The following table shows that this index is intended to cover reports of library commissions, state libraries, university libraries and the public libraries of the United States and Canada.
When reports of a library were found to contain material of general interest, sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the index, all the years examined were listed in the table, although, as in some instances, a number of reports in the series are not represented by references in the index.
Several small yet exceedingly live libraries are not included, because the activities of these libraries appeared in short paragraph reports, no subject being fully treated; and the plan of this work did not allow minute indexing.
The object has not been to provide an exhaustive index of any one library—one for the benefit of the library indexed—but to make available matter of general interest.
The person seeking references, we will say, to work with children, will possibly find only one or two in the reports of a particular library, but it has been presupposed that one desiring a thorough acquaintance would not limit his study to the entries appearing in the index.
Financial statements, lists of donors, routine reports upon the work of a library have not been included, nor have lists of books purchased, unless these were of bibliographical importance or formed regular supplements of a catalogue.
The index aims to include legislation, historical sketches, monographs upon any subject, bibliographies, biographical sketches, memorial tributes, addresses, dedication ceremonies, plans and descriptions of library buildings, by-laws, rules and regulations, names of librarians, maps, portraits, illustrations, all divisions of library economy when fully treated, many features of library work, original or unique, and curious items; in short, all unusual material and all matter not common to all reports.
With reference to donations an explanation may be necessary. The indexing in one instance of a donor of $10,000 and the failure to record a similar gift in another may appear inconsistent, but it was impossible to note every gift or legacy mentioned in reports, hence gifts have been indexed, as a rule, when they were treated in the reports as matters of importance.
For brevity’s sake many references are not bibliographically precise. For instance, in the case of illustrations and maps references are made to the pages which they face, omitting the word facing.
A prophetic knowledge of the future development of libraries would no doubt give large significance to certain omitted items.
Direct access to very early reports of certain libraries has been impossible, and these reports have been examined for the indexer by persons connected with those libraries. In a number of instances full information could not be obtained.
In addition to the list of libraries indexed there is given an alphabetical key and a list of abbreviations used.
Katharine Twining Moody.
| Ac. | Atlantic City Free Public Library |
| Ag. | Aguilar Free Library, New York |
| Al. | Allegheny Carnegie Free Library |
| As. | Astor Library, New York |
| At. | Atlanta Carnegie Library |
| Ba. | Bangor Public Library |
| Bc. | Braddock, Pa., Carnegie Free Library |
| Bd. | Bradford, Pa., Carnegie Public Library |
| Bf. | Buffalo Library |
| Bi. | Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Me. |
| Bk. | Brookline, Mass., Public Library |
| Bl. | Brooklyn Library |
| Bo. | Boston Public Library |
| Br. | Brooklyn Public Library |
| Bt. | Boston Athenæum |
| Bu. | Buffalo Public Library |
| Ca. | California State Library |
| Cb. | Council Bluffs Free Public Library |
| Cd. | Colorado Traveling Library Commission |
| Cg. | Cambridge Public Library |
| Ch. | Chicago Public Library |
| Ci. | Cincinnati Public Library |
| Cl. | Cleveland Public Library |
| Cm. | Columbia University Library, New York |
| Cn. | Cornell University Library, Ithaca, N. Y. |
| Co. | Connecticut State Library |
| Cr. | Cedar Rapids, Ia., Free Public Library |
| Cs. | Columbus, O., Public School Library |
| Ct. | Connecticut Public Library Committee |
| Da. | Davenport, Ia., Public Library |
| De. | Detroit Public Library |
| Dl. | Delaware State Library Commission |
| Do. | Dover, N. H., Public Library |
| Ds. | Des Moines Public Library |
| Dt. | Dayton, O., Public Library |
| Em. | Emeline Fairbanks Memorial Library, Terre Haute, Ind. |
| Er. | Erie Public Library |
| Ev. | Evanston, Ill., Public Library |
| Fa. | Fall River, Mass., Public Library |
| Fo. | Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass. |
| Ft. | Fort Dodge, Ia., Free Public Library |
| Gr. | Grand Rapids Public Library |
| Gs. | General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, New York |
| Ha. | Haverhill, Mass., Public Library |
| Ht. | Hartford Public Library |
| Hv. | Harvard University Library, Cambridge, Mass. |
| Ia. | Iowa Library Commission |
| Id. | Indiana State Library |
| Ih. | Idaho Free Library Commission |
| Il. | Illinois State Historical Library |
| In. | Indiana Public Library Commission |
| Io. | Iowa State Library |
| Ja. | James V. Brown Library, Williamsport, Pa. |
| Jc. | John Crerar Library, Chicago |
| Je. | Jersey City Free Public Library |
| Jk. | Jacksonville, Fla., Public Library |
| Jp. | James Prendergast Free Library, Jamestown, N. Y. |
| Js. | Jackson, Mich., Public Library |
| Ka. | Kansas State Library |
| Kc. | Kansas City, Mo., Public Library |
| Ks. | Kansas Traveling Libraries Commission |
| Ky. | Kentucky Library Commission |
| La. | Lancaster, Mass., Town Library |
| Lc. | Library of Congress |
| Le. | Lowell, Mass., City Library |
| Li. | Lincoln, Neb., City Library |
| Lo. | Los Angeles Public Library |
| Lv. | Louisville Free Public Library |
| Lw. | Lawrence, Mass., Free Public Library |
| Ly. | Lynn, Mass., Public Library |
| M. | Montana State Library |
| Ma. | Massachusetts Free Public Library Commission |
| Mc. | Michigan State Library |
| Md. | Maryland State Library Commission |
| Me. | Maine Library Commission |
| Mg. | Michigan Library Commissioners |
| Mh. | Missouri State Historical Society |
| Mi. | Minneapolis Public Library |
| Mk. | Milwaukee Public Library |
| Ml. | Montclair, N. J., Free Public Library |
| Mm. | Maimonides Library, New York |
| Mn. | Malden, Mass., Public Library |
| Mo. | Missouri Library Commission |
| Mr. | Manchester, N. H., City Library |
| Ms. | Massachusetts State Library |
| Mt. | Minnesota Public Library Commission |
| My. | Maine State Library |
| N. | New York Society Library |
| Na. | Nashville Carnegie Library |
| Nb. | Newberry Library, Chicago |
| Nc. | North Carolina Library Commission |
| Nd. | New Bedford, Mass., Free Public Library |
| Ne. | Newark Free Public Library |
| Nf. | New York Free Circulating Library |
| Ng. | Niagara Falls Public Library |
| Nh. | New Hampshire Board of Library Commissioners |
| Ni. | New Hampshire State Library |
| Nj. | New Jersey Public Library Commission |
| Nk. | New York State Library |
| Nm. | New York Mercantile Library |
| No. | New Orleans Public Library |
| Np. | Northampton, Mass., Public Library |
| Nr. | North Dakota Public Library Commission |
| Ns. | Nebraska Public Library Commission |
| Nt. | Newton, Mass., Free Library |
| Nu. | Newburyport, Mass., Public Library |
| Nv. | New Haven Free Public Library |
| Nw. | New Jersey State Library |
| Ny. | New York Public Library |
| Oa. | Oakland, Cal., Free Library |
| Oh. | Ohio State Library |
| Om. | Omaha Public Library |
| Or. | Oregon Library Commission |
| Ot. | Ottawa Carnegie Library |
| P. | Providence Public Library |
| Pa. | Paterson, N. J., Free Public Library |
| Pc. | Passaic, N. J., Public Library |
| Pd. | Portland, Me., Public Library |
| Pe. | Peoria, Ill., Public Library |
| Pf. | Pratt Institute Free Library |
| Ph. | Philadelphia Free Library |
| Pi. | Pittsburgh Carnegie Library |
| Pk. | Deborah Cook Sayles Public Library, Pawtucket, R. I |
| Pm. | Philadelphia Mercantile Library Company |
| Pn. | Pennsylvania Free Library Commission |
| Po. | Library Association of Portland, O. |
| Pr. | Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore |
| Ps. | Pennsylvania State Library |
| Pt. | Peabody Institute, Danvers, Mass. |
| Pu. | Princeton University Library, Princeton, N. J. |
| Pv. | Providence Athenæum |
| Q. | Queens Borough Public Library, N. Y. |
| Re. | Redwood Library and Athenæum, Newport, R. I. |
| Rs. | Reynolds Library, Rochester, N. Y. |
| Ru. | Reuben McMillan Free Library, Youngstown, O. |
| S. | Salem, Mass., Public Library |
| Sa. | San Francisco Public Library |
| Sc. | Scranton, Pa., Public Library |
| Se. | Seattle Public Library |
| Sf. | San Francisco Mercantile Library |
| Si. | Silas Bronson Library, Waterbury, Conn. |
| Sj. | St. Joseph, Mo., Free Public Library |
| Sk. | Spokane Public Library |
| Sl. | St Paul Public Library |
| Sm. | St Louis Mercantile Library |
| So. | Somerville, Mass., Public Library |
| Sp. | Springfield, Mass., City Library Association |
| St. | St. Louis Public Library |
| Su. | San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute |
| Sy. | Syracuse Public Library |
| Ta. | Taunton, Mass., Public Library |
| Td. | Toledo Public Library |
| Te. | Tennessee Free Library Commission |
| Tm. | Tacoma Public Library |
| To. | Toronto Public Library |
| Tx. | Texas Library and Historical Commission |
| Um. | University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor |
| Vi. | Virginia State Library |
| Vt. | Vermont Library Commissioners |
| Wa. | Public Library of the District of Columbia |
| Wb. | Woburn, Mass., Public Library |
| Wc. | Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown, Md. |
| Wd. | Windsor, Ont., Public Library |
| Wg. | Washington City Free Library |
| Wi. | Wilmington Institute Free Library |
| Wo. | Worcester County Law Library |
| Wp. | Worcester, Mass., Free Public Library |
| Ws. | Wisconsin Free Library Commission |
| Wt. | Watertown, Mass., Free Public Library |
| Wy. | Worcester Young Men’s Library Association |
| Ya. | Yale University Library, New Haven, Conn. |