Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-10-15
THE liATlo Ms LIBRARY.

Cincinnati 1Inaes- star writes: One Of
the busiest periods in Washington these
hot summer days IS Ainsworth r.
6poford. tho librarian Of congress.
While other people are disporting
themselves " mountain or seaside he
IS busy with hia plans for the new
library building. And while other
people are happy il their relief from
work be i more happy in the oppor-
Ztunity to devote himself to this work.
Il has been the pet project Of his ex-
istence for many years. There had
been bill after bill IN congress for the
erection Of : library building, and MI.
=Spoford has been waiting for these
many years to see the accomplishment
of his hopes. Now that the PROPOSE
ton has actually become a fact and the
land for the site has been purchased,
be chcerfully rolinquishes his summer
vacation for the work he has 50 long
hoped to see accomplished. > Il Z IL -. ;.
Mr.. Spofford is a wonderful man.
Talk of walking encyclopedias, he is
an encyclopedias of encyclopedias, and
a walking one. too. No matter what
you want to know, if it is to be found
out Of books you have only to go to
Mr.: Spofford and he will put.you in q
way to find it, He is one of the busiest
men in Washington, but never too busy
to answer a question relating to infor-
nation TO be had from books. ..Ap-
proach him on any other subject than
the one connected with his life study
and his replies are brief, often in mono
syllables. showing that he takes no
interest in the subject. Turn the con-
versation to books or kindred topic,
and he is all attention. He has studied
the library buildings of the world, and
the new building which is to be con-
structed under his supervision will be a
model, 50 far Us it may with the rather
limited SUM which congress tardily
and grudgingly gave for the preserva-
ton of the splendid library which MIR.
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 consist
of perhaps $4,000 volumes, Now it
contains $50, 900 volumes of books and
pamphlets. Then it's quarters were
considered commodious and capacious;
now they are crowded with piles and
boxes of books that can not be used
because there is not room for their dis
tribution, and many. dark rooms in the
basement of the capitol are filed with
volumes which can not be given &C.
commodation in the library itself
Then the salary of the librarian and his
assistants was Sc, 900 or 81, 900 year;
now their total salaries amount to
nearly $40, 900 year. Then the library
was surpassed by many in different
parts of the world; now there are but
four in the entire world which outrank
it. At the rate of increase which has
been the rule for many years past, Mr..
Spoford will have round million of
books and pamphlets to store away in
his new library building when it is COM
pleted. The rate of increase ia the
number of works in the library in the
past year has been very rapid. By law
every person who copyrights book
must send two copies to the library.
Besides this congress gives from $780,
900 to SIS, 900 a year for the purchase
of books for it, and under the careful
management of Mr.. Spo8ord this gives
rapid increase in the number Of its
works. The library now is increasing
at the rate of nearly fifty thousand vol
umes a year. The collection is = won
derful ones It comprises books in ten
different languages, and on many i'm
portant subjects 1t has a 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 tho
library of congress, is really the library
of the people. Anybody who visits it
may examine at his leisure any of the
works upon its shelves, and, by de-
posting the value of any book, may
take it to his home and keep it for a
considerable time. 1t is the Mecca of
the historian and careful writer from
all parts of the country, They travel
here to study the works of reference
upon it shelves. and any day you may
see within its walls men and women Of
letters studying the valuable records
which it contains. s =
The library was founded in 1902 with
some three thousand volumes carefully
selected in London. John Randolph
was one of its earliest friends and sup
porters. Jefferson was also its friend,
and when he found it necessary to part
with his fine collection of books they
were promptly purchased by congress