REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY. JOHN V. L. PRUYN, Chancellor of the University; appointed Regent May 4, 1844; residence, Albany. ERASTUS C. BENEDICT, Vice-Chancellor; appointed Regent March 22, 1855, residence, New York. The Governor (JOHN A. DIX), ex-officio. The Lieutenant-Governor (JOHN C. ROBINSON), ex-officio. The Secretary of State (G. HILTON SCRIBNER), ex-officio. The Superintendent of Public Instruction (ABRAM B. WEAVER), ex-officio. OFFICERS OF STATE LIBRARY AND STATE CABINET. Henry A. Homes, Librarian, General Library. Stephen B. Griswold, Librarian, Law Library. George R. Howell, Assistant Librarian. James Hall, Director of the State Museum of Natural History. On Appropriations for the Purchase of Books and Apparatus. On Arrangements for the Visitation of Colleges and Academies. The Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. Warner. On Preliminary Academic Examinations. Mr. Perkins, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Pierson. Mr. Rankin, LAWS AND REGULATIONS RELATIVE TO THE NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY. I. EXTRACTS FROM THE LAWS OF THE STATE RELATIVE TO THE LIBRARY. SECTION 1.* The regents of the university of the state of New York are hereby constituted, and shall continue, the trustees of the state library. (Laws of 1844, chap. 255, sec. 1.) SEC. 2. The trustees hereby appointed shall have power, from time to time, to appoint a librarian to superintend and take care of said library, and to prescribe such rules and regulations for the government of the library as they shall think proper, and to remove the librarian at any time when they shall deem it expedient; but for the purpose of removing or appointing a librarian twelve of the said trustees shall be required to form a quorum. (Same chap., sec. 3.) SEC. 3. The assistant librarian and messenger shall be appointed by the trustees of the library. (Laws of 1848, chap. 262, sec. 2.) For second assistant, see Laws of 1855, chap. 538, sec. 1, and chap. 539, sec. 1. SEC. 4. The state library shall be kept open every day in the year, Sundays excepted, during such hours in each day as the trustees of the said library may direct. (Laws of 1844, chap. 255, sec. 5.) SEC. 5. The librarian shall be constant in his personal attendance upon the library during the hours it shall be directed to be kept open, and shall perform such other duties as may be imposed by law or by the rules and regulations which may be prescribed by the said trustees. (Same chap., sec. 6.) SEC. 6. The acting trustees will, from time to time, give directions to the librarian in relation to the proper and safe keeping of the books, maps, charts and other property belonging to the said library; and may, by way of amercement for every violation or neglect of duty, suspend or deduct from his salary or emolument any part thereof, not exceeding half of it in any one year. (Laws of 1840, chap. 381, sec. 3.) The sections are, for convenience, numbered without reference to their original numbers. SEC. 7. The trustees of the state library may, from time to time, sell or exchange duplicate or imperfect books belonging to the library, not necessary for the use thereof. (Laws of 1845, chap. 85, sec. 3.) SEC. 8. It shall be the duty of the trustees of the state library, annually, to report to the legislature the manner in which the moneys by them received during the year preceding have been expended; together with a true and perfect catalogue of all the books, maps and charts which have been added to the library since the date of the last preceding annual report, and whether any, and if so what, books, maps and charts have been lost; and also, at the end of every five years, to report, in like manner, a full and perfect catalogue of all the books, maps and charts then remaining in the library. (Laws of 1844, chap. 255, sec. 7.) SEC. 9. It shall be the duty of the trustees to provide, in their regulations, that any member of the senate or assembly, during the session of the legislature, or during the sitting of the court for the correction of errors,* or of the senate only, shall be permitted, under proper restrictions, forfeitures and penalties, to take to his boarding-house or private room any book belonging to the library, except such books as the trustees shall determine are necessary always to be kept in the library as books of reference; but no member of the legislature shall be permitted to take or detain from the library more than two volumes at any one time. (R. S., part I, chap. 8, title 8, sec. 6.) SEC. 10. Before the president of the senate, or the speaker of the assembly, shall grant to any member a certificate of the time of his attendance, he shall be satisfied that such member has returned all books taken out of the library by him, and has settled all accounts for fines for injuring such books or otherwise. (Same title, sec. 7.) SEC. 11. It shall also be the duty of the trustees to provide, in their regulations, that no book, map or other publication shall at any time be taken out of the library by any other person than a member of the legislature, for any purpose whatever. (Same title, sec. 8.) SEC. 12. The heads of the several departments, and the trustees of the state library, shall have the same right to take books from the library as is now enjoyed by members of the legislature. (Laws of 1848, chap. 85, sec. 1.) SEC. 13. The judges of the court of appeals, and the justices of the supreme court, shall be allowed to take books from the *This court was abolished under the state constitution of 1846. library under the same regulations as the members of the legis lature. (Laws of 1848, chap. 262, sec. 3.) Concurrent Resolution of the Senate and Assembly, April 9, 1856. (Laws of 1856, p. 364.) Resolved, That the trustees of the state library be authorized and required to close the said library for the period of fifteen days in each year, to wit, from the fifth to the twentieth day of August, for the purpose of cleaning and dusting the books of the said library, and for making such internal arrangements as the trustees may think proper. II. RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE LIBRARY, PRESCRIBED BY THE TRUSTEES. 1. The library shall be open to the public daily, as required by law (Sundays, and fifteen days from the fifth to the twentieth of August, excepted), from the hour of nine in the morning till five in the afternoon; and during the sessions of the legislature, till eight in the afternoon, except on Saturdays, when it will be closed at five. While the court of appeals, or any general term of the supreme court, is in session at the capitol during the recess of the legislature, the law library will also be open till eight o'clock in the afternoon, except on Saturdays as aforesaid. 2. It shall be the duty of the librarian and the assistant librarians carefully to preserve the books, maps, charts, engravings, manuscripts, medals, furniture and other property belonging to the library. They will be severally held accountable for the full value of every article missing from the respective departments, and for every injury, except from ordinary use, unless it can be shown that some other person is responsible for such loss or injury; the amount of such loss or injury to be deducted from the salary of such officer, pursuant to section 3, of chapter 381 of the Laws of 1840. 3. Whenever the library is open, the librarian and assistant librarians shall be in attendance; they shall preserve order, and exclude, if necessary, any disorderly person; they shall prevent smoking, loud talking, and all noise inappropriate to the quietness of a place of study. 4. Any person who wishes to obtain any book for perusal in the general library, will be furnished at the desk of either of the librarians in attendance with a card, on which he will inscribe from the catalogue the title of the book described, and his own name. The book thus received must not be taken from the library hall; on returning it to the librarian's desk, the card will |