Evening star., 1923-01-05
$4,000 FOR new
LIBRARY WELCOME
Mt. Pleasant Allowance in
D. C. Bill Furthers Develop
ment, Says BoWerman.
WORK TO BEGIN IN JULY
Population Of 100000 Will Be
Served by Branch, Officials
Point Out.
WORK TO BEGIN IN JULY

Pleasure was expressed BY officials
of the Public Library today over the
inclusion of the item OF $4,000 for
the site of a branch library in the
Mount Pleasant section In the District
appropriation bill.
This Will make possible the next
step in the plan for branch library
development" DIR. George r. Bower
man, librarian of the Public Library,
declared. The Carnegie Corporation
has made an allotment of 100000
for the building, acceptance of which
the bill also authorizes.
Inclusion of the item in the bill
will make 1t possible to start erect
ing the building early next July, ac-
cording to officials. The branch will
be located two and one-half miles
from the central library and will
serve population of 100000 persons
in the Mount Pleasant and Columbia
Heights section.
The bill eliminated ono position IN
cluded in the estimates for the south
eastern branch libary. Since the
branch has proved most popular since
Its opening on December s, DR.. Bow
erman thinks this omission must be
due to an oversight, especially since
the position eliminated is that of chill
dren's librarian, and the users of the
branch are three-fourths children.
Need ChiIdren's Librarian.
''If the committee could have been
with me at the branch yesterday
afternoon" DR.. Bowerman said. II
think there would have been no ques-
tion in their minds of the need for a
ksT fNxyA Alxyn
hundred boys and girls have already
secured library cards, and an lDcreas-
ing number Of new children are reg
istering every day. There must have
been over two hundred in the chill
dren's room and about the delivery
desk. and more boys and girls were
coming all the time j was there. The
room swarmed with them. and most
of them needed help of some sort
which calls for large knowledge OF
Juvenile literature and OF children
reading tastes"
The branch now has too small stau
10 take care of the circulation OF books,
II was stated. The central childrens
room, for example, has a staff of seven
professional workers and loaned on
Tuesday 1872 volumes the main circulat-
ing department with a staff of twenty
one professional persons, loaned 1919
books on Tuesday; while the south
eastern branch circulated 1908 volumes
with a professional etaf OF five persons,
II the branch library STAFF is reduced
by this one position, it was stated, it
will necessitate curtailing the hours OF
service. The branch is now open from
f2 10 9 four days in the week, 12 to
on Wednesdays, and on Saturday,
am. to 9 pm. With one assistant less
the library would be forced, Or. Bower
man said, TO close enc or two more
nights, which would naturally reduce the
service TO grown people. He pointed
out also that closing is unsatisfactory
since il brings greater congestion during
the longer hours handling the crowded
periods is a strenuous performance
Salary Reduced to 81 400.
The salary for the branch librarian
was reduced in the bill to $1,000.
According to DR.. Bowerman this sal
airy Is entirely inadequate for posi-
ton which Is regarded as respon-
sible one, calling for high degree
of technical skill, wide knowledge of
books and ability TO flt them to the
needs OF people. The present libra
from the main library, had taken the
position at a reduction in salary of
$500, but 1t would not be possible to
keep her there long at continued
financial sacrifice.
The District bill further cut $500
fund which DR.. Bowerman says will
mean closing the main building, as
well as the branches on all holidays,
although 1t Is on holidays that people
have the most leisure to use the
library.
These backward steps are most dis
couraging," DR.. Bowerman said. For
merly, the library was open am. to
8 pm. on all holidays except Christ
mas and July 4, and all departments
of the central building which served
the public were open from 1880 to 8
pm. on Sundays. With the clipping
of the fund from time to time. and the
necessity to raise the pay In order to
get competent persons for the extra
service which is largely reference and
the library opens now
on Sundays. from 3 to 8, but the CEN
trail children's room and the branches
are closed. The branches are closed
likewise on all holidays"
Several years ago, 1t was pointed
out, II was found necessary to close
the library on the Saturday half-holi-
days during the summer.
Since the library also closes every
Wednesday at 8 pm, owing TO the
Limitation OF the stafY, DR..
said that It Is highly i'm
portant that no further cutting in the
hours OF service should be required.