Evening star., 1950-04-19
By Jeonne ROGERS

! Inc Library OF congress, IN lou
years, has changed from a honey
book depository to a general in
formation dispenser-super mar
ket style.
In 1900. the entire library packed
in IL hair trunks, plus a case for
maps. was at sea, on the way from
London to Baltimore.
Today, the library fills the two
largest buildings in the world de-
voted exclusively to books.
The Library's sesquicentennial
will be observed Monday. April "a.
No formal ceremonies have been
planned. The institutions first
$50 years were summarized by
Luther H. Evans, librarian of Con-
gress, in his last annual report to
Congress.
$50 Miles of Shelves.
DR.. Evans story was mainly of
big enterprises of the Library-a
description of a strong intellec-
tual flow through the Capital and
the country. 1t is punctuated,
however, with the material that
builds folklore. The ibrary's steel
shelves total $50 miles.
! Pneumatic tubes carry books
back and forth between the build
ings in 80 seconds.
A mechanized carrier tunnels
books to the Capitol in 71a
minutes.
Annual maintenance costs each
citizen one nickel.
There is some revolutionary ma
terial in the report. For instance
it shows that the library has dis
proved the modern theory Of
merchandising. Displaying 27,-
$780, 1878 pieces would be impossible
and unnecessary. Scholars, lay
men and tourists blissfully walk
over the l,563,189 square feet of
floor space. getting lost in sub
Easements and being rescued by
guards. Time, stamina, persever-
ance and luck expose the seeker
to little or much of the library'S S
hoard.
Millions Of Volumes.
Stockpiled information includes
$3.50 ,639 volumes and pamphlets
128,055 bound newspaper volumes
100000 manuscripts. 1,928,574
maps and views. 76.609 reels and
strips of microflm, 81,278 reels OF
motion pictures, 1,819.609 volumes
and pieces of music. 305.848
phonograph records, 1,963,231
Photographic negatives, prints and
slides, 579,298 fine prints. 668,732
broadsides. photostats, posters and
miscellanea. Additions to the col
lections since the last tabulation
amount to 1851 400 pieces.
A vitamin for collection growth
now reaching Paul Bunyan size
is the Copyright Office in the
library annex. Copyright regis
trations, a5out 100000 year, are
the gres test single source OF ac-
QUESTION for current materials.
Two copies of each American
book copyrighted are kept by the
library. Foreign authors relin-
quiSh one.
A child Of the copyright file
copies is the popular collection of
IL 900 dime novels classified with
the rare books.
The most sequestered library
employe in the catacombs of de-
partments and divisions is essen
TALLY a tracer of missing" data.
Strange Requests.
Pleas to locate "a picture of
grandfather and three other men
raising a flag on Lone Ridge
Mountain" to the Original re-
corder of the folk song. old
Paint" arrive by mail. telephone,
cable and in person.
Mail also includes acquisitions
purchases (15 per cent?. gifts, ex-
changes, transfers from other
Government agencies-in bags.
valises, trunks, boxes and crates.
The Library's foreign buying
agents range from dealers to col
lege presidents.
The public may not take out
books. because of the institutions
archivial pattern. Members of
Congress, for whom the library
was created. may. They also have
at hand the Legislative Reference
Service, with a staff of 100 special
information assemblers. This
staff handled last year a record
breaking 22.852 inquiries from
Congress.
Can Reserve Table.
The average citizen, however,
may occupy the 400 study tables
in 225 special study rooms and
reading rooms. A continuing
scholar may even reserve table.
The public may lombard the
reading room reference staff
and does at the rate of 200 ques-
tions a day. A typical one:'
Does the library supply talking
books to the blind of the District?"
1t does. 1t also distributes
books in Braille to Washington's
afflicted and those served by "a
other regional libraries. Division
of the Blind talking books. :"
which are simply records, afford
a subject range of mystery maga-
zines to useful arts publications
about domestic animals.
If any one wants recording
of THE Cruel War Is Raging, +"
he can buy it from the Folklore