294


WISCONSIN LEGISLATIVE M1ANUAL.


During the first twelve months, these gatherings were stored at the private
residence of the secretary, adjoining the present county record offices.
The
next year, a small rear basement room of a church was secured, which was
from time to time expanded until the whole basement was occupied; when,
in January, 1866, the society removed its twenty-one thousand books and
documents to its present apartments in the new capitol, assigned for their
reception by the legislature.
  Thus, during the twelve years preceding this removal, the average annual
accumulations of the library were nearly nineteea hundred volumes, docu-
ments and pamphlets. The total additions for the twelve years the society
has occupied rooms in the capitol, have been over fifty-five thousand vol-
umes, documents and pamphlets, showing an annual increase for that period
of over four thousand five hundred volumes and pamphlets; or an average in-
crease for the twenty-four years since the reorganization of the society
in
January, 1854, of over three thousand volumes, documents and pamphlets.
Not the least of these invaluable collections are the two thousand, six hun-
dred bound newspaper files - almost, if not quite uneqaled by any similar
collection in the country.
  The seven volumes of historical collections issued by the society, together
  with a number of historical addresses, furnish ample evidence of the good
  work accomplished in the specialty for which the institution was organized;
  while the three volumes of library catalogues enable any one to find what
he
  wants among the varied contents of this vast collection of historical and
gen-
  eral literature.
  The library has become by the action of the state, for all practical purposes,
  the state library-absolutely so, in all things, save in works per:aining
to law.
  The society is faithfully collecting files of nearly all the newspapers
of the
  state, filled with thousands of legal notices which it is important to
preserve
  for possible evidence in our higher courts of judicature; and, moreover,
tak-
  ing especial pains to collect from other states all documents bearing upon
  topics of legis'ation and humane institutions, to aid legislative committees,
  our board of chawities and reform, railroad commissioners and members of
  the state geological survey. In these departments, all so important to
the
  best interests of the state, it is altogether probable that no other state
in the
  union has preserved records so full and so valuable.
  The library of the society has come to be recognized as a most Important
  adjunct to the state university, furnishing facilities of investigation
to the
  board of instruction, aud especially to the atudents in preparing for their
ex-
  ercises in debate and composition, and for much of their general reading,
em-
  bracing a collection of books, which, for their variety and character,
are ex-
  celled but by few of the higher literary institutions of the country.