CHAPTER VIII. Opening of the Library-First Book Issued-Rapid Increase of Readers-Magazine Room-Donations, Chalmers Bequest Exchanges Gift of Early Glasgow Printing from Mr. J. Wyllie Guild-Moir Bequest-Purchase of the Burns Collection formed by Mr. James Gibson-More Donations-Improvement in Trade, Decrease of Attendance-Further Donations-Valuable Collection of Scottish Poetry received from Mr. Alex. Gardyne-Acquisition of the Gould Collection of Burnsiana-Still Further Donations-Growth of the Library-Use made of it by the Public-Progress probably without Precedent. THE library was formally opened on 1st November by the Hon. James Bain (now Sir James Bain), Lord Provost. Amongst those who supported his lordship were, in addition to the members of the committee, Professor W. P. Dickson, Professor Grant, Sir James Watson, Dr. Marshall Lang, Mr. Michael Connal, Sheriff Lees, Mr. J. Wyllie Guild, Mr. Wm. Mitchell, and others. Addresses appropriate to the occasion were delivered, and earnest wishes expressed that the library might prove to be a popular and useful institution in the city. The issue of books was commenced on Monday, 5th November, 1877. The first book asked for was "Liber Officialis Sancti Andree . . . Sententiarum in Causis Consistorialibus que extant," edited by Cosmo Innes. The number of volumes issued during the day was 186, and a commencement was made in what has since become one of the marked characteristics in the use of the library, namely, the making of extracts for future reference, and the copying designs for artistic purposes. It is not known what the first quotation extracted was; but pencil sketches were made from Collins's picture, "Rustic Hospitality," and from a number of the illustrations in Lavater's "Physiognomy." The issue of books at once began to increase, and that at a rate the management were not prepared for. It is probable that in very few libraries is it true, as it is here, that the smallest day's issue was the first. The first printed report on the library was issued early in 1880, and embraced the period from the opening till the end of 1879. The Committee expressed "no ordinary satisfaction" that they were enabled to issue so favourable a statement. The record was one of steady progress and of public usefulness. The attendance of the public had continuously increased; and in the first report it was found necessary to state that the temporary premises had already become insufficient for the requirements of the institution. The number of volumes in the library had increased from 14,432 at the opening to 28,532; and the use of them had grown in even greater proportion. The following small table gives the average number of volumes issued daily during this period: November and December, 1877, July to December, 1879, 395 505 753 1,179 1,294 All statements of volumes issued exclude the use made of current periodicals in the magazine room now to be described. In addition to the supply of books for the use of the public, the committee had organized a magazine room, in which the current numbers of a large selection of periodical publications could be seen. The arrange ments in this room were of the most liberal character. No formality of any kind was necessary to procure access to the magazines. Each was secured in a strong reading cover, and all were placed openly on the tables in alphabetical order, so that frequenters of the room had only to walk in and find the journal of which they were in search. The number provided in this way was 150, and they had been selected with a wish to provide a thoroughly representative collection of the organs of current opinion and interest. This department of the library was from the first a most popular one. A gratifying section of the first, as of all subsequent reports, is the list of donations. In addition to the large and important gift from the University authorities already referred to, there were gifts announced from Mr. John Alexander (24 volumes of Scottish poets), Mr. Robert Anderson (Sotheby's Principia Typographia, 3 volumes, folio, and other works), Mr. A. B. Allan (a set of Engineering, 23 volumes), Sir James Bain, Messrs. Blackie & Son (110 volumes, chiefly of works published by them), Mr. J. Cleland Burns, Dr. Cameron, M.P., Mr. R. W. CochranPatrick, M.P., the Hon. William Collins, Lord Provost (more than 200 volumes and pamphlets), Mr. A. G. Collins (selection of standard works of fiction, 155 volumes), the late Bailie Colquhoun (Virtue's Imperial edition of the Works of Shakspere, 5 volumes, folio), Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland (their transactions), Glasgow Natural History Society, Glasgow Philosophical Society, Mr Thomas Johnston (numerous contributions to the "Poets' Corner" and the Glasgow collection), Lord Mayor and Corporation of London, Mr. James MacLehose, Mr John Mann (Glasgow Herald, 1861 to 1876, bound; Glasgow Morning Journal, 1858-60), Mr. David Murray (112 volumes), the late Mr. J. R. Napier (120 volumes and pamphlets), Bailie Neil (Wyatt's Industrial Arts of the Nineteenth Century, 2 volumes, folio), Councillor W. R. W. Smith, the Swedenborg Society (works of Emanuel Swedenborg, 44 volumes, and other books), the late Mr. W. West Watson, City Chamberlain (Hume's History of England, printed by Bensley for Bowyer, 5 volumes, folio, volumes of Scottish newspapers, etc.), Preceptor William Wilson (contributions to the "Poets' Corner" and Glasgow collection). In reporting on the year 1880 the committee were compelled to proceed very much on the lines of their first report. The history of the year was one of continued progress, both in the growth of the library and in the appreciation of it by the community generally. They believed they were "justified in making the statement that its progress has been quite unprecedented." The details of the work of the year may perhaps be postponed for a general table or statement further on. This year was marked by the bequest by Mr. Richard Chalmers, for many years principal of the Ladies' College, No. 1 Claremont Terrace, who resided in Kirkintilloch, of his private library. The bequest comprised nearly 1,000 volumes, and consisted chiefly of works in general literature, with, however, a leaning to subjects of an educational and philological character. Among the works included were:-A set of the publications of the Early English Text Society; Goethe's Sämmtliche Werke, 30 volumes, a fine copy; Schiller's Sämmtliche Werke, 12 volumes; Works of Henry Hallam, 6 volumes, of Richard Hooker, 3 volumes, of Archbishop Leighton, 2 volumes; of Thomas Carlyle, of Max Müller; Dyce's edition of Shakespeare, 9 volumes; Shakespeare's Dramatische Werke, Schlegel und Tieck, 12 volumes; Clarke's Concordance to Shakspere; Chambers's Life and Works of Burns, 4 volumes; Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 4 volumes; Wordsworth's Poetical Works, 6 volumes; the Percy Folio Manuscript, 3 volumes; Dictionnaire de la Langue Française, par Littré, 5 volumes; Dictionnaire comparatif des Langues Teuto-gothiques, par Meidinger; Halliwell's Archaic Dictionary, 2 volumes; Histoire de la Littérature Anglaise, par Taine, 5 volumes; Dictionnaire des Sciences Philosophiques, par Franck; Les Arts au Moyen Age, par Lacroix; Les Mours, Usages, et Costumes au Moyen Age, par Lacroix, fine copies; Grundriss der Kunstgeschichte, von Lübke, 2 volumes; Boswell's Life of Johnson, 10 volumes; a number of volumes of Bohn's series, of Arber's reprints, and of Pickering's reprints. A considerable portion of the books were duplicates of works previously acquired; but by Mr. Chalmers's forethought this was no burden, for by his will he empowered the committee to exchange such books for others, or to sell them and apply the proceeds to the purchase of other books. This power as regards exchanging has on several occasions been made use of and the library thereby enriched, while at the same time the exchanging library was also benefited. By far the greater portion of the exchanges so effected up to the present have been with Stirling's Library, with the result that both are rendered more complete. It should always be kept in mind that all books received in exchange for duplicates are registered as the gift of the donor who presented the duplicate volumes, and in this way full effect is given to the donor's desire to benefit the library. Another benefaction of interest during 1880 was the receipt from Mr. J. Wyllie Guild of a collection of books on various subjects, but all printed in Glasgow before the commencement of the present century. There were seventy-eight volumes in all, and among them were specimens from the presses of R. Sanders, sen., 1666 to 1690; R. Sanders, jun., 1697 to 1725; A. Hepburn, 1689; A. M'Lean, 1706; H. Brown, 1713-14; D. Govan, 1715; J. & W. Duncan, 1720; A. Carmichael, 1732-8; A. Miller, 1738-41; J. Robertson, 1739-69, and others. The other donations included-From the Lords of the Admiralty, a collection |