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Show THE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY. The report of Miss Sprague. Librarian of the free public library of this city, for the past year In gool reading. Th increase in-crease In membership was over twenty per cent during the year, or 2351, raising the total to the handsome figure of 12,-oSS. 12,-oSS. The total number of visitors to the library was VJ 1,206. The 'additions to the library during the year were 2-M1, comprising, besides the purchases, 117 bound volumes and 130 pamphlet's donated. The total number num-ber of volumes In the library on the first day of the present month was 23,-JU). 23,-JU). Tho librarian, with reason, Indulges In-dulges in the congratulatory conclusion that "the year has been a most satisfactory satis-factory one, both In the line of accessions acces-sions to the library and of Increase iu circulation, a gratifying feature of the latter being a proportional Increase over last year in the number of non-flctlon books Issued." In this connection we wish to add that of late there has been a marked disposi tion on the part of tho Library Board to acquire books of special appropriateness for this locality, and of particular Interest Inter-est here, and also books of a decidedly better class 011 the- average than heretofore. hereto-fore. This awakening to the higher needs of the library has been a welcome wel-come feature, and has no doubt contributed contrib-uted much to the renewed Interest In It . and the Increase In membership and In Visitors. A public library should have works of the time, of course; but It should also have works of permanent value, and those desirable ones that are of a cost above what the ordinary citizen would feel like expending for his private library, li-brary, but which every one who has knowledge of hooks would desire to have accessible. Rare and large works of quality that would commend them to the student or the scholar should be found In such a library In such abundance abun-dance as the revenues will afford. In this city. also, there should be a special line of collection that would call for a library convenience In Itself. The student of the social and religious phenomena of this reglou would naturally na-turally expect to find here an unrivaled ,c61Iectlon of works on Mormonlsm and matters relating to or connected with that system, either for or against, or neutral; and of all authentic narratives of discovery or exploration In this rriountaln country. In all these lines, from tho earliest times to the present, and continuously keeping up with the times, thlf? library should be as. complete com-plete as It Is possible to make It. There should be extra efforts to collect and preserve pamphlets, letters, and documents docu-ments relating to events here and In the surrounding regions, so that whoever wants to find the materials for study Into all these things will find them right at hand. Here is, In fact, the place one would naturally expect to find them all, and the public library Is the institution that should collect and preserve them. |