Evening star., 1913-11-19
Library Staff and Apprentice Glass.

priation for the stocking of the Takoma
Park branch
Library Staff and Apprentice Glass.
The designations from the staff num-
bered seventeen. ttwelve assistants and
five messengers and pages, out OF
total regular staff of sixty-nine per-
sons, including building force. The pro-
portion Of losses was. therefore, 20 per
cent, as against 53 per cent in 1907. 20
per cent in 1910, 33 13 per cent in 1911
and 20 per cent in 1872.
Last year five persons who had been
trained in the library's apprentice
classes. and who had been members of
the staff. secured further professional
training in library schools; four went
to the Training School for Children's
Librarians at Pittsburgh, and one to
the Drexel Institute Library School.
Philadelphia Previous experience has
shown that the library is rarely able
to offer sufficient salary i>ducement to
secure the return to it's service of per-
sons who go to library schools. During
the coming year. however, two Of these
five will return to the library staff
Twelve persons completed the seven
month course of training in the
library's ninth annual apprentice class.
Last year for the first time applicants
were required to pass physical exam
nations for entrance.
oGLL0T PROFESSIONAL oaldCloS.
If the library estimates as forwarded
to the Commissioners could be in
corporated entire in the next appro-
priation act they would not represent
more than an approximation to salary
conditions as they should be. Not un-
til all salaries for professional posi-
tiOns are increased to $500 and up
ward Will they be put on a proper pro-
fessional basis. If the new and better
paid positions estimated for could be
provided it would be possible to exact
higher standards of education and pro-
fessional training for appointments and
promotions; it would be possible to
make some very much overdue promo
tions and it would not be necessary to
have the staff recruited quite SO COM
pletely from the librarys own appren-
tice class. the continuation of which
is now on the one hand a necessity and
on the other hand something of a
burden.
Recently members of the professional
staff, and especially those receiving less
than $780, were invited to hand in state
ments Of their personal expenses.
study of the figures submitted shows that
comparatively few members of the stan
are able to maintain themselves httingly
on their sa a'aries. In almost every case
living on the salary means living at home,
with a considerable portion of necessary
expenses contributed from the family in
come. In most cases, clothes. summer
vacations and attendance on professional
library meetings mean outside help or
debts. Manifestly the Public Library
ought to be maintained municipal in
stitution and not in part at the expense of
the members of the library staff and their
friends and relatives.
Need for Larger Appropriations.
In addition to the urgent need for pay
ing better salaries to its present staff to
reduce the number of cripplng resigna-
tions. the need has long existed for secur-
ing number of new persons with ad-
vanced education and special training.
There is also the need for increasing the
size of the staff in order to put the main
organization of the library on a more
adequate and proper basis.
Ihe present organization is SO meager
as to render imperative too complete
absorption of the members of the pro
fesSiOnal stan In necessary mechanical
processes and to leave them too little
time in which to give the readers eA-
pert consultative advice. In fact, in
spite of the strong desires of IA staff
devoted. for the most part, to high
ideals of service, not to faik to meet
the needs of readers for intellectual
assistance, from sheer necessity they
have been obliged to give the lions
share of time, attention and strength
to the mechanics of librarianship, to
the crowding out of the higher func-
tions proper to educational work. With
stationary reduced appropriations
the library has yearly gone on increas
ing it's work. with the result that the
available staff each year has had to
spread it's energies out thinner and
thinner to cover the increased demands
of the public. The same is true of the
funds for the purchase of books. which
have remained stationary for several
years.
Work Compared With Expenditures.
That the library work has increased in
quantity and quality far faster than ex-
pendtures is shown by a table which
compares the record of 100. (the first full
year the present central building was
occupied) with that of 1913. Library eX-
penditures increased from $4,000 in 1904
to sGS.3O7 in 1913. an increase of 80 per
cent: the book stock increased from IA, 41J
volumes in 1904 to 1JG.2,r: volumes in 1918.
an increase of AZ per cent, and the home
circulation of books grew from 21S, lie
volumes in 1894 to GSS,21S volumes In