Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-06

central library, 1850 from seven deposit
stations. and 317 volumes from two high
| schools. The new library building was occu-
pied in January 1903. A comparative state
ment showing the home circulation for the
last five years is therefore Of interest. The
| figures are: For 1923. 4,261: for 1904.
21S, 1888; for 19O45, 1853 1876; for 1885, 49,. 096:
for 1867, 4s1 4Ss. These figures show that
the circulation during the past year was
2k times as great as that Of 1923, and 70
! per cent larger than that of 1884.
me reduction In the percentage of fiction
has been substantially maintained. The per-
centage this year is %, as against IS for
the year previous Reference to previous re-
ports shows that in 1904 1877 per cent of
the circulation was fiction.
One way in which the library has greatly
gained In public acceptability has been
through the plan Of issuing cards to adult
applicants on the day the application is
filed, instead Of requiring them to walt two
days as heretofore
Useful Arts Room.
The past year has seen q marked in
crease In the use Of books and magazines
/; devoted to engineering and technology gen
orally. 1t has been matter of common OBJ
| servation that users of such literature often
require more help in finding the material
wanted than other readers. This is a strong
reason why books in this field should be
available on open shelves instead of only by
reference to the catalogue. 1t has seemed
wise to occupy the room made vacant by
the removal of the children's department to
the basement as special useful arts Ii
brary. In 1t will be displayed for direct
access all the resources of the library in
the field of technology. including reference
and circulating books and current period
icals.
"One feature of this new department will
appeal strongly to merchants, manufac-
turers, engineers and mechanics. 1t is pur-
posed to gather collection of typical
| trade catalogues covering every important
manufacturing industry. such as catalogues
of office supplies. desks. furniture, safes,
automobiles. plumbers supplies. printing
and binding machinery. machine tools. etc.
Work With Schools.
THE work now done for schools Is not in
considerable. The teachers reference Ii
brary has been removed to the main reading
room. where 1t and the twenty current ped
asogical periodicals have much use BY
teachers and others. Much use is made by
teachers Of their Textbook cards, on which
| books may be kept four weeks without re-
| newal. Many teachers now resort to this
| means for securing books which they In
turn loan to their children for home use,
thus modestly beginning a plan which re-
qulres deposits Of from twenty-five to fifty
volumes In each schOolroom to make 1t
most effective.
THE resources of the new picture col
lection were first offered to the teachers
| in the March number of the educational
bulletin. The geographical pictures especial
ly were at once in demand for class work.
Teachers have also taken for geography
work many of the travel pamphlets issued
by railway and steamship companies and
gathered for the summer travel exhibt-
ton.
Deposit Stations.
1.-The establishment Of system of branch
rio ic x,ofo htpO To no huf
Congress still withhods permission to ac-
cept any of Mr.. Carnegie's money offered
for that purpose. Meantime seven deposit
stations have been established, six Of them
in cooperation with social settlements and
one in cooperation with the Fairgrounds
Association.
During the year seventeen organizations
held sixty-one public meetings at the
| library, ffty-eight In the lecture hall and
three in the childrens room. The attend
ance at these meetings aggregated about
| 9,8i9. Ten organizations held eighty six
small meetings in one Of the study rooms
| ON the second floor.
Books and Periodicals Acquired.
,"At the close OF the fiscal year lS05-6 the
net strength Of the library was "a ,557 vol;
umes. During the past year 1904 volumes
! were added to the collection and AGA VOL
umes were Withdrawn as worn out so that
| the net strength of the library at the end
| Of the year under review was 90 937 VOL
umes. The years book access ons. were
acquired as follows: By purchase, 10GI6
volumes; by; gift. 2. 1A5 volumes, and fy.
binding periodicals, 263 volumes. The totsl
| cost of the purchases was $11, 721.S6. This
was met from the following funds Congress
siolial appropriation, 81, 4S9.93: desk rund,
$4OS5.2O; Womans Anthropologicai Society
fund $12: exchange of old books and period
tcals, $12467. The number of books &C
cessioned was 2e87. less than in 1906,
and the amount expended for books was
S. 1865. less than the book expenditures
of the previous year.
AS usual the library has received as
gifts large number of books. pamphlets
and periodicals from citizens of Washing
ton and from other individuals associations
and publishers. The record shows that
these gifts numbered 2,32l bound and 4So
unbound voumes, 1862 pamphlets, 5.5SZ
numbers Of periodicals.. besides other mis-
cellaneous matter.
Discarded Works.
by permission of the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia, in whom the title
of all library property vests, the library
regularly turns over to the various char
table and reformatory institutions to the
fie stations, ETC., of the District discarded
books and periodicals. By this plan about
4, 7O2 volumes and 2.511 numbers OF maya
zines were semitic twenty institutions.
.., Popular Exhibitors.
with the installation early in the year
of five large glazed exhibition cases in the
second floor lobby II has been possible to
begin series Of popular exhibitions of
historical, geographical and art pictures.
The first exhibition was one Of original and
reprint book illustrations to accompany the
collection Of books suitable for Christmas
gifts shown In one Of the study rooms on
ohar- 70 To-
cember 81, 1908. The book exhibition was
attended by 1887 persons. exclusive of chill
dren. The picture exhibition was visited by
a far larger number.
1.-The exhibition of summer travel pamph-
let's, consisting of material issued by rail-
way and steamship companies. has come to
be an annual affair. Copies Of some Of
the pamphlets received are of sufficient
value to warrant adding them to the per-
manent collection Of the library.
During the fiscal year twenty-nine per-
sons left the library service. These In
cluded ten library assistants, eighteen pages
1f0<I NOT