Evening star., 1932-10-08
LIBRARY ADOPTS
SATURDAY CHANGE
AH-Day Service Announced
for Central Building, in
Annual Report.

on Saturday and closing on Friday a
pm. will be adopted for the central
building of the Public Library, begin
ming October 81, it is announced in the
annual report of the Board of Library
Trustees filed with the District Com,
missicners yesterday by Theodore w
Moves. president Of the board.
This plan avoids during the de-
preston any appeal for extension ol
the weekly hours of library opening.
the report says. 1t devoteS to
library service the whole OF Saturday
the day of maximum leisure for work
ers and school children, in substitution
for afternoon and evening service on
Friday. a day of shorter hours of lei
sure for library use by the community
and a day of minimum home Circu-
lation of books. This plan continues
the closing of major branch libraries
on Saturday at l pm. and their open
ing for full service on Friday. Thus
full library service will be rendered
during all of the customary hours
either at the regional libraries or at
the central library
The economy program. which pro-
hibited increases in staff through ap-
preparation acts; the operation of the
Saturday half-holday law. which re-
duces the staff by the equivalent of
seven persons, and the operation of the
payless furlough. which distributes
leaves of absence through the year in
stead of concentrating them in the less
busy Summer months. all add to the
difficulty of maintaining daily - hours
OF adequate service to the public Wig
orous efforts will be continued. the re-
port states. to find way to restore
full hours of service every week day at
both the central and branch libraries.
Demand for Services Growing.
During the last two years the num-
Der of registered card holders has in
creased more than $4,000, or 81 per
cent, while the circulation has gained
35 pcr cent, inclusive of the figures for
the Northeastern Branch and 90 per
cent excluding that branch
During the past year the library has
been called upon to an unprecedented
degree to furnish accurate information,
data for practical everyday purposes,
vocational aid for the unemployed. ma
terial for people to study in order to
get or to hold positions. aid to parents
to minimize the evil effects of hard
times on their children. books to en-
courage. divert and inspire. During the
year the central library and branches
have been thronged with readers and
the circulation has been increased bv
over 100000 Volumes bringing the total
of the year in excess of two and one
fourth millions"
AT this period of unsettled social
and economic conditions the Importance
Of maintaining and enlarging library
service is obvious" the report says. To
quote from an official publication of the
Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh: I'm
partial observers say. with the exception
of those agencies giving actual relief,
the public libraries of the United States
are perhaps our most important 4nsti-
tutions during times of business de-
rresslcn' Quoting again. resolution
passed by the American Library Asso-
citation at its annual convention says:
When millions of men and women, old
end young. are attempting to equip
themselves 20 get or to hold jobs, the
library should not be allowed to decrease
its effective service in technical busi-
ness and other vocational fields. When
these and other millions are in greatest
need of finding in free library service
the only recreation they can afford and
cne Of the best opportunities for renew
ing their faith in organized society, the
the library should not fail to meet its
The trustees. therefore, appeal to
the Commissioners to give them their
hearty and effective cooperation in
maintaining the efficiency of the serv-
Ice, Cd by increasing the library force
as soon as the necessities of budget bal
ancing and of rigid economy permit
and (2) by approval to meet an i'm
mediate need of the utilization of
]apSed salaries by the library for emer-
gency and substitute employment and
of the filling of vacancies so that the
necessary permission may be secured
from the President of the United
States"
Estimates for Fiscal Year.
The library's appropriations for the
fiscal year 1888 amount to s422 240 for
maintenance The estimates for the
fiscal year 1884, as submitted by the
library trustees to the District Commits
sioners amounted for maintenance to
S467 800; for half of the Georgetown
Branch Library Building to be erected
on the Georgetown Reservoir Bite. al
ready graded, $75 1000; for the prepara-
ton of plans and specifications for the
Petworth Branch Library Building to
be erected on site owned by the Dis
trict. $4,000; for the preparation Of
plans and specifications for the enlarge
ment and alteration of the central
building, $4,000: total for extension
projects of $99, 500, and grand total
of $566,800
Review Of Years Progress.
In his annual report, which accom-
panies that of the Library trustees, DR..
George F.. Bowerman. the librarian, re-
views the years progress. Outstanding
events are: A 16 per cent gain in circu-
lation. with a total of 2,419.051 pieces.
including 2,264937 books; the enlarge
ment of the Library collection to 419.-
997 volumes; the opening OF the new
SPECIAL NOTICES.