The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-24
OUR NATIONAL LIBRARY.
Some Information About the New
Building, Which Is to Cost
100000
It Will Before Long Contain the
Largest Library In the
World.
Librarian spofEord shows New Our Liter
ary AIen Are In~creasinE-He Dis.
cusses the Copyright.
Written Tor the HELENA INDEPENDENT.

Written for the HELENA INDEPENDENT.
"HE GREAT AMERICAN BRAIN IS
.A/ the most active brain in the world.
~ The gray matter which lines our
Uranium seems to grow in power
from year to year, and there are almost az
many literary inventions as there ara me-
chsnical ones. We nrs fast becoming q
bookish nation. al we'll as a working ons,
and the day will eoms when our national
library Of congress will surpass in sizs any
of tho other great libraries Of tho world.
We have ono Of the finest Librarians Of the
world in the Hon. Ainsworth r. Spoiford,
who for a quarter Of q century has bson
dealing ont books to the congrsssmen
scientists and litsrateurs who make Wash
inRton their headquarters. I called on
Mr., Spofford yssterday and asked him to
tell ms the extent Of the library and TO rive
ME the condition of the copyright bill. He
talks most interestingly, u ths revised
result Of his conversation is tho following.
Said he:
"Wo have now in the National library
very nearly 100000 bound volumes and
200.00 0 pamphlets. This is an immense
amount Of literary matter, and wc now
rank as the sixth great library in the world.
Thu five greater ones are the National
library of France at Paris. the British mu-
scum library at London, the Royal library
of Germany nj Berlin, the Imperial library
of Russia at St. Petersburg. Ths Paris
volumes. Tho British museum library
ranks second, with 1,5OO, 900 volumes.
''Theae foreign Libraries are mu0h Older
than ours. The library of congress had q
small beginning in the year 1900, when an
appropriation of $4,000 was made to pur-
chase books for the use of
congress. The selections were limited
to such works rs were needed by the
members for reference. As = people We
were then almost unknown in literature,
There was evidently no thought Of giving
to tho library its present vida scope. Ad-
diticns were made from time to time and
the Library gradually assumed a moro ex-
tended rangs.
Besides copies of all books copyrighted
and published in the United States. the IL
brary contains probably 100000 foreign
books which arc procured by both purchase
and exchange. About three-fourths Of the
whole number ars Of American and English
issue. The remaining fourth represents all
civilized nations of the world, with france
and Germany in the lead. There are books
in all the languages of Europe, and g linz
tied number from Asia and other countries.
Any foreigner visiting Washington and
wishing to consult books in his mother
tongue may find them here
Does the library grow much from year
to ysar?"
1.-The yearly increase Of books in the IL
brary il from. Il, 1000 to 10000. In the actual
number of volumes the increase is 10, 900 to
10000 greater, az the copyright law requires
the filing of two copies of each publica-
ton. One copy is placed in the library and
the other ia deposited in tho copyright arch
ives. From 5000 to 5000 volumes, chiefly