420 LIBRARY LEGISLATION. 



LIND (GOLDSCHMIDT), JENNY. 



Missouri in 1885 enacted a public library law, draft- 

 ed by Mr. Crunden, of the St. Louis Public Library. 

 It follows the Illinois law, with slight changes. 



Montana passed in 1883 a law of the Illinois plan, 

 providing that the municipal authorities of any incor- 

 porated town or city may establish a tree public libra- 

 ry, and may levy a tax for its support not exceeding 

 one mill on the dollar of assessed valuation. But the 

 question of establishing the library must first be sub- 

 mitted to the voters of the town for acceptance or 

 rejection. 



Nebraska enacted a library law in 1877 on the Illi- 

 nois model, and with full details. There are lour 

 public libraries, with 17,227 volumes. 



New Hampshire enacted the first general free public 

 library law in 1849, so simple in form and effective 

 that it still remains unchanged. Any town may raise 

 and appropriate money for establishing and main- 

 taining a public library, without limitation as to 

 amount or conditions as to management. It allows 

 the receipt of gifts and bequests which may be used 

 in such manner as will best promote the prosperity 

 and utility of the library. There are thirty-five free 

 libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 129,227 

 volumes. An act of 1877 provides for the protection 

 of public libraries. 



New Jersey passed a law in 1884 modeled on that 

 of Illinois. It provides that on the approval of a ma- 

 jority of the voters, at a special election, it shall be the 

 duty ofthe authorities to lay a tax of one third of a mill 

 on the dollar of assessed valuation, as a free public 

 library fund. The board of trustees is made a cor- 

 porate body of seven members, the mayor, superin- 

 tendent of public instruction, and five others to be 

 appointed by the mayor, to serve without compensa- 

 tion. Another act, of the same year, empowers three 

 or more persons to organize a corporation 1'or the pur- 

 pose of establishing a free public library. An act 

 passed shortly before the two named provides that 

 wherever an incorporated lyceum library now exists, 

 the proper authorities of any town having control of 

 a free library, established and maintained by public 

 moneys, shall have power to lend such free library to 

 such ivccum, and to pay over to the lyceum whatever 

 annual sums the authorities can levy for the free li- 

 brary, provided that the mayor and president of the 

 council be made ex-officio trustees of the lyceum, and 

 that the united library shall be free to the teachers 

 and pupils of the public schools. 



New Mexico, in a municipal corporations act of 

 1884, allows the council or trustees of any city or in- 

 corporated town to appropriate money for a public 

 library, provided that the yearly appropriation shall 

 not exceed one mill on the dollar of assessed valuation, 

 and that no appropriation be made until the proposi- 

 tion has been submitted to a popular vote. 



New York, in 1872, passed a public library law, 

 providing that upon the written petition of the ma- 

 jority of all the taxable inhabitants of any city, town, 

 or village, its common council, board of trustees, or 

 town auditors may establish and maintain a free pub- 

 lic library, witli the limitation of one dollar for each 

 legal voter for the foundation, and fitly cents annually 

 for the maintenance ; amended, 1885, to include pub- 

 lic reading-rooms, with or without libraries. No li- 

 brary is known to have been established under this 

 law. The district library laws are mentioned above. 

 Under a provision ofthe school law of 1847 there are 

 twenty-two free libraries, indirectly supported by 

 taxation, having an aggregate of 125,811 volumes. 

 In 1886 New York passed a law to encourage the 

 growth of free circulating libraries in the cities of the 

 State. Under it any library association duly incor- 

 porated, owning $20^000 worth of real estate and at 

 least 10,000 volumes, and circulating the same as a 

 free library to the number of 75,000 volumes annually, 

 is authorized to apply to the common council or other 

 proper authority for the sum of $5,000, and for a fur- 

 ther sum of $5,000 for each additional 100,000 volumes 

 circulated annually. Power is given to such proper 



authorities to make provision for the payments of 

 such appropriations. An act passed May 13, 1887, 

 provides for towns or cities of less than 30,000 popu- 

 lation. Any library association in such a town own- 

 ing $4,000 worth of real estate or paying $300 annual 

 rent, and also owning at least 5,000 volumes main- 

 tained as a free public library, may apply to the com- 

 mon council or other proper authority for $1,000 for 

 each 15,000 volumes circulated annually. 



Ohio enacted its first public library law in 1867, 

 and others in 1873 and 1875. Under its school library 

 law of 1853 it had a similar experience to that of New 

 York, and in 1868 the school officers were puzzled 

 what to do with the books. The present law enables 

 cities and towns to raise money oy taxation for the 

 purchase of books ; provides a board of management 

 for the administration of the library and the purchase 

 of books, but gives to the board of education the con- 

 trol of the library, the providing of funds for the erec- 

 tion of buildings, and all other expenses. It allows 

 school officers to deposit their libraries for use in the 

 town libraries. There are twenty -one public libra- 

 ries in the State, aggregating 321,071 volumes. 



Pennsylvania has'a district school library law, passed 

 in 1864, and a general act for incorporating library 

 associations, passed in 1874, but no free public library 

 law. A law passed by the last Legislature enacts 

 that all taxes on dogs may be appropriated for the 

 support and maintenance of public libraries now 

 organized, provided that such li brary companies shall 

 provide and maintain a free reading room for the use 

 of all inhabitants of the borough where it is estab- 

 lished. 



Ehode Island, in 1867, gave power to towns to estab- 

 lish libraries; in 1869 authorized two towns to com- 

 bine and administer a library jointly ; and passed 

 a free public library act in 1S75. A city or town may 

 lay a tax of 2.5 mills on the dollar of valuation for 

 establishing a library, and two tenths of a mill annu- 

 ally thereafter for its support. The State has thirty 

 public libraries, with 133,834 volumes. 



Tennessee and West Virginia have general acts for 

 the incorporation and protection of libraries ; and 

 Virginia has in addition a district library law. 



Texas, in a concise law, enacted in 1874, provides 

 that any incorporated city may establish a free public 

 library, and may make such regulations and grant 

 such part of its revenues for the management and in- 

 crease thereof as the municipal government of the city 

 mav determine. There are two public libraries, that 

 at &alveston having 5,600 volumes. 



Vermont, in 1865, adopted a law similar to that of 

 New Hampshire, but changed in 1867 to that of Maine, 

 except that it allows fifty cents per poll for the an- 

 nual maintenance. A library association law was 

 passed in 1869. In 1884 the law was amended by 

 raising the legal limit of expenditure from one dollar 

 to two dollars upon every poll for establishment^ and 

 from fifty cents to one dollar for maintenance. There 

 are fifteen public libraries in the State, aggregating 

 81,193 volumes. 



Wisconsin passed a law in 1868 permitting towns to 

 raise by taxation yearly $150 for the purchase of 

 books. In 1872 a law similar to that of Illinois was 

 enacted, by which cities and towns were authorized to 

 raise a tax of one mill on the dollar for the support of 

 public libraries. The Milwaukee Public Library has 

 a special law which empowers the library board to 

 fix the amount to be raised for the library by taxa- 

 tion. There are nine public libraries in the State, ag- 

 gregating 62,748 volumes. 



LIND (GOLDSCHMIDT), JEMY, a Swedish sing- 

 er, born in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 6, 1820; 

 died in London, England, Nov. 2, 1887. She 

 evinced extraordinary musical talent in her 

 fourth year, and in her ninth year was a pupil 

 in the singing-school attached to the court 

 theatre in Stockholm. In her eighteenth year 



