MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE The following document is provided by the LAW AND LEGISLATIVE DIGITAL LIBRARY at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library http://legislature.maine.gov/lawlib Reproduced from scanned originals with text recognition applied (searchable text may contain some errors and/or omissions) Public Docun1ents of Maine: HE!NG TH!!: ANNTJ 1t:L REPC)RT8 OF VARIOUS PUBLIC OFFICERS AND INS1ITU11IONS FOR THE YEAR 1869-70. AUGUSTA: SPRAGUE, OWEN & NASH, PRINTERS TO THE STATE. 18H NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF TBB Librarian of the· Maine State Library TO THE LEGISLATURE OF MAINE, WITH A LIST OF NEW BOOKS, FOR THE YEAR 1870. Published agreeably to an Act passed March Ia, 1861. AUGUST.A.: SPRAGUE, OWEN & NASH, PRINTERS TO TBE STATE. 1810. :MAINE STATE LIBRARY. STATUTE REGULATlONS. Books may be taken from the Library by the GoYernor, Members of the Council, and of the Legislature, Judges of the Judicial Courts, Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of State, Adjutant General, Attorney General, L11nd Agent, Reporter of Decisions, Counsel engaged in argument of causes before the law courts in the middle district, Superintendent of Public Buildings, Superintendent; of Common Schools, Superintendent of the Insane Hospital, Chaplains, Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Senate, Chaplains, Clerk and Assistant Clerk of the House, Secretary and Members of the Board of Agriculture during the session of the 1::0ard, provided that this privilege to the members of the Legislature, and those officially connected therewith, shaU be limited to the time the Legislature shall be in session. Any person taking books fi:om the Library shall first give sufficient personal security for their return within twenty days. No person authorized to take books from the Library shall be permitted to have at any one time more than three volumes, nor shall the same be retained more than three weeks, and all shall be returned on or before the first day of January annually. The following books shall not be taken from the library room, except for the use of either House, or of the Committee of the Legislature during its session, or for use in the Supreme Judicial Court in term time: all books presented by the United States or any of the States; all works, books and documents relating to the laws or legislative proceed­ ings of the United States, or other States or coun1;ries; all digests, reports of decisions, and works relating to the science of the law, and Vattemare's exchanges. Every person shall be answerable for all damag:e done by him to any book, and in case of the loss of any volume belonging to a set, the person answerable therefor shall procure a new volume or pay in money the value of the set. Actions for the breach of said regulations may be brought by the Librarian in his own pame for the use of the State, and in case of his de::ith or removal from office, the action ahall survive and be prosecuted by bis successor. • To the Hon. REUBEN FosTER, Speaker of the Honse of Representatives: Srn :-I have the honor to transmit herewith my Annual Report as Librarian of the Maine State Library for the year ending December 31, 1869. Very respectfully, Your obedient servant, JOS. T. WOODWARD. STATE LIBRARY, Augusta, J anu.ary 20, 1870 . • • TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR 1870. HoN. JOSHUA L. CHAMBERLAIN, GOVERNOR, HoNS. JOSEPH W. PORTER, Burlington, 1 D. K. HOBART, Dennysville, AMBROSE H. ABBOT, China, 1 EDWARD R. SPEAR, Rocklar1d, > CouNCILLORS, URANUS O. BRACKETT, Berwick, I WM. DEERING, Portland, . J WM. ROGERS, Bath, . The Governor and Council are, by law, declared to be ex officio, Trustees of the State Library. COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY FOR 1870. MESSRS, THOS •. B. REED, Portland, I THOS. P. CLEAVES, Brownfield, of the Senate. T. H. CUSHING, Winterport;, MESSRS. JOHN M. SKINNER, St. Albans, l ENOCH COUSINS, Kennebunkport, I JORN C. MASON, Hiram, A. E. NICKERSON, Swanville, > of the House. GEO. H. WENTWORTH, No. Berwick, I ROWLAND M. YOUNG, Ha,ncock, ALBERT N. SA WYER, Gray, J • REPORT. To the Legislature of Maine : In accordance with the provisions of the statute the Librarian submits the following report of receipts and expenditures, with list of additions made to the State Library during the year ending December 31, 1869. The amount received by appropriation was one thousand dol­ lars, ($1000;00), by balance from the account of 1868, thirty dollars and ninety-four cents, ( $30. 94) making a total received ofone thousand and thirty dollars and ninety-four cents, ( $1030.94). The expenditures during the year for the purchase of books and incidental expenses, amount to eight hundred and ninety-nine dollars and eighteen cents, ( $899.18 ), leaving unexpended one hundred and thirty-one dollars and seventy-six cents, ( $131.16), for use till the next annual appropriation shall be received. The list of books submitted with this report show an increase of th~ library by purchase of 460 Volumes, consist1.ng of Law Books, 46 Vols.; Miscellaneous Books, 265 Vols.; Magazines and Reviews (bound), l·i9 Vols. The library has also received 177 miscellaneous books, docu­ ments and pamphlets by donation, and 334 by exchange, exclu­ sive of 504 copies of Pamphlet Laws of the United States, during the year. So that, beside the laws named, 971 volumes and pamphlets have been added during the year. In the selection of books the valuable assistance of His Excellency the Governor, has been cheerfully rendered, and him­ self with his Council have given special attention to the affairs of this department, and endeavor to secure its prosperity. The gen­ eral purpose to complete the many imperfect sets has been carried out as far as possible with the means at command. It is a work of the first importance to complete all imperfect sets in the various departments, requiring continued care, and only to be done at a reasonable cost by patient watchfulness, and in process of time. 6 STATE LIBRARY. This is especially true in relation to Law Reports, many of which cannot be obtained at reasonable rates till new editions are issued. It is certainly desirable if not absolutely indispensable, that a State Library should afford the nieans of comparing our own laws with those of other States, and their system of admin­ istration with ours, that defects may be remedied, if any exist, by the benefit of the experience of others, and that in the s:ttle­ ment of legal questions ready reference may be had to the opinions and reasoning of so many of the best jurists as may be possible. In this department several sets have this year been completed, beside the usual addition of new reports and elementary law books. The vacancies existing in the sets of magazines and reviews have been partially filled, but much remains to be done. The leading ~agazines and reviews are depositories of much of the most valuable information and the soundest learning of the time, which by means of general indices is made readily accessible, and while the later volumes are purchased as issued, it is a matter of no little importance that the missing volumes be secured at an early date. I hope to obtain the volumes still wanting without asking for a special appropriation for this purpose. In the purchase of miscellaneous books., the same general plan has been continued, and so far as possible the complete works of Authors have been taken, rather than selections of single volumes made from them. No costly illustrated works or elegant. and ornamental bindings have been purchased during the year, as with the present necessities of the Library, no expenditures ex­ cept for books of standard literature and of well known value, in plain and substantial binding, has been thought justifiable. During the year the Congressional documents of the United States in the Library have been partia1ly examined, with reference to the preparation of a complete list of existing deficiencies and of duplicates in possession, and that we may be in condition to complete these documents as far as may be by exchange or other­ wise. It is probably not possible to secure a complete set, but large and valuable additions may be made to our present collec­ tion with slight expense to the State. By the assistance of a valuable list of subjects issued by the Boston Public Library in. its catalogue, which has been received as a donation at this department, reference may readily be had to all matters treated of in these documents, so far as they may be complete, which is a LIBRARIAN'S REPORT. 7 consideration especially valuable to those who most use a State Library. During the year the exchanges with other States have been continued in the usual manner, and in all cases where it was possible, the libraries of the several States have supplied copies to fill vacancies in our sets of the State . documents of their respective States. Pamphlet copies of the most important legis­ tive and public documents :issued under the supervision of the State have also been received from many of the States. These and other pamphlets have so accumulated during a few past years, that it is proper they should be classified and bound with suitable indices to indicate the general contents of each pamphlet, for pur­ poses of reference. A classification has been partially made, and I hope to have them, indiced and boµnd, upon the shelves before the next year. During the year but seven volumes have been lost, and five volumes have been worn out and laid aside. Several books and documents have been injured by leakage from imperfections in the roof, and in severe storms it has been necessary to remove a por­ tion of the books from the shelves in some parts of the Library.