VIII. Librarian's Records,, 1827-1889

Summary: This series contains reports of the librarian, the societies catalog of books, library dues books, and a record of borrowers. The librarian's reports were submitted at the end of a semester and included a list of new titles added (through donation or purchase), total number of books in the library, fees paid or in arrears by the members for upkeep, and expenses for purchase of new books, binding, or upkeep of the library. These reports might also include some editorializing by the librarian on the state of the library and suggestions for improvement. The library catalogs list the books in the society library at the time and are about 10 to 15 years apart, documenting the growth and contents of the library for almost the entire history of the original society. The librarian's account books record each members name and payment of a fee each semester for upkeep and growth of the library. The library book of borrowers records under each members name the title of each book borrowed, the date borrowed, and that it was returned. The books of borrowers, by recording each book thus, affords an excellent window into reading habits of the 19th- Century student. There do not appear to be any fines for the late return of books.