THE CORNELL LIBRARY. I I 



The building stands on the corner of Seneca and Tio- 

 ga Streets. It is a handsome brick structure, three 

 stories high above a finished basement. The first floor 

 is at present occupied by the rooms of the First Nation- 

 al Bank, the Cornell Free Reading Room, and business 

 offices. The second floor contains the rooms for the 

 Library, and a large hall, capable of seating over eight 

 hundred persons. The third floor contains two large 

 rooms over the hall, and a suit of living rooms for the 

 janitor. The library room is thirty feet wide, fifty feet 

 long, and twenty-four feet high, well lighted and fire- 

 proof. The space for books is divided into two tiers of 

 alcoves, each tier containing ten alcoves, and each 

 pair of alcoves being finished in a different native wood. 

 The capacity of the room is about 30,000 volumes. It 

 at present contains about 12,000. The income from 

 the rent of the business offices and the hall has proved 

 sufficient not only for the maintenance of the Library, 

 but also for a steady addition to the volumes on its 

 shelves. 



The Library is controlled by the Cornell Library As- 

 sociation, incorporated in 1S64, according to Mr. Cor- 

 nell's own ideas. The Board of Trustees consists of the 

 eldest male descendant of Ezra Cornell, the pastors of the 

 Presbyterian, First and Second Methodist, Congregation- 

 al, Episcopal, First Baptist, and Catholic churches, the 

 principal of the Academy, the Principal of the District 

 Schools, the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, the 

 President of the village, the Chief Engineer of the 

 Fire Department, and six others. The Librarian of the 

 Library is ex officio, a trustee of Cornell University. 



