Evening star., 1935-10-11

now has a total of 440 books. Visits
to the hospital are made by trained
librarian twice a week on Monday
and Thursday afternoons. The years
circulation was 5,525 volumes to a
changing group which cannot num-
Der over 100 when the hospital beds
are all occupied.
Reference Service.
reference book collections through
out the library system number 28,637
volumes, Of which 9,0l6 are at the
central building, including 1858 in
the Washingtoniana division" DR..
Bowerman reports.
AT the central reference room
9,687 questions, with 2,0l5 telephone
calls. were recorded The Washingto-
mana division recorded 976 questions
and 1,419 visitors. The technology
division increased its circulation 99l
per cent with total of 53,8!S volumes,
and recorded 2,738 reference questions.
most of them useful, or bread and
butter questions with large number
in the field Of economies"
The reference department prepared
or supervised 80 lists on various sub
jects in economics. foreign affairs,
Washington Post Scholarship Con-
tests, and 19 lists to accompany the
Town Hall lectures. In cooperation
with the art division it prepared a
short mimeograph list of material
relating to- the prize winners in the
Fourteenth Biennial Exhibition of
Contemporary American Oil Paint
ings at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
AS result of work with committee
of the Vocational Guidance Association
of the District of Columbia, the direc-
tor of the reference work compiled a
list of reading about jobs and hob
bieS." The Wilson Bulletin published
lists by two members of the reference
staff: Christmas Customs Around The
World" by Dorothy Russell and Dis
tinctive Service After 74' by Ruth
Hubbell. The popularity of the Bui-
letin of Informal Educational Oppor-
tunitieS in WaShil- gton continued un-
diminished. The name was simplified
to Informal Education in Washing
ton" and eight numbers were issued.
Unusually heavy demands for as
sistance in preparation for civil service
examinations we're made on the tech
nology division which had its shelves
practically stripped of material on
statistics, indexing, and filing, soil
erosion, meat inspection. forestry,
fisheries, agricultural economics. STA
tionary engineering, and police train
ing
Federal agencies used the services
Of this department constantly, among
them the alphabet units: r. F. c..
P. w. A., F. E. r. A., H. o. L. c.,
c. c. c., the Federal Power Commis-
sion, Farm Credit Administration
Bureau of Public Roads, Bureau of
Agricultural Economics, Bureau of ;he
Census, Forest Service, Tariff Com
mission, Department of Justice, Public
Health Service. and various depart
ments of the District government.
Childrens Service.
"A total of 1.3l7425 volumes was
circulated to the boys and girls of
Washington, an increase of 6.6 per
cent over the previous year." according
to DR.. Bowerman. Much reference
and advisory service was given to par
ents, teachers and children. In the
four largest children's rooms and
through the adviser to adults In chill.
dren's literature at the central build
ing, 109,882 questions we're answered
In addition, the supervisor, work with
schools, was consulted by 1900
persons"
During the year los school classes,
or 1926 children, we're brought to
visit the children's rooms of the
library; "a story hours and club meet
ings were held, with an attendance
of 1885; Is exhibitions of books or
books and posters were arranged with
| in the library and IS sent out: talks
were given outside the library by men,
bers Of the children's department staff,
and "a talks, not including those for
class visits. were given inside the
| library.
The schools division circulation to
class rooms of elementary and junior
high school grade in public, private
and parochial schools was 6O3,379.
with a reading average of 48 times for
| each volume sent. The circulation
| represents a gain of Is per cent over
| 1933-34 and l04 per cent gain over
l924-25. Most marked is the 10-year
gain in circulation at the colored
schools, which has grown from II 1872
volumes to 103,94s, or 1928 per cent.
In ell, 3,305 sets were sent to 1876
school buildings and the class rooms
Of 1,164 teachers"
Work of Branch Libraries.
The major branches had a total
circulation of 986,847 volumes, dis
EDUCATIONAL,