Boston 1822 - 1922 by John Koren

Author:John Koren [Koren, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Geschichte
Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
Published: 2018-01-24T23:00:00+00:00

The Public Library

The Public Library of the City of Boston was not the first of its kind to be established in Massachusetts, for this honor belongs to the town of Orange, which had a public library in 1846, was followed by Wayland in 1850, and possibly by other towns. The General Court had given authority in 1847 to raise money by taxation for school libraries in school districts. An act of 1849 provided that any city or town might "raise money for the purchase of libraries." A third act, of 1851, was more liberal in that it permitted any city or town to establish and maintain a public library with or without branches, under the regulation of the city or town authorities. This act limited the appropriation for library purposes to $1 for each ratable poll, and the annual appropriation for library purposes to twenty-five cents for each ratable poll.

"The public library of the City of Boston was, however, the first large city library to be established as a municipal institution upon the plan identical with that of the public libraries of today. It rests upon special legislation which antedated the general laws, and its founders exhibited a breadth of views which justly entitles them to be called the fathers of the public library movement."

One of the first men to give an impetus to the establishment of public libraries in Boston was Nicholas Alexandre Marie Vattemare, a Frenchman, who had devoted many years to the establishment of a system of literary exchanges among European libraries and museums, and came to New York in 1839 to prosecute his mission in this country. "He was originally a minor actor or impersonator with much talent as a ventriloquist," who had made it his hobby to establish a system of international exchange of books.

Apparently, he bore his own expenses and had no thought of pecuniary reward. As he did not find great public institutions to receive the book treasures he wished to bring into the country, the first need was to agitate for the establishment of such institutions.

M. Vattemare finally came to Boston in 1841; two meetings of prominent citizens were held at which he explained his plans, and resulted in a committee being selected to consider his scheme. "These two meetings embodied the first public expression of the public library movement in Boston." Soon after, Vattemare sent the city authorities about fifty volumes as a gift from the city of Paris. Mayor Quincy made a suitable acknowledgment of the gift, and later, in 1849, when Vattemare had made another donation in the form of an important statistical publication, the City Council appointed a committee to solicit contributions of literature to be sent to the city of Paris as a return compliment.

The committee which had been appointed to consider Vattemare's proposal recommended the establishment of a public library; but it took time to obtain definite action. Mayor Josiah Quincy, Jr., in his inaugural address of 1848, suggested that the General Court be applied to for power to form a library; and he was directed to do so.

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