Evening star., 1914-10-12
4s.27s -t1so4) to 234,2ss volumes. or q
most flve times.
Circulation Through Schools.

| SeSSs
from 5000 volumes to $3.50 volumes.
These were sent out in travelling IL
braries, normally about ffty volumes
each. to 234 classrooms in eighty school
buildings From the collection 21,SS5
| volumes were sent out in 559 dinerent
sets. They had total circulatlon OF
S5. .125 volumes, or nearly II per Voiume.
Each year the library becomes more
| of a civic and social center as well as
| an Intellectual center During the past
i year 122 meetings were held IN the
lecture hall, OF 81 more than In the pre-
| vious year, with an attendance OF To-
3S4. an increase of 1926. In the study
! rooms thirty-one organizations held
277 smaller meetings. an increase OF
"The picture collection now numbers
25.4 mounted pictures. 669S of which
were mounted during the year. These
pictures had home circulation OF
s4s24 an increase Of 1sas4 ..Nsn over ene ame
BY 4ss teachers in l42 grammar
schools. Z high. 2 normal and IS pri-
vate schools and colleges and uni
versities Collections Of post post cards
| ing geography in connection with
| rejecting lantern. In addition to
teachers. classes using lectures IN
cluded study clubs, newspapers. lee
turers. artists and costumers.
Volumes Added.
THE books added to the library num-
bered 20.152 volumes. the largest num-
Der in its history. A total of 1928 VOL
umes were worn out and withdrawn.
so that the net accessions were 1924
volumes. The collection therefore grew
during the year from 1928 volumes to
16S, 1877 volumes. The accessions included
16052 volumes purchased, 1880 vol
umes received as gifts. 264 volumes of
periodicals bound and 2.055 volumes of
copyright transfers received from the
Library Of Congress The expenditures
for books were s10,50S.53. making the
average cost. per volume. OF books pur-
chased IS cents. Although the library
figures. they still fall far short of
necessities. The increase of $1,000 in
the book appropriation for next year
will afford some relief. TIL library
ought to be able to puy meritorious
issued in order to satisfy the reason
able demands of its intelligent and
book-loving public, instead of being
obliged to follow. the present plan Of
until they can be picked up as bar
gains. This course must of necessity
almost always be followed in the case
OF any book that is at al expensive.
As has been the case in most pre-
vfous years, the designations from the
stan haye been excessive; twenty-five
persons out of a total staff of seventy
resigned. or 81 per cent.
Communication is due the fine pro-
fessional spirit maintained by the STAFF
In spite of the deadening effect of
low and stationary salaries and in
adequate financial support.
Training of Apprentices.
But four persons completed the
seven months course of training in the
nine admitted to the class. A detailed
report on the student apprentice class
contains an interesting table sum-
marking the record of the classes dur
ing the last ten years. Out of 4 very
large but unrecorded number OF an
plicants 159 persons took examinations
for entrance to the classes. forty failed
or were dropped and ninety-three corr
pleted the course or were appointed
to the stan prior thereto. Thus far
s,n.yLnlne snnS,Ite,.n have W re received permanen!
them eighteen have later servel in
other libraries and eight others have
been appointed to other libraries with
brary. Thirty-hve graduates Of rlh.,
apprentice classes are now employed
in the library.
II became your librarian on septem-
report should summarize the deeen. @
nial period and that the work and an
propriations of the tenth year of my
service here should be compared with
the fiscal year (1904) just preceding
the commencement of that service.
Comparison Of Figures.
THE library expenditures were 49,
sS7 In 1904 and $S9.37O in 1914, an in
crease of but 40 per cent. The stock
of books owned by the library has,
however. increased from 64.473 volumes
to 1Ss.167 volumes, an increase of 161
per cent. The home circulation of
books. which is regarded as the best
index of the service of a public library.
rose In the same period from 27s,178
volumes to 713.634 volumes, an increase
of 156 per cent The steadily improv-
ing quality of the service of the library
is shown by the fact that during the
circulation was reduced from "a in 1904
| to 56 in 1914. or % per cent.
THE number of registered users OF
the library increased from 33.98S to 49,
| 954; that is, but 35 per cent. That this
number has not more largely increased
| is simply due to the fact that the Ii
brary has never been able to extend
| its resources to the entire population.
The staff of the library has doubled In
ten years, increasing from 35 in 1904
to 70 in 1914"
| The librarian points out that a table
he presents does not show the develop
ment of the work of the library that
| has made 1t an effective educational
agent in the community; 1t does not
show the development of the children's s
department, including the large school
work, the Inauguration Of the story
hour and the home library; it does not
show the establishment of the indus
trial department, the clipping collec-
tion and many other features that have
helped to make the library vital So
cial agent.
CHANNEL DREDGE WORK