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shortly afterwards appointed Mr. F. J. West, of the Camberwell Public Libraries to
the vacant office, and Mr. A. T. Ward, of the St. Martin's Public Library, as
senior assistant, both of whom had been previously selected for interview.
Four temporary assistants were engaged to assist in the preliminary work
connected with the organization of the library, and the services of two of them
(Miss Dodd and Miss Richardson) have been retained.
The donations to the library in money and kind have been both numerous
and valuable, and the Commissioners take this opportunity of once more returning
their cordial thanks to the donors.
A complete list of donors and donations from the commencement has been
appended.
The Commissioners are particularly indebted to Mr. J. Passmore Edwards for
his very munificent gift.
The whole of the amount, £4,250, paid by the Commissioners for the building
and site, including the garden with an area of 10,000 feet and the librarian's house
adjoining, with all freehold rights, was most generously defrayed by him on
November 26th, 1892, he having also previously made a donation of over 1,000
volumes to the library. The gift was accompanied with an expression of hope that
the Commissioners would with that assistance soon be enabled to have two public
libraries for the benefit of the large and densely populated parish of St. Leonard,
Shoreditch. There was, he said, judging from experience, abundant reason to
believe that when the two public libraries were open and in full swing they would
prove an immeasurable blessing to tens of thousands who were living, and to
generations that are to follow; and he further hoped that other parishes would
soon follow the courageous example of Shoreditch in the adoption of the Act, and
that before the expiration of the present century, London would be adequately
supplied with public libraries.
The News and Magazine Rooms were opened to the public on 7th November,
1892, and the fact of the daily average having been since then 547, the number is
a sufficient demonstration of their appreciation. The same rooms were open on
Sundays during the winter months from 6 to 9 p.m., with an average attendance
of 44. Newspaper boards with the day's advertisements posted on, are placed in
front of the building in the early morning, for the convenience of the unemployed.
As the reading rooms at times are inconveniently crowded, the Commissioners
have provided additional accommodation by erecting a readers' shelter in the
garden, which is being furnished with tables, chairs and newspaper stands.