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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 1960)
1 C MAIL TRIBUNE, Mdfor Or. 1" Tu.idiy, April 5, 1960 Mrs. FDR Slightly Injured by Auto New York -U?D- Mn. El eanor Roosevelt, 75, h a i cancelled engagement! out lde her home for the next three daya to rest a sprained ankle, received Sunday when the was knocked down by a car which backed Into her as she stepped off a curb. The former first lady pick ed herself up, had the ankle taped and kept three engage ments Sunday immediately following the accident, lean ing on arm crutches. She said she hadn't bothered to get the name of the driver who struck her. Today Mrs. Roosevelt went to Columbia - Presbyterian Medical Center for examina tion by an orthopedic surgeon and X-rays which, her secre tary said, showed no break. History of Jackson County Libraries Starts in 1890s; Expansion Noted Good roads Interested the residents of Jackson county in 1912 as much as they do today, according to a letter from the Oregon library com mission to Miss Elizabeth Rob inson, Medfords first librar ian, on file at the Public Li brary of Medford and Jack son County. The letter dated Feb. 5, 1912 was in answer to an in quiry from Miss Robinson re garding library administra tion problems and a request for books or bulletins pertain ing to good roads. The correspondence was ex changed prior to the dedica tion of Medford's newly con structed library, Feb. 8, 1912. The new library was the cumulation of a series of small libraries that had been estab lished in Medford since 1890. In 1903 the Medford Li brary association was organ ized with a subscription li brary in the G. H. Hasklns drug store on East Main st. SOUTHERN OREGON'S OLDEST BOOK STORE Invite Your Attention To NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK APRIL 3-9, 1960 OPEN WbNDEBFUL NEW WORLDS- WAKE UP AND READ! USE ALL THE Libraries Available To You Public School Trade Church and Keep Building Your Own Home Library For a Better Read, Better Informed America The membership fee was $2 a year with a monthly asses ment of 25 cents. The Greater Medford club in the next few years was ac tive in promoting a free li brary for Medford and at one time the library was located in their clubrooms above what Is now Mann's depart ment store. Public Library Established A Medford city council res olution establishing a public library was passed July, 1908 and this library was located tion on Aug. 2, In the city hall at Sixth and Front sis. The library was open only two days a week on Thursdays and Saturdays. During the 1909-1910 per iod, funds from the Carnegie Foundation were made avail able to the Medford library on the condition that the city government agree to furnish funds for the library's main tenance. For the purpose of acquir ing maintenance funds the council called a special elec- PRE PARED BY OREGON STATE SYSTEM Of HIGHER EDUCATION OREGON'S LAMP OF 1910, ffl I NETY PER CEWT 4- - 2 OF ALL THE CROPS -fefl . . GROWN ON OREGON ?sC2Vwr- ' FARMS TO MY EVOLVE. (&fP&$v ggf FROM OREGON isSik2&M S THE NUMBER ONE PRODUCT OF THE SO-iOOi. OF a&r (culture l& THE MEN AND WOMEN IT TIIDMf OUT... MORE THAN 091 cupopmtiv ENROLLED THE 32,000 4-H BOYS AND GIRLS IN EVERY COUNTY OF THE STATE. Hillcresf School Escapees Caught Salem -flJPD Two 15-year- old escapees from Hillcrest School for Girls who got away Friday night- wearing only swim suits were taken into custody at Sweet Home Sun day. The girls were taken to the police station by one ot their fathers. Hillcrest officials re turned them to the school Monday. When the girls got away they were about to board a bus for a swim party at Fair- view home. They had hidden some street clothes in a jack et one was carrying. I gSlJ8jeB? LAST 4 DAYS! W KSS) ik fmm x-v I T0"'1.. wEBI j, Aik for V CTi I DrfTlrlOVEL fR E E Ya rd Stick (cfcrJ VS - 7" 9 , --------------- M I I avA l rlrt hi h I I Pick up one of our SPRING blm . Jr ' hXI I S SALE Catalogues, today VCr-L r '' y f Cooif-To-Cooif Isury All tk. Storage 1 A I rltul K Inail - "Mil LAmr CASTING ROD p. Jftgr "' V! Delu Chamois ! if I t & REEL . A eo 5 PC. WHITE ENAMEL U savi I .V?i ! i0t",0P2 WALL CABINET fftjfr .,. 39 n T izi;;ir-J7 ..... 9 xASSMZ J i.v.i wi.h 100 !f',V,i N titss iv.Tr,?l Zi " it " " ' ""y -" irr' - i,. : - Vwil 1 " '''" ; -lp.rl.l" le.sdry 3hirm'(f,,tt sf? 'J J h.Hrt Cl..rl TrOUbll Llht T HAMPER Electric Drill m LAWN RAKE SffK MflB T I iOttt SPONGE MOP c : Fvirtjsiss :':!::.z: Z T ;, l mM W.i.h, ..l hand I. lav. . MM tollTk. ( wh. sTt Al I n.lrvll. Whir. r "l' ","'" ' !. W lat w.rk Tl J ' wl" " r P'nll. hit hq.dw capuilry. vardfliwar. I..II yw iarwt1 f t i HiW : I I -r III II Hvy O.fylV I Ic.infc.t i ' iyWftS "H.rv...r so h. MUFFLERS (I HOUSEHOLD (EFSsgl : ,W H.)lr CARJEN HOSE ,-ff BR00M 0 j 6' ST Ef LADDER flARBASE CAN J 5f3f S . I..IU SI. Mtl f IK M 4 mMk. Mm! llJ ' tiill ! 1,1.11. JnlenW 4 New 'r. T i- im-m ..iirti H iral W txt- w .. I ! ,r.tr.rW Hvftk, H M'ftLiT' ?! '.-. !. fin J Mrilill MalM JiiS57il rl, "". kiv.ll Oltaf SUMlM 1 ' BS C dMi !. liHmt rw.t...l $lwil.f !lt.til 3 to auth orize them to levy a special tax on all normally taxable property. The tax was to equal 10 per cent of the cost of the library building itself. The levy passed and the city agreed to donate land for the library site in the west end of the city park. Alfred Ivey, an early day Medford contractor and build er, was granted the contract to build the library after ne gotiations were successfully completed with the Carengie Foundation. The cost stated in the Ivey contract is $19, 600. County Libraries Several years after the Medford library was opened, residents of smaller Jackson county towns started a cam paign to obtain county funds to support libraries that al ready existed In several of the towns or to establish new libraries. On Dec. 23, 1919, Jackson county agreed to levy a tax of .2 of a mill to extend the library service to the smaller towns of the county. This service started on April 20, 1920. Rogue River and Wlmer residents, particularly, had been active In the campaign to interest the county In con tributing funds to expand the library system, and the Rogue River library received vol umes for their library early in 192Q. Jacksonville, Eagle Point, Gold Hill, Talent, Butte Falls, Sam Valley and Cen tral Point, also, received vol umes at this time. Rogue River has since with drawn from the county sys tem and operates as a separate library facility although it still continues to receive coun ty funds. 2,000 Books When the Medford library first opened in 1912 there were approximately 2,000 books available for circula tion to Medford residents. But following the expan sion of the system to smaller towns In the county the total number of volumes increased to some 27,500 books by 1930. In this same year too, total circulation increased to 178,- 856 books for the estimated 36,000 persons being served by the system. Since 1930 the book stock has increased by 105.8 per cent to the present total of 56,200 books; the population being served by the library has increased 98 per cent to 71,300 persons, but the total circulation has increased only 20.2 per cent to 215,156 books. Book circulation will be discussed in a later article. The Public Library of Ash land, is, and always has been, outside of the city-county li brary system. Ashland Library The Ashland library can trace Its foundation back to 1891 when the Epworth League of the Methodist church solicited memberships in an Ashland library associa tion, making It one of eight public subscription libraries in the state at that time. Records of the first annual meeting of the library'! offic ers in 1892 indicate there were 97 members In the as sociation who had access to some 240 books, two days a week. In 1909 the name was changed to the Ashland Free Public Library and the org- ' anization was incorporated In that same year the Carn egie Foundation made avail able some $15,000 for con struction of a new building. City Election A special city election was called and the voters agreed to add an additional $1,500 to the Carnegie grant. Con struction was started In 1910 and it was completed on Oct. 25. 1912 at a total cost of $17,673. By this time the total num ber of volumes in the library had grown to 3,500 and the library was open for use six days a week. The library's collection has since grown to 39,146 vol umes, increasing at an aver age of 1,700 books per year over the last 10 years. The Ashland library was made depository for the Ore gon Shakespearean Festival association's c o 1 1 e e t Ion of Shakespearean orks in 1954. At this time the collection numbers 550 volumes valued at nearly $3,000. Shakespearean Works According to Miss Cora E. Mason, present librarian, this rare collection ot works by and about Shakespeare now numbers about 1.000 books vauled at $6,000. She points out that much of this increase was made possible by a $3,000 grant from the Oregon Cen tennial Commission. In 1953 the accumulated gifts and bequests to the li brary totaled over $5,000, ac cording to Miss Mason, which made it possible for the li brary to construct a $13,500 addition to the structure, ad ding 2,000 square feet of floor psace. Further construction was done In 1956 when a large basement room now called the Greeham room, wu re novated and made into a meet ing room, able to seat some 60 persons. The library's circulation during 1958-1959 totaled 89. 974 books among an estimat ed population served of 22,- 000, Miss Mason said, which compares favorable with the Public Library of Medford and Jackson county's circula tion. The Ashland library also has the enviable record of having 40 per cent of the population served, registered as borrowers. There are two libraries at the Camp White Domicliary which are little known to any one but members of the Dom- ciliary itself. One of these is the 5,500 volume library for use of VA members and personnel and the other is a completely in dexed 900-volume medical li brary. The general library has just recently moved into new quarters in the main Dom iciliary building from a small er building across the street. It is the standard type of library found in all VA cen ters, according to Miss Enid Holmes, librarian. During 1959 the library circulated some 25,000 books and magazines among the 900 Domiciliary members at the center, not counting books read on the premises. It is hoped that the new lo cation will be of added con venience to members and boost this circulation even more, Miss Holmes said. Medical Library The medical library is lo cated in the same area as the medical staff and pharmacy offices, at the Domiciliary. Miss Holmes is librarian for this facility also. 1 In addition to the usual amount of standard medical books there are many vol umes pertaining to geriatrics and diseases commonly as sociated with aging. Besides the books In this facility, the medical staff also has access to the many books in use at all VA medical cen ters, through a general index ed list from which they can order directly from' the li brary which lists the desired publication. Miss Holmes is estballshlng specialized libraries for other members of the Domiciliary staff too, including a small library adjacent to the nurs ing staff offices and the dental clinic. Another library which is little known publicly is the 38-year-old Jackson county law library, located on the third floor of the county court house. ThU library contains over 6,000 books Including su preme court reports from every state in the union and records of the U. S. Supreme court and U. S. courts of ap peals. It was organized in 1930 under a 1927 legislative sta tute which permits Oregon counties to establish law li braries. However, it was not used until 1933 when space for it was made available in the new county courthouse. The $2,700. which is need ed annually to . maintain the I in court action. library, comes" from a small percentage of each legal fee filed in the clerk's office and designed for that purpose. This is also permitted under legislative statute. It is administered by a com mittee from the Jackson Coun ty Bar association and can be used by both members of the bar association and litigants .' - ' ' '7 i v.- 81EWD WHISKtY. 66 PROOF. 6i CIIH KtUIRAL SPIRITS. SUGRtM.0ISllu.tR8 COMPANY, N.V.C FOR THE TASTE THAT IS STRONG ON SMOOTHNESS SM SEAGRAM'S AND BE SURE I SEE COMET-AMERICA'S NEWEST COMPACT CAR! J 4 FIRST COMPACT CAR WITH FINE-CAR STYLING MB WITH OR BELOW 5 OTHER COMPACTS GIVES YOU THE EXTRAS THE OTHERS CHARGE EXTRA FOR 1 I I Tt.tf?b I nST with fmc-CM STYIIM. 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