A HISTORY OF THE MARYLAND STATE LIBRARY 1827 - 1939 (with a summary of events from 1939-1959) by RoBERT W. CoovER This Paper is Based upon a Thesis Originally Submitted by the Author to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of the Catholic University of America in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Library Science August, 1956 Washington, D. C. Revised: March, 1959 Foreword The staff of the Hall of Records is pleased that it has had some small part in this history of the Maryland State Library. As a sister institution we have long relied on the resources of the State Library and we have needed to know its history in order to understand our own. Mr. Coover's work will prove useful not only as a chronological account of the Library. It will also emphasize the riches of this relatively old institution; and, unfor- tunately, it will make its weaknesses-especially its poverty in money-equally clear. In any case, the Library and the State of Maryland as a whole are indebted to Mr. Coover for this careful, scholarly work. MORRIS L. RADOFF, ArchiviJ"t Annapolis, Maryland Preface The history of the Maryland State Library is primarily the story of an institution and its collection of books. However, the books evolved around people: the librarians who administered the collection, and the various state officials for whom the collection was developed. In terms of facts alone this paper covers 112 years of this institution's history. These facts have been gleaned from the various official records relevant to the library. For many of these years the records give a rather com- plete picture of the library and the personalities involved, but for other years the picture is incomplete. In the preparation of this paper I am indebted to Mr. Richard John- son Duval, whose father, Edmund P. Duval, was State Librarian from 1880-1892. Mr. R. J. Duval helped his father in the State Library from 1880-1888, after which date he went to work at the Naval Academy Li- brary. I am also indebted to Mr. Nelson J. Molter, the present Director of the Maryland State Library and a member of the staff since 1932, and to his assistants: Mrs. Evelyn 0. Burrows and Mrs. Ruth D. Burton. These three have been very helpful in guiding me to the various records pertinent to the library's history. Mr. Duval and Mr. Molter because of their intimate connection with the library for an extended period, have been especially helpful in putting flesh on the skeleton of facts relevant to the library and to certain personalities behind the events. Contents Page PREFACE _______________ - - V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ----- Vlll INTRODUCTION ______ ------ -------· IX Chapter I. THE ESTABLISHING OF THE MARYLAND STATE LIBRARY AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF DAVID RIDGELY------------------------- 1 II. THE 1'1ARYLAND STATE LIBRARY, 1842-1861______ 16 III. THE PERIOD OF TRA~SITION OF THE MARYLAND STATE LIBRARY, 1861-1896______ ______ _ _ _ _________ ----·- 29 IV. Tm; MoDERN PERIOD, 1896-1939 _____ _ 46 V. SU;\l:VIARY AND CONCLUSIONS ______________ _ 66 Appendix A. APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE MARYLAND STATE LIBRARY CONTINGENT AND AUGMENTATION FUNDS _____________ -- 71 B. STATISTICAL Co:v1PARISON OF ALL STATE LIBRARIES____ 73 C. STATE LIBRARIANS __ -- 85 BIBLIOGRAPHY______ ----- -- . 97 List of Illustrations Figure Page 1. Floor plans of the Maryland State Library____________________________ 77, 78 Plate I. Court of Appeals Building ___ -------------------------------------------------------- 79 II. Interior of the Court of Appeals Building________________________________ 80 III. The Reference Room ___________________________ --------------------------------------- 81 IV. The General Collection and Reading Room______________________________ 82 V. Part of the Law Library______________________________________________________________ 83 VI. Main Room of the Law Library ________________________ ----------------------- 84 Introduction During the early part of the nineteenth century, Maryland ex- perienced tremendous commercial and industrial expansion. This ex- pansion was reflected in its population statistics for the half-century-period from 1790-1840. During this period the population grew from 319,728 to 470,019-almost a fifty percent increase. This expansion naturally brought increased problems in the governing of the state. The main problems requiring governmental action were: the regulation, investigation, and encouragement of trade, agriculture, and industry; state sponsorship and regulation of canal and road building; social and economic legislation to handle problems accompanying expand- ing population and urbanization. With a greater quantity of legislative materials, such as official re- ports, committee hearings, proceedings and journals of legislative bodies, and the laws themselves, the need was manifest to keep these materials in an orderly arrangement for future reference. Aside from purely legisla- tive documents, there were also executive documents and judicial papers that had to be consulted by government officials. It was also necessary to refer to documents of other states in order to determine the specific action taken on a problem that might be pertinent to Maryland. It was out of this need of reference to official records of Maryland and those of other states that the Maryland State Library was established. This institution has from its beginning played a small but essential role in the official transactions of the state which has sponsored it. It is the purpose of this paper to trace the history of the Maryland State Library from its beginning until 1939-an institution which has been intimately connected with the governing bodies of the state. CHAPTER I The Establishing of the Mary land State Library and the Administration of David Ridgely Legislation for the formal establishing of a library for the use of the members of the governing bodies of the State of Maryland was initiated in 1803. Xo doubt the need of a book collection for the purpose of legislative reference had been realized by certain members of the state's General Assembly. This need was expressed in the form of a resolution, December 28, 1803, on the floor of the House of Delegates. Re.Yofved, That the governor and council be and they are hereby authorized whenever any part of the sum of five hundred pounds, annually appropriated to meet the contingent expenses of government, shall remain unexpended, to apply such surplus to the purchase of a library for the use of the legislature and the officers of government of this state, to consist of such books as the governor and council shall from time to time think proper to select.1 The resolution further provided for the location of the collection and a librarian with an enumeration of his duties. No action was taken on this motion during this session. The reason for this inaction may have been lack of interest; this attitude would seem to be indicated by the sole comment in the local newspaper of the following day. "The following resolutions (respecting the purchasing of a library for the use of the general assembly) being propounded to the house were read."2 Aside from the possible disinterest in a State Library, it should be noted that the resolution failed to provide a specific appropriation for such establishment. One can conclude that the resolution failed because of this fault. Regardless of the reason, the time for the formal establishing of a State Library had not as yet arrived, and the entire subject seems to have slept a deep sleep for twenty-three years. On December 27, 1826 the matter of a library for the use of the legislature was again approached. At this time the subject was advanced through a motion by a 1\ lr. Robert Banning of the House of Delegates. This gentleman moved that a committee of five members should examine 1 and report on the condition of the library of the House.3 Clerks of the House were directed to make a complete list of the books that were in the collection; this list was to accompany the report of the committee. From this motion and from the following report of the committee, it is evident that there had been some kind of collection which had been in existence for some time. The presence of this collection would seem to indicate that a library had been needed, but that the fulfillment of the need had been inadequate. The investigating committee reported their findings on January 11, 1827. There appears a great deficiency, as many of the books which they [the committee] suppose, had, from time to time been deposited therein [the library room], are not now to be found. Many of the laws of our state, and our sister states, have been removed, and the propriety of an immediate procure- ment of other copies, to supply the deficiency in this respect is respectfully submitted and recommended to the consideration of this house. 4 The report concluded by indicating that neither the books nor the room seemed to be under the care of any person. Recommendations were made for a bill which would provide for the arrangement of the books and the preparation of a library-room in the State House. 5 A listing of the books of the collection, valued by the committee to be between two thousand and three thousand dollars, followed the report. This enumeration, totaling 502 volumes, consisted mainly of the laws and legislative proceedings of Maryland, but also contained United States laws, laws and legislative proceedings of other states, as well as commentaries, indexes and digests of laws.6 During the month of January, 1827, plans and problems relating to the establishment of a State Library were discussed in both Houses of the Legislature. First of all a joint committee of both Houses was ap- pointed to suggest regulations and to effect a plan for the preservation and continuance of the existing collection.