Evening star., 1923-10-11

mere thtS pcIoiBcN.
standing of the study, training and
experience necessary to efficient
library service. The trustees report
that they have labored earnestly dur
ing the year to develop Il Is Increased
appreciation in the budget bureau in
its function Of curtaillng estimates, In
recla ssification boards, in allocating
library workers and in Congress in
handling estimates submitted to 1T
and in making library appropriations.
On the subject Of reclassifcation the
trustees say:
I'm Systematically co-ordinating and
readjusting work and pay in the gov
ernment service under the reclasslti-
cation law, the high standard of re-
Quirement for library work and the
relation of good service in this work
to the community welfare have been
increasing etogniZed. with the re-
suit that the library worker is. We
nope and believe. coming into ms or
her own as highly useful and valued
community servant.
Salary Increases Expected.
Library salaries in general are
conceded to be so distinctly made
Quate when the scope and character
Of the service rendered by librarians
are considered that We confidently
anticipate from equitable admfnistra-
tiop OF the classification law large
increases in library salaries. bringing
them UP to those paid comparable
professional, scientific and technical
workers i'll the employ of the gov
ernment.
The library trustees have stressed
the necessity and equity Of fair rfeat-
ment of library workers in the re-
classification Of government employees
in their repres TO the Com
IliSSiUneTl %
silica tiUn board.
The trustees state that they have
felt special responsibility in respect
70 the Just ALLEGATION OF the librarian
whom they appoint. They report that
they have met this responsibility by
urging energetically upon all in au-
thority the considerations set forth in
statement on the subject which they
formally adopted for submission to
the personal classification board,
extracts from which follow:
I'VE strongly recommend that the
position OF librarian of the Public
Library ht allocated to grade in
the professional and Scientific service.
the annual rates OF compens sation OF
which are to be $4,000. $500. $1,000
and $500. unless a higher rate il
specifically authorized by law. Some
Of the reasons advanced by the trus-
tees for this recommendation are
given:
L..
Public Library and its work make
the administration OF il a complex ad-
ministratiNr head of Il mayor pro-
fessional bureau Our library has
259,oop volumes and ctrcuiates more
than l.a00.Gr0 volumes annually from
the main library and two branches.
several sta tions. and through all high
md grammar schools. Another branch
is about to be built, and several more
are planned. including several in
~ h,,tl Il lNs4
service is divided into departments.
including order. cataioaui!ls. binding.
circulation. reference. Industrial and
children's. each having a trained and
expert staff. Most junior assistants
are trained by the library itself At
present the stan consists OF 11o per.
sons. of whom sixty are professional
and subprofessional+ workers. our
estimates for the next fiscal year call
for an increase in library per"onnel
of fifty-ftV- persons.
Salary II Juxtia~d.
"a. The salary for the designated
grade is Justified by reason of the,
salaries paid to chief Librarians OF
comparable municipal Libraries; in
the light OF Librarian Rowerman's
standing among the foremost pro-
gressive librarians Of the country, in
the light OF his high personal and
professional qualifications. and in
effective service in the library's up
building"
The trustees then give the follow
ing recent figures OF the salaries OF
librarians in cities of Washington's
class and in some cities OF much
New York, city, chief librarian
(probablyl. $4,000; Brooklyn. sIo.-
oJ0; Chicago, $500; Detroit, $1,000;
Cleveland. s7,0oo: st, Louis. $4,000;
Boston, $4,000; Baltimore. $4,000;
rtts9urFh Rnr.io ssooS; sSood Los MINI MIL
$500; Newark. $10.000; Minneapolis.
$4,000: kansas City, s6,0Io; Seattle,
$500; Indianapolis. $4,000; koches-
ter. $1,000: Providence, s6.760: Jer-
sey City. $4,000: New Orleans, $t.2Vo;
st. Paul. $4,000; Toledo, $t.5y9;
Mass. $1,000: Bridgeport Conn.
$4,000; Fall River. Mass. $4,000, and
Youngstown, Ohio, $1,000.
Because of their bearing on the sal
airy OF the librarian, as well as on
that of the assistant librerian, ths
trustees also submit figures of sal
aries paid to assistant librarians in
other cities: Newark. $4,000; Proyi-
dence, $1,000; Brooklyn, $4,000; st.
Louis $4,000: Chicago. 5000: Bos-
ton, $4,000; cleveland. $4,000. They
state that all but two Of these sal
aries of assistant librarians are more
than the present salary of the chief
liDrarian-S 1000.
Board Can Fix Salaries.
The trustees point out that in prac-
tically all Of the cities mentioned
above the boards of library trustees
are able to fix salaries. They con-
tinue: I'VE have no such power. In
1919. in anticipation Of the work of
the reclassification commission. the IL
brary board recommended public Ii
brary salary schedule to the reclassi-
fication commission and in ii recon-
mended salary for their chief liz
brarian of from $4,000 to S7,500--ex-
actly the salaries Of grade 6. During
the five years since that schedule was
of our librarian and his responsible
tiles have increased. so that we are
more urgent than ever that he be
placed in grade 6, in order that we
can properly pay him for the services
he renders to this community"
The library. trustees state that they
are well aware that proper ALLEGATION
of the library's professional staff will
result in large increase in library
expenditures. "Inasmuch. however,
as this will come about solely from
the fact that the library service has
always been notoriously underpaid.
even in comparison with other under
paid professions, the library board
trust that the personnel classifcation
the right and just thing. merely be-
cause the doing OF justice will re-
suit in largely increased costs. The
board OF library trustees takes great
pride in the Public Library and its
highly expert staff, and strongly de-