Evening star., 1896-12-01
Evidence Before the Joint Committee
Of Acknowledged Experts.
POSSIBILITIES OF The INSTITUTION
How It Should Aid in Educating
the People.
THE FORCE REQUIRED


BY appointment, a number OF prominent
librarians from other cities We're present
to give their views to the committee upon
the methods Of conduct of great library
These included Mr.. w. II. Brett, president
of the American Library Association. and
librarian of the Public Library of Cleve-
land, Ohio; Mr.. VIM. l. Fletcher, librarian
of Amherst College; Mr.. Herbert Putnam.
librarian of the Boston Public Library:
Mr. c. c. Soule, president of the Boston
Book Company and library trustee; Mr..
George H. Baker. librarian of Columb bia
College. New York, and Mr. Dewey, state
librarian at Albany. n. Y.
Mr. Brctt's Testimony.
Mr.. Brett was examined first The Ameri-
can Library Association Of which he is
president, Is an association of library
trustees. representing membership of
about 500. The association aims to pro-
mote the interests Of libraries in this coun-
Try IN every way possible. At the last
meeting OF the association a resolution was
discussed proposing & committee to confer
with the congressional committee upon the
removal of the Congressional Library but
acton IN that direction was deferred until
an lnVitatlon should be received from the
congressional committee. The association
VIII appoint such committee if re-
queSted.
ASA' DeNsS f1NHmlhcO.
Prof Melville Dewey of Albany was then
examined. He is director of the state
library and secretary of the University of
the State OF New York an association of
independent educational institutions bound
together in federation 1t is not teach
Ing organization, but a supervisory one
professor Dewey is the organizer of the
school In New York, which gives technical
M MiiIstructlon ana course of training to per-
sens desiring to enter library work. There
are several other such schools now located
IN Philadelphia. Baltimore and Chicago
ILcluding a number of summer schools
The result of the efforts to create n class
OF professional librarians has been very
gratifying. more SO, in fact, than could
have been expected.
A few years ago the number of men of
fuller education engaged as librarians was
very small. The English idea seemed to
prevail that the librarian was a kind of
upper Janitor, to take care of the books
and see that they were not stolen. Now il
Is different. Professional Librarians and
men or higher education are taking charge
Prof. Dewey recognized the fact, he said,
that the Congressional Library should be
the head of the library movement This end
OF the century will bee ONE known as the
library age. There has been development
along that line all over the world. No ma
tion takes higher rank in this regard than
America.
I'VE are now repeating in the case of
in regard to the public schools. in the edu-
cation of the people. The library is not
only desirable thing; 1t is an absolutely
necessary thing in public education said
Prof. Dewey.
The necessities of the century make it
impossible to teach the average child more
than merely how to read. He is then turn
ed out as a bread winner. His education
after that must depend upon the library.
The free public library, said Prof. Dewey,
is the greatest Of all minor educational
agencies
1.-The United States now has the finest Ii
brary building on this planet" said Prof.
Dewey 1t behooves Congress, however.
not to abate any of the great idea upon
which this library was started.
Mr.. Quigg said that admitting that this
country has the greatest library in the
world, how is 1t to be made to benefit the
people and the library movement?
The National Head of All Libraries.
Professor Dewey said the Congressional
Library should first be made the national
head of all libraries. 1t should contain the
catalogues and indexes of all publications
new books. magazines and pamphlets. Then
every library should be enabled to get a
copy of that catalogue. The work of cata-
lcguing these books should be multiplied
for the whole United States. The Con-
gressional Library is the one place where
such cataloguing could be done most sue
cessfully.
What do you mean by complete sys-
tenn of cataloguing?" asked Mr. Quigg.
"A system that will enable man to
come into this great library and get at
once the publications upon the subject that
are the most useful to him." answered Pro-
fessor Dewey. Take the subject of cleo
tricity, for instance. The man wants to
get at once to the particular branch or ap-
plcation of the science of electricity in
which he is interested. To do this, a book
must not be only catalogued upon it's sub
loot hY1f oil =;
or sub-head Of the subject within the book
The volume might contain 80 per cent ref
erence to one subject, and then have ten
pages of the latest and most complete in
formation upon a branch or application
upon that subject
What else could be done in the national
library besides this cataloguing to benefit
the cOuntry?" asked Mr.. Quigg
Prof. Dewey said the Congressional Lii
brary should have charge of the distribu-
tion Of duplicates of books. 1t ought to be
a great national university in itself. The
library will be the hest place in the world
for student to come to study any subject.
1t should be the place where the student
&C uld get more info rmation than any other
place In the world.
We'll, suppose we have this. the greatest
library on earth. what can we do to aid
education?" asked MI. Quigg
List uf All the Books In the World
Prof. Dewey said the photography of the
library should be complete. There should
be list of all the books in the world
There may be books the library cannot get.
but there should be enumeration of them,
and reference to the libraries where they
could be obtained. Other nations, of course.
would have to cooperate
Another feature Nhich should be made
prominent is what is known as the CORE
spondence department. This is a staff of
paid assistants who look up matters de-
sired by people elsewhere. They send to
the library, the books are consulted, the in
formation is copied and the student is
charged with the bare cost of the labor
For instar ce. student in California might
desire information that was absolutely nee
essary Two hours research by paid en-
ploye could find and copy it, and the stu
dent be saved the expense of the journey
The Congressional Library should be di-
vided into sections including different sub
jects with a chief for each one. He should
be a specialist in that line of research and
make himself familiar with the literature
upon the subject. The field of knowledge
is now too great for one man to keep in his
head The librarian need not be a chemist
to take charge of works on chemistry but
he must be familiar with the literature of
chemistry. That specialist could acquaint
himself with the value Of the different
Continued on Eighth Page)