Norwalk After Two Hundred & Fifty Years

Directors— Dr. G. W. Benedict, R. H. Golden, G. S. North, Col. Leslie Smith, Isaac S. Jennings. Librarian — Angeline Scott. Assistant Librarian — Lillie Gettler. Library Hours — 9:30 a. m. to 1 p. m. ; 2:15 to 5:45 p. m. ; 7 to 9 p. m. Sunday afternoons, 2:30 to 5:30. HE seed contains the tree; and, in giv- ing the history of the South Norwalk Library and Free Reading Room, we find all that it is today was contained in the idea of its founders nearly twen- ty-five years ago. At a meeting of thirty business men, held in the Coun- cil Chamber on July 6, 1877, called at the instance of a few public-spirited citizens, General Nelson Taylor presented the idea of founding a free read- ing room. He said: "A public reading room, out of which a public library might very naturally grow, would add greatly to the attractions of our city and offer an additional inducement to persons seeking a place of resi- dence to settle among us ; as do good schools, churches and other institutions for the advancement of education, and social and moral culture." The sense of the meet- ing was that a free reading room would be useful and practicable and a committee was appointed to devise a plan and means for executing it, consisting of E. Hill, R. H. Golden, C. W. Doty, G. S. Kendall and Nelson Dickerman. Their report, made on Nov. 17, 1877, recommended : First — The formation of a corporation ; Second — The raising of a fund for a lot and the erection of a building ; Third — The establishment of an income for the maintenance of the institution. The idea of per- manence suggested by a building, the committee thought, 312 would insure more liberal contributions from the public than an organization which occupied rented quarters. These sound and practical suggestions were accepted ; and, on January I, 1878, the South Norwalk Library and Free Reading Room Corporation came into legal exist- ence with General Nelson Taylor as president, E. Hill vice-president, and C. W. Knudsen treasurer. Life membership in the corporation was secured by paying an annual fee of $4. The first librarian of the corporation was the Rev. James M. Taylor, who was one of the active promoters of the library and reading room pro- ject. His report in April, 1879, tells how the first books were obtained. A committee consisting of the librarian, John W. Scott and Nelson Dickerman was appointed in February, 1878, to solicit gifts of books from the people of South Norwalk. A circular was distributed which stated that a committee would call at every house on a given day to collect the books. Over 500 volumes were secured in this way. The Woman's Christian Tem- perance Union had a small free reading room in the Lane building on South Main street, and the corporation made an arrangement with the Union to have the books placed temporarily on their shelves with the use of them free to all visitors to the room. Members of the corporation were privileged to borrow the books for home reading. The annual fee was reduced to $2 at this time. In March, 1879, trie treasurer reported $1,178 in hand, $225 of which was the gift of the "Home Sociable Club," which gave a dramatic entertainment for the benefit of the library. Shortly afterward a lot was purchased on Wash- ington street for $1,200. A committee was appointed on June, 14, 1880, to devise a plan for a building, to esti- mate its cost and the probable income to be derived from tenants. Meantime efforts were made to raise a building fund. A fair, organized on a large scale, was held for one week during May, 1881 ; and, though the weather was "incomparably bad," the profits amounted to $1,702.83. At last, in March, 1885, it was voted to build according to plans submitted by Gen. Taylor in behalf of a committee consisting of himself, T. I. Ray- mond and C. Swartz. At this time the W. C. T. U. reading room was closed and the books were stored for six months in the basement of the Baptist church. The library building contract was awarded to J. R. Raymond, and $5,000 was borrowed by mortgaging the corpora- tion's property. The report of A. J. Crofut, treasurer, 313 showed $2,384.75 on hand. After the building was completed at a cost of $7,643.15, General Taylor sub- mitted the report of the building committee in which he said: "The plan submitted falls very far short of the modern idea of a library building, but the limited means of the association were such as to render the idea of erecting such a building as is now thought best adapted for library purposes, as to light, air, space, etc., quite out of the question, our committee therefore endeavored to keep within the means of the corporation, and run no risk of going beyond a point which they could not clearly see their way, without prejudice to a substantial and lasting foundation for the institution to rest upon." The building was, therefore, a plain three-storied busi- ness block with a store on the first floor, to which was annexed a one-story addition which was fitted up for the Library and Reading Room. A tenant was found who took the store at $200 a year, with the agreement to fur- nish light and heat and to take care of the room and books, which solved the question of attendance. The remainder of the building was rented to other tenants, resulting in an income of $648 annually. The sagacious planning which brought the corporation's affairs to this point without a single large gift as a nucleus is beyond all praise. Here was an institution started without a dollar of capital or a single book, grown, after nine years, into a corporation owning property worth about $9,000, with its liabilities well in hand and its running expenses provided for. The building was formally opened on Sept. 30, 1885, with addresses by Nelson Taylor, Jr., president of the corporation, and others, and music by amateur performers. The librarian, George S. North, was the chairman of a committee to furnish the room at a cost not exceeding $200, and to subscribe for peri- odicals not to exceed $100, together with C. W. Knud- sen and R. H. Golden. The annual membership fee was reduced to one dollar. The books belonging to the corporation were removed to the room and $200 expended for new books chosen by a committee con- sisting of Nelson Taylor, Jr., G. S. North, A. Blanchard, Miss M. A. Dibble,' Miss M. H. Nash and Miss Julia M. Byxbee. Members of the corporation were invited to name the books they desired to have in the library and most of the books asked for were purchased, be- sides those selected by the committee. The Mutual Improvement Society, of which Miss M. A. Dibble was 314 president, presented $200 worth of books at this time, which were purchased with the proceeds of lecture courses given under the management of that society. Mrs. C. W. Knudsen gave one hundred and fifty vol- umes, Gen. Taylor a number of valuable reference books and the Misses Dawson over a hundred novels. When the five hundred old books and nearly six hundred new ones were brought together in the new reading room the task of arranging and cataloguing them confronted the librarian and book committee. They were assisted in their labors by others, who gathered for several hours every day for weeks to write cards and make lists and number the books, in order to make the catalogue for one thousand and sixty books, which was published in 1886 in an author and title arrangement. Mrs. A. Blanchard, P. N. Smith, F. A. Smith, Miss M. Taylor, Miss Florence Thompson, R. H. Golden, T. I. Ray- mond and J. I. Dibble were among these workers. In a few sentences is here summed up months of unre- corded work for the committee who had the organiza- tion of the library in charge. In January, 1887, The Old Well Gander Club gave a ball for the benefit of the library which resulted in a gift of $550, which was devoted to the purchase of books, adding nearly five hundred volumes to the library, and a supplement to the catalogue was printed containing the Gander Club books. Since that time no catalogue has been printed excepting an author list of the entire collection, in the form of a supplement to the "Evening Sentinel," which was generously printed by the publisher, James Golden, in 1898. A card catalogue is now being made. In April, 1887, the annual membership fee was reduced to $1. The increasing use of the library by the people of South Norwalk was noted in the reports of each month by the librarian ; and, in 1890, Mr. North asked the corporation if the time had not come to make it a free library. With characteristic prudence, a commit- tee was appointed to confer with the City Council and consider if it would be wise to offer the property of the corporation to the city, consisting of T. I. Ray- mond, Gen. Nelson Taylor and A. Blanchard. Mr. North and other members of the corporation addressed the Council at various meetings, presenting the practical side of the matter, convincing the council men that it was an advantageous offer to the city of the means for establishing a free library. After these prelimi- 315 naries the corporation passed a resolution framed by General Taylor on August 19, 1890, as follows: Whereas, The additional accommodations furnish- ed by the Library and Free Reading Room Corpora- tion, which the increased and increasing number of vis- itors seemed to demand, has so largely added to the cost of its support and maintenance as to cause it to become a burden to the few having it in charge, and Whereas, The Library and Reading Room was originally intended for the public and is now being used entirely by it, it is the opinion of the Board of Trustees that the City Government should assume its care and maintenance, as the Statute of the State provides that it may through its Mayor and City Council. Now, therefore, be it