud & Maratta, artists 1,164.42
Truesdale Co., shelving 311.60
Legal and other advice i "6.60
Insurance 150.00
J. A. Bush, extra painting 89.30
\V. F. Wagner, oiling front wall 30.00
Total cost of Library building $67,856.34
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 15
The library .was finally closed for removal on January 25, 1897,
and the entire collection of 60,000 volumes was transferred a distance
of three blocks and put in order in the new building, in six days by
two men, seven high school boys and one team, at a total cost of
$221.91, or less than 3/6 of a cent per volume.
The building is on Monroe street, nearly opposite the post office,
half way between Main and Hamilton streets. It was not placed on
a corner lot for the reason that corner lots cost much more than in-
side lots, and a public edifice on a corner would require at least two
architecturally finished fronts instead of one. This would have in-
volved an additional cost in land and building of not less than $20,000
which, in their circumstances, the committee felt bound to take into
consideration.
But there was another weighty reason besides that of economy
for choosing the site they did. Business men do not plan and locate
their workshops and warehouses with a view to an imposing archi-
tectural effect on strangers visiting the city, but rather with the more
practical object of best serving their purpose as workshops and ware-
houses. Now a library is pre-eminently, and more so than most
public buildings, a warehouse and a workshop.
As a warehouse, its function is to store books conveniently and
safely; as a workshop, it is a place for quiet reading and study; and
for both purposes it requires above all things, protection from the
noise and dust of street traffic. These objects are better secured on
an inside lot than on a corner lot; and if, as in our case, ample space
for light and air is provided on both sides of the building, it would
seem that for Peoria at least no better choice of location could have
been made.
The test of several months' use of the new building has now set
the seal of approval on the work of the building committee. If we
may believe what our fellow citizens say, and the many commenda-
tions we hear from strangers, and especially from other librarians,
our city is very much to be envied in its new Public Library; bift we
who work here daily know better than anybody else how convenient
it is and how wisely it was planned.
i6
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL
SOME OF THE MORE IMPORTANT GIFTS TO THE LIBRARY,
JUNE i, 1896, TO MAY 31, 1897.
Rev. John McCarthy, Morton
Miscellaneous books, 16 v.
Miss Mary Bartlett
Putnam's Magazine, 6 v.
Atlantic Monthly, 14 v.
Century, 8 v.
Harper's Magazine, 11 v.
Miss Rebecca Lightner
British poets, 127 v.
Miscellaneous books, 41 v.
Miscellaneous magazines, 50 v.
Transcript Co.
Peoria National Democrat, 44 v.
Peoria Transcript, 88 v.
Miscellaneous newspapers, 39 v.
Mr. E. P. Sloan-
Democratic Press, 7 v.
Temperance Advocate, 2 v.
Steel engraving: Henry Clay ad-
dressing the Senate.
Mr. Thomas Cooper, Pekin
Mexican idol.
Major Wells
Bust of Benjamin Franklin.
Mr. J. S. Starr
Bust of Col. Ingersoll.
Mr. Walter Wyatt
One Barometer-thermometer.
Mr. J. H. Roth-
Large photograph of the Coli-
seum.
Mr. Henry P. Wilber
One large wall map of the U. S.
The Peoria Journal Co.
Publishing our bi-monthly lists of
new books.
The number of assistants in the library and bindery remains the
same as one year ago. Two of our number, Miss Grant and Mr.
Werschutz, resigned during the year to assume other duties, carrying
with them the best wishes of -4ill who were acquainted with their
faithful service here for seven and nine years respectively. Their
places were rilled bv high school graduates who had given us occa-
sional help before.
To the members of the library staff, the thanks of the librarian
are due for cordial cooperation, faithful performance of their duties,
and prompt and courteous service of our public.
Respectfully submitted,
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian.
Opening Exercises
OF THE
New Library Building,
FEBRUARY n, 1897.
Thursday afternoon, February n, 1897, Peoria's imposing and handsome
new library building was thrown open to the public, and between the hours
of two and five it was visited and admired by throngs of people, and the pic-
tures exhibited by the Peoria Art League in their gallery were inspected.
In the evening the dedication exercises took place, and the chairs placed
on the main floor and around the gallery were all occupied and many people
stood.
Philip Zell, acting President of the Mercantile Library Board, presided,
and on the platform with him sat Dr. A. fit Draper, President of the University
of Illinois; Robert C. Grier, President of the Free Public Library Board, and
Mayor Allen. Members of the boards and of the City Council and speakers
of the occasion sat near by.
Mr. Zell said: "It is a pleasing duty to call this meeting to order upon
the occasion of the opening and delivery to the public of a building for a pub-
lic library, for the school board, for a depository of objects of natural history,
art and science, for the education, culture and refinement of the people. The
seed planted forty-one years ago has grown into a state! v tree. I hope it will
continue to grow, blossom and bear good fruit."
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
.-
E. S. Willcox, the Public Librarian, then delivered an historical address,
as follows:
At the end of a long day's march it is but natural that we shonld gather
round the evening camp-fire, and, while we rest and catch breath for another
day's journey, talk over the obstacles we encountered, the battles we fought,
and shed a tear in memory of comrades fallen by the way.
The Peoria Public Library traces its genealogy back forty-one years, to
the autumn of 1855, when two rival libraries were started here the Mercantile
iS SEVENTEEMTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Library on October 22d, and the Peoria Library two weeks later, on November
8th. The Rev. J. R. McFarland was the moving spirit of the first, and the
Rev. J. W. Cracraft, of the second, as I am informed.
Prominent in the organization of this first Mercantile Library were B. L.T.
Bourland, Onslow Peters, A. P. Bartlett, A. J. Hodges, D. M. Cummings, G. F.
Harding, C. C. Bonney, Dr. J. D. Arnold, Isaac Underbill, Timothy Lynch,
Philo Holland, G. W. Fridley and E. B. Elwood; and in the Peoria Library,
A. G. Tyng, Geo. T. Metcalf, A. G. Curtenius, E. N. Powell, H. B. Hopkins,
Geo. C. Bestor, N. B. Curtiss, Jacob Gale, Dr. R. Rouse, Dr. J. C. Frye, Wel-
lington Loucks and J. P. Hotchkiss; the two libraries embracing thus in their
organization nearly all the leading men of the city at the time.
One naturally inquires, why two separate libraries were started here at the
same time. It was a question, I am told, between the so-called liberals and the
orthodox, incited by the evil one himself, \ve might suppose, but mark how
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will."
I doubt if the most cunning ingenuity could have contrived a more effect-
ive plan for starting a library in a small town, as Peoria then was, than by
fanning just such a hot rivalry between opposing theological forces. The
whole town was stirred from end to end; everybody took sides and joined in;
everybody brought books or money to his favorite library; and, as a conse-
quence, when, a year later, the two libraries were very sensibly consolidated
under the name of the Peoria City Library, they had as choice a collection of
some 1,500 volumes as probably any young library ever had in a city of our
then size. And the gratifying thing about it all is, that since the day when
the two libraries were brought together under one roof, there has never been
any trouble; not an unkind word has passed between John Calvin and Joseph
Priestley, disciple of Servetus; not a sour look between Jonathan Edwards and
William Ellerv Channing, although they have stood there on our shelves*
elbow to elbow, for upwards of forty years.
Of these early founders of our Library, B. L. T. Qourland, A- G. Tyng,
Jacob Gale and A. J. Hodges are still living here; Geo. F. Harding and C. C.
Bonney are in Chicago, and Timothy Lynch is, or lately was, in San Francisco.
When I first became a director in the City Library, in January, 1865, the
initiation fee was, if I remember rightly, $2.00, the annual dues were $2.00,
and the membership considerably less than 200. It was a good, well-selected
library for the time and place. I think I enjoyed access to those few, choice
books, some 2,000 then, as much as I do our 60,000 now; for you cannot
very well master more than 2,000 standard books in ten years.
In the spring of 1865 a new board of younger men seized the reins, and a
new impetus was given to the library by incorporating it as the Peoria Mer-
cantile Library Association. The charter was obtained by our then member
of the Legislature, Alex. McCoy, Esq., and the charter members were Tobias
S. Bradlev, John L. Griswold, Lewis Howell, D. C. Farrell, Matthew Griswold,
Lorin Grant Pratt, H. G. Anderson, Asahel A. Stevens, John Boyd Smith and
E S. Willcox, four of whom are still living here.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Under this private charter the Mercantile Library Association has con-
tinued to work until now.
While the charter was on its passage through the Legislature, meetings
were held and a subscription started to raise funds, and, largely through the
personal solicitation of L. G. Pratt, Esq., ably seconded by the entire Board,
the very handsome sum of $13,262.50 was secured, with $10,000 of which the
John L. Griswold property, corner of Main Street and Jefferson Avenue, was
bought.
It was a splendid showing for those days, thirty-two years ago. It laid the
foundation for all the success which may attend our Public Library in the
future. We were proud of what we accomplished in 1865, and the slender band
of us who survive to witness this consummation in 1897 may be pardoned, I
hope, if we are proud of it still.
Following is a complete list of the original subscribers a list which de-
serves to be held in grateful remembrance as long as this building stands; for
it was their money, carefully administered for thirty-two years, that built it:
Tobias 8. Bradley.
Lewis Howell,
One Thousand Dollars.
Five Hundred Dollars.
D. C. Farrell, John L. Griswold.
Three Hundred Dollars.
Charles P. King.
Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars.
Horatio N. Wheeler, Jacob Littleton, Thos. S. Dobbins,
L. G. Pratt, Tyng & Brotherson, Sidney Pulsifer,
Matthew Griswold, Adler, Nusbaum & Higbie.
W. A. Willard &-Co.,
T. C. Moore,
E. H.Jack,
George Field & Co.,
Washington Cockle,
W. H. Chapman.
Jacob Gale,
T. J, Darby,
John C. Proctor,
S. H. Thompson,
John C. Mahler,
C. W. Parks,
G. N. Walker & Co.,
Samuel Voris & Co.,
Andrew Young,
Two Hundred Dollars.
Richard S. Cox,
H. G. Anderson,
Robinson & Co.,
Philip Zell,
Ingersoll & Puterbaugh.
One Hundred Dollars.
Roswell Bills,
John Hamlin,
E. D. Hardin,
John B. Smith,
Robert Strehlow,
Isaac Underbill,
G. H. Mcllvaine,
Louis Greene,
W. Carroll,
M. Henebery,
Nelson Burnham,
A. P. & P. C. Bartlett,
Day Bros.,
E. F. Nowland, Jr.,
C. S. Clark,
McCoy & Straut,
R. D. McClure & Co.,
A. Allison,
Chas. Fisher,
H. C. Cleland,
J. E. McClure & Co.
(the "Co." R. C. Grier),
N. B. Curtiss,
Moses Pettengill,
Martin & Eastman.
20
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Bishop & Co.,
Alexander McCov,
H. I. Chase,
Robert A. Smith,
J. A. Troup,
John Babcock,
Isaac Moore,
Charles Ulricson,
A. L. Matthies,
Henry Nolte,
J. P. Bean,
D. H. Tripp,
Chas. A. Taylor,
F. J. Comstock, *
N. K. Beasley,
J. & D. C. McFadden,
William Truesdale,
C. W. Rees,
Henry Grove,
M. P. Stone,
D. J. Calligan,
W. B. Iyon,
R. M. Pinkney,
C. C. Dewitt,
Peterson & Wood,
W. C. Strickler,
David McCulloch,
Fifty Dollars.
B. L. T. Bourland,
J. K. Cooper & Moss,
Z. N. Hotchkiss,
Charles Raymond,
Joseph Huber,
John H. Francis,
V. Dewein,
Thomas Neil,
Twenty-five Dollars.
Wm. Miller,
Wm. H. Davis,
H. Sandmeyer,
Camblin & Taylor,
Newman & Ullman,
Wm. D. Voigt,
Geo. W. H. Gilbert,
N. S. Tucker,
John Milehan,
P. W. Dunne,
A. Frank,
G. H. Kettelle,
Wm. Rutherford,
P. Bender,
Thomas Cratty,
Chas. Holland,
C. P. Taggart,
Wm. W. O'Brien,
H. W. Wells,
G. W. Sutton,
I. W. Johnson,
M. A. Breed,
Hall, Burr & Co.,
Isaac Brown,
J. Murray Blakely,
Willis Y. Francis,
J. H. Thompson,
H. W. Revnolds.
C. W. McClallen,
Wm. W. Dunn,
Chambers & Rupert,
R. A. Culter,
H. S. Hill,
Chas. Seabury,
J. S. Starr,
Jobst & Smith,
Joseph Miller,
Geo. E. Ford,
J. S. French,
H. P. Wilber,
CharlesBallance,
H. M. Mead,
John Durham,
R. E. Hickey,
J. H. Morse,
John F. Kuhn,
H. E. Howe.
Twelve Dollars and Fifty Cents.
Barney, on B. & H. subscription.
Since we have among our citizens no rich capitalist or railroad king to
bestow on our city an imposing marble monument for a library, as they do in
the Eastern States, we are, at least, permitted to take a quiet satisfaction in
remembering that Peoria owes her new library building originally to 140
different individuals and firms from her own hard-working and public-
spirited professional and business men, contributing in comparatively small
sums, according to their several means. She does not owe it to any one mil-
lionaire, eager to seize so rare an opportunitv for perpetuating his family
name.
There is no name carved over our door but the one name which belongs
to us all Peoria.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBKAKY. 21
The Mercantile Library consisted at first of two departments, a Merchants'
Exchange Department and a Library Department, with separate Boards of
Directors, which, together, constituted the General Board; but the Exchange
Department gradually lapsed, and the Library Department became its residuary
legatee, so to speak.
In the thirty -two years of its existence, the Mercantile Library Association
has had but four Presidents Tobias S. Bradley, 1865-1867; Washington
Cockle, 1868-1882; John Boyd Smith, 1882-1886; and Geo. H. Mcllvaine, 1886-
1897.
Of the active members of the Exchange Department from the first, two
gentlemen, both large subscribers to the original fund, have remained, with
scarcely a break, in the Directory of the Association until now Mr. Geo. H.
Mcllvaine, President of the Mercantile Library, and Mr. R. C. Grier, President
of the Public Library.
The recent death of Mr. Mcllvaine, but little more than a month ago, is so
fresh in our memories that it is hard to think that he who had taken so active
a part in all our deliberations for so many years, and watched with such inter-
est the erection of this edifice, is not still one of us on this auspicious occasion.
Of the active members of the Library Department, and in continuous ser-
vice until now, I am the sole survivor. Our honored friend and fellow-worker,
Mr. Matthew Griswold, who died in January a year ago, would have had eight
years of longer continuous service to show than any of us if he had survived
until now.
After the purchase of the Griswold property our library had its rooms
free of rent, but received very little help from rents of offices in the building,
which went toward paying for'the new building erected in 1868. For an in-
come it was still dependent on the meager sums derived from membership
dues and miscellaneous entertainments. Our friends, David McKinney, Eliot
Callender, J. C. Hansel, John S. Stevens, John Birks, Dr. I. W.Johnson and
E. W. Coy, now of Cincinnati, will not soon forget the hard work we did, run-
ning lecture courses, concerts, spelling bees, " Drummer Boy of Shiloh," etc.,
in order to eke out our small income of four dollars apiece from about 250
subscribers in the days when that estimable lady, Mrs. S. B. Armstrong, con-
stituted our entire library staff. It is enough to*ay, that it was our experience
here in this Peoria Library, of the utter inadequacy of a subscription library
to provide for the literary wants of the people, that first suggested the idea,
until then unheard of in this country, of supporting public libraries like public
schools, by public taxation, and which resulted in placing on the statute book
of our State in 1872, our present free library law the first law of the Kind in
any State of our Union. Under this law, in 1880, Col. John Warner, then
mayor of our city, started our present Public Library by nominating the first
board of directors, thus becoming, as he says, and need not be ashamed of
saying, the Daddy of our Public Library. The first president of the Public
Library was Mr. John S. Lee. Of this first board, Mr. Bernard Cremer and
Mr. llenrv Ullman have served continuously until the present time.
The first Librarian of our Public Library was Mr. Fred J. Soldan, and a
better choice could not have been made. He began without a book on his
22 SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
shelves, in a bare room over a store on Adams street. He planned and brought
into good running order all the multifarious details so necessary to the smooth
working of the modern Public Library, and, at his untimely death in 1891,
left a well selected and well organized library of 40,00x3 volumes and a well
trained corps of assistants.
April 19, 1881, the German Library gave its fine collection of 1,900 volumes
to the Public Library, and in the spring of 1882 the Mercantile Library Asso-
ciation turned over as a gift to the Public Library its entire collection of some
12,000 volumes, and leased its rooms to the same for a term of years.
Early in 1894 tne overcrowded condition of the library had become so
pressingly noticeable that an agitation was begun to purchase another site and
erect a new building exclusively for library purposes. The conditions were
favorable. The Mercantile Library Association owned valuable property
which, with the growth of the city and by careful management, had risen in
value from $10,000 to $75,000, less a debt of $11,000 to $12,000, which yet
remained to be extinguished, and the Public Library owned 50,000 books.
There was no good reason why the two should not now unite in the common
object of giving Peoria a great library to be proud of, provided some method
could be devised for effecting the union satisfactorily to all parties.
A proposition to this effect was made by the directors of the Mercantile
Library to the City Council, and was met with immediate and hearty appro-
val by Mayor Miles and the entire Council.
This proposition was, that if the city would buy the lots, the Mercantile
Library Association would sell its property, corner of Main and Jefferson
streets, and devote the proceeds to the erecting of a building.
In June, 1894, the directors of the Public Library, supported by the action
of the City Council, purchased for $16,000, three lots on Monroe street, nearly
opposite the Government building, 108 feet front by 171 feet deep, and De-
cember 24, 1894, the directors of the Mercantile Library sold their property,
corner of Main and Jefferson streets, and on July to, 1895, the contract for the
erection of the new library building was let. The work of excavating for the
foundation walls began the following morning, July n, 1895.
The planning and constructing of this building has been done under the
direction of six gentlemen J. D. McClure, Philip Zell and E. S. Willcox, from
the Mercantile Library board, and R. C. Grier, Thos. M. Mcllvaine and Chas.
R. Vandervort, from the Public Librarv board. I believe they have done the
best they could under actual conditions. They have none of them had their
own way in everything, perhaps, but thev have all had their way in most
things.
The architects were Messrs. Richardson & Salter, of this city, and the
contractor, Mr. James Deal, also of Peoria; and, thanks to the careful atten-
tion of the building committee, and the fair and square dealing of the architects
and contractor, I do not hesitate to say, that there has not been a dollar
wasted or misspent in the construction of the building there was never an
honester job of work done in Peoria. If defects, errors and omissions are
found by our successors here, all I have to say is, let those find fault who have,
themselves, built a better library with less money. We have, at least, this
PUBLIC LIBRARY. 23
satisfaction, that on the great ledger of our city treasury there will be found
no item reading: "Bonded indebtedness for the Public Library." The build-
ing will be given to the city free of debt, and not one dollar of taxation went
into its construction.
I have said nothing about our building as it now stands finished, leaving
that to others, or, better still, to the building itself; but as to the cost, while
our final accounts have not yet been made up, owing to the illness of the con-
tractor, I may safely say, it will not exceed $70,000, including the mural
decorations, which were not in the original estimates.
And, concerning these decorations the pride and glory of our interior,
designed and executed by the artists, Messrs. Peyraud and Maratta I am
persuaded that the other members of our committee will cheerfully agree
with me in acknowledging that we owe them to the foresight and good taste
of Dr. Mcllvaine more than to any other one of our number.
The building is 78 feet front, 135 feet deep, three stories high, the stack-
room five stories, and as it now is, will accommodate some 70,000 volumes;
when more book-cases are added in the stack-room it will accommodate nearly
200,000.
Here, now, we can offer to the friends of our library, a secure treasure-
house for their gifts and bequests in the way of endowments, books, pamph-
lets, autographs, curiosities and works of art all those rare and valuable
things which, sooner or later, find their resting place in a great library, among
the cherished possessions of a proud and prosperous city; and we solicit them.
Every loyal son and daughter of Peoria, returning from distant lands, should
bring a votive offering here.
For, with the Board of Education directing the educational interests of
our city from its home under this roof, with the valuable natural history
museum of the scientific association taking on new vigor under our shelter
here, and the Peoria Art League occupying and adorning rooms in our third
story all these beneficent institutions allied to our great library should make
this building, henceforth, the radiating sun and center of all good influences
for our city.
The present members of the board of the Mercantile Library Association
are: John Birks, R. A. Culter, R. C. Grier, J. D. McClure, Henry B. Rouse,
E. S. Willcox and Philip Zell. Two of our number, Matthew Griswold and
Geo. H. Mcllvaine, have fallen by the way since this building was begun.
And now, with the completion of this edifice, the Peoria Mercantile
Library Association brings to an end its labors and responsibilities of thirty-
two years. It turns over to the board of directors of the Peoria Public
Library, the trust it has long and faithfully guarded, in the sure confidence
that that board and its successors here, encouraged and supported by the people
of Peoria and its City Council, will never, to the latest generation, betray the
trust now confided to them.
24 SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
KEY DELIVERED
By Mr. Philip Zell, President of the Mercantile Library Association.
Mr. Zell then presented the key of the building attached to a sealed
parchment reading as follows:
70 President /P. C. drier and the Hoard of Directors of the Peona Public
Library :
"Representing the Peoria Mercantile Library Association as its president,
bv its direction T hereby transfer and assign to you the trust heretofore admin-
istered by us and now invested in this Peoria Public Library building and its
contents, with the hope that its use and purpose be continued through you and
your successors in office to the end of time."
Mr. Zell then addressed Mayor Allen as follows: ''And Mr. Mayor of the
city of Peoria, I turn over any and all assets remaining in the hands of our
board, derived from the Mercantile Library property, to vou, and ask that you,
on behalf of the City of Peoria, accept the building for the purposes set forth,
and all of said assets in full discharge of the Mercantile Library Association,
with the hope that the library mav be so enlarged and administered as to
prove even a greater public benefit than it has been in the past."
REPLY OF MR. ROBERT C. GRIER,
President of the Public Library.
Mr. President: In officially receiving these evidences of transfer and
possession representing as you do to-day the culmination of a most interest-
ing and important feature of library history in Peoria, I congratulate you
and your associates. The termination of the trust you were charged with
must be a relief, for the end of responsibility is always in mind, with the hope
that when that hour is at hand the verdict may be " well done." The consent-
ing voice in this instance. is the opinion of your fellow citizens and your justi-
fication. Benefits from prudent and successful business management was your
desire.
Having been for a number of years and until this present moment one of
your number, I know the anxiety and burden of care we shared. We were in
commission and on duty prior to the advanced views and intelligent statute
provisions of the present time in regard to the formation and support of public
libraries. Your charter was definite and no deviation possible. You were
intrusted with the maintenance and enlargement of library facilities. You
could not establish a free library, as you had no sure support. Your scope,
therefore, was limited and possible advantages curtailed still you persevered.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 25
The event of 1880, the establishing of a public library under the law then
lately enacted, opened the way which before had seemed hedged in, for wider
and more enduring effort. You soon discovered your successor had been
born, "The Public Library of Peoria." Your trust was somewhat in the
nature of an entailment. Only library purposes and development could
receive benefits. The time a. id method of endowing the acknowledged heir
was for your good judgment to determine. 1 mention as necessary to *his
decision in your minds, certainty that the Public Library had the hearts 01
our citizens that its benefits were appreciated the burden of support by pub-
lic funds cheerfully borne its establishment in no danger of discontinuance.
You decided the hour had arrived. This evening we celebrate the fruition
of our endeavors, and I am confident the great body of our fellow citizens are
ready to join in the acclaim long live the Peoria Public Library.
Mr. Mayor and members of the City Council: I congratulate you, also.
The Public Library of Peoria is the creature of your predecessors. The ad-
ministration of 1880 founded it under authoritv of statutes provided for that
purpose. Succeeding mayors and councils have cherished and warmed it to
active life and large influence. I do not recall any difference of opinion or
opposition to generous aid from our civic authorities, and to you, Mr. Mayor
and Councilmen, we, your representatives by appointment, in charge, desire
to acknowledge your kind thoughts and honest endeavors.
Mv associates, directors in control of this property: We are the benefi-
ciaries of this well managed and just now expiring trust. The gift is large
and valuable; but for this occasion it is not probable that the near future
would have provided a library home at all suited to our needs. Municipal
obligations in other directions would have prevented. To-day we enter this
ample and conveniently arranged structure. The foundations are deep, walls
strong; all appointments are for economical and speedy service; and the Public
Library of Peoria is domiciled most satisfactorily.
Under this roof will also be located the administrative authority of the
public schools of Peoria. It is most appropriate. Public schools and public
libraries are the two educational factors supported by public funds. The first
is made compulsory the establishment of public libraries is permitted and
encouraged. The classification is natural. The school house is the leader, the
library a companion. When in the one case duty ends with a prescribed
course, the other continues and affords still further opportunities for self edu-
cation and culture. The school teacher for childhood and youth, books on
library shelves for youth and maturer years.
Still more comprehensive, we have the ability t6 provide quarters for the
study of art as represented by the Art League; also room for the exhibition of
specimens collected by the Scientific Society.
As directors, our duties have not changed. I think, however, these new
surroundings should be an incentive. Increased devotion to the interests we
serve may be expected. We have been provided an outfit that should satisfy
every desire. We are supplied with conveniences that demand good results.
We must increase the usefulness of this library. Every citizen is our con-
stituent and we must encourage to the use and practical reception of the good
26 SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
we offer. We are charged with the business management. Many projects are
elaborately wrought out in the ideal, but unless supported bv that necessary
auxiliary, a wise, prudent and safe business administration, their benefactions
will scarcely extend beyond the hope that attends the first enthusiasm. Hope
is a good thing; the benefaction must not die with the resolution; it requires
proper administration, and this duty is ours, is expected and required.
MAYOR ALLEN
Accepts the Building in Behalf of the City.
Mayor Allen followed, saying:
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: This is certainly one of the most pleasant
duties I have been called upon to perform during my term of office. As a citi-
zen of Peoria, I have watched its rapid and substantial growth with pleastfre
and admiration. I realize its importance in the commercial world. I have
seen it grow from a small city, until it stands to-day the second city in popula-
tion in our great State, and is numbered among the great commercial and
manufacturing centers of the West.
While it has shown such marked advancement in all material things, it
has not neglected the higher interests of its citizens. How its educational
facilities have kept pace with its growth is shown by the handsome public
school buildings which now, in that respect, place it in advance of most cities
of its size in this country.
This beautiful building which we dedicate to-day not only shows the pro-
gressive spirit of our people, but also that this progress is made along the right
lines. It is a building of which every citizen of our city may be rightfully
proud. Beneath its roof may be found the writings of the best and greatest
minds of all time.
Here at this fountain of knowledge every man, woman and child, without
regard to race, color or creed whether they be high or low, rich or poor
may drink and be refreshed in mind and heart, without money and without
price, without question and without fear.
On behalf and in the name of the city of Peoria, I accept, with pleasure
and with pride, this splendid institution, which you, as the representatives of
its founders, have committed to our fostering care.
This noble building, with its wealth of literature and art, the city receives
with a glad and reverent heart as one of its choicest treasures. She will cherish
it with kindly liberality, and guard it as a sacred trust.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBKAKY. 27
i
PRESIDENT DRAPER.
Address by the Chief Executive of the University of Illinois.
Dr. A. 3. Draper, president of the University of Illinois, was introduced
and he delivered an address. He said:
Mr. President, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen: This is not only an
interesting but a historical occasion. The friends of popular education, all
interested in the well being of" the common brotherhood, have looked through
years and months to the consummation reached to-night. If they have looked
forward to this with anticipation, I know they will look back to this night with
fond remembrance. The transfer of this library, a new educational instrument
in this thrifty city, will make a red letter day. It is generous, too, that they
invite a stranger to participate on this auspicious occasion, and it is a pleasure
to join in the ceremonies.
I like these meeting grounds. I am in love with these occasions where all
interests are a common weal, where we can stand on a common level and
touch elbows man to man. We are so divided into parties, denominations,
sects and clans that it is a relief to find a ground on which we can feel that
we have a right, and feel equally at home and upon which we feel free to give
utterance to things that go to the advancement of the common interests. It is
not a great many years ago when occasions of this kind were impossible A
hundred years ago if my friend Bishop Spalding and I had been alive, he
would have looked at me as though I were a pagan, and my grandmother
would have pinched his ears, the good, amiable old woman that she was. It is
an evidence of the growth of our American institutions, our unique school
and educational system, the traditions of this fair land where all can come to-
gether and strike hands in a common movement for the advancement of the
great brotherhood.
There has been a gradual advancement in library development within
recent years. There is a marked enlargement of interest in this particular
instance, popular education. The Lenox, Tilden and Astor foundations in
New York, the great libraries of Chicago and Boston, all mark a new advance-
ment in the public library history of the United States. Probably to no one is
so much credit due as to this community in the reorganization of the two libra-
ries, the construction and now opening of this library home. In consideration
of the population and the fact of the library being formed by popular sub-
scription, it is fair to say that more credit comes to this community than to
Chicago, New York and Boston, to which I have adverted. The more public
stock taken in a library, the better the people will like it and the more they will
use its contents. It is a great public event when thev provide a free home for
the free Public Library. The adjectives mean much for they mean that this
instrument of education is to reach all homes regardless of class or clan or
the plane of home.
Libraries are the laboratory of the educational progress. It is the instru-
ment of every intellectual citizen, every son and daughter who aspires to
28 SEVENTEENTH AXM'AL REPORT.
become intellectual. It must be made the instrument to stimulate the higher
life. There are many things to consider, the channel in which this library is to
be extended, the way it is to be made effective, the way it is to help the schools,
the teaching force, and to stimulate the child life in the city. I am sure that if
this does not appeal to the children there will be a mistake in the policy of the
library board and I know it will not be committed. Future development of
the city depends upon the children and if this is to be so the library must be
effective and an instrument for their betterment and development.
Here art interests are to be developed. I see on these walls evidences of
this. The Free Public Library should be an art educator, an instrument to
cultivate art taste. It should be the repository of historical specimens and
data. It was well that a view of Marquette coming up the river and Tonti and
La Salle going down the river, was painted on these walls. These pictures
will stimulate the coming generations in the history of their country. While
in the Galena Public Library recently I saw that famous picture by Nast of
Lee surrendering to Grant at Appomattox. It was appropriate that it should
be on the walls of the librarv at Galena, and really it is appropriate that it
should be on the walls of any public library in Illinois, or in any free library in
America, this picture which tells us the story of when all the American people
came to have a common interest in the life of theei great men. It is just as
appropriate that pictures of the early history of a community be placed on
these walls. I have lived in an older community than this, and I suggest to
you that every effort be put forth to collecting data of a historical nature.
A public library must be adapted to its constituency. It is idle to build it
up without making it for the help and advancement of the people. It is said
that 15,000 volumes were adequate for a population of 20,000. It is a common
mistake to add indefinitely to a library. There is one way to make a good
library be careful of what you put in and be energetic to put out. Rubbish
in it detracts from its usefulness, and to keep it clean makes it more and more
valuable. It is confusion to the professional mind or the child mind to find a
great mass of material that no one can use. It is gain when it is so trimmed
of those books, not necessarily vicious, but those that have no particular
use.
There is no branch in popular education in which there has been such an
advance as in library administration. I can remember when the chief object
of the library people was to keep it from being used.
I have gone into the New York library and have looked at the librarian with
awe. There were iron gates and padlocks, no one was permitted to go to the
sacred precincts where reposed the books but the librarian, and it was exceed-
ingly distasteful to him to accommodate vou. The whole system has
changed. It was to save the book then, now it is to have the book used up
by the children. This city can afford to pay for good books used up by the
children. The main thought of librarv administration now is, a bringing out
for the people's use. Books are so catalogued that every volume, chapter and
page can be had immediately when wanted. Old feelings have passed away.
It is a difficult problem to administer a public library. There are two
things, silence and freedom. Silence is required, so there shall be opportunity
1'EOKIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
to read and study, and then there should be a freedom for the visitor as well.
Both are to be secured and this must be through the librarian, whose mind
should be enriched by acquaintance with literature, and who should be inter-
ested in lifting up the world. It is difficult to embody everything in a libra-
rian. In recent years there has been much study of the question and schools
for librarians have been opened, where they can acquaint themselves with
books and the methods of conducting a library. We must look for an unusual
man in a librarian. We want an arch-angel in this position, but I suggest that
one who is an ideal librarian will find St. Peter ready and willing to open the
pearly gates for him and will not put to him any troublesome questions.
The library must exert an influence in this State. The State can afford to
make money contributions to every township of the State to encourage public
libraries. The State ought to do this. Illinois is a great stamping ground
between the East and the West, and in the next twenty-five years the people
will make great intellectual advancement. Peoria should be the center of a
great intellectual life. This building is the heart of this life, and may it be a
power to the betterment of the children, to the homes of the community, and
to energizing the life of the great imperial State of the West.
BISHOP SPALDING.
Address by the Head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria.
Rt. Rev. John Lancaster Spalding, Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese
of Peoria, said: This is an important occasion, more important than most
people realize. The things which tell on the natural progress of individuals
and nations are not the things that strike us most at the moment. Nations and
individuals become powerful through great wealth. But as centuries pass by
the people do not attach much importance to wealth. Croesus is a vulgar
name, Virgil an honored one. We must turn our thoughts to things that have
a permanent value, to religion, morality and intelligence. Money is only an
aid to these. There must be developed in us a higher sense of the infinite,
and that morality and righteousness of life and thinking are the highest func-
tions of man. To feast and look at grandeur is only animal. He is not a happy
being who is not active in a good way. We are too feverish. We must do in
a day or a year what has heretofore been done in centuries. The Ame'rican
people are morally active. While none have so general an idea of education,
they are not as a rule active for education in a higher way.
This library will afford an opportunity to all to make themselves acquainted
with the few minds of all ages and lands most worthy of being known, and of
learning what has been said which is of the most value. I would test the value
of a school by the ability of the scholars to continue their studies and read-
ing afterwards. We read much. But what do we read? We read what pleases
us. We follow our tastes. People to-day are largely reading the daily papers.
30 SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
what is of momentary interest, what is happening in the world to-dav. We
are no wiser. In this way is created an indolent manner of reading.
One can so become the master of a book that he becomes the twin brother
of the man who wrote it. In books we have real art. Poetry, eloquence,
perfect style is art.
It is fashionable to under-estimate the value of books. They are a world.
Every great passion that has inspired man to do noble deeds still throbs in
some book. There is not a thought so high, so deep or so pure that it does
not lie asleep in books.
Men do not care to make the most of this life. They are satisfied in living
on a low plane here. Why not emancipate themselves? Truth is the liberat-
ing power, and it may be found in books. It would be a good thing if in the
schools and libraries lectures should be delivered occasionally on books and
the science of reading. He who lives in books lives in all ages and times, and
sympathizes with all men.
N. C. DOUGHERTY.
Remarks by the Superintendent of Peoria City Schools.
Superintendent N. C. Dougherty said: It was my good fortune the past
summer to spend a few weeks in Boston, the Athens of America. The finest
thing in that city is the new magnificent public library building, and the finest
thing about it is the inscription in marble under the cornice, "The Common-
wealth Demands the Education of the People as the Safeguard of Her Lib-
erty and of Her Honor." Everything paled in comparison with that senti-
ment. So the commonwealth of Illinois demands the education of her people
as the safeguard of her liberty and of her honor. Peoria opens this magnifi-
cent building as an evidence of what she believes to be her true and strongest
power. These public institutions are for the preservation of our honor, and
the safeguard of our liberty.
REV. CASPAR WISTAR HIATT.
Address by the Pastor of the First Congregational Church.
A short address was delivered by the Rev. Caspar Wistar Hiatt, pastor of
th'e First Congregational Church. All the people of the city, he remarked, can
say that they have a proprietary interest in these alcoves and galleries, and it
affords an opportunity for the people to rise to manhood, and not to retro-
grade to the condition of the naked ones whom Marquette found here. It is
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
a magnificent charity. He was proud that no individual's name is upon it. All
can partake of its blessings without a sense of ignominy. Thev are better
than bread, garment or shelter. They open the doors to the society of the
great, the good and the beautiful. They furnish viands that never clog the
appetite, and garments most beautiful. What is better than silver and gold?
To gain strength by which one may run and leap. The privileges of educa-
tion have been wrenched away from the few. This library will be a citadel of
our prosperity. It will be a liberal education.
REV. J. H. MORRON.
Pays Tribute to those Who Have departed.
The exercises closed with a short address by the Rev. J. H. Morron. lie
paid a tribute to those connected with the library who have departed this,
life Matthew Griswold, F. J. Soldan and Miss Rose Reynolds.
32 SEVENTEENTH AXXUAJ. REPORT.
STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1896-97.
RECEIPTS.
From city appropriation $18,783.49
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1896 4 I -55
Fines 431-99
Books damaged and paid for .85
Books lost and paid for 30.50
Extra books loaned 6.30
Duplicate cards issued 2.35
Memberships 6.00
Duplicate books sold 3.00
Catalogues sold 1 2.20
Furniture sold 39- 2
- $19,357-43
EXPENDITURES.
Books $1,619.90
Periodicals 730.30
Stationery 311.96
Salaries 5,649.08
Janitor service 701 .45
Binding (labor) 1,706.17
Binding (materials) 168.71
Binding (tools and machinery) 11.00
Rent 568.00
Fuel 285.05
Light 4 l6 -35
Insurance, for three years 601.46
Supplies 4 2 -7
Expense 387-77
Real estate 7.03
New library building 7O-75
Mural decorations 2,035.58
Furniture and fixtures 2,520.74
Improvement paving alley, sidewalk, fence, etc 641.67
Removal 221.91
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1897 , 29.85
-$19.35743
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June i, 1896 5,^22
Memberships issued during the year 3, 22 7
Total 9,049
Memberships expired during the year 2,932
Memberships in force May 31, 1897 6,1 17
PHOKIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 33
CONTENTS OK LIBRARY.
June ist, 1896
Books in circulation 55-593 vols.
Duplicates not in use 1,966 vols.
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 2,738 "
Losses
Lost and paid for 27 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn 461 "
Total losses 488 vols.
55,105 vols.
Additions
By purchase 1,854 vols.
By donation 626 "
By periodicals bound 520 "
Total additions ... 3,000 vols.
Total books in circulation 58,105 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,108 vols.
Pamphlets 2,965 "
5,073 vols.
Total contents May 31, 1897 63,178 vols.
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading-room
Dailies 12
Weeklies 52
Bi-weeklies 10
Monthlies 1 50
Bi-monthlies 9
Quarterlies 34
267
Duplicates in circulation 29
Total 296
NUMBER OK VOLUMES ISSUED. PER CENT.
Philosophy 1,071 .77
Theology 1,31 2 .95
Social and political science 2,202 1.59
Natural science and useful arts 6,372 4.60
Fine arts, poetry and music 3,843 2.78
Fiction 64,377 46.49
Juvenile Fiction 33>69O 24.33
Literary miscellany 4,683 f 3.38
History and travel. 15,1 39 10.94
Cyclopaedias and periodicals 5775 4-'7
Total 138,464 100.00
Of the above were taken for home use !33i939
" " issued in the library 4-5 2 5
Total 1 38,464
Highest issue on any week day during 1896-7 Feb. 27th, 1897, 1,172 vols
Lowest " ' ' " "* " " June 6th, 1896, 218 "
34
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL KEPOKT.
Books kept overtime during t
Number of fine notices sent
DELINQUENTS.
he year
10,631
1,230
3o
389
Total.
82
2,909
2,476
" notices to guaranl
" " for books i
Literature ... .
;ors
eserved
SCHOOL ISSUE.
Douglas.
Sumner.
70
325
573
Garfield.
12
724
i ',369
Science, art, religion
266
History, biography, travel . . .
568
Fiction, fairy tales, legends . .
534
Total . .
i,368
i>773
3,641
6,782
The following table shows the number of volumes in each class June i, 1896,
the losses and additions during the year, together with the total contents
of the library May 31, 1897:
* &
>>=
Is -
_> ^
s3
s
2
sS
O,
o i:
(B
o
J
Worn out and
withdrawn.
Balance.
IB
<L>
E-0 ti
3 <L> 1
Hf
fc
Total vols. in
Library
May 31, 1897.
No.
Per
cent.
Philosophy
834
2,214
834
2,214
7,4'4
6,425
3-389
254
8,3i3
4,981
4,37i
10,854
6,056
36
77
368
277
258
33
657
457
125
225
487
870
2,291
7,782
6,702
3,647
287
8,970
5,438
4496
11,079
6,543
1.50
3-94
13.39
".53
6.28
49
15-44
9-36
7-74
19.07
ii .26
Theology
Social and political sciences
7,417
6,432
3,390
254
8,586
5,'6i
4,388
10,859
6,058
1
3
i
"s
10
2
2
2
4
'265
170
15
3
2
Natural sciences and useful art^-. . .
Fine arts and poetry .
Vocal and instrumental music ....
Fiction
Juvenile literature ....
Literary miscellany
History and travel . .
Cyclopaedias and periodicals
Total
55,593
27
461
55,io5
3,000
5 8 , 10 5
100.00
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English
German
French
Latin
Vocal and instrumental music.
2,890
74
2
I
33
Total 3,ooo
Purchased 1,854
Donation 626
Periodicals bound 520
Total 3,000
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 3?
VOLUMES ISSUED FROM EACH CLASS, 1880-1887.
1896-97
sslsiioiisg
"
PERCENTAGE OF ISSUE OF EACH CLASS, 1880-1897.
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SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL fcEPORT.
BINDERY.
Books bound ........................................... 742
Newspapers bound ...................................... 76
Books rebound .......................................... 1.319
Books repaired .......................................... 5,908
Portfolios ............................................... 69
Total 8,1 14
SIXES.
32 24 16 12 8' 4 Folios Total
3 55 353 733 747 37 109 2,137
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes 5,977
Total 8,114
Fiction lists bound in paper 50
Current periodicals covered 391
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian,
STATE OF ILLINOIS.
COUNTY OF PEORIA,
Subscribed and sworn to before me this gth day of June, A. n. 1897, bv
E. S. Willcox, Librarian.
LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
THE
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
AND THE:
Forty-first Annual Report since its Organization
as the Peoria City Library
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May 31, 1898.
DIRECTORS OF THE PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
FROM ITS ORIGIN, APRIL, 1880.
John S. Lee 1880 to 1889
James C. Dolan 1880 " 1894
Mathew Henebery 1880 " 1894
Bernard Cremer 1880 " date
Henry Ullman 1880 " date
Austin F. Johnson 1880 " 1884
J. M. Hutchinson 1880 " 1884
Chas. B. Allaire 1880 " 1883
Geo. B. Foster 1880 " 1886
James Millard 1884 " 1886
Matthew Griswold 1884 " 1886
Robert C. Grier 1884 " date
Henry W. Wells 1886 " date
Dan F. Raum 1886 " 1889
Thos. B. Burnett 1889 " 1890
Geo. B. Foster 1889 " 1892
Thos. M. Mcllvaine 1890 " date
Edward Hine 1892 " 1895
Chas. R. Vandervort 1894 " date
Frank Meyer 1894 " 1897
Leonard F. Houghton ... 1895 " 1898
Mark W. Goss 1896 " 1897
Samuel D. Wead 1897 " date
James P. Nailon J 897 " date
N. E. Worthington 1898
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1898 99.
ROBERT C. GRIER, Board of Trade Term expires 189.9-
HENRY ULLMAN, 120 South Washington Street " " 1899-
CHARLES R. VANDERVORT, 519 N.Jefferson Ave... 1899^
THOMAS M. McILVAINE, 516 Main Street " " 1900-
SAMUEL D. WEAD, 129 N.Jefferson Ave " ' 1900-
JAMES P. NAILON, 310 Liberty Street " " 1900'
BERNARD CREMER, German-American National Bank, " " 1901-
HENRY W. WELLS, 325 Main Street " " 1901-
NICHOLAS E. WORTIIINGTON, Circuit Court, C. H . . " " 1901
OFFICERS.
R. C. GRIER, .... PRESIDENT.
H. W. WELLS, . . . VICE-PRESIDENT.
B. CREMER, . . . SECRETARY.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Ullman, Cremer, Worthington.
Books Wells, Vandervort, Wead.
Executive Grier (ex-officid), Mcllvaine, Nailon.
LIBRARY SERVICE.
Librarian E. S. WILLCOX.
Assistants :
Emilie E. Brendel, Elizabeth T. Ellis, John M. Youngman,
Anna L. Archer, Irene Stewart, Charles Maclay Booth,
Harold H. Willcox, Helen M. Ballard.*
In the Bindery :
Richard J. Cross, Ruth McKenzie,
Rachel Garrabrant, Edith A. Quinn.
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Engineer John J. Steiger.
Janitress Mrs. Mary E. Theena.
The Library is open for the delivery of books, except on Sundays and holi-
days, from 9 A. M. until 8 P. M.; on Saturdays until 9 p. M.
Reading Room open from 9 A. M. until 9 p. M.; on Sundays from 2 P. M.
until 6 p. M.
*Occasional.
Report of the Directors.
To the Hon. John Warner, Mayor, and to the Members of the City
Council of Pcoria :
On behalf of the Directors, the Annual Report of the Public
Library is hereby submitted, as required, for the year ending May
3ist, 1898:
Your Directors are able to report a satisfactory present condition
of the Library and its affairs. We conclude, however, the Library
lacks somewhat the general appreciation of our citizens that is its due,
and should be evidenced by a greater demand on its valuable re-
sources. We would welcome a daily crowded reading-room, the
enticements of which in the list of periodicals are unusual, suited to
all kinds of readers, including professional and technical inquirers.
You will note by the Librarian's report herewith the success that
is attending the efforts of circulation through the medium of the pub-
lic schools in our city, and there will be an undoubted advance in this
direction during the current year.
As your administrators, we feel the responsibility resting upon us
in the care of this important trust. We are anxious to do anything
and everything proper to advance the benefits to be derived bv all the
citizens from continuous use of the Library. We do not object to fair
criticism, either public or private, as to our omissions or injudicious
commissions in administering the affairs of the Public Library.
The Librarian's Annual Report to the Directors, on succeeding
pages, is worthy of attention, and will be found instructive to all in-
terested in this important educational feature.
Respectfully,
R. C. GRIER, President.
Report of the Librarian.
70 the Board of Directors of t lie Pcoria Public Library:
GENTLEMEN: I beg leave to present herewith my report for
the year ending May 31, 1898, being the Eighteenth Annual Report
of the Peoria Public Library and the Forty-first Annual Report of
the same library since its origin as the Peoria City Library.
For detailed statistics I refer to the tabulated statements ap-
pended:
The number of volumes in the library and in circulation one year
ago was 58,105. During the year have been added by purchase, gift,
and periodicals bound, 3,850. Deducting 460 volumes lost and paid
for, or worn out and withdrawn, leaves the number in the library and
in circulation at the present time 61,495. This does not include 2,147
duplicates and 3,519 pamphlets.
The circulation for the year was 161,007, a gain over the preced-
ing year of 22,543 volumes, or more than 16 per cent.
The largest increase of circulation in any one department of our
work was in the public schools. From the carefully selected libraries
deposited last September with four of the schools farthest from the
center of town, and with two, the Blaine and Whittier, later in the
year, the Garfield issued 7,226 volumes, the Sumner 3,305, the
Douglas 1,492, the Whittier 1,173, the Blaine 1,116 and the Lee 717,
a grand total of issues from the six schools of 15,029, as compared
with 6,782 the year preceding. It should be stated that no books
were issued in 1896-97 from the Lee, Blaine and Whittier schools.
The careful and discriminating selection of the reading of our
young people is one of the most serious duties in public library ad-
ministration, and that our public may be able to judge for themselves
how we have done it there will be found in the Appendix, a com-
plete list of the books from which our school libraries were made up
last year.
For the year 1896-97 the issue of fiction, adult and juvenile, was
7082- 100 per cent, of our total circulation. For 1897-98 it was 65 77-100
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
per cent, a falling off in this class of more than 5 per cent. The counter-
balancing increase has been principally in works on philosophy,
natural science, history and travel.
EDUCATIONAL WORK OF THE LIBRARY.
The literary taste of a city cannot be accurately gauged by the
issues from its public library. It may be better than that would indi-
cate. People of wealth, it is to be presumed, have many of the stand-
ard works in their own libraries; for a well-filled book-case, adorned
with the names of celebrated authors, impresses guests with a more
exalted opinion of the owner's taste; while if the lady of the house,
or the daughter, hungers for the last new novel, which to-day is and
to-morrow is cast into the oven, that appetite may be appeased at the
public library. At least, this is how I console myself in moments of
despondency.
But even thus the percentage of our adult fiction issues for the
last year was only 42 3-10 per cent. ;- juvenile fiction, 23 47-100 per
cent., I do not count, for ever since the world began children have
cried for a story.
If we bear in mind that in a public library free to all, there must
necessarily be many members who have never before had any real
acquaintance with books, in whom, therefore, the power to fix con-
tinued attention on the printed page the habit of reading and reflect-
ing is still undeveloped, to whom a word of more than three
syllables is as hard to get around as a spook on a lonely road after
dark, we need not be alarmed because 42 3-10 per cent of our issues
are of adult fiction. These fiction readers, some of them, are slowly
passing through the story-telling period of juvenescence. Thev like
the taste of sweetmeats; better things may be expected of them later.
But this is hardly fair, nor is it all; for as the old fairy tales were
the dreams of poor people dreaming of some happier lot, so a whole-
some story, a work of the imagination, may give not only entertain-
ment but bring also a gleam of sunshine, some thrill of human sym-
pathy, into the humdrum life of many a tired and discouraged woman.
However, the report from our information desk shows that we
are doing a large amount of work of a genuinely instructive charac-
ter. The following named clubs and classes have made constant
demands upon all our resources throughout the year:
The Women's Club, New Era Club and Pekin Women's Club
in the preparation of papers down on their yearly programmes.
PEOKlA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The Women's Club special classes in history, travel, fiction and
Shakespeare.
Friday Club.
Council of Jewish Women.
Bay View Reading Circle.
Shakespeare Class of the Y. W. C. A.
Reading Circle of the Y. W. C. A.
Class in history of music.
Musical Literary Society.
High School literature classes.
Grammar School eighth year, outside reading and essay work.
Students from Knox College, Galesburg, and Eureka College,
Eureka, preparing theses and prize debates.
This represents, however, only a small part of the work done at
our reference desk.
More than 140 separate reference lists have been prepared, be-
sides lists of new books for our bulletin board, notices of especially
noteworthy books, special lists on timely subjects, like the Philippine
Islands, naval construction, Gladstone, etc., lists of good reading for
young people at request of parents, making out club programmes,
selection of books for holiday time, etc., etc.
We have constant calls for books or information on electricity,
photography, engineering, boat-building, glucose, steel, use of the
hydrometer, boiler construction, ventriloquism, care of rabbits, of dogs,
gardening, cooking, embroidery, iron and wood work, china painting,
early American pottery, evening entertainments, costumes, dialects of
England, nebular hypothesis, famous bridges, impressionism in art,
number of saloons in the United States, department stores, Edmunds
bill, gasoline engines, kinds of fish in the Illinois river, who was Lin-
coln's first minister to France, why do members of Parliament sit
with their hats on, costume for elves, costume of Henry Hudson,
name of the Emperor of China, Gobelin tapestry, chant royal, etc.,
etc., on almost every conceivable subject, in fact. A fortnight before
all holidays begins a demand for games, ghost stories and material for
school programmes and entertainments. These are given as a few
scattered samples only of the kind of work we are doing all the year
round. Our High School is a good thing for our youth; our Poly-
technic Institute is also a good thing for our youth one grade higher,
but our Public Library is the great, popular university to which High
School, Polytechnic Institute and everybody else in pursuit of knowl-
edge goes.
" Hither as to their fountain, other stars repairing,
" In their golden urns draw light."
From other libraries, public institutions, societies and individuals
we receive many reports, catalogues and pamphlets, which are duly
acknowledged at the time. Among gifts of especial value received
during the year are the following:
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
The Peoria Journal Co., publishing our bi-monthly lists of new books.
Mr. Geo. H. Stone, estate of Mrs. S. A. Coulter, 65 vols., principally text-
books of the classics; 13 pictures, principally photographs of statuary and for-
eign scenes, also 5 walnut armchairs.
Mrs. S. A. Kinsey, framed photograph, "Defense of the Flag," from de
sign of Mr. Fritz Triebel for soldiers' monument.
Mr. E. F. Leonard, large wall map of the state of Illinois, published by the
Illinois Board of World's Fair Commissioners, 1892.
Mrs. E. M. Brackett, crayon portrait of Bishop Philander Chase.
Mrs. Louise G. Pierce, Large framed picture, chromo lithograph, of Alex-
ander von Humboldt at the age of 87, in his library.
Estate of the late Rich. Gregg, 16 old folios, mostly Dutch, vellum bound.
Estate of the late Chas. P. King, oil portrait of Stephen A. Douglas, framed.
John B. Samuel, miscellaneous magazines and books, among them History
of the Crusades, by Michaud, Illus. by Dore, 2 v., folio.
VALUABLE ADDITIONS DURING THE YEAR.
Dodsworth. History of banking. 4 v. Minnesota historical society collec-
Congressional Record, 5ist cong., ist tions. 8 v.
sess. 12 v. Goupil. Society of French aquarel-
Congressional Record, 52d cong., 2d lists. 2 v., unbound, in portfolios.
sess. 4 v. Histories of the 9th, 59th, 84th and
Congressional Record, 53d cong., ist 95th regt. Illinois vols.
sess. 4 v. (We now have the regimental histories
International cyclopaedia. 15 v. of the following Illinois regi-
Appleton's annual cyclopaedia, 1893- ments: 111. cavalry, 9th reg.,
1897. 111. infantry, 7th, 9th, I3th, 36th,
National cyclopedia of American bi- 39th, 45th, 55th, 59th, 73d, 77th,
ography. 7 v. 84th, 86th, 95th, 96th, iO2d,
Warner's library of the world's best icxj-th, ii2th.)
literature. 30 v. Illinois state board of pharmacy re-
Kotzebue. Theater. 25 v. ports, 1884-1896.
Kerner. Natural history of plants. Scientific American, 1852-1857. 5 v.
4 v. Leisure hour, 1857-1882. n v.
By your permission, the Peoria Scientific Association, as tenants
at will, now occupy, with their natural history collection, two large
and attractive rooms in the third story of the library building. This
valuable museum, the careful accumulation of many years, and con-
stantly being added to, is a credit to our city and a most worthy ad-
junct to the library.
The Peoria Art League, also occupying two large rooms on the
same floor and on the same terms, is doing good work in its line by
its classes in the winter and its highly interesting exhibitions.
A catalogue of the principal works in our library is now well
along in manuscript and will be ready for the printer early in the
autumn. When this is issued we shall be in a condition to establish
two branch libraries or delivery stations, one in the upper and one in
the lower end of the city, provided the city council furnishes the
means by an increase of our annual appropriation. To do this at the
earliest practicable moment is a duty we owe to that part of our popu-
lation to whom extreme distance from the central library is practically
exclusion from the benefits of the library.
My best thanks are due to you, gentlemen, for your support and
interested cooperation in our library work. There has been no sug-
PEORIA PUBLIC LifcRARY.
gestion made during the year for the good of the library which has
not received your careful and intelligent consideration and approval.
And not only the thanks of the librarian, but, I am sure, of the
entire Board, indeed, of the entire city, are due to our library staff for
the unremitting and faithful performance ot their duties in serving
the public with promptness, patience and courtesy. The advantage
our library possesses in employing only well-educated, well-informed
and polite assistants is something our people may not think of, they
are so used to it, but I am reminded of it often by the gratified com-
mendation of visitors and members who come here from other and
larger towns. Respectfully submitted,
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian.
Appendix.
Lists of books from which were made up the libraries deposited
in the Garfield, Sumner, Douglas, Whittier, Elaine and Lee Gram-
mar schools for the school year 1897-98:
FICTION.
Abbott. Beechnut.
Caleb in the country.
Caleb in town. ,
Caroline and Agnes.
Ellen Linn.
Jonas, a judge.
Jonas on a farm.
Learning about right and wrong.
Learning to read.
Malleville.
Mary Erskine.
Alcott. Cupid and Chow-chow.
Eight cousins.
Garland for girls.
Hospital sketches.
Jack and Jill.
Jimmy's cruise in the Pinafore.
Jo's boys.
Little men.
Little women.
My boys.
My girls.
Old-fashioned girl.
Old-fashioned Thanksgiving.
Rose in bloom.
Shawl straps.
Under the lilacs.
Alden. World of little people.
Aldrich. Story of a bad boy.
Arthur. Ten nights in a bar-room.
Badlam. Stories of child life, nos.
1-3-
Bardeen. Roderick Hume.
Brooks. Boy emigrants.
Bunyan's Pilgrim's progress.
Burnett. Editha's burglar.
Little Lord Fauntleroy.
Little Saint Elizabeth.
Sara Crewe.
Butterworth. Wampum belt.
Cargill. Big-horn treasure.
Coffin. Winning his way.
Cooper. Leatherstocking tales. 5 v.
Spy-
Craik. Bow-wow and Mew-mew.
Day. Sandford and Merton.
Defoe. Robinson Crusoe.
Dodge. Hans Brinker.
Land of pluck.
Eggleston. Hoosier school-boy.
Ewing. Jack-a-napes.
Jan of the windmill.
Frith. Biography of a locomotive.
Gladden. Santa Clans on a lark.
Hale. Man without a country.
10
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Hale. Peterkin papers.
Hall. Adrift in the ice fields.
Harris. Daddy Jake.
Henty. By pike and dyke.
With Clive in India.
Young Carthaginians.
Hoppin. Two Compton boys.
Howells. Christmas every day.
Hughes. Tom Brown's school-days.
Jackson. Hunter cats.
Letters from a cat.
Mammy Tittleback and her fain-
ily. :
Nelly's silver mine.
Ramona.
Jewett. Country byways.
Play days.
Kieffer. Recollections of a drummer
boy.
Kingsley. Westward, ho!
Kingston. On the banks of the
Amazon.
Peter the whaler.
Knox. John Boyd's adventures.
Laboulaye. Abdallah.
Lothrop. Five little Peppers and how
they grew.
Five little Peppers midway.
Five little Peppers grown up.
Martineau. Peasant and prince.
Molesworth. Five minute stories.
Otis. At the siege of Quebec.
Ouida. Dog of Flanders.
Our gold mine.
Page. Two little confederates.
Porter. Scottish chiefs.
Raymond. Little red school-house.
Scott. Rob Roy. (Ginn ed.)
Talisman. (Ginn ed.)
Seawell. Decatur and Somers.
Little Jarvis.
Paul Jones.
Sewell. Black Beauty.
Stoddard. Little Smoke.
Stowe. Little Pussy Willow.
Uncle Tom's cabin.
Strike at Shane's.
Swift. Gulliver's travels. (Ginn ed.)
Swinton. First steps in our country's
history.
Thompson. Green Mountain boys.
Wallace. Ben-Hur.
Warner. Being a boy.
Whitney. Boys at Chequasset.
Patience Strong's outings.
Wiggin. Birds' Christmas Carol.
Polly Oliver's problem.
Story hour.
Story of Patsy.
Summer in a cafion.
Wyss. Swiss family Robinson.
RELIGION, EDUCATION, MOR-
ALS AND MANNERS.
Alton. Among the law- makers.
Austin. Uncle Sam's secrets.
Bartlett. Facts I ought to know.
Brooks. Century book.
Burdette. Before he is twenty.
Chester. Chats with girls.
Dewey. Ethics.
Evans. U. S. mint.
Hewett. Notes for boys and their
fathers.
Kirkland. Speech and manners.
Mathews. Getting on in the world.
Smiles. Character.
Duty.
SCIENCE, ART.AMUSEMENTS.
Aiken. Evenings at home.
Barnard. First steps in electricity.
Beard. American boy's handybook.
American girl's handybook.
Bert. First steps in scientific knowl-
edge.
Blaisdell. Child's book of health.
Boy's workshop.
Brown. House I live in.
Buckley. Fairyland of science.
Campbell. American girl's home
book.
Carey. Autobiography of a lump of
coal.
Giberne. Among the stars.
Heilprin. Earth and its story.
Information readers, nos. 1-3.
Play book of metals.
Kirby. Aunt Martha's corner cup-
board.
Kirkland. Dora's housekeeping.
Six little cooks.
Luken. Young mechanic.
MacLeod. Talk about common things.
Meadowcroft. A B C of electricity.
Murche. Science readers, nos. 1-6.
Pepper. Boy's book of science.
Pratt. Storyland of stars.
Thompson. Boys' book of sports.
Tyler. Experiments in chemistry.
Walker. Health lessons.
NATURAL HISTORY.
Andrews. Stories Mother Nature told
her children.
Bamford. Look-about club.
My land and water friends.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
II
Talks by queer folks.
Up and down the brooks.
Bass. Nature stories: animal life.
Nature stories: plant life.
Nature studies.
Bell. Victor in Buzzland.
Bell. Science ladders, nos. 1-3.
Biart. Adventures of a young nat-
uralist.
Buckley. Life and her children.
Burroughs. Birds and bees.
Little nature studies.
Wake-robin.
Chase. Nature stories for youngest
readers: animals.
Stories from animal land.
Stories from birdland. 2 v.
Stories of industry. 2 v.
Flagg. Year among the trees.
Year with the birds.
Frye. Brooks and brook basins.
Grant. Our common birds.
Hale. Little flower people.
Herrick. Chapters on plant life.
Hook. Little people and their homes.
Hooker. Child's book of nature.
Ingersoll. Country cousins.
Jackman. Nature study.
Johonnot. Book of cats and dogs.
Friends in feathers and fur.
Neighbors with claws and hoofs.
Neighbors with wings and fins.
Some curious flyers, creepers and
swimmers.
Kelly. Introduction to Leaves from
nature's story-book.
Leaves from nature's story-book.
3 v.
Kingsley. Madam How and Lady
Why.
Kirby. Sea and its wonders.
World by the fireside.
Merriam. Birds through an operaglass
Miller. My Saturday bird class.
Miller. Funny friends.
Little folks in feathers and fur.
Monteith. Familiar animals.
Living creatures.
Morley. Song of life.
Nichols. Under foot.
Noel. Buz.
Pratt. Fairyland of flowers.
Little flower folks. 2 v.
Richards. Four feet, two feet and no
feet.
Stowe. Queer little people.
Tenney. Young folks' pictures and
stories of animals. 2 v.
Wright. Seaside and wayside, nos.
1-4.
Wright. Tommy-Anne and the three
hearts.
MYTHOLOGY, FAIRY TALES,
LEGENDS, FABLES.
fables.
Andersen. Ice maiden.
Shoes of fortune.
Ugly duck.
Story teller.
Arabian nights. (Ed. by Hale.)
Baldwin. Fairy stories.
Story of Siegfried.
Beckwith. In mythland.
Brooks. Stories of the red children.
Burke. Fairy tales.
Chenoweth. Stories of the saints.
Church. Stories of the old world.
Compton. Snow bird and the water
tiger.
Dodgson. Alice's adventures in won-
derland.
Alice through a looking-glass.
Ewing. Lob-lie-by-the-fire.
Farrow. Missing prince.
Wallypug of Why.
Francillon. Gods and heroes.
Grimm. Fairy tales.
Household stories.
Harding. Stories of Greek gods,
heroes and men.
Hawthorne. Tanglewood tales.
Wonder book.
Hays. Princess Idleways.
Ingelow. Mopsa the fairy.
Keary. Heroes of Asgard.
Kingsley. Greek heroes.
Water-babies.
Kipling. Jungle book, ist & 2nd ser.
Lamb. Adventures of Ulysses.
Lummis. Man who married the moon.
McDonald. At the back of the north
wind.
Mulock. Adventures of a brownie.
Little lame prince.
Pratt. Greek myths. 2 v. >
Legends of the Norseland.
Stories of old Germany.
Stories of old Rome.
Ruskin. King of the Golden river.
Scudder. Book of fables.
Seven little people.
Smythe. Primary reader.
Tanner. Legends from the red man's
forest.
12
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
LITERATURE.
(Classical Literature, Poetry and
Drama.)
Alcott. Comic tragedies.
Bellamy. Open sesame. 3 v.
Brown. Rab and his friends.
Church. Story of the Iliad.
Cyr. Children's reader.
Franklin. Sayings of poor Richard.
Garrison. Parables for school and
home.
Harris. Uncle Remus.
Jackson. Bits of talk for our young
folk.
Lamb. Tales from Shakespeare.
Longfellow. Hiawatha.
Leaflets.
Malory. Boy's King Arthur.
Marsh. Robin Hood.
Mother Goose melodies.
Norton. Heart of oak books. 6 v.
Vandegrift. Dead doll.
Whittier. Child life in prose.
Leaflets.
VOYAGES, TRAVELS, ADVEN-
TURES.
Abbott. Marco Paul in Boston.
Marco Paul in Maine.
Marco Paul in New York.
Marco Paul in Vermont.
Marco Paul on the Erie canal.
Andrews. Each and all.
Seven little sisters.
Badlam. Views in Africa.
Baker. Geography for young folks.
Ballon. Footprints of travel.
Butterworth. Over the Andes.
Zigzag journeys:
Acadia.
Antipodes.
British Isles.
Classic lands.
Europe.
India.
Levant.
Occident.
Orient.
Carpenter. Geographical reader: Asia.
Champney.
Three Vassar girls:
England.
France.
Italy.
Rhfne.
Russia.
South America.
Chaplin. Little folks of other lands.
Coe. Modern Europe.
Our American neighbors.
Custer. Boots and saddles.
DuChaillu. Country of the dwarfs.
Lost in a jungle.
Stories of the gorilla country.
Dunton. First lessons.
Glimpses of the world.
Evans. Guide to Washington.
Hale.
Family flight:
Around home.
Egypt and Syria.
France.
Mexico.
Spain.
Stories of the sea.
Hall. Our world reader.
Higginson. Java.
Kellogg. Australia and islands of the
sea.
King. At home and at school.
Land we live in, pts. 1-3.
This continent of ours.
Knox.
Boy travelers:
Australia.
Central Europe.
Ceylon and India.
Congo.
Egypt and the Holy Land.
Great Britain and Ireland.
Japan and China.
Levant.
Mexico.
Northern Europe.
Russian Empire.
Siam and Java.
South America.
Southern Europe.
Young Nimrods in North Amer-
ica.
Lander.
Spectacles for young eyes:
Boston.
Moscow.
New York.
Pekin.
St. Petersburg.
Long. Home geography.
Lummis. Some strange corners of
our country.
Miller. Little people of Asia.
Ober. Knockabout club in North
Africa.
Silver city.
Parkman. Oregon trail.
Pratt. Australasia.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
China.
India.
Northern Europe.
Schwatka. Children of the cold.
Nimrods of the north.
Scudder. Bodleys on wheels.
English Bodley family.
Smith. White umbrella in Mexico.
Smith. Life in Asia.
Our own country.
Stockton. Personally conducted.
Taylor. Boys of other countries.
Verne. Famous travels.
Great explorers.
Great navigators.
Warner. In the wilderness.
Watson. Child life in Italy.
Wells. City boys in the woods.
Yonge. Little Lucy's wonderful globe.
HISTORY.
Abbot. Blue jackets of 1812.
Andrews. Ten boys who lived on the
road, etc.
Barnes. Yankee ships and Yankee
sailors.
Blaisdell. Stories of the civil war.
Brooks. Stories of the American
sailor.
Stories of the American soldier.
Burton. Massasoit.
Story of our country.
Butterworth. Little Arthur's history
of Rome.
Young folks' history of America.
Carver. Our fatherland.
Coffin. Boys of '76.
Boys of '61.
Building the nation.
Drumbeat of the nation.
Freedom triumphant.
Marching to victory.
My davs and nights on the battle-
field'
Old times in the colonies.
Redeeming the republic.
Story of liberty.
Corbett. Stories of the three Amer-
icas.
Dickens. Child's history of England.
Drake. Indian history.
Making of the great west.
Dresbach. History of Illinois.
Eggleston. First book in American
history.
History of the U. S.
Stories of American life and ad-
venture.
Strange stories from history.
Ellis. Epochs in American history.
Stories from American history.
Fiske. History of the U. S.
War of independence.
Froissart. Boy's Froissart, ed. by
Lanier.
Frost. Thrilling adventures among
the Indians.
Gibson. School history.
Gilman. Story of Rome.
Glascock. Stories of Columbia.
Griffis. Brave little Holland.
Hale. Stories of discovery.
Stories of war.
Halstead. Story of Cuba.
Higginson. American explorers.
Young folks' history of the U. S.
Johonnot. Stories of other lands.
Ten great events in history.
Judson. Europe in the nineteenth
century.
Lodge. Hero tales.
McMurray. Pioneer history stories.
Montgomery. Beginner's American
history.
Ober. History of Mexico.
Pierson. History of the U. S.
Pratt. American history stories. 4 v.
Stories of colonial children.
Stories of the great west.
Stories of Massachusetts.
Rand. Deeds worth telling.
Rogers. Story of Holland.
Rolfe. Tales from English history.
Tales from Scottish history.
Scott. Tales of a grandfather.
Tales of chivalry.
Sewell. First history of Greece.
Tiffany. Pilgrims and puritans.
Wright. Children's stories of Ameri-
can history.
Stories of American progress.
BIOGRAPHY, COLLECTIVE.
Bolton. Famous American authors.
Famous leaders among men.
Lives of girls who became famous.
Lives of poor boys who became
famous.
Brave men's footsteps.
Brooks. Historic boys.
Historic girls.
Eggleston. Stories of great Amer-
icans.
Hale. Lights of two centuries.
Manning. Heroes of the desert.
Parton. Captains of industry, ist &
2nd ser.
Daughters of fame.
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Daughters of genius.
Pierson. Lives of the presidents.
Plutarch's lives. (Ginn ed.)
Stories of great men.
Yonge. Book of golden deeds.
INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHY.
Alcott. Life, letters and journals.
Alexander the Great. By Abbott.
Alfred the Great. By Abbott.
Banks. Oregon boyhood.
Boone. By Abbott.
Caesar. By Abbott.
Columbus. By Irving.
By Pratt.
Cook. By Besant.
Cortez and Montezuma. By Pratt.
Crockett. By Abbott.
Cyrus the Great. By Abbott.
Elizabeth. By Abbott.
Franklin. Autobiography.
Poor Richard's story. By Watson.
True to his home. By Butter-
worth.
Fulton. By Knox.
Grant. By Headley.
Boy's life. By Knox.
Hale. New England boyhood.
Jackson. By Frost.
By Parton.
Jones, Paul. By Abbott.
Josephine. By Abbott.
Lafayette. By Watson.
Larcom. New England girlhood.
Lincoln. By Brooks.
By Butterworth.
By Putnam.
Marion. By Horry and Weems.
Montezuma. By Eggleston.
Peter the Great. By Abbott.
Pizarro. By Pratt.
Pocahontas. By Eggleston.
Tecumseh. By Eggleston.
Washington and His Country. By
Irving, abridged by Fiske.
Life. By Scudder.
By Seelye.
William the Conqueror. By Abbott.
SUMMARY.
Fiction 1 16
Religion, etc 13
Science 34
Natural history 65
Fairy tales 47
Literature 26
Travel 97
History 70
Biography, collective 18
Biography, individual 39
Total 525
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 15
STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1897 98.
RECEIPTS.
From city appropriation $13,580.72
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1897 29-85
Rent from teachers' club 250.00
Fines 558.78
Books damaged and paid for i3-7o
Books lost and paid for J 4-87
Extra books loaned 1 3.60
Duplicate cards issued 8.90
Memberships 9.50
Catalogues sold M-^S
$14,494.77
EXPENDITURES.
Books $2,91 1 .56
Periodicals 742.84
Stationery 1 55.65
Salaries SA?! .45
Janitor service i ,080.00
Binding (labor) 1,681.89
Binding (materials) 202.05
Fuel 339- 26
Light 493-49
Insurance 60.00
Supplies 27.67
Expense 5 8 3-93
New library building 21.54
Furniture and fixtures 334-22
Improvement 188.80
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1898 40.42 ,
$14,494.77
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June i, 1897 6,117
Memberships issued during the year 3>9
Total 9,126
Memberships expired during the year 2.890
Memberships in force May 31, 1898 6,236
l6 EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June ist, 1897
Books in circulation 58,105 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,108 vols.
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 2,965 "
Losses
Lost and paid for 16 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn 397 "
Newspapers given St. Louis public
library 47 "
Total losses .... 460 vols.
Additions 57,645 vols.
By purchase 2,850 vols.
By donation 495 "
By periodicals bound 505 '
Total additions '. 3.850 vols.
Total books in circulation 61,495
Duplicates not in use 2,147 vols.
Pamphlets ZA 1 9 "
5*566 vols.
Total contents May 31, 1898 67,061 vols.
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading-room
Dailies 14
Weeklies 55
Bi-weeklies 10
Monthlies 164
Bi-monthlies 8
Quarterlies . . 36
287
Duplicates in circulation 26
Total 313
NUMBER OF VOLUMES ISSUED. p er ce nt.
Philosophy 1,728 1.07
Theology i,734 1.08
Social and political science 2,370 1.47
Natural science and useful arts 10,212 6.34
Fine arts, poetry and music 5>2i7 3- 2 4
Fiction 68,107 4 2 -3o
Juvenile fiction 37,782 23.47
Literary miscellany 6,115 3.80
History and travel 20,445 1 2.70
Cyclopa-dias and periodicals 7> 2 97 4-53
161,007 loo.oo
Of the above were taken for home use 138,41 1
" " " issued in the library 7>567
" " " " at the schools. . i5> 2 9
161,007
Highest issue on any week day during 1897-8 Mar. 19, 1898, 1,122 vols.
Lowest " " " " " " " Sept. 15, 1897, 220 "
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY.
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept overtime during the year
Number of fine notices sent
" " notices to guarantors
" " for books reserved
SCHOOL ISSUE.
. be
11 " % - 2
" ~ 3 5 2
Ote c/3 c Q ^:
!5 i-'
Blaine.
d
6
Literature
199
19
IO2
53
27
5^
Science, art, religion
1,838
634
225
150
144
124
History, biography, travel . .
2,847
1,567
599
503
592
325
Fiction, fairy tales, legends .
2,342
1,085
566
467
353
215
1 1,737
1,563
77
O
H
453
3,"5
6,433
5,028
7,226 3,305 1,492 1,173 1,116 717 15,029
The following table shows the number of volumes in each class June i, 1897,
the losses and additions during the year, together with the tbtal contents
of the Library May 31, 1898.
C ti
" O\
"tt
2~
> > ro
2
&,
11
00
Worn out and
withdrawn.
Balance
03
V
ITJCO
_~% (L) 1
lf
fc
Total vols.in
Library
May 31, 1898
| J
H *
No.
Per
cent.
Philosophy . . . ....
870
2,291
7,782
6,702
3,647
287
8,970
5,438
4,496
1 1 ,079
6,543
870
2,291
7,78i
6,698
3,647
287
8,756
5,253
4,488
11,078
6,496
64
108
459
356
204
29
687
905
233
480
325
934
2,399
8,240
7,054
3,85i
3i6
9,443
6,158
4,72i
",558
6,821
i-52
3-9
13.40
11.47
6.26
5i
15-36
IO.OI
7.68
18.80
11.09
Theology .,
Social and political sciences
I
I
3
Natural sciences and useful arts . .
Fine arts and poetry
Vocal and instrumental music ....
Fiction
5
7
2
209
178
6
i
47
Juvenile literature
Literary miscellany
History and travel
Cyclopaedias and periodicals
Total
58,105
16
444
57, 6 45
3,850
6i,495
IOO.OO
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English 3,533
German 250
French.. 4
Latin
Greek
Dutch
Polish
Vocal and instrumental music,
8'
' 9
15
29
Total 3,850
Purchased 2,850
Donations 495
Periodicals bound 500
Total 3,850
i8
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
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PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 19
BINDERY.
Books bound 904
Newspapers bound 42
Books rebound i>365
Books repaired 5i78o
Portfolios 35
Total 8,126
SIZES.
24" 16 12 8 4 Folios. Total.
38 591 821 564 125 159 2,298
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes 5,828
8,126
Fiction lists bound in paper 311
Current periodicals covered 386
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian.
STATE OF ILLINOIS,
COUNTY OF PEORIA.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this yth day of June, A. D. 1898, by
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian. LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
THE
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Forty-Second Annual Report since its Organization
as the Peoria City Library
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May 31, 1899.
EDWARD HINE & CO., PRINTERS.
DIRECTORS OF THE PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
FROM ITS ORIGIN, APRIL, 1880.
John S. Lee 1880 to 1889
James C. Dolan 1880 " 1894
Mathew Henebery 1880 " 1894
Bernard Cremer 1880 " date
Henry Ullman 1880 " 1898
Austin F. Johnson 1880 " 1884
J. M. Hutchinson 1880 " 1884
Chas. B. Allaire 1880 " 1883
Geo. B. Foster 1880 " 1886
James Millard 1884 " 1886
Matthew Griswold 1884 " 1886
Robert C. Grier 1884 " date
Henry W. Wells 1886 " date
Dan F. Raum 1886 " 1889
Thos. B. Burnett 1889 " 1890
Geo. B. Foster 1889 " 1892
Thos. M. Mcllvaine 1890 " date
Edward Hine 1892 " 1895
Chas. R. Vandervort 1894 " date
Frank Meyer 1894 " 1897
Leonard F. Houghton 1895 " 1898
Mark W. Goss 1896 " 1897
Samuel D. Wead 1897 " -date
James P. Nailon 1897 " date
N. E. Worthington 1898 " date
Max Newman 1898 " 1899
Leonard F. Houghton 1899
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1899-1900.
THOMAS M. MclLVAiNE, 516 Main Street Term expires 1900
SAMUEL D. WEAD, 129 N. Jefferson Ave " " 1900
JAMES P. NAILON, 310 Liberty Street " " 1900
BERNARD CREMER, German-American National Bank " " 1901
HENRY W. WELLS, 325 Main Street " " 1901
NICHOLAS E. WORTHINGTON, Circuit Court, Court House. . " " 1901
ROBERT C. GRIER, Board of Trade " " 1902
CHARLES R. VANDERVORT, 519 N. Jefferson Ave " " 1902
LEONARD F. HOUGHTON, Peoria National Bank " " 1902
OFFICERS.
R. C. GRIER President
H. W. WELLS Vice-President
B. CREMER Secretary
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing \l.Q\\gn!(.o\i, Cremer, Nailon.
Books Wells, Vandervort, Worthington.
Executive Grier (ex-officio), Mcllvaine, Wead.
LIBRARY SERVICE.
Librarian E. S. WILLCOX.
Assistants :
Emilie E. Brendel, Irene Stewart *t
Anna L. Archer, Charles Maclay Booth,
Elizabeth T. Ellis, Harold H. Willcox,
John M. Youngman, Helen M. Ballard.t
Louise L. Booth.J ^
In the Bindery :
Richard J. Cross, Ruth McKenzie, Rachel Garrabrant,
Edith A. Quinn, Margaret A. Theena.
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Engineer John J. Steiger.
Janitress Mrs. Mary E. Theena.
The Library is open for the delivery of books, except on Sundays and
holidays, from 9 A. M. until 8 P. M; on Saturdays until 9 P.M.
Reading Room open from 9A.M. until 9 P.M.; on Sundays from 2 P.M.
until 6 P. M.
Occasional. fUntil October 1st. {From October 1st.
Report of the Directors.
To the Hon. Henry IV. Lynch, Mayor, and to the Members of the City
Council:
As required, and on behalf of the Board of Directors, the
annual report af the Public Library is submitted.
The Report of the Librarian, you will find, gives in detail and
fully, information as to the administration of Library affairs. The
report is comprehensive, interesting, instructive, and is well worth
careful consideration.
Your Directors desire a still more general appreciation of
the Public Library on the part of our citizens. To this end we
have a committee appointed for investigation and suggestion of
ideas and plans that may bring satisfactory results.
Respectfully,
R. C. GRIER, President.
Report of the Librarian.
To the Board of Directors of the Peoria Public Library:
GENTLEMEN: Herewith I beg leave to present my report for
the year ending May 31, 1899 the 19th annual report of the
Peoria Public Library and the 42d report of the same library
since its origin as the Peoria City Library.
MEMBERSHIP.
Memberships in our library run for two years and must then
be renewed or dropped; our membership is, therefore, always an
active one. The number of memberships May 31, 1898, was
6,236; it is now, May 31, 1899, 6,393.
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
The gradual and healthy growth of our library service since
May 81, 1891, eight years ago, as a starting point for instance, is
shown by the following figures:
May 31, 1891. Memberships, 4,595; now, 6,393, an increase of 39 per cent.
" Vols. in library, 38,608; " 64,426, " " 61 T V T "
Home circulat'n, 80,507; " 152,982, " " 90
CATALOGUES.
The revision of our system of classification begun in 1892,
was followed by a revision and expansion of our card catalogue
into a complete dictionary catalogue of authors, subjects and
titles in alphabetical order. This very laborious and exacting
work of our catalogue department was immediately followed by
the preparing and printing of a fiction list, 106 pages, double col-
umns, 8 VO , in 1894, and this was followed on the first of January
of the present year, by the printing of what we had been several
years preparing a classified catalogue of all the important
works in our library except fiction, juveniles and German; 223
pages, double columns, 8 VO , and in April of this year we issued
our first supplement to the fiction list, 28 pages, double columns,
8 VO , and we have now under way a catalogue of our German
books.
In the matter of catalogues, therefore, we are now, or soon
shall be, well equipped to date as well, probably, as any library I
am acquainted with, to the great satisfaction of ourselves, the
working force, as well as to our public.
I cannot help remarking, however, that after appealing to us
many years for such assistance in getting at the contents of our
library as we have provided in the way of catalogues, our friends
show a surprising diffidence in buying them. Of our classified
catalogue, embracing over 30,000 volumes, we printed 1,000
copies and we sell them at 40 cents, less than half the actual
cost. With a library membership of 6,393 it might have been ex-
pected that half the edition, 500 copies, would have been sold
before now. In point of fact we have sold just 73.
CIRCULATION.
Of books read in the library we keep no record, nor of works
of reference and periodicals consulted from the open shelves in
the reading room, as it has been found impracticable to make an
accurate count of such uses.
The home circulation for the year books taken home was
152,982 volumes as compared with 153,440 last year, a falling off
of 458 volumes, a common experience with libraries this year.
I know of no especial reason for it, unless it be the Spanish-
American war and the consequently increased reading of the
daily newspapers and the illustrated magazines. In the year of
our last presidential election there was a still greater decline in
circulation.
The difficulty of forcing our public to absorb more than a
certain amount of general reading in a given period is shown by
our experience in the public schools. At the beginning of the
school year, as you are aware, it has been our custom now for
several years to place in each of our public schools farthest from
the center of town, a small library of from 200 to 400 attractive
books, carefully chosen to suit the taste and capacity of young
people. These books are issued at the schools under precisely
the same conditions as at the library itself, and are read at home
by members of the family as well as by the pupils. Since the
children attending these outlying schools are mostly strangers to
the public library, the privilege of reading such books must be a
new and untasted pleasure to them, and we might reasonably
look for a steady increase in this school circulation, especially as
two new schools were furnished with libraries this year. Yet the
total circulation from seven schools was only 14,784, as against
15,029 from five schools last year, a loss of 245. There would
seem to be such a thing as a point of saturation where no more
can be swallowed, even by children, whether it be books or
mutton.
This question of circulation is the same that the merchant
and manufacturer ask where and how shall I find more cus-
tomers. If the territory is a limited one and already fairly well
supplied, no phenomenal increase in the sale of staple articles
from year to year can be expected; a given community cannot
double its consumption of bread, meat and potatoes in a twelve-
month, it has not the appetite.
We have a new and inviting library building in the heart of
the city, within half a block of all our street car lines; we have a
8 NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
library of more than 66,000 volumes, one of the largest, best,
and, in its various departments, most evenly balanced libraries
east or west; invoices of the newest books, popular and standard,
are received every week, almost every day; your book committee
have never yet denied a request for the purchase of desirable
books, and no fault is found, or can be found, I believe, with the
prompt and intelligent service rendered by our assistants. There
is no man or woman within the city limits, possessed of a taste
for reading and with leisure to read, who cannot get here all the
books he or she wants. But we must not forget that Peoria is a
manufacturing and mercantile city rather than a distinctively
educational or literary one; we are all busy in our several avoca-
tions, and leisure elegant leisure is an unfamiliar word with us,
at least with the men. Up to about the age of 25 or 30 our young
men fresh from school and our clerks and mechanics keep up
their reading with more or less of continuity; then comes busi-
ness or a profession and a gap in their general reading, or they
continue it from their own growing private collections; but be-
tween the ages of 30 and 65 men do not draw books from the
public library, they consult them in the line of their work. In
the street where I live there is not a man, not one of my near
neighbors, who draws books here; and yet I am persuaded that
no one, certainly no resident in that street, will dispute the fact
that, for its length, no street in our city can boast a greater num-
ber of intelligent, influential citizens. After seventy, when the
stress of business life is over, a man may turn again to books if
he has not lost the taste to novels, even. Novels can not hurt
him seriously so late in life, and may keep him from something
worse from organizing a trust, perhaps, or founding a new
religion.
I asked one of our prominent business men why I never saw
him in the library. " What time have I to read books? " he said.
" I have to read the papers first, anyway, to know what is going
on in the world and in the line of my business two Peoria
dailies and one Chicago daily. My wife is a better scholar than
I am knows history much better; she does not care so much
for the papers, she reads books; she is on the front porch read-
ing one now, while I am going down town to meet a man. Be-
sides the daily papers and our church paper, we have Harper,
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
the Century, the Atlantic, Scribner and McClure, to say nothing
of the big Sunday papers. Isn't that about enough?"
I put the same question to my grocer, rriy shoemaker and
others, and received a similar reply; they had no time to read,
hardly even the daily papers except on Sunday. The answer is
always the same too busy, too tired, the newspaper or read-
ing of their own at home. Behind these reasons there are in
many cases, no doubt, two other unacknowledged ones the
taste for reading not cultivated in youth, and the attractions and
distractions of city life the theatre, the lodge, the club, fraternal
societies, the saloon, the street corner, these draw men down
town of evenings and leave the women at home with the children
and a book.
In looking around, then, for more business, it is plain that
we cannot expect any great accessions from the ranks of busy
men, nor from the great multitude who, from defective education
or from the accident of foreign birth or parentage, have never
acquired a taste for English literature. Leaving out these classes
as hopeless for us, other classes children, youths, clerks, me-
chanics, women and older men, lovers of good books, are all
well represented in our membership.
I have no fear but that our circulation will grow and more
than keep pace with the growth of our city. We certainly have
no cause for alarm yet, for it has steadily risen from 80,507 home
circulation in 1891, to 152,982 this last year, a gain of 90 per cent,
in eight years. This, supposing we have a population of 50,000,
is more than three books to each person, while Chicago, with a
population of perhaps 1,750,000, shows by the report of her pub-
lic library just issued, a circulation for 1898-99 of 1,690,904, a
truly wonderful circulation, yet not so much as one volume to
each one of her population.
Circulation, however, is by no means the only test of the
value of a library. As a great storehouse of information on* all
conceivable subjects a thesaurus of the gathered wisdom of all
ages a great library well classified, indexed and kept up to date
is of priceless value to the community. This is demonstrated
every day by the number of persons of all ages and conditions of
life who come to us for consultation, investigation, and for the
perusal of our large and comprehensive list of literary, histori-
cal and scientific periodicals.
10 NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
The multiplication of women's clubs, study classes and read-
ing circles within the last few years has caused a notable im-
provement in the quality of the reading done by our people. It
is not so much that the ladies of these literary circles read more
books, perhaps they read fewer, but they consult and study
more, and books of a more informing character. They seek im-
provement rather than amusement, and, in response to their de-
mands, our information desk has grown to be a recognized and
indispensable institution in our city.
Women's clubs, in one form or another, not only in our city
but in all parts of the State, have, within the same time, developed
an activity in matters of education, philanthropy and sociology,
that ought to be alarming to the men if they care to maintain
their old, now verging on ancient, supremacy and leadership in
the State. Nor do these ladies rest satisfied with study and cul-
ture for themselves alone; appreciating the refining influence of
good books, they have been quick to seize upon new ideas, and,
with little encouragement from the other side of the house, none
whatever from our legislature, are now organizing and sending
out numerous so-called traveling libraries, of from 50 to 100
books each, into the rural districts, to the farmers' wives and
children who have no access to libraries.
THE BINDERY AND BINDING.
Our bindery represents a fixed investment of $555, and we
employ one foreman and four young women the year round.
Their work shows 594 volumes bound new, mostly periodicals,
35 volumes of newspapers our local dailies, one Chicago and
one New York daily, 2,528 volumes rebound, principally fiction,
the hardest worked part of our public library, 3,581 volumes re-
paired, books with torn or loose leaves, 57 portfolios or cases for
our current magazines and much miscellaneous work.
The binding is as neat and durable as we know how to make
it, it will outwear the body of the book. Each section of eight,
twelve or sixteen pages, is secured to its adjoining section '"all
along" or "two sheets on" according to the size and thickness of
the section, and to three or four cords or tapes that cross the backs,
the ends of which cords are firmly laced into the board covers so
that with further reinforcements, super, muslin and lining paper,
a strong joint is made and book and cover are indissolubly united.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY 11
That after some months of hard wear we should have to rebind a
popular 12 mo novel is not surprising, we expect it; but we ought
not to have to rebind large and costly octavos and quartos after
only half a dozen handlings books bearing the imprint of old
and reputable houses, beautiful to look at, but cheaply put to-
gether.
Rip Van Winkle, as Played by Joseph Jefferson, a $5.00 oc-
tavo, stood nine issues before falling to pieces; Dean Worcester's
Philippine Islands, 530 octavo pages, $4.00, stood eight issues;
Hobson's Sinking of the Merrimac stood six; Miss America,
three; Lander's In the Forbidden Land, a sumptuously printed
and illustrated octavo, in two volumes, $9.00, is a still more
striking example of how a heavy volume should not be bound, at
least not for a public library. Volume I has 307 pages of letter
press, besides title-page, contents, introduction and a number of
full page illustrations, some 380 pages altogether. It is printed
on the heaviest, double thick, enameled paper, on a 32 page
form and weighs 3^ pounds a very heavy book. Each sheet,
and consequently each section or signature into which the sheet
is folded for binding, is, therefore, four times as thick and heavy
as the sections of so large a book should be. There are only
twelve sections to the book, when there should have been thirty
to make the book bind well. In putting the book together, sec-
tion by section, each of these thick sections should have been
sewed "all along" to its adjoining section with strong linen
thread, Hayes 3-ply No. 16, and over tapes or bands laid across
or sawn into the back, but nothing of this sort was done. There
are no bands. The thread is of the slenderest, and the sewing is
apparently by machine. Now, to this loosely put together body
of the book a case made cover is attached by gluing a flimsy strip
of cheese cloth or super over the rounded back of the book, the
edges of the same, an inch wide, being pasted or glued on to the
board covers. Excepting a strip of paper, this open wtfven
cheese cloth is all that makes the joint to hold book and cover
together, which the least careless handling, dropping the book on
the floor, would be likely to tear apart. Both volumes are now
in the bindery, fallen in pieces after seven issues. If we could
not, even with such unwieldy sections, bind them better, they
would be in the bindery half the time and we should be com-
pelled to keep a double supply on hand.
12 NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
I am not unaware of the presumable reason for using the ex-
tremely thick enameled paper to produce a better effect with
their half-tone pictures, and, just possibly, lacking matter enough
to make a big book, the literary shortage was made good by the
help of more wood pulp; but if the use of the heavy paper had
been limited to the full page inserted illustrations as is done in
Harper's Magazine, and a thinner paper used for the letter press
work, with 12 or 16-page sections instead of 32, and with honest
sewing and forwarding, this attractive looking work would not
have been so suggestive of having been made only to sell. Books
got up in this style should be supplied to libraries in sheets or in
paper covers unbound, and at a lower price, leaving the libraries
to bind them to suit their especial needs.
(Out of long time respect for publishing firms to whom, in a
far-off kind of way, I have ventured to allude, I reverently refrain
from mentioning names I should as soon think of entering the
sacred precincts on the banks of old Nile and throwing a brick
at the awful image of the great god Phtha.)
It is not so small a matter to rebind a damaged book as one
might think, for each book has to go through 41 separate and
distinct handlings in the process, as follows:
Preparing. 20. Press again.
1. Take in pieces. 21. Wash off backs with thin paste.
2. Clean each section of glue. 22. Pu t on head bands.
3. Mend torn leaves. 23 - Line U P backs.
4. Beat with hammer. 24 - Fut bands n backs.
5. Put in the press. 25 - Cut and skive leathers.
6. Saw backs for sewing. 26 - Put backs and corners on.
7. Insert lining leaves. Finishing.
8. Collate. 27. Put on marble paper sides.
9. Sew. 28. Paste inside leaves to cover.
Forwarding. 29. Wash backs with paste water.
10. Tip up first two leaves and first 30. Put glair on leather.
section and last two leaves and 31. Put on gold fillets,
last section. 32. Put on flower rolls.
11. Trim edges. 33. Letter author and title.
12. Glue the back. 34. Letter volume and class.
13. Rounding. 35. Letter name of library.
14. Backing. 36. Polish.
15. Cut and fit boards. 37. Press, large books with tins.
16. Mark and stab boards. 38. Open up each book separately.
17. Lace on boards. 39. Varnish the leather.
18. Knock down cords or tapes. 40. Paste in pockets.
19. Color or sprinkle edges. 41. Take count of number and sizes.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY 13
GIFTS TO THE LIBRARY.
From other libraries, public institutions and individuals we
receive many reports, pamphlets and books which are acknowl-
edged at the time. Among gifts of special value received during
the year are the following:
From J. B. Barnes, Peoria, the printing of our bi-monthly lists of new books
in the Peoria Evening Journal, and three large wall maps of Cuba, Porto Rico
and the United Staies.
Major Henry W. Wells, eleven old, valuable wall maps.
F. W. Arnold, Peoria, large wall map of Cuba in sections, and large wall
map of the province of Havana.
Mrs. Lucie B. Tyng and Mrs. Martha B. Reynolds: Twenty-one bound
volumes of sheet music the acquisitions of their mother, the late Mrs. F. B. M.
Brotherson, of all or nearly all the popular music, vocal and pianoforte, during
her long life a most valuable collection which it would be difficult if not im-
possible to duplicate anywhere.
Miss Mary A. Bestor: Eight volumes, historical and miscellaneous.
J. H. Calderwood, Commissioner: Reports of Montana Bureau of Agri-
culture, five volumes.
Chicago Sanitary District: Proceedings, 1877-1898, three volumes.
Chicago Department of Public Works: Reports, 1895-1898, three volumes.
E. S. Willcox: Coke's Commentaries on Littleton, folio, 13th edition, 1788,
in parallel columns, English and old law French.
Mrs. Ullman: One large wall portrait of her husband, the late Henry
Ullman, Esq., member of the Library Board.
Our library is the natural and safe depository of all written
or printed matter touching the life and history of our city, and
the directors would be grateful for any gifts of that kind.
Even so ephemeral a thing as a concert or lecture programme
is valuable and worth preserving, and a complete file of such pro-
grammes running back sixty years would now be above all price.
Such a file would include the programme of a concert given here in
the spring of 1854 by the Strakosch troupe, Maurice Strakosch,
Madame Amalia Strakosch, her little sister Adelina Patti, then
eleven years old and in short clothes, and Ole Bull.
VALUABLE ADDITIONS DURING THE YEAR.
Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 1876-1893, completing set to date. . 13 vols.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, 1832-1896 73 "
Westminster Review, 1824-1851, 1877 57 "
Hunt's Merchants' Magazine, 1856-1870 28 "
New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 22 "
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 21 "
14 NINETEENTH ANNUAL RERORT
Bates' History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1-5 5 vols-
Lineage Book of Daughters of American Revolution 8 "
Linn and Egle, Pennsylvania in the Revolution 2 "
Furthey. History of Chester County, Pa. . , 1 "
The value, all paid for, of the property of the Peoria Public
Library Board at the present time and at a moderate estimate, is
as follows:
Books, 66,000 volumes $ 99,000
Library building and improvements 70,000
3 lots, 108 x 171, original cost 16,000
Furniture, fixtures and bindery - 5,000
$ 190,000
MR. HENRY ULLMAN.
On the 5th of September last occurred the death of Mr. Henry
Ullman, one of the oldest members of the Public Library Board.
At the next following meeting of the Board the following action
was taken, expressive of the feelings of respect and friendship
entertained by every surviving member:
RESOLUTION.
Our colleague and friend, Mr. Henry Ullman, a member of this Board
continuously from its first organization in 1880, departed this life on the 5th of
the present month, September, 1898.
For forty-two years Mr. Ullman had been a resident of Peoria, respected
and honored in all the relations of life, a public-spirited citizen, a wise coun-
selor, a sympathetic friend, an upright man. We shall miss his genial pres-
ence and his practical business experience in the future deliberations of this
Board.
To his surviving family we tender this assurance of our heartfelt sympathy.
Ordered, That this action be inscribed on the records of our library and
a copy of the same be given to Mrs. Ullman and to the press.
Our roll of assistants remains the same as one year ago with
the following exceptions: In August, 1898, Miss Irene Stewart
resigned her position to pursue her studies in the N. Y. State
Library School at Albany, and at the end of May, 1899, Miss
Emilie E. Brendel, after long and faithful service, left us to fill a
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
15
larger, still more agreeable sphere in life. Miss Helen M. Bal-
lard and Miss Louise Booth were appointed to succeed them
respectively. Since the close of our year another assistant, Mr.
C. Maclay Booth, has resigned his place to accept an honorable
situation with one of the large wholesale houses of our city.
To all our assistants I desire to render thanks for faithful
work performed, and for the always pleasant and harmonious re-
lations they have maintained with one another and with our
public. Respectfully submitted,
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarirn.
LIST OF PERIODICALS TAKEN.
Gifts are designated by an asterisk.*
Daily Papers.
Chicago Chronicle.
Chicago Times-Herald.
Chicago Tribune.
*Cdngressional Record.
New York Tribune.
*Peoria Evening Star.
*Peoria German Demokrat.
*Peoria Herald-Transcript.
*Peoria Journal.
*Peoria Sonne.
*Peoria Volksfreund.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Weeklies.
Academy.
American Architect.
*American Banker.
American Gardening.
American Field.
Athenaeum.
Christian Endeavor World.
*Christian Science Sentinel.
Chums.
Dramatic Mirror.
Electrical World.
Engineering.
Engineering and Mining Journal.
Engineering Record.
Fliegende Blatter.
Forest and Stream.
Graphic.
Harper's Bazar.
Harper's Weekly.
Illustrated London News.
Illustrirte Zeitung.
Independent.
Iron Age.
Journal of Education.
*L. A. W. Bulletin.
Leslie's Weekly.
Life.
Literary Digest.
Living Age.
London Times.
Musical Courier.
Nation.
Notes and Queries.
Nature.
*Orange Judd Farmer.
Outlook.
*Patent Office Gazette.
*Peoria Sonntags Post.
*Public, The.
Public Opinion.
Publishers' Weekly.
Punch.
Saturday Review.
School Journal.
Science.
Scientific American.
Scientific American Supplement
Spectator.
Sunday School Times.
Western Electrician.
Youth's Companion.
Bi-Weeklies.
*Choir Journal.
""College Rambler.
Dial.
Engineer.
16
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
LIST OF PERIODICALS TAKEN CONTINUED.
*Eureka College Pegasus.
*Gleanings in Bee Culture.
Literary World.
Vom Fels zum Meer.
Zur Guten Stunde.
Monthlies.
American Amateur Photographer.
American Colonial Tracts.
Am. Engineering and R. R. Journal.
Am. Monthly Microscopical Journal.
American Naturalist.
Animals.
Antiquary.
Arena.
Art Amateur.
Art Interchange.
Art Journal.
Arts for America.
Astrophysical Journal.
Atlantic.
*Banner of Gold.
Biblia.
Biblical World.
Birds and all Nature.
Blackwood.
Bon Ton.
Book Buyer.
*Book Reviews.
Bookman (Am.).
Bookman (Eng.).
Botanical Gazette.
Boy's Own Paper.
Business.
Carpentry and Building.
Cassier's Magazine.
Catholic World.
Centralblatt fur Bibliothekswesen.
Century.
Charities Review.
Chatterbox.
Chambers's Journal.
Chautauquan.
*Chicago Banker.
Child Garden.
*Christian Science Journal.
City Government.
Classical Review.
Clay Worker.
Commons.
Contemporary Review.
*Cook's Excursionist.
Cosmopolitan.
Critic.
Cumulative Index.
Current Literature.
Delineator.
Demorest's Family Magazine.
Deutsche Rundschau.
Eclectic Magazine.
Education.
Educational Review.
Engineering Magazine.
Engineers' and Power Users' Maga-
zine.
English Catalogue.
English Illustrated Magazine.
Entomological News.
Esoteric.
Essex Antiquarian.
Etude.
*Faith's Record.
Fortnightly Review.
Forum.
Frank Leslie's Monthly.
Gartenlaube.
Gentleman's Magazine.
Geographical Journal.
Girl's Own Paper.
Good Health.
Good Housekeeping.
Gospel in All Lands.
Harper's Monthly.
Harper's Round Table.
*Illinois Climate and Crop Service.
Inland Architect.
International Journal of Ethics.
International Studio.
Journal of Franklin Institute.
Journal of Society for Psychical Re-
search.
Kindergarten Magazine.
Knowledge.
Ladies' Home Journal.
Land of Sunshine.
Library.
Library Journal.
*Library News Letter.
Library World.
Lippincott.
Literary Era.
Literary News.
Little Folks.
*Locomotive Firemen's Magazine.
McClure's Magazine.
MacMillan's Magazine.
Magazine of Art.
Mayflower.
Mechanic Arts Magazine.
*Memphis Medical Monthly.
*Michigan Alumnus.
Missionary Review of the World.
Monde Moderne.
*Monthly Summary of Finance.
*Monthly Weather Review.
Municipal Affairs,
PtJBtIC tIBRARV
17
LIST OF PERIODICALS TAKEN CONTINUED.
Municipal Engineering.
Munsey's Magazine.
Music.
Musical Record.
Musical Times.
*National Single Taxer.
National Builder.
New England Magazine.
*New York Public Library Bulletin.
Nineteenth Century.
North American Review.
Open Court.
Our Dumb Animals.
Outing.
Overland.
Pall Mall.
*Paradise of the Pacific.
Petermann's Mitteilungen.
Phonographic World.
Phrenological Journal.
Physical Review.
Popular Astronomy.
Popular Science.
Popular Science Monthly.
Poultry Monthly.
Progress.
Putnam's Historical Magazine.
Public Libraries.
*Railroad Telegrapher.
*Railroad Trainmen's Journal.
Review of Reviews.
St. Nicholas.
Science Gossip.
Scientific American, Building Edi-
tion.
Scribner's Magazine.
*Spirit of Missions.
Sound Currency.
Teacher's Institute.
*Tennessee University Magazine.
Traveler's Record.
*Trader.
Ueber Land und Meer.
*U. S. Consular Reports.
*U. S. Department of Agriculture,
monthly list.
*U. S. Public Documents Catalogue.
Universal Brotherhood.
Velhagen und Klasing.
Werner's Magazine.
Westermanns.
Westminster Review.
Whist.
Wilson's Photographic Magazine.
Work.
Writer.
Bi-Monthlies.
American Antiquarian.
American Journal of Psychology.
American Journal of Sociology.
Annals of American Academy of
Political and Social Science.
Journal of Geology.
Modern Language Association Pub-
lications.
Philosophical Review.
Psychological Review.
*U. S. Labor Bulletin.
Quarterlies.
American Anthropologist.
Am. Catholic Historical Researches.
Am. Geographical Society Bulletin.
American Historical Review.
*American Jewess.
American Journal of Archaeology.
Architectural Record.
Auk.
Centralblatt Beihefte.
Current History.
Dublin Review.
Economic Journal.
Edinburgh Review.
English Historical Review.
Folk-Lore.
Journal of American Folk-Lore.
Journal of Pedagogy.
Journal of Political Economy.
Mind.
Monist.
Municipal Affairs.
New England Historical and Gen-
ealogical Record.
"Old Northwest" Genealogical Quar-
terly.
Pedagogical Seminary.
Poet Lore.
Political Science Quarterly.
Portfolio.
Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Quarterly Review.
Scottish Review.
Shoppell's Modern Houses.
Southern Historical Association Pub-
lications.
*Tablet.
*Theological Quarterly.
Translations and Reprints.
Virginia Historical Magazine.
*Washington Book Chronicle.
Yale Review.
18 NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1898-99.
From city appropriation $15,052.22
Desk receipts on hand June 1, 1898 .^j' 40.42
Rent from teachers' club 250.00
Fines 527.64
Books damaged and paid for 11.60
Books lost and paid for 22.48
Extra books loaned 14.40
Duplicate cards issued 9.55
Memberships 19.50
Catalogues sold 46.00
Stationery sold . . 2.75
Waste paper sold 14.31
$16,010.87
EXPENDITURES.
Books $ 3,526.53
Periodicals 732.85
Stationery 237.51
Salaries 5,801.82
Janitor service 1,093.00
Binding (labor) 1,672.28
Binding (materials) 229.05
Fuel 407.07
Light 613.11
Insurance 180.00
Supplies 9.00
Expense 387.82
New library building 112.00
Furniture and fixtures 79.46
Improvement 405.64
Catalogues 487.67
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1899 36.06
;v : $16,010.87
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June 1, 1898 6,236
Memberships issued during the year 3,384
Total 9,620
Memberships expired during the year 3,227
Memberships in force May 31, 1899 6,393
19
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June 1, 1898-
Books in circulation 61,495 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,147 vols.
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 3,419 "
Losses
Lost and paid for 21 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn 1,272 "
Duplicates returned to government. . . 26 "
Old newspapers sold 100 "
Total losses 1,419 vols.
60,076 vols.
Additions
By purchase 3,459 vols.
By donation 438 "
By periodicals bound 453 "
Total additions 4,350 vols.
Total books in circulation 64,426 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,172 v..ls.
Pamphlets (estimated) 3,719 "
5,891 vols.
Total contents May 31. 1899 70,317 vols.
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading room
Dailies 12
Weeklies 50
Bi-weeklies 9
Monthlies 161
Bi-monthlies 8
Quarterlies 34
274
Duplicates in circulation 38
Total 312
NUMBER OF VOLUMES ISSUED.^ Percent.
Philosophy 1,752 1 . 14
Theology 1.407 -.92
Social and political science 1,952 1 .28
Natural science and useful arts 8,149 5.33
Fine arts, poetry and music v. 4,635 3.03
Fiction ' 68,659 44.88
Juvenile fiction 37,943 24.80
Literary miscellany 4,384 2.87
History and travel 17,839 11 .66
Cyclopaedias and periodicals 6,262 4.09
152,982 100.00
20
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
Of the above were issued at the library 138,198
" " . " " " " " schools 14,784
152.982
Highest issue on any week day during 1898-9 Feb. 11, 1899, 1,139 vols.
Lowest " " " " " " " Oct. 25, 1898, 207 "
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept overtime during the year 17,195
Number of fine notices sent 1 ,477
" " notices to guarantors 26
" " " for books reserved . . 997
SCHOOL ISSUE.
2
tn
. a .
|
o
V
e
3
2
s
a
'3
V
Q
^
tn
m
^
3
H
Literature
565
209
268
62
34
3fl
53
1,223
Science, art, religion . . .
1,138
340
169
323
150
100
67
2287
History, biography, travel. .
1,787
1,067
869
676
835
398
201
5,833
Fiction, fairy tales, legends.
1,325
1,328
818
762
564
380
264
5,441
Total .
4.815
2.944
2.124
1.823
1.583
910
585
14.784
The following tables show the number of volumes in each class June 1,
1898, the losses and additions during the year, together with the total contents
of the Library May 31, 1899.
Total vols. in
Library
May 81, 1898
Lost and paid
for
Worn out and
withdrawn
Balance
No. volumes
added 1898-9
Total vols. in
Library
May 31, 1899
No.
Per
cent.
Philosophy
934
2,399
1
933
2,399
8,213
7,051
3,845
315
8,724
5,643
4,689
11,545
6,719
74
96
398
359
139
41
885
1,208
213
559
378
1,007
2,495
8,611
7,410
3,984
356
9,609
6,851
4,902
12,104
7,097
1.56
3.87
13.37
11.50
6.18
.55
14.92
10.63
7.61
18.79
11.02
Theology
Social and political sciences. . .
Natural sciences and useful arts
Fine arts and poetry
8,240
7,054
3,851
"i
27
2
6
"705
513
32
11
101
Vocal and instrumental music.
Fiction
316
9,443
6,158
4,721
i
14
2
Juvenile literature
Literary miscellany
History and travel
Cyclopaedias and periodicals . .
Total
11,558
6,821
2
1
6.1495
21
1.398
60.076
4.350
64,426
100.00
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22 NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English , 4,138
German 158
French 10
Spanish 1
Dutch 2
Vocal and instrumental music 41
Total 4,350
Purchased 3,462
Donations 435
Periodicals bound 453
4,350
BINDERY.
Books bound 594
Newspapers bound 35
Books rebound 2,528
Books repaired 3,581
Portfolios .. 57
Total 6,795
SIZES.
32 24 16 12" 8 4 Folios Total
2 59 726 1430 745 105 90 3,157
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes 3,638
6,795
Peoria Public Library catalogues bound in paper 382
Current periodicals covered 338
Members' cards folded and pasted 4,781
STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) gs
COUNTY OF PEORIA. )
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9th day of June, A. D. 1899, by
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian. LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
THE
TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
AND THE
Forty-third Annual Report since its Organization
as the Peoria City Library.
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May 31, 1900
EDWARD MINE & CO., PRINTERS
DIRECTORS OF THE PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
FROM ITS ORIGIN, APRIL, 1880.
JohnS. Lee 1880 to 1889
James C. Dolan 1880 " 1894
Mathew Henebery 1880 " 1894
Bernard Cremer 1880 " date
Henry Ullman , 1880 " 1898
Austin F. Johnson 1880 " 1884
J. M. Hutchinson , 1880 " 1884
Chas. B. Allaire : 1880 " 1883
Geo. B. Foster 1880 " 1886
James Millard 1884 " 1886
Matthew Griswold 1884 " 1886
Robert C. Grier 1884 " date
Henry W. Wells 1886 " date
Dan F. Raum 1886 " 1889
Thos. B. Burnett 1889 " 1890
Geo. B. Foster. 1889 " 1892
Thos. M. Mcllvaine 1890 " date
Edward Hine 1892 " 1895
Chas. R. Vandervort , 1894 " date
Frank Meyer 1894 " 1897
Leonard F. Houghton 1895 " 1898
Mark W. Goss 1896 " 1897
Samuel D. Wead 1897 " 1900
James P. Nailon 1897 " 1900
N. E. Worthington 1898 " date
Max Newman 1898 " 1899
Leonard F. Houghton 1899 " date
John E. Keene 1900
James M. Quinn 1900
POPULATION OF THE CITY OF PEORIA.
According to the census of 1900 56,100
Increased by annexation since the close of our
library year,
West Peoria 1,799
South Peoria 2,711
4,510
Total population, library year 1899-1900 51,590
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1900-1901.
BERNARD CREMER, German-American National Bank Term expires 1901
HENRY W. WELLS, 325 Main Street " " 1901
NICHOLAS E. WORTHINGTON, Circuit Court, Court House. . " " 1901
ROBERT C. GRIER, Chamber of Commerce " " 1902
CHARLES R. VANDERVORT, 519 N. Jefferson Ave " " 1902
LEONARD F. HOUGHTON, Peoria. National Bank " ' 1902
THOMAS M. MclLVAiNE, 516 Main Street " " 1903
JOHN E. KEENE, 301 South Jefferson Ave " " 1903
JAMES M. QUINN, Chamber of Commerce " " 1903
OFFICERS.
R. C. GRIER President
H. W. WELLS Vice- President
B. CREMER Secretary
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Houghton, Cremer, Quinn.
Books Wells, Vandervort, Worthington.
Executive Grier (ex-officio), Mcllvaine, Keene.
I LIBRARY SERVICE.
E. S. WILLCOX Librarian.
&
Assistants :
ELIZABETH T. ELLIS Reference Librarian.
ANNA L. ARCHER Cataloguer.
John M. Youngman, Louise L. Booth,
Harold H. Willcox, Fred J. Huenken,
Helen M. Ballard, Elizabeth Bontjes.
In the Bindery .-
Richard J. Cross, Ruth McKenzie, Rachel Garrabrant,
Edith A. Quinn, Margaret A. Theena.
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Engineer John J. Steiger.
Janitress Mrs. Mary E. Theena.
The Library is open for the delivery of books, except on Sundays and
holidays, from 9 A. M. until 8 P. M.; on Saturdays until 9 P. M.
Reading room open from 9 A. M. until 9 P. M.; on Sundays from 2 p. M.
until 6 P. M.
Report of the Directors.
To the Honorable Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Peoria :
As required by statute we submit the annual report of the
Peoria Public Library for the year ending May 31st, 1900.
The year in review shows increasing interest on the part
of our citizens and a greater disposition to enjoy the benefits so
liberally provided by our Public Library. We hope for still
better appreciation and think the prospects are favorable. We
endeavor to be up to date, and during the year have liberal-
ized somewhat the methods of administration.
The report of the librarian, as you will note, gives statistical
statements covering all the activities of the library during the
year. We ask your perusal of the report confident it will be
found interesting and instructive.
Respectfully,
R. C. GRIER, President.
Report of the Librarian.
To the Board of Directors of the Peoria Public Library :
GENTLEMEN: Herewith I beg leave to present my report for
the year ending May 31, 1900 the 20th annual report of the
Peoria Public Library and the 43d annual report of the "same
library since its origin as the Peoria City Library in 1855.
Our statistics for the year, which will be found tabulated at
the end of this report, show a healthy growth during the last
twelve months, in the number of volumes added, in the member-
ship and in the circulation.
The number of volumes added during the year was 4,400
which, after deducting 8 volumes lost and paid for and 673,
TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
mostly fiction, worn out and discarded, brings the total number of
books in active circulation at the end of the year up to 68,145.
If to this amount we add duplicates not in circulation and
pamphlets not yet catalogued, we have a grand total of 74,361,
giving our library a rank well up among large public libraries!
Our membership has grown from 6,393 one year ago to
7,065, a gain of 672 in the year, and as memberships with us run
for two years only and then expire or are renewed, we may con-
sider the 7,065 as active members, the largest number in our
history.
Our home circulation for the year was 167,951, an increase of
14,969 over that of the previous year and again the largest ever
yet attained. Of this issue 120,119 or 71 r 5 ^ per cent, were
fiction, adult and juvenile a slight increase over that of last year,
and 47,832 or 28^ per cent, werenon fiction history, biography,
science, art, literary miscellany, etc. Since no one sits down to
read a novel in the library the fiction issued represents the
extent of novel reading by our members, but the 47,832 volumes
of more instructive works do not by any means represent all that
the library does in the way of furnishing that class of reading
matter; for the study, consulting and reference work done in the
library itself, with books not issued beyond the room and of
which no record is kept, must be counted in as a large item.
It may not be uninteresting to compare the work we are now
doing with that done by the Mercantile Library before we had
a free public library. We had a membership of 275 at $4.00 a
year, and from a library of about 12,000 volumes issued 7,500 a
year. Our membership is now 7,065 and our last year's issues
169,951. Of our issues then, 5,250 were fiction and 2,250, books of
a more informing character. Compare this 2,250 of instructive
books with the 47,832 issued last year and we can form some
estimate of what the free public library does in the way of
spreading general intelligence among our people.
As a help in circulating good reading among families we
must count the selected libraries placed each autumn in eight of
our public schools farthest removed from the central library.
While we have as yet no branch libraries or delivery stations
such as from the rapid extension of our city limits, will be
required in the not distant future, these school libraries of from
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
200 to 400 volumes each, serve the purpose of branch libraries
very satisfactorily. Our circulation through these eight schools
in the outskirts of the city was, according to classification, as
follows, viz:
Literature 960>ols.
Science, art, religion 2634 "
History, biography, travel 6191 "
Fiction, fairy tales, legends 6176 "
A total of 15961 "
If we once more compare figures, this alone is more than
twice as many volumes as were ever drawn by the entire city in the
subscription library days, and to families that probably in those
days never patronized that library at all.
The enormous extent to which the circulation of books
through the agency of the free public library has grown of late
years is something astonishing, and that it will have the effect of
raising the general level of intelligence and refinement among
those classes who would otherwise have small opportunity for
self culture, cannot be doubted.
At the Boston public library the home issue of books last
year was 1 ,245,842 volumes, or 2^ to each inhabitant. In Chicago,
the home issue was 1,749,775, or one volume to each inhabitant, and
in Peoria, as has been stated, the home issue was 167,951. This
looks small when compared with the flood at Boston and Chi-
cago, but, in proportion to the population is much larger, viz.
3^ volumes at a cost of 30^ cents to each inhabitant, and at a
total cost for each volume issued, of 9^*6 cents.
CATALOGUES.
On the first of January of this year we issued in a neat,
octavo form of 48 pages a complete catalogue of the German
books in our library, some 4,411 volumes a catalogue that has
long been waited for by our German readers. We now have
complete printed catalogues in the best of type and paper of all
the books in our library up to the following dates; a classified
catalogue to January 1, 1899, a Fiction List with Supplement to
April 1, 1899 and a German Catalogue to January 1, 1900, but
completest of all is our dictionary card catalogue, author, title
TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
and subject, kept strictly up to date, a catalogue of all our books
placed directly before our public in the reading room.
THE BINDERY.
In our bindery we have kept steadily employed the same
force as last year one foreman and four young women. The
total number of books bound, rebound and repaired, not count-
ing much miscellaneous work, was 8,066.
THIRD STORY OF BOOK SHELVES.
Of the five stories in our stack room only two were fitted up
with shelving when we took possession of the new building,
February, 1897. The rapid growth of the library made it neces-
sary this year to add another story of book cases, the third,
which has just been completed in a satisfactory manner by A.
Lucas & Sons of this city, with iron uprights in the style of the
first and second stories and at a cost of $1251.15. This will give
us additional accommodations for more than 30,000 volumes.
At the same time a book lift, now become necessary, running
from bottom to top of the stack room, was put in by the same
firm at a cost of $62.50. There remain the fourth and fifth stories
of our stack room yet to be furnished with shelving when
needed.
INVENTORY.
Our inventory taken in May of this year shows 343 volumes
missing since the last previous inventory three years ago.
The following table shows the character and number of losses
at three different inventories:
Class 1889 1897 1900
2 5 Philosophy, ethics 4 2
6 16 Religion 2 1 2
17 34 Social and political sciences 31 7 5
35 63 Natural sciences and useful arts 33 26 5
6468 Fine arts, poetry 24 14 3
69 Adultfiction 211 77 43
70 Juvenile literature 192 65 63
7178 Literary miscellany 38 16 3
7997 Travels, history, biography 59 22 14
98100 Cyclopaedias, periodicals 36 9 3
Total.. . 626 241 143
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
The abnormally large loss shown in 1889 is explained by
the fire in the library in 1888. Losses between 1889 and 1897,
8 years, averaged 30 a year, between 1897 and 1900, 47 a year.
This is too much.
When we took possession of the new library building in 1897
we placed some 800 volumes of selected juvenile literature,
history, biography, travels, science, etc., not fiction, on open
shelves in front of the reference desk in that part of the reading
room set apart for the young people. This was done in order to
encourage the reading of something besides stories. It is from
these open shelves that 49 of the 143 missing books were taken.
The mutilation and theft of periodicals in our reading room
is another serious annoyance. Three pictures were cut out of
Harper's Weekly of September 17, 1898, two articles were cut out
of Scribner's Magazine of September 1898, two recipes were cut
out of Good Housekeeping for July, 1899, a picture was cut out of
Munsey's Magazine for January 1900, a corset advertisement was
cut out of the Ladies' Home Journal for April, 1900, a poem out
of the N. E. Magazine for August, 1900 and the following maga-
tzines were carried off bodily, viz: St. Nicholas of December,
1898, Munsey of February, 1900, the Pall Mall Magazine of June,
1900 and the Boys' Own Paper of August, 1900. Every one of
these periodicals so stolen or mutilated has to be replaced by us
in order to keep our files complete. Cases of this sort, it is true,
considering the number of visitors in the library, are not many,
but they are mean.
In January of this year the experiment was thought worth
trying of placing one thousand new and attractive books on open
shelves near the delivery desk, where the public could examine
them without restrictions of any kind except such general watch-
fulness as our near by assistants could give. Above them was
placed a large printed notice: "These books must not be ta1<en
from the room until charged at the desk." From these open
shelves in the space of five months six new and valuable books
had been stolen at the date of our inventory, and are still miss-
ing. Since taking the inventory a still more flagrant case of theft
came to light, and, with the help of city detectives, the following
fourteen books were recovered, all taken from the open shelves
by one person in two weeks:
10 TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
Joy's Twenty centuries of English history.
Hueppe's Principles of bacteriology.
Judson's Growth of the American nation.
Colby's Outlines of general history.
Herron's Call of the cross.
Ames" Standard Whist for beginners.
Bardeen's Authors' birthdays, 1st and 2d series.
Pearson's Grammar of science.
Brooke's English literature.
Creighton's Introductory logic.
Cragin's Our insect friends and foes.
Sedgwick's Thomas Paine.
Thomson's Science of life.
The thief was a young man some twenty-two years old, who
had lately come here from a neighboring State. According to
his story he had been two years at a normal school and had
taught school three years, but had had some difficulty and was
now quite run down at the heel; was working for two dollars a
week and his board, in a foundry, coming to the library in over-
alls, and had the commendable design of fitting himself for the
Johns Hopkins University some day. He certainly showed a
devouring appetite for books. A library like ours, with a thou-
sand new books within reach of his fingers, was evidently a joy
to him like that Columbus felt when he discovered America.
When arrested, just as he was leaving town, he attempted no
concealment, confessed everything, did not know how he came
to do such a thing, took them at first one or two at a time, in-
tending to return them, until he found he had so many he began
to be uneasy lest his landlady should ask him questions. He
then left them in small bundles away from his boarding house,
to be called for, and prepared to leave town without them. The
judge sentenced him to a $50 fine and six months at hard labor
in the workhouse, but mercifully suspended judgment during
good behavior. I confess I pitied the poor fellow in his overalls.
He seemed all broken up over it, and he showed such good taste
in his choice of books, but the newspaper reporters, who are
more familiar with police courts than I am, called him a crank. I
do not know precisely what that is, but I don't believe it he
was only a book thief. A few days later two large books In-
man's Santa Fe Trail and a Dumas novel, The Last Vendee
taken from the open shelves without being charged, were found
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY 11
in the trunk of a plausible gentleman who had left town under a
cloud. And not long ago a friend of mine noticed in the house
of, as he avers, a highly respectable gentleman here, copies of
Persius and Juvenal that belonged to the public library. On
remarking to this admirer of the ancient classics that they were
library books, the unblushing reply was: "Yes, I know, I have
had them here for three years."
It is a deplorable thing that such petty thieving should go
on in a library where we are compelled to throw ourselves more
or less on the honor and honesty of our visitors; and it is exper-
iences such as these, which I have gone into with some detail,
that justify a public library in taking precautions to guard its
treasures from wanton pillage by that small, sneaking class in
every city who are unable to resist the temptation to steal
attractive, portable property as chance offers; who are known in
dry goods stores as shoplifters, and in the police courts as thieves.
From our large reference books on open shelves in the read-
ing room, we suffer no losses that have been detected. It is the
smaller, newer books, easily concealed and not distinguishable
from the multitude of similar books taken out at the desk in the
regular way, that offer temptation to petty theft.
GIFTS.
From other libraries, public institutions and individuals we
receive many reports, pamphlets and books, which are duly
acknowledged at the time. Among gifts of special value received
during the year are the following:
From L. E. Gann, Mayor's address and annual reports, Department of
public works, Chicago. 3 vols.
R. Williams, Streator, History of La Salle County, 111., by Baldwin.
2 vols. 2 copies.
Rev. W. H. Roberts, Philadelphia, Presbyterian Church in the United
States. 26 vols.
J. J. Lytle, Philadelphia, Journal of prison discipline. 14 vols.
F. O. Cunningham, Peoria, Fleming and Tibbins, Royal dictionary, Eng-
lish-French, French-English. 2 vols. quarto.
Michigan State Board of Health. 32 vols., 22 pamphlets.
N. C. Dougherty, Educational reports. 27 vols.
Mrs. A. L. Schimpff, Peoria, German novels. 13 vols.
Estate of Dr. J. N. Niglas, Peoria, Old German medical works. 110 vols.
J. B. Barnes, Peoria, large wall map.
Evening Journal, printing our quarterly list of new books, and from the
daily papers of our city, two copies of each issue regularly.
12 TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
In closing this 20th annual report it is gratifying to be able
to note that the Peoria Public Library gains from year to year a
firmer hold on the really affectionate appreciation of our people;
and it should, for among the many beneficent institutions of our
day I doubt if there be one that does more good to a greater
number, old and young, rich and poor, than a well conducted free
public library. But there is one cause for self-congratulation,
almost peculiar to our city, which I cannot refrain from mention-
ing here since, occupying a position that brings it more imme-
diately to my attention, it would not be generally known if I did
not speak of it. We receive regularly the annual reports of some
one hundred public libraries scattered over the United States,
and few of them are free from a subdued undertone of "sighs,
with lamentations and loud moans," over cramped and inade-
quate accommodations and lack of sufficient income, while some
of our larger cities are burdened with an annual interest charge
on bonded indebtedness for their monumental library edifices, of
one, two and three million dollars, which must be, at least indi-
rectly, a drag upon their library resources.
This, fortunately, is not our case. Mr. W. E. Foster of the
Providence, R. I., public library, in his latest annual report says,
and says feelingly: "The maximum of favorable conditions for
"a large and general use of a library's resources will be found
"when its funds enable it to respond with promptness and elas-
ticity to the various legitimate demands upon it for the pur-
chase of needed books; when it is able to place promptly upon
"its shelves, in permanent binding, the completed volumes of the
"various periodicals and serials in which alone so much of the
"most systematic study of modern times is adequately provided
"for; when it is able to keep well abreast of the ever-increasing
"wear and tear of its books, by rebinding them or purchasing
'new copies; when its funds for cataloguing purposes enable the
"reader to keep constantly up to date in his knowledge of its
"resources; when a library force is supplied which is adequate to
"prevent delays at the delivery counter and in the routine of
"cataloguing; and when it is housed in a suitable and convenient
"building. Such an ideal state has never been the fortune of
"this library."
But it is our good fortune in Peoria. Our fine library build-
ing and ample grounds are entirely paid for. Not a dollar of
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY 13
indebtedness 1 , bonds or cash, was ever charged up against them
on the great ledger of our city. Our library of over 70,000 vol-
umes counts among the large libraries of the country, and we
have ample book room for 200,000 volumes the accumulations
of the next twenty-five years. At small cost our stack room can
be extended at the rear to give our grandchildren room for its
growth for fifty years more; and, thanks to a public-spirited and
generous city council, we are granted each year, and cheerfully,
all the appropriation our needs demand. Our city is an object of
envy to her sister cities of the United States.
To our assistants in the library and in the bindery I desire
to make public acknowledgment for faithful work performed, and
for the always pleasant and harmonious relations they have main-
tained with one another and with our public.
My thanks are due to you, gentlemen of the Board of
Directors, for your continued confidence; for your wise adminis-
tration of this important public trust the people of Peoria owe
you still greater thanks.
Respectfully submitted,
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian.
STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1899-1900.
From city appropriation $14,678.52
Desk receipts on hand June 1, 1899 36.06
Rent 400.00
Fines 550.00
Books damaged and paid for 8.60
Books lost and paid for 6.85
Books sold 4.90
Extra books loaned 19.50
Duplicate cards issued 17.80
Memberships 18.75
Catalogues sold 58.45
Waste paper sold 7.18
$15,807.21
14 TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
EXPENDITURES.
Books $ 3,565.66
Periodicals 726.18
Stationery 210.88
Salaries 5,655.50
Janitor service 1,080.00
Binding ( labor )..... 1,883.58
Binding (materials ) 310.07
Fuel 356.96
Light 680.93
Insurance 468.00
Expense 484.66
Furniture and fixtures 79.65
Improvement 165.00
German catalogue 102.90
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1900.. 37.24
$15,807.21
MEMBERSHIPS.
Memberships in force June 1, 1899 6,393
Memberships issued during the year 3,681
Total 10,074
Memberships expired during the year . 3,009
Memberships in force May,31, 1900 7,065
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June 1, 1899
Books in circulation 64,426 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,172 vols.
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 3,719 "
Losses
Lost and paid for 8 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn. . 673 "
Total losses.. 681 vols.
63,745 vols.
Additions
By purchase 3,317 vols.
By donation 627 "
By periodicals bound 456 "
Total additions . . 4,400 vols.
Total books in circulation 68,145 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,197 vols.
Pamphlets (estimated) 4,019 " 6,216 vols.
Total contents May 31, 1900 74,361 vols.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
IS
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading room-
Dailies 12
Weeklies 50
Bi-weeklies 9
Monthlies 167
Bi-monthlies 10
Quarterlies 42
290
Duplicates in circulation 39
Total 329
NUMBER OF VOLUMES ISSUED. Per Cent.
Philosophy 1,861 1.11
Theology 1,660 .99
Social and political science 1,903 1.13
Natural sciences and useful arts 8,662 5.16
Fine arts, poetry and music 4,430 2.64
Fiction 77,225 45.98
Juvenile fiction 42,894 25.54
Literary miscellany 5,695 3.39
History and travel 17,242 10.26
Cyclopaedias and periodicals 6,379 3.80
167,951 100.00
Of the above were issued at the library 151,990
" " " " ' schools 15,961
167,951
Highest issue on any week day during 1899-1900 March 17, 1900, 1,280 vols.
Lowest " " " " " " " " . . . . February 28, 1900, 156 "
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept overtime during the year 10,059
Number of fine notices sent 1,040
" " notices to guarantors 2
" " " for books reserved 1,884
SCHOOL ISSUE.
Literature ,
Science, art, religion
History, biography, travel
Fiction, fairy tales, legends,
Total
251
855
1,707
1,055
128
880
676
92S
2, 112
139
233
995
723
2,090
41
369
760
801
1,971
71
329
728
612
1,740
187
358
1,023
1,600
1,573
160
163
394
290
1,007
960
2,634
6,191
6,176
15,961
The following table shows the number of volumes in each class June 1,
1899, the losses and additions during the year, together with the total contents
of the Library, May 31, 1900:
16
TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
S
- >,QO
iSG
'-n
1H
o 5
H '
!2
'3
a
T3 I.
~
in
>J
Worn out and
withdrawn
Balance
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K o
"2
30
0*-i
>T3
9
o-a
Z
58
182
542
464
148
50
1,056
912
253
486
249
Total vols. in
Library
May 31. 1900.
No.
Per
Cent.
1.56
3.93
13 43
11.55
6.05
60
15.19
10 91
7.54
18.47
10.77
Philosophy
1,007
1,007
2,494
8,608
7,406
3,978
356
9,297
6, 522
4,883
12, 103
7,091
1,065
2,676
9,150
7,870
4,126
406
10, 353
7,434
5, 136
12,589
7,340
Theology
2 495
1
3
4
5
309
325
19
1
6
Social and political sciences
8,611
Natural sciences and useful arts
7,410
Fine arts and poetry
3,984
356
9,609
6,851
4,902
1
'3
4
Vocal and instrumental music
Fiction
J uvenile literature
Literary miscellany.
History and travel
12, 104
Cyclopaedias and periodicals
7 097
Total
64,426
8
673
63, 745
4,400
68,145
100 00
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English
German.
French .
Spanish.
Latin . .
Hebrew
Vocal and instrumental music,
Total
Purchased
Donations
Periodicals bound.
4,110
232
4
2
1
1
50
4,400
3,317
627
456
Total 4,400
915
25
2,515
4,543
68
Total ., . 8,066
Books bound
Newspapers bound .
Books rebound
Books repaired
Portfolios . ,
32 24 16 12 8 4 Folios
22 95 766 1419 935 106 112
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes
Peoria Public Library catalogues bound in paper.
Current periodicals covered
Members' cards folded and pasted
Total
3,455
4,611
8,066
557
432
9,343
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
17
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18 TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
STATE OF ILLINOIS, sg
COUNTY OF PEORIA.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9th day of June, A. D. 1900, by
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian. LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
THE
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
AND THE
Forty-fourth Annual Report since its Organization
as the Peoria City Library.
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
For the Year Ending May 31, 1901.
EDWARD HINE & CO., PRINTERS
DIRECTORS OF THE PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
FROM ITS ORIGIN, APRIL, 1880.
John S. Lee 1880 to 1889
James C. Dolan 1880 " 1894
Mathew Henebery 1880 " 1894
Bernard Creraer 1880 " date
Henry Ullman 1880 " 1898
Austin F. Johnson 1880 " 1884
J. M. Hutchinson 1880 " 1884
Chas. B. Allaire 1880 " 1883
Geo. B. Foster 1880 " 1886
James Millard 1884 " 1886
Matthew Griswold 1884 " 1886
Robert C. Grier 1884 " date
Henry W. Wells 1886 " date
Dan F. Raum 1886 " 1889
Thos. F. Burnett 1889 " 1890
Geo. B. Foster 1889 " 1892
Thos. M. Mcllvaine 1890 " date
Edward Hine 1892 " 1895
Chas. R. Vandervort 1894 " date
Frank Meyer 1894 " 1897
Leonard F. Houghton 1895 " 1898
Mark W. Goss 1896 " 1897
Samuel D. Wead 1897 " 1900
James P. Nailon 1897 " 1900
N. E. Worthington 1898 " date
Max Newman - 1898 " 1899
Leonard F. Houghton 1899 " date
John E. Keene 1900 " date
James M. Quinn 1900 " date
POPULATION OF THE CITY OF PEORIA.
According to the census of 1900 56,100
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1900-1901.
ROBERT C. GRIER, Chamber of Commerce Term expires 1902
CHARLES R. VANDERVORT, 1111 N. Monroe Street " " 1902
LEONARD F. HOUGHTON, Peoria National Bank " " 1902
THOMAS M. MC!LVAINE, 516 Main street ' " 1903
JOHN E. KEENE, 301 South Jefferson Ave " " 1903
JAMES M. QUINN, Chamber of Commerce " " 1903
BERNARD CREMER, German-American National Bank... " " 1904
HENRY W. WELLS, 325 Main Street " " 1904
NICHOLAS E. WORTHINGTON, Circuit Court, Court House . " " 1904
OFFICERS.
N. E. WORTHINGTON President
T. M. MclLVAiNE Vice- President
B. CREMER Secretary
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance and Auditing Houghton, Cremer, Quinn.
Books Wells, Vandervort, Keene.
Executive Worthington (ex-officio}, Mcllvaine, Grier.
LIBRARY SERVICE.
E. S. WILLCOX Librarian.
Assistants :
ELIZABETH T. ELLIS Reference Librarian.
ANNA L. ARCHER Cataloguer.
John M. Youngman, Louise L. Booth,
Harold H. Willcox,* Fred. J. Huenken,
Helen M Ballard, Elizabeth Bontjes.
In the Bindery :
Richard J. Cross, Ruth McKenzie, Rachel Garrabrant,
Edith A. Quinn, Margaret A. Theena.
Evening Attendant Samuel W. Dodge.
Engineer John J. Steiger.
Janittess Mrs. Mary E. Theena.
The Library is open for the delivery of books, except on Sundays and
holidays, from 9 A. M. until 8 P. M.; on Saturdays until 9 P. M.
Reading room open from 9 A. M. until 9 P. M.; on Sundays from 2 p. M.
until 6 P. M.
*Until Sept. 1.
1 3058
Report of the Directors.
To the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Peoria :
In accordance with the requirement of the statute, the
Directors of the Peoria Public Library herewith submit their
report for the year ending May 31, 1901, adopting the extracts
from the annual report of the Librarian, Mr. E. S. Willcox, as a
part of their report.
The Directors recognize the binding effect of the provisions
of the statute which declares that, "every library and reading
room- established under this Act, shall be forever free to the
inhabitants of the city where located, subject to such reasonable
rules and regulations as the Library Board may adopt, in order
to render the use of said library and reading room of the greatest
benefit to the greatest number."
With a view to securing this end, no vexatious conditions
are attached to the use of the Library. No surety or guarantor
is required in an application for membsrship. All that is neces-
sary is that the person applying shall satisfy the Librarian that
he or she is a resident of the city, and will conform to the rules
and regulations adopted by the Directors.
Your Board believes that the true policy in the conduct of a
library supported by general taxation, is to make its contents as
open and accessible to the sight, touch and examination of the
public, as is consistent with their reasonably safe preservation.
In ord-er to accomplish this, changes have been adopted and are
now being put in operation, that will open to public view and
examination such standard books of history, biography, travel,
science, fiction and general literature as will be likely to attract
general readers. New books, as purchased, will also be thus free
to general inspection. It is believed by your Board that this
more liberal policy will successfully invite an increased member-
ship, and will help to make the library, as required by statute,
"of the greatest use to the greatest number."
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
The residents of the city should be led to feel, and act upon
the feeling, that the Peoria Public Library belongs to them; that it
was established for their benefit; that they have in it substantial
rights of use for the purposes for which it is maintained, and
that these rights are to be freely enjoyed, subject only to such
regulations as secure order in its rooms, and the proper care and
preservation of its books.
To promote the full realization of these facts by the public,
and the increased use of the Library which will follow such
realization, the Board of Directors earnestly invite the co-
operation of your Board and of all lovers of books and friends
of education.
N. E. WORTHINGTON, President.
B. CREMER, Secretary.
Report of Librarian.
To the Board of Directors of the Public Library :
GENTLEMEN: Herewith I beg leave to present the Librarian's
report of the Peoria Public Library for the library year ending
May 31, 1901, the 21st annual report of the Public Library and
the 44th annual report of the same library since its origin as the
Peoria City Library in 1855.
Our statistics for the year, which will be found tabulated at
the end of this report, show a gratifying and continuous growth
during the last twelve months, in the enlarged membership, in
the number of volumes added and in the home circulation.
Our membership is now 7,519, an increase of 454 over that
of a year ago, and one to every 7^ of our population.
The number of volumes added during the year was 5,000,
making a total of books now in active use 72,133.
Our home circulation for the year was 174,945, an increase of
6,994 over that of the preceding year and the largest ever yet
attained, an average of 3^ volumes to every inhabitant of the
city.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Comparing these figures with those of the year 1890-91, ten
years ago, our membership then was 4,549, now 7,519, a gain of
65 per cent. Our books in circulation then were 38,608 volumes,
now 72,133, a gain of 86 T 8 per cent., and our home circulation
was 86,137, now 174,945, a gain of 103 per cent.
In that period of ten years the population of our city has in-
creased by natural growth and by annexations from 41,024 to
56,100, or 36^ percent.
Of our total issues, 124,047 volumes, or 70 T %, were fiction,
adult and juvenile 45 T 7 4 o adult, and 25^ juvenile and 50,898,
or 29^ were non-fiction, history, biography, science, art, literary
miscellany, etc.
SCHOOL LIBRARIES.
As a help in circulating good reading at home are the care-
fully selected libraries placed at the beginning of each school
year in nine of our public schools farthest removed from the
central library. So long as we have no branch libraries or deliv-
ery stations, such as from the rapid growth of our city will be re-
quired as ward libraries in the not distant future, these school
libraries of from 200 to 400 volumes each, serve the purpose very
well and at small cost.
Our circulation through these nine schools this last year was,
according to classification, as follows, viz:
Literature 1,255 vols.
Science, art, religion 3,367 "
History, biography, travel 8,117 "
Fiction, fairy tales, legends 10,424 "
A total of 23,163 "
Or 13^ per cent, of our total issues, and an increase over last
year's school issues 15,961 of nearly 50 percent.
THE BINDERY.
In our bindery we have kept steadily employed our regular
force, one foreman and four young women. The total number of
books bound, rebound and repaired, including 2,529 repaired by
desk assistants, was 6,572, as against 8,066 the year before, a fall-
ing off of 1,494 volumes, while the cost of labor has been $68.21
greater.
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
AMONG THE IMPORTANT PURCHASES DURING THE YEAR ARE:
Brewer, World's Best Orations 10 vols.
Brewer, World's Best Essays 10 "
Reed, Modern Eloquence 10 "
Garnett, Universal Anthology 28 "
Home Study Circle Library 15 ''
Robert Browning's Works, Camberwell Ed 12 "
Balzac's Novels, Centennary Ed 16 "
Mark Twain's Writings, Royal Ed 22 "
James, Naval History of Great Britian 6 "
Michigan Pioneer Society Collections 28 "
Ellis' History of the United States (for School Libraries), 12
sets, each 8 "
Starr, Indians of Southern Mexico. 1 "
Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States 4 "
Hexaglot Bible 6 "
Nouveau Larousse Illustre" 4 "
Andover Review, 1884-1893 19 "
Cornhill Magazine, 1877-1899 22 "
Life, 1884-1892.
GIFTS.
From other libraries, public institutions and individuals we
receive many reports, pamphlets and books which are duly ac-
knowledged at the time. Among gifts of especial value received
during the year are the following:
Taylor, Isaac Chicago Drainage Canal, report of special
commission.
Bash, Mrs. D. N Welsh New Testament; Notes on China;
General Federation of Women's
Clubs, Proceedings.
Goodwin, J. J Goodwins of Hartford, Conn.
Kansas State Historical Society,
Kansas Historical Collections, '6 Vols.;
Six reports of Board of Directors.
Collins, H. O Descendants of Robert Green; Chart of
Ballance-Schnebly Family; Geneal-
ogy of Washington Family.
Hovey, H. C Daniel Hovey of Ipswich.
Murray, Mrs. W. T Atlantic, 9 Vols. complete; Arena, 2 Vols.
complete; odd numbers of Atlantic,
Arena, North American, Scribner,
and Century.
Farrell, C. P Ingersoll's Works, Dresden Ed., 12 Vols.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Sipton, Hon. Clifford Atlas of West Canada.
Field, Marshall Field Genealogy by Pierce, 2 Vols.
Hiatt, C. W Sermons.
Franks & Sons Chicago City Directory, 1899.
Bonney, C. C World's Congress Addresses.
Barton, W. E Lieut. Wm. Barton and His Descendants;
Old Plantation Hymns; Cumberland
Mountains.
Lieut. L. J. Dawdy 86th 111. Vols. Society of the Army of the
Cumberland Reunion, 24 Vols.
Wright, Grant Catalogues of the New York Academy of
Design.
From the daily papers of our city, two copies of each issue regularly,
from the Peoria Evening Journal, the printing of our quarterly list of new
books, and from the following newspapers their regular issues:
The Public Ledger, Philadelphia.
The Evening Mail, Galesburg.
The Montana Daily Record.
The Springfield, Mass., Weekly Republican.
The San Francisco Sunday Bulletin.
STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1900-1901.
RECEIPTS.
From city appropriation $15,290.66
Desk receipts on hand June 1, 1900 37.24
Reserve fund 513.15
Rent 800.00
Fines 604.84
Books damaged and paid for 14.11
Books lost and paid for 14.95
Books sold 1.00
Book bound 1.00
Extra books loaned 21.15
Duplicate cards issued 15.35
Reserve postal cards 10.00
Memberships * 20.50
Catalogues sold ' 37.60
Waste paper sold 7.25
$17,388.80
10 TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
EXPENDITURES.
Books $ 3,902.62
Periodicals 723.76
Stationery 247.32
Salaries 5,624.19
Janitor Service 1,080.00
Binding (labor) 1,951.79
Binding (materials) 263.29
Fuel 410.67
Light 802.65
Insurance *. 90.00
Expense 537.87
Furniture and fixtures 49.79
Improvement 1,631.85
Supplies 4.50
Catalogue, graded list for pupils 34.00
Desk receipts on hand May 31, 1901 34.50
$17,388.80
MEMBERSHIP.
Memberships in force June 1, 1900 7,065
Memberships issued during the year, good for two years 3,838
Total 10,903
Memberships expired during the year 3,384
Memberships in force May 31, 1901 7,519
CONTENTS OF LIBRARY.
June 1, 1900
Books in circulation 68,145 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,197 vols.
Unbound pamphlets (estimated) 4,019 "
Losses
Lost and paid for 18 vols.
Worn out and withdrawn 994 "
Total losses 1,012 vols.
67,133 vols.
Additions
By purchase 4,019 vols.
By donation 536 "
By periodicals bound 445 "
Total additions 5,000 vols.
Total books in circulation. . 72,133 vols.
Duplicates not in use 2,217 vols.
Pamphlets (estimated) 4,561 " 6,778 vols.
Total contents May 31, 1901 . 78,911 vols.
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
11
Number of periodicals taken and always accessible in the reading room
Dailies 14
Weeklies 52
Bi-weeklies 8
Monthlies 163
Bi-monthlies 10
Quarterlies 40
287
Duplicates in circulation 39
Total 326
NUMBER OF VOLUMES ISSUED. Per Cent.
Philosophy; 1,958 1.12
Theology 1,475 .84
Social and political science 1,761 1.01
Natural science and useful arts 9,874 5.65
Fine arts, poetry and music 4,436 2.54
Fiction ". 80,027 45.74
Juvenile fiction 44,020 25.16
Literary miscellany 6,059 3.46
History and travel 19,267 11.01
Cyclopaedias and periodicals 6,068 3.47
174,945 100.00
Of the above were issued at the library 151,782
" " " " schools 23,163
174,945
Highest issue on any week day during 1900-1901 Feb. 23, 1901, 1,505 vols.
Lowest " " " " " " " " Oct. 3,1901, 219 "
DELINQUENTS.
Books kept overtime during the year 10,717
Number of fine notices sent 1,130
" " notices for books reserved 1,073
SCHOOL ISSUE.
o
Literature
Science, art, religion
History, biography, travel ...
Fiction, fairy tales
Total
577
1,179
2,058
1,831
5,645
145
587
830
1,369
2,931
93
344
980
1,509
2,926
115
335
1,203
987
2,640
114
293
661
1,325
2,393
47
366
787
1,035
2,235
104
96
994
1,021
2,215
56
89
389
937
1,471
4
78
215
410
707
1,255
3,367
8,117
10,424
23,163
12
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
The following table shows the number of volumes in each
class June 1, 1900, the losses and additions during the year, to-
gether with the total contents of the Library, May 31, 1901:
Total vols. in
Library
May 31, 1900
Lost and paid
for.
Worn out and
withdrawn
Balance
No. volumes
added 1900-1901
Total volumes
in Library
May 31, 1901
No.
Per
Cent.
Philosophy
1 065
2
1,063
2,676
9,150
7,859
4,123
406
9,876
6,938
5,125
12, 580
7,337
52
120
494
383
191
22
1,167
1,393
297
644
237
1,115
2,796
9,644
8,242
4,314
428
11,043
8,331
5,422
13,224
7,574
1 54
3.88
13.37
11.43
5 98
.59
15.31
11 55
7.52
18.33
10.50
Theology
2,676
Social and political sciences
9, 150
Natural sciences and useful arts
7,870
4,126
406
10, 353
7,434
5,188
6
5
8
Fine arts and poetry
Vocal and instrumental music
Fiction
5
6
472
490
11
8
3
iterary miscellany
History and travel
12,589
7,340
1
Cyclopaedias and periodicals
Total
68,145
18
994
67,133
5, 000 72, 133
100.00
CHARACTER OF ADDITIONS.
English 4,895
German . . 60
French
Welsh
Vocal and instrumental music.
22
1
22
Total . 5,000
Purchased 4,019
Donations catalogued 536
Periodicals bound . . 445
Total 5,000
BINDERY.
Books bound 720
Newspapers bound 25
Books rebound 2,313
Books repaired 936
Portfolios made. . 49
Total 4,043
PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY 13
SIZES.
32 24 16 12 8 4 f
7 74 566 1,391 713 151 156 .... 3,058
Portfolios and books repaired, miscellaneous sizes 985
Total 4,043
Books repaired by desk assistant 2,529
Total 6,572
Peoria Public Library catalogues bound in paper 250
Current periodicals covered *' 422
Members' cards folded and pasted 8,700
Canvas covers for dictionaries. . 2
14
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
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PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY 15
STATE OF ILLINOIS, )
COUNTY OF PEORIA. )
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 31st day of October, A. D. 1901, by
E. S. WILLCOX, Librarian. LEWIS B. HOWE, Notary Public.
"
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