Evening star., 1925-11-15
OFFERS
BIOGRAPHY ROOM
Dr.. BoWerman Has Provided
Specialist to Assist in
Use of Collection.

The Public Library throws open to-
morrow a new reading room housing
its biography collection. The collec.
ton Is large, numbering some 1000
volumes.
The room is situated at the west
end of the main floor Of the central
building and is equipped with chairs
and tables so that readers may browse
among the books and make their Sc
lection In the most satisfactory man
ner. DR.. Bowerman, the librarian,
stated that an assistant. with a con
siderable background Of knowledge of
biographies, will be in charge Of the
room and will endeavor to aid readers
In their selection and also prepare, on
request, reading lists for persons de-
string to read systematically. The
room contains two pictures by Lucian
Powell. loaned by Mrs. John B. Hen
derson.
Biography was the field chosen for
because of its broad appeal to readers.
For the high school student as well as
the most mature and cultivated reader
the field is equally rich one and Is
also point of departure to excur-
sions in other fields for which it af.
lords an introduction and awakens in
tereSt
EXCeptlOnai variety.
The variety of the field is excep-
tional, ranging from the authoritative
life and letters in several volumes, such
as Beveridge's John MARSHALL" or
Morleys Gladstone" to the gossipy
memoirs Of Lord Hamilton. Vanished
Pomps of Yesterday" or Kate Doug
las Wiggin's My Garden of Me
moirs"; from the days of early Greece
and Rome to modern America: and
from pictures of life in all parts OF
the world to those describing the aspi
rations and achievements of scien
lists, physicians, writers and other
workers who have left an impress
upon the life of their time or of al
time. such as Pasteur or Michael
Punin.
The new school of biography also
is represented by Strachey's Queen
Victoria" Maurois' Ariel" and Bar
rington's Divine Lady" and "Glori-
Gus Apollo"
In fact, probably the most signifi
| cant publications of recent years, DR.
Bowerman said. have been in the
field of biography.
Shelves Open to Readers.
DR.. Bowerman stated that he felt
it was important that. with such Il
wealth of interesting material, II
should be placed upon shelves open
to readers SO as to have its widest
use. Since, for instance. an admir-
able idea may be obtained of his
tory from the lives of persons who
have made It. the librarian hopes
that many will take advantage of
the opportunity to request reading
lists. which. besides introducing in
teresting biographies will lead TO
other fields as well.
The opening of the room with a
specialist in charge is in line with
the divisional plan of library organi-
Zation, which is the most recent de-
velopment in library service through
out the country. In Cleveland this
method has reached it's highest point
and the $5.000,0o0 new main Cleve-
land Public Library is arranged Sc
that all the resources of the library
are assembled in rooms open to the
public and under tbe direction of a
specialist in the subject matter.
Though the Central Library OF
Washington is too crowded to per-
nit of complete use of this plan, ii
does provide special divisions for
reference. industrial and technical
books. children's books, a popular
library chiefly fiction and, beginning
tomorrow, a biography room.