CONCLUSION 147 



a good deal of thought and the best part of his spare time 

 to building up and strengthening the library along the 

 lines of study pursued in the college. As the result of his 

 untiring efforts it became one of the best equipped libra- 

 ries for its purpose in the country, and one that the people 

 of the Commonwealth have a just right to be proud of. 

 Toward the last he began to call attention to its limited 

 quarters and said that a new fire-proof building would be 

 needed in the near future. 



But his interest in libraries was not confined to that of 

 the college. He lent a helping hand in building up the li- 

 brary of the town of Amherst. With this institution he 

 was connected in various ways for twenty-seven years, and 

 here as everywhere he was not a figure-head, or contented 

 to give a little good advice, but a worker. It is said that the 

 card-catalogue contains some seven thousand entries in 

 his handwriting. He thought that the libraries of the land- 

 grant colleges should be enriched by the publications of the 

 government, and that so important a matter should not 

 be left to the representatives of the various states in Con- 

 gress but should be upon a firm basis. To accomplish this 

 he commenced a campaign with great earnestness. In 

 reply to his appeal Senator George F. Hoar writes : — 



February 24, 1900 



My dear President Goodell, — I think the Land- 

 Grant Colleges should all be public depositories of public 

 documents, and I will endeavor to have the pending bill 

 so amended as to accomplish the purpose. 



I am faithfully yours, 



Geo. F. Hoar. 



