University oi lllmuis 
 
 Library SchooU 
 
 6*i.n , t't. 
 
 The^SVand Rapids 
 
 Public Library 
 
 West Side Branch 
 
 . y 
 
 o 
 
 Issued in connection with the public 
 inspection and the opening of the 
 
 West Side Branch Library 
 
 December 28 and 30, 1907 
 
I T will be of interest to those who 
 visit this branch library to know 
 something of its history and equip- 
 ment. The building was erected by the 
 Michigan State Telephone Company to 
 be used as a telephone exchange, but 
 owing to a change in the plans of the 
 Company it was never fully equipped 
 for that purpose, and for several years 
 had been standing idle. As early as Jan- 
 uary, 1905, the Board of library Com- 
 missioners considered the possibility of 
 having the building for a branch library, 
 and the President of the Board, the late 
 Hon. John Patton, discussed the matter 
 at different times with the officers of the 
 Company. Early in 1907 the Telephone 
 Company offered to the Library Board the 
 use of the building for library purposes 
 exclusively for a term of years ending 
 February 1, 1924, on condition that the 
 city maintain the building, pay the 
 special and other taxes which may be 
 assessed against it, and provide for fire 
 insurance, the Company reserving, how- 
 ever, the right to maintain a telephone 
 booth in the building. This offer was 
 in the form of a lease which, under the 
 provision of the City Charter, was made 
 with the Board of Education, inasmuch 
 as that Board holds the title to all library 
 property. 
 
 The matter of providing funds for in- 
 surance, street improvement taxes, and 
 fitting up the building was referred to 
 the Common Council, which, at its meet- 
 
ing on March 25, 1907, authorised a 
 special appropriation of $2,115 for this 
 purpose. The lease with the Telephone 
 Company was authorized and signed by 
 the Board of Education at its meeting on 
 April 2. The bringing about of this 
 lease on such satisfactory terms for the 
 city was largely due to the efforts of Mr. 
 Dudley E. Waters, vice-president of the 
 Telephone Company. 
 
 As soon as the lease was effected, plans 
 were begun for the remodeling of the 
 building, its equipment for library pur- 
 poses and the purchase of books to stock 
 the library. All this work, together with 
 a considerable amount of repairs, is now 
 completed and ready for inspection. The 
 plans involved the endeavor to use every 
 available inch for seating readers or for 
 the shelving of books. With the work- 
 ing out of the plans it was found advis- 
 able to add several important features 
 which were not included on the original 
 estimate for the equipment of the build- 
 ing, As a result of this, the cost has 
 been several hundred dollars more than 
 the original estimate. The most impor- 
 tant of these additions are the glass parti- 
 tion and the double rows of shelving 
 which divide the two reading rooms and 
 the placing of cork carpet on the floor. 
 
 The number of books upon the open 
 shelves is not as great as was hoped, 
 owing to the fact that two additional new 
 branch libraries were stocked and started 
 this year. However, there are at this 
 
3 0112 072367078 
 
 date about 2,000 volumes on the shelves 
 and a large number of volumes have been 
 ordered to be purchased as fast as the 
 funds of the library will permit. 
 
 Fifty current periodicals for the read- 
 ing room have been ordered for 1908. 
 This list includes a wide range of subjects, 
 and represented in it, in addition to 
 English, are periodicals in the Holland, 
 German and Polish languages. 
 
 Nearly all the books are for circula- 
 tion, and anyone who now has a card to 
 draw books from the Grand Rapids 
 Public Library can take books from this 
 branch. Cards are good to draw books 
 from the Ryerson Library building and 
 from any of the branches, provided the 
 books already drawn be returned to the 
 library from which they were taken . The 
 rules with reference to the issue of books 
 are the same as at the Ryerson Library 
 building. The citizens on the West Side 
 can use the Ryerson building the same 
 as heretofore, and likewise anyone in 
 any part of the city can use the West 
 Side Branch. 
 
 The library will be open every week 
 day from 12:30 until 9 p. m., except on 
 Saturdays, when it will be open from 8:30 
 a. m. to 9 p. m. On Sundays and holi- 
 days, except Christmas and the Fourth 
 of July, it will be open from 2 to 6 p. m. 
 The hours of opening may be changed in 
 the future should other hours seem de- 
 sirable. The building can seat about 
 100 readers.