Henry S. Parsons.

Mrs. Gertrude T.
Rider.

The vacancy in the periodical division caused by the resignation of Yale O. Millington as chief on October 1, 1924, has been for the present arranged for by the transfer to it of Henry S. Parsons, for many years at the head of the cataloguing section of the copyright office.

The resignation in August, 1925, of Mrs. Gertrude T. Resignation of Rider, who leaves us for personal reasons (see under reading room), deprives us of an associate who in her 13 years of service here has enlarged what was a mere collection and issue of embossed books into a national bureau of information upon all matters involving the welfare of the blind; developed relations of active cooperation with numerous organizations, especially the American Red Cross (see her report, infra); and become indeed an authority in the field.

McGuffey.

Since the above passages were drafted two additions have been made to our service which for convenience should be noted here. Both involve a return to it of persons already experienced in it.

One is of Miss Margaret D. McGuffey, for three years Margaret D. (1905-1908) secretary to the Library and subsequently, for a year, chief of our order division, resigning then for personal reasons. With an experience preceding of 10 years as chief of the issue department of the Boston Public Library, and one succeeding her departure from Washington, in successful conduct of social service work in New York and at Cincinnati, she seemed of all the possibilities presented the one most likely to carry forward with sympathy, understanding, familiarity with our usage, and the requisite personal qualities, the work for the blind which Mrs. Rider has so remarkably developed. And it is for the conduct of this that in September she returned to our service.

W.

Johnston.

The other reappointment is of Dr. W. Dawson JohnDawsonston, for the past four years librarian of the American Library in Paris, and prior to that librarian of the Public Library of St. Paul, but with an additional varied experience in the Brooklyn Public Library, as librarian of the Bureau of Education, as librarian of Columbia University, and during seven years (1900-1907) in the

Report of the Librarian of Congress

13

service of the Library of Congress, during which he incidentally compiled the first volume of its "History."

Doctor Johnston's earlier special interest was bibliography, and especially the bibliography and documentary source material of history (in which he had been an instructor at the University of Michigan, Brown University, and elsewhere). And it is in relation to such that we are securing the renewal of his service with us, with the purpose that he shall give especial attention to the transcripts and facsimiles of historical documents which are, henceforth, partly through Mr. Wilbur's endowment, to assume a larger dimension and importance, aid to the selection of the material, supervise the actual work, and report upon opportunities for acquisition. With periodic residence at Washington, and some field work in the United States, his service will be largely abroad, where in addition to the special undertakings he will also be available as general foreign representative of the Library.

Richardson.

A further accession to our service of decided significance,Dr. Ernest C. is that of Dr. Ernest C. Richardson, librarian emeritus of Princeton University. He comes to us in an honorary capacity as consultant in bibliography and research, thus adding one more expert to the "faculty" now available in Washington for investigators needing suggestion and students needing guidance; as well as to the resources of our organization for promoting institutional cooperation in those fields.

In providing for each grade a minimum salary and a PERSONNEL: Classification. maximum, with intermediates between them, and in vesting with the executives authority to make the advances (provided the necessary funds were available), and in stipulating that assignments to a grade should be to the minimum (without regard to previous experience.or length of service or individual merit), the classification act seemed to assume that such advances were within the normal prospect; and that funds would regularly be appropriated for them. The subsequent limitation imposed by the appropriations committee, that the sum of the salaries within any grade should not exceed the product of the number of positions by the average salary of that grade, in effect confirmed this interpretation.

sistant.

Our estimates for the present year, submitted in September, 1924, included therefore a provision for such advances. The sum involved (about $52,000) was considerable; yet it would have served only to bring the salaries to a point below the average.

It was not granted, nor any part of it; and substantially all of our staff remain at the minima of the grades to which they were originally assigned; a few exceptions being some 68 employees who in March received slight advances made possible by the accumulation of a margin through deferred appointments. These exceptions included certain cases where the original allocations seemed to us obviously inadequate.

In general, however, the employees remain at the minima of the grades to which they were originally assigned.

Executive as- An important particular position was sympathetically dealt with by the Personnel Classification Board, in revising the title of "chief clerk" of the Library into that of "executive assistant," with the recognition of functions which this latter title implies, and a change of grade from. CAF 10 to CAF 11. There is a chief clerk in the disbursing office, another in the copyright office. Confusion resulted. Nor is the term "chief clerk" (common in governmental bureaus) in vogue or understood in library usage. "Executive assistant," however, is a title fully descriptive and intelligible.

The operation of the classification act assumes in each Government establishment "efficiency ratings" upon which advances or demotions must be conditioned. A system of ratings applicable to positions differing widely in character, and to work in many cases incapable of exact record, was difficult to devise. One has, however, been adopted and before the close of the fiscal year put into operation in our service.

FINANCE

The following table exhibits the appropriations and expenditures of the Library proper and of the copyright office for the fiscal year, and the appropriations for the preceding fiscal year and the year now current. Included

1 Includes the 21⁄2 per cent retirement fund.-Fiscal year 1924, $12,69 $18,569.75, fiscal year 1926, $19,894.50.

2 Appropriation, 1924, includes credits $2,318.94 on account of sales Government institutions and $15.26 yet to be credited. Appropriat =redits $2,600.53 on account of sales of cards to Government institutio o be credited. Expenditures, 1925 ($85,985.63), offset by subscription Treasury, $140,701.99.

' Offset by fees covered into the Treasury ($166,909.55).

Indefinite appropriation.

› Any unexpended balance of purchase of books will be available

ear.

• Exclusive of $2,500 to be expended by the marshal of the Supre ooks of reference for that body, 1924; $2,500 for 1925; and $2,500 for 7 Including outstanding indebtedness.

• Appropriation, 1924, includes credits $20.50 on account of sales of › Government institutions. Appropriation, 1925, includes credits f sales of photo duplications to Government institutions.

'Appropriation, 1924, includes credits $993.79 on account of sales o lent institutions and $6.54 yet to be credited. Appropriation, 192 $1,114.48 on account of sales of cards to Government institutions a 'edited.

10 Includes the 21⁄2 per cent retirement fund.-Fiscal year 1924, $1 125, $2,528.45; fiscal year 1926, $2,609.95.

11 Includes balance from preceding year in addition to appropriatio

The appropriations for 1924-25 are in accordance with "The classification act of 1923," and include the following changes and additional provisions:

Salaries-Library proper: For the librarian, chief assistant librarian, and other personal services in accordance with "The classification act of 1923," $457,020.

Copyright office: For the register of copyrights, assistant register, and other personal services in accordance with "The classification act of 1923," $147,320..

Legislative reference service: Appropriation increased from $40,000 to $56,000.

Card indexes: Appropriation increased from $57,400 to $85,634 and the item made to read: "For the distribution of card indexes and other publications of the Library, including personal services, freight charges (not exceeding $500), expressage, postage, traveling expenses connected with such distribution, and expenses of attendance at meetings when incurred on the written authority and direction of the librarian, $85,634."

Carrier service: In the appropriations for 1925 this item is carried under the Library proper and no appropriation was made as a separate item.

Printing and binding: Appropriation increased from $212,250 to $250,000.

Library Building: The item made to read "Salaries: For the administrative assistant and disbursing officer, and other personal services in accordance with 'The classification act of 1923,' $101,138."

The following item included: "For special and temporary services in connection with the custody, care, and maintenance of the Library Building, including extra special services of regular employees at the discretion of the librarian, $500."

The appropriations for 1925-26 are in accordance with "The classification act of 1923," and include the following changes and additional provisions:

Salaries-Library proper: For the librarian, chief assistant librarian, and other personal services in accordance with "The classification act of 1923," $484,780.