Evening star., 1915-12-08
The Free 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 frustees) makes an impressive
, showing of the constantly enlareinr
and steadily improving quality OF the
work OF this exceedingly useful diyi-
sion Of the public educational service
OF the District. The record of Wash
ington's municipal library is the more
noteworthy in view of the facts. as
shown again and again in the library
reports by comparisons with other
municipal libraries of the country md
with other branches of the public sery
ice. that our local library has always
been operated on an exceedingly
| Ineager and inadequate basis Of finau-
cial support. II has always had too
Few books. too few and too poorly paid
employees, and too few agencies of dis
tribution to meet as it should the de-
mands Of the highly intelligent con-
stituency to which II ministers.
Inc library trustees are justified in
their pride in the library's record of
work the past year. which makes an
especially striking showing when II is
compared with that Of IL years
ago. when the present librarian began
his service here. During that period
the distribution agencies have in
creased from (the central library
and one social settlement) to 1856. The
book stock has increased from e4.4is
volumes to 17S.1sS volumes. or ITS per
cent. The home circulation of books.
probably the best indicator of the work
OF puolic library. has increased from
.IS.1TS volumes to S02.s9s volumes, or
lsS per cent In the same period the
percentage OF fiction In that circulation
mas been reduced from 81 to 55. The
trustees point out that that result has
oeen accomplished by constantly In
| creasing the emphasis placed on the
study and reference work OF the Ii
ment OF the separate industrial dfyi-
sion, which Is conducted to meet the
needs OF large number Of business
men. engineers and mechanics. The
period. however. has been in the IL
brary's work for children. More than
one-third of the library's circulation is
now Of children's books: the increase
from 4S.27S volumes to 3o2,51o volumes,
or sixfold This use is made not only
through the chiidren's room at the cen
tral library and the Takoma Park
ornncn. ; but especially by means OF the
utilization OF the public schools as dis
tributing agencies. From a special
school collection of 1888 volumes
more than 100000 volumes were circu-
lated into homes through sS7 class
rooms in 10s school buildings. Other
points in last years library record in
clude the holding of 81 public
meetings and lectures in the ASSEM-
bly, room, with 1928 auditors. and e44
meetings of small organiza tions in
study rooms: the circulation of 93,745
mounted pictures into schools and
homes for use In teaching geography
or illustrating the reading or histori-
ca, Hterary or artistic subjects, and
development Of the study and exten-
sion work Of the library Of a monthly
bulletin OF new accessions, an educa-
aonai bulletin to promote the CO.
social service bulletin to promote
sociological study and numerous refer-
ence lists paralleling lecture and
study courses The foregoing record
,s ,s sucn as 1uiiy to justify the claim OF
the trustees that the library has be-
come not only an educational institu-
slon that effectively supplements all
formal school work, but also vital
social aid in the community.
The library trustees are likewise
yustlned in their claim that this very
large proportionate increase in the.
work OF the library, marked as it has
peen oy steadily improving quality.
has been accomplished without CORE
spending increase in the llbrary'~
financial resources. The trustees point
out that In the last IL years the con-
sressional appropriations for library
maintenance have increased 95 per cent
and the total library expenditures SO
per cent but that In the corresponding
period the book stock has Increased IN
volume 17S per cent and the home cir.
culation has increased in volume lsS
per cent. The work done by the IL
brary has therefore Increased much ,
more than twice as fast as the means
provided for doing 1t. During recent
years there has been almost no ins
crease Of maintenance and develop
ment provision at all. None the less,
In each year of that period there was
large increase of library use. For
the fiscal year 1915 the library received
small increase in its appropriation
(by no means what its necessities re-
quired). Its record for that year shows
that the percentage In the increase of
Its financial resources has been far
outstripped by the work it has accom-.
pilshed. The librarian also points out
that the library work has largely in
creased each month of the current fiscal
year and that he is compelled TO cop.
with these largely increased demands
without any enlargement whatever in