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17
Opening- of a Branch in Pentonville.
(Extracted from the Weekly News and Chronicle, April 28, 1900.)
In response to the almost unanimous wish of the inhabitants of the
district, voiced in public by their representatives, the Vestry decided
some time since to establish a branch library in No. 1 Ward. Immediately
on the passing of the resolution the Library Committee took steps
to put it into operation. Suitable rooms were procured in the Penton
Estate Offices, at the corner of Penton Street and Risinghill Street,
which Captain Penton leased on favourable terms. These have been
fitted as an evening reading room and lending library. The branch
contains about 1,000 volumes of recent literature, a collection of
reference books, together with a selection of monthly and weekly magazines.
The opening ceremony was performed on Monday, April 23, by
Mr. Arthur Millward (Chairman of the Public Library Committee), who
was supported by Messrs. J. Crowle-Smith, A. Daldorph, J. Gibson, H.
G. Barnes, H. W. Fincham, T. A. Brunjes, G. Bassett, H. Bladon, A.
W. Humphreys, E. J. Penny, Hale, Randall, Bray, Skinner, Dickson,
Lemming, and Mr. J. D. Brown (Librarian). Mrs. Millward, accompanied
by some lady friends, was also present.
The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said that as the Library
really belonged to the Vestry—they were the Authorities under the Free
Libraries Act—he thought it only right, on behalf of the Committee of
Management, to ask the Chairman if he would be good enough to perform
the opening ceremony, and if he had been in London he would
have been with them that evening. He had, however, just received the
following telegram from Mr. Tripp, who was in the country:—" Impossible
to be in London before eight o'clock ; cordially congratulate
No. 1 Ward and Library Committee on their success. Hope results
will justify expenditure." (Hear, hear). He had also received a telegram
from Mr. Putnam, regretting that through pressure of business he
was unable to be present. Continuing, the Chairman said that in declaring
that Branch open, he did so in the sincere hope that it would
be beneficial to the inhabitants, and prove successful in every department.
It was opened in almost the same unpretentious manner as the
Central Library, and it was hoped that it might grow into something
handsome and substantial like the parent institution. (Applause.)
The establishment of that Branch was an experiment, partly designed
to test the needs of outlying parts of the parish, in view of possible
extensions in the same direction in other parts of the district, and to
relieve the pressure at the Central Library, which was sometimes very
great. It might be necessary in the future to extend the operations of
the Library by means of district reading rooms and lending libraries,
and the working of that Branch would enable the Committee to pretty
accurately judge the extent to which such stations are likely to be used
and required. Some London parishes, like Hampstead, which are not
so very much larger in actual population and house area than Clerkenwell,
have gone in greatly for district libraries, and in the provinces
nearly every moderately-sized town has branch libraries, reading rooms,
or book delivery stations. (Hear, hear.) The effect of this distribution
of books and other means of spreading knowledge, tended to extend the
usefulness of the Central Library, and increase its prosperity. It also
gives the largest number of ratepayers some return for their Library