Evening star., 1913-12-03
PUBLIC LIBRARY.

The report OF the board Of trustees of
the Free Public Library with which is
included the report of the librarian to the
trustees) makes a striking showing Of
constantly increasing service rendered
by the library to the people OF Washing
ton In the face Of the most crippingly
narrow financial resources
A summary record Of the expansion Of
the library service during the nine years
since the new central building has been
occupied shows that in that time the
points of contact Of the library with the
people have increased from two (the CEN
trail library and one social settlenent) to
161 that the book stock has increased
from 64.4I3 volumes to 156, 283 volumes,
or 142 per cent; that the home circula-
ton Of books. one indication Of the work
accomplished, has increased from ZS, 17S
volumes to 6S6,218 volumes, or LAT per
cent: that in the same period the per-
centage Of fiction in that circulation has
been reduced from 81 to IS; that the ref
erence and study use OF the library in
creased from slight proportions to a point
where not only Is the main reading room,
accommodating 100 readers, almost con-
stantly filled with earnest students but
a large separate scientific and industrial
arts department is conducted, the use of
which by mechanics, engineers and bus
mess men increases their earning powers.
This record further shows a great ex-
pdnSlOn VI the NOIh Ol the IUIdTy GILL
dren's department not only in the: central
! library and at the Takoma branch, but in
the school division. From a school collec-
| ton of 5000 volumes. more than 76,OOO
| volumes were circulated into homes from
| eighty-tw school buildings Other points
| in this record include the holding of
| sixty y-eight public meetings and lectures
! in the assembly room, with 1,l5S auditors,
and 40 meetings of smaller organizations
| In study rooms for study purposes; the
I,ir Int ton, nf r,io inf< cob
and homes for use In teaching geography,
| history, literature and art: and the publi-
cation in the interest of the study and ex-
| tension work of the library OF a monthly
list of new accessions, an educational bull
| letin to bring library resources to the at
| tention of teachers, a social service bulle-
| tin in the interest of social workers, and
numerous reference lists in connection
with lectures or study courses This
record seems fully to justify to our local
library the title Of a university Of the
people.
Large Results at Small Cost.
The library trustees show most conclu-
sively that this enormous increase in vol
| ume Of work. marked by steadily i'm
proving quality, has been accomplished
| without corresponding increase in finan-
! cial resources The trustees point to the
/ fact that in this same nine years the
| library expenditures have increased but
/ 90 per cent.
| They claim that the original library
apprOpria tionS were slowly and made
| quately made, that the Public LII
| brary has never at any time been placed
on a basis of suitable maintenance. The
| salaries. ii is stated, were first fixed by
| Congress on q starvation basis, and no
| effort hitherto has been successful III
getting them from this basis except IN
| spots. This is shown by the fact that
many assistants. trained TO be profess
| sional librarians receive in the library
$4sO and $40 per year, as against a
minimum pay for merely clerical work
OF s72O elsewhere in the government
service. For several years there has
been virtually no enlargement Of the
staff. This extraordinary expansion Of
the librarys work. without correspond
ing increase in numbers and compensa-
ton of the force, has produced condi-
ton OF overwork and underpay. This
has resulted in frequent crippling resig-
nations. Thus the library has lost %
per cent of its entire force in the fiscal
year 1877. % per cent In 1908, 23 per
cent in 1909, 20 per cent in 1910. 33 1-3
per cent in 1911, 70 per cent In 1872 and
IS per cent in 1913. This showing calls
for radical increases in salaries paid In
the library.
The librarians report contains an in
teresting table in which he compares the
work done, expenditures and COS cost % OF
municipal libraries of the twenty six
other American cities above 100000
population in 1910. He shows that the
laverage cost per volume circulated IN
these cities is Is cents; that the
volume is exceeded in all but five of
these cities. These results are being Sc
cured In part by the efficiency of the
management and in part undoubtedly by