Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-04

the departments and bureaus of the gov
eminent beginning. under wise lesis-
lation which ha sheen enacted, TO now into
the Public Library. The uncopyrignted
duplicates of this class of books In the
Library of Congress are likewise bc'iS
turned over to ii, and in course OF time
also the copyrighted duplicates of deposit
volumes will, it is believed, be transferred
to the Public Library, making 1t more
and more the worthy supplement as
national circulating library of the great
reference collection of the Library of
Congress.
Fund for Books Decreased.
"Gifts and transfers of books from the
government bureaus and the ma tional
library numerous and valuable as they
| already are and map become, do not OBJ
viate the necessity for more adequate
fund for the purchase of books to meet
the demands of the community 1t Is
important that the appropriation for this
purpose be made sSlI.G0p annually. The
special appropriation for the first stock
ing of the library is long since exhausted.
and the desk fund is SO reduced tina; in
the face of constantly increasing use OF
| the library the funds ava la bic for book
purchases have been smaller than in the
| year preceding during each of the last
three years. The trustees earnestly rec
ommend this increased fund for books
as we'll as appropriations for a larger
and better paid force, in accordance with
| the estimates.
List of Desired Increases.
The following is list of the increases
asked for:
New officers-Chief order department,
S1.2OO: chief, useful arts department,
$1,000; chief. schools and stations depart
! ment, $1,000; municipal reference libra
rian. $1,000: chief. catalogue department.
$1,000; cataloguer. $40: two assistants at
$500. 81 800: two assistants at $40. Sl.iio;
assistant $500: two assistants at $500,
81. 200. Total. S11,9sO.
Increase of SalarieS-Librarian. $3.50: as
SiStant librarian. $500. librarians secre-
tary. S1OO; reference librarian, $500; chill
dren's librarian. 500; chief. circulation de-
partment, $3.50; cOllatOr, $40: engineer,
$40: workman. $40. Total, S2,21O.
Other eaSes-Employment of Subsu-
tutes and other temporary service new
! item), 81 900; Sunday opening, $500: pur-
chase of books $500; binding, $500; con-
| tingent fund, 500.
Library Staff Too Small.
On the subject of estimates Mr. Bow
erman says in his report to the trustees:
The library staff continues insufficient
in numbers and too poorly paid. The
natural increase of work requires more
! people; the essential new enterprises al
ready begun are crippled by inadequacy
| of force and much desirable new work
| cannot even be attempted because of lack
| of people 1t was a decided advantage
| to receive at the hands of Congress the
| small increases in the salaries OF the ten
| attendants and the two messengers. Now
| the salaries of the higher assistants need
| increasing, and there is decided need OF
| creating more of the better paid pos itions
| in order to get and keep well trained de-
| part ment heads. and to put the positions
| of this library on par with similar po-
| SitiOnS in other libraries In washington
and elsewhere.
THE book order and catalogue depart
ments need strengthening to carry the
present load. and especiallNSo II the book
purchases are increased, as recommended.
The useful arts department was begun
with an insufficient force, and has so
| fully justified its creation as strongly to
enforce the need for a we'll paid chief.
The opening of the separate periodicals
room on the second floor with an ade-
quate force certainly ought not to be
longer postponed The results accom-
plshed by the schoolroom libraries and
by the deposit stations, with insufficient
force in the case of the schools and by
volunteers in the case of the stations, call
for the establishment of a separate de-
partment with proper force. The con-
stantly increasing work of the circulation
department cannot be properly COPIED with
by the present staff.
whenever there is sickness the need of
employing substitutes is very great 1t is
therefore highly desirable to secure the
appropriation recommended for this pur-
pose.
TT is very important to secure the
recommended increase in the fund for the
purchase of books. The library ought
| not to be obliged so constantly to have to
deny readers the books they seek. But
with population of $4,000 nearly $4,000
| of whom are registered users of the Ii
, brary, and many of whom call for high
class. expensive books. this is inevitable.
Surely $500 is too little for the purpose,
and the $4,000 asked for is a modest sum
to meet such needs
Hampering Conditions Felt.
"Hampering conditions says Mr.. Bow
erman in another part Of his report, con
tinue to postpone the full development of
an institution planted in an exceptionally
intelligent community. whose citizens
eagerly take advantage of all extensions
of library facilities. Instead. therefore of
being able rapidly to develop complete
public library system worthy of the Ma
tional capital, the library work has thus
far, by reason of insufficient appropria-
tons, practically been limited to what
can be done in the central building, and
even that has not yet been fully occu-
pied"
with these limitations continues the
librarian. 1.-The past year has been one of
substantial progress.
He then summarizes the record of Ii
brary growth as follows:
1.-The book collection has passed the
hundred thousand mark; the home circu-
lation has exceeded half a million vol
umes; the cnildrens department circula-
ton is now more than 100000, and the at
tendance in the adult reading rooms was
nearly 10000. Among the forward steps
taken were the following: The opening
of new children's room. twice the size
of the former one: the opening of the new
useful arts and science department: the
establishment of small but efficient
school duplicate collection of books for
home circulation through the grades; the
beginning of school visiting by library as
sistants. productive of a spirit of Coop
Grafton between the two local public edu-
catiOnal agents; the circulation of more
than 1900 mounted pictures, chiefly
among the public school teachers. and the
establishment, with citizen cooperation
of small collection of perforated rolls
for use in automatic piano Players
FIRE DESTROYS DWELLING.