Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-30
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
IL Ii

Continued from Seventeenth Page)
District government for the purpose Of
erecting a public market thereon: but as
no action has been taken looking to the
erection of such building, the site in
question, which fis ample for the purpose
Of smah library, could be utilized and
the first requirement of Mr.. Carnegie can
be met without any expense"
tangdon.
The Northeastern Suburban Citizens
Association, through E.. A. M. Lawson,
president, suggests the suitability of
Langdon as a location for a branch
library and offers a site, donated by !. ].
Baker. situated upon n commanding
elevation of 22d and Emporia streets"
West Washington.
The Georgetown Citizens Association
requests that a substation be established
in that section.
South Washington.
The Citizens Association of South
Washington has conferred with the sub
committee for the purpose of securing a
branch library in that section.
Southeast Washington.
H. A. Willard and J. H. Ketcham offer
suitable lot in square 700, bounded on
the north by M street, south by N>street.
west by South Capitol street and the east
by Half street southeast.
East Washington.
Three branch libraries are asked for
East Washington by the citizens as
ISOLATION. No sites have yet been Of
fered.
The great variety Of requests and sug-
ries, developed in the course of the
foregoing correspondence, caused the
subcommittee of the trustees, to which
the subject Of branch libraries had been
negie, informing him or the local con-
ditions and seeking for its guidance
posed donation. To this letter Mr.. Car
negie made the following reply:
NEW YORK, 9th January. 1903.
Gentlemen:
In reply to your favor of January "a.
I am prepared to give the necessary
dred and fifty thousand dollars) to build
branch library buildings from time to
time as the trustees may call upon me to
do So We find in Pittsburg and other
cities that the branches are most useful,
and that small hall connected with
them is steadily becoming the gathering
place of the district served, which re-
suits in neighborly feeling, and in some
cases the finding of much unsuspected
local talent. Therefore, I am inclined
to believe that even as much as fifty
branch library building, but this and all
other details rest with the trustees. l
have promised to supply money for the
buildings upon the same conditions that
l gave the money for a central library,
namely, that the city of Washington
provides for the maintenance of the
branch libraries to the extent OF ~ per
cent of their. cost. You can vel! under,
stand that, dealing with eight hundred
libraries just now, I cannot help In any
way beyond this triffing service of fur
nishing money for the buildings, as
same may be needed to pay therefor.
Thanking you, and. through you, all
your members for the delightful and
inspiring visit paid you, and wishing
you all the happiest Of New Years. 1 am,
(Signed) ANDREW CARNEGIE.
Theo. w. Noyes. ESQ.,. and other members
of library committee, Washington, D. c.
In view of the fact above noted that
the Carnegie donation in every case pro-
videS merely the housing of a library,
and that the Public Library itself has
only just been placed upon plane of
notable usefulness through the purchase
Of sufficient books from the local reve-
nues to meet, in part, the immediate
needs of the people of the District, spe-
cial immediate thought must 1t Is recog-
nized, be given to the matter of the full
equipment and development of this CEN
trail book station, postponing somewhat
the creation, at least from the public
funds, of semi-independent branches. It
is probable that for while the al1ot-
ment of tax money for library purposes
will be devoted to the Public Library it
self, and that the substatiOnS or branch
libraries will evolve and grow largely
through the enterprise of the sections.
Public Spirit Indicated.
The correspondence and proposals con-
corning branch libraries demonstrate
the existence of the suggested necessary
public spirit in several of the Districts
suburban communities. With a site gra-
tuitously provided in a suitable loca-
ton, it is anticipated that the citizens
association of the section will be able to
supply a sufficient stock of reference
books to equip the branch library. Any
branch thus supplied would then have
it's local significance beyond that of
mere neighborhood point of distribu-
ton. For these branches in addition to
their character as substations of the main
library, should develop as local culture CEN
tiers, and the more thoroughly identified
the people with the branches. through do
nations to the book stock as we'll as to the
site, the better for both people and library
institution.
Such an arrangement, with the sections
furnishing the sites and reference books
and Mr.. Carnegie the buildings, would
leave to the taxpayers and the govern
ment merely the task of supplying the
maintenance, which In most cases
would include only the pay of the as
sistants in charge and the janitor, the
heating and telephone service. This
plan would erveSall ends best, permit
ting Mr.. Carnegie to extend his bounty
in a practical manner. stimulating the
library enterprise of the neighborhoods
and leaving the central library free to
expand itself according to it's pressing
needs. Each section will be directly
benefited by every successive stage of
central library growth. AS this book
store is increased the branch libraries,
using as substations the Mount Vernon
Square books for circulating purposes.
will be made the more useful to their
sections. 1t will be in extension of Mr..
Carnegie's dominating thought thus to
require the neighborhoods to contribute
in sites and books to their own branch
es. He gives the shell and asks the
community to fill it. What has applied
in the large proposition. to the whole
District applies with equal force to each
subdivision of the District.
Legislation will be required from Con-
gress accepting Mr. Carnegie's branch
library offer, directly or implicitly pledg-
ing suitable maintenance, and authoriz-
ing a library commission to erect branch
libraries from the Carnegie donated fund
as these buildings may from time to time
be authorized by Congress.
~ tho Tihro,~--