REPORT OF THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE
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AUDITORS’ REPORT
| Hampton, N.H., February 20, 1917. |
We have examined the accounts of S. Albert Shaw, Librarian, for the year ending February 15, 1917, and find the same correctly cast, and the disbursements satisfactorily vouched. The receipts and cash on hand ammount to $558.48, and the disbursements $554.48, leaving a balance on hand of $4.00.
| ALBERT K. CHURCH, CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS, Auditors. |
During the year ending February 15, 1917, the additions to the Library have been as follows: by purchase, 180 volumes; by gift, 467 volumes; by binding magazines, 18 volumes; of these, two hundred and twenty-five have been prepared for circulation, making the total number catalogued, 5,185.
The volumes presented are as follows: Mrs. Addie Brown, 1 volume; guests at Elmwood, 1 volume; Mrs. Currier, 420 volumes; Secretary of State, 2 volumes. Besides the gift of books, which were her private library, Mrs. Currier presented the Library with two valuable black walnut book cases, and a portrait of her former husband, Mr. Frederick Dearborn, who was a native of Hampton. Mrs. Currier also gave $2,000 to be used in providing a room in the Library building to be known as the “Dearborn Room.” Through an arrangement by the parties interested, the present reading room is to be known as the “Dearborn Room” until such a time as will be convenient to comply with the conditions of the bequest. In the meantime the income from the invested $2,000 will be used to purchase reference books and other useful volumes for the room.
An interesting document, consisting of the “Order of Exercises at the Temperance Convention on Boar’s Head, Hampton Beach, July 4th, 1844,” recently came into the possession of Mr. Amos T. Leavitt, who had it framed and very kindly presented it to the Library.
Among the additions to the Library have been four bound volumes of the town reports, complete from 1867 to 1915 inclusive. As it is desirable to make the collection as complete as possible, anyone having town reports previous to the year 1854 and willing to donate them to the Library, such gifts will be greatly appreciated by the Librarian.
It is gratifying to note the steady increase in the use of the Library, especially among the young people.
During the past year the number of books issued has been, to residents, 8,720; to non-residents, 583; a total of 9,303.
There has been a very noticeable increase in the number of visitors to the reading room.
On the tables may be found the following magazines and papers: Harper’s Magazine, Century, Scribner’s, Review of Reviews, Outlook, McCall’s, Geographic, Literary Digest, Ladies’ Home Journal, To-day’s Housewife, The American Botanist, The Union Signal, Collier’s, Life, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science Monthly, Telephone Topics, American Boy, Leslie’s Weekly, Illustrated London News, Scientific American, St. Nicholas, Youth’s Companion, Bird Lore, Outing, New England Homestead, Evening Traveler, Exeter News-Letter, The Hamptons Union.
| J. A. ROSS, S. ALBERT SHAW, CHARLES M. BATCHELDER, Library Committee. |