The Washington herald., 1914-10-11
PUBLIC LIBRARY
FORCE UNDERPAD
More Employees and Better
Salaries Urged by Board
of Trustees.
BIG INCREASE IN WORK
DR.. George F. Bowerman's Services
Will Be Lost Unless He Gets More
Money. Says Report.

"The most urgent present need of the
Public Library is a larger and better paid
fcrce," SAYS the board of trustees Of that
institution in their annual report filed
yesterday with the District Commits
sioners
Inadequate compensation is to be
found here and there throughout the
force the trustees state, land especial
emphasis is laid upon the conditions OF
overwork and underpay prevailing among
the small professional library force,
which, while practically at standstin
itself in numbers and compensation, Is
required to handle a steadily increasing
number of books and to serve q CONSTANT
ly enlarging army Of readers
The Commissioners agree that THIS
showing calls for radical increases IN
salaries paid in the library, and they rec
commended last year certain substantial
increases in the salaries Of the profes-
sional stan Of the library, none OF which
increases were made for 1915 and all OF
which remain as q main objective Of the
library campaign of 1916.
DR.. George r. BOwernan.
'sThe first consideration in increasing
salaries should be given to the librarian.
DR.. George +. Bowerman- He has Just
completed ten years of service here, dur
ing which time he has literally trans
formed the library. He has increased
the quantity and quality Of its service
many fold. Through DR.. Bowermans et-
forts our IScal library has been made to
rank in the quality of its service with the
foremost public libraries OF the country.
This year We earnestly recommend
that the long overdue Increase in the
librarians salary be made. We cannot
afford to lose Dr. Bowerman. Such an
event is not at all unlikely unless we
are able TO pay him a more adequate
salary.
'.The record Of the library's work for
the past year makes a striking showing
when compared with that Of ten years
ago. During that period the distribution
agencies have increased from two uhe
central library and one social settle
menO to lS2. The book stock has In
creased from 64,f73 volumes to 16S,lS1
volumes. The home circulation Of books,
one of the best indications of the work
OF a public library, has increased from
27sI7s volumes to 713SS4 volumes. In the
same period the percentage Of fiction in
that circulation has been reduced from
81 to IS per cent.
Growth of ChiIdren's Work.
-'qrhe, largest growth during the ten
wear period was made in the library 8
work for children One-third of the IL
brary's circulation Is now OF Cnnoren
hooks; the-Eincrease in that use in ten
wears has been from g, ,Z7S volumes 70
"a ,2sS volumes or flvefeld- This use is
made not only through the. children's
room at the central library and, the Ia
kornai Park branch but especiAlly throngn
| the library,s 5 CO. operation with the schools.
From a school collection Of 10 volumes
ffnoae, tifaH $500 voldBesS were circHlated
into homes through "a class rooms m
eighty school buildings. Other points In
last years, library record include the
holding Of 2 public meetings and lee
lures in the assembly room and "a meet
ings of small organizations In study
rooms, and the circulation OF A,Sz4
mounted pictures into schools and homes
for use in teaching geography or Illus
trating the reading of historical, literary
or artistic subjects.
Figures are given to show that the
total municipal expenditure and the ag-
gregate amount Of library appropriation
for Washington does not compare faNor-
ably with other cities. The District as
compared with Americas lS largest
cities, assigns only one-hah as large
percentage for library work as the aver
age percentage OF the other cities.