Evening star., 1937-10-17
New Central Library PROVISION
Urged in Report of Trustees

| the p2IClal rcSJOratlOn OF the DOOk
fund by the House subcommittee"
Personnel Increase.
| Most gratifying of all is the SYM
pathetic and timely aid of the House
subcommittee in providing 2l addi-
tional employees at q cost Of $27,990
and 81 500 additional for maintenance.
These increases provide not only 4
few Of the most urgently needed re-
Inducements in the administrative,
book purchasing, cataloging, refer
ence and schools division staffs, but
also = few assistants and janitors to
enable the central library and five
jor branches to resume full l2-hour
service every week day. With the
shortening of the work week from
to 51a days for all Federal and
District employees by act Of Congress
in 1880, just when the depression
demands upon the library were greatly
increasing its work, 1t was found neces-
sary to close all major agencies cor
respondingly. Appeals for additional
staff to restore hours have gone un-
needed, until the Hou-e subcommittee
came to the rescue. thus ending a
situation that has been annoying to
the public and unsatisfactory to
library ofIicers.
"On June 16, 1887, the stan num-
bered 25l members, Of whom rs were
half time and hourly. OF this num-
ber. 157 were on the library staff 90
half time), SO on the page and messen-
ger staff u3 half time and 3 hourly)
20 on janitor service q half time). and
6 employed in the bindery. Federal
student aid was continued for the third
year, Georgetown University assigning
l6 students to the library, and Ameri-
can University. 6. who worked an esti-
mated total Of $3.50 hours. The Works
Progress Administration project begun
in 1896 has been continued through
the fiscal year with an average of 20
persons working"
Petworth Branch.
THE appropriation act for the fiscal
year carries $105,000 additional to the
$4,000 carried in the 1887 appropria-
ton for the completion OF the Pet
worth branch library building. The
municipal architect gives September
is, 1898, as the expected date for its
completion. Among the public school
items carried in the appropriation for
1898. the authorization for the con-
struction Of the Thomas Jefferson
Memorial Junior High School and Lii
brary stipulates that the library por-
| ~ hui
provided should be under the admin
istration of the Board of Library Trus-
tees"
Advisory Service Of the Library.
! "The relocation of the sociology di-
vision and the placing Of a larger
proportion of the collection of allied
subjects on open shelves brought about
q circulation increase Of slightly over
Of 29,557 in this field alone. In CO.
operation with the Attorney Generals
Advisory Committee on Crime bib
Biographies were prepared on prisons,
parole, probation, jails, recreation and
crime and housing and crime and the
photography on Juvenile Delinquency
originally issued in 1885 was revised.
Library service at George Washing
ton University Hospital was continued
fo- the NTH year with a circulation
OF 5,778 volumes. Service to the Dis
trict OF Columbia Jail and Lorton Re-
formatory was also continued, 1884
volumes circulating at the former and
1888 at the latter institution.
In addition to the picture circu-
lation OF 208,476, a large number of
pictures, 277.397, were consulted in
the art division reading room. Dur
Ing the season 10 major exhibitions
were held in the main library and IS
exhibitions were shown In branch
buildings. The music division re-
corded . circulation OF 24027 VOL
umes and conducted II Evenings
with the Victrola" on alternate Tues
days. A total Of 1880 persons lis
tened to the phonograph during the
year. Were the library provided with
an auditorium gift concerts could be
more easily arranged. Even with the
present inadequate facilities, three
concerts were given the library in
1867. The first, on November s,
1896, in the central childrens room,
was presented through the courtesy
OF the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Foundation of the Library Of Con-
gress featuring the Coolidge Quartet
In = program Of classic chamber mu-
sic. The Hon. and Mrs. Robert Woods
Bliss presented two concerts of cham
ber music in the children's room at
the Georgetown Branch, the Wash
ington String Quartet playing on
March 23 and the ro-Musica Quar-
tet on March 70, 1887"
Reference Service,
"The central reference room re-
corded 9,337 questions, Of which the
2,518 telephone requests represented
20 per cent increase over 1896. A
series of 20 lists for the Town Hall
lectures was made by the advisory
stan under the immediate supervision
Of the director of reference work. The
Informal Education in Washington
Bulletin was continued through its
seventh year and met enthusiastic re-
sponse from the public.
'The technology division circulated
1889 books and recorded 3441 refer
ence questions. The increasing inter-
est in vocational guidance and voca-
tional education in the schools made
desirable the reissue of the list How
to Get and Keep q job Fortunately,
the National Training School for Boys
was able to print the list, the school
furnishing the labor and the library
the materials. In the Washingtoniana,
or local history division, 5000 pages
Of scrap book material were prepared
and about $500 made into scrap books
on Washington and Georgetown. A
list, washington Through the Years,
was compiled for regular distribution
and a shorter list was mimeographed
for the United States once of Edu-
cation to accompany one OF their
broadcasts."