IOOF offers to buy out Wheeling Library Association, 1880
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- from The Wheeling Intelligencer, April 13, 1880:
WHEELING LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.
At a meeting of the Directors of the Wheeling Library Association, held at the Library Room in this city last evening, a proposition from several lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was presented, looking to the purchase of the material owned by the former Association and its incorporation into a public library owned and controlled by the Odd Fellows. The plan proposed provides for the purchase of the library for a sum sufficient to discharge its present indebtedness and put the books and cases in complete and thorough repair. It is proposed, should it be carried out, that the present Stockholders in the Library Association shall be admitted to all the privileges of the library under the new management on the same terms as members of the odd Fellows' organization, outsiders to charged a little more, but the charge in no case is be made burdensome to those who desire to use the institution. The figures now talked of are $1 per annum for all persons who desire to use the library as a reading room only and do not desire to take books with them. For those who desire to take out books and enjoy all other privileges of the library $3 per annum to old members and Odd Fellows is proposed as the subscription, and $4 per annum to others. Further than this it is proposed that whenever the amount paid in $1 subscriptions by users of the reading room equals the amount paid by the Odd Fellows for the library the room shall be made a free public room for the use of the general public.
There are other features connected with the project in the event that it is carried out of interest to present patrons of the library. It is promised that at least $300 per annum shall be spent in the purchase of new books not including magazines, periodicals or newspapers, which are to be paid for as part o the ordinary running expenses. A removal to the second story of the Ott building, northwest corner of Twelfth and Market streets, in the event of the purchase being perfected, is also talked of, the room and approaches to be improved by remodeling the windows and stair ways.
All these matters are to submitted to a meeting of the stockholders of the Library Association, which as been called for the 27th inst., and will be determined definitely at that time. There is a very general feeling that some arrangement will be made which will result in lifting the library out of its present unfortunate condition, and making it what it ought to be and what its founders intended it should be.
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