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are twenty-five cents, payable June 1st and January 1st, making fifty cents for the year.

Most of the books are works of fiction. A few volumes are historical. About one hundred are for children. One-half of the books are kept at the Sunday Creek Store. The remainder are on the shelves of Garrison and Roof's Hardware Store. No one receives any remuneration for handling the books.

Since May, 1900, Miss Sarah M. Holcombe has had the management of the Corning Book Exchange. Previous to that time I had the work in charge. All members seem to have the good of the Exchange at heart, and are ever willing to aid the management.

DAYTON.

AUGUSTA P. SMITH.

PUBLIC LIBRARY AND MUSEUM.

1805-99.

The First Library in Dayton.- Prior to 1835 the public library, im the sense in which we now understand the term, did not exist. For nearly a century before, throughout the colonies and under the various state governments, membership or association libraries, lyceums, etc., existed and were by law exempt from taxation. These libraries were "public" only in the sense that any person who cared to pay for the privilege might draw books from them. The New York law establishing a district school library system was the first to provide at public expense for free books to be loaned without cost to the borrower. That was the beginning of the free public library of to-day.

The first "public" library incorporated in the State of Ohio was that of the "Social Library Society of Dayton" in 1805. It charged an annual membership fee of three dollars. The rules and regulations or "Constitution" have been reprinted from the only copy of them known to be in existence. The incorporators were Rev. William Robertson, Dr. John Elliott, William Miller, Benjamin Van Cleve, and John Folkerth. In 1835 the whole collection was sold at auction and the library ceased to exist.

Several other "public" libraries of the same character flourished between the years 1835 and 1847. In the latter year the Dayton Library Association was formed. This was also a membership library, but a much more prosperous one than its predecessors. It continued in operation until 1860 when all its books, and property in furniture and fixtures, were transferred by gift to the Public School Library and placed under the control of the Board of Education.

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The Public Library. Our free public library of to-day is the outgrowth of the union of these two libraries. The Public School Library grew out of the provisions of the Ohio School Library law of 1853 (modeled after the New York law referred to above), which provided for a tax of one-tenth of a mill on the dollar valuation to be devoted to library purposes. The purchase and distribution of books were placed in the hands of the State Superintendent of Instruction. Instead, however, of distributing to the several districts the quota books which should fall to the share of the Dayton schools, it was decided to keep them in one col

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lection and establish a central library. After receiving such books from the purchases of the State Superintendent as were suitable, he was requested to pay in money any balance due the city. The amount received from this source was $1,400 with which 1,250 volumes were bought.

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Location.- The Library was opened in 1855, on the second floor of the U. B. Building, on the corner of Fourth and Main streets. 1858 it was removed to the Central High School, on the corner of Fourth and Wilkinson, the present site of the Central District School. When, in 1860, the Public School Library came into possession of the property of the Dayton Library Association, it moved into the rooms of the latter in the Phillips Building, on the southeast corner of Main and Second.

Here it remained until removed to the old City Hall on the site of the present building. During the rebuilding of the latter, the Library occupied the second story of the old Journal building on Main street, and in 1876 resumed its quarters in the new city building, the west end over the market-house having been handsomely fitted to receive it.

In January of 1888 the Library building, erected in Cooper Park, was completed, and on the twenty-fourth of the month the Library was opened to the public in its present home.

Support. Founded under the provisions of the State law, with the single exception of the gift of the Dayton Library Association's collection of books, it has depended wholly for increase and support upon public taxation. When the tax levy of one-tenth of a mill provided under the State law of 1853 was suspended in 1856, its support was continued until 1860 by appropriations from the funds of the Board of Education. In that year the legislature passed an act under which the Board was empowered to levy one-tenth of a mill for the support of the Library.

Management.- From 1856 until 1887 the management was under the direction of a committee of three appointed annually from the Board of Education. In March, 1887, an act of legislature was passed establishing the Library Board. This was amended in 1892, and in 1893, under the act incorporating the Museum, the Library Board became the Public Library and Museum Board. The text of thes successive acts is given herewith. Until the amended library law of 1892, the president of the Board of Education was a member ex-officio of the Library Board, and also acted as its president. The first Library Board was convened April 23, 1887.

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I.

OTHER LIBRARIES IN THE CITY.

National Cash Register Library, in conjunction with South Park Branch of the Dayton Public Library.

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3. Catholic Gesellen Verein Free Circulating Library, Fifth and Pine Streets.

4. Y. M. C. A. Library, 32-34 East Fourth Street.

5. Steel High School Library.

DELAWARE.

DELAWARE CITY LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.

The Delaware City Library Association was incorporated on the 23rd day of February, 1899.

The question of establishing a free public library in Delaware had been agitated from time to time for many years.

A corporation for this purpose was organized as long ago as 1855,. but it was then found impracticable and the project was abandoned. The subject was agitated frequently at different periods, but all efforts were spasmodic and without results. Some years ago, however, twenty-six enterprising ladies organized themselves into a reading circle, and maintained a small circulating library, consisting of about thirty volumes, that were pased around and read by the members of the club. These ladies subsequently formed themselves into a library association. This association was unincorporated. They asked for donation of books and secured additional members. The membership fee was fixed at fifty cents a year. It opened its library November 12, 1897, in the private office of Dr. W. H. Hague, who loaned the association the use of his book case, and tendered to the ladies the use of his office as a place of meeting. The extent of the library, at this time, was ninety-seven volumes, and the association consisted of thirty-five members. Strenuous efforts were made to increase the membership, and to add to the number of books, but it was found difficult to enlist attention and secure support. The ladies met with great discouragement on every hand. With the small means at their command, their progress was very slow, and the opening of a reading room, which they regarded as very desirable, was simply out of the question. They made a canvass of the city, which resulted in increasing the membership to one hundred and ten, and in April, 1898, the library, by the courtesy of Mr. C. D. Young, was placed in his jewelry store. It was subsequently transferred to a small room, rented for the purpose, and the association continued to operate a circulating library among its members, until the present public library was opened.

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