Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-05
services, rather than their extension and

sservices, rather than their extension anu
increase.
of the year includes the following net
growth in book stock from 12l,0'i Noi-
umes to IT,, S37 volumes; the clrcuiatio''
into hames of D1, ia volumes ana Oh -.
d. $50 mounted pictures; further reouc..o oa
in the percentage of fiction circuiateu
from sixty-two to sixty, making the totai
reduction I'm the percentage or hctloh CIR
culated during seven years twenty -Io'i
"A marked increase in generai reference
work and i'm the use OF fnduStrlal Htei-
ature. an Improvement in quality and an
increase in quantity of school work. laTke-
" resulting from trained superVlslon' the
maintenance of story hours at tne Hoi al
and i'm certain schools: the establishments
of = system of home libraries by cooper
alton with the Associated Charities; the
ID conducting of library stations IN the play
grounds: experimental house-to-house oe-
livery of books in one section OF tne us
trfct and the transfer from the lADra
of Congress of books i'm tangible print and
the conducting of readings and musicals
for the blind at the Public Library
The report points out that. although the
library is steadily improving in educa-
tioual efficiency. nevertheless its former
reco-d of RAPIDLY growing statistics or
home circulation and other figures or con-
stantly enlarging use have given place.
for the last two years. to pracucaiiy sta-
tionarv figures. That the library has not
been able to expand and TO extend Its
service to a larger portion OF the pupnc'
the library trustees state, Is due solely
to the limitations in the library appro-
prations. 1t is claimed that the library
staff is too small to properl conduct the
present central library and - poorly paid
as to be subjected to frequent Grip
ping designations C33 Is per cent OF
the entire staff resigned the past year,,
and that their appropriations FOR DOCKS
are inadequate to enable the library to
meet the demands of this cultivated city.
They urge a first necessity the proper
maintenance of the central library estab-
lishment: but also point out that the pup
lie library facilities of the District can
never he regarded as approaching ad-
equacy until we have a system OF
branches through which to make the
library of real use to very considerable
portion of the population that does not
reside within easy reach of Mount Vernon
Square. In their eagerness for library
facilities more than 5000 persons are
registered library users. The handi-
cap of distance is so great however, that
many of these persons use the library
but infrequently; whereas 1t is believed
that with branches near their homes
library use by citizens would be very
general.
November 16. 1911, the Takoma Park
branch was opened to the public. AL
though Mr.. Carnegie offered the District
nearly nine years ago money suff1c1ent to
build a system of branch library build
ings, the branch just opened, built at
cost of $4,000, is the only one that Con-
gress has by law enabled the District to
accept Now that the principle of accept,
ing money for public library buildingsN
from Mr.. Carnegie has been adopted by
the acceptance of the central building and
the Takoma Park branch, the location of
other branch libraries in thickly settled
localities, such as Georgetown. Southeast
Wa hinr ton the Navy Yard section. etc,
would establish the District as a model In
it's Dublic library deyeiOpmenf as IL is in
SO many other features of municipal ac
tiyity