[purPEE] MODERN PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND THEIR METHODS 17 
Franklin in 1731. The collection combines the character of a public 
and a subscription library, being open to the public for reference 
purposes, while the books circulate only among the subscribing 
members. It numbers at present about 130,000 books. 
Other American proprietory libraries are the Mercantile Library 
Company of Philadelphia, the Boston Atheneum, the Mercantile 
Library of New York, the Apprentices’ Library of New York, etc. 
None of these, however, are, strictly speaking, free public libraries. 
The Buffalo Public Library was originally incorporated in 1837, 
but it was a subscription library until 1897, when it was taken over by 
the city. It now contains in the neighbourhood of 100,000 books, with 
about 10,000 pamphlets. The advantages of a free public, over a 
subscription, library is forcibly illustrated by the fact that while the 
year previous to the transfer of the Buffalo library to the city, the 
entire circulation of books was only 142,659, in four months from the 
public opening in September, 1897, it had increased to 262,232, and 
in 1898 to 768,028 volumes. An interesting feature of the Buffalo 
library is its close connection with the public school system of the 
city. Mr. Elmendorf, the superintendent of the library, in his annual 
report for 1897, says: “The library is in the closest co-operation 
with the high schools. An assistant visits each school before the 
opening hour on every school day, receives books to be returned and 
lists of books wanted, and makes delivery at the close of school ; 
plans are being made in connection with the Superintendent of Public 
Education to include all schools of the city in a travelling library 
system.” In 1898 Buffalo had 40 travelling libraries reaching schools, 
literary clubs, chapter houses and social settlements. 
Another American library that has made special efforts to do 
educational work, both through its reference and circulating depart- 
ments, is the Reynolds Library at Rochester. Mr. George F. 
Bowerman, formerly reference librarian at the Reynolds Library, thus 
describes the method adopted to make that library of value to 
students,— to make it in fact a centre of post-school education: — 
“ Early in every scholastic year, that is, in August or September, 
the managers of University Extension courses, the secretaries of liter- 
ary societies, reading clubs, etc., are invited to send in their courses 
of study for the season, together with the list of books which they 
wish for their use. Any books on these lists which the library does 
not have are ordered, and the books laid down in each course are 
brought together and reserved in the reference room for the club 
members during the season. As soon as one course was finished the 
books would go back into the circulating department and their places 
Sec II., 1902. 2. 
