The Free Public Library of Jersey City was incorporated in 1889,
and was opened to the public July 6, 1891, in temporary quarters in
the basements of the buildings of the Hudson County National and
Provident Savings Banks on Washington street. On May 24, 1899,
the contract was awarded for the erection of the present building on
Jersey avenue, the site of which had been purchased a few years
before. On January 16, 1901, the new building was completed and
opened to the public.
The Library is a plain, substantial fireproof building of Colonial
design, built of granite and buff brick. It is four stories high, with a
steel book stack in the rear. The building is 190 feet front, and 46
feet in depth; and the stack extension is 34 x 38 feet.
When first opened, the Library contained 15,000 volumes; it now
has 116,800 volumes upon its shelves. The total number of books used
during 1908 numbered 711,964. The Library has two branches and
maintains nineteen delivery stations, at which books are collected and
delivered daily.
In addition to a large circulating department, the Library contains
a very complete collection of books of reference, including a Law
Library of 5,000 volumes; a Medical Library of 2,500 volumes, and
forty-two medical periodicals regularly kept on file; and a large collection of books especially selected for the use of teachers and pupils of
the schools. There are kept on file, in the reading rooms, nearly 400
periodicals and newspapers.
The Children's Department contains 5,000 volumes of books for
home reading and a reading room for the special use of the children.
