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CITY LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 



The Memorial Square Branch was established ten years ago. The 

 branches at Forest Park and Indian Orchard were started nearly twenty- 

 five years ago. Since then the size of the city has more than doubled, 

 and additional branches are needed at several points to serve the in- 

 creasing population. The sadly overcrowded condition of the Forest 

 Park Branch seems in a fair way to being remedied, for Col. A. B. 

 Franklin, Mr. Henry R. Johnson, and other residents are raising funds 

 to double its present capacity, and have already procured additional land 

 on Belmont Avenue. While the library and branches are maintained by 

 city appropriations, the city has never been called upon to expend money 

 for land or buildings, all of which have been provided by private gifts. 

 It is to be hoped that generous citizens will in due time be moved to 

 provide additional branch buildings at points in the city where they will 

 serve most advantageously; Winchester Square and upper Liberty Street 

 especially need such facilities. 



Last summer Mr. Fred Harlow Smith deeded to the Association his 

 splendid collection of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, and other 

 graphic material relating to Springfield and western Massachusetts. 

 The collection, which is to be known as the Fred Harlow Smith Collec- 

 tion, has not yet been placed in the library, as Mr. Smith is working 

 on the arrangement and installation. His interest will not cease then, 

 however, for he purposes to care for and round out the collection as the 

 years pass. 



A few months later came another important event - the union of the 

 Connecticut Valley Historical Society with the City Library Associa- 

 tion. The Historical Society preserves its corporate identity, with rep- 

 resentatives of the library directors on its governing board, and will 

 continue in its activities; while its valuable collections, which for lack 

 of quarters had been widely scattered, are deposited with the Library 

 Association. The union strengthens both organizations, and already 

 there has been resulted increased interest in the Historical Society 

 marked by an enlarging membership and the receipt of numerous im- 

 portant gifts. In time, a historical museum, it is hoped, will be added 

 to the buildings in the City Library group. 



An examination of the Fred Harlow Smith Collection, the printed 

 and manuscript portion of the Historical Society's collections, and the 

 collection of some twelve thousand items previously gathered by the 

 library in our Springfield Room shows surprisingly little overlapping. 

 As a result, the history of this vicinity will be recorded in this institution 

 with a remarkable fullness which only a year ago would have seemed 

 hardly possible. 



Meantime, Dr. and Mrs. William Thornton Parker of Northampton 

 have deeded to this Association, to come to it at their death, their 

 houseful of relics, including Colonial furniture, silver, books, and in- 

 numerable other objects of historic value and interest. 



The library is richer for a remarkable collection of nearly six hundred 

 of the best war posters from enemy as well as allied countries, which have 

 been presented by Mrs. Benjamin P. Bakewell. They are all mounted on 

 cloth, and form an accession of permanent artistic and historic value. 



