The Colorado statesman., 1917-03-24
UNCLE Sam LOANS
BOOKS TO PEOPLE
Makes II Possible for Anyone to
Make Use of Great Congress
sionaI Library.
PURPOSE TO AID RESEARCH
Object Is to Make Unusual Volumes
Which Cannot Be Obtained Else
where Available to Students
Everywhere.


Comparatively few persons know
that they can take advantage of the
great congressional library maintained
by Uncle Sam at Washington without
going to the national capital.
There are thousands of people all
over the country who constantly make
use of the library of congress and yet
have never been within gunshot of the
District of Columbia. The important
and yet little-known branch of the ac-
tivities of the library of congress which
makes this possible was explained by
Herbert Putnam, the librarian of con-
gress.
"The library of the British Museum"
he said, sis purely a reference library.
1t is magnificent collection, but 1t is
of use only to those who can go to
London to consult 1t. The library of
congress is, of course, used as a ref
erence library by thousands of people
every year. But 1t is also q lending
library, and therefore 1t renders to the
American citizen service which the
British Museum library does not rem
der to the British citizen.
"This is work in which the library
of congress is following the lead of
some of the great libraries of Europe,
especially of those of Germany.
"Of course, there is much to be said
for the purely reference library. Some
of our material-such as the valuable
documents placed here by their own
ers for safe keeping-is used only for
reference purposes. Sometimes tran
scripts of it are sent out.
Sent to Local Libraries.
''The system on which books are
sent out to borrowers is as follows: If
man engaged in serious research
needs book which his own local Ii
brary lacks, which it cannot naturally
be expected to have, he may ask his
local library to get it for him from the
library of congress. This will be done,
and his only expense will be the cost
of the transportation of the volume.
The loan rests on the theory of a
special service to scholarship which it
| Is not within the power or the duty of
The local library to render. Its pur-
pose is to aid research calculated to
advance the boundaries Of knowledge,
by the loan of unusual books not read
lily accessible elsewhere.
Therefore, books that should be in
a local library or that can be borrowed
from library having particular duty
to the community from which the appli-
cation comes Ga state library, for ex-
ample), are not lent by the library of
congress. Neither are books that are
inexpensive and can easily be pro-
cured, nor textbooks, nor books for the
general reader, nor to be used for
recreation or self-culture. But unusual
books to satisfy unusual needs-these
the library of congress is glad to lend.
"And we find that people all over the
country are eager to take advantage of
this service. We are constantly send
ing out books to borrowers sometimes
as far distant as San Francisco and
Cuba. During the year ended June 30,
1914, we sent out 2,030 volumes. Dur
ing the year ended June 30, 1915, we
sent out 2,25S volumes, and during the
year ended June 80, 1916, we sent out
as interlibrary loans 3,460 volumes to
393 different libraries in 4S states and
in Canada.