Page:Library Construction, Architecture, Fittings, and Furniture.djvu/255

Rh ventilators. The interior fittings and furniture are in dark polished oak, in thorough keeping with the general character of the building. The cost of building, furniture, and site was about £15,500.

The St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and St. Paul, Covent Garden, Public Library is situated in St. Martin's Lane, and has a frontage of 67 feet. It consists of three main rooms, all the same size, and situated one over the other, the entrance-hall and staircase being at the side.

The reference library, which is 50 feet in length and 40 feet broad, with a height of 14 feet 3 inches, has shelf accommodation for 15,000 volumes. The principal feature of its arrangement is that readers have free access to the entire library, the books being arranged in alcoves and wall-cases.

The lending library and magazine-room is directly underneath the reference library, and has a height of 15 feet 9 inches, with shelf accommodation for 15,000 volumes. The periodicals are arranged alphabetically on tables in the centre of the room, and have signboards with their names attached to each table. One noticeable piece of furniture is a cylindrical catalogue, the invention of the librarian, for showing the titles of the books added. New titles can be inserted as added, and the whole of the titles can be revolved in front of the reader.

The news-room is partly in the basement, and is 14 feet in height. Everything in this room is fixed to reading stands or tables, including the directories. In addition to the usual daily papers, it contains sixty-four weeklies of about the size of the Saturday Review,