The library contains 300,000 volumes. The annual circulation is
nearly three times this number. The service rendered by the library
is greatly increased by aggressive and ingenious missionary work.
There are six well-equipped branch libraries with 170 distributing
stations throughout the city. Half of these are in the shape of little
reading clubs and home libraries for children, conducted by the library
management itself. This branch of the library's work has grown so much
as to justify the establishment of a school for children's librarians.
The fact that the library exists to discover and elicit new demands is
made clear in the establishment of a "telephone reference," through
which any person may have a subject looked up for him and a report
quickly made. There are indeed more than sentimental reasons for the
cherished feeling in Pittsburgh that this is the bright particular
exemplar of all the Carnegie libraries.
[Illustration: LEE S. SMITH.
President, Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, Member Civic Improvement
Commission.]
The art gallery, some parts of which are of exceeding beauty, includes
permanent exhibits of painting, sculpture and architecture. Its chief
service to art thus far has consisted in a regular annual international
exhibition of paintings. A very suggestive plan is followed for
interesting school children in the galleries and in pictures generally.
A set of photographs of the entire permanent collection is placed in
one school after another for periods of two weeks each. It is expected
that a continuous circuit will be kept up in this way requiring two
years on each round.
The museum stands among the four chief institutions of its kind in this
country. It is under expert and enterprising management. A considerable
part of its collections have been gathered by its own expeditions. Like
the art gallery, it appeals directly to the public schools by sending
out circulating collections, conducting prize essay contests, and by
carrying on a young naturalists' club.
[Illustration: O. H. ALLERTON, JR.
President, Pittsburgh Board of Trade, Member Civic Improvement
Commission.]
The music hall represents among this noble group of cultural agencies
the one which simply continues the results of a significant phase of
the city's inherent growth; for since 1879 Pittsburgh has had some
sort of worthy musical festival every year. The weekly free organ
recitals are a commendable transfer to America of a well recognized
form of municipal service in English cities. It is unfortunate for this
purpose that the hall should not be more accessible to great numbers
of people. The symphony concerts of the Pittsburgh Orchestra, whose
seasons have continued during the past twelve years, are given partly
in this hall and partly (in certain years) in the Exposition Building
near the Point.
[Illustration: T. E. BILLQUIST.