REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE LIBRARY BUILDING AND GROUNDS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Washington, D. C., December 6, 1920 SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report as Superintendent of the Library Building and Grounds for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1920. The operations of this office include the custody, care, and maintenance of the Library Building and Grounds, the accounting and disbursement of the appropriations for the Library of Congress, and also the appropriations under the control of the Joint Committee on the Library, including the disbursement of the appropriations for the Botanic Garden. The various operations of the office are indicated in detail by the financial and statistical tables at the end of this report. The work accomplished under the head of care and maintenance was much curtailed on account of the impossibility of obtaining sufficient materials with the limited funds available, prices of all materials used still being high and deliveries unsatisfactory during the entire year. The continued "turnover" in personnel, shown by the table hereafter, left the force with 36 per cent new and inexperienced employees. The total "turnover" in personnel in three years has been 109 per cent. Practically all of those resigning left the service for far better paying positions. Those shown in the table as "dropped" were nearly all new employees found unsatisfactory after trial. It is hoped that such increases in the statutory salaries will soon be granted as will enable trained employees to remain in the service. DEFERRED REPAIRS Repairs requiring outside special artisans had again to be deferred for lack of funds to pay the prevailing high wages. The growing list of such needed repairs include some important items, such as the mosaic Minerva which has for some time been loose from the wall in places and appears to be slowly disintegrating; some of the mosaic ceilings in which cracks have been developing for some time and from which small pieces of mosaic occasionally fall; and some of the marble interior finish which, in a few places, is spalling off from excessive pressure or some slight settlement of the building. DECORATIVE REPAIRS Decorative repairs were also, for the reason stated above, mostly deferred. A very large amount of the decorative painting should be cleaned and repaired and some large sections redecorated. To commence this item of muchneeded repair work, the employment of one decorator has now been authorized for the next fiscal year. ELEVATORS The recommendation for an appropriation for replacing one main passenger elevator machine (not including the car), which was not granted for the coming fiscal year, will be renewed this year. The worn-out condition of the passenger elevator machines and the frequent breakdowns cause a heavy expense and places a strain on the mechanical force responsible for the safe operation of this machinery. ROOF REPAIRS The small annual specific appropriations of the last few years for roof repairs have sufficed to maintain the deteriorated copper roof covering in a satisfactory condition generally. During the next fiscal year one section of roof covering about the base of the dome will be replaced by new covering under recent authorization. CARD DIVISION The continued and rapid growth of the Card Division still overtaxes the card stack and requires temporary storage in wood cases and pasteboard card trays, notwithstanding liberal appropriations for extensions of the card storage stack. Owing to great delay in delivery, the completion of the extension to the card storage stack mentioned in the last report will probably not be completed until November, 1920. The accumulated stock of cards will completely fill the new section, and the need for still further extension will be pressing. FIRE PREVENTION In the report of 1918 mention was made of a survey of the building with reference to fire prevention. The list of danger points then made is kept constantly in mind with view to elimination or improvement as soon as possible. This year a fireproof vault with steel shelving and fireproof door was constructed in the cellar for storage of copyright motion-picture films, heretofore stored along with other ordinary copyright material on wood shelving in the cellar. ROOMS FOR CHARWOMEN Two large rooms in the cellar were fitted up for the charwomen in sanitary manner, including the installation of steel lockers and lavatories. PROPOSED BOOK STACK IN NORTHEAST COURT As stated in the reports of the last three years, the need for large additional shelf space for books has been pressing and is now acute. The only practicable solution of this problem of more book space is the construction of a stack in the northeast court similar to the stack in the corresponding southeast court. The capacity of the present book stacks will have been reached before relief could be given by the proposed stack even if construction could be commenced at once. Authorization of this extension is believed to be urgently necessary. VENTILATION OF MAIN READING ROOM When the stack was erected in the southeast court two ventilating units for the main reading room were thrown out of commission by closing the air intakes. This reduced the fresh air supplied to the reading room by one-quarter. To improve this condition four 42-inch ventilating fans were installed in place of 30-inch fans, thereby more than doubling the air supply to the reading room. The old 30-inch fans have been utilized to improve ventilation of the old boiler room. RECEPTION TO H. R. H. THE PRINCE OF WALES At the request of the Department of State, and with the approval of the Joint Committee on the Library, the use of the Library Building was granted for the purpose of an official reception by Vice President Marshall to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales on the evening of November 12, 1919. In order to obtain the necessary space for checking wraps, serving room for refreshments, and other purposes, it was necessary to move most of the exhibition cases of the main and second floors and to close a few of the divisions of the Library for a day before and a day after the reception. To minimize any possible damage to the building and furniture, the very considerable task of moving and replacing furniture and the cleaning up, as well as other incidental arrangements, were performed by the mechanical and labor force of the building. This entire force worked day and night willingly and strenuously for about one week to effect the desired arrangements. No damage was done to building, furniture, or exhibits. It is believed that no one concerned regrets or would criticize the unprecedented use of this building for such a purpose, especially in view of the personality of the cordial, appreciative, and manly guest of honor on that occasion. However, it is to be hoped that this official reception will not be considered a precedent for the future. The use of the building for reception purposes generally would seriously affect the work of the Library for the time being, and would place a great strain on the employees of this office, upon whom must fall the heaviest burden of the indispensable labor involved, and would almost certainly result in excessive wear and tear and occasional irreparable damage to the building and furniture. EXHIBITS OF FINANCIAL OPERATIONS, ETC. FUEL, LIGHTS, REPAIRS, AND MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES Housekeeping department: Painting in and about the building (labor)... $301. 50 Laundering. Dry goods (cleaning cloths, etc.). Soap powders. Soaps. 628.98 214. 81 237.00 349. 60 525. 91 Paper towels.. Housekeeping (miscellaneous supplies). Toilet supplies... Exterminating roaches. 217.50 I, 221.99 248.30 $4, 233.59 |