Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-03

tlOn OIL congress anu the pubic. ana 10
forward the interests of all seeking to Sc
cure or to verify copyright records, is often
remarked upon with surprise. But there
have been times when the utterly INSULT
cient force, and the pressure upon the Ii
brarian of official work which could not be
in accounts which wdre deeply regretted.
He shrinkS from no responsibility in this or
in any other matter, and while candidly
admitting a sense of humiliation that any
errors should be laid to his. charge, he
claims with equal candor that while he
may have erred in constructing too Eber-
ally certain provisions of law, he is free
from any conscious wrongdoins
six months ago he suggested to the ac-
counting officers of the Treasury Depart
ment his purpose to urge upon the atten-
ton of Congress the importance of separat-
ing the functions OF register of copyrights
in order to promptitu de and efficiency
of service. The sanFe9 recommended alton is
made in the annual report of the auditor,
ana is enforced by many considerations of
much weight. The appointment of suita-
bly, qualified register of copyrights, who,
should be a bonded officer, to have charge
of the entire business of copyrights, and of
the clerical force employed therein would
relieve the librarian from an immense bu-
reau of detail. and enable him to devote his
energies to the tasks immedia tely belong
ing to library interests The impending re-
Inoval to the new building, and the steady
and continued increase of the copyright
business with the incident labor, empha-
sizes this apparent necessity. Yet the re-
lief should not be deferred until the COM
pietion of the building, now more than a
year hence. The interest of the library
service and of Congress would be promoted
by an immediate provision for such an
officer with the increase in the clerical
force embodied in the estimates of the
librarian submitted to Congress. The regis
ter OF copyrights should be a skilled officer,
with special knowledge of copyright law
an i,16t cio niSin thora tic
compensation should be such as to secure
the best efficient service Of an expert.
Three additional copyright clerks are re-
quired to carry on the current work with
Cue efficiency, and to keep the important
and essential indexes up to date.
THE extensive business of the copyright
office should be organized into several di-
visions, embracing, O Administration gin
which a bookkeeper and cashier should be
employed, under the register); 2l CORE
Spondence; CD records; az index system;
90 files; 60 mails and stamping: 60 prepare
ton of copyright catalogue; 81 revision of
all work.
Congress will scarcely grudge the pro-
vision asked for to place the system of ma
tional and international copyright on a
footing of the highest efficiency, when it
considers the fact that the system pays into
the treasury average fees of $4,000 annual
ly, besides bringing into the library of the
government free of cost, a wealth of pub
LEGATIONS in literature, science and art which
1t would require much more than that sum
annually to purchase.
The Divisions Suggested.
The report further suggests that Con-
GEES consider the subject of the care of
the new library building. Mr.. Spofford is
of the opinion that the force of skilled en-
g.neers and electricians, with watchmen,
firemen and other employees, should be IN
charge of a superintendent of the building
and not of the librarian. He states that an
estimate for this service for such portion
of the fiscal year 1861 as the occupation
of the new building by the library may re-
quire has already been rendered to Con-
sress through the treasury.
Respecting the general question of re-
organization of the entire library SERVICE"
the report continues, lit may be gathered
from what has been laid before Congress
that the following departments or divisions
ale Ceemed important; % Printed books,
CD periodicals. 90 manuscripts, % maps
and charts, CD works of art, t6) catalogue
department, "a binding department. 81
s teI p Senee Office anf records CD superin
Each of these divisions should have a
competent head, and the salaries of those
employed in each should be graduated in
proportion to experience, capacity and re-
sponsib.Ity. Minor divisions. especially in
the department of printed books will be
necessary, but into details Of the distribu-
ton of duties among those specially skilled
IN various divisions of knowledge the Il
brarian Will not now enter, in view Of the
length of this report
The report gives some figures in regard to
the number of employees in the Congress
sonal Library as compared with some other
great Libraries. In regard to the expedi-
ency of removing the law library to the
new building Mr.. Spoford states that as
long as the Supreme Court continues its
sessions IN the Capitol he believes that the
convenience of that tribunal, as well as of
Congress- will be best subserved by con-
tinuing the law library in its present loca-
ton. or perhaps accommodating lit in one of
the upper halls to be vacated. As to the
disposition which will be made of the room
made vacant when the removal of the Ii
trary is effected, the report states that il is
suggested that a working reference library
of from ten to twenty thousand volumes
might usefully be left in the central library
hail.