Seattle (Wash.) P. L. A public subscription, for the purpose of paying the library's indebtedness of $1000, was recently started and carried to a successful conclusion. The debt was incurred in supplying furnishings for the library's new quarters, and at one time it was feared that the library would be forced to suspend, A subscription was promptly opened by the local dailies, and a sufficient fund was soon

secured, by small contributions, to pay off the

claims.

South Orange (N. J.) F. L. Eugene F. Connett, president of the village board of trustees, has given a fine lot of land, 50 by about 125 feet, for the erection of a library building for the South Orange Free Library, the building to cost about $7500. Mr. Henry A. Page, another wealthy resident ofthe vicinity, has signified his willingness to give $1000 toward the building, provided the balance necessary shall be secured without placing a mortgage on the building. Some two months previous to this, what may be called the real nucleus of the building fund was created by the efforts of five little girls, aged about 12 to 14, who held a fair and sent the proceeds, $40, to the treasurer of the library, "to be devoted to the building fund," not then existing.

Southampton (L. I.) P. L. The sum of $5000 has already been subscribed toward a public library building. It is hoped that at least $15,000 can be raised.

Superior (Wis.) P. L. The "citizens' committee on retrenchment has made the following recommendation in its report submitted to the city council:

"That Superior Public Library be reduced from $5000 to $2500.

"To permit of this reduction we suggest that the library board dispense with the service of one assistant and all distributing offices and expenses connected therewith; that they reduce the salary of the librarian to $40 per month and the rent of the library to the same figure; that they also reduce the amount of reading-matter in the reading-room, thus curtailing the expenses of subscriptions to magazines and weekly and daily papers, and that they close the library from 5 to 7 p.m. and open it from 7 to 9 p.m., thus reducing the expense of light. With these reductions, $2500 will be ample, and as the library may be considered more or less of a luxury, we believe the reductions recommended should certainly be made." This recommendation, together with the others contained in the report, was unanimously adopted.

Tacoma (Wash.) City L. A four-months' course of Friday evening lectures is being conducted under the auspices of the library board. There are 12 lectures in the course, and season tickets are sold at $r; single tickets, for adults, are 25 cents, or a book; for children, 10 cents, or a book. The lectures are by different persons, and cover history, literature, and travel.

Tewksbury (Mass.) P. L. The library was

opened on Dec. 15, in its new quarters, and an informal reception was held. The new library rooms are not only far more convenient and spacious, but have been attractively decorated and fitted up.

Washington, D. C. Congressional L. Mr. will be ready for occupancy by the summer of Spofford believes that the new library building 1896, and that the library could probably be removed from its present quarters by the middle of that year.

The work on the building is being pressed forward with all possible speed, about 400 men being employed upon it. The principal work now in progress is on the marble finishing of the interior of the building; the marble-work on the rotunda or main reading-room of the library is almost complete, but work on the hall of the main stairway has not progressed so far. These two apartments adjoin, and enough has been done on both to justify the prediction that the effect will be equal to the highest expectations of the designers. The hall will be finished in Italian marble; in the elaborate reading-room there is a comingling of Numidian, Sienna, and Tennessee marble. The African stone is used for the pillars and pilasters, the Sienna for the screens and galleries and the American for bases only. The marblework in the entire building will cost $600,000.

Besides the series of nine colossal granite busts, which will form a part of the exterior decoration of the library, there are to be various other important decorations for the interior of the building in the line of statuary. General T: L. Casey, chief of engineers, desires to have the reading-room, a grand octagonal hall, suitably provided with works of art, and especially with statuary by American artists; and for a year he has been in consultation with the National Sculpture Society with reference to this matter. With the advice of three of the sculptors - Augustus St. Gaudens, J. Q. A. Ward, and Olin L. Warner he has already outlined the scheme and given out some of the commissions. In each of the eight corners of the room a colossal statue will stand, representing Art, Religion, Law, Science, Philosophy, History, Commerce, and Poetry. With each of these colossal statues will go two smaller statues -Michaelangelo and Beethoven with Art, Moses and St. Paul with Religion, and so on. This plan contemplates giving American artists an unprecedented opportunity to display their capacity both in ideal and portrait figures.

FOREIGN.

Belfast (Irel.) F. P. L. (6th rpt.) Additions not given; total, lending 1. 16,305 v., ref. 1. 15,478; issued, home use 213,402 (fict. 63.37 %), turnover of stock 13.08; issued, ref. use 40,060. Visitors to news-rooms, 780,257 ; no. cardholders 7099.

this connection it is noticeable that a gradual increase is taking place in the proportion of female borrowers, which is now four-tenths of the total number. In 1882, when a separate record was first taken, the proportion was only as one is to three." Receipts, £5772.15.1; expenses £5811.15.0; leaving a deficit of £39.9.11. Manchester (Eng.) P. F. Ls. (42d rpt.) Added 17,460; total 250,503. No. visitors, 5,837,316; no. visitors to the 15 news-rooms, 4,115,565. Total no. cardholders 49,749. The lending department consists of II libraries, from which 975,944 V. have been issued for home use. The total issue of books, for home reading and reference use, is 1,914,503; but 19 books were lost during the year.

During the year three new branches were opened. The library organization now consists of the main reference library, II branch libraries, and four reading-rooms.

Windsor (Ontario, Can.) P. L. The new public library of Windsor was opened on the evening of December 4, when an informal reception was held; about 600 persons visited and inspected the library. The town has about 15,000 inhabitants. The trustees in charge of the establishment of the library have had the assistance and advice of Mr. Uiley, of the Detroit Public Library. The library is organized under the general library law of Canada, and gets a bonus from the government.

It is quartered in an old church, near the postoffice, in a central location. 2600 v. are now on the shelves, and when all the books ordered are received the library will have about 3400 v.

CLARKE, Miss Edith E. The Chicago InterOcean says: " In the various notices that have been given of the Newberry Library the important work of Miss Edith E. Clarke, who has been since Aug. 1, 1890, the head of the cataloging department, has been overlooked. The post is second only to that of the librarian, and Miss Clarke has discharged her difficult duty in a highly creditable manner. She came to Chicago from Columbia College Library, where she filled a similar position. She graduated from Syracuse University with the degree of Ph. B., |

and after teaching for a short time entered the New York State Library School, then connected with Columbia College, from which she also graduated. She was immediately appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the loss of the head of the cataloging department of the school, subsequently occupying that position in the Newberry Library. Here Miss Clarke has had 10 assistants working under her direction, and she is known to librarians throughout the country as one of the most competent women in her line of work. Miss Clarke will sever her connection ber]. Several desirable positions have been ofwith the Newberry Library this month [Decemfered her, some one of which she will accept. Miss Clarke's place has been filled by Mr. Rudolph, who has been associated with Mr. John Vance Cheney in San Francisco."

GIFFORD, W: L. R., assistant librarian of the New Bedford (Mass.) Free Public Library, has been appointed librarian of the Cambridge (Mass.) Free Public Library, succeeding the late Miss A. L. Hayward. Mr. Gifford was born in New Bedford, Nov. 5, 1862, and graduated from Harvard in 1884. Shortly before graduation he was elected assistant librarian of the New Bedford Public Library, a position he has since held. Although he has had some general oversight of the library, and has done more or less purchasing, his work has been specially in the cataloging department, of which he has had full charge. In addition to his regular library work, in 1892 he purchased the books for the Millicent Library-about 8500 v.-given to Fairhaven, Mass., by the children of H. H. Rogers, of New York.

GREEN, S: Swett. Mr. Green's portrait (full length) has just been presented to the library by 20 or 25 of the most prominent citizens of Worcester; the directors have accepted it, and are to place it permanently on the walls of the library building. The governor has reappointed Mr. Green on the Free Public Library Commission for Massachusetts for five years.

HUGHES, Mrs. Sarah Morgan, has been elected assistant librarian of the Terre Haute (Ind.) Public Library, to succeed Miss Lucy Wonner, resigned.

LICHTENSTEIN, Joy, who has for many years had charge of the reference-room of the San Francisco Public Library, has been appointed assistant librarian in that library, succeeding Mr. Rudolph, who has accompanied Mr. Cheney to the Newberry Library.

PLUMMER, Miss Mary W. The following item appeared in La Nazione, of Florence, for Oct. 25, 1894: "There has been for some days in our city Miss Mary Wright Plummer, one of the most distinguished American librarians. Miss Plummer directs with great success the library of the Pratt Institute of New York, and she has had from the beginning the honorary positions of secretary of the Library Association and vicepresident of the Librarians' Club. She has taken active part in all the congresses of the Association of American Librarians, and is the