Warner, Cindy.  "Prendergast Library Is 100 Years Old," Jamestown (NY) Post-Journal, 2  February 1980, Tempo p3T-4T.
        The Post-Journal website:  http://post-journal.com/

Prendergast Library Is 100 Years Old

   By Cindy Warner

    The last of the Prendergast family who founded Jamestown died in the 1880's, but the family name is still remembered each day through the James Prendergast Library
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    The library this year is celebrating its 100th year of incorporation with special exhibits and other events.

    On Jan. 29, 1880, then New York State Gov. Alonzo B. Cornell signed the act incorporating the library.

    Jamestown was named after the elder James Prendergast, who settled in the area in 1806. He was a leader in many movements that had the interests of the village as their object. He was supervisor of the town of Ellicott in 1813 and became judge of the Court of Common Pleas the next year.

    The first school in Jamestown opened in the winter of 1814-15 with Prendergast paying for the maintenance of the school and the teachers' salaries.

    James and his wife, Agnes, were parents of a son, Alexander T. Prendergast, who in turn was the father of James Prendergast the younger, who was responsible for the Prendergast Memorial Library.

    The second James was born June 18, 1848, and died at the age of 31 on Dec. 21, 1879.

    At the time of his death, he was owner of the business block known as the Prendergast building, erected by him in the year 1875 at the corner of Main and West Third Streets in Jamestown.

    Soon after his death, his father, Alexander, found among his papers certain memos indicating that he had planned to devote the Prendergast building to the establishment and maintenance of a free public circulating and reference library in the city.

    Immediately upon the discovery of these papers, his father, determined to carry out the wishes of his son, made a charter with the assistance of Mrs. Prendergast. This was submitted to the state legislature on Jan. 29, 1880.

    The library was formally opened Dec. 1, 1891. The building was located in the center of the square bounded by Fifth and Sixth streets, Washington and Cherry Streets. Three sides of the lot were enclosed with a massive red stone wall.

    The building of red and gray stone with a copper roof contained 9,000 volumes "with room for more, reported the Jamestown Evening Journal on that date.

    The site was for many years occupied by the village cemetery. The land had been deeded to the Congregational church by James Prendergast the elder, and later deeded by the church to the village of Jamestown for a cemetery. The library association had to secure claim deeds to remove the bodies from the tract to Lake View Cemetery.

    Samuel G. Love, superintendent of Jamestown Public Schools for several years, was the first librarian. He was succeeded two years later by Emogene Hazeltine, librarian from 1893-1906.

    In 1894, Miss Hazeltine produced the first catalog of paintings. Her annual report for 1895 indicated the library had acquired its 10,000th volume, placing it among only 75 libraries in the state with a book stock that high.

    Of 710 new books that year, 128 were written in Swedish, thereby beginning the foreign language section and the precedent of acquiring special materials for special needs.

    Visitors to the art gallery that year numbered 5,200. The painting collection selected by Robert N. Martin, a member of the board of trustees, was considered to be a fine one. In fact, five of the paintings had been borrowed by the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh to celebrate its opening. Miss Hazeltine also recorded an active program of school visits. Magazines carried by the library were then very popular and the library had becomea depository of public documents.

    In 1896, a show of watercolors was the first traveling exhibit to appear in the library's art gallery. Temporary exhibits appeared regularly thereafter. In 1896, a "new books" list began to appear in the Jamestown Journal- a weekly feature that continues today.

    In 1897, the first children's room, located in the tower at the southeast corner of the building, was opened. More than 1,000 children attended the opening celebrations. Two months later the library sponsored its first essay contest for children.

    In 1902, Miss Hazeltine noted the value of reference work- that is, direct aid to the public seeking information from library materials.

In 1903, Art Metal Inc. presented new steel book stacks to the library as a demonstration of  how to increase the use of space through double deck shelving, the same kind used today. By 1905 the issue of whether or not to allow the public to browse through those stacks by themselves was discussed by the board. After a five-week experiment, it was announced in November that adult users would be allowed free access to the books.

    The library stayed basically the same as when it was built until 1963 when special ceremonies formally opened a new reading room, a suite of basement offices for the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System and a new children's department. The expansion program was financed through gifts and contributions from private donors.

    The second addition was made in 1968 when a 16,500 square foot addition was added with storage space for 105,000 additional volumes and seating room for 91 additional persons. A new entrance hall and office space for the library system was also made, along with a conference room with seating capacity of 45, a completely refurbished art gallery, a new film library and viewing room, a carpeted and refurnished children's room and a new loading platform and parking area for the library system's bookmobile.

    A reception to open the third and most recent renovation project was held July 15, 1978. Space provided for 90,000 volumes, pre-school story hours and community rooms.

    Improvements were also made to accommodate handicapped people with a public elevator providing access to all levels of the building. Restrooms were also remodeled.

    During the first years of the library's operation, circulation totaled 39,867. Last year, adult circulation was 357,705 with a 37,027 increase since 1978. The library has a current total registration of 25,095. 
   

The current book stock totals 199,193 compared with 190,263 in 1978 and 9,000 when the library opened in 1891.

    The library's reference desk, which provides sometimes invaluable information to all types of persons on all subjects, answered a total of 31,583 questions last year.

    The library's other features include a film-video department, services to the blind and visually handicapped, the bookmobile and an interloan library.

    The library association also helped set up two reservation libraries for the Seneca Nation of Indians and the Jamestown General Hospital Library.

    Art exhibits have also come a long way since 1891. Those selected to be on display during 1979 included selected examples from the Jamestown area of Art in Industry, photos of the insect world, decorative arts of West Africa, embroideries by the children of Peru and Navajo rugs.

    The library has many other resources, for example, magazines and newspapers on microfilm, newspapers in foreign languages, records and large print books.

    In fact, there are so many things the library has to offer it is difficult to name them all.

    If James Prendergast could see his dream library now, he would no doubt be surprised and delighted that so many ideas, activities and resources could be available to the people of Chautauqua county and the surrounding area in Pennsylvania and New York.

10/31/2003

jpl