GENTLEMEN,—I herewith submit the fourth annual report of the library:
The Concord Free Public Library numbers, March 1st, 1877, 11,930 volumes; of which 579 have been added since the last report; 332 by purchase, 211 by donation, not including duplicates, 36 volumes of periodicals from the reading-room.
An average of 71 books a day, or 21,711 books for the year, has been loaned: the largest number, 237, was on Saturday, Feb. 10.
The circulation for the months of June, October and November, was much smaller than the corresponding months of other years, owing, probably to the large number of visitors from Concord to Philadelphia.
75 volumes have been re-bound; 36 volumes of periodicals from the reading room, and 11 unbound volumes from the gifts, have been bound.
During the year, one book lost, and two books damaged, have been replaced or paid for by the borrowers.
As usual, the annual examination of library was made in February, and we can report again that no book is missing. At the time of the examination, 727 books were in circulation. Of these, 61 per cent. were fiction and juvenile, 8 per cent. biography, 7 per cent. history, 6 per cent. travels, the remaining 18 per cent. were from all other parts of the library.
Fines collected have amounted to $47.69.
There have been 1,844 books re-covered.
An attempt was made, the first six months of the year, to keep an account of the books used in the reference department. In that time more than 2,100 were used, an average of 350 a month. No claim to exact accuracy is made, except that the statement is below rather than above the real number.
Among the valuable books added to the library are the following: Moliére’s Dramatic Works; Emerson’s Trees and Shrubs of Massachusetts, new edition, illustrated; Baird, Brewer and Ridgeway’s North American Land Birds; Landor’s Works and Life; Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary; Wood’s Discoveries at Ephesus; Guizot’s History of France.
Mr. William Munroe has presented the library with an autograph letter of Abraham Lincoln.
Mr. E.R. Hoar has given a proclamation, issued by Gov. Shirley during the French and Indian war, promising a bounty of $6.00 and a blanket, to each volunteer.
We have received from Mr. Horace Heard, executor of Ebenezer Hubbard’s estate (through the hands of Mr. Samuel Hoar), an order on the town treasurer of Concord, dated 1695, for “fifteen pounds in money, which is to satisfy him (Rev. Edward Bulkeley) for his half year’s salary.”
Miss Sophia Thoreau left to the library in her will, a box of plans, maps, &c., which formerly belonged to Mr. Henry D. Thoreau.
Capt. Francis Jarvis bequeathed us a large number of books and pamphlets.
From Mrs. W.S. Robinson we have received the original manuscript of the Journal of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention in 1853, of which Mr. W.S. Robinson was Secretary.
Mr. George William Curtis has given the manuscript of his oration on the “Concord Fight,” delivered here April 19, 1875.
The records of the Soldier’s Aid Society have been deposited in the library.
Below will be found a list of other gifts to the library, also of the publications to be found in the reading room …