Evening star., 1920-03-14
WHY STIFLB OUR
PUBLIC LIBRARY?


Library and a moment later was shown
into the chief Librarians Office. He
plunged at once into his subject. re-
lating how he had thought the library
good place for retrenchment; that
until his recent visit he had had no
idea of the educational work the insti-
tuition was doing; now he found that
other cities had branches and that
their work was more highly developed:
also. Why was the library closed We'd
nesday afternoon? why should not
the people of Washington haves the
same library privileges as those in
Seattle, Louisville, Cleveland. St.
Louis. Detroit. Minneapolis and St
| Paul. Springfield. Mass. We pay taxes,
do we not?"
| The librarian started to speak, but
| at that moment the telephone rang.
| The man from Missouri was interested
in the one-sided conversation. you
want books for your school? You say
dren cannot possibly come to the
library. l will have you connected
with the division of work with schools
and they will do their best for you"
The Librarian rang off and turned to
his visitor.
| Il am most interested in your in
vestigation. Shall I tell you exactly
what our conditions are! You are
| quite right Washington should have
a frst-elass public library system. The
recent census gave us a population of
431.4l4. These citizens. with a few ex-
i,sa.. eePdions: have no circulating library
by the Public Library, and there is no
place where persons would use the
library more intelligently. We have
one branch instead of the seven needed
and which have been demanded by the
the service through deposit stations
and We cannot even take care of the
work in this building. Why? Because
we have an eatirely inadequate staff
and we pay starvation salaries. Do
you Know out OF staff of eighty
$1,000 or less. many of them very
much less? Our Professional stan
numbers ffty-eight. Of whom eleven
only Including myself and the assist
ent &c cnie1 librarian. receive moro than
time into training. They are required
to be high school graduates, many have
degrees from colleges. and a year or
more OF technical training. They have
TO read extensively. they must have
serts Of persons. and for the higher
positions much administrative ca
pacity, There is hardly a day that 7
do not receive requests from persons
with this training for government or
o.her work at larger salaries. Now 1
you think it easy to hold a stan under
those circumstapcesr'
| = ,
But the man from Missouri. true to
his character. wanted to know more
What is your beginning salary
Fifty dollars a month"
And, you say. to draw that your as
sistant must have had high school o,
college and special library training >
nations:" e
"A 80 Per cent turnover of stan i,
1913; 80 percent in 1919"
DO you know what salaries some O.
these assistants received in their new
pesitionsT
Most of the professional stafr VIII,
left were drawing $50 to $40 q montl
and went to positions at $3.50 to $3.50
an eighth grade education and no spe
cial training, leave to get more thar
the heads OF departments, under whom
they were working here"
The man from Missouri leaned bael
that you have kept the library soin,
and that you have any stan at ali
Will yeu tell me Why any one hal
stayed under these circumstances?
know perfectly we'll q person OF tn,
standards your work requires canno
live In Washington at present on les
than $1,000. and yet here are the ma
39rity of your people receiving les
than $1,000. Why have they stayed p
"of course, as I have said, most O.
them did not stay. The few that hav,
held fha n1aNo ~
felt that educational stability was one
Of the greatest needs Of the country
during the war crisis and were will.
ing to make their sacrifice for the
country in this way, feeling sure that
lstarve educational institutions in
peace time. But relief has not come
Even the $240 bonus has not given
any substantial aid.
Now they are in debt. in arrears
f0F all necessary purchases and such
important care as dentistry. and they
cannot stay on. If we get substantial
increases in salaries this year we can
continue; otherwise am afraid 1t will
mean not only closing Wednesday,
Why altogether: why not only
further hours?"
Because We cannot close further
| nouf6 Wltneut peoklng the WORK ana
adding 20 to the congestion that we
could not handle 1t. The building is
not large enough to accommodate
| Tho man from Missouri was
hot With indignation. How pre-
pesterous; no congressman would
let the library in the National
| Capital close up. What We all need
| is information; you see, I did not have
| it, and l doubt II others know, but
| they shall. l shall make 1t nay busi-
| ness to see that they do" So press
| ing seemed the case that the man
from Missouri grabbed his hat and.
scarcely saying goodbye. rushed
forth to inform.
It was a harried lot Of people,
friends, members Of appropriating
committees, public-spirited citizens.
whose path he crossed during the next
few weeks-for the man from Mis-
| souri, could and would talk. Has he
seen you yet. and are you talking to
every ons, too, especially to your con-
gressmen?
trade association or chamber of COM
| merce to protect the name OF the To-
cality which 1t represents.