Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-18
LIBRARY FACILITIES
Washington's Efforts to Secure Ao-
cess to Book Collections,
WANT IN TEE MIDST OF PLENTY
Reasons for the Creation of the
Free Municipal Library.
THE THREAT OF REPEAL

| The project for free public library for
| the city of Washington under combined
municipal and national auspices has been
| under way for some years. This project
which was attacked in the House Thursday
by Representative Dockery with a threat
of the repeal of the law creating it, is as
yet merely legal entity without actual
existence. having been provided for in the
statutes. but not in the appropriations.
Several reasons operated and still OPP
| crate to suggest the necessity of a free
| municipal library for the national city.
| The great multitude of books gathered here
| in one collection and another has at no
| time been available to the citizens or the
school children for full usefulness in con-
| sultation. The chief item in this aggre-
cation of collections u.s. of course, the Con-
gressional Library, with its 100000 volumes
| In addition there upward of 100000
volumes scattered among dozen govern
| ment departments and bureaus, thus MAX
ing at least million books gathered to-
gether by the government for general and
| special purposes. Under ordinary circum-
| stances SUCH an aggregation of literature
| might satisfy the most eXacting demands
OF any community, but restrictions have
| surrounded these various libraries TO he
| effect of practically isolating the entir..
| city of Washington from participation in
| the benefits to be derived from those books.
The Congressional Library Under Re-
| strictiOns.
The main difficulty with the ConEres-
| sional Library has always been the fact
| that 1t is not available save during the
office hours maintained by the govern
ment. That is to say. access to the library
is practically denied the 10000 government
| employees residing in this city whose hours
| labor cOlncfdp w ha Of ha
| ibrarys accessibility; the 1900 working
men who are employed even beyond the
| period during which the books may be
| consulted and, in large part, the 3;i, 900
| or more school children over twelve years
| of age, who are at liberty to frequent the
| library only during a small fraction of the
consultation period The obvious remedy
| for this situation is to open the library
| at night, and propositions to this effect have
been made for many years. As long as
| the library was housed in its old building
| there was little prospect of persuad:ng
| Congress to permit the consultation of
the books after dark. inasmuch the
| library rooms were not fitted with the
| proper mears of illumination, and were at
| best small, inadequate and inconvenient.
| Consequently, whenever the project of
night-opening was advanced. to meet the
| evident needs of the population and of the
| transient tourists who, spending DAYS or
| weeks at the capital have at all times de-
| sired to avail themselves of the library.
| reference was made to the fact that the
| Congressional Library would approximate
| ly soon be housed in a modern structure of
| Its own containing every facility for night
| use and for other lines of development.
| No Circulation of the Books.
But even with the library open for use
at night it would still remain a reference
! library pure and simple, prohibiting the full
| benefit from the collection that is desired
| from the circulation of the books among
| the homes of the people. At one time the
| Congressional Library was available to
| some extent for circulating purposes. A
| rule was in force permitting the drawing OF
| books by persons who would deposit the
| supposed value OF the volume with the
| librarian IN order to insure its return. Com
| paratiyely few citizens could avail them
| selves of the privilege, and in the nature OF
things the number and class of books that
| could be properly permitted to go beyond
| the wells Of the library in circulation was
| limited in view of the fact that the chief
| characteristic of the collection has always
| beer its service for reference in the aid OF
| Congress and other branches of the govern
! ment, and in view of the additional fact
| that copyrighted volumes were viewed
| to be retained in the library as a depos-
| tory under the law.
AS the date for the completion of the new
| library structure approached II was deem
| ed wise to Withdraw even this scant priv
| ilege of taking books from the library, and
| for some years the people have had but the
| barest access tc the treasures of this great
| collection. The clerks in certain depart
| ments have been enabled to reach a few
| thousand volumes constituting the miscel-
laneouS features of the departmental Ii
| braries, but these collections being prac-
| tically unrepienished, their usefulness has
been steadily diminishing as the necessi-
| ties for book use among the people in
creased.
The Public Schools Handicapped.
1t was long ago recognized that the pub
| lie school 81 stem of Washington, acknowl
edged to be on a par with the best educa-
| tional equipme nts anywhere in the country
| on a similar scale, was materially lacking
! in that the pupils had no general access to
| books so essential to the completion OF
their work. Save in the case of the Central
| High School-and later perhaps one or two
other large buildngs-the schools have been
practically unprovded with miscellaneous
| literature, and teachers and principals and
trustees have alike at all times voiced the
complaint that the educational work car
| ried on in the city was under handicap IN
view of the lack of ample literary facilities
for reference consultation and study.
These many reasons point to the
absolute necessity of the creation OF IL
brary under municipal auspices with gov
ernmental cooperation, that should place
within the reach of the people without
| cost to them a large and growing collec-
| ton of books. well chosen. centrally housed
and under efficient management Such a
collection was thought to be Imperative,
especially in view OF Inc 1act tnat tne ue-
fects in the Congressional Library, from
the standpoint of the citizens. were not ]
within the prospect of immediate remedy.
Therefore it that the board Of trade
began its active advocacy of the creation
of free municipal library. The campaign
conducted by the board through its COM
mittee on this subject was carried on UNI
remittingly and under material difficulties.
Whenever the subject was brought to the
attention of the committees or members of
Congress objection was raised by the latter
that the people of Washington had within
their reach the magnificent collection in the
Congressional Library. Notwithstanding the
fact. that it was repeatedly shown by re-
ports and personal arguments that the
Congressional Library conferred practically
no benefits whatever upon the citizens or
upon those visiting the Capitol who were
occupied during business hours. 1t took
time to overcome the inertia of Congress in
this matter and to meet and satisfy the
prejudices of individual representatives and |
senators who seemed to feel that the Con-
gressional Library was sufficient for any
community, notwithstanding its stringent
restrictions.
Books From Department Libraries.