LIBRARY LEGISLATION. 



419 



keep up a public interest in the care, circula- 

 tion, or preservation of the books. From year 

 to year these States have changed their laws 

 or passed statutes providing for public town 

 libraries. 



The earliest free public town library, unless 

 we except that of Salisbury named above, was 

 established at Peterborough, N. H., in 1833, is 

 still in existence, but was maintained by the 

 town for nearly seventeen years before the 

 general State law was passed. In March, 1848, 

 the Massachusetts General Court passed an act 

 authorizing the city of Boston to levy a tax of 

 $5,000 for the establishment of a free public 

 library, and in 1851 made the act apply to all 

 the cities and towns of the State. But to the 

 New Hampshire Legislature belongs the credit 

 of passing the first general law, approved July 

 7, 1849, authorizing towns to maintain libraries 

 free to all inhabitants. 



In the following States there has been no 

 legislation except for the State library: Dela- 

 ware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, North 

 Carolina, Oregon, and South Carolina. The 

 General Government has provided for Territo- 

 rial libraries for the use of the legislatures and 

 courts of the Territories. 



The following list contains a summary of the 

 legislation with some of the statistics of the 

 several States and Territories. 



Arizona in its school law, passed in 1885, permits 

 school trustees in townships where there are 100 

 school children to use $50 of the school fund, and any 

 donations they may receive, for the purchase of books 

 for school libraries, to be free to teachers and pupils, 

 and to residents on payment of such monthly fee as 

 the trustees may prescribe. 



California, in 1854, adopted a district library law, 

 similar to that of New York. In 1878 a full library 

 law on the model of the Illinois statute was passed. 

 There are sixteen public libraries in the State aggre- 

 gating 131,113 volumes. 



Colorado, in 1872, enacted a law based on that of 

 Illinois, but no city or town has taken advantage of 

 its provisions. The only free library in the State, at 

 Denver, was established'by contributions made by the 

 Board of Trade. 



Connecticut passed a school library law in 1839 ; a 

 town library law in 1869, restricting taxation as in 

 Maine. The public library laws of 1875 and 1876 per- 

 mitted a city or town to establish a library, but made 

 no provision for its support by taxation. In 1881 a 

 law was passed permitting towns to levy a tax of two 

 mills on the dollar of valuation. Fines for penal 

 offenses may be applied for the support of a public 

 library. There are but sixteen public libraries in the 

 State, aggregating 48,814 volumes. 



Dakota in the act of 1883, establishing a common- 

 school system, authorizes the school board of any 

 township to buy a circulating library, of the value of 

 not more than $500 ; the booKs to be selected from a 

 list approved by the Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, to include the publications of at least four 

 publishers. Residents of the township may take out 

 books under regulations prescribed by the school 

 board. 



Illinois in 1872 enacted a law, with minute details 

 for the establishment, government, and management 

 of'publie libraries, which has been largely followed in 

 other Western States. It provides a board of nine di- 

 rectors, an independent body nominated by the 

 mayor and approved by the city council, but having 

 the exclusive control of the library and power to 



erect or lease library buildings. Towns and villages 

 may levy a tax for libraries not to exceed two mills on 

 the dollar ; cities of less than 100,000 inhabitants, one 

 mill ; and cities of over 100,000 inhabitants, one tilth 

 of a mill. City councils have power to regulate the 

 amount to be appropriated. A special section relates 

 to bequests. There are forty-five public libraries in 

 the State, with an aggregate of 304,584 volumes. 



Indiana has the simplest and most concise provision 

 for public libraries in a single paragraph of an act 

 passed in 1871, concerning the election and duties of 

 a board of school commissioners. They are author- 

 ized to levy a tax each year of not exceeding one filth 

 of one mill on each dollar of taxable property for the 

 support of free libraries, to fit up rooms, buy books, 

 pay salaries, make and enforce regulations, and pre- 

 scribe penalties for their violation. The library asso- 

 ciations law was extended, and cities were authorized 

 to have libraries by an act passed in 1873. There 

 are sixty public libraries in the State, with an aggre- 

 gate of 103,120 volumes; thirteen of these have 84,- 

 000 volumes ; the others are township libraries with 

 less than 1,000 volumes each, probably the outcome of 

 the old district system. An act passed in 1883 pro- 

 vides that, when the officers of any library incorpo- 

 rated under the law of 1852. and worth $750 or more, 

 shall offer to the trustees of the town where it is lo- 

 cated to make it a free public library, the trustees may 

 levy a tax of not less than one quarter nor more than 

 three quarters of a mill on the dollar of assessed val- 

 uation, to be paid over to the officers of the library 

 for the purchase of books, and shall continue it annu- 

 ally so long as the money raised is properly applied 

 by the library officers. 



"Iowa in 1840 enacted a district library law ; in 1873 

 a town library law of a single short section, authoriz- 

 ing any city or town to levy a tax of one mill on the 

 dollar of assessed valuation, for the support of a pub- 

 lic library. There are eight free libraries in the State, 

 with an aggregate of 26,556 volumes. 



Kansas passed a free public library law in 1886. hav- 

 ing had the general experience with district libraries 

 since 1870. 



Maine's statute, passed in 1854, provides that any 

 town may raise by taxation one dollar on each rata- 

 ble poll for the forming of a public library ; and 

 thereafter twenty-five cents annually for its mainte- 

 nance. This allowance is so meager' that without aid 

 from private individuals no libraries could be formed ; 

 there are but twelve public libraries in the State, ag- 

 gregating 25,409 volumes. A protection law was' 

 passed in 1877. 



Massachusetts began in 1851 with a law like that of 

 Maine : in 1859 allowed a larger tax, and in 1866 

 adopted the New Hampshire freedom from limitation 

 and authorized a city or town to raise any sum it 

 deemed necessary, also borrowing its provision for 

 the receipt of girts and bequests. An act of 1870 

 " for the establishment of districts for maintaining 

 street lamps," grants power " to maintain street 

 lamps, establish and maintain libraries, arid maintain 

 sidewalks." A protection law was passed in 1872. 

 There arc 192 public libraries, with an aggregate of 

 1,770,386 volumes, "nearly as many," says Dr. Wm. 

 F. Poole, " as are contained in all the other public 

 libraries of the United States." 



Michigan is unique in having in the first Constitution 

 of the State the clause : "The Legislature shall also 

 provide for the establishment of at least one library in 

 every township." In 1859 a school district library 

 law 'was enacted ; but this plan proving a failure, as 

 in the other States which introduced it, a thorough 

 public library law, like that of IllinoiSj was enacted 

 in 1877. The State has 157 public libraries, aggregat- 

 ing 231,365 volumes; thirty-four have 173,944 vol- 

 umes ; the remainder are township libraries of less 

 than 1,000 volumes each. 



Minnesota has a district library law ; in 186V enacted 

 a law exempting libraries and their buildings from tax- 

 ation, and in 1875 passed an act for their protection. 



