Evening star., 1900-10-12
Librarian Putnam Believes in Their
Circulation.
CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY LIMITED
Provisions for the Local Public in
stitution Inadequate.
S q RIP LUIS LICATES

Library was today questioned by a Star re-
porter concerning his administration Of the
| big depository Of books Of which he is in
| charge. Mr.. Putnam spoke concerning the
| reports in relation to the policy Of restrict
| ing the circulation Of books of the library,
| except as provided by statute, and Of the
| former custom of allowing books that could
| readily be replaced to be withdrawn upon
| the making Of a deposit fully covering their
| value. He explained that this privilege was
withdrawn seven or eight years ago and
| that when he took office 1t did not exist
either by custom or law. so that he had
neither abolished nor contracted any privi-
| lege of any class Of readers.
do you think the privilege should ex-
ist?" he was asked.
II am not prepared to say" he replied.
my experience has been with libraries en-
couraging to the utmost extent the circula-
ton Of books outside their walls. That
such library should exist for the benefit
of the residents Of the District there can
be no question. 1t may be that the Library
| Of Congress. as the national library OF the
| United States, has. like the British Mu-
scum. primary obligation which may con-
| fict with such functlons-the obligation Of
preserving. Whether 1t shall be such a
| library is for Congress to determine"
Then the fact that the borrower leaves
a deposit does not affect the question:"
was suggested.
Losses Are Trifing.
"It is not at all a question of security.
The loss in. public libraries through failure
| Of borrowers to return their books is tri-
| fling. No, the decision to make this purely
| a reference library, II final, would rest
chiefly on other grounds-that it is it's pri-
| mary duty to preserve unimpaired the is
sues Of the press Of this country, and that
C re INT
may come from distance in the expecta-
| ton of finding all its collections accessible
within it's walls. These are, l suppose, the
considerations which operate to make the
British Museum a purely reference IL
brary."
But this will not be purely reference
| library SO long as members OF Congress
take out books"
mo, but this privilege rests with them,
not because this is a national library but
because it is still the Library of Congress.
What then your reference to this
matter of use of books in your talk with
the employees the other day?"
Simply this. The classes to whom books
may be issued (members of Congress. JUS
tees and a few other designated officials)
are especially prescribed by statute. That
statute does not authorize the issue OF books
to the ordinary residents of the District.
The prohibition is hard enough in itself.
The library employees must not make 1t
harder by favoritism. No one resident of
the District should be able to say that,
while he is precluded by law from getting
hooks his neghbor Is able to get them
through his friendship with an employee
Inadequate Local Facilities.
do you think that the facilities for the
home use Of books now offered to the resi-
dents of the District are adequate?'
ION the contrary The present Washing
ton library, active as 1t Is is not even pro-
1Iyith he
ent appropriations are scarcely more than
those reasonable for village library. In
deed, the increase asked for the immediate
future seems to me far beoW the require
ments of city such as this.
Did you use the term len1ently. In re-
ferring to what Congress had done or was
intending to do for the District, in your
recent talk with your employees?
II did not discuss what Congress had
done or intended to do for the District OF
course | did not use that term and as lit
tie thought 1t. do not understand It's use
in any such connection. Is the District
culprit that 1t should ask the Indulgence OF
Congress? The notion is a whimsical one.
by what authority are employees OF the
Congressional Library allowed to withdraw
books for their home use?
Employer Privileges.
at is universally the custom Of Libraries
to allow employees to withdraw books for
home use When l talked to the employees
of the library l reminded them that this
exception in their favor had undoubtedly
been made upon the theory that 1T was
necessary to advance their efficiency as en-
ployes Of the library, and that 1t was sup
posed they would withdraw books that
would advance their usefulness to the IL
brary; also that they must not draw books,
as they knew at a time when their with
drawal by them would Inconvenience the
regular readers. They are not permitted to
take out recent publications. l told them
that members Of Congress could not loan
their privilege to Others while much less
could that be done by employees OF the IL
brary"
The Surplus Duplicates.
What is your opinion as to the advisa-
bility Of turning over to the Washington
Public Library surplus duplicates of the
Congressional Library?"
81 am not yet clear that an investigation
will show that there is any surplus dupli-
cate material in the proper sense OF that
term. 1 mean. of course, material that on
the one hand could be spared from the Lii
brary of Congress and on the other hand
that would usefully serve the purpose of
the public library. If that question should
formally be raised, then 1 would have to
investigate 1t in detail.
II think the provision for the residents OF
the District Of Columbia in the way of IL
brary facilities is at present preposterously
inadequate. The public library should not
have to depend upon donations from indi-
viduas. Such donations should be well
coined, but the public library ought to
have fresh, new, clean, popular books and
a number of copies Of such volumes as are
in demand. OF some books there should be
as many as fifteen, twenty or twenty-five
copies. The library should multiply copies
of special books to be used in collateral
reading by the schools. 1t should have pro-
vision of maintenance which would enable
the library to allow these books to reach
practically all the homes in the District
through the agency Of the schools. When
/ read the estimates for the library for the
coming year 1t seemed to they were
subject to criticism only on the ground that
they were far below what the District will
require Il the residents Of the District are
to have facilities at all equivalent to those
enjoyed by residents of other cities Of the
United States of the same size.
Il think that on the opening of the new
Carnegie library building there will appear
a sudden enlargement of the use Of the IL
brary, which will render necessary an i'm
mediate expansion of its organization and
of it's resources for maintenance"
Records for Twenty-FOur Hours
The following We're the readings of the