NEW YORK (CITY). 



651 



afforded, as shown by the statistics given he- 

 low, is sufficient proof, if any were needed, of 

 the use that would be made of a large free 

 public library accessible to all, and of such a 

 character as would place the city in the same 

 rank in this respect as it maintains in other 

 respects among the cities of the country. 



The New York Free Circulating Library, in- 

 corporated March 15, 1880, opened March 1 of 

 that year, at 36 Bond Street, with 1,837 vol- 

 umes upon its shelves. November 1 the num- 

 ber of volumes had increased to 3,674, "fully 

 one third of which were of such a character as 

 to be rarely, if ever, called for," according to 

 the Library Committee ; yet, during this same 

 period, 22,558 volumes were given out at an 

 average of 114 per day, and only two books were 

 lost. The total number of applicants regis- 

 tered was 2,039 an average of over ten per 

 day. On June 1 a reading-room was opened, 

 supplied with 33 periodicals. During the five 

 months to November 1 there were 1,988 read- 

 ers, and 2,361 periodicals were read. 



Nov. 1, 1881, the number of volumes had 

 increased to 5,085, and the circulation for the 

 year was 69,280 an average of 195 per day 

 each available volume having circulated over 

 seventeen times, and but six volumes were lost ; 

 there were 3,726 new applicants, and 9,605 

 readers visited the reading-room. In 1882 

 more than 2,000 volumes were added, bringing 

 the number up to 7,206, and the circulation 

 was 71,840 ten times each for the whole num- 

 ber of books, averaging 202 per day, with a 

 loss of eleven books ; the number of readers 

 in the reading-room doubled to 18,603, and 

 there were 3,640 new applicants. In May, 1883, 

 the library was removed to more commodi- 

 ous quarters at 49 Bond Street, 1,640 volumes 

 were added during the year, and the circula- 

 tion advanced to 81,233 an average of 228 

 per day, with a loss of eleven volumes ; 21,141 

 readers in the reading-room, and 2,295 new 

 applicants. 



Nov. 1, 1884, we find 10,424 volumes on the 

 shelves, having circulated an average of 271 

 per day, amounting to 95,296 volumes, with a 

 loss of three books only ; 50 per cent, increase 

 of reading-room visitors raised their number 

 to 30,190, and there were 2,170 new applicants. 



Dec. 8, 1884, a branch library, established 

 and endowed by Mr. Oswald Ottendorfer, at 

 135 Second Avenue, was opened to the public, 

 with a carefully prepared printed catalogue of 

 English and German books, numbering 8,819, 

 and during ten and a half months, to Nov. 1, 

 1885, the circulation was 95,316 volumes to 

 3,279 applicants a daily average of 298 vol- 

 umes with a loss of but four books, and 53,- 

 964 readers had used the reading-room. The 

 number of volumes in this branch, Nov. 1, 1885, 

 was 10,197. The number of volumes at the 

 same date at the main library, 40 Bond Street, 

 was 11,427. The circulation at Bond Street 

 for the year ending Nov. 1, 1885, was 105,643 

 volumes a daily average of 297 volumes 



with a loss of one book ; and there were 2,116 

 new applicants, and 43,404 readers in the read- 

 ing-room. The year showed in all 200,959 

 volumes circulated, against 95,296 in the pre- 

 vious year; 5,395 new applicants, against 2,170 

 the previous year ; and 97,368 readers in the 

 reading-rooms, or 67,178 more than in any pre- 

 vious year. 



Nov. 1, 1886, there were 13,321 volumes at 

 49 Bond Street, and 12,002 in the Ottendorfer 

 Branch a total of 25,323. The total circula- 

 tion for the year was 234,448 volumes a gain 

 of 33,489 on the preceding year, and only two 

 books were lost ; the number of readers in the 

 reading-rooms was 108,760 a gain of 11,392. 

 The circulation at Bond Street was 105,763 

 volumes averaging 295 per day while at the 

 Ottendorfer it reached 128,685 volumes, with 

 a daily average of 359. There were 59,657 

 visitors to the Ottendorfer reading-room, and 

 2,328 new applicants for books, while there 

 were 49,103 readers in the reading-room at 

 Bond Street, and 1,714 new applicants there. 

 The Sunday circulation of books has increased 

 from 530 volumes for nineteen Sundays in 1881 

 to 8,647 at Bond Street, and 11,093 at the Ot- 

 tendorfer for the year 1886. The statistical 

 results of the six years' work of the New York 

 Free Circulating Library may be summed up 

 as follows : The number of volumes on the 

 shelves has increased sevenfold, the circulation 

 tenfold, and the readers in the reading-rooms 

 fifty-four-fold ; but the beneficial results to its 

 patrons are beyond estimate. 



A new branch is to be established imme- 

 diately in Forty-second Street, between Sev- 

 enth and Eighth Avenues, from a gift of $50,- 

 000 by Miss Catharine Wolfe Bruce ; it will be 

 called the George Bruce Library, in memory 

 of her father, the late George Bruce, type- 

 founder, of this city. Plans are now being 

 drawn for another new branch to be located 

 in Jackson Square. 



Under the new library law of the State, the 

 New York Free Circulating Library will re- 

 ceive from the Board of Apportionment of the 

 city the sum of $10,000 for the year 1887. 



The Apprentices' Library, No. 18 East Six- 

 teenth Street, established originally for appren- 

 tice boys, has gradually opened its doors step 

 by step, and made itself free to work- women, 

 sales- women, teachers, and those engaged in 

 factories. When the freedom of the institution 

 was thus granted, there was a large accession 

 to its readers, and it was observed that these 

 women wanted biographies, histories, and works 

 on science and art, and others that would in- 

 struct and elevate. The society, during the 

 last sixty years, has expended over $400,000 

 for the free benefit of those who have enjoyed 

 its privileges, and has accumulated a library of 

 nearly 71,000 volumes. Its income is $40,000, 

 all of which, except $5,000 put into a sinking- 

 fund, is freely given away. On Aug. 1, 1886, 

 it was made an absolutely free circulating 

 library. As soon as this became known, so 



