Evening star., 1940-01-28

Eastern High School. The Chevy
Chase units also in rented quarters.
81 Branches Sought.
Under the expansion program
adopted by the Library trustees in
1880 and planned to meet anticipated
library needs as far ahead as 1916,
81 more branches are contemplated.
Three. of these would replace the
rented quarters in Chevy Chase and
Woodbridge and an inadequate
building" in Tenleytown.
Three would be what are desig-
mated as A branches-buildings with
a construction cost of about $50, 900
and annual maintenance require
ments of about s40,000-and would
serve the Dupont Circle, downtown
and Columbia Road areas. The
Mount Pleasant and Northeastern
are samples of this type branch.
Nine B branches like the South
eastern branch would be added to
serve Anacostia, lexington, Shaw,
Cathedral, Brightwood, Howard,
Bureau of Standards, Woodbridge and
Trinidad. These buildings cost from
$4,000 to $125,000 to build and re-
quire $40, 900 to S28, 900 annual main
tenance.
Takoma Park represents G
branch classification of which eight
are planned in the expansion pro-
gram. These would serve the Six
teenth street area in the vicinity Of
the old Reservoir, Chevy Chase,
Cleveland avenue. Brookland. Ten
leytown. Congress Heights, Keene
and Wesley Heights.
A subbranch either in a school or
rented quarters is planned for Dean
wood.
Generally, according to DR.. Bow
erman. the plan follows the prin-
ciple that a mile apart is not too
close so that the city might be ac-
cused of OVERRIDING its library IA
cilities.
DR.. Bowerman estimated in the
plan adopted by the trustees that
probably 16 sites would have to be
purchased to carry out the program
at cost of some $440 900 with the
PROBABILITY that the estimate would
be much higher if the purchases
were too long deferred.
Carnegie Gift Refused.
1t is interesting to note that the
| formal opening of the Central Lii
brary about the turn of the century
found Andrew Carnegie offering TO
give all the branch Libraries the
District needed and local citizens
offered no less than 20 free sites
A bill to let the District accept this
money from Carnegie was defeated
in the Senate in 1904 after passing
the House. Carnegie money was
allowed to be spent on the Takoma
branch after long argument.
At Mr.. Carnegies death. the Car
negie Corp according to DR.. Bow
erman, discontinued grants for
branch libraries after authorizing
the Southeastern and Mount Pleas
ant branches.
In 1926 Congress put express Ian
guage into the law covering branch
libraries and authorized the Com
missioners to include in their an
nual financial estimates for the Dis
trict funds for maintenance of such
branches, land acquisition, erection
and enlargement of buildings.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission law contains
a clause giving the commission a
duty to include recommendations as
to library sites in their program.
Meanwhile Library officials are
beginning to plan the reading list
for the new Southwestern branch
to be ready this fall. A committee
of educators from the Southwest
community, including Hugh Smith,
principal of the Jefferson Junior
High School, has conferred with DR..
Bowerman and indicated that about
IS per cent of the patronage of the
new building at first will probably
be children. Mr.. Smith said he
planned cooperative work in the
neighborhood prior to completion Of
the library to prepare the COM
munity for its use.
Books on vocational guidance and
domestic science are among those
suggested for the new building. SIM
pie books on sciences, geology, bot
any and such were suggested for the
boys, with amateur plays, books on
glamour and etiquette to improve
appearance being recommended for
the girls.
Because of the health center
which will be built nearby it was
thought advisable to have books on
all types of health education, includ-
ing sex education. It was proposed
that visiting nurses at the center
be given cards Of introduction to
the library.