Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-05
U. S. LIBRARY PAY
WHICH WILL KEEP
EXPERTS IS ASKED
Continued from First Page.)

6AT6nIS 10 HSN6U
| Continued from First Page.)
| elsewhere. but salary at least equal
| to the highest paid for similar work
| IN any such institution, plus an allow
! ance for the removal to Washington
and the incidents of living and en-
p1oyment here.
The efficiency of a library service
| depends upon a continuing and ac-
cumulating familiarity with the col
lection administered. the apparatus.
! the methods and the constituency to
be served. No new appointee. how.
ever accomplished. can at once NIL
the place Of an equally competent
| one departing. Even in eleme ntary
work at least year is lost in any
| such change. and longer period as
the work becomes more specialized.
! merely of efficiency but of economy
that the library salaries shall be such
as not merely to attract competent
! persons but to retain them.
Professional Judgment Involved.
Though our suggestions are in
vited. not merely volunteered, we are
interested parties. We realize that
any recommendations of ours must
| De subject to that imputation. To
avoid 1t we should have preferred to
submit criticisms of schedules pre-
pared by the commission than to have
| initiated schedules Of our own. AS
| the choice was not given US we have
sought the course next desirable.
Summoned as ADVISERS not as mere
Ipetltloners. We have, SO far as human
~ possible. divorced the question
from any personal interest. Our rec
| our best professional judgment as to
what is necessary and reasonable,
| and not the limit of what we should
personally welcome. or. as parties in
interest, might argue for.
| Estimates submitted to an appro-
priatfon committee quite often in
clude an allowance for depreciation
I at the hands of the committee. The
i ngures we submit include no such
! allowance. They are the minima we
.nink necessary under present con-
! and to retain IT.
Dr. Williamson presented to the
commission figures on salaries paid in
Libraries in New York tending to
bear cut the statements of the local
Sealed Proposals Urged.
DR.. Putnam presented the following
reasons for making sealed proposals for
salary schedules for library workers:
.h Ih h have been complied without
the oenent OF the information which
you were expecting to be available
bearing on the employment policies
Of the government
| They have been compiled without
consultation with the other Services
or agreement upon policies or criteria
that might be urged by the govern
ment employees generally.
| They cover but one-half of per
cent Of the total positions to be con-
to initiate in a public way the claims
Of the employees, or to argue policies,
Or propose standards. which would
affect public opinion before the major
If the schedules be too low their
present publication would pejudice
every other service: II they seem too
high the their publication l, might bring
encouraging the employees to exag-
gerate their case by inviting them
to initiate a scale, instead OF con-
trolling their expectations by submit
ting 70 them iSr comment scale al
I'm any case a present publication
would be quite premature. and might
"Their publication would deprive the
Recommendations from the other
services shaped Independently Of any
submitted before them"
Librarians Comment.
In presenting sealed proposals the
Librarians said:
"The library service covered by the
classification schedules, comprising
about 900 positions. includes only en-
ployes rendering professional or semi
professional service. It does not in
clude either the merely clerical serv-
ice, nor on the other hand specialists
| in certain fields whose work, though
| attached to a library, does not in
volve library science or technique.
"Our suggestions assume for each
class specified. a minimum salary,
with an automatic yearly advance to
adverse Recommendation Of the SUI
perior administrative official. In one
| class the stated maximum would be
subject to still further advance upon
cause shown.
appointments would be made to
for which the appointee may qualify.
| As a rule, they would be to the mini
mum salary OF the class. but In ak
ceptional cases might be to one higher
than minimum.
'"The maximum reached in a given
class, promotion to a higher class or to
one involving different qualifications.
would be secured only by Affirmative
action and the application of tests
which would include tho efficiency rec
ord Of the employe.
"There are certain classes not likely
to qualify for promotion to q higher
GLASS, yet whose continuation "a classes.
and the retention Of the veteran en-
ployes In them. 10 essential. This has
been considered In fixing the sradations
| and their nnaXtma.
'In estimating compensation our at
tention has been given especially to the
relative claims Of the different classes
| It Ia in this respect that our judgment
might be most fairly asked and may be
| most useful 70 you.
':As Indicating the relative conpensa-