The Carnegie Library Is Now An Assured Fact

THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY IS NOW AN ASSURED FACT

Last Steps Necessary to Secure the Gift Have Been Taken By the Council.

City Binds Itself to Raise $2,000 Per Year For Its Support. Another Long Step Forward in Educational Progress of the Community.

Ann Arbor is to have a part in the benefactions of Andrew Carnegie. The matter was finally determined at Monday's meeting of the common council. It is expected now that the necessary official action has been taken that the project will be pushed rapidly to completion.

In his efforts to avoid the disgrace of dying rich Andrew Carnegie made Ann Arbor a proposition for a $20,000 library building. It was accompanied, of course, by the usual requirement that the payment of 10 per cent of the gift be provided by the municipality accepting same each year for the purpose of keeping up the library. And the only guarantee to this end required is that the city council pass such a resolution, have it signed by the city clerk and the official seal of the municipality affixed.

To the Ladies Library belongs the principal honor in securing this fit to our city. The steps taken by this organization have been hitherto narrated in these columns. They have been aided toward last night's consumption by the local board of education. Last night Mrs. Bach, for the Ladies Library, and Messrs. Mills and Beal of the board of education of the city, appeared before the council and made a definite proposition which made it very easy for the city to do what was asked of it in order to secure the library.

President Mills made a brief statement of the advantages of a good public library and the inspiration to be drawn form such an institution and how it was proposed to provide for its maintenance without much, if any, additional cost over what the school district and the Ladies Library are now annually putting into library looks. Mrs. Bach made a statement for the Ladies Library in which she said that organization would turn over its property to the new Carnegie library.

Mr. Beal also made a statement as to the imperative need by the schools of the room in the high school building now occupied by the public library.

From the statements of Mr. Mills, Mrs. Bach and Mr. Beal the plan of maintenance of the library without any more cost than the people of the city are already paying for library purposes annually was made clear.

Mrs. Bach said the Ladies Library association was ready to turn in its property consisting of the fine site and building on E. Huron street, together with its 4,000 or 5,000 volumes of books and their regular income. The only conditions they desired to make were that the deed of the property should specify that, when the property ceased to be used for library purposes it should revert to the Ladies Library association, which is to be continued as an organization, and that the books purchased with that part of the income coming from the endowment given by Mr. Henning in memory of his wife, Mrs. Julia Henning, should have a card inserted stating this fact. It was stated that the income from gifts made the organization amounts to 5 per cent on $4,300, donated as follows: Mr. Henning, $1,000; Ex-Gov. Felch, $500; Mrs. Palmer, $3,000.

From the statements made by Messrs. Mills and Beal it was learned that there are nearly 6,000 volumes in the present school district library and that these books will be made a part of the proposed Carnegie public library so that it will start with about 10,000 volumes of well selected books. The school district is now putting into its library each year nearly enough, taken with the Ladies Library income, to make up the $2,000 required under the Carnegie guarantee. Mr. Beal stated that unless the school district library was moved out of the high school building it would be necessary to build another addition to that building in the near future, and this would cost more than any sum required by the new library. But with the rooms now occupied by the district library vacated, this necessity would be avoided for some time to come.

The project seemed so very favorable when it was understood in its entirety that various alderman promptly announced themselves for it. Thereupon Alderman Goodyear offered the following resolution and certification which include all the guarantee required by Mr. Carnegie:

A RESOLUTION

To accept the donation of Andrew Carnegie:

Whereas Andrew Carnegie has agreed to furnish $20,000 to the Board of Education of Ann Arbor, Mich., to erect a free public library building, on condition that said city shall pledge itself by resolution of council to support a free public library at a cost of not less than two thousand dollars a year and provide a suitable site for said building, now therefore

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Ann Arbor that said city accept said donation and it does hereby pledge itself to comply with the requirement of said Andrew Carnegie.

Resolved, that it will furnish a suitable site for said building and will maintain a free public library in said building, when erected, at a cost of not less than $2,000 a year.

Resolved that an annual levy shall hereafter be made upon the taxable property of said City of Ann Arbor sufficient in amount to comply with the above requirements.

Clerk.                                     Mayor.

I, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clerk of the City of Ann Arbor, Mich., do hereby certify that the foregoing is a full and complete copy and transcript of a resolution passed by the Council of the said City of Ann Arbor, Mich., at their regular session on . . . . . . . . . . . 

Witness my hand and the seal of said . . . . . . . . . . . . this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

(Seal)                                         Clerk.

When these plans are fully consummated Ann Arbor will be on the high road to the ownership of a public library worthy of such an educational center. It will be a great thing for our people and an inspiration to young and old and all lovers of good reading. Two thousand dollars a year will rapidly build up a fine library, especially as there will be a fine nucleus of 10,000 volumes to start with.