up for discussion, these portraits being pasted in a book to add to the library museum." The chief librarian, Mr. Bostwick, has started, also in connection with the library class work, halfhour talks on practical science, its classification, etc.

A visitor's book has lately been established, which has proved an interesting item in the library's statistics.

New York P. L.- Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. The property of the three corporations that now make up the new consolidated library has nearly all been turned over to the trustees of the Public Library and the consolidation is practically complete. The property of the Astor Library, about $1,000,000, and that of the Lenox Library, about $500,000, in cash and securities, are in the treasurer's hands. Of the property of the Tilden trust, estimated at $2,000,000, about $1,500,000 has already been paid over. The remainder will be transferred as soon as the necessary sales shall have been made by the executors of Mr. Tilden's will. This will give the new library an endowment of about $3,500,000. The books in the three libraries have also been transferred to the trustees. The Astor Library comprises about 265,000 volumes, the Lenox Library about 80,000, and the Tilden Library about 15,000. The last have been removed from the Tilden house to the Lenox Library, and are being cataloged. During the summer the work of transferring the several properties has been in progress. Two meetings of the trustees have been held this fall. The first was for purposes of organization. John Bigelow was elected president_of this board, George L. Rives, secretary, and Edward King, treasurer. At the second meeting a report on the consolidation of the properties was made by the chairman of the finance committee, and a set of proposed by-laws was sub

mitted.

The most important question remaining to be settled is that of a site and building for the consolidated library. The trustees do not expect to dispose of it for six months or more, and have not formally discussed it at all as yet, though they have individually considered the advantages of enlarging and altering the Lenox Library so as to house the entire collection.

New York City. Criminal Law Lib. A colection which is intended to be the first public library of criminal law in existence in this country has been established on the third floor of the New York Criminal Courts building, where a reading-room, a cataloging-room, and a librarian's office have been set aside for the purpose. Col. Fellows, the district attorney, has supplied the nucleus of the collection by the gift of his private law library of 2000 v., and with these and the sum of $5000, which was set aside some years ago for this purpose, it is probable that a good beginning can be made for a useful collection of books on criminal law that will prove most valuable to the lawyers and judges connected with the courts, several of whom have shown their interest by substantial contributions.

New York City. Univ. of City of N. Y. Ground was broken for the new library and administration building on the beautiful new site of the University on Oct. 19. On this day also several of the new buildings, the hall of languages, the gymnasium, the laboratory of chemistry, and the Ohio athletic field were formally opened. There was a large attendance and speeches were delivered by Chancellor Anson Judd Upson, of the state board of regents, Mayor Strong, President Hill, of the University of Rochester, President Merrill, of Amherst,

and Chancellor McCracken.

about $250,000, is given to the university by a The new library building, which is to cost friend who remains anonymous, as has already been described in the LIBRARY JOURNAL (L. J., June. '95, p. 205). The plans call for a structure that promises to rank among the great library buildings of the day, and that will acwill be from the college campus through a clascommodate a million volumes. The entrance sic portico supported by six columns, each column about 30 feet high, and richly carved. The main entrance to the basement will be without steps from the carriage roads which lead up the other on the south side of the building. from Sedgwick avenue, one on the north and The ground falls off from the college campus toward Sedgwick avenue as much as 40 feet, so that the large hall is entirely above ground except upon one side. The building will be almost circular in its form, with galleries around three-fourths of its circumference. Between and Sedgwick avenue a terrace-like semicircular this great auditorium, or commencement hall, extension will be given to the library building. with a floor about six feet lower than the floor of feet, and its length about 225 feet. Its roof will the commencement hall. Its width will be 30 largely consist of skylights, but it will have further light from many windows placed at the upper edge of the outside wall. Upon the outside edge of this terrace there will be an ambulatorium extending toward the south to join the hall of languages, and toward the north, in the is not yet begun, but which, when erected, will same way, to join the hall of philosophy, which be an exact copy of the hall of languages.

On the right hand of the library will be the entrance to the faculty-room, 17 x 30 feet. with a lofty ceiling. On the left hand will be the administration offices, of the same extent as the faculty-room. Below these will be spacious rooms connected with the administrative work, while above them the entire floor of this front portion will be devoted to cataloging and other work connected with the librarv. Surrounding the reading-room of the library will be a circular corridor which may, if desired, be thrown into alcoves. The alcoves will be 26 in number, each one with a ceiling 16 feet high, sufficient to admit of a gallery to be occupied by book-stacks. The upper alcoves will receive light from the roof; the lower alcoves will each have a large window.

The present plan contemplates giving to each department at least one alcove, so that the I head of a department may carry on seminary

work around tables placed upon the alcove floor. The number of departments into which the university work is divided can be at all times, perhaps, limited to not more than 20. Besides the 26 alcoves there will also be a large room provided for book-stacks, accommodating books that are but little called for. The great auditorium underneath the library is so planned that when, in the future, the books increase, the entire space may be taken for stacks. In this way the university officers are looking 100 years ahead as to library accommodation. Even the museum might be turned into a stack-room for books by providing for the museum elsewhere. Elevators are inserted in such a way that books may be carried, as soon as taken out of the boxes in the basement, to the cataloging-room, and conveyed easily to the various alcoves. The librarian will have convenient quarters immediately at the entrance from the lobby into the library.

Nebraska. "Library day." October 21 was set aside as "Library day" in Nebraska this year, and was observed throughout the state by appropriate exercises and addresses in the schools and by gifts of books from parents and pupils for the little school libraries. In Omaha, with its excellent city library, the celebration was unnecessary and not general; but in the

rural districts it has been found most useful.

Norwich, Ct. Otis L. (Rpt.) Added 1344; total 18,286. Issued, home use 97,562 (fict. 55.07; juv. fict. 20.48). New registration 1042; total registration 4748. Receipts $6872.83; expenses, $6595.96.

This is the first formal printed report ever issued by the library, and in opening it the president of the board of trustees summarizes the history and present state of the library. There is pressing need of a larger appropriation, and, as the town fund is devoted entirely to current administrative expenses, a considerable addition to the book fund is an urgent necessity.

Librarian Trumbull speaks of the need of shelfroom for government publications, which are now stored in the basement as well as very unfavorable circumstances will permit." There has been a constant increase in the use of French and German books, and a decrease of two per cent. in the reading of juvenile fiction.

"The liberal policy in the administration of the library, which the trustees have uniformly sanctioned and encouraged, has done much to increase the usefulness of the institution. To explain this statement more fully it should be added that our library opened in June, 1893. with the following privileges, which are not uniformly deemed expedient in library administration Free access to all books in the readingroom; free access to the shelves in the circulating department for the selection of all books except fiction; shelves in the waiting-room constantly filled with books of all kinds to be selected by readers. To these privileges have since been added 'two-book' cards, the removal of the age limit, allowing children of any age who are properly authorized, the full priv

ileges of the library, and the privilege to schoolteachers of retaining six books at a time for four weeks without renewal, if needed for school use."

"The practice of posting on the walls and at the catalog table lists of books recently added has been continued. Attention is being given to the reading of fiction as a study by placing lists of novels in the library, with the best critical notices obtainable, at the catalog table. The plan of the card catalog also includes lists of historical novels, sea stories, fairy-tales, and other classes of fiction, briefly annotated, as far as possible, for the assistance of readers."

Ohio Wesleyan Univ., Delaware. On Oct. 14 building for which $50,000 was presented to the ground was broken for the beautiful new library university by Dr. C: E. Slocum, of Defiance, O. The building is to be a classic stone structure, 115 x 125; a wing on the right, 39 x 51 feet, will form the six-story stack-room, of a book capacity of 175,000 v. The classic outline of the building is rigidly preserved, while the treatment is plain and simple. The main entrance is covered with a Greek portico supported by Roman doric columns, while the imposing dome presents pilasters and Corinthian capitals, and is supported by coffered arches resting on massive marble columns. The interior light-well over the reading - room, 20 feet wide and 60 feet long, extending from the dome, will be covered by a beam ceiling with panels of glass, each to rest in a medallion; the reading-room itself will be 80 x 100 feet. The building will be fireproof throughout, the floors, ceilings, and roof supported by structural steel work. The heating and ventilating will be by indirect steam, with a fan-blower so arranged as to change the air in the building every 15 minutes. The first floor will be entirely above ground, with a ceiling 12 feet high. On this floor is located the boiler-room, men's and women's cloak, toilet, reception, and bindery rooms, a large room for the museum of all religions and a semicircular lecture-room, 30 x 60, to be used by professors of bibliology, history, and English literature. The second floor will have a 16-foot ceiling, a dome 20 feet in diameter, and a light-well 20 x 60 feet and 30 feet high. On this floor is the librarian's room and the catalog-room, 20 x 60. The librarian's room is adjacent to the delivery-desks, and by means of glass partitions commands a view of the entire reading-room of 60 x 100 feet. The windows are eight feet from the floor, and the room will accommodate 350 students. The third floor is given to seminar-rooms for specialized work history, philosophy, sociology, political science, pedagogy, modern and ancient languages, English literature. The seminar-rooms in the library open into an interior gallery about the light-well, surrounded by a bronze rail. By means of plate glass all the rooms will be open to the view of the assistant librarian without disturbance of any kind.

The building is considered one of the model college buildings in this country, the plans being selected after a tour of inspection among the leading library buildings of the United States

aged by the fire which destroyed the greater portion of the buildings on Oct. 27. The larger part of the library was saved from the flames in a damaged condition, but a considerable part of it was destroyed.

Washington, D. C. Congressional L. The moving of books to the new Library of Congress was begun on Oct. 18, and a quantity of old and unused documents have been trans

ferred to the new building. A large room, 220 x 35, in the basement of the new library has been put at Mr. Spofford's disposal, and to this he proposes to transfer about 100,000 v., or one-seventh of the contents of the library; naturally the material taken first will be chiefly old reports, duplicate volumes, and other publications of no immediate usefulness. It has not yet been fully decided what means shall be used for the removal of the bulk of the collection, but there is little doubt that a temporary elevated railway running from the capitol to the main floor of the new building will be erected for the purpose. On this will run small electric cars, packed with books. The first plan, suggested by Mr. Bernard Green, of using the tunnel which connects the library building with the capitol had to be abandoned. This tunnel is a brick-lined conduit, through which runs an electric car, and while it would serve to convey the volumes they would have to be lowered into it at one end and lifted out at the other, at the cost of much unnecessary time and labor. The present removal of the books is only preliminary, however, and it is unlikely that the entire collection will be transferred until 1897.

FOREIGN.

DOUGLAS, Eva. A first day in the British Museum reading-room. (In Outlook, Oct. 26, p. 664-6.)

An interesting sketch of personal experience, describing with some enthusiasm the facilities and workings of the British Museum.

Edinburgh, Scotland. Smoking-rooms have been opened in several of the Edinburgh public libraries, and so far have proved a satisfactory innovation.

Nottingham (Eng.) F. Ls. (Rpt.) Added 3690; total 78,788, distributed among the central lending library, the reference library, and the 13 branch libraries. Issued 427,716 (61,276 from the ref. 1.), of which 61.53% was fiction; turnover of stock 5.4; new registration 3798; attendance at libraries 2,181,381.

"As books are added to stock they are immediately cataloged, and either lists or the books displayed to the public, thus making them accessible on the day they are added to the libraries. The preparation of the subject card catalog in the reference library is being proceeded with. During the year several classes in the central lending library have been carefully examined, and special grants made by the committee to bring them abreast of the times, with the view of special class lists being prepared for sale at a nominal price. Science has been completed, cataloged, and a class-list issued in August. The fine, useful, and recreative arts lists are in hand, and will soon be

"The fifth season's series of 23 lecturettes,' delivered in the branch reading-rooms, were highly appreciated by those who sought guidance in their reading."

PRACTICAL NOTES.

THE TOP SHElf Problem. -Miss Hannah P. James, of the Osterhout Free Library, writes: "We have lately solved the problem of the top shelf, which has always been just beyond comfortable reaching distance, by getting a hassock to place between each stack. We found a strong, well-made hassock, with a wooden-framed bottom, board ends and top, covered with Brussels carpeting, for 29 cents, at one of our local shops. The top shelf has lost its terrors for us, and the hassock is quite as comfortable for the lowest shelves also."

Gifts and Bequests.

Rochester (Minn.) P. L. The library board on November 4 accepted a gift of $5000 from Col. George Healy, of that city, presented on the con

kind be excluded from the public library on account of its religious teachings, provided the books are not immoral; and secondly, that all books purchased shall be added to and make a part of the public library, to be managed and controlled by this or future board rules."

Librarians.

ALLAN, Miss Blanche A., who has been connected with the Omaha Public Library for the past 10 years, has resigned to accept a position with a local book-dealer.

COLE, George Watson, librarian of the Jersey City (N. J.) Public Library and secretary of the A. L. A., is seriously ill with typhoid fever. At the recent meeting of the executive board of the A. L. A. Mr. Cole's resignation was tendered on that account; it was not accepted, however, Mr. Anderson, of the Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh, being elected acting treasurer until such time as Mr. Cole should be able to resume his

duties.

DAVIE, Miss Eleanor E., formerly assistant librarian of the Plainfield (N. J.) Public Library, has accepted the position of librarian of the Buffalo Catholic Institute.

Paris, Plon, Nourrit & Cie., 1895. 835 p. 8°. 18 fr.

CHIVERS'S" New book list," of which the first number, covering the month ending Sept. 30, has just reached us, is a decided novelty in the catalog line. It is compiled and arranged by Mr. Cedric Chivers, the English provider of library supplies, and is published by the London Library Bureau, 10 Bloomsbury street, London. It consists of an alphabetic author list, giving size, price, publisher, etc., printed in clear available for cutting and pasting. On two cencatalog type on alternate pages, so as to be tral pages, and on the inside of the cover pages which are arranged to fold over the book are a full subject and title index and an alphabetic list of publishers. The catalog is so ingeniously arranged that when opened and the covers unfolded the three separate lists are brought comprehensively before the eye, while by the device of numbering each main entry and repeating these numbers in the title

LOOMIS, Mrs. Mary W., was on October 4 appointed assistant librarian of the University of Michigan, succeeding Anderson H. Hopkins, who resigned the position some time since to become assistant librarian of the John Crerar Library. Mrs. Loomis comes to her new duties after ample preparation. She was formerly a student in the literary department of the university. In 1879 she graduated from Lenox College, Iowa, with the degree of bachelor of arts, receiving her master's degree from the same institution in 1889. She is a graduate of the N. Y. State Library School (class of 1890), and has had seven years' experience in library work, serving one year as secretary of the Iowa State Library Society.

MORISON, Hew, librarian of the Free Public Library of Edinburgh, Scotland, presented to that city by Andrew Carnegie, was one of those present at the dedication of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, having come from Scotland to attend the ceremonies. He has visited the chief libraries of Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit, and Chicago, and intends to inspect the leading American libraries before returning to Edinburgh in December.

Cataloging and Classification.

BROOKLINE (Mass.) P. L. Catalogue of the music library. 16 p. S.

A classed list of vocal and instrumental music covers seven pages; the others are devoted to books relating to the history and theory of music, to musical biography and musical novels. CATALOGUE général des manuscrits des bibliothèques publiques de France. Départements. tome 28: Avignon, par L. H. Labande, v. 2.

find a given book with the least possible expenditure of time. The "New book list" is certainly ingenious, and it should prove of practical use as a guide to current English publications.

CUTTER, C: A., intends to reprint the combined index to the first six classifications of his Expansive Classification. He will be much obliged to all persons who will send him notes of mistakes and deficiencies in that index. ENOCH PRATT F. L., Baltimore. Bulletin, October 1, 1895: Additions to the central library. p. 64-98. O.

Reading-list of biogra

Pp. 97-98 contain a phies of English authors." ESSEX INSTITUTE, Salem, Mass. Special catalog no. 1: Books on China. 1895. 20 p. 1. O.

"The collection of books on China now in stitute with the view of confining it to works in the library was made by a member of the Inthe English language descriptive of the Chinese empire and its people. Although it has outgrown its original scope, it is far from being complete in any branch, and is to be considered China and the Chinese." The list is closely as a nucleus for a more extensive library on classified and bears a distinct resemblance to the excellent reading-lists of the Salem P. L., owing probably to the fact that it was prepared under the direction of Mr. G. M. Jones. The collection may be consulted by any user of the public library presenting a request-card signed by the librarian.

FOSTER'S MONTHLY Reference LIST (Providence P. L. Bulletin) for October is a careful and interesting bibliography of Canada. One of the valuable features of the Bulletin is the "Index to other reference-lists" which covers, from month to month, the topical lists published by other libraries.

OTTO HARRASSOWITZ, the Leipzig bookseller, has issued a catalog of "Grammatiken, lexica, und chrestomathien von fast allen sprachen der