Institute, put in designs, including Art Gallery, but his figures were
too high, being £14,250 10s., the Town Council having only voted
£10,500. The plans of Mr. W. Martin, whose estimate was £12,000 were
adopted, the Council added £1,500, a loan for the cash was negotiated,
and building commenced by Messrs. Branson and Murray, whose tender to do
the work for £8,600 was accepted. Thirty-two applications for the chief
librarianship at £200 per annum were sent in, the chosen man being Mr.
J.D. Mullins, though he was not the one recommended by the Committee.
The Central Lending Library (with 10,000 volumes) and Reading-room, with
Art Gallery, was formally opened September 6, 1865, and the Reference
Library (then containing 18,200 volumes) October 26, 1866. In 1869, the
latter was much enlarged by the purchase of 604 square yards of land in
Edmund Street, and the total cost of the building came to £14,896. The
Branch Library at Adderley Park was opened January 11, 1864; that at
Deritend Oct. 2, 1866, and at Gosta Green Feb. 1, 1868. At the end of
1870, the total number of volumes in the whole of the Libraries was
56,764, of which 26,590 were in the Reference, and 12,595 in the Central
Lending Library. By 1877, the total number of volumes had reached
86,087, of which 46,520 were in the Reference, and 17,543 in the Central
Lending, the total number of borrowers being 8,947 at the Central, 4,188
at Constitution Hill, 3,002 at Deritend, 2,668 at Gosta Green, and 271
at Adderley Park. Meantime several new features in connection with the
Reference Library had appeared. A room had been fitted up and dedicated
to the reception of the "Shakespeare Memorial Library," presented April
23, 1864; the "Cervantes Library," presented by Mr. Bragge, was opened
on a similar date in 1873; the "Staunton Collection" purchased for
£2,400, (not half its value) was added Sept. 1, 1875, and very many
important additions had been made to the Art Gallery and incipient
Museum. For a long time, the Free Libraries' Committee had under
consideration the necessity of extending the building, by adding a wing,