EARLY HISTORY OF PUBLIC LIBRARY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 192, 16 August 1940, Page 4

EARLY HISTORY OF PUBLIC LIBRARY

THE ALEXANDER BEQUEST PUBLIC SPIRITEDNESS OF CITIZENS TRIBUTE TO THEIR MEMORY. “We have gathered here to-day to commemorate the memory of an old and highly esteemed pioneer in the district, the late Mr. James Alexander," said Mr. J. Siddells, chairman of the Wanganui Public Library committee, speaking yesterday afternoon at the unveiling ceremony of the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. James Alexander, at the library. He said that in 1856, three years before he, Mr. Siddells, was born, Mr. Alexander was a member of the Wanganui School Committee which existed in those days. He mentioned that the idea of the gathering had emanated from the deputy-Mayor, Mr. J. J. Scott, who had drawn attention to the fact that Wanganui had lacked acknowledgment of the debt it owed to those who had made bequests to the city. Early History, He said the library was founded in 1871 when a Mechanics Institue was established by the Oddfellows. In 1874 they decided to build a lodge room, with rooms below for a library, and, by voluntary subscriptions, they put up the building known as the Druids’ Hall. At this time the population of Wanganui was only 4914. The Druids’ Hall was opened in June, 1874, with a banquet, followed by a dance. In 1876 a number of residents, the late Hon. John Ballance being the prime mover, took over the Oddfellows' Library, and the following year, 1877, they had it incorporated in the Supreme Court, Wellington, as the Wanganui Public Library. The Public Library started with 28 subscribers at £1 Is a year. The first to enrol was the Hon. John Ballance, who expressed appreciation of the way the Oddfellows had been true to their tradition, by giving up rooms to the library, which they could easily have rented, adding to their income. Subsequent history reveals many familiar names among the early settlers in Wanganui, who helped io support the library and gave the foundation for the present library. Art and industrial exhibitions were Jield to raise money. In 1879 the Government presented the directors of the I'brary with a site, on which part of the old building in Ridgway Street, now the Repertory Theatre, was built in 1880. Additions were made to it in later years. In 1897 a bequest of £5OO was received from the estate of the late William Alexander; the directors decided to invest this. In 1917 the Borough Council received notice from the late Miss Alexander's solicitors that “Pursuant to the will of the late James Alexander, Miss Alexander has appointed £12,000 to the Borough of Wanganui to be held in trust to build and establish a public library and museum in memory of, and to perpetuate the name of her late father, the institution to be called “Alexander Library and Museum.” Control hy Council The council took over control ol the Public Library at the beginning of 1918. In October of 1919 a juvenile library was established with a stock of 430 books. There was only a small space available for it but membership grew rapidly. To allow expansion of this department, it was moved to the showroom of the old gas building until the present building was built. The present building was opened in June 1933, a lasting monument to James Alexander and his family. The bequest of £12,000 had been invested and so had grown. The museum was built at a cost of £12,080. The library built, later, when building costs were lower, cost £7928, including furniture and fittings. The bequest had grown to over £20,000. In 1933 when the new library was opened there was a membership of 1462—adults 1217, juvenile 245. Today the membership is 3603—adults 1762, juvenile subscribers 125 and 1716. For the year ended March 1940, the library issued 196,501 books for home reading, and of these 33,783 volumes were to juvenile members.