Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-09
Increase Showing the Publishing
Aetivitive Of t,,>e Country.
VIEWS CT LIBRARIAN SPQFFORD
Arrangement of the Collection in
the New Building.
n Z W S P A P E r Fl L E s

In addition to what was printed in The
Star of the special report made to Congress
the otEer day by Mr.. A. r. Spofford, the IL
brar!an of Congress, the following extracts
Will be found to be of INTEREST,"
The librarian trusts hat 1t will not be
deemed inappropriate, to set forth in
some detail for the Information of Con-
gress the facts involved in the rapid growth
of the library which has been under his
charge from 10000 volumes in 1864 to I25,ooo
volumes in 1898. No reports had been made
to Congress before he became librarian, and
the act which required copy of every book
protected by copyright % be deposited in
the Library of Congress had been repealed
in 1859. In 1865. on recommendation of the
librarian, this requirement was restored.
but few books were received by the IL
brary. in the absence of any penalty and of
any records to show what publications were
actually due, that it became obviously nee
essary to institute radical change in the
law. The records of copyright we're scat
tered over hirty-seven states; were kept
upon no uniform system, the district court
offices were imperfectly known; there was
no certainty in verifying copyright property
from the multitude of offices. md the library
of the government secured but small por-
ton of the publications to which ii was en-
titled
These considerations prevailed with Con-
gre5s to change the whole system. By the
enactment of the statute of 1870 all the de-
fects in the methods of registra ton and de-
post of copies were obviated. The original
records OF copyright in all the states were
transferred to Washington and all rec
erds of copyright entry were thencefor-
ward kept in the office of the librarian of
Congress. All questions AS to literary prop
erty involving a search of records to deter
mine points of validity. such as priority of
entry names OF actual owners transfers nj
assignments timely deposit of the required
copies, etc.. could be determined upon in
quiry at single Office of record. These in
qulrles are extremely numerous, and OBJ
Viousiy very important involving frequently
large interests in valuable publications in
which litigation to establish the rights of
authors, publishers or infringerS has been
commenced or threatened
BY the full records Of copyright entries
thus preserved. moreover, the Library If
Congress (Which is the property Of the ma
tom has been enabled to secure what was
BEFORE unattainable. namely, an approx
1rnately complete collection Of all American
books and other publications.. protected by
copyright. sir ce the legislation referred to
went IL to effect.
Increased the librarians Duties
But this measure, so obviously great
step in the direction Of improved and eff
Gent working OF the copyright system
brought to the Library of Congress greatly
increased labor and responsibility. 1t add
ed to the duties of the librarian, previously
limited to the library itself, an extensive
bureau of detail, the business of which in
volved heavy correspondence, the daily
recording and issuing certificates of copy
rights applied for, with the indexing in
VOWED. and the receipts and care of the
multitude of publications received in full
nllment OF the law. All this business had to
lie organized and admins tered in the mar
row ana already overcrowded space occu-
pied by the library. After two years ex-
perience under the new system, which, of
course. greatly enriched the library with
publications of all kinds, the librarian made
an earnest appeal to Congress in his annual
report for 1872
This appeal. made nearly quarter of a
century ago, and repeated in more succinct
form in many annual reports since made,
led to inquiries and reports by various COM
mittees and commissions instituted by Con-
gress from 1873 to 1886 But the conflicts of
opinion about a PROPER site. and about plans
cost and architects. led to repeated post
porements of the whole subject from year
to year. Meanwhile the great library kept
en- growing, while the plans for additional
accommodation stood still. The constant
growth of the copyright department, keep
ing pace with the publishing activities of
tine country, is exhibited in the following
table of annual entries of copyrights
in the office of the librarian from the re-
moval of the records to Washington in
1870. to 1895:
1870. $500 1888. 252T3
1S71........... 12,6SS 1884 ... 2GsG,