The Washington times., 1917-02-13
Declares Parsimonious Treat
ment Hurts Institution and
Limits Its Work.
CAN'T MEET BOOK DEMAND
Needed Branches Cannot Be
Established, He Says, or
Needed Books Secured.

Though Washington, the Nations
Capital, is noted as a repository Of
rare books, possess one OF the largest
collections in the world at its Con-
gressionsl Library, md is a growing
center for students and research
workers, Congress spends less money
on the city's only free Public Library,
than Is expended on similar libraries
in any other city of it's size.
Facilities for properly caring for
the In reasing demand for more and
better books are inadequate in the
Washington Public Library, due, said
Librarian George a. Bowerman to-
day to the small appropriation al
lowed by Congress. According to
psnse of the public library in this
city IL 21c, while in other cities of
the same size the per capita expense
is as high as 57c.
Get Only $4,000.
why do schools get an appropri-
alton of S3,5Oo. 900 when we get only
$TT,00o," said Mr.. Bowerman. ''The
schools reach approximately 10000
students. Through our library we
redch over 10000 and do II on one-fif-
tieth of the appropriation of the
schools. The large majority OF
school pupils drop out about the time
they get ito the eighth grade. In
fact only 10 per cent of them go
into the high schools.
by the time a student is through
the grade school he has only about
equipped himself to read properly.
Then IL when the library proves its
usefulness. But with the present
small appropriation, we are unable to
take care of them properly. We have
a poverty of books. So many times
we have to inform a person that the
book he seeks Is out, or give him q
substitute. II we had a fair appro-
pristion this would not happen.
Last year we were able to increase
our library by 1000 volumes. We
bought $4,000 volumes, but we wore
out by usage over $4,000 books"
Calls for Branch Libraries.
Il get repeated calls from citizens
associations in Washington asking
that branch libraries be placed in
their district. have to inform them
that It 10 impossible. that we do not
have the money. No one realizes
more than ] the need of more branch
llOTdTl69- anu no one more Indn
would like to have them placed m
this city, but we can't do II. We are
now doing much more than we should
on the small appropriation given US"
Our appropriation of $1,000 a
year presupposes only one central H.
brary and one branch. Instead we
have a central library, one branch,
and $50 distributing points through
out the city. Our one automobile is
kept busy every minute of the day,
and is unable to supply the demand" !"
should Have Model Library.
Mr.. Bowsrman said Washington
should have the model library of the
United States. instead OF one Kept
mediocre because of small appropria-
tions. He said:
I'VE ought to have the model free
public library OF the United States.
because SO many people come hero
and spend q few days in our library
and then go home. II our local library
could be developed as 1t should be
they would find so many Innovations
here that might be introduced at
home, that the whole library system
Of the country would be improved"
One of the new departments intro
duced by Mr., Bowerman is the in
dustrial education library, in which
are found books on every technical
subject The subjects most used are
interior decorating. wireless teleg-
raphy. and Gutomobiling, said Mr..
Bowerms n
Clipping Bureau Installed.
Another new department OF special
value is the clipping bureau recently
installed. Every item of interest to
washingtonians is clipped by the IL
brarians and put away for possible
use. 4 general clipping bureau is
maintained to clip material on items
or general information. A short time
ago information was sought as to
how many people had been killed by
submarines in the past three years.
This information was sought without
success elsewhere in the city, and was
finally obtained at the Public Library,
where it had been stored away by the
clipping bureau. Seven large boxes
of clippings on the European war
have been fled-
A special training class is main.
tanned at the library for training II.
brarians for the Washington library.
This plan has to be adopted. rather
than employ graduates of library
schools, because of the library's in.
ability to pay salaries sufficient to
secure library school graduates. The
salaries are so low, said Mr.. Bowewr.
man, that after the librarians have