o X n .A N 01 01 y&cf,: FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE AlAMEDA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF THE OAEAND FREE LIBRARY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1913-1914 OAKLAND. CALIFORNIA \ fM.-'i>^ FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF THE OAKLAND FREE LIBRARY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1913-1914 OAKLAND, - CALIFORNIA ALAMEDA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OAKLAND FREE LIBRARY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF ALAMEDA COUNTY JOHN F. MULLINS F. W. FOSS W. B. BRIDGE J. M. KELLEY DANIEL J. MURPHY *5^ */• BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE OAKLAND FREE LIBRARY Term Expires. FRANK M. PARCELLS 318 Lee St 1919 President SAMUEL HUBBARD 244 Montecito Ave 1920 JOHN W. EVANS 604 E. 14th St 1915 GARY HOWARD 328 29th St 1916 SAM BELL McKEE 225 Vernon St 1917 GHARLES S. GREENE, Librarian and Secretary of the Board. MARY BARMBY, Ghief of Department. 9^ STAFF OF COUNTY DEPARTMENT JULY 1, 1914 COUNTY DEPARTMENT. Mary Barmby _ , Chief Jean D. Baird First Assistant Ethel'bert Jerome _ Assistant COUNTY BRANCHES. Albany E. S. Hamilton, Attendant Rosa E. Diehl, Janitor Altamont _ T. M. E^ran, Attendant Alvarado Albert Norris, Attendant Alviso - F. M. George, Attendant Centerville Mabel Yates, Attendent Decoto Elizabeth Williams, Attendant Dublin W. S. Lawrence, Attendant Hayward - Elizabeth Creelman, Attendant Irvington Josephine Blacow, Attendant Livermore Myrtle Harp, Attendant Mission San Jose Dr. T. A. Nichols, Attendant Mt. Eden Sophie Engelund, Attendant Newark _ Mabel Fowler, Attendant Niles E. M. Nichols, Attendant Pleasanton S. A. Young, Attendant San Lorenzo M. E. Brommage, Attendant Sunol - Mary Buttner, Attendant Warm Springs Joseph Brown, Attendant M110723 FINANCIAL STATEMENT Balance, of which $197.77 was held in trust for schools $ 299.15 RECEIPTS. Received from County Treasurer, July 1, 1913, to June 30, 1914, at $1250.00 per month for 5 months and $1500.00 for 7 months $16,750.00 Received from Albany 30.00 Overdraft due Oakland Free Library 4.24 $17,083.39 EXPENDITURES. Salaries $ 6,801.31 Books 5,164.56 Binding 236.55 Printing 89.75 Furniture 606.85 Express 121.37 Traveling 198.05 Office Supplies 128.62 Periodicals 692.03 Views and Pictures 374.20 Messenger 32.97 Building and Repair 119.62 Light and Heat 102.51 Rent 258.00 Incidentals 110.75 Janitor 46.25 For Use of Oakland Library 2.000.00 $17,083.39 REPORT OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF THE OAKLAND FREE LIBRARY To the Honorable Board of Directors of the Oakland Free Library — Gentlemen: The fourth annual report of the County Library work in Alameda County, is hereby presented. Library work has been carried on in Alameda County since November, 1910, under a contract entered into between the County of Alameda through its Board of Supervisors, and the Oakland Free Library through its Board of Library Directors, to establish a County Library system and to work under Section 12 of the County Library Law, the Legislature of the State of California having passed a law April, 1909, permitting such co-operation. Twelve thousand dollars was given for the first year's work. In November, 1911, a new contract was agreed upon whereby the work would be enlarged and the added sum of $250 a month was given, making $15,000 a year. The same contract was continued in 1912. The work was carried on, but not much new work was started, as it took up all funds to keep up the standard of the year before. Again in November, 1913, a new contract was agreed upon, and $18,000 was given for the year. New branches were started and the service to the older branches much improved. In 1911, the County Free Library Law was amended, and we are now working under Section 16 of this law. The only important change was the adding of the phrase "Including incorporated cities and towns therein." We have now eighteen branches with reading rooms. These include the libraries placed in Livermore, Hayward, and Pleasanton town libraries. The reading rooms are well supplied with the current magazines and daily papers, and are open, in most cases, every afternoon and evening but one. En- cyclopedias have been placed in the larger branches, also other reference books. The farmers' bulletins from the Government and important docu- ments from the University of California are received. There are two or three prints on the walls of even our smallest branches. Labels have been made for the frames of these pictures, to hold a slip, ex- plaining the pictures and giving the artist's name and title of picture. There are between three and four thousand stereographic views in the County system and these are all in each of the branches at some time during the year. Two stereoscopes to be used with these views remain in each branch. The stereographs are an important feature of the library work, the subjects being so varied. All important countries of the world are represented by sets of about one hundred views. Then there are sets on the industries of the coun- tries, sets on natural history, and one on battleships. The people who do not care to read, come to the branch to look at these stereographs. Teachers use them in connection with their geography work in the schools. Panama and Mexico are in the greatest demand at present. We found the radioptican purchased the year before had proved so sat- isfactory that we decided to add to this department. So a balopticon was 5 purchased. This is much like the radioptican, but we felt possibly a little in advance in results. These machines with instructions for their use are sent out to the branches to remain for a few weelis. Post cards in sets are sent also, which the ma- cliines reflect and enlarge. Someone in the community is always found who is willing to explain the cards and make the evenings enjoyable. These picture-evening entertainments are open to every one, though they are almost too modest to be called entertainments. Some fourteen colored Berlin prints have been purchased for the County. These will be sent from branch to branch so the entire County may enjoy them. A branch was established at Albany in Decemlser. The people of the community rented the room on Main Street and furnished the tables, chairs and book cases. The room is very attractive, the attendance and circulation satisfactory. Mrs. Elizabeth SI Hanxllton is the efficient attendant. Her knowledge of people and books makes her a valuable addition to our County staff. The town trustees pay $5 a month toward buying books, and show in many ways their interest in their new library. A branch was opened in Dublin, May 21st. The library occupies a room in the store facing the main road. Mr. Green, the owner of the 'building, had burlap put on the walls and a window and door put in so that the library is quite an attractive place. MJrs. Lawrence is the attendant. Here, as in every library we have started, we had a public opening. The people came from all about in numbers, until we wondered where they had all come from. For some time we had a deposit of books at Alviso school attended to by the principal. This did very well, but we decided in June to make it a regular branch library, so we have a room in the home of Mrs. Frank George. This room is open to the street and is used only for the library. Mrs. George is the attendant. The district is quite thickly settled and we expect will make good use of the books and the reading room. Mr. Greene spoke at the opening here, as he did at the opening at Albany. Mrs. Runckel, the attendant at Niles, resigned in July and Mrs. Nichols was appointed to fill the place. Mrs. Nichols' work has been most satis- factory, as the steady growth of the Niles library shows. The library at Irvington moved into new rooms in March. Formerly we had one large room, too large to heat or light properly. The present place is next door and is better adapted to the library needs. We have two rooms and better lighting. The quarters at San Lorenzo became so crowded that it was necessary to move to a larger room in the same building, the village hall. The reading room is generally well filled with magazine and news- paper readers both afternoons and evenings. The circulation from here is larger than any other branch of its size in the County. In Alvarado we were fortunate in having a vacant room next to our library room. The partition was taken down, making it one large room. Meetings of the attendants have been held in the County Library office in Oakland. At these meetings we talk over and work out the problems that are always present. We plan new work and criticise the work done. 6 The work with the County Jail has grrown during the past year. We have a messenger service twice a week. The prisoners make their requests and the boy fills them from the Oakland Library. There is no collection of books in the jail. We continue to borrow books from the State Library for the Law Library, whenever lawyers of Alameda County require material not in the County. Books ready for discard have been sent out every month to the County Infirmary, to be read there and then burned at the discretion of the attending doctor. A few phonograph records have been sent to Alta- mont on their request, as they had a machine in the community which they could use. Altamont has no electricity, so could not have the benefit of the radioptican and the records were sent to make up for this loss. Some work has been done with Alameda and Berkeley in the way of supplying special books, and in Alameda in the loaning of pictures. Post cards with the map of Alameda County on the back have been printed for use in correspondence. The map shows the location of the libraries and gives a few figures. The County Library had a booth at the Alameda County fair last year and this year plans to be represented. The circulation of books in the County has been steadily increasing, amounting to about one thousand a month more than last year. The special requests coming from our people and from other libraries in the State, have been very large. We have been able to fill these requests from our library, the Oakland Library, and the State Library. The problem of properly housing our libraries will need to be considered in the near future. The present rooms in many cases are too small. With larger space better work can be done. We hope to find the people of the towns ready to help when the time comes. The County Library in California has well passed the experimental stage, and has become a strong factor in the twenty- six counties in which it is working, many of the counties growing in a remarkable way. Los Angeles, for instance, last year received $40,000 for the county work and this year expects to nearly double that amount. Respectfully submitted, MARY BARMBY, Chief of Department. STATISTICS Number of borrowers — established branches Number of borrowers — County at large Total number of books sent to stations Circulation of stations Total number of books sent to schools Total number of books in office . 3,689 . 1,159 .12,992 .66,529 . 1,020 . 1.354 Count of bound volumes, July 6, 1913. Accessions — By purchase By gift 4,667 227 Discarded Lost .... 35 36 Borrowed from Teachers' Library. . . Total bound volumes, July, 1914. 10,444 4,894 15.338 71 15,267 . 122 .15,389 Branches — Date of Opening. Albany Dec. 4, 1913 Altamont April 2, 1912 Alvarado Dec. 7, 1910 Centerville Dec. 2, 1910 Decoto Dec. 11, 1910 Dublin May 21. 1914 Irvington April 4. 1911 Mission San Jose. Dec. 10,1910 Mt. Eden Feb. 1, 1911 Newark Sept. 4, 1911 Niles Feb. 2. 1911 San Lorenzo Dec. 1. 1910 Sunol Dec. 9, 1910 Warm Springs Feb. 20, 1912 Deposit Stations — Alviso Feb. 27. 1911 Hayward April 12, 1911 Liverm.ore Sept.. 1911 Pleasanton May 29, 1911 Request Books — County Jail July, 1911 San Leandro Inter-Library Borrowers. 235 102 193 291 246 33 161 78 125 164 459 305 108 73 53 457 464 136 Books. 761 406 1,060 1.199 765 144 765 710 755 904 1.099 1.113 674 400 100 789 727 644 Borrowers — County at large. Books in office and schools. 3689 13,015 1159 2,374 Circulation Books. Mags. 3,206 1,513 2,775 4,805 2,508 305 810 1,606 1,936 484 (no report) 2,683 2,191 1,523 3,258 8,256 4,852 i.985 916 343 6,037 5,142 2,361 481 238 41 55,114 139 1,132 52 480 1,848 1,163 1.110 131 97 120 11.415 4,848 15,389 55,114 11,416 Bnqulrer I Gaylamount Pamphlet Binder Gaylord Bros., Inc. Stockton, Calif. T.M. Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. M110723 On C0B2 THE UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA UBRARY