Evening star., 1925-05-17
STOCKING LIBRARY
IS NO EASY FEAT
Dr.. BoWerman Tells How
New Mt. Pleasant Branch
Was Supplied.
By MARGERY CLARK. a

Handing a book to Washington is
a big business. Whom does the Ii
brary have In mind when 1t buys
books? Whom does it try to reach?
These were the questions put to DIR.
George +. Bowerman, librarian of the
Public Library system of the District,
in connection with the opening of the
new 10,000volume book center in the
Mount Pleasant district.
Everybody; replied the librarian,
/. no ones taste is too simple, or too
sophisticated, for the Library to try
10 suit. The latest book in biography
sits side by side with the best avail
able translation of the classics, and
foreign literature elbows radio and
cook books. New fiction receives
equal consideration with the latest
volumes of science. History makes
room on the shelves for the latest
works on manufactures, music. and
politics"
who chooses the books? How can
10000 volumes be purchased in Il few
months, to meet the catholic demand
of Americas most cultured city,
Biographies Aid.
Aye, there's the rub. 1t is all in
knowing how to sift the wheat from
the chaff, and in using widely the
many fine photographers OF recent
date. For years experts in selecting
books have been compiling and pub
fishing lists on the best books on every
subject. For example. the list of pop
ular books on science prepared by the
Washington Academy Cf Sciences has
been adopted by the American LII
brary Association for distribution by
libraries all over the country. Every
book on that list, to be concrete, was
purchased for the New Mount Pleas
ont Branch Library.
Simple, you say? Just order every
thing? Oh, no; there isn't money
enough for that. One must choose
from those lists the books which will
be of most value and use in the
neighborhood in which the branch
library is to be located, and in Wash
ington in general. Our library train
ing class, for example, made a pre-
liminary survey of the Mount Pleas
ant neighborhood, and listed carefully
and fully all the neighborhood ele-
ments which would affect and modify
the book selection. We also pur
chased books which had proved use
full and popular at the main library,
for we realize that many Of our pat
rons will want to use their readers
card INTERCHANGEABLE. first at the new
library and then again at the main
building. Any one who holds a card
from the Public Library in the Dis
trict of Columbia may borrow from
any branch in the library system.
Public Demands Latest.
"Then the public of today wants
the latest thing in reading matter,
Just as in almost every other article
of consumption, the librarian added.
" Keats by the late Amy Lowell, is
advertised on Sunday, and on Monday
the library patrons, like readers all
over the world want to see the book.
And that is where the library scores.
In spite of the meagerness of the
book fund and the avid taste of the
readers. like magic the book appears.
And no one but the librarian and his
staff realizes how the money almost
gave out before the latest book was
obtained No one longs as does the
librarian to have the publishers adopt
their program of fewer and better
books
Believing as we do in the recreative
value of fiction. we buy fiction of all
types and gradations of literary style.
Our test for fiction is the time-honored
but never superseded one which af-
firms that what makes a novel moral
or immoral is the truth of preSenta-
ton.
The Mount Pleasant Branch Lii
brary is opening in an era Of un-
usually delightful books. There has
never been a time when biographies
were as popular or plays as read
able-zor as commonly read--or history
as absorbing. At no other time have
technical subjects been SO generously
handled. The plumber. the mechanic.
the builder, the advertising man, the
household can all find methods in
their special work accurately explain
ed. There IS a book for every one at
Mount Pleasant, be he literary or prac-
teal"