Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-12
The Public Library Prog ram.

The Public Library Progra
From a narrow beginning in 1896
the Public Library has slowly but
| surely forged ahead. 1t now affords
excellent library service to such
Neutrality-suspicious. as live near the CEN
| trail library or one OF the three
branches or two subbranches. The
| library has, throughout most OF its
life, with the greatest difficulty Sc
cured the most meager appropriations
absolutely needed to meet demands at
| the central library and at the one
suburban branch. which comprised
| its service agencies until very re-
Gently.
During the last few years, however,
| conditions have been more favorable.
The operation OF the classification act
latterly the Budget Bureau and APP
!, preparations committees have been
more generous toward the library.
Two new branches recently estab-
lished in thickly populated centers
have, in rendering competent service
to their swarming readers, furnished
demonstrations of what ought to be
established and maintained in other
centers of population throughout the
District.
Thus far Andrew Carnegie and the
Carnegie Corporation have supplied
! the funds for the erection of the four
buildings Of the Public Library, but
recently the corporation has refused
funds for. more buildings on the
ground that as the initial demonstra-
| ton has been a success the units
needed to round out the library sys.
| tenn should now be secured from pub
lie funds.
In the expectation that the Car
| negie Corporation might sooner or
later stop furnishing library buildings
to Washington as it had long since
stopped furnishing them elsewhere.
the library authorities last year Sc
cured extensive amendments to the
| library law specifically broadening
the library's charter. The most
significant new provision in the law
Is that defining the library as con.
sisting Of central library and such
number Of branch libraries so located
and so supported as to furnish books
and other printed matter and in
formation service convenient to the
the District
Inasmuch as the Public Library does
not measure up to the standards set
in its organic law. in order promptly
to bring it about that the people of
the present generation shall have the
library resources that Congress has
! by law decreed they should have, It
now appears to be necessary to secure
from Congress another law providing
for five-year building and extension
program for the Public Library sys-
tenn.
This library extension program bill
has recently been introduced in the
House by Representative Ernest W.
Gibson Of Vermont as a result of hear
ings before his subcommittee in De.
cember. 1t Is designed to authorize
estimates for appropriations to make
possible within five years from July
1, 1928. the furnishing of library facili-
/ tiea nd seryico ropyop{apf 70 oil vp;.
trict homes and Offices through the
F! enlargement of the central library
| building through the construction and
| equipment of eleven branch libraries
in thickly built-up areas; through the
| equipment Of branch libraries in not
| exceeding twenty-five public school
| buildings and not exceeding eight
| branch libraries in rented quarters In
neighborhoods not otherwise served
and through the establishment Of not
exceeding three branch libr. lies in
! Federal and District Government
buildings, If available, to provide
service in downtown sections.
BY law the Public Library is de.
clared to be supplement of the
public educational system of the Dis
trict.'' The obligation in existing law
is complete. With Carnegie money
cut off, library resources, buildings as
well as books and service can be sup
piled only and should be supplied
exactly as the public schools are sup.
plied--from public funds. The five
year extension bill is simply designed
to speed up the expansion of library
facilities in accordance with u definite
program. The bill should be speedily
enacted. Since it's passage at the short
session is unlikely, the community
should get squarely behind X to the
end that it may become a, law
promptly when Congress again con
venes.
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