Evening star., 1947-09-12
Public Library
RegistrationUp
$500 in Year
Report Shows Fewer
Books Were Issued
Than During 1945-46

Washington's Public Library COM
pleted its second postwar fiscal year
with total active registration of
1928 adults and children, an in
crease Of nearly $500 over the year
1856.
This was disclosed today as the
Board OF Library Trustees turned in
its annual report for the fiscal year
1867 to the Commissioners.
Despite the rise in registered Ii
brary users, the total number of
books charged out for home use de-
clined slightly to 2,567,612 from
2,58s,565 the previous year, the re-
port showed.
Only Free Lending Library.
The Public Library, the report
stressed, Is the "only free tnstitu-
ton which lends its books and other
materials to all residents for home
use" The Library of Congress and
other Federal libraries, it pointed
out, are intended for research and
are used primarily by scholars.
"The library serves not only the
grade school, high school and COL
lege student. Its facilities are avail
able to those whose formal school
ing is over, and for those who have
never been to college it serves as
a university of the people," the
report emphasized.
The report noted that Miss Clara
Herbert, librarian since 1910 and a
member Of the library staff since
1907, retired during the year and
that Harry N. Peterson took her
place.
Reference Work Performed.
- Not only did the library lend books
for home use during the year, the
report said, but also it performed a
large amount of reference work on
requests, made books available to
schools, colleges, hospitals, orphan
ages, camps and jails; sponsored dis
cussion groups using "linguaphone"
records and held 457 story hours
during the year which was attended
by 9,623 children.
School classes made $50 visits to
the library in which 15,774 children
took part. Parents and teachers
were provided SO book lists, talks
were given by members of the Ii
brary staff and assistance was given
to counties" parents, teachers, So
cial workers, church workers and
others, the report added.
A committee of trained staff
members worked to guide the read
ing habits of teen-agers during the
year, the report continued, adding
that the library's young adult ac-
tivities should be expanded as a
means of fighting juvenile delin-
quency.
E. v. Brown School Mentioned.
The report noted that during the
year the E. v. Brown School was
procured for a recreation center and
branch library for the Chevy Chase
area. This joint venture, the re-
port said, should prove an interest
ing experiment. 1t will no doubt
be studied by other cities desiring
to further their recreational and
library programs"
PlanS nave Deen drawn, the re-
port said, for the proposed Pleasant
Plains and Anacostia branches.
The new main library, first unit of
which now stands at Pennsylvania
avenue and Sixth street NV, will
be turned over to the board in the
very near future" the report indi-
Gated. 1t added, however, that
essential renovation will be needed
before it can be used for library
purposes.
Second Unit Is Urged.
The report urged that an appro-
priation be made to build the second
unit of the new library ito hasten
the day when all the library's serv-
ices may be brought under one roof
and the "hopelessly congested con-
dition" of the old central library
relieved.
1t took note of the fact the
library now has a $4,000 bequest
from the estate of the late Theodore
w. Noyes, editor of The Star, and
the man through whose efforts the
library was founded, and an addi-
tional $18,303.10 in donations re-
ceived during the year