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.
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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
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