Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-24
THE NEW LIBRARY
A Section of Literature for the
Blind to Be Formed.
WHAT Mr.. YOUNG SAYS ABOUT IT
New Plan Of Keeping Copyright
Accounts Proposed.
A YSTEM OF ECKS

There will be a novel department in the
i new Congressional Library, when 1t Is en-
tirely completed and ready for business,
| which is the idea of Mr.. John Russell
| Young, and one in which he takes the
greatest interest.
! This will be a section solely for the blind,
| and will have nothing In it but books with
raised letters, SO that they can indulge
| their intellectual tastes just as we'll as
! those readers who have two good orbs, and
have never known what 1t is to be deprived
| of the beauties of nature and much that
| makes life worth living. The sightless,
| hereafter, will rise up and call Mr.. Young
blessed, for he will provide every available
| means for their comfort and convenience
while patronizing the library of Congress
| and the great American public. An attend
ant will be put in charge of the blind de-
partment who understands the ways of
the dark-days people, who will see that
they have their wants in the literary line
supplied rs far possible.
| Extensive Provisions Contaminated.
Mr. Young stated today that his idea on
| the subject of providing raised letter books
| for the blind had originated some time ago.
\ that he had determined to carry 1t out, and
| that the matter was progressing so salts
! there would be no difficulty in its compile
ton. There are number of volumes with
| raised letters in the old library, but owing
| to the crowded condition existing there it
| was impossible to provide suitable means
| for the ones who wished to consult them
and accommodate them in this regard.
The books were there, but might just
well have not been, for the little good they
Gid the people for whom they were in
| tended.
| In addition to the books for the blind
which are in the old place, and which have
accumulated there ever since the raised
letter sy stem was invented Mr.. Young will
provide others, so that practically all lit
erature of this kind will be included in
| the section of the library set aside for the
purpose. Letters have been written to the
heads OF institutions for the blind ard lists
of publications obtained. These will be
embodied in a catalogue, SO that at
glance, or rather at touch, the raised
letter contents of the library can be known,
and whatever is wished for brought into
requisition. Mr.. Young has had the ad
vice of a number of persons fully COM
petent to gre opinion on the matter, and
will at on their suggestions as well as
what ideas he has himself. When the
whole is completed there will be nearly
thousand volumes, periodicals and other
kinds of literature for the sightless to
| feast not their eyes upon, but their minds
minds.
1t will hot be ar untt mmon thing, when
the plan is worked out, for visitors in the
| library to men, women. and doubtless
children engaged in tracing the letters
which to the touch of the unskilled would
mean IothiEg but passing the fingers over
| a rough surface, but to the contact read
ers would open Up the undving and soul
refreshing waters of the Pierian spring.
1t will hardly be necessary for the section
| to which they will be consigned to be as
| well lighted as the others Of the library.
Proposed Copyright Plan.
Librarian Young IS an exceedingly busy
| man nowadays. He is carrying to COM
| pletion his idea of how the copyrights
| should be kept. and how that important
| department of the library should be run on
strictly business principles. There are on
| an average of probably 10000 copyrights
| issued on all material each year Mt the
| library. and Mr.. Young is of the opinion
| that the copyright of each man. though
| but dollar has been paid for il, should
be fully protected in every particular, and
| close watch kept on everything pertaining
| to it. He regards copyright stuff fully as
important as patents or trade marks. and
all care will be taken to prevent law suits
| or any suggestion of them.
AS far as possible the copyright depart
ment will be run on the same lines as the
treasury and only trained people employed
when practicable. There will be an expert
accountant bookkeeper, and accounts will
be turned In each week, while close records
of the whole business. every transaction,
will be taken. Mr.. Alvord, Mr.. Ioung's
assistant, has been in consultation with
treasury experts for some time in regard
to inaugurating a system for carrying on
the copyright business, which impos-
| sible in the library at the Capitol, owing
| to the hampered condition of affairs there
and the lack of a suitable force.
To Prevent Theft of Books.
In addition to this the librarian has been
evolving a system to be used in the law
library so that it will in the future be i'm
possible for volumes to be made way with
as was the case recently, and for which
the thief was sentenced. There a
number of volumes missing from the
shelves of the library, some CT them most
important ones, but it is thought they will
be all recovered Some thirty volumes,
| believed to have been taken by Lloyd, have
been recovered from two or three second
hard bookstores of the city, and the
search is still going on for other volumes
in different stores. Assistant Law Librar-
ian Wilkinson and the others are making
every effort to find books which have gone
astray. Among the ones just recovered
were some volumes which could not have
been duplicated if not found. The pur-
loiner evidently knew their value, for he
had been at ore time attached to the law
library. but had been discharged. These
were nine volumes of Grattan'S Virginia
Reports, practically invaluable. Every
| trace by which the ownership could be dis
covered had been removed, an eraser hav-
Ing been used on them with evident trou-
BILE.
Perfect Check System.
1t is the custom for judges of the SD
preme Court, senators and representatives
to order at times whole shelves of books
bearing upon any particular subject in
which they are interested. 1t is thought
that the disappearance Of many of the
volumes can be attributed to this. 1t is
not believed that books have been taken
by any one but the man who was recently
| convicted. 1t is a matter of fact that ole
book was taken from the library by per-
son having full authority to borrow it. ami
was not returned foH twenty-seven years.
While Librarian Young recognizes per-
| fectly the right of Supreme Court judges,
senators and representatives to take the
volumes, the system which he will inaug-
urate will prevent total strangers or
casual visitors to the library from leaving
| the place with books in their possession.
A perfect check system will be instituted.
The work of moving the volumes from
the old library to the new one still contin-
| ues, it having been begun yesterday. This