Evening star., 1926-12-14
LIBRARY BUILDING
PROGRAM OUTLINED
Dr.. BoWerman Presents
Plans to House Committee
for $1,250, 600 Extension.

Supported by representatives Of
leading business. educational and
civic organizations, the trustees OF the
Washington Public Library are ask
ing Congress TO approve a hVe'year
$1,25o, 600 building program tor that
extension of the educational system.
30 that it's service may be eXtcnoed
TO the entire population of the DIS
trict, where only fraction of the peo'
pie are now getting the benefits.
The details of this plan were laid
before the Gibson subcommittee of
the House District committee yester-
day by DR.. George +. Bowernlan, IL
brarian, and four of the trustees. Al
the same time it was made plain that
no further help Is TO be expected from
the trustees of the Carnegie fund.
which has already provided for the
erection of the main library and three
branches now in operation. Plans for
extending the library system through
branches in some Of the schools also
met with encouragement from the
members of Congress.
Program Is Outlined.
DR.. Bowerlnan's outline of the eX-
tension program and the demand for
such program was given by him. as
follows:
I'm brief. the program provides for
IL more major branch libraries in sepa-
rate buildings, to furnish library serv-
ice to populous areas not now supplied
with library service convenient to
homes or in areas that are so rapidly
being built up that they will very
shortly fully justify separate branch
libraries.
1.-The program also provides for Is
mr. III ,sie trz hrsnI
houses, mostly suburban schools in
territories that will not justify sepa-
rate branch Libraries for a long time,
II ever. The plan provides for such
branch libraries in the Eastern High
School. where a room for the Public
Library all fitted up has been waiting
Tor US for three or four years; in the
Armstrong Manual Training Htgh
School and in nearly all the new ju.
nior high schools.
This program as originally drawn
also provided for two branch libraries
in Government buildings to furnish
library service convenient to the Of.
fees Of Government employees and
business men. AS 1t Is not sure
whether space In Federal buildings
library trustees In adopting this pro-
gram as their own included a recon-
mendation that space should be pro-
vided for q branch library In the
proposed new building for the Dis
trict government. The library trus.
tees also included In their resolution
approving this plan a provision Tor
q municipal reference library to fur
nish expert information to District
government officers and to the gen
eral public in search OF facts about
the best municipal government prac.
tice.
Popul0us Areas Net SuppIied.
''If 1t is asked whether Washington
really needs this extension Of its Pub
lie Library facilities, one Of the best
answers 10 to draw attention to the
map. Before the marks showing pres
ent and proposed libraries were added
1t was q school map. Though u b
about two years old. we have tried
to bring 1t up TO date with buildings
Those authorized would add several
more. They are not shown here. It
VIII be noted that the areas where
We are desfrous Of putting our pro-
posed branch libraries are IN most
cases plentffully dotted with school
buildings, showing large populations
not having convenient library service
as required In the new library law.
Practically every suburban area ID
being rapidly built up and 90 requir-
ing schools and Iibraries-either sepa-
rate branch libraries or branch
libraries in school buildings.
st may be claimed that ff people
really want to use libraries they will
80 to them. There Is some truth In
this. for we now know Of cases where
boys. lacking carfare, make a Ave or
six mile round-trip walk from George
town and other aIihurhs Tn the confrai