Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-25

I'M " i-A> L years ago the Library
Ill of Congress took up all it's be-
longings and moved from it's
cramped quarters in the Capitol
INTO its beautiful new building, known
TO all residents and visitors of Wash
fngton. The Library renders service
which reaches all over the country.
With the removal of the Library. its
administration was placed under the
librarian, in whom was vested the au-
thority to make rules and regulations
for its government, and with that
change its great development began.
Then the principle was adopted that
the function of a great library is to be
much more than storehouse; it must
be disbursing agent of thought.
Those who come seeking knowledge
must be shown where it can be found,
and upon those who cannot, or perhaps
even will not. come it will neverthe-
less throw it's comfortable warmth.
Its methods are simple" said Fred
erick w. Ashley, for nineteen years
connected with the Library, and now
superintendent Of the reading rooms.
"One of them is. under the system of
interlibrary loans, to. lend books to
other libraries for the use of investi-
gators. Its purpose is to aid research
by providing unusual books-those that
are not accessible elsewhere. For this
reason the books and documents lent
cannot include those which the bor-
rowing library ought to have. or at
least be able to procure readily. Nor
can it include material in constant use
in Washington either by Congress, the
departments or readers.
when library borrows such books
from the Congressional. it must assume
liability for their transportation and
safe return. and under such conditions
any of the $4,000 or more public libra
ries can have the use of the unusual
book or the book for the unusual read
err. During the past year the Library
of Congress supplied in more than
3.400 instances the books which the re-
search man needed to help him over
the holes in the road
"1t does not seem like a great thing
to lend a few old books, or documents,
of pieces Of music, but to the extent of
Just what could not be obtained other
wise the Library of Congress has sup
plemented the strength of smaller in
situations.
ut calls for no vivid Imagination to
see the professor of the university, the
chemist or engineer of some great
plant, the inventor in his laboratory.
brought to a halt in his Investigations
for lack of some book which his library
does not have and cannot easily pro-
cure, and then it Is Washington to the
rescue. The student may not be able
to come to the mountain; then, this
mountain Of a library, II informed. will
give aid to the student and feel that it
has realized on it's opportunity. For Is
not that one of the objects of its be-
ing?
to the young libraries Is by the catalogu-
ing of books and preparation and print
ing of index cards. A suitable index
card contains much valuable informa-
tion-the name, dates and pseudonym
Ut any Of the author, the makeup of
the volume, the title of the book and
a graphic statement of it's contents.
The preparation of such card involves
an examination of the book and what
ever further effort may be necessary to
secure all this information, which must
then be set up and printed, and all this
is not inexpensive.
eral million pieces in it's 102 miles of
libraries of this country. It's cataloguers
are trained and skillful. and it con-
ceived the idea of striking Off many
copies of their most generally used
cards and supplying them at cost to
libraries throughout the country.
+
More than $4,000 institutions OBJ
tanned these cards last year to the
amount Of something like 100000, at
a cost running trifie over one-eighth
of a cent apiece. Some libraries pur-
chase entire sets of index cards in
order to have the photography on any
subject; others purchase only such
cards they require. Nor is their use
confined to public libraries, for many
men order the sets of cards which COW
er a subject of particular interest to
them. The index cards of the books in
the library Of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton are also published in this division.
They are very complete and give clear