406 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1903. 



an impetus corresponding to the importance of this populous and wide- 

 awake city of the future, to its handsome and favoral)le geographical 

 position, and to the patriotism of its intelligent inhabitants, who will 

 not remain behind other cities of the Union. 



The main library is arranged on iron bookstacks with wooden 

 shelves in a hall 164 by 47 feet and 21 feet high. This hall is located 

 on the raised ground floor, which contains several handsome, spacious, 

 well-lighted reading rooms, as does also the second story. The 

 library is excellently fitted up, though not with the elegance of the 

 Columbia University library in New York or the State library in 

 Albany. Under municipal control, as well as under the supervision of 

 the University of the State of New York, in Albany, it is governed by 

 a board of directors, consisting of 10 members, with a president and 

 a superintendent, who is the actual director. It derives its principal 

 income from the city, amounting to four-lifths of four one-hundredths 

 of 1 per cent of the whole taxable property of the cit}^ of Buffalo. 

 That amounted to $8,250 in 1899.« Its total income is $90,750. Of 

 this sum, $40,500 w^ere needed for the salaries of 79 employees. Sixty- 

 seven are employed in the library itself, 12 in the building, including 

 45 women. One of the higher female employees receives $900 

 a 3^ear. 



There are 150,000 volumes in the library, together with 10,000 pieces 

 of music, etc. There are subscribed to, or received as donations, 285 

 periodicals and 73 newspapers. The increase for 1899 amounted to 

 21,000 volumes, which cost $21,725, and 1,500 donations. Nearly 

 seven thousand dollars was needed for binding. The books are cata- 

 logued and arranged according to the Dewey system, which works 

 excellently. There are three special catalogues in use: (1) The dic- 

 tionary catalogue for the public, which includes the author, title, and 

 subject cards in one alphabetical series; (2) an author and title card 

 catalogue for the employees; and (3) a shelf list. The number of 

 cards of these three catalogues are for each book about four, two, one, 

 respectively; therefore for each book about seven. The dictionary 

 catalogue is well advanced, and replaces a subject catalogue, which is 

 still in use, and which is a shelf list with many references. 



The entire force of employees follow with the greatest zeal the one 

 aim to make the library as useful as possible for popular instruction. 



a Boston, with 550,000 inhabitants, in 1897, in a similar manner, gave for like pur- 

 poses, $275,000; Chicago, with 1,700,000 inhabitants, $250,000; Philadelphia, witli 

 1,200,000 inhabitants, $125,000; Cleveland, with 385,000, $75,000; St. Louis, with 

 650,000, 175,000; Pittsburg, with 290,000, $67,500; Indianapolis, with 185,000, $42,000, 

 etc. In nearly every Massachusetts town the dog tax is devoted to the supi)()rt of 

 the public Hbrary. "The more bark, the more book" (American Review of Rericir.% 

 September, 1899, p. 328). 



