Evening star., 1924-10-16

| a supplemental appropriation with
| which to open and operate the new
Mount Pleasant Branch Library at
Sixteenth and Lamont streets. when
it is completed in January, the board
of trustees told the Commissioners
in their annual report today.
AS evidence Of the growing impor-
| tance of the library service to the
community. the trustees call atten-
| tion to the circulation of 1,l36.22O
books during the last fiscal year. The
trustees also reported 1910 readers
| registered during the year. In ad-
dition to books, the library had
circulation of 99.259 mounted pictures.
| The demand for Information from
| the reference and advisory services
| likewise is on the increase. the trus-
| tees reported. These requests for In
| formation cover the field of general
| literature and technical subjects.
books for children and illustrative
material from the picture division.
Service to Children.
The circulation of childrens books
| has increased 115 per cent in the past
| five years. Following is a summary
of the report of the board of trustees,
| of which Theodore w. Noyes is presi-
dent, and of the librarian, DR. George
F. Bowerman:
The gift of a second 100000 from
| the Carnegie Corporation for the
Mount Pleasant building will make
possible an adequate building for that
densely populated and rapidly grow
ing community. The trustees state
as a most urgent need of the library
the securing of supplemental or de-
ficiency appropriation with which TO
operate the branch when it is COM
pleted shortly after January l. AL
though the library estimates for the
current fiscal year as approved by the
Budget Bureau contained items for
| staff and maintenance for the half
year and something for books, no
funds were appropriated in the 1925
| act. 1t is stated that at least. $4,000
volumes will be needed.
Branches in Schools.
The trustees urge upon the Com
miSsioners the necessity that provi-
sion be secured promptly to conduct
several public library branches in
public school buildings. an economical
| method of extending library facilities
which has long had the approval of
| the Board of Education, the Board OF
| Library Trustees and the Commis-
| sionerS.
The trustees compare the "a cents
| per capita expended for the District
| of Columbia Library with S1.00 per
|
| Library Association as the minimum
with which good but not the best
library service may be secured. They
point out that Washington lags be-
hind other American cities in this
regard. Cleveland, Ohio, spends
s1.27; Boston, Mass. s1.2O; Brookline.
| Mass, s1.4S; Newton, Mass, S1.25;
Gary, Ind, sL13; Pasadena, Calf,
| s1.16, and Mason City. Iowa, $1.0o.
Among cities above 100000 population
several are now spending approach
| ing s1.0O per capita on their public
libraries. including Minneapolis. 50
| cents; Providence, SO cents; Indian
| apolis, 81 cents, and Seattle, so cents.
The trustees state that the i'm
portance of having a model public
| library system in Washington is not
only obvious to Washingtonians, but
has also received formal recognition
during the past year through resolu-
tions passed by two national bodies
the National Education Association
through it's library department on
July l. 1924, and the American Library
Association through its council June
80, 1924.
Want Model System Here.
In the resolutions the American Lii
brary Association urges "the inau-
guration of plans that will develop
in the Capital of the nation a public
library system that will exemplify
the best American methods and stan
dards of library administration" The
National Education Association urges
"the development of plans that will
result in building up in the Capital
of the nation a public library system
embodying the most approved re-
sources and service, the most effective
relations with the public schools of
the District and the best American
methods of library administration"
An important advance was regis
tered, according to the report, by the
inauguration of graded and ap-
propriately compensated service
through the opera ton of the classi-
fication act Out of 81 positions, 6S
were allocated in accordance with the
recommendations Of the board of
trustees. 1t is expected that the bet
ter salary schedule will reduce the
excessive turnover Of staff which last
year amounted to "a designations, or
one-t third Of the staff.
The librarian, DR.. Bowerman, points
out in his report, which forms part
of the report of the trustees, that tie
library works under serious =handl-
ca, 6, owing to the failure to secure
adequate appropriations. Estimate
proposals." he writes, for an increase
in the staff of the present organiza-
ton, needed to discontinue closing the
library every Wednesday at pm,
to stop the using for employing as
sistants of fine money, which should
be spent in the purchase of books to
catch up with the pressing demands
made upon the library and to meet
the added burdens that new branches
will throw on the main organization
these proposals were met with an
appropriation for three new assistants
only, an altogether insufficient num-
ber Requests for increased appro-
priations for books were entirely de-
MED, as were those for maintenance,
in the face of the fact that the library
lacks typewriters, filling cases, desks,
chairs and much : other necessary
equipment and that the library has
been forced to discontinue the pub
| lication of a monthly bulletin of new
accessions and is compelled to go
without many other things that are
essential to good service.
Advisory Work Increasing.
Advisory work is constantly in
creasing along educational and rec
reational lines" the librarian points
| out. Larger enrollments at schools
and colleges and the increased num-
ber of Government clerks who are