Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-05
.LUMMIS Jumps
ON CITY AUDITOR
LIBRARIAN RESENTS ATTACK
ON INSTITUTION
THINKS MUSHET DISPLAYS LACK
OF KNOWLEDGE
Charges Made Recently by Municipal
Official Arouse Ire of Custodian
of Books, and Hot Reply
Is Forthcoming

Charles F. Lummis, librarian, is out
with a scathing denial of charges re-
Gently made by City Auditor Mushet
and he protests vigorously against
what he terms an attack on the public
library.
Mr.. Lummis says:
An article in a Saturday paper obviously
by plenary inspiration of the city auditor)
tells how this ''prohigate city is wasting its
funds on place holders Two-thirds of the
city's income required to pay employees sal
aries" And among the 'profligates the
public library is held up to pity as com
parable only with the city engineers Of
fice''
The other departments of the city can
doubtless speak for themselves; but libra
the public library, which never would be made
by any one who knows books or their use
what public libraries and may be here
and elsewhere. 1 yield to no one in re-
spect for the integrity and energy of the
gentleman who has Argus beaten to fraz-
zle, since that watchdog of antiquity had
only hundred eyes and those all in his
head. But 1 also am a citizen and an Of
fetal and charged with a certain duty
toward the public. Part of that duty as
take it, is to protect the honor of this city
far I truthfully
Wants Plain Truth
SO far as the public library IS concerned
the credit of Los Angeles needs nothing more
than the plain truth. The facts as to the
financial relations of the library to The
salaries and for permanent improvements
are in the offices of the city auditor, and
doubtless available TO any citizen. The edu-
cational facts as between this library anc
the other public libraries of the country are
on file in this library and available to any
citizen. They are also part of the printed
archives Of this city.
L have known this town nearly quarter
of a century, and have watched its prog
ress-and its bubbles. There is no depart
ment of this city whose employees more eff
have to be better qualified before they car
get salary; any department which rem
ders better proportionate service to this pub
lie nor any department which can better afford
comparison with the similar service in the
other cities of the United States.
There may be one immaculate department
in this city. The public library is not that
one. 1t is full of faults. 1t cannot have
everything it wants fast as it wants it.
But it is growing in size and in grace as
fast as it is allowed to grow. I present
comparative statistics between this and some
Of the foremost public libraries of the coUn-
try. While the use of books, and the kind
of use that is made of them, appeal only tC
those who know what books are, the indis-
putable fact that local library service Is
more active, is cheaper, is better and is
larger in all its proportions taken together
than the library service of any city with
which willing to be compared, ought
to be enough cause for patience even fol
people whose horizon is limited by the null
duplication table. When our circulation OF
books from the main library is 1900 per cent
more active than that of Boston; when il
costs us only two-thirds as much per cir.
culation; when our "host of attendants cir.
culate each one of them. about three and
half times many volumes do the at
PENDANTS in the Hub of the Universe; wher
the public uses the library more than any
other public in America; and when the libra
ry expends ct least as large a per cent
of its total appropriation in permanent i'm
provements any other department of the
city-why, it would seem that any reason.
able citizen would be willing to give the city
good name instead of trying to Islander it
Cites an Example
The Boston public library is the Iarges
public library in the world. It is also one o.
the oldest, having been founded in 1852 in
city then and still ranking as the chief cen
ter of culture in America; and now with ovel
922. 600 volumes.
The Boston public library has a payroll
Of S16,11 per month, and average circula
ton Of a. 946 volumes per month. This means
a cost in salary per circulation of Is cents
and mills. The staff numbers asa, includ
ing extras. This staff circulates 1868 volume;
per year per employee.
The Chicago public library, one of the
largest in the country. has a monthly pay
roll of s1O,748; monthly average circulation
of HISS; salary cost per circulation cent!
and 1 mill.
The New York public library has monthly
payroll of 29,SS7; an average circulation o.
1877. 1926; salary cost per circulation, % cents
and 4 mills.
The Brooklyn public library, second in siz,
in this country, has an average monthly pay
roll of $12292; average monthly circulation
JOG, 463 cost per circulation, II cents and
mills
The Providence. R. L, public library, recog
nized one of the models in America and
far larger in number of volumes than tha
Of Los Angeles, has a salary cost per cir
culation Of IA cents.
The average monthly payroll of the Los
Angeles public library for the year ending
November 80, 1908. was $4445; average month
ly circulation, 5S,719 salary cost per circula
ton, cents and mills Circulation pei
employee per year, 1898.
Our attendants work three times as hare
so far measured activity goes as they d.
in Boston; and it costs us for each attendant
much less than one-haf much for each uni
of such activity. 1t costs US one-thfrd as
much in salary for these attendants per uni
Of measured activity it costs New York
and half as much as it costs Providence.
The moral Of this would seem to be that
these prominent cities should secure either
better librarians or better auditors-or both
than they have now.
Perhaps they have not yet discovered that
they have too many attendants for doine
a half a third of the work that is done
by the attendants Of the Los Angeles public
library.
Half an hours investigation of the librar,
StatlSllcS OF the United states IS enough Il
show any intelligent person that in the &C
tivity of it's staff in the economy of IT.
service, in the of its volumes in thu
average service rendered by every employ,
to the public and in everything else tina
makes for the effectiveness and the business
likeness of a public library. Los Angeles ha
reason to be as proud of this institution a.
Of it's transit, or its street lighting, or it,
growth in population, or in new buildings.
Discusses Salaries
Salaries are of course a considerable par