The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-01
PUBLIC LIBRARY
TRUSTEES REPORT

books catalogued in it not already found
in the library be at once purchased.
Since this catalogue. however. en-
braces only 5000 volumes, the collection
is manifestly by no means sufficiently ex-
tensive for the library of a great city
In fact il was designed for libraries OF
comparatively small extent. While We
want all these books we want a great
deal more
In a library for popGar reading. the
whole field of what may be called educa-
tional literature should be literally COW
cred. The newest elementary works on
every subject should be added as fast as
they appear, thus giving the people as
suIance that our public library is up to
the times.
LAS the institution itself is an indis-
pensable adjunct 20 the public schools, We
should aim to have the most, if not all. of
the books that illustrate every field OF
instruction.
Field for Teachers.
Teachers should be able TO apply with
confidence to our library to find most, if
not all, of the recent school books in
reading, spelling. elocution. grammar.
rhetoric, logic, geography, arithmetic.
higher mathematics. astronomy. physics,
geology, chemistry, natural history.
botany. zoology. drawing music, mental
and moral science. athletics. kinder
gartens, etc. They should also be sure of
finding a full selection of collateral
works. illustrative of all departments Of
science
And the pupils in the city schools of
al ba ho
widest selection of instructive and at
tractive books to awaken and to keep
alive their interest in knowledge.
1T is cardinal aim of the board of
trustees to render the public library a
public educator in the best sense of the
word. Reading for the young Will be in
most liberal supply and will include the
freshest books as fast as they appear from
the press.
Books on the fine arts. including paint
ing sculpture. architecture music. and
decorative art as they involve many eX
pensive works, will require special care
in the selection. The costly galleries Of
art should be left to be consulted else
where. But there is a large and inter
esting variety of less expensive works,
illustrating each of these arts in a popu-
lar manner, which should be indispensably
acquired. since few departments of
science are more attractive than these.
Books on Biography.
Passing now from science to litera
ture We want wide and liberal addition
of books in biography. These form
most attractive as well as most in
structiye class of reading, and contribute
to the formation of character and to wide
intelligence of men and events. Nara
tive5 of travels and voyages also should
be included. as well as geographical ex-
plorations in every field. They will be
found valuable, and attract readers
The literature of history is vast, and
requires a discriminating selection. AS
Stunning that the most notable histories,
ancient and modern, are already in the
library, we should add literally those of
the more important nations as they ap-
pear.
While We cannot multiply books 20
any large extent in foreign languages.
there should be one set of the Greek and
Latin classics in the original besides the
best TRANSACTIONS, for general reference.
And in the modern languages, especially
French, German, Spanish. and Italian, it
would be wise to provide inexpensive sets
of the most noted authors of each nation.
Poetry and drama should furnish a
somewhat restricted field of acquisition,
securing, however, the most meritorious
English and American productions. We
should have also good selection in the
field of ESSAYS, letters, or correspondence
and oratory, in all of which highly at
tractive and instructive books are to be
found.
Should Have the Best.
in photography. or the science of
books. and especially in the histories of
literature in each nation, our library
should embrace the best, avoiding the
purchase of mere catalogues. biDliogra.
phies Of incunabula, and special lines of
science, for which the great reference Ii
brary of the Government can always be
utilized
Our list of periodicals, already pretty
large, should be moderately extended,
perhaps, but in view of the vast collec-
ton found at the Library of Congress,
and of the fact that periodicals are not
books Of circulation. for home use. this
department should be kept within reas-
enable bounds.
Finally. we come to what forms in
many libraries the largest class of all,
namely. books of fiction. In view of the
vast extent of the story in every form
tEngland alone producing more than If
teen hundred new novels every year, no
field of selection presents more import
ant call for discrimination than this one.
Careful scrutiny on the part OF the
and of the book committee may
avoid many mistakes in selection, and we
may hope that the result will be such as
to elevate and not to degrade the taste
of the reading public.
To Purchase Duplicates.
How far we should authorize the ac-
of duplicates, or of many
copies of new books of fiction, or of the
standard and much sought for works in
other classes of literature, is a question
not without difficulty. We should have
specific reports from the librarian to the
book committee as to the demand in each
case.
But the fact that almost everybody
wants 10 read a certain new novel is no
reason for expanding our limited funds in
trying to supply everyone with the same
book at the same moment. \ judicious
apportionment of the funds should be
made among the many different classes
of reading, in view of their relative i'm
portance."