Page:The library a magazine of bibliography and library literature, Volume 6.djvu/416

404 flu Library. BRIGHTON. Improvements, which are to cost about ,23,000, are about to be made in the building of the Brighton Public Library, Museum, and Art Gallery. BRISTOL. The Town Council have approved plans for a new branch library in Trinity Road, St. Philip's, at a cost of ,4,500 The Bristol Museum and Reference Library, having been re-decorated and fitted with the electric light, were re-opened on November I2th. The building will now be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It was formerly closed at six in the summer and at dusk in winter. BROMLEY. On December 8th, Sir John Lubbock officiated at the opening ceremony of the Bromley Free Library and Reading-room and Science and Art Schools. In declaring the buildings open, Sir John said that there had recently been some discussion with regard to the proportion of solid literature and light fiction taken out by the readers at free libraries. He had been quite surprised to find how many solid books were read. Besides, a novel might be picked up and read in a few hours ; a book on science, art, or history might occupy many days' study. He would be the last to undervalue stories and fiction. In their place they supplied a very valuable part of our literature, and he dared say that most of them had learned more of the history of their native country from Shakespeare and Scott than Stubbs and Freeman. How- ever, it had been proved that the reading of the more heavy of solid literature had been gradually extending since free libraries had been opened. BURY ST. EDMUNDS. The Public Libraries Act has been adopted by 856 votes against 842, majority 14. CAMBRIDGE. The Free Library Committee, in their annual report, make the following interesting remarks on their late colleague, Mr. Henry Thomas Hall : " His name was associated with many public bodies in Cambridge, but his intimate connection with the Free Library was unique, as a member of the committee for nearly thirty-five years and as its largest and most munificent donor. A casual visit to the Library when it was in Jesus Lane, some four years after its establish- ment, at once excited his curiosity, and watching its operations for a short time his interest was at once secured, and he was elected a member of the committee on November 9th, 1859. His personal friend, Mr. James Reynolds, was also a member of the committee at that time, and was contributing very liberally to the Library. Mr. Hall's first donation was one of ten volumes in the year 1860, and from that time forward, month by month and year by year, he continued to purchase or take from his own shelves books to be presented to the Library. At first his contribu- tions were works of a popular character, but later on the idea was carried out of forming a Shakespeare Memorial Library, and later still, a collec- tion of dramatic literature. These two collections comprise 3,123 volumes, including a large number of pamphlets and separate plays, nearly the whole of which were his gifts. The total number of volumes presented by Mr. Hall was 4,297. For three periods of two years each was Mr. Hall elected Chairman of the Library Committee, and rarely was he absent from any of its meetings. His interest in the Library remained unabated, and although his sight partially failed him during the last months of his life, yet his daily habit was to visit the Library morning, afternoon, and evening, and it was only the day before he died that he visited it for the last time. Fortunately, by the liberality of Mr.