Evening star., 1903-10-02
ON CURRENT TOPICS
Book Lists Compiled by
Library Of Congress.
INQUIRIES ANSWERED
SPECIAL WORK OF THE DIVISION
OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
The Divisions Chief-Growing I'M
portance Of the Library as
Place of Research.

when you are in the Capitol will you
kindly step over to the Library and ask
from the librarian a list of the best books
directly favoring the gold standard or.
generally the question of currency based
on intrinsic value?''
Persons living in Washington often receive
letters similar to this one. The request is
usually placed by the recipient in the hands
of the chief of the division of photography
Of the Library of Congress, whose business
1t Is to compile as complete list as is pos
sible in the time which elapSes before the
writer wants to use the books, and to pro-
vide the inquirer with typewriter copy
of the same.
A certain law firm in New Jersey had
case involving an investigation Of the UNI
healthfulness of certain poisonous gases.
claimed by their client to have issued from
a certain factory and caused epidemic
among nearby residents. The exact phase
of the question upon which the lawyers de-
sired enlightenment was not treated In any
publication, so far as known by the experts
consulted. AS a last resort an appeal was
made by letter to the library at Washing
ton. Not many days had passed before Mr..
Appleton P. C. Griffin. the chief bibliogra-
pher, had mailed a list of the books on the
subject from the library. In the course of
his research he ran across the titles of sew
mediately ordered them. A lawyer of the
firm came to the capital and consulted the
treatiSes mentioned in the list; and, If the
case was lost. 1t was not on account of any
lack of knowledge of the effects of the poi
SOnOuS gases in question.
The foregoing may give some idea of the
Importance of the national library in this
city. What Is regarded as very substantial
evidence of 1t Is to be had in the printed
data appearing from time to time. These
include more or less complete lists Of books
and references to periodicals which give i'll
formation and opinions nearly all the
leading questions of the day. By their aid
a student of public questions is enabled to
turn Immediately to the article he seeks
without searching for hours or even days
and perhaps then In vain, through alpha
betical catalogues of names indefinite in
extent In addition. by means of the care
full research necessary In compiling these
lists. among the thousands of volumes in
the great book stacks. important omissions
in the collection are brought to the notice
of the librarian that would perhaps never
be discovered in any other way.
Haste Avoided.
The preparation of the publications Is not
hurried. In fact. the work on them is usu-
ally not begun with publication in view. A
brief list prepared for an individual corre-
spondent is added to for another. and as
time passes references turn UP accidentally
and are jotted down on cards Files of the
various lists are kept on hand, together
with carbon copies ready for mailing to
more inquirers. If the demand is great
enough these growing lists simply sent
to the printer and made into neat pamph-
let's or cloth bound volumes. Whenever this
is done copies are sent to all the larger
libraries In the country and to a number of
colleges and universities. as well as to
writer's and investigators who have mani
tested an interest In the movement The
work on. the lists. however. does not stop
here. but continues exactly as before as
no list can be expected to be complete
without years Of research. Consequently
new editions Of the publications are being
printed constantly
Those recently issued are on Govern
ment Ownership of Railroads." Industrial
to strkes federal aS tear5S CONTROL Of aeiatn com
merce" THE Federal Constitution" THE
Negro Question" Cabinet Government in
the United States and in England" anglo
Saxon Interests" and Mercantile Marine
Subsidies" Still others that will soon be
issued are on the philippine Islands" and
THE Treaty Making Power of Congress-"
Each one is small bibliographical COM
pend on current question To legislators,
journalists, students and investigators In
general the value and Importance of these
lists can hardly be exaggerated, it is
claimed. especially they are placed in
libraries all over the country. They unlock
collections of valuable information, vast
storehouses of written thought, that would
otherwise be valueless.
Some objection has been made to the
size Of the pamphlets. They are about 1O1a
by7h inches, untrimmed, having ~ inch
margins. 1t has been said that the page
is too large for filling with the ordinary
Svo pamphlets. On this question Mr..
Griffin said to Star reporter that he re-
garded the larger size as much more digni-
fled In appearance than the smaller ones
and also that the convenience of the wider
margin for purposes of annexation compen-
Sated for any inconvenience in filing.
Work of Classification.
There are apparently no limits to this
work Of classification. Any subject how
ever involved, may, 1t is understood, receive