Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-03

in previous cores. -adence with the
library officials
But the work ON tine lists does not stop
here II is practically perpetual. continuing
exactly as before. as no list can be eNreSiei
to be complete without years of research.
Consequently new ed tons of the pubiica-
tions are being printed constantly.
Some of those recently issued bear the
titles. Government Ownership of Rail
roads industrial Arbitra ton" Labor
Particularly Relating to Strikes" Federal
Control of Commerce" The Federal Con-
stitutiou. THE Negro Question Cab
met Government IN the United States AMI
IN England" .Anglo-Saxon Interests and
Mercantile Marine Subsidies OF more
recent publication are those ''The Phil
ippine Islands and THE Treaty Making
Power of Congress" not to speak of those
already mentioned before in this article.
Still others of great current interest are
nearing the state in which they shall be
sent to the printer.
Of Great Value.
Each one is a small photographed com
pend on some subject of vital Importance
to the American people. To legislators
journalists, students and investigators in
general Their value can scarcely be exag-
gerated and it is surely enhanced by their
being placed IN libraries and institutions Of
learning throughout the, country. Often
they unlock collections of the most valuable,
information. vast storehouses of written
thought. tia. might otherwise remain val
ueless because of its obscurity
Some objection has been made to the
present size of the issued lists. They are
about lol2x7k inches, with untrimmed
| edges and 1k-inch margins and are OF
various thicknesses. Ii has been stated
| that the book or pamphlet is too large for
| Ming with the ordinary Svo. publication.
| On this question Mr.. Griffin made a few
remarks recently. saying. among otner
| things. that he regarded the larger SIZE as
more digrified in appearance than the
| smaller and that he believed the tncon-
| stated for by the convenience of the wider
| margin for purposes of annexation.
The Work Without Limit.
| Apparently there no limits to this
work of classification. Any subject. how
ever involved. may, it is stated, receive the
| attention of the b biographers, il pubic
| interest demands II. and the thoroughness
| of research is but q matter of time, accord
| ing to Mr.. Griffin.
The force at work on these lists. wei
as other tasks that fall to the lot of the
l bibliograph er of the Congressional Library.
| consists of only five persons besides the
chief. Mr. Putnam. the librarian, VIII not
| state definitely his plans for the future or
| this division. but ii is understood that the
force of men and women will be enlarged
| and the work of systematiZing the knowl-
edge and information in the world brought
| nearer and nearer to perfection.
About MI. Griffin.
| Mr.. Griffin is young man, not yet IN ths
prime of life but he is already regarded as
being without rival in his field of Work.
Before coming to the Library of Congress
he held the position of keeper of books IA
title taken from the British Museum in the
public library of Boston He came TO
| Washington in 1897, before the division Oh
| bibliosraphy was organized. and has re-
| manned there ever since.
| All his life he has been passionately foni
of the work in which he Is now ENGAGE
the history and classification of books
| While in the Boston library he gained u
national reputation by the publication OF
his Catalogue of the Washington Col
| lection in the Boston Athenaeum. with cX-
| haustiye annotations. This work Is SAID
, to be one of the finest known examples OF
| logical and convenient arrangement, anu
| To he remarkably clear and comprehensive.
II is the production of which Mr.. Griffin
is most proud The compiling OF o'her
bjbljographical literature increased MS
| reputation
The Division Created.
The division of the library which has been
| discussed was created by the appropriation
act of Congress effective July i. l9oo us
general functions are not limited to those
| indicated by it's title. They are to deai
with inquiries involving research too eiapo-
rate for the attendants in the public reao-
, ing room. or in form announcement iot
them to handle expeditiously: to compiie
the lists of references to topics OF curren'
interest, as stated, and particularly upon
| toDics which are subject of proposed ieSis-
| Iatiou: to represent the library in co-opefa-
tive photographed undertakings; to edt
all publications of the library. and to rec
ommend for acquisition new BOOKS ois-
covered missing from the shelves
If an inquiry be by letter. and can DE
answered only by authorities, the division
| endeayors to suggest In what institution
| nearest the correspondent the authorities
may be found for consultation. To TINS END
the accommodating of catalogues OF other
| libraries is being given attention.
Best Authority Attainable.
IT is a fundamental principle of the IL
| brary that an inquirer is entitled TO the
best authority attainable 1t is the duty OF
the division to refer inquiries to any other
part of the library, to any other depart
ment of the government. or to any instltu-
ton or even person known to 1t to be capa-
| BILE of giving a more adequate answer tnan
| 1T can give alone. In the service OF Con-
gress the division of course makes re.
searches more extended, lists fuller ana
more discriminating and longer abstracts.
The offices of Mr. Griffin and his CO.
laborers are in convenient relation TO the
reading room, the catalogue room the bib
biographical apparatus ana the general
shelves. They may be entered by the pub
| lie through the main reading room on the
first floor of the building.
The Library's Position.
Slowly but surely the Library of Con-
gress is coming to be regarded as the
great place of literary research of this
country. 1t is regarded as one of the best
reference libraries In the world today, and
| by reason of its location in Washington is
| the center more or less during the entire
year of literary men and others who have
occasion to tap the store of knowledge con-
| tanned in the million more volumes
within the granite walls of the beautiful
! structure on Capitol Hill. No effort is be-
| ing spared to increase it's efficiency and it
is probable that in the near future il will
| be without a peer