Evening star., 1921-10-09
$1,000 INCREASE
IN BOOKS LOANED
Demands on Public Library
! Cover Every Variety of
Material There.
STAFF IS INSUFFICIENT
STAFF is insufficient
Librarian Reports Excessive Turn
over and Inadequate Collection
Consume Resources.

. Millionaire in use, poVerty-Strlcken
In resources, but forward looking and
:, full of hope, is the characterization
of the Public Library by the librarian
, in his report to the board of trustees.
filed with the District Commissioners
as a part of the report of the library
board Dr. Bowerman states IN eA-
planation of this characterization
that the number of volumes loaned
for home use approXlmated q mlliioh
and that the circulation went far be.
yond that figure ii a record OF
mounted pictures is also included.
The increase in circulation for the
year was $1,000 volumes over the
previous year, in spite OF the latt
that thousands of war workers anu
government clerks had left Wash
ington.
Problem to Handle Questions.
. The demands on the library covered
every variety of material ana We're
, made by teachers. club workers, stu
dents, business men, foreigners, hiSh
. school boys and girls and chlldren.
The number of inquiries at the IN
formation desk at the central Ii
brary Increased to such an extent as
to make it a difficult problem 10
handle the questions at busy hours.
Lack of staff, excessive turnover
of staff and Inadequate book collec-
ton are the factors that make tne
: library "poverty-st stricken. Or. Bow
erman states that the turnover
. reached 80 per cent in 1918 and vs.
per cent in 1919. In 1920 the turn,
over was reduced to 40 per cent, anu
: during the last fiscal year to 4o per
cent. With staff of ninety-nine,
exclusive of bndery. there We're
thirty min designations. This turn
over is far too high. it is stated,
since frequent changes involved eX-
cesSive work and strain IN training
a succession of persons VINO are soon
lost to the service Ihat the reSis
nations were not more numerous. was
not Dr. Bowerman explains, because
the salaries are now satisfactory, but
. because of the hope held out or the
passage of reclassiticaton leslsla
, tion that will result in equitable sal
{ aries The passage of either the
Sterlin~- ~-Lehlbach or the Smoot-Nood
ibill, it is pointed out. would estab-
slish the principle of pay FOR nprarl-
FANS equal to that awarded to other
/ sScientifi> 'achnical and professional
workers, an. Ntl.ij open the way for
:Dutfing into effect a reasonable scale
:of pay for the employees of the IL
;brary.
Would Simpiif; Task.
/: With a proper salary schedule in
,force, the problem of recruiting and
!holding Il competent force would De
!greatly simplified and the energies
:of the staff could be given to service
ito the public and would not be so
:constantly frittered away by recruit
Ting and training problems, by tenn
iporary adjustments, transfers ana
.makeshifts necessary to keep the
;service. from falling TO pieces.
/: In point of numbers. the lDfarian
Estates, the staff is entirely lnSuffl-
!cient. In the face of constant In
.crease in circulation, the best critic
.rion Of work done, there has either
tbeen no increase in staff or SO slight
la one that it did not keep pace with
1.-THE growth of the library work. For
instance, the circulation increased 10
tper cent last year. though no enlarge
:ment of staff whatever was granted.
$50 acute was the strain that the
library trustees authorized the en-
ployment of Seven additional persons
above the force provided for by con-
ssressional appropriations. devoting to
ahe purpose receipts from fines col
aected from retaining books overtime.
But even with this enlargement of
staff the central building of the Pub
JIG Library of the National Capital, for
lack of funds and therefore force is
compelled to close every Wednesday
IN the year at pm. and every Sat
nrday in the summer months at / pm
In spite of the handicap under
which the library work is carried on
The librarian is full of hope for the
future of the library. This hope is
based on the fact that two new
branch libraries have recently been
assured. one in separate building
70 De erected from Carnegie Corpora
1Ion funds in Southeast Washington.
and the other by the allotment of a
room for branch library in the new
eastern High School building, now
being erected. The librarian ex-
presses the hope that the tide turns
mere. nat f1,.
cramped in space and ability to serve,
may look forward to the series of
Dranch libraries. more separate bui1d
ings and more branches in scboo,
Dullolhss, so much needed to relieve
'he demands on the central lihrarv
ana to carry library facilities to ali
Washlngtonians."
Gives Credit to School Roord
For aid in securing the annronrio-
ZION IN the second deficiency bin Of
islO.OO0 for the site for the new bra,cb
p1brary the librarian gives full credit
10 the board of education, and the
superintendent of schools. to the nis
trict Commissioners. the Wasbinetn,
Chamber of Commerce, the Women's
lily Club. the Mems City Club and
other civic bodies all of whom so
cordially supported the library item
10 properly forming part of the
needed extension of local educationaI
facilities. The librarian states that
me granting by Congress Of this an
.proprlatlon not only insures this
sbranch library. but it also establishes
~ precedent for congressional apnro
pria'ioil Tor the purchase of all neces-
Sa''E sites for the remaining branch
libraries "'eii
me new southeastern branch library
VII be located on a site at 7th ana
ID streets and South Carolina aven,,e
southeast. just off from Pennsylyania
eNenue This branch is step for
Ward ', IN the program for branch
libraries for the District.
As outlined in the librarians snecial
report to the District Commissioners
/ IN l!lt. the program, in addition to
1he lakoma Park branch in oDeration
Tor several years. the southeastern
hrahch. now being planned, calls for
'he following branches with approxi-
mate locations: t3) Columbia Heiphts
Columbia road between I4th and 18TH
streets; 90 northeastern. H and 11th
streets northeast. 80 southwestern. F.
ana = streets southwest: (6) George
town. Wisconsin avenue and streets
northwest; 90 Dupont circle.
according to the librarian. efforts
VIII next be directed to securing
funds for a site and building for
the proposed Columbia Heights
branch The suggested site is about
two and one-half miles from the CEN
trail library and is a convenient CEN
ter of the most rapidly growing pop
Ilation in the District The librarian
states that because of the high
average education of the population
of the section. large fraction of the
residents now use the central library.
in spite of the long street car trip re-
guired.
Would Give Positive Relief.
hror