Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-25
LIBRARY ASSOCIATION MEETS.
Addresses by Mr.. Edwin Wiley and
Librarian Bowerman

About one hundred persons were present
Wednesday eevening at the first fall meet
ing of the District Library Association
which was held in the lecture room at the
Public Library. Mr.. Edwin Wiley of the
Library of Congress gave an interesting
address on Library Conditions in. the
South" He said, in part:
The spirit of cooperate save in po-
litical activities, has been very slow to as
sumo form In the south. Nevertheless the
Capitalization of population which has re-
suited in the formation of large cities has
been largely responsible for the tremen-
dous educational expansion that has taken
place during the last decade
The cultured development of the earlier
south was far more extensive than au-
thorities generally admit. Libraries in the
south developed their collections during
the decade from 1850 to 1860 from IS per
cent of the total in the United States to
80 per cent. This development was par
alyzed by the civil war. College libraries
were burned or hopelessly damaged. After
the war the south necessarily concerned
itself first of all with things of the body
rather than those of the mind.
From 1870 to 1890 almost every town
had its library, yet few of them were
free. and none were powerful influences
in their communities This, however is
wholly changed. Owing to the growth OF
the communal spirit, the desire to pre-
serve and bring to light the historical
endowments from local and outside
sources. the southern states are rapidly
taking their place with other sections in
educational and library activities"
The second address of the evening was
by Mr.. George F. Bowerman, librarian
of the Public Library. his subject being
The Municipal Popular Libraries of
Paris During his trip abroad the past
summer Mr.. Bowermann took occasion
to make a special study Of the public
There are eighty-two bibliotheques mu-
nicipales in Paris. housed in the mairies,
or town halls. Of the various wards of
the city and in the public school build
ings. The total number of volumes in
the eighty-two libraries is $4,000. The
libraries, therefore, possess an average
OF less than 5000 volumes each They
are open at least two hours every even
Ing and two hours every Sunday morn
ing. A few are also open during some
daylight hours on week days. In 1906
the borrowers of books at these Libraries
numbered $1,000. withdrawing 1447,OOo
volumes for home use.
Unlike the system prevailing in the prin-
cipal American cities. these libraries are
not branches Of one large central library.
They are, however, managed from a CEN
trail Office by a supervising commission
whose rules govern the administration in
nearly every detail. Most of the libraries
have but three persons on the staff, and
none but men are employed. There ap-
pears to be not the slightest danger of
the Termination of French libraries.
The salaries paid the librarians and as
sistants are not excessive, ranging from
$50 to $500 yearly. Most of the persons
employed draw their main support from
other Occupations. The total yearly cost
OF supporting the eighty-two libraries is
$4,000 francs, or an average of S720 for
the total running expenses Of each library
The entire cost of it's free libraries is les
than $4,000 a year for this city of 3,OOO
600 people.
These small public libraries are to be
found also in the other cities of France.
NJ. Charles v. Langlois. professor at the
Sorbonne and director of the library, office
and museum of public education, in a re-
cent article on the library situation in
France, ranks the United States first in
public library work. with England next,
then Germany and then France
After the eading of this paper the MEM
bers of the association adjourned to the
new chldren's room. which had been
prettily decorated with autumn leaves.
Here refreshments were served and a So
cial time was enjoyed for another hour.