Evening star., 1900-10-02
The Washington Public Ltbrary.

The annual report of the board of trustees
of the Washington Public Library presents
the needs of that institution in hsht 10
cause them to appeal strongly to the people
of the capital and to Congress. The new
building donated by Mr.. Carnegie Is now
assured. being under way after such modl-
fications in plan to insure it's completion
within the time limit set by Congress ana
within the money limit set by the donor.
Thus the factor OF providing an adequate
home for the library Is eliminated from the
equation and what now remains Is the ne
cessity to provide books sufficient to fill the
shelves and to cause the library to fulfill It's
true function In the community as sup
plement to the public educational system
and as an aid in the culture of the people.
The building is to be finished by March 1,
1902 1t will probably be occupied before
the close of the fiscal year 19O1-2 Thus 1t
becomes necessary to secure from Congress
at the coming session such increases in the
appropriation as are required for the proper
installation Of the library in its new home
Appropriations made this winter Will be-
come available in July next, and thus the
work of purchasing the necessary books to
bring the collection up to adequate proper
tions may be under way during the months
that will elapse before the building is ready
for occupancy.
There are now about 10 600 volumes in the
library. enough to overflow the temporary
building. but not enough to make even
bare showing on the shelves ana in the
stacks of the Mount Vernon Square build
ing. where there will be provision for 2S3.270
volumes The first floor alone will accom-
modate 1870 volumes. and these shelves
at least should be filled at the time of the
ihrar rye fnp Tha rrlyS fnaG N
estimate of $40. 900 for new books. along
with proportionate increases in the ex-
penses OF other features of the library. ne
ceSstated 10y the impending change With
this sum the collection could probably be
about doubled. not counting donations and
loans from individuals. Thus the library
could with this allowance. which is econom-
ical compared with the expenditures Of
other public libraries make a respectable
start in its new house and begin to meet its
requirements.
Beside the agitation for an increased book
and salary allowance necessitated by the
expansion of the library. 1t is desirable
that the public interest in the institution
should be continuously maintained, to the
end that donations of books, such as have
thus far created the library without official
aid, should continue to be received. II is
q creditable showing that within a short
time and without the aid Of appropriations
from the public funds the people Of this
city should nave accumulated 1900 books
The same spirit that has produced this re-
suit may be relied upon to swell the total
of privately given volumes. The ample
shelving facilities of the new library will
encourage such donations. There will be
special facilities in the new building TO pre-
serve distinct collections of books. as memo
rial alcoves and the like. 1t is hoped that
this opportunity will stimulate some of the
generous book collectors of Washington to
open their literary boards 10 the public use
under auspices insuring their careful pres
ervation and maximum OF benefit TO the
local welfare.