Handbook of The New York Public Library Part 3

The collection of American historical ma.n.u.scripts ranks as one of the best in the United States. Here, for example, is the original ma.n.u.script of Washington's "Farewell Address," a copy of the Declaration of Independence in Jefferson's autograph, and many other letters and original sources for research. Lists of the princ.i.p.al ma.n.u.scripts have been printed in the Bulletin of The New York Public Library (Volume 5, page 306-336, and volume 19, page 135-162).

=Music Division.= Turning to the west, the corridor along the 42nd Street side of the building leads to the Music Division (No. 324), which opens from the north side of the corridor. It is open week days from 9 a. m.

to 6 p. m. The resources of the Division number about twenty-two thousand volumes and pieces of music.

A tablet at the north end of the room bears this inscription:

DREXEL MUSICAL LIBRARY.

THE LEGACY OF JOSEPH W. DREXEL 1888.

On the east wall is a tablet reading as follows:

IN MEMORY OF 1855 JULIAN EDWARDS 1910 WHOSE COLLECTION OF MUSIC SCORES AND BOOKS WAS GIVEN TO THIS LIBRARY

BAs.e.m.e.nT

The bas.e.m.e.nt contains three rooms of public interest. The entrance from 42nd Street is the most convenient way to reach these rooms from the outside of the building, but a visitor on one of the upper floors should take the elevator or the staircase, both near the north end of the building.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CENTRAL CIRCULATION ROOM]

=Newspaper Room.= In the Newspaper Room (No. 84) about sixty daily newspapers are on racks for free use, without the need of any application. About twenty-five foreign newspapers are obtainable upon application at the desk. A bulletin board at the right of the entrance gives full information about these and other resources of the Newspaper Room.

On the western side of the entrance corridor, near the door of the Circulating Library, is a bronze tablet with the following inscription:

[Seal of The New York Public Library]

THIS BUILDING IS ERECTED UPON A PART OF THE COMMON LANDS WHICH WERE GRANTED BY ROYAL CHARTER TO THE MAYOR ALDERMEN AND COMMONALTY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN 1686, THE SECOND YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JAMES THE SECOND KING OF ENGLAND.

THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN 1897, WILLIAM L. STRONG BEING MAYOR, UNDERTOOK TO CONSTRUCT, AT THE PUBLIC EXPENSE, A BUILDING UPON THIS SITE TO BE USED AND OCCUPIED BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS SO LONG AS IT SHOULD MAINTAIN HEREIN A FREE LIBRARY AND READING ROOM FOR THE PEOPLE.

WORK WAS BEGUN BY THE CITY IN 1899, ROBERT ANDERSON VAN WYCK BEING MAYOR.

THE CORNERSTONE WAS LAID IN 1902, SETH LOW BEING MAYOR.

THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN 1909, GEORGE BRINTON McCLELLAN BEING MAYOR.

IT WAS OCCUPIED AND OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN 1911 WILLIAM JAY GAYNOR BEING MAYOR.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NORTH STAIRCASE]

=Central Circulation Branch= (sign over door reads, "Circulating Library") (No. 80). This is one of the forty-four Branches of The New York Public Library, intended for the circulation of books for home use. In this instance alone the Branch is situated in the Central Building and is supported by the funds of the Library and not by the City. The room is interesting because of its activity. The view of it reproduced in this book had to be taken when but few people were there, but during afternoons and evenings, especially in the autumn, winter, and spring months, the room is frequently over-crowded with readers and borrowers of books. As over 500,000 books were borrowed from this one room during 1915 it may be said that there are few, if any, busier library rooms in the country, or, indeed, in the world. There is a collection of over 50,000 books, with a reserve collection of somewhat more than 70,000.

The room is open 9 a. m. to 10 p. m. week days, including all holidays, and 2 to 6 p. m. on Sundays.

=Children's Room.= Near the 42nd Street entrance a corridor runs east to the Children's Room (No. 78). The visitor to the building should not fail to see this room, with its attractive furnishings, its collections of brightly colored picture-books, and pictures.

The object of the room is not only to perform the usual work of a children's room, but also to interest and help parents and others in selecting children's reading. Authors, artists, and publishers come here for information about books for children. Another purpose is to furnish suggestions for similar rooms elsewhere. A number of libraries, in other parts of the world, have adopted suggestions which they found here.

Exhibitions on various subjects are held from time to time, and there is a collection of children's books of the old-fashioned kind. Open 9 a. m.

to 6 p. m. week days.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHILDREN'S ROOM]

=Library School.= Here a two years' course in training for library work is given to a body of students averaging about seventy-five in number. The office of the School (where inquiries should be made) is in Room 75, on the inner or western side of the corridor which runs along the front of the building, parallel to Fifth Avenue. The Library School cla.s.s room, not open to the public, is on the other side of the corridor.

=Public Telephones.= The public telephones are in Room 70, on the inner or western side of the front corridor.

=Business Offices.= The rest of the bas.e.m.e.nt floor is occupied by offices, open only to those who have business engagements therein. The offices include that for Printing and Binding (No. 58), and the Shipping Room (No. 51). In the Printing Office the catalogue cards of the Library, printed forms, and all the Library's publications are printed. For the publications, see page 78.

=Travelling Libraries Office.= The entrance to the Travelling Libraries office is from Bryant Park, at the southwest corner of the building. The office itself is not of interest to sightseers. As it is under control of the Circulation Department, its work is described on page 59.

FOOTNOTE:

[Footnote 1: September, 1910.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

BRANCH LIBRARIES--HOURS OF OPENING: CENTRAL CIRCULATION open 9 a.

m. to 10 p. m. every week day, 2 to 6 p. m. on Sundays. CHILDREN'S ROOM 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. on week days. LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND, TRAVELLING LIBRARIES, and OFFICES open 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. on week days.

OTHER BRANCHES, 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. on week days. Exceptions as follows: CENTRAL CIRCULATION and branches in Carnegie buildings open full hours on all holidays; other branches closed on January 1, May 30, July 4, December 25, presidential election day, and Thanksgiving; after 6 p. m.

on February 22 and Christmas eve; after 5 p. m. on election days other than presidential elections.

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT

The Circulation Department of the Library performs its work through forty-four Branch Libraries in the Boroughs of Manhattan, Richmond (Staten Island), and The Bronx. (Each of the other two Boroughs of Greater New York, Brooklyn and Queens, has its own Public Library.) These Branches are in separate buildings, with the exception of the Circulation Branch in the Central Building. That is supported by the funds of the Library; all the others are maintained by the City.

Thirty-seven of the Branch buildings were erected from funds given by Mr. Andrew Carnegie. The collections of books in the Branches number from ten to fifty thousand, with a total of about 1,100,000 books.

Each Branch has an adult department, with its collection of books for adult readers, a children's room, and a reading room with current magazines, reference books, and, in many cases, daily newspapers. Many of the Branches contain lecture or a.s.sembly rooms.

These Branch Libraries serve a population estimated at above three million. The Branches are spread over a large territory, and from the northernmost of them, in the Borough of The Bronx, to the one farthest south, on Staten Island, the distance is about forty miles. A directory of Branches is on page 77.

=Circulation of Books.= The New York Public Library, according to the general custom of American libraries, imposes few restrictions upon its readers. This fact, together with its situation in the metropolis of the country, is the reason why it is probably used more than any other library under one management in the world. The use is constantly growing. In 1915 there were borrowed from the Branch Libraries, for home use, 10,384,579 books.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SEWARD PARK BRANCH]

=Special Collections.= There are books in foreign languages, especially French and German, in all the Branches. The princ.i.p.al collections of books in foreign tongues other than French and German, are these:

_Language Branch_

Bohemian Webster.

Chinese Chatham Square.

Danish Tottenville, 125th Street.

Dutch Muhlenberg.