New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-09-22
THE NATIONS LIBRARY.
4 Big Concern and the Nan Who Manages it
Onniscient SpofEord.

Washington Letter
One of the busiest persons in Wash
ington these hot summer days is Aims
worth R. Spofford, the librarian of
Congress. While other people are dis.
porting themselves by mountain or
seaside he is busy with his plans for
the new library building. And while
other people are happy in their relief
from work he is more happy in this
opportunity to devote himself to this
work. It has been the pet project of
his existence for many years. There
has been bill after bill in Congress for
the erection OF a library building, and
Mr.. Spofford has been waiting for
these many years to see the ac-
complishment of his hopes. Now
that the proposition has actually be-
come a fact and the land for the site
has been purchased, he cheerfully re-
linquishes his summer vacation for
the work he has so long hoped to see
accomplished.
Mr.. Spofford is a wonderful man.
Talk of walking encyclopedias, he is
an encyclopedia OF encyclopedias, and
a walking one, too. No matter what
you want to know, if it is to be found
out in books you have only to go to
Mr.. Spofford and he will put you in a
way to find it. He IS one of the bust
est men in Washington, but never too
busy to answer a question relating to
information to be had from books.
Approach him on any other subject
than the one connected with his
brief, often in monosyllables,
showing that he takes no interest in
the subject. Turn the conversation
to books or a kindred topic, and he
is all attention. He has studied the
library buildings of the world, and the
new building which is to be construct
ed under his supervision will be a
model, so far as it may with the rath-
er limited sum which Congress tardily
and grudgingly gave for the preserva-
ton of the splendid library which Mr..
Spofford has had in keeping and which
has so largely accumulated in the
past twenty-five years.
The library of Congress, to which
Mr.. Spofford was appointed librarian
by President Lincoln in 1868, then
consisted of perhaps $4,000 volumes.
Now it contains 100000 volumes OF
books and pamphlets. Then it's
quarters were considered commo-
dious and capacious; now they
are crowded with piles and
boxes of books that cannot be used
because there is not room for their
distribution, and many dark rooms
in the basement of the Capitol are
filled with volumes which cannot be
given accommodation in the library
itself. Then the salary of the librari-
an and his assistants was So, 900 or
$1,000 a year; now their total sala-
ries amount to nearly $40, 900 a year.
Then the library was surpassed by
many in different parts of the world;
now there are but four in the entire
world which outranks it. At the
rate of increase which has been the
rule for many years past, Mr.. Spoffocd
will have round million of books
and pamphlets to store away in his
new library building when 1t is COM
pleted. The rate of increase in the
number of works in the library in the
past year has been very rapid. Bylaw
every person who copyrights q book
must send two copies to the library.
Besides this Congress gives from $780,
600 to $75, 900 year for the pur-
chase of books for it, and under the
careful management OF Mr.. Spofford
this gives a rapid increase in the num-
Der Of its works. The library now is
increasing at the rate of nearly fifty
thousand volumes year. The col.
lection is a wonderful one. 1t
comprises books in ten different
languages, and on many important
subjects it has volume OF
every work published. Many OF the
works upon the shelves are especially
valuable for their antiquity, while in
all new publications, both in this coun-
try and elsewhere, it keeps fully up to
the times.
The library, while it is called the
library of Congress, is really the Ii
brary of the people. Anybody who
visits it may examine at his leisure
any VI tAe WOIkS u pom us SuelVeS, anu,
by depositing the value OF any book,
may take it to his home and keep it
q considerable time. 1t is the Mecca
ofthe historian and careful writer from
all parts of the country. They travel
here to study the works of reference
upon its shelves, and any day you
may SEQ within its walls men and WON.
en- OF letters studying the valuable
records which it contains.
The library was founded in 1902
with some three thousand volumes
carefully selected in London. John
Randolph was one of its earliest
friends and supporters. Jefferson
was also its friend, and when he found
it necessary to part with his fine col
lection of books they were promptly
purchased by Congress and added to
the libsary- It is said that Jefferson
shed tears on parting with his library,
which was sor that time very fine
one. Like other features of the great
Government it has had its reverses.
It was destroyed by fire when the
British invaded Washington in 1914.