Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-13
LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.
District Organization Addressed by
Mr.. Spofford and Gen. Eaton.

The November meeting of the District of
Columbia Library Association was held last
evening at the Columbian University, with
the president, Mr.. Thomas H. Clark. in the
chair and thirty-two members attending.
Under the heading of general business the
most important item was the admission to
membership in the association of twenty
two persons, largely from the catalogue d.
vision, Library of Congress.
Mr. Spofford, being asked by the president
to make remarks on his recent western trip.
entertained :he association by speaking at
some length on his visit to several Libraries
of the Pacific states The most interesting
collection referred TO by Mr.. Spofford was
the Hubert Howe Bancroft library Of 10000
volumes and 1900 manuscripts, stored in
special building two miles from the center
Of San Francisco. The collection consists
largely of literature on the Pacific states, in
Guiding much material in Spanish. Of the
manuscript portion the most unique feature,
Mr.. Spofford stated, is a collection of 593
personal narratives of pioneers upon the
from 10 to 400 pages in length. Representing
as they frequently do, impressions or ira
dtions rather than facts, they cannot, in the
opinion of Mr. Spofford, be rated very high
ly as original authorities.
The collection as a whole has been for
some time for sale. but the high figure of
100000 has thus far frightened away all
purchasers Mr.. Spofford mentioned
also, among others, the Sutro library of
San Francisco, miscellaneous collection
of 10000 volumes recruited from the most
famous auction sales CT America and Eu-
rope.
DIR. Henderson Presnell of the bureau of
education, the principal speaker of the even
ing, chose for his subject THE Origin and
Uses of the A. l.. A. Library of 5000 Vol
umes." This collection of books, forming
model village library, was selected and
catalogued under supervision of the Amer
lean Library Association, and. having been
exhibited at the worlds fair in 1893, is now
in the possession of the bureau of education
III Washington.
The origin of the A. L. A. library dates
back to 1874, when General Eaton, commits
soner of education, prepared and published
most interesting volume of statistics on
American libraries, embodying valuable re-
ports from such prominent librarians as
Winsor, Gutter and Poole. At its first meet
Ing In Philadelphia in 1876 the American
Library Association took up the matter of
cooperative cataloguing, and decided to pub
lish model catalogue which should "a sug-
gest 5000 best books for a general library,
CD save expense of separate catalogues by
printing this general one, 60 aid readers
by evaluating literature.
In carrying out its design the committee
was hampered by lack of money, which was
partly overcome, first, by the publishers do
mating the books nine-tenths Of which were
actually given), and, second, by the bureau
Of education promising to publish the cata-
logue when finished. This promise has been
fulfilled by the issue of the original edition
and two reprints. in addition to a special
issue of 10000, ordered by the last Congress.
Nearly 100000 copies have been distributed
throughout the country to libraries and in
dividuals and the demand for the book,
a moderate-sized octave of some 500 pages
is still very brisk. DR.. Presnell showed
conclusively that the A. L. A. catalogue is
one of the most successful pieces of CO.
operation ever attempted.