Handbook of the New York Public Library

New York. Public Library

Handbook of the New York
Public Library

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HANDBOOK

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC

LIBRARY

PROFESSOR J.S.WILL

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HANDBOOK
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LIBRARY

1916

Copyright, 1916, by
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

898999.

CONTENTS

THE CENTRAL BUILDING: . PAGE

EXTERIOR _______ 7

SCULPTURE ---------.---.-13

THE REAR OF THE BUILDING -------_-_ 15

FIRST FLOOR
ENTRANCES -------------- \j

ELEVATORS --------------- 19

EXHIBITION ROOM -------------19

CURRENT PERIODICALS ROOM -------_-_i9

BUSINESS OFFICES -----21

TECHNOLOGY DIVISION ------------ 21

PATENTS ROOM -- ___._22

THE LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND ----------22

SECOND FLOOR
ORIENTAL DIVISION ------------ 23

JEWISH DIVISION __23

SLAVONIC DIVISION -------------23

SCIENCE DIVISION ------------- 25

ECONOMICS DIVISION ------- 25

BUSINESS OFFICES ------------- 25

THIRD FLOOR

PUBLIC CATALOGUE ROOM ----------- 27

INFORMATION DESK ------------ 31

APPLICATION FOR BOOKS ----------- 31

THE MAIN READING ROOM ----------.31

THE LIBRARY'S BOOKS -----------.33

USE OF BOOKS -------------- 39

STACK ----------___.__ 39

GENEALOGY ROOM -------------39

AMERICAN HISTORY DIVISION ----------39

RESERVE BOOKS ------______ 41

PRINTS ROOM --- ______ .43

ART AND ARCHITECTURE -----._____ 43

MAP ROOM --------__-___ 45

STUART GALLERY --------.____ 45

GENERAL GALLERY -------------45

PRINTS GALLERY ----------.--45

MANUSCRIPT DIVISION ------------ 4$

Music DIVISION ---------____ 47

THE CENTRAL BUILDING, continued:

BASEMENT PAGE

NEWSPAPER ROOM 47

CENTRAL CIRCULATION BRANCH 49

CHILDREN'S ROOM ---.. - - 51

LIBRARY SCHOOL 51

PUBLIC TELEPHONES - -._ --53

BUSINESS OFFICES 53

TRAVELLING LIBRARIES OFFICE ------____ 53

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT (BRANCHES):

CIRCULATION OF BOOKS --------- .... 55

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS --------_.__ 57

INTERBRANCH LOAN 57

READING ROOMS 57

LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND --.__ 59

TRAVELLING LIBRARIES ___59

WORK WITH CHILDREN ---_ - - - 61

LECTURES AND MEETINGS ---_ - - 62

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LIBRARY:

THE ASTOR LIBRARY ------_-___ -63

THE LENOX LIBRARY -- _ _ - _ _ 57

THE TILDEN TRUST ------_... _ . 57

CONSOLIDATION ----------- ... (jo

NEW YORK FREE CIRCULATING LIBRARY ------ V - 71

OTHER CIRCULATING LIBRARIES ------ _ _ _ - 7\

CARNEGIE BRANCHES ---------_.. 71

MANAGEMENT -------_______ 71

BENEFACTORS -- ______ 72

WORK OF THE LIBRARY -_'_ ..73

FLOOR PLANS, CENTRAL BUILDING 74

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE LIBRARY -------- 75

DIRECTORY OF BRANCH LIBRARIES ---------- 77

PUBLICATIONS OF THE LIBRARY --- 78

THE CROTON RESERVOIR ------.-._. .79

NOTE

Although the purpose of this Handbook is to tell the
principal facts about the Library as an institution, its chief
use is likely to be that of a guide to the Central Building.
The section about the Central Building is therefore given
first place. Any visitor who cares to take the trouble, before
beginning his tour of the Building, to read the brief historical
sketch (on pages 63-73) will have a better understanding of
the organisation and work of the Library, and see the reasons
for a number of things which might not otherwise be clear.

THE CENTRAL BUILDING

OPEN: WEEK DAYS, INCLUDING HOLIDAYS, 9 A. M. TO 10 P. M.
SUNDAYS, 1 p. M. TO 10 P. M.

(Except where otherwise noted these are
the hours of the special reading rooms.)

THE CENTRAL BUILDING

The Central Building of The New York Public Library
is on the western side of Fifth Avenue, occupying the
two blocks between 40th and 42nd Streets. It stands on
part of the site of the old Croton distributing reservoir,
and it was built by the City of New York at a cost of
about nine million dollars.

Competitions to choose the architect for the build-
ing were held in 1897, two years after The New York
Public Library was incorporated. The result of the
competition was the selection of Messrs. Carrere and
Hastings, of New York, as architects. In 1899 the work
of removing the old reservoir began. Various legal dif-
ficulties and labor troubles delayed beginning the con-
struction of the building, but by November 10, 1902, the
work had progressed so far that the cornerstone was
laid. The building was opened to the public May 23,
1911, in the presence of the President of the United
States, the Governor of the State of New York, the
Mayor of New York, and an audience of about six
hundred persons.

Exterior. The material of the building is largely
Vermont marble, and the style that of the modern
Renaissance, somewhat in the manner of the period of
Louis XVI, with certain modifications to suit the con-
ditions of to-day. It is rectangular in shape, 390 feet
long and 270 feet deep, built around two inner courts.
It has a cellar, basement or ground floor, and three
upper floors.

[ 7 ]

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''The Library," wrote Mr. A. C. David, in the Archi-
tectural Record *, "is undeniably popular. It has already
taken its place in the public mind as a building of
which every New Yorker may be proud, and this opin-
ion of the building is shared by the architectural pro-
fession of the country. Of course, it does not please
everybody; but if American architects in good standing
were asked to name the one building which embodied
most of what was good in contemporary American ar-
chitecture, The New York Public Library would be the
choice of a handsome majority."

Mr. David continued: "The Library is not, then, in-
tended to be a great monumental building, which would
look almost as well from one point of view as another,
and which would be fundamentally an example of pure
architectural form. It is designed rather to face on the
avenue of a city, and not to seem out of place on such
a site. It is essentially and frankly an instance of street
architecture; and as an instance of street architecture it
is distinguished in its appearance rather than imposing.
Not, indeed, that it is lacking in dignity. The facade
on Fifth Avenue has poise, as well as distinction; char-
acter, as well as good manners. But still it does not
insist upon its own peculiar importance, as every monu-
mental building must do. It is content with a somewhat
humbler role, but one which is probably more appropri-
ate. It looks ingratiating rather than imposing, and that
is probably one reason for its popularity. It is intended
for popular rather than for official use, and the building
issues to the people an invitation to enter rather than a
command. . .

"The final judgment on the Library will be, conse-
quently, that it is not a great monument, because consid-
erations of architectural form have in several conspicuous
instances been deliberately subordinated to the needs of
the plan. In this respect it resembles the new Museum
of Fine Arts in Boston. The building is at bottom a
compromise between two groups of partly antagonistic
demands, and a compromise can hardly ever become a

1 September, 1910.

[ 9 ]

TERRACE IN FRONT OF LIBRARY

LOOKING SOUTH

consummate example of architectural form. But, on the
other hand, Messrs. Carrere and Hastings have, as in
so many other cases, made their compromise success-
ful. Faithful as they have been to the fundamental
requirement of adapting the building to its purpose as
a library, they have also succeeded in making it look
well; and they have succeeded in making it look well
partly because the design is appropriate to its function
as a building in which books are stored, read and dis-
tributed. A merely monumental library always appears
somewhat forbidding and remote. The Library looks
attractive, and so far as a large building can, even inti-
mate. . .

"The popularity of the Library has, consequently,
been well earned. The public has reason to like it,
because it offers them a smiling countenance; and the
welcome it gives is merely the outward and visible sign
of an inward grace. When people enter they will find
a building which has been ingeniously and carefully
adapted to their use. Professional architects like it, be-
cause they recognize the skill, the good taste and the
abundant resources of which the building, as a whole,
is the result; and while many of them doubtless cherish

BY EDWARD C. POTTEB

TERRACE LOOKING NORTH

a secret thought that they would have done it better,
they are obliged to recognize that in order to have done
it better they would have been obliged to exhibit a high
degree of architectural intelligence. In the realism of
its plan and in the mixture of dignity and distinction
in the design, The New York Public Library is typical

[ 12 ]

of that which is best in the contemporary American
architectural movement; and New York is fortunate,
indeed, that such a statement can be made of the most
important public building
erected in the city during
several generations."

Sculpture. Of the
sculptural designs, the two
lions on either side of the
main approach are by E. C.
Potter. They have been
subjected to much criti-
cism, mainly of a humor-
ous nature, and in the
daily press. This adverse
comment has not been en-
dorsed by critics of art and
architecture. Mr. Potter
was chosen for this work
by Augustus St. Gaudens,
and again, after Mr. St.
Gaudens' death, by Mr.
D. C. French, also an emi-
nent sculptor. Any lay-
man can satisfy himself, by
a brief observation of the
building as a whole, that
the architectural balance
of the structure demands
figures of heroic size to

flank the main approach. With that requirement in
view, the designer of such figures has but a limited
choice of subject, since there are few living creatures
whose forms possess dignity without being cumbrous.
The sculptor in this instance has followed well-estab-

ROMANCE
By PAUL BARTLETT

lished precedents in designing the lions according to
the canons of decorative art. They are as realistic as
would be suitable for figures of this size, and in this

position.

i The groups in the

pediments are by George
Gray Barnard; the one in
the northern pediment rep-
resents History, and the
one in the southern, Art.
The figures above the
fountains on either side
of the main entrance are
by Frederick MacMonnies;
the man seated on the
Sphinx, on the northern
side of the entrance rep-
resents Truth. On the
southern side, the figure of
the woman seated on Peg-
asus represents Beauty.
Above the figure of Truth
is this inscription from the
Apocrypha (1 Esdras,
chapter 3):

BUT ABOVE ALL THINGS

TRUTH

PHILOSOPHY BEARETH AWAY

BY PAUL BARTLETT THE VICTORY

The inscription above the figure of Beauty is:

BEAUTY
OLD YET EVER NEW

ETERNAL VOICE
AND INWARD WORD

[ 14 ]

This is from the twenty-first stanza of Whittier's
poem, "The Shadow and the Light."

The six figures above the main entrance are by Paul
Bartlett; naming them from north to south they are:
History, Drama, Poetry, Religion, Romance, and Phi-
losophy. Above the entrance are inscriptions concern-
ing three of the component parts of The New York
Public Library. They are as follows:

THE LENOX LIBRARY

FOUNDED BY

JAMES LENOX

DEDICATED TO HISTORY

LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS

MDCCCLXX

THE ASTOR LIBRARY THE TILDEN TRUST

FOUNDED BY FOUNDED BY

JOHN JACOB ASTOR SAMUEL JONES TILDEN

FOR THE TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF

ADVANCEMENT OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE SCIENCE AND POPULAR EDUCATION

MDCCCXLVIII MDCCCLXXXVI

Beneath these is this inscription:

MDCCCXCV THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY MDCCCCII

Of the dates in this inscription, the first, 1895, is that
of the incorporation of The New York Public Library;
the second, 1902, is that of the laying of the cornerstone.

The statue of William Cullen Bryant, behind the
Library, is by Herbert Adams.

The rear of the building should be viewed from
Bryant Park. The long windows are to light the book-
stack. Some critics have commended the rear of the
building very highly. Mr. A. C. David, in the article
previously quoted, says:

"This facade is very plainly treated, without any
pretence to architectural effect. It is, indeed, designed

[ 15 ]

frankly as the rear of a structure which is not meant to
be looked at except on the other sides. Any attempt,
consequently, at monumental treatment has been aban-
doned. The building is designed to be seen from Fifth
Avenue and from the side streets. The rear, on Bryant
Park, merely takes care of itself; and one of the largest

A RAINY DAY — FIFTH AVENUE
FROM AN ETCHING BY CHARLES B. KING

apartments in any edifice in the United States is prac-
tically concealed, so far as any positive exterior result
is concerned."

The large apartment referred to in this quotation
is the Main Reading Room of the Library, which is
described farther on in this Handbook.

[ 16 ]

FIRST FLOOR

Entrances. There are two entrances to the Library,
the main entrance on Fifth Avenue, and the side door
on 42nd Street, which gives admission to the basement,
where the Central Circulation Room, the Newspaper
Room and the Central Chil-
dren's Room are to be found.
On a first visit, however,
the sightseer should use the
main entrance on Fifth Ave-
nue, in order to see the lobby,
which rises through two sto-
ries, with broad staircases to
the right and left. The fly-
ing arches of these staircases
are of seventeen feet span,
and are all of marble with-
out any brick or metal work
whatever. The marble used
in the lobby is from Vermont.
The ceiling is a true marble
vault of forty feet span, sup-
porting itself and the floor
over it, with no metal what-
ever, except some reinforcing
rods buried in the concrete
filling in the floor above.

Between the pillars facing the entrance are two in-
scriptions. At the left is this:

THE CITY OF NEW YORK
HAS ERECTED THIS BUILDING
TO BE MAINTAINED FOREVER

AS A FREE LIBRARY
FOR THE USE OF THE PEOPLE

TRUTH
BY FREDERICK MACMONNIES

PART OF MAIN FACADE

And at the right:

ON THE DIFFUSION OF EDUCATION

AMONG THE PEOPLE
REST THE PRESERVATION

AND PERPETUATION
OF OUR FREE INSTITUTIONS

The latter is a quotation from an address by Daniel
Webster at Madison, Indiana, June 1, 1837.

[ 18 ]

Elevators are near the northern or 42nd Street end
of the building. There is also a staircase at this end of
the building, in addition to the staircases near the main
entrance.

Exhibition Room. Directly opposite the main en-
trance is the Exhibition Room, finished in white Ver-
mont marble. The ceiling is
supported by twenty-four col-
umns of green veined white
marble. The ceiling itself
is elaborately and beautifully
carved in oak. This room
is devoted to exhibitions of
rare books, manuscripts and
prints. The exhibitions are
changed from time to time,
usually as often as three or
four times a year. Open 9
a. m. to 6 p. m. on week days;
1 to 5 p. m. Sundays.

Current Periodicals
Room. The corridor to the
south from the main entrance
leads to the Current Periodi-
cals Room (Room Number
111). Here about 4,500 cur-
rent periodicals are on file. A hundred of these are on
open racks. The others may be obtained upon applica-
tion at the desk. A classified finding list gives the reader
the titles of periodicals kept here. As this room is
sometimes confused in the public mind with a popular
or club reading room, it should be remembered that
this is one department in a building primarily devoted

[ 19]

FRONT DOOR

to the reference work of the Library. The few restric-
tions which are imposed are only for the purpose of
keeping the files intact for binding. The Branches of
The New York Public Library contain reading rooms
where all the periodicals are on open racks.

[ 20 ]

Business Offices. Following the corridor leading
south and then turning to the right along the 40th Street
side of the building, one reaches some of the business
offices of the Library — the office of the Bursar (No.
104), of the Building Superintendent (No. 103), of the
Chief of the Circulation Department (No. 102), and
of the Supervisor of work
with children (No. 105).
These offices are open for any
persons who have occasion
to visit them for business
reasons, but they are of no
interest to sightseers. In
Room 100, devoted mainly
to the cataloguing work of
the Circulation Department,
there is a card catalogue of
all the books in this De-
partment, — that is, in the
Branches of the Library.
The Room is open to the
public, for the consultation of
this catalogue, on week days
from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.

Technology Division.
Following the corridor lead-
ing to the north from the main entrance, there is, on the
right, the room of the Technology Division (No. 115),
devoted to applied science and engineering. The col-
lection of books in this Division, or under its control,
numbers about 65,000. In this room, as in all the
special reading rooms, with a few exceptions, books
are on open shelves for the free access of readers and
students.

BASE OF FLAGPOLE

Patents Room (No. 121). At the end of the corri-
dor parallel to 42nd Street, is the Patents Room, a part
of the Technology Division. It is open from 9 a. m.
to 6 p. m. on week days, and is closed on Sundays.

Patents may be consulted
evenings and Sundays by
arrangement with the
technology librarian,
Room 115.

The Library for the
Blind (No. 116) is on the
inner or western side of
the corridor leading north
from the main entrance.
This collection contains
about 8,000 books in em-
bossed type for blind
readers, and, in addition,
5,500 music scores, also
in embossed type. These
books are lent not only in
Greater New York, but
are sent free by mail to
blind readers in all parts
of the States of New

York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A teacher em-
ployed by the Library goes to homes and institu-
tions in the City of New York to teach adult blind
persons to read by touch. The room is open on
week days from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. A bronze tablet on
the wall bears the following inscription:

NORTH WING

[ 22]

THE NEW YORK

FREE CIRCULATING LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND
WAS FOUNDED BY RICHARD RANDALL FERRY

THROUGH THE EXERTIONS OF CLARA A. WILLIAMS
THIS LIBRARY WAS PERMANENTLY ESTABLISHED

INCORPORATED, JUNE 3, 1895
TRANSFERRED TO THE N. Y. PUBLIC LIBRARY, FEB. 21, 1903

TRUSTEES

WILLIAM B. WAIT CLARA A. WILLIAMS

CLARK B. FERRY

RICHARD RANDALL FERRY CHARLES W. WESTON

The trustees named on the tablet are, of course,
those of the former organization: the "New York Free
Circulating Library for the Blind."

SECOND FLOOR

On the second floor a corridor runs along the front
of the building, turning into short corridors at the north
and south, and also into a central corridor. From these
corridors open studies, offices and special reading rooms.
In the central corridor, four studies open on the right,
while the fifth room on this side is devoted to the

Oriental Division (No. 219), with a collection of
about 20,000 books and pamphlets in Arabic, Persian,
Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, and other eastern languages.
Open 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. week days.

Jewish Division (No. 217). Opposite the Oriental
Division, on the south side of this central corridor, is the
reading room devoted to the Jewish Division. There
are about 24,000 books in the collection.

Slavonic Division. The room devoted to the Sla-
vonic Division (No. 216) is also on the south side of
the central corridor. The resources of this Division,
books and periodicals in the various Slavonic languages,
number about 23,000.

[ 23 ]

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Science Division. On the corridor parallel to Fifth
Avenue, and leading north from the main staircase, the
room on the right contains the Science Division (No.
225). There are about 35,000 books under the control
of this Division.

Economics Division. From the corridor on the
northern or 42nd Street end of the building open the
rooms devoted to Public Documents (No. 229) and
Economics and Sociology. These were formerly sepa-
rate divisions, but now united, and the entrance is
through Room 229. The resources of the Division
(including the large collection of Public Documents)
number about 400,000 books and pamphlets.

Business Offices. The rooms opening from the
corridor running south from the main staircase are
mostly business offices, devoted to the administration
of the Library. They are of little interest to sight-
seers, but are open to any persons who have occasion
to visit them. They include, on the front of the build-
ing, a lecture room (No. 213), the office of the Director
of the Library (No. 210), and the meeting room of the
Board of Trustees (No. 205). On the inner or western
side of the corridor are: a study (No. 214), the office of
the Editor of Publications (No. 212), and of the Ref-
erence Librarian (No. 211). The Trustees' Room may
be seen on special application at the Director's office.
Over the mantelpiece in this room is the inscription:

THE CITY OF NEW YORK HAS ERECTED THIS
BUILDING FOR THE FREE USE OF ALL THE PEOPLE

MCMX
I LOOK TO THE DIFFUSION OF LIGHT AND EDUCATION

AS THE RESOURCE MOST TO BE RELIED ON FOR

AMELIORATING THE CONDITION PROMOTING THE VIRTUE

AND ADVANCING THE HAPPINESS OF MAN

THOMAS JEFFERSON

[ 25 ]

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On the corridor leading west, and running along the
40th Street end of the building, are workrooms, open
only to visitors having business engagements. These
rooms are the office of the Order Division (No. 204)
and of the Cataloguing and Accessions Divisions (No.
200 and No. 201).

SOUTH COURT

THIRD FLOOR

The most important room on the third floor and,
indeed, the centre of activity of the entire Reference
Department of the Library, is the Main Reading Room,
approached through the Public Catalogue Room. The
latter opens from the western side of the corridor at
the head of the staircases.

Public Catalogue Room. This room (No. 315) con-
tains the catalogue of the books in the Reference De-

[ 27 ]

NORTHWEST CORNER

partment of the Library, — that is, the books available
to readers in the Main Reading Room and in the spe-
cial reading rooms of the Central Building. It is a
dictionary catalogue, on cards, in which the books are
entered by author, by subject, and by title, when the
title is distinctive. The catalogue is in trays arranged
in alphabetical order, beginning on the northwest wall
of the room and running to the right. At the end of
this catalogue, and on the southern side of the room,
is an author catalogue of the books in the Central Cir-
culation Branch and Central Children's Room, Rooms
78 and 80, in the basement. At the end of this second
catalogue and separated from it by a public telephone,
is a catalogue of the books in the Library of Congress
for which printed catalogue cards have been issued.

Near the entrance to the Public Catalogue Room,
and at the right, is a bronze tablet:

BORN A.D. MDCCCXIII

(Bas-relief of Sir Isaac Pitman)

TABLET ERECTED A.D. MCMXIII

TO COMMEMORATE

THE

ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY

OF THE BIRTH OF

SIR ISAAC PITMAN

AND IN RECOGNITION OF THE

IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF

SHORTHAND LITERATURE

IN THE
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Over the door leading from the Public Catalogue
Room to the Main Reading Room is inscribed the
famous quotation from Milton's "Areopagitica":

A good Booke

is the pretious life-blood of a

mafter fpirit, embalm'd and treafur'd

up on purpofe to a life beyond life

[ 29]

ENTRANCE LOBBY

Information Desk. The Information Desk of the
Library is in the Public Catalogue Room, and here in-
quiries should be made about the resources and regula-
tions of the Library, the use of the catalogue, and any
other matter upon which the visitor
may have a question to ask.

Application for books to be used
in the Main Reading Room should be
made in the Public Catalogue Room.
The applicant writes his request upon
the slip furnished for the purpose, and
files it at the desk in this room. A
numbered ticket is handed him, which
he takes into the Main Reading Room,
going to the right if the ticket number
is odd; to the left if the number is even.
He then waits at the indicator at the
western end of the delivery desk until
the number on his ticket appears.
This means that his books are ready
for him at the desk. If, however, he
prefers first to select a seat in the Main
Reading Room, he should write the
number of that seat on his application,
and his books will be left at that seat,
if he is there to receive them.

The Main Reading Room, in the
rear, extends nearly the entire length
of the building. It has a floor area
of half an acre, and is divided in the middle by a
booth from which books are delivered. There are seats
for 768 readers. Mr. A. C. David, in the article pre-
viously quoted from the Architectural Record, says:

"The Main Reading Room is one of the most spa-

[ 31 ]

DOOR OF EXHIBITION ROOM

cious rooms in the world — beautifully proportioned,
lighted by a series of windows on both the long sides
of the room, and entirely accessible to the stacks. To
have obtained a room of these dimensions, so excel-
lently adapted to its purpose in every respect, was a
great triumph for the architects."

The shelves along the walls contain a collection of
about 25,000 volumes. These books are not only the
usual works of reference, — dictionaries, encyclopaedias,
and the like, but they also include a good working li-
brary of general literature, — philosophy, religion, sci-
ence, history, law, biography, standard novels, poetry,
and the drama. These books are for the free use of
anyone in this room, without the need of making any
application. The reader has only to select the book
he wishes, and to take it to a table, where he may
consult it. When he has finished he should leave it
on the table, rather than attempt to return it to its
place, since a misplaced book is temporarily lost.

The Library's Books. It should be kept in mind
that the books of the Reference Department are all in
the Central Building, and must all be used in that
building. The great body of them are in the stack
beneath the Main Reading Room. In addition, there
are the books in the Main Reading Room itself, and in
the special reading rooms in other parts of the build-
ing. Books and pamphlets number, altogether, about
one million and a quarter.

The books in the Central Circulation Room and in
the Children's Room in the basement, the books in the
Library for the Blind, those in the Travelling Libra-
ries office in the basement, and those in the forty-
three Branch Libraries in other parts of the Boroughs
of Manhattan, The Bronx, and Richmond are under

['33 J

ENTRANCE LOBBY, LOOKING WEST

control of the Circulation Department of the Library.
Nearly all of these books are lent to borrowers for
home use. They number about 1,100,000 volumes.

In regard to the books in the Reference Depart-
ment, it is correct to say that in them the Library

SOUTH SIDE OF EXHIBITION ROOM

owns a well-balanced collection for research in nearly
every branch of human knowledge. The books formerly
in the Astor and Lenox Libraries compose the founda-
tion of the collection. The subjects most adequately
represented are those of American history, of topics con-
nected with the American continents, and the economic

[35]

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and social sciences. There are also extensive sets of
public documents, of the publications of learned insti-
tutions, as well as comprehensive files of periodicals.
In recent years not so much attempt has been made
to get publications on law, theology, medicine and bi-

PANEL IN CEILING, EXHIBITION ROOM

ology, since there are special libraries, elsewhere in
the City, where these subjects are covered. The reader
is nevertheless sure to find in the special reading
rooms, and in the books which may be brought to
the Main Reading Room for his use, the fundamental
printed sources in practically every field of knowledge.

[ 37 ]

DOOR IN SCREEN
MAIN READING ROOM

Use of Books. The Library's situation in the me-
tropolis, and its freedom from restrictions (according
to the custom of American libraries) have caused the
use of its books to become
two or three times greater
than that of any of the
other large libraries of the
world; the average daily
number of readers is more
than double the number in
any foreign library.

Stack. Underneath the
Main Reading Room is the
steel stack, in seven decks,
containing 334,500 feet, or
63.3 miles, of shelving. It
has room for about 2,500,000
books. (The special reading
rooms have a shelf capacity
for about 500,000 books.)
The books in the stack are
brought by electric elevators
to the Main Reading Room,
as they are called for by
readers. The stack is not
open to readers or visitors.

Genealogy Room. At
the northern end of the Main
Reading Room is the room
devoted to Local History
and Genealogy (No. 328).
The collection numbers about thirty thousand volumes.

American History Division. At the southern end
of the Main Reading Room is the room devoted to
American history (No. 300). It is one of the strongest

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divisions of the Library, since its books are so distin-
guished among collections of this kind as to make them
of the greatest importance to students and scholars in
the field of American history. The foundation of this
collection was formed by the books on American his-
tory owned by James Lenox, the founder of the Lenox
Library, one of the components of the present New
York Public Library. The tablet in the floor near the
entrance of Room 300 is inscribed as follows:

IN MEMORY OF

JAMES LENOX

A NATIVE AND RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

BORN AUGUST 19 1800
DIED FEBRUARY 17 1880

THE TRUSTEES OF

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

IN PERFORMANCE OF A GRATEFUL DUTY

HAVE CAUSED THIS TABLET TO BE PLACED

HERE AMONG THE BOOKS HE CHERISHED

AS A MEMORIAL OF HIS SERVICES

TO THE HISTORY OF AMERICA

From the corridors on the front and sides of the
third floor, rooms open in the following order, begin-
ning with the corridor at the south, running along the
40th Street side of the building:

Reserve Books (No. 303): In this room are kept
the rare and reserved books of the Library.

Among the foremost treasures of the Library are:
the Gutenberg Bible (printed by Gutenberg and Fust
about 1455, one of the earliest books printed from
movable types); the Coverdale Bible (1535); Tyndale's
Pentateuch (1530) and New Testament (1536); and
Eliot's Indian Bible. In fact, the collection of early
Bibles in English is one of the great collections of
the kind in existence. The Library also owns four

[ 41 ]

BOOK STACK
(SHOWING HALF THE LENGTH OF ONE DECK)

copies of the First Folio Shakespeare (1623); several
copies of the Second, Third, and Fourth Folios (1632,
1663-64, 1685); thirty-five editions of the Shakespeare
Quartos, before 1709; eight works printed by William
Caxton (1475-90); the Bay Psalm Book, the first
book printed in the territory now comprised in the
United States (Cambridge, 1640); and the Doctrina
Christiana, printed in Mexico in 1544.

[ 42 ]

One contribution to the Library has been com-
memorated by a tablet near the door of this room.
It bears the inscription:

THE
BAILEY MYERS COLLECTION

OF

AMERICANA

FORMED BY

THEODORUS BAILEY MYERS

OF
NEW YORK CITY

1821-1888
GIVEN BY HIS WIDOW, DAUGHTER

AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AS A

MEMORIAL OF HIM AND HIS SON

THEODORUS BAILEY MYERS MASON

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER

UNITED STATES NAVY

Opposite, in Room 304, is the office of the Bibli-
ographer of the Library, and of the Chief of the
American History Division.

Prints Room. Opening from the corridor on the
east (the front) of the Library is the Prints Room (No.
308). Open 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. week days; 1 to 6 p. m.
Sundays. Here is the Samuel P. Avery Collection of
18,000 prints. They are mainly French and other mod-
ern etchings and lithographs. There is also a large
collection of modern American prints, a collection of
Japanese prints in color, and a collection of old prints
illustrating the development of reproductive graphic art
to the present day.

Art and Architecture. Room 313 is the reading
room devoted to Art and Architecture. The resources
of the collection, about 25,000 books, deal with art and
craftsmanship in the widest sense.

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Map Room. On the inner, or western, side of
this corridor, opposite Room 313, is the Map Room
(No. 312), a part of the American History Division.
Open 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. on week days.

Stuart Gallery. Opening from the corridor on
the front of the building, and directly opposite the
entrance to the Public Catalogue Room, is the room
devoted to the Stuart Collection (No. 316). Open 9
a. m. to 6 p. m. on week days. Closed on Sundays.
This contains pictures, books, and other objects of art
bequeathed by Mrs. Robert L. Stuart. On the east wall
of the Gallery is a tablet with this inscription:

THE
ROBERT L. STUART

COLLECTION

THE GIFT OF HIS WIDOW,

MRS. MARY STUART.

BEQUEATHED TO THE

LENOX LIBRARY

1892.

Catalogues of the paintings are on sale for ten
cents.

General Gallery. The next room to the north is
the general gallery (No. 318). (Sign reads "Picture Gal-
lery.") The pictures in this room are largely from the
collection of James Lenox. The catalogue, mentioned in
the preceding paragraph, gives a list of them, and a
brief description of many. Open 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. week
days and 1 to 5 p. m. Sundays.

Prints Gallery. Opening from No. 318, and also
from the north end of the front corridor, is the Prints
Gallery (No. 321). Here are held exhibitions of
prints, changed several times each year. Open 9 a. m.
to 6 p. m. on week days and 1 to 5 p. m. Sundays.

[45 ]

Manuscript Division. On the west or inner side
of the front corridor is the research room of the
Manuscript Division (No. 319). This is open only to
those who hold cards signed by the Director of the
Library. Open 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. week days. The
Division has a good selection of Oriental manuscripts,
and of European illuminated manuscripts. Among

ONE OF THE SPECIAL READING ROOMS
(GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY)

these older ones may be mentioned an "Evangelista-
rium, sive Lectiones ex Evangeliis," a French-Carlo-
vingian manuscript on 200 vellum leaves, date about
870 A. D. Another manuscript of special note is the
work of Giulio Clovio, his "Christi Vita ab Evange-
listis descripta," sometimes called "The Towneley Lec-
tionary." It was made for Alexander, Cardinal Farnese,
and was presented by him to Pope Paul III.

The collection of American historical manuscripts

[46]

ranks as one of the best in the United States. Here,
for example, is the original manuscript of Washing-
ton's "Farewell Address," a copy of the Declaration
of Independence in Jefferson's autograph, and many
other letters and original sources for research. Lists
of the principal manuscripts have been printed in the
Bulletin of The New York Public Library (Volume 5,
page 306-336, and volume 19, page 135-162).

Music Division. Turning to the west, the cor-
ridor along the 42nd Street side of the building leads
to the Music Division (No. 324), which opens from
the north side of the corridor. It is open week days
from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. The resources of the Division
number about twenty-two thousand volumes and pieces
of music.

A tablet at the north end of the room bears this
inscription:

DREXEL MUSICAL LIBRARY.
THE LEGACY OF JOSEPH W. DREXEL 1888.

On the east wall is a tablet reading as follows:

IN MEMORY OF

1855 JULIAN EDWARDS 1910

WHOSE COLLECTION OF MUSIC SCORES

AND BOOKS WAS GIVEN TO THIS LIBRARY

BASEMENT

The basement contains three rooms of public in-
terest. The entrance from 42nd Street is the most
convenient way to reach these rooms from the outside
of the building, but a visitor on one of the upper
floors should take the elevator or the staircase, both
near the north end of the building.

Newspaper Room. In the Newspaper Room (No.
84) about sixty daily newspapers are on racks for

[ 47 ]

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free use, without the need of any application. About
twenty-five foreign newspapers are obtainable upon
application at the desk. A bulletin board at the right
of the entrance gives full information about these and
other resources of the Newspaper Room.

On the western side of the entrance corridor,
near the door of the Circulating Library, is a bronze
tablet with the following inscription:

[Seal of The New York Public Library]

THIS BUILDING IS ERECTED

UPON A PART OF THE COMMON LANDS

WHICH WERE GRANTED BY ROYAL CHARTER

TO THE MAYOR ALDERMEN AND COMMONALTY

OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

IN 1686,

THE SECOND YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JAMES THE SECOND

KING OF ENGLAND.

THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN 1897,

WILLIAM L. STRONG BEING MAYOR,

UNDERTOOK TO CONSTRUCT,

AT THE PUBLIC EXPENSE,

A BUILDING UPON THIS SITE

TO BE USED AND OCCUPIED BY

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY,

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

SO LONG AS IT SHOULD MAINTAIN HEREIN

A FREE LIBRARY AND READING ROOM FOR THE PEOPLE.

WORK WAS BEGUN BY THE CITY IN 1899,

ROBERT ANDERSON VAN WYCK BEING MAYOR.

THE CORNERSTONE WAS LAID IN 1902,

SETH LOW BEING MAYOR.

THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN 1909,
GEORGE BRINTON McCLELLAN BEING MAYOR.

IT WAS OCCUPIED AND OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN 1911
WILLIAM JAY GAYNOR BEING MAYOR.

Central Circulation Branch (sign over door reads,
"Circulating Library") (No. 80). This is one of the
forty-four Branches of The New York Public Library,

[ 49 ]

NORTH STAIRCASE

intended for the circulation of books for home use.
In this instance alone the Branch is situated in the
Central Building and is supported by the funds of the
Library and not by the City. The room is interesting
because of its activity. The view of it reproduced in

[ 50 ]

this book had to be taken when but few people were
there, but during afternoons and evenings, especially in
the autumn, winter, and spring months, the room is
frequently over-crowded with readers and borrowers
of books. As over 500,000 books were borrowed from
this one room during 1915 it may be said that there
are few, if any, busier library rooms in the country,
or, indeed, in the world. There is a collection of
over 50,000 books, with a reserve collection of some-
what more than 70,000. The room is open 9 a. m. to
10 p. m. week days, including all holidays, and 2 to
6 p. m. on Sundays.

Children's Room. Near the 42nd Street entrance a
corridor runs east to the Children's Room (No. 78). The
visitor to the building should not fail to see this
room, with its attractive furnishings, its collections of
brightly colored picture-books, and pictures.

The object of the room is not only to perform
the usual work of a children's room, but also to in-
terest and help parents and others in selecting chil-
dren's reading. Authors, artists, and publishers come
here for information about books for children. An-
other purpose is to furnish suggestions for similar
rooms elsewhere. A number of libraries, in other
parts of the world, have adopted suggestions which
they found here. Exhibitions on various subjects are
held from time to time, and there is a collection of
children's books of the old-fashioned kind. Open 9
a. m. to 6 p. m. week days.

Library School. Here a two years' course in train-
ing for library work is given to a body of students
averaging about seventy-five in number. The office of
the School (where inquiries should be made) is in

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Room 75, on the inner or western side of the corridor
which runs along the front of the building, parallel to
Fifth Avenue. The Library School class room, not
open to the public, is on the other side of the cor-
ridor.

Public Telephones. The public telephones are in
Room 70, on the inner or western side of the front
corridor.

Business Offices. The rest of the basement floor
is occupied by offices, open only to those who have
business engagements therein. The offices include that
for Printing and Binding (No. 58), and the Shipping
Room (No. 51). In the Printing Office the catalogue
cards of the Library, printed forms, and all the Li-
brary's publications are printed. For the publications,
see page 78.

Travelling Libraries Office. The entrance to the
Travelling Libraries office is from Bryant Park, at the
southwest corner of the building. The office itself is
not of interest to sightseers. As it is under control of
the Circulation Department, its work is described on
page 59.

THE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

BRANCH LIBRARIES — HOURS OF OPENING: CENTRAL CIR-
CULATION open 9 a. m. to 10 p. m. every week day,
2 to 6 p. m. on Sundays. CHILDREN'S ROOM 9 a. m.
to 6 p. m. on week days. LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND,
TRAVELLING LIBRARIES, and OFFICES open 9 a. m. to
5 p. m. on week days.

OTHER BRANCHES, 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. on week days.
Exceptions as follows: CENTRAL CIRCULATION and
branches in Carnegie buildings open full hours on
all holidays; other branches closed on January 1,
May 30, July 4, December 25, presidential election
day, and Thanksgiving; after 6 p. m. on February 22
and Christmas eve; after 5 p. m. on election days
other than presidential elections.

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

The Circulation Department of the Library per-
forms its work through forty-four Branch Libraries in
the Boroughs of Manhattan, Richmond (Staten Island),
and The Bronx. (Each of the other two Boroughs
of Greater New York, Brooklyn and Queens, has i'ts
own Public Library.) These Branches are in separate
buildings, with the exception of the Circulation Branch
in the Central Building. That is supported by the
funds of the Library; all the others are maintained by
the City. Thirty-seven of the Branch buildings were
erected from funds given by Mr. Andrew Carnegie.
The collections of books in the Branches number from
ten to fifty thousand, with a total of about 1,100,000
books.

Each Branch has an adult department, with its
collection of books for adult readers, a children's room,
and a reading room with current magazines, reference
books, and, in many cases, daily newspapers. Many
of the Branches contain lecture or assembly rooms.

These Branch Libraries serve a population esti-
mated at above three million. The Branches are
spread over a large territory, and from the northern-
most of them, in the Borough of The Bronx, to the
one farthest south, on Staten Island, the distance is about
forty miles. A directory of Branches is on page 77.

Circulation of Books. The New York Public Li-
brary, according to the general custom of American
libraries, imposes few restrictions upon its readers.
This fact, together with its situation in the metropolis

[ 55 ]

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of the country, is the reason why it is probably used
more than any other library under one management
in the world. The use is constantly growing. In
1915 there were borrowed from the Branch Libraries,,
for home use, 10,384,579 books.

Special Collections. There are books in foreign
languages, especially French and German, in all the
Branches. The principal collections of books in for-
eign tongues other than French and German, are these:

Language

Bohemian - -

Chinese - - -
Danish

Dutch - - -

Finnish - - -

Flemish - - -
Greek (Modern)

Hebrew - - -

Hungarian - -

Italian - - -

Norwegian - -

Polish - - -

Roumanian - -

Russian - - -

Slovak - - -

Spanish - - -

Swedish - - -

Servian - - -

Yiddish - - -

Branch

Webster.

Chatham Square.

Tottenville, 125th Street.

Muhlenberg.

125th Street.

Muhlenberg.

Chatham Square.

Seward Park, Aguilar.

Tompkins Square, Hamilton Fish Park,

Yorkville, Woodstock.
Hudson Park, Aguilar, Bond Street.
Tottenville.
Rivington Street, Tompkins Square,

Columbus, Melrose.
Rivington Street.
Seward Park, Rivington Street, Hamilton

Fish Park, 96th Street, Chatham

Square.
Webster.
Jackson Square.
125th Street, 58th Street.
Muhlenberg.
Rivington Street, Seward Park, Hamilton

Fish Park, Aguilar, Tremont.

Interbranch Loan. A book in any one of the
Branches is available to a reader at any other Branch
through a system of interbranch loans.

Reading Rooms. The total attendance in the adult
reading rooms in the Branch Libraries, during 1915,
was 1,224,526. The greatest use of reading rooms is
at two of the Branches on the lower East Side.

[ 57 1

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Library for the Blind. The Library for the Blind,
although under control of the Circulation Department,
has its headquarters and reading room in the Central
Building. Its work has been described on page 22.

Travelling Libraries. From the office of the Trav-
elling Libraries, in the Central Building, collections of
books are sent to communities and homes in outlying

MOTT HAVEN BRANCH

districts of the city; to churches, Sunday schools, set-
tlements, clubs, stores, factories, — in fact, to any com-
munity or institution not readily served by a Branch
Library. There are about 800 stations with Travelling
Libraries. The circulation through these agencies, in
1915, numbered 962,355 books. Travelling Library
stations are established in mercantile houses, in Fire
and Police stations, fire boats, Federal, State, and City

[ 59 ]

BOND STREET BRANCH
(THE OLDEST BRANCH)

Department offices, armories, ships of the coast guard,
vacation playgrounds, and summer camps. Books are
sent in this manner to prisons, workhouses, elementary
and high schools, hospitals, and army posts in New
York City.

Work with Children. The work with children com-
prises a great deal besides the maintenance of children's

TRAVELLING LIBRARY IN A MERCANTILE HOUSE

rooms and the circulation of children's books. In 1915,
the total circulation of books to children, including the
figures recorded by the juvenile work of the Travelling
Libraries, was 4,415,794, or forty-two per cent, of the
total circulation of the Library. The Library works
with the schools and museums. It holds special exhi- '
bitions, meetings, and celebrations of interest to chil-
dren and to parents. Between fifty and sixty reading

[ 61 ]

clubs for the older boys and girls meet at the Branch
Libraries. Groups of children gather in the Branches
from November to May, to attend "story hours."

Lectures and meetings. The Branches are used as
meeting places by literary, educational and social organ-
izations and clubs. Assembly rooms in the Branches
are open for any meeting of an instructive or liter-
ary nature, provided that no admission fee is charged,
and that nothing of a political or sectarian character is
discussed. Many classes of foreigners learning English
meet regularly in the Branch Libraries.

AT A STORY HOUR

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LIBRARY

The New York Public Library, as it exists to-day,
is the result of the generosity of a few private citizens,
combined with the efforts of the City itself. Its cor-
porate existence, in its present form, began on May 23,

LIBRARY'S INSTRUCTOR TEACHING THE BLIND TO READ

1895, by the consolidation of: "The Trustees of the
Astor Library," "The Trustees of the Lenox Library,"
and "The Tilden Trust."

The Astor Library, originally incorporated in 1849,
was founded by John Jacob Astor. His gifts, together
with those of his sons and grandsons, amounted to

[ 63 ]

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about $1,700,000. Washington Irving was the first
President of the Library, and Joseph Green Cogswell
its first Superintendent, or Librarian. In its building
on Lafayette Place (now Lafayette Street) it was for
many years one of the literary landmarks of New York.

SUMMER AFTERNOON STORY HOUR

At the time of its consolidation with The New York
Public Library it had an endowment fund of about
$941,000, which produced an annual income of about
$47,000. It contained then 266,147 volumes. It was
solely a reference library, — the funds were given with
the understanding that the books should not be lent for
use outside the building.

r 65 i

The Lenox Library. James Lenox, one of Amer-
ica's greatest book collectors, was born in New York
City in 1800 and died there in 1880. In 1870, by the
incorporation of the Lenox Library, he gave to the city
of his birth his books and art treasures. The building,
which formerly stood on Fifth Avenue between 70th and
71st Streets, was erected for the Library and opened to
the public, a part at a time, beginning in 1876. At the

VISIT OF A CLASS FROM A PUBLIC SCHOOL

time of consolidation the Library owned its building,
an endowment fund of $505,500, which yielded an annual
income of about $20,500; and about 86,000 volumes. This
also was a reference library, not a circulating library.

The Tilden Trust. Samuel Jones Tilden was born
in New Lebanon, New York, in 1814. He died in New
York City in 1886. By the final settlement of his estate
the City received his private library and an endowment
fund of about $2,000,000, for library purposes.

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Consolidation. In the agreement for consolidation
it was provided that the name of the new corpora-
tion should be ;iThe New York Public Library, Astor,
Lenox and Tilden Foundations"; that the number of
its trustees should be twenty-one, to be selected from
the thirty-three members of the separate boards; and

TRAVELLING LIBRARY IN FIRE-ENGINE HOUSE

N

that "the said new corporation shall establish and main-
tain a free public library and reading room in the City
of New York, with such branches as may be deemed
advisable, and shall continue and promote the several
objects and purposes set forth in the respective acts of
incorporation of 'The Trustees of the Astor Library/
'The Trustees of the Lenox Library/ and 'The Tilden
Trust/ "

[ 69 ]

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Later, another member was added to the Board
of Trustees, and three municipal officials were made
members ex officio.

The first Director of The New York Public Library
was Dr. John Shaw Billings, who served from 1896 until
his death in 1913. He rendered distinguished services,
especially in the organization of the new Library and in
the arrangement of the Central Building.

New York Free Circulating Library. In 1901 the
New York Free Circulating Library was consolidated
with the new system. This Library had then eleven
Branches and owned about 160,000 volumes.

Other Circulating Libraries. In 1901, the St. Agnes
Free Library and the Washington Heights Free Library
were also added to the system. The New York Free
Circulating Library for the Blind and the Aguilar Free
Library, with four Branches, were added in 1903. In
1904, the Harlem Free Library, Tottenville Free Li-
brary, the University Settlement Library at Rivington
and Eldridge Streets, and the Webster Free Library
followed. Also in 1904 the five Branches of the Ca-
thedral Free Circulating Library became part of the new
corporation.

Carnegie Branches. In 1901 Mr. Andrew Carnegie
offered Greater New York $5,200,000 for the construction
and equipment of free circulating libraries, on condition
that the City provide the land and agree to maintain the
libraries when built.. The offer was accepted, and thirty-
seven Branch Libraries are now housed in buildings
erected with that part of Mr. Canicgie's gift assigned
to The New York Public Librar\. A directory of all
the Branch Libraries may be found on page 77.

Management. The corporation is managed by a
Board of twenty-five "Yustees, including the Mayor,

[ 71 ]

Comptroller, and President of the Board of Aldermen
ex officio. The names of the Trustees are given on
page 76. The Trustees hold office continuously, and
vacancies are filled by vote of the remaining Trustees.
No Trustee receives any compensation for his services.
The immediate management of the Library is entrusted
to the Director. The Staff numbers between twelve and
thirteen hundred persons, including those in the Central

BOYS' CLUB; YORKVILLE BRANCH

Building and in the Branches. As the buildings are
open between twelve and thirteen hours a day the Staff
works in two shifts. Somewhat less than half of the
Staff are employed in the Central Building.

Benefactors. A complete list of the Library's ben-
efactors, besides the three founders, can more appropri-
ately be given elsewhere. In addition to Mr. Carnegie's
gift, one bequest should be noted here: that of John S.
Kennedy, who in 1909 left about $3,000,000 to the Library,
without conditions.

[ 72 ]

Work of the Library. This historical sketch may
help to make clear the organization and work of the
Library as it is carried on to-day. It is a free reference
library combined with a free circulating library. The
books in the Reference Department (in the Central
Building) which came from either the Astor or the
Lenox Libraries, and those which have been added
since the consolidation, from the endowments of those
Libraries, must necessarily be for reference use only.
The Astor and Lenox Foundations give the Trustees of
The New York Public Library no option in this matter.
About one million books in the Circulation Department
(the Branch Libraries) are lent for home use.

KINGSBRIDGE BRANCH

BASEMENT PLAN

NtW VOKK f uaUC LIBRARY

— (t) .» FIRST FLOOR PLAN

FLOOR PLANS, CENTRAL BUILDING

[ 74 ]

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

SECOND FLOCK FLAN

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

THIRD FLOOR PLAN

FLOOR PLANS, CENTRAL BUILDING

I 75 ]

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE LIBRARY

WILLIAM W. APPLETON HENRY FAIRFIELD OSBORN

ANDREW CARNEGIE WILLIAM BARCLAY PARSONS

CLEVELAND H. DODGE GEORGE L. RIVES

JOHN MURPHY FARLEY ELIHU ROOT

SAMUEL GREENBAUM CHARLES HOWLAND RUSSELL

FREDERIC R. HALSEY EDWARD W. SHELDON

JOHN HENRY HAMMOND GEORGE W. SMITH

LEWIS CASS LEDYARD I. N. PHELPS STOKES

J. P. MORGAN FREDERICK STURGES

MORGAN J. O'BRIEN HENRY W. TAFT

STEPHEN H. OLIN PAYNE WHITNEY

JOHN PURROY MITCHEL, Mayor of the City of New York, ex officio

WILLIAM A. PRENDERGAST,

Comptroller of the City of New York, ex officio

FRANK L. DOWLING, President of the Board of Aldermen, ex officio

OFFICERS

President, GEORGE L. RIVES
First Vice-President, LEWIS CASS LEDYARD
Second Vice-President, ELIHU ROOT
Secretary, CHARLES HOWLAND RUSSELL
Treasurer, EDWARD W. SHELDON
Director of the Library, EDWIN H. ANDERSON

Chief Reference Librarian, H. M. LYDENBERG

Chief of the Circulation Department, BENJAMIN ADAMS

[ 76 ]

BRANCH LIBRARIES

With the exception of the Central Building, the names of the Branches
in Manhattan and The Bronx are arranged as they are situated, from south
to north.

Names marked with a star (*) are of Branches occupying Carnegie
buildings.

MANHATTAN

CENTRAL BUILDING. Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street

CENTRAL CIRCULATION

CHILDREN'S ROOM

LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND

TRAVELLING LIBRARIES
CHATHAM SQUARE.* 33 East Broadway
SEWARD PARK.* 192 East Broadway
RIVINGTON STREET,* 61

HAMILTON FISH PARK.* 388 East Houston Street
HUDSON PARK.* 66 Leroy Street
BOND STREET, 49. Near the Bowery
OTTENDORFER. 135 Second Avenue. Near 8th Street
TOMPKINS SQUARE.* 331 East 10th Street
JACKSON SQUARE. 251 West 13th Street
EPIPHANY.* 228 East 23rd Street
MUHLENBERG.* 209 West 23rd Street
ST. GABRIEL'S PARK.* 303 East 36th Street
40rn STREET,* 457 West
CATHEDRAL. 123 East 50th Street
COLUMBUS.* 742 Tenth Avenue. Near 51st Street
58TH STREET,* 121 East
67TH STREET,* 328 East

RIVERSIDE.* 190 Amsterdam Avenue. Near 69th Street
WEBSTER.* 1465 Avenue A. Near 78th Street
YORKVILLE.* 222 East 79th Street

ST. AGNES.* 444 Amsterdam Avenue. Near 81st Street
96TH STREET,* 112 East
BLOOMINGDALE. 206 West 100th Street
AGUILAR.* 174 East 110th Street
115TH STREET,* 203 West
HARLEM LIBRARY.* 9 West 124th Street
125TH STREET,* 224 East
GEORGE BRUCE. 78 Manhattan Street
135TH STREET,* 103 West
HAMILTON GRANGE.* 503 West 145th Street
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS.* 1000 St. Nicholas Ave. Cor. of 160th St.
FORT WASHINGTON.* 535 West 179th Street

THE BRONX

MOTT HAVEN.* 321 East 140th Street
WOODSTOCK.* 759 East 160th Street

MELROSE.* 910 Morris Avenue. Corner of 162nd Street.
HIGH BRIDGE.* 78 West 168th Street
MORRISANIA.* 610 East 169th Street

TREMONT.* 1866 Washington Avenue. Corner of 176th Street
KINGSBRIDGE.* 3041 Kingsbridge Avenue. Near 230th Street

RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)

ST. GEORGE.* 5 Central Avenue. Tompkinsville P. O.
PORT RICHMOND.* 75 Bennett Street
STAPLETON.* 132 Canal Street
TOTTENVILLE.* 7430 Amboy Road

[ 77 ]

PUBLICATIONS OF THE LIBRARY

A reader of this Handbook may wish to know
about some other sources of information concerning the
Library. For that reason a few of its publications are
named here. They may be consulted in the Central
Building or any of the Branches.

Annual Report of The New York Public Library.
(A limited number are sent to institutions or private
persons upon request.)

Bulletin of The New York Public Library. Pub-
lished monthly. Chiefly devoted to the Reference De-
partment. Bibliography, news of the Library, reprints
of manuscripts, descriptions of new accessions. One
dollar a year; current single numbers for ten cents.
Back numbers at advanced rates.

Branch Library News. Monthly publication of the
Circulation Department. Lists of new books, reading
lists, articles about books, etc. Given free at the Branches.
By mail free to libraries and other public institutions.
Otherwise, twenty-five cents a year.

Facts for the Public. A small pamphlet of general
information about the Library. Much of its contents is
also contained in this Handbook. Given free.

Central Building Guide. A small pamphlet. Price
five cents.

[ 78 ]

THE CROTON RESERVOIR

As the Central Building of the Library stands on part of the site
of the old Croton Reservoir, it is fitting to reprint here the inscriptions
on two tablets which were formerly affixed to the Reservoir.

One tablet is now on the first floor of the Central Building, on the
wall of the south or 40th Street corridor. The inscription is:

HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT
OF THE CROTON AQUEDUCT

The Law authorizing the construction of the work, passed May
2nd, 1834.

STEPHEN ALLEN, WILLIAM W. FOX, SAUL ALLEY,
CHARLES DUSENBERRY and BENJAMIN M. BROWN were appointed
Commissioners.

During the year 1834, two surveys were made — one by DAVID
B. DOUGLASS and the other by JOHN MARTINEAU.

In April, 1835, a majority of the Electors of the City voted in
favour of constructing the Aqueduct.

On the 7th May following, the Common Council "instructed the
Commissioners to proceed with the work."

DAVID B. DOUGLASS was employed as Chief Engineer until
October, 1836; when he was succeeded by JOHN B. JERVIS.

In March, 1837, BENJAMIN M. BROWN resigned, and was suc-
ceeded by THOMAS T. WOODRUFF.

In March, 1840, the before mentioned Commissioners were suc-
ceeded by SAMUEL STEVENS, JOHN D. WARD, ZEBEDEE RING,
BENJAMIN BIRDSALL and SAMUEL R. CHILDS.

The work was commenced in May, 1837. On the 22nd June, 1842,
the Aqueduct was so far completed that it received the Water from the
Croton River Lake; on the 27th the Water entered the Receiving Reservoir
and was admitted into this Reservoir on the succeeding 4th of July.

The DAM at the Croton River is 40 feet high, and the overfall
251 feet in length.

The CROTON RIVER LAKE is five miles long, and covers an
area of 400 acres.

The AQUEDUCT, from the DAM to this Reservoir, is 4Ql/2 miles
long, and will deliver in twenty-four hours 60,000,000 imperial gallons.

The capacity of the Receiving Reservoir is 150,000,000 gallons,
and of this reservoir 20,000,000.

The cost, to and including this Reservoir, nearly $9,000,000.

In the pavement of the south court is a tablet with this inscription:

CROTON AQUEDUCT.
DISTRIBUTING RESERVOIR.

COMMISSIONERS. ENGINEERS.

SAMUEL STEVENS JOHN B- JERVIS, CHIEF.

ZEBEDEE RING H° ALLEN, PRIN> ASSIST.

JOHN D. WARD p- HASTIE, RESIDENT.

BENJ«> BIRDSALL BUILDERS.

SAMUEL R. CHILDS THOMSON PRICE & SON.

COMMENCED A. D. MDCCCXXXVIII. COMPLETED A. D. MDCCCXLII.

[ 79 ]

TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND COPIES
OF THIS FIRST EDITION OF THE
HANDBOOK WERE PRINTED AT
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
IN JUNE 1916

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY

Z

733

N5725

New York. Public Library

Handbook of the New York
Public Library