The Washington herald., 1919-03-27

several hundred patients are car
ried into Or" Gray's ONCE every
day, their symptoms diagnosed and
the proper remedies prescribed They
arrive with their backs broken, their
color faded and smashed up gener-
ally. for nobody loves a. crippled IL
brary book" and Miss Gray is the
head of the repair and binding di-
visions Of the Washington Public Ii
brary.
Some of them need only a mild
prescription and go to the repair shop
to have their leaves pasted and backs
frightened, while others are so badly
damaged that they must be discard
ed. entirely and replaced by new vol
urnes.
Dress Them Up.
The greater number Iof them, how
ever. are sent to the bindery to ap-
pear within a few days with brand
new covers and shining new gold let
tering ready for another attack of
the reading public of Washington.
People are more apt to be care
less with books belonging to a pub
lie institution" Miss Gray said yes
terday. though some of our read
ers are as thoughtful as though the
books came from their own library
shelves"
It is the policy of the library to
place the books first on the shelves
in the publishers binding, though it
is not considered as durable as that
given them by the library work shop.
We think the varied colorings of
the publishers bindings lend added
attractiveness to the shelves so long
as they are fresh" Miss Gray said.
''and we leave them on as it is good
for -he health of the book
Within a few days or months.
however. each book finds it's way
to the little shop in the library
basement, the length of time de-
pending largely upon the class of
readers interested in that particu-
lar volume and the durability of
the publishers binding. Some OF
them come back to Miss Gray after
only four or FIVE trips into the pos
session of the reading public and
others make as many as sixty or
more.
After a thorough examination by
Miss Gray or her assistant, Mrs. b.
Harrell. the book Intended for the
bIEdery is sent to the workshop
to be relieved of it's old back and
fitted with a new one.
Expert Trimming.
The foreman of the workshop,
George G. Mcdowell, receives the
volume from the hands of the
sewers and carefully clips and trims
the ragged edges to the desired
g,
the new covering, in some durable
dark shade that will stand many
fumbIings with fingers not so clean
as they might be without showing
the marks, and then placed in the
press.
Either later in the afternoon or
early the next morning the book is
taken from the press and sent to
the finisher, Frank Lowey, to have
the title, authors name and call
number placed on it in gold letter
ings.
Mr.. Lowey handles the thin sheets
of gold leaf with expert fingers and
instruments, declaring that the gold
knows" him and will obey the
sound of his voice.
TT gets all mussed and rumpled
il anyone else even whispers over
it," he says, but l can sing or
whistle as much as I like and 1t
never even wrinkles"
The letters and figures are pressed
on the volume and the remaining
bits of gold leaf removed with bit
of virgin gum, into whose soft sub
stance the gold is pressed. From a
dead black the gum soon changes to
a bright gold and is then sent to
chemists shop, the rubber melted
and the tiny nugget of gold re-
moved. The gold ball frequently is
worth SIS or $6 and if the gum has
been used any length of time may
bring as high as $40.
Frequently the pages of the book
must be carefully cleaned of finger
marks and pen and pencil notations.
Some of the notes are made in
moment of thoughtlessness on the
mart of the reader and others are
written in comment on some remark
of the authors.
Indignant Professor.
INV notes will enhance the value
of the volume" a professor in a
local university assured the
librarian after she had protested
over some rather lengthy comments
in a scientific treaties, they are the
result of much thought and will ex-
plain the passage to the greater
benefit Of the reader" The learned
gentleman was much annoyed when
he was informed that despite the
undoubted value of his notes he
must replace the volume with one
whose value remained "unen-
hanced."
This is my idea of the hero OF this
book" was the notation under clever
little sketch in a popular novel. Il
trust You will not think me presump-
tuous, but I admire the hero so much
that I cannot resist leaving this pic
ture."
Notes and sketches, however, are
not the only tokens left by the read
ers in books belonging to the Public
Library. Chamois skins. street-car
transfers and letters are among the
more usual finds" and occasionally a
bill or piece Of silver.
The letters are a story in them
selves. Often they are addressed and
stamped, ready for the mail, and these