Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-01-05
THOUSANDS VISIT LIBRARY
COLLECTION OF aEFETENC E
WORKS UNEQUALLED.
Thousands of Books Elm jracinJ Every
Form CT Literature Open to
the Millions.

| special Correspondence.
Washington, Dec % No consult
ing library in this country and none
perhaps, in the world, except that Of
the British Museum, is visited by sc
large a number Of people as the Iii
bfary Of Congress. This magnificent
marble pie or Capitol Hill which was
erected by the American people at a
cost of more than 81, 600, 900. contains
collections of works that has no
equal in America, as e reference IL
brary, although, at present, the COLES
ton of books is nCs 50 great in nuns
Der as liz possessed by few Ct~er Ii
braries OF this country and Eurob@. 1t
,soes contain, GDwevsc, an immetse
number OF rare and valuable works
both in priated form ard in manuscl fpt
anMthey args utilised das9y by scores OF
historians, Echolaas airs students, IN
addition to tue members of congress.
Dlhfng thu year the Congressional
library was Visited by $4,000 people,
a daily average OF ntDre tSan 2 200 for
the So : days be institution waE open
TO the pablic The library liz open ey-
cry days and evening of THE Year ex,
eept ON he Fourth of July and Christ
mas. OH'other legal holidays and on
Sundays. the Ii tFary is open from 2
to 10 p. IT.. and pn all week days from
9 a. m. to 10 p tn, except on SstRr-
day aftern MONS i'm July, August and
September PractGcally a dounie force
of operatives and clerks are required
for the worB in tie library.
The largest number If visitors dur
ing any month wassin ATrtl, tire daily
average beings 3,i0Ey Marsh Was sec,
ond with an aseraeea OF 2344N The
.grea sast number of visitors ON: any one
day wars in April whsn the sotai reach
ed 5. Hs4; and tn" smallest. i'm July,
IA
Librarian Putnam says that the book
.aollecrEOn is Increasing at a, normal
and healthy rata, TiSssiTcTesEe' ia the
:nnmbeg of volumes during tine past
year was 34,626 This brings tire to-
tai number in thee STACKS up 10 I-sZ9,-
.9s44. In addition to the number OF
agund vOlumes added the library dur
ing the year, charts, maps, pieces of
:music and pamphlets Increased the
number to 81 $50 T'he colleUtiGn of
music is regarded as of particular
value. 1t numbers now 2S,977 volumes
and separate pieces, many of Gtem be-
ing manuscript copies and originals of
compositions by enHueat COMPOSERS
Members of congress make use of
the library every loEr of the DAY. Fa-
ciltie>. recently have been installed
between tive library ond, the capitol by
which, any member~ u eithsG branch
.of congress may obtain within few
mfnures, "a copy of AIRY work which he
desires tor use, If, 'oriustarre, 4 rep
reese atati1e or senator is delivering a
speech On the tlouc 1f the hO1se or
senate and wishes -u,lpfer To a book
which he does not happen 60 have on
his desk. ne merely indicates to a page
the booE he wants aud in Two ar three
minutes it is placed ip hs naEds from
the Congressional library A boub
trolley runs b-tw .gn tht library tud
capitol buildings The assistant Ii
orarian is notified by telephone tha'
rhe la3ok is wanted ana practical in
stansly it is despatched 10 the capitol
I so admirable is the system on which
the library is run that a work callev
for may be had with the least !y0ssibH
| delay,
one of the best divisions Of eh'
great library is thar in which is yep
the bound newspaper flies. These file
accumulate rapidly and it will be- nee
essary for congress, either at the pres
ent session or in the near future, Z
make adequate provision FOR th,eir care
They are consulted more than an
other works in the library. In the |
brary may be found the files of ever
newspaper in America, of any impol
lance at all and of many newspaper
of other countries.
It is the view OF scholars and states
men that, within the next half Gel
tury. the Library of Congress, in az
diuon to being the most magnifoef
building Of it's kind in the world, wi
s contain the greatest aal most VauabI
library ever accumulated by any NJ
ton