AN I 3 032 771 iven Year trvey Rochester Public Library MAYOR HIRAM H. EDGERTON FOUNDER OF THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY Seven Year Survey of the Rochester Public Library 1912-1919 Rochester Public Library Rochester, New York 1920 I Rochester Public Library Organized under legislative act approved June 15, 1911, amending city charter. Amendments to the law were made April 6, 1914 and May 9, 1916. It is governed by a Board of seven Trustees, five appointed by the Mayor, one each year for a term of five years, and two ex-officio members, the Mayor and the President of the Board of Education. There are standing com- mittees on Finance, Buildings, Books and Administration. Board of Trustees HIRAM H. EDGERTON, Mayor, ex-officio CHARLES F. WRAY, President Board of Education, ex-officio exp^s CHARLES H. WILTSIE 1921 EDWARD G. MINER 1922 A. M. O'NEILL 1923 CLARENCE A. BARBOUR 1924 RUSH RHEES 1925 Former Trustees CHARLES C. ALBERTSON 1911-13 J. P. B. DUFFY, President, Board of Education . . . 1911-13 J. WARRANT CASTLEMAN, President, Board of Education 1914-19 Officers and Committees HIRAM H. EDGERTON President WILLIAM F. YUST Secretary Administration Committee RUSH RHEES CLARENCE A. BARBOUR A. M. O'NEILL Book Committee EDWARD G. MINER RUSH RHEES CLARENCE A. BARBOUR Building Committee CHARLES F. WRAY EDWARD G. MINER CHARLES H. WILTSIE Finance Committee CHARLES H. WILTSIE A. M. O'NEILL CHARLES F. WRAY Report of the President To the Common Council of the City of Rochester: GENTLEMEN: A summary of the work of the Rochester Public Library system from its beginning in 1912 to the end of last year has been prepared by Librarian William F. Yust and contains valuable data and interesting comment relative to the seven years of progress. In inferentially expressing sorrow at the lack of a central library the Librarian writes : "Seven years Jacob served for Rachel and then he got Leah." Mr. Yust should find encourage- ment in the biblical statement that after Jacob had served seven years more, he got Rachel. The wisdom and unselfish service of the public spirited gentle- men who comprise the Board of Trustees, and the energy and genius of the Librarian, have provided a library system for the people of Rochester which is a credit to themselves and to the city. As long as these fine citizens serve the people a healthy development of the system is assured. I take this opportunity of thanking them for their work of the last seven years and trust they will continue to give of their time and efforts for many years to come. Respectfully yours HIRAM H. EDGERTON, President Report of the Librarian To the Board of Trustees of the Rochester Public Library: GENTLEMEN: Your Librarian herewith submits a summary of the work of the library from its beginning to December 31, 1919. Annual reports were printed separately for the first four years. The fifth and sixth reports were printed in one. None have been printed since then. This summary therefore repeats certain data included in previously issued reports and it publishes for the first time leading facts of the sixth, seventh and eighth annual reports. The Rochester Public Library A Seven Year Survey 1912-1919 An Allusion Seven years Jacob served for Rachel, and then he got Leah. From the beginning your Librarian was captivated by the vision of a great, comprehensive library system for Rochester. After seven years we have seven branch libraries and a number of smaller distributing centers. We are still waiting for a central library and for seven more branches and for suitable buildings for all the libraries. Nevertheless Leah was a fine girl and her matrimonial record was one that maketh not ashamed. Likewise the Rochester Public Library, what there is of it, has a creditable record. The nature and extent of that credit is to be shown in this survey, which covers the entire period since the beginning of the Library. An Unanswered Question Why was Rochester so late in starting a public library? is a question often asked. A library appears when a community begins to assert its claim to education and culture. Then like other civic institutions it grows with the expansion of the city. Thus in most large cities the public library has a history extend- ing over twenty-five to fifty years. That a city with such a civic, commercial and educational reputation should have been so long without such a library was one of its chief anomalies. During the city's life of a hundred years, numerous efforts had been made. These resulted in libraries similar to those in other places, but they did not evolve as elsewhere into the modern municipally controlled, tax supported, popular insti- tution. Finally after a long period of occasional but unorgan- ized agitation the subject was taken up by the Mayor of the city. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY Mayor Edgerton Mayor Hiram H. Edgerton at the beginning of his long and successful administration voiced the need of such a library and proceeded towards its establishment. In 1911 he secured the necessary legislation in the form of an amendment to the city charter. The same year he appointed the first Board of Trustees and the next year the first branch library was opened. Thus Mayor Edgerton's initiative followed by his consistent interest and support have earned for him the reputation of being the Father of the Rochester Public Library. The history of the public library movement in Rochester and the steps which led to the establishment of the present system are given in detail in the Librarian's first annual report. The Board of Trustees in entering upon their duties found a large need and a small appropriation. In most cities where the library has grown up with the city a large central library has developed first. As the city spread, certain sections too distant from the center were provided with branch libraries. But here the erection of a central library would have required several years time and a large building fund. So it was decided to reverse the usual order of development and begin with branch libraries. Branch Libraries In the absence of a building fund even for branches a begin- ning was made in temporary quarters. These proved very satisfactory. They really worked so well that they are still in use as originally planned. Meanwhile six other branches have been opened, all in temporary quarters. At present there are three in city-owned buildings: one at Exposition Park in a building which formerly belonged to a state reform school, one in the Municipal Building, which houses offices of several other city departments, and one at Charlotte in an old fire house. The four rented buildings are of a well known commercial type, having living rooms on the second floor while the first is used for business. Three of the four have been built for library purposes, the Library specifying the general location, material and first floor plans to meet its own needs. Leases are for five years, with privilege of renewal for the same length of time at the same rent, which varies from $1,500 to $2,000 a year. A SEVEN YEAR SfRVEV Disadvantages of this plan are 1) lack of architectural beauty; 2) difficulty of extension; 3) tendency to temporize; 4) undesirable conditions of tenantry. Advantages are 1) it provides for establishing libraries without large initial outlay for buildings; 2) it permits experimenting with regard to the best location, type of building needed in a given section, etc.; 3) it is economical of operation; 4) it provides splendid adver- tising opportunities. The building abutting on the sidewalk of a busy street showing the library in operation at close range presents a stronger appeal than does a library set back from the street. Staff The Library has been fortunate in securing an excellent staff of workers. All appointments are made in accordance with the rules of the municipal civil service. The staff includes 2 in the administration office, 5 in book ordering and cataloging, 7 in work with children, schools and stations, 18 in branches, total staff 32; also 8 janitors and clean- ers, total full time employees 40. Large use, particularly in branches, is made of high school and college students working part time, including Sundays and holidays. The total number of these is 30, their combined services equalling approximately 9 on full time. Of the regular staff 18 are college graduates, 8 have had two years of formal education above the high school and 4 are high school graduates; 15 have had a year or more of library school training, 1 has attended a summer library school. Regular meetings of the entire staff are held every two weeks. These alternate with round table meetings of those engaged in work with children, schools and stations. Training classes are conducted for those who have not had library instruction. These are of two distinct types, one for pages and one for assistants. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 11 Finance The following annual appropriations have been made by the city. 1911 SI 0,000. 00 1915 $51,080.00 1912 31,240.00 1916 61,300.00 1913 36,000.00 1917 72,584.09 1914 50,000.00 1918 83,931.70 1919 98,050.97 (Includes receipts from fines.) In 1916 the city charter was amended to provide that the annual estimate for library purposes in the tax budget must be not less than three one-hundredths of one per cent, of the total assessed value of the property appearing on the last annual assessment rolls of the city. The minimum was appropriated for two years but this year a substantial increase was made. Receipts for 1919 Local taxation $ 94,000.00 State grants 600.00 Fines 4,050.97 Other sources 55 . 86 Unexpended balance 3,060.45 Total $101,767.28 Analyses of Expenditures for 1919 Analysis by Function $97,234.69 Regulative and Executive Service 7,269.21 Proprietary Service 23,251.32 Book Circulation and Reference Service 66,714.16 Analysis by Character $97,234.69 Operation 54,670.93 Upkeep 4,842.11 Fixed Charges 7,558.00 Capital Outlay 30,045.90 Contingency 117.75 12 THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY Analysis by Object S97.234.69 Personal Services 47,573.71 Services other than Personal Binding 399.41 Rebinding and Lettering 2,460.09 Mending and Resewing 1,217.03 Printing 1,301.67 Postage 350.00 Freight, Cartage, Express 423.87 Telephones 420.47 Repairs and Improvements to Buildings and Equipment . 874.59 Miscellaneous 791 . 76 Materials and Supplies Cards, Paper 822.05 Office Supplies 115.26 Book Mending Supplies 164.85 Coal, Gas, Electricity 2,173.87 Heat and Light Supplies 141.94 Janitor's Supplies 367 . 38 Miscellaneous 455.01 Equipment Books 18,683.01 Pamphlets 59.33 Periodicals 2,204.97 Catalog Cards 390.14 Prints, Drawings, Photographs 95.88 Furniture and Fixtures 6,068.19 Heat and Light Equipment 844.68 Miscellaneous 195.82 Additions and Alterations to Buildings 1,099.71 Rent 7,540.00 Cost of Library Service The total expenditures for the entire period since the begin- ning of the library have been $499,376.37. Our inventory of assets on hand at the end of the period covered was $150,610.62, making the net cost of operation $348,765.75 for the circulation of 5,059,487 volumes, or $7.60 for each 100 volumes circulated. According to the records of the state education department at Albany the average cost of operation for all the libraries of the state is $14.87 for each 100 volumes of circulation. The 1919 report of the Public Library of the District of Columbia gives a table of statistics for 33 of the largest public libraries in the United States. This shows that the average ex- penditure of all of these libraries for the last year was $13.20 per 100 volumes circulated. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 13 Books In the first annual report of the library it was pointed out that the institutional libraries of Rochester contained about three hundred thousand volumes and that Rochester was there- fore not a city without books. But of those books, only 20 per cent, were for circulation and only five per cent, for children. The Public Library therefore proposed to exert its chief efforts toward filling these two great needs first, namely books for home use and books for children. Its development has followed these two general lines of activity. Each library except the Business Branch consists mainly of books for home reading and of books of special merit and suitability for children. Volumes in the Libraries Exposition Park Branch Genesee Branch . Monroe Branch Lincoln Branch . Goodman Street Branch Charlotte Branch Business Branch Sub-Branches and Stations Total Branches and Stations Grade Libraries . Playground Libraries ... Grand Total Adult 11,474 9,899 9,695 7,783 7,641 1,522 2,979 13.870 Juvenile 4,208 5,042 4,335 7,229 3,561 651 6,209 64,863 31,235 15,885 983 Total 15,682 14,941 14,030 15,012 11,202 2,173 2,979 20,079 96,098 15,885 983 64,863 48,103 112,966 In book selection the chief object is to secure wide use, rather than a wide range of subjects. A book which is chosen for one branch is placed in all branches and a book which is not suited for all branches is not placed in any. Of course some exceptions must be made and these exceptions increase as the collection and the book fund grow larger. Among the total of 96,098 volumes in the branches and stations, there are only 16,824 titles. The various collections are therefore largely duplicates of one another. The Business Branch is one exception and idle books are another. When books are selected for a new branch those which stand idle on the shelves of other branches are omitted, however excellent they may be. Only those are included which give promise of continued usefulness. 14 THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY The policy pursued is in accordance with the motto "The best books for the largest number at the least cost." It costs less to buy, classify, catalog and circulate seven copies of a more popular book than a single copy each of seven less popular books. The seven copies furthermore reach a larger number of people than the single copies would. The merits of the plan therefore are economy of administration and enlargement of results so far as these can be measured in terms of circulation. Gifts Grateful acknowledgement is made of many gifts of various kinds. Some of these are suited for immediate use and are sent to the branches, while some are of the kind which belongs only in a Central Library. All such gifts are very acceptable and are added to our growing collection of over 4,000 volumes which are stored toward the Central Library which is to be. In addition there are 1638 volumes of bound magazines and 1266 unbound. Included are some almost complete sets of standard magazines such as are listed in the usual indexes. Registration of Borrowers Under this heading the effort is to show how many people use the library, but the total number cannot be given. A mem- bership card is good for three years, after which it must be renewed or removed from the files. Such short lived cards cause more work but they produce more reliable and up-to-date records. This record is of cards now in force. Exposition Park Branch Genesee Branch Monroe Branch Lincoln Branch Goodman Street Branch Charlotte Branch . Business Branch 6,826 9,420 11,516 6,337 8,461 762 971 Total 44,293 In the seven sub-branches 3,500 persons are enrolled. At the deposit stations, where the issuing of books is done by volunteers, no record of borrowers is kept. In the public schools, there are class room libraries in grades three to eight, in which there are 18,195 pupils. Many of these are included in the juvenile registration at branches. Of the reading and reference room users some are registered and some are not. Registration figures given therefore are indicative but not conclusive with regard to the proportion of the population which is being reached by the library. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY Circulation There has been a steady increase in the number of agencies for the distribution of books and consequently in the number of books circulated. Last year 1,085,182 volumes were issued for home use from 7 branches, 8 sub-branches, 102 stations, 545 class rooms and 11 playgrounds. Of this circulation 44% were books for children. Below is shown the circulation from year to year, making a total of 5,059,487. Year 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Vols. issued 273,753 404,270 633,811 741,918 874,740 982,771 1,085,182 This circulation is divided among the various agencies as follows : Year 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Branches 87,951 175,106 367,658 465,734 570,910 687,410 684,499 Sub-branches and Stations 53,210 81,826 107,072 92,236 94,364 105,713 182,160 Total 3,054,219 716,581 Grade Libraries 132,592 Playground Libraries 147,338 154,158 173,297 198,091 177,840 201,579 4,923 10,651 11,375 11,808 16,944 1,232,986 55,701 Sunday and Holiday Circulation After a trial of several months it was decided to open the branch libraries every day in the year both for reading and reference and for the circulation of books. This includes every one of the 52 Sundays and all of the 9 legal holidays. This decision was warranted by the brief experiment at the time and the results of each succeeding year have given added evidence of its correctness. Since this service was started its use has grown more regularly and more rapidly than the week-day service at the branches. Year 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Total Vols. issued 15,672 29,159 43,272 57,998 63,602 209,703 16 THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY Circulation Chart by years 1919 and i departments Branches Stations Schools Playgrounds "TC" 1918 3 3 4 1917 3 1916 3 2 1916 3 3 * ^^mm 1914 - ^ 2 1 1 L913 3 1 i 3 ^ ^^ 2 ^m^m 1 1 2 1 1 A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 17 Genesee Branch Library 1913-1919 The Genesee Branch of the Rochester Public Library was opened October 1, 1913 at 149 Cady Street near No. 4 School. A three-year lease was taken on a two-story frame building, 24x90 feet, which was formerly occupied by a pipe and blower factory. After many alterations and much redecorating the building was converted into a cozy little library, the reading rooms on the ground floor and an assembly hall and staff rooms on the second floor. The second year, in order to bring the library's existence to the attention of every home in the district, a house-to-house advertising campaign was conducted. About 8,000 slips calling attention to the privileges offered were distributed over a dis- trict two miles square and also through a number of local factories. Several of the stores in the neighborhood assisted by enclosing a slip with each delivery of goods. The growth of the library was so rapid that before the expiration of the lease new quarters were being thought of and in 1916 a two-story brick building was erected at 707 Main Street West for commercial purposes. The library secured a lease on the first floor (approximately 4,000 square feet) and the second floor was made into apartments. Considerable new equipment, a new delivery desk and entirely new shelving was installed and the quarters were ready March 1917. The task of moving 8,000 volumes and equipment over night without cessation of circulation to the public was attempted. The Branch closed intact at 9:00 o'clock Tuesday evening in its old quarters and at 2:00 o'clock the following day it was opened with all its advantages available in the new quarters. With twice the space and a location on a main thoroughfare the cir- culation and other use of the library increased remarkably. The entrance is on the side and the delivery desk in the center, dividing the room almost equally between the adult and the children's departments. A glass partition four feet high placed above the shelving separates the two departments, reduces the noise from the children's room to a minimum and at the same time preserves the open aspect of one room. All books are returned at the same place but separate charging places and exits are provided for children. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 19 A most effective advertising feature is the large front display window on a level with the street. Here exhibits and picture bulletins with appropriate collections of books are displayed as a sort of index to what may be found within. Bulletin boards are also a much used feature for advertising inside the library. There is a complete dictionary catalogue of all books in the Branch and also a separate one in the children's department. These are prepared by the catalogue department and filing of cards for new accessions is the only part of this work done at the Branch. A shelf list is also supplied for staff use. An inventory has been taken each year showing an alarming number of books missing both adult and juvenile. In the adult room the fiction is arranged alphabetically by authors and the non-fiction, classified according to the Dewey decimal system, is shelved by subject. In the children's room the so-called ribbon system is used. Some 80 magazines are subscribed for, and after the current number, are circulated to patrons the same as books. A few of the most valuable for reference are bound and all others that are indexed in the Reader's Guide are kept tied up in volumes in the magazine room in the basement. Here also are put all the books that need mending and every two weeks someone comes from headquarters to mend them. Besides the Branch librarian, the staff consists of a first assistant, a trained children's librarian, several part time people, pages and a janitor. The Sunday and holiday work is done entirely by college students. A children's story hour has been conducted by the children's librarian once a week during the school season and various exhibits and contests have been held to keep the interest of the children. Among the most successful have been the poetry club, travel contest, biography contest, summer reading club, exhibit of dolls of all nations made by the girls and an airplane and model exhibit made by the boys. The public in general have been most appreciative of the library. Especially have comments been made on the open shelf system, on the generous number of books allowed on a card, on our attractive quarters including the children's room, on the fairly well rounded reference collection, and on the fact that the library is free to all, even those outside the city limits. MARION D. MOSHER, Branch Librarian A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 21 Lincoln Branch Library 1915-1919 The Lincoln Branch was opened September 1, 1915. It is located on the first floor of a brick building on the corner of Joseph Avenue and Sellinger Street. The floor space covers about 4,000 square feet, with the entrance on Sellinger Street side, and with large plate glass windows extending across the front of Joseph Avenue side. The room is well lighted and ventilated. The chairs, tables and desks, and all shelving are of light quartered oak. The main charging desk is located near the entrance and divides the room into the Adult and Juvenile departments. Low book shelves about 4 feet high are placed across the front or Joseph Avenue side and this has proved an effective way of advertising, as passers-by are continually stopping to read the book titles which are easily seen from the street. There is also a show case in which exhibits and special collections of books are placed from time to time. Two large birch bark boxes filled with ferns are placed on the low shelving near the front windows. These ferns have grown most profusely and have added a great deal to the attractiveness of the room both within and without. At night the library is the one bright and clean spot on an other- wise dingy and unattractive thoroughfare. The district in which the library is located is one of the most thickly populated in the city. Many nationalities are repre- sented, with Jews, Italians and Poles predominating. Of the various agencies working to spread the spirit of America amongst the new comers from other lands, the library has co-operated with the night classes at the Public Schools, the Social Settle- ment House on Baden Street, the classes for foreign women conducted under the supervision of the State, and with the Y. W. C. A. Community House on Hudson Avenue. There have also been many individual cases in which the library has been able to give encouragement and help to those learning the English language. Many parents who have felt shy and strange in coming to the library have been reached through the children. Slips printed in Yiddish inviting the parents to come to the library have been taken home by the children and the results have been successful and gratifying. It is a great satisfaction to work with the New Americans, for they are for the most part hard working people who art- ambitious 22 THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY and eager to improve themselves in their work, and they come to the library with a definite purpose in mind. The Branch was opened with 7,372 new books. At present there are 7,783 adult and 7,229 juvenile, making a total of 15,012. In the juvenile circulation the percentages of fiction and non- fiction books drawn for home use are about even. In the adult circulation, fiction has the highest percentage, with literature, history, foreign books, useful arts, and sociology, being the most popular of the non-fiction and following in this order. The juvenile percentage of the total number of books circulated is 56% and the adult 44%. The Branch subscribes for 90 magazines. The most popular ones are duplicated for immediate circulation and all back numbers of the others are also circulated. Three magazines are allowed on each borrower's card besides two fiction and any number of non-fiction. The juvenile books are arranged according to the ribbon system, that is, the non-fiction being arranged on the first two shelves with the fiction arranged on the lower two shelves. The adult books are arranged on the shelves by classes, with the fiction covering one side of the room and the non-fiction on the other sides. The foreign books are shelved in a separate section together with the books on learning English and with easy books for New Americans. Special collections of books on timely subjects are placed about the room with picture posters calling attention to them. The work of the Branch is carried on by three full time librarians and student help w T hich varies according to the busy and dull times of the year. The Sunday and holiday work is done entirely by students. The Adult Department is open from 2 to 9 p. m. and all Sundays and holidays. The Juvenile Department is open from 2 to 8 p. m. from October to May, and from 2 to 6 p. m. during June, July, August and September, and closed all Sundays and holidays. The work with the children is of great importance. The teachers of the schools in the vicinity, both public and parochial, have shown a fine spirit of co-operation. The average daily circulation in the Juvenile Department is 260, running as high as 600 on busiest days. On account of the crowded condition during the busy months, it has been found necessary to exclude all children below the third grade during the week, admitting them only on Saturday, which has come to be known as "Picture A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 23 Book Day." On the two busiest days of the week, Monday and Friday, it has been necessary to exclude all children who have not cards in the library, admitting only those who come to take out books. A Summer Reading Club was started during the summer of 1918, to encourage the children to read during their vacation. Special lists of books were printed for the different grades, and at the end of the summer an engraved certificate was given to each child who had read and reported satisfactorily on ten books. The club was very successful and the library plans to continue it each summer. On account of lack of an appropriate room the Branch has not been able to hold any story-hours for children. The problem of discipline in both departments has been an important one, but the plan of having just rules and keeping them respected has been sufficient to take care of any difficulties which have so far arisen. The pleasures of working in this Branch have been many. It is a satisfaction to feel that we are doing an important work with the young people, and that we are a link in the work of Americanization in the neighborhood. Interesting opportunities seem to be ahvays present and it is a joy to work with youth and to feel their vitality and eagerness to learn and succeed. In spite of rather strict discipline, there seems to be no feeling of' resentment toward the librarians, but rather a feeling of goodwill and co-operation. The present quarters have been adequate thus far, but the time will soon come when a larger building with an auditorium seating at least 500, with a special Story Hour room and Club Rooms and larger rooms for the Children's Department, will be necessary if the Branch is to grow and develop as it should. It is to be hoped that an "Enlarged Program" for the Rochester Public Library may be realized in the near future, which will bring about larger and better buildings for the branches, and larger salaries which will attract more trained and experienced librarians. JESSIE R. AVERY, Branch Librarian A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 25 Business and Municipal Branch An important step was taken when a business branch was established in the Municipal Building in the business section of the city. It occupies the identical room where the old Central Library was located for twenty-nine years. It consists of one large reading room, one for the staff and one for a typewriter used by the staff and the public. It was opened on the same day which marked the dedication of the new Chamber of Commerce building. It aims to provide material helpful to business men in their daily work. Ultimately it will cover all the important industries and occupations in the city. It includes political economy, capital and labor, banks, finance, credit, interest, production, business law, commerce, trade, transportation, engineering, accounting, business methods, advertising. On the municipal side it deals with political science, history and organization, municipal finance, public utilities, sanitation and public health, public improvement, public safety, education and social welfare. This side is intended for the legislative, executive and administration branches of the city government as well as for all citizens interested in municipal problems. Other branches have been so popular from the beginning that they have been taxed to the utmost by the public demand. This branch is making its way slowly. Time and advertising are making it fill its appointed place in the community. As business men and women become acquainted with its resources they are realizing its possibilities for service to them in their everyday business as well as to the city at large. DEPOSIT STATIONS IX FIRE HOUSE, DEPARTMENT STORE AND FACTORY A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 27 Deposit Stations A deposit station is an accommodation library for the con- venience of a special group of readers. It is a small collection of books deposited at any place where a considerable number of people come together frequently, such as factories, stores, fire houses, hospitals and other institutions. The size of such a collection varies from 50 to 500 volumes, depending on the number of people to be served and the use they make of the deposit. The books are specially selected with a view to their broad and lasting appeal. They are mostly duplicates of the best popular titles in the branches. It is important that they be in charge of a person who is really interested in them and who will make them accessible regularly and frequently in keeping with local conditions. In some offices they are available at any time, in some factories once a week or ofte,ner to employees to be taken away for home use. These books typify the spirit of the Library to go wherever it can be of service. They are not only free on application to the Library but they are actually going about the city knocking for admission. Many business firms are welcoming them as messengers of good will between themselves and their employees. They observe the rule of hospitality to stay no longer than they are wanted and the rule of business to work or go home. Since the beginning 176 deposit stations have been established and 89 have been discontinued for various reasons. The following list of 87 stations now in operation shows the cosmopolitan character of this service: Stations in Operation at the Close of 1919 2 Department Stores Duffy-Powers Co., Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co. Year's Circulation 7,702 3 Hospitals Hahnemann, Homeopathic, General (a) Patients, (b) Employees Year's Circulation 5,070 1 6 Fire Houses Engine 2, 5, 8, 9, 13, 16, 18, 23; Hose 12, 1Q, 20, 21; Truck 5, 8, 10; Fire Alarm Telegraph. Year's Circulation 3,180 28 THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY 30 Industrial American Woodworking Mach. Co. Art in Buttons Bausch & Lomb Optical Co. Beechnut Packing Co B. R. & P. Railway Co. Eastman Kodak Co., Camera Works Eastman KodakCo., Hawk Eye Works Eastman Kodak Co., Kodak Park Eastman Kodak Co., Office Empire Last Works General Railway Signal Co. Hickey-Freeman Co. Hubbard, Eldridge & Miller Lawyer's Co-operative Pub. Co. Michaels-Sterns & Co. a) Child Street Plant b) Clinton Avenue Plant North East Electric Co. Pfaudler Co. Rochester Button Co. Rochester Folding Box Co. Rochester Railway & Light Co. Rochester Stamping Co. a) Anderson Avenue Plant b) Saratoga Avenue Plant Rochester Telephone Co. Rosenberg Brothers Co. M. B. Shants Sherwood Shoe Co. Taylor Instrument Co. Todd Protectograph Co. Utz & Dunn Co. Wollensak Optical Co. Yawman & Erbe Mfg. Co. a) St. Paul Street Plant b) Gates Plant Year's Circulation 75,206 5 Unclassed City Hall Normal Training School Hartford Playground Police Women's Headquarters U. of R. Year's Circulation 3,407 12 Institutional C. Y. M. A. Deaf Mute Institute Rochester Friendly Home Housekeeping Center Jewish Orphan Home Monroe County Penitentiary Rochester Home for Girls St. Mary's Orphan Asylum St. Patrick's Orphan Asylum Y. M. C. A. Central Y. M. C. A. Boys Y. W. C. A. Settlement Year's Circulation 10,569 8 Parochial Schools Holy Family Nazareth Academy-Grammar Nazareth Academy High Our Lady of Perpetual Help St. Andrew St. Francis St. John St. Monica Year's Circulation 16,647 4 Public Schools No. 5 No. 42 No. 43 No. 44 Year's Circulation 5,789 7 Sub-Branches No. 10 No. 18 No. 24 No. 36 No. 37 No. 41 Hudson Year's Circulation 54,590 A SEVEN" YEAR SURVEY 29 Grade Libraries Grade libraries have existed in the Rochester Public Schools for fifteen years. When the Public Library was organized it assumed the management of these libraries on condition that the Board of Education retain ownership of them and meet the expense of rebinding and replacing volumes. This arrangement gives the schools full control in matters of general policy and places the administrative work, especially the technical part, in the hands of those specially equipped to do it. The plan has resulted in producing a thorough co-operation between the school and the library and in promoting among teachers and pupils an interest in and responsibility for their use and care which is essential to their success. A distinguishing feature is the fixed collection for each class room and grade. Instead of moving books back and forth between library and school and between different class rooms, the books remain stationary while the procession of readers goes by from term to term. This rotation of readers instead of books is more simple and economical for both school and library and practical educational results are very satisfactory. The size of this collection as a whole has varied from year to year between twelve thousand and sixteen thousand volumes which allows between 20 and 35 books for each of 689 class rooms. The number drawn for home use is 1,232,986 as shown below. Year 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Vols. circulated 132,592 147,338 154,158 173,297 198,091 177,840 201,579 These books were drawn by pupils in grades three to eight under the personal supervision of teachers, who are intimately acquainted with the pupils' needs. In each grade they are the best books carefully selected with regard to their fitness for that particular grade. Educators are laying more and more stress on the immediate value of this reading in the class room and in the home as well as its ultimate effect in the development of character. By fostering the reading habit among children in the most formative period of life the public schools through these grade libraries are performing a service of the utmost importance. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 31 Playgrouna Libraries When the Bureau of Playgrounds in the Department of Parks was created its first outline included playground libraries. Some of these had already been started in several places by three different authorities. The new bureau at once recognized their value and arranged to extend and systematize them. The book collection was enlarged, story telling added to the program and a librarian employed. The books were prepared for circulation at the Public Library and under its supervision the administration work is still done there. In this way the Bureau as owner of the libraries de- termines their extent and location, the physical and other con- ditions under which books are issued, and their co-ordination with other playground activities, while the Library serves as consulting expert. The playground collection contains 1,431 volumes. During the past year books were issued at 11 playgrounds and story hours conducted every week during the summer season and at 7 of them throughout the year. At 7 additional playgrounds only story hours were conducted through the summer. The annual circulation record is: Year 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Total Books issued 1 4,923 10,651 11,375 11,808 16,944 55,701 Publications The publications of the Library in addition to annual reports and the union list of serials consist mainly of brief book lists, pamphlets, cards and slips of information and advertisement. In the Library offices extensive use is made of the multigraph for printing office forms and also public notices, letters, and programs. Newspaper Publicity The newspapers of the city are assisting splendidly in bringing the library to the attention of the people. Through the publica- tion of lists of new books, reading lists on special subjects, descriptions of branch quarters, feature stories and appeals for reading matter for soldiers they have rendered valuable public service. Two large volumes of mounted newspaper clippings testify to their generous and public spirited co-operation. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 33 War Work The Library promoted reading on the history and problems of the war by issuing special lists and by providing special material on such topics as food production and conservation. It co-operated in the various campaigns, Liberty Loans, Red Cross, military census, Community Chest and in the sale of thrift stamps. It assisted in the distribution and display of posters, pamphlets and the like and also made a collection of such material, especially of that issued locally. Rochester made a threefold contribution to the war work carried on by the American Library Association. This consisted of money, services and books. No campaigns were conducted for raising funds. The first year $7,500 was devoted to this purpose by those in charge of the highly successful Y. M. C. A. drive and the second year $25,625 was received from the Com- munity Chest. The Librarian served as Camp Librarian three months at Camp Wadsworth, Spartanburg, South Carolina; three months at Camp Beauregard, Alexandria, Texas; and three months at the Marine Camp, Parris Island, South Carolina. In each case the city provided the Librarian's salary in accordance with the liberal policy of other large cities. In its appeals to the people for books the Library was enthusiastically assisted by the schools, the scouts, the Junior Red Cross and the Fire Department. Loads of books were brought to Exposition Park, where they were assorted, grouped, packed and shipped to camps, dispatch offices and some to local military establishments. Blank scrap books were bought and distributed to patrons who volunteered to fill them in accordance with library specifications. Of these 2,383 were sent to camps and hospitals. The books selected and sent, after thorough weeding out of unsuitable material, numbered 33,014 volumes and many boxes of magazines. Of these book campaigns there were three in three successive years. Between the first and the last an intermittent stream of books flowed from generous homes to the Library and thence to the men in the service. It was a fine illustration of the spirit of giving implying a recognition of the power of books as an aid in winning the war. A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 35 Rochester Libraries A list of Rochester libraries was included in the first annual report of the Public Library. Eight additional libraries, each having one thousand volumes or more, are included in this list, making a total of 22 libraries containing 455,875 volumes. Volumes 112,966 1,600 9,215 5,200 1,800 1,000 2,060 85,363 79,944 5,619 6,000 47,250 18,000 4,858 9,000 48,500 5,000 3,500 1,000 1,000 1,000 6,000 Library Rochester Public Rochester Department of Engineering East High School West High School Washington Junior High School Jefferson Junior High School Normal Training School Reynolds Library University of Rochester Rochester Academy of Science Rochester Academy of Medicine Rochester Theological Seminary St. Bernard's Seminary Mechanics Institute Rochester School for the Deaf Appellate Division, Law- Powers Law Rochester Historical Society Rochester Municipal Museum Chamber of Commerce Bausch & Lomb Optical Co. Eastman Kodak Company Total Librarian William F. Yust Irene D. Winans Margaret E. Weaver Ruth Norton Blanche Castleman Mildred R. Forward Anne R. Collins D. B. Gilchrist Alice Harris Brown G. A. Maloney Glen B. Ewell P. Libert Eleanor M. Gleason Fred E. Rosbrook Laura M. Gallery Edward D. Putnam Edward D. Putnam Gertrude Reissrnann 455,875 A spirit of co-operation between these libraries has been fostered through consultation, through the organization of a club consisting of the librarians engaged therein, and notably through the preparation and publication of the union list of serials. 36 THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIRRARY Union List of Serials In the first annual report of the Library attention was called to the fact that there are in Rochester many back files as well as current issues of periodicals. These contain a wealth of informa- tion on almost every phase of knowledge. Indexes to these files were numerous, so that references to magazines could be found in abundance, but where to find the magazines was not so easy. One of the first tasks which the Public Library set for itself was to promote co-operation between the various libraries of the city to the end that their resources might be made generally known and utilized to the fullest possible extent by the people of Rochester. The "Union List of serials" is a contribution to that end. It aims to answer the question whether a given periodical of past or present date is to be found in the city and in which libraries it may be consulted. The plan w r as launched under the auspices of the Rochester District Library Club. Each library submitted a card list of its own material, which formed the basis of the list. Not much progress was made however until the entire responsibility for the undertaking was assumed by the Public Library and a special assistant employed to do the work. It has required much care- ful attention. The result is a neat volume of 147 pages which will be of great value not only to special students and inves- tigators but also to all readers on current problems. Library Needs Buildings are needed for a Central Library and for branches. No effort is being spared to make the present branch quarters attractive and effective. As temporary expedients they are a success, but their limitations are many and they should not be allowed indefinitely to stand as an illustration of the Rochester quality expressed in libraries. The need of a Central Library has been emphasized for seven years. There should be a magnificent building located near the center of the city, which will provide on a large scale for books, readers and administration, which will house a great book col- lection in a fire proof stack, which will contain ample rooms for open shelves, for reading and reference, for private study, for special departments, rooms for children, for newspapers, for the A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 37 blind, and for all those allied features which make the Library the center of the city's intellectual activities. "We plume ourselves," said the Democrat & Chronicle three years ago, "on the steady growth of our manufacturing interests, on the enterprise of our merchants, on our park system, on our schools, on the extent and beauty of our residence district. We agitate constantly for better street car service. We grumble over the lack of a parallel street. On the subject of an adequate central public library we are as mute as a stuffed owl. This apparent lack of interest, it is to be hoped, is due to despair rather than indifference. "If it is due to despair, an awakening of public interest is possible. If it is due to indifference, goodness knows what can be done. The subject has repeatedly been urged upon public attention without eliciting the slightest visible response. But so long as Mr. Yust does not grow faint-hearted, hope will still linger in the breasts of those who realize what an impetus a good library would give to the intellectual side of civic life, and what a boon it would be in directing into proper channels the intellectual activities of the growing generation." The mental picture of the Central Library is not so clear as it was years ago but the vision has not vanished. Respectfully submitted WILLIAM F. YUST, Librarian 38 THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY Library Staff Administration WILLIAM F. YUST Librarian JULIA L. SAUER Librarian's Secretary ADA A. SLARKS Office Assistant Book Order and Catalog Department GRACE B. MCCARTNEY, Head ALICE E. MILLS MARIE E. JONES ALICE I. DEBUTTS ANNA MARTIN Extension Department and Work with Children and Schools ADELINE B. ZACHERT, Head EDNA E. BAYER GRACE EYSVOGEL MABEL TRUESDELL MABEL R. STEWART MARIE W. GOLER VERA VAN ARSDALE Exposition Park Branch CAROLYN M. CASTLE, Branch Librarian MILDRED L. BENEDICT Genesee Branch MARION D. MOSHER, Branch Librarian ETHEL M. HERRON MARJORIE TAYLOR Lincoln Branch JESSIE R. AVERY, Branch Librarian JESSIE D. HOLLOWAY MARY L. SAMSON Monroe Branch ADA J. WHITE, Branch Librarian GLADYS J. HADLEY MARIE MEULENDYKE CLARA E. PULVER Goodman Street Branch MARCELLA FLYNN, Branch Librarian EDNA E. PARDEE EVELYN SEYMOUR Charlotte Branch ANNA B. COLWELL, Branch Librarian Business Branch GLADYS E. LOVE, Branch Librarian HAZEL D. LEONARD A SEVEN YEAR SURVEY 39 Directory of Branch Libraries Arranged in order of opening Administration Headquarters, Exposition Park Exposition Park Branch Exposition Park Opened October, 1912 In City Building Number 9 Volumes 15,682 Year's circulation 94,370 Genesee Branch 707 Main Street West Opened October, 1913 In rented quarters Moved March, 1917 Volumes 14,941 Year's circulation 139,348 Monroe Branch 265-271 Monroe Avenue Opened September, 1914 Enlarged Jan. 1916, and Dec. 1918 Volumes 14,030 Year's circulation 172,843 Lincoln Branch Joseph Avenue and Sellinger Street Opened September, 1915 In rented quarters Volumes 15,012 Year's circulation 123,475 Business Branch 13 South Fitzhugh Street Opened October, 1917 In Municipal Building Volumes 2,979 Goodman Street Branch 511 North Goodman Street Opened October, 1917 In rented quarters Volumes 11,202 Year's circulation 134,631 Charlotte Branch Stutson Street Opened September, 1919 In Fire House Volumes 2,173 I am the recorder of the ages. I speak every language under the sun and enter every corner of the earth. I bring information, inspiration and recreation to all mankind. 1 am the enemy of ignorance and slavery, the ally of enlightenment and liberty. I am always ready to commune with man, to quicken his being, to spur him on, to show him the way. I treat all persons alike, regardless of race, color, creed or condition. I have power to stretch man's vision, to deepen his feeling, to better his busi- ness and to enrich his life. I am a true friend, a wise counsellor and a faithful guide. I am silent as gravitation, pliant and powerful as the electric current and enduring as the everlasting hills. I am the Book