STATISTICS OF PUBLIC, SOCIETY, AND SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

Special statistical reports on public, society, and school libraries have been published periodically by the United States Bureau of Education. Nine of these reports have appeared in the past 40 years; the last one, preceding the present 1913 report, presented the statistics of 1908. The earlier reports included the names of all libraries reporting over 300 volumes. In 1893, libraries of less than 1,000 volumes were not included in the published lists, and by 1908 the increase in the number of libraries made it necessary to limit the published list to libraries having 5,000 volumes and over.

The special report for 1913 undertakes to present the statistics of libraries having 5,000 volumes and over, arranged in two groups. The names of 1,844 public and society libraries, with the names of librarians and the more important items of statistics, are given in Tables 35 and 36, while similar information for 1,005 school and college libraries will be found in Tables 37 and 38.

PUBLIC AND SOCIETY LIBRARIES.

Tables 1 to 9 summarize the statistics of the 1,844 public and society libraries, including corporation and association libraries. These libraries had 1,652 branches and reported an aggregate of 50,031,382 volumes. Additions amounting to 3,063,870 volumes were made by 1,702 of the libraries, and 1,282 librarians reported 7,209,690 borrowers' cards in force. The issues of books for use outside of the library, as reported by 1,387 librarians, aggregated 97,718,299 volumes. Of this number, 26,600,919 were issued for the use of children in 898 libraries. The number of visitors to the reading rooms of 503 libraries was 19,986,390. The number of libraries reported as entirely free to the public was 1,446, while 111 were free for reference. Apparently 1,241 libraries own the buildings they occupy, while the cost of 1,032 of these aggregated $74,542,960.

Of the 1,844 public and society libraries, 579 received $4,321,221 from direct taxation, while 878 received $7,665,896 from public appropriations. The aggregate income of 1,685 libraries was $16,304,128, as shown in Table 8. The amount expended for books by 1,597 libraries was $2,932,022 for the year; 1,568 paid $7,270,135 for salaries, the aggregate expenditure of 1,659 libraries being $14,756,576, as will be seen from Table 9.

SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LIBRARIES.

Tables 10 to 18 summarize the statistics of 1,005 school and college libraries reporting 5,000 volumes and over. These libraries had 754 branches and an aggregate of 25,081,553 volumes. The additions made to 846 of these libraries amounted to 1,323,213 volumes. Borrowers' cards to the number of 909,275 were in force during the year, 386 of the libraries having made 13,612,778 issues of books for use outside the library. Only 70 libraries reported the issue of 9,213,588 books for juvenile use, and 95 reported 3,025,428 readingroom visitors. The cost of buildings owned by 247 libraries aggregated $16,376,118, while 144 possess $9,997,979 in permanent endowment funds, as shown in Table 15.

Tables 17 and 18 summarize the financial statistics of school and college libraries so far as reported. Receipts aggregating $3,268,399 were reported by 756 libraries, while 749 reported expenditures aggregating $3,158,507. Of this sum 718 libraries paid $1,216,863 for books and 560 paid $1,404,747 for salaries.

COMBINED STATISTICS.

Table 19 combines certain statistics of public, society, and school libraries. The 2,849 libraries of 5,000 volumes and over had 75,112,935 volumes in 1913. Table 20 shows that there was an increase of 551 over the number of libraries reporting in 1908 and an increase of 19,762,772 in the number of volumes, the percentage of increase being 35.70. It is true that most of the 551 new libraries placed on the "5,000 list" in 1913 were of the number reporting between 1,000 and 5,000 in 1908. We may estimate that 551 libraries averaged 3,000 volumes five years ago, a total of 1,653,000, leaving a net increase of 18,109,772, or about 32 per cent.

THE SMALLER LIBRARIES.

Tables 24 to 28 summarize the statistics of 2,188 public and society libraries reporting 1,000 to 4,999 volumes in 1913, while Tables 29 to 33 show similar statistics for 3,265 school libraries reporting 1,000 to 4,999 volumes. Table 34 shows that the 5,453 libraries of the two classes had 11,689,942 volumes.

In addition to the 8,302 public, society, and school libraries represented in these statistical summaries, there are thousands of smaller libraries. There may be also hundreds of libraries having over 1,000 volumes failing to furnish statistics for this report. It is believed, however, that nearly all of those having more than 5,000 volumes are listed in this bulletin.

Returns were received from 5,384 public, society, and school libraries having between 300 and 1,000 volumes. The aggregate number

of volumes reported by these small, but useful, libraries was 2,961,007, of which number 160,410 had been added within a year by 2,420 of these libraries.

Of the 5,384 smaller libraries, 569 were public and society libraries, having 366,379 volumes. The number of volumes added by 352 of these libraries during the year was 34,614. Borrowers' cards to the number of 62,433 issued by 272 of these libraries were in force in 1913, and 191 libraries issued 343,544 volumes for outside use.

The 4,815 school libraries having each between 300 and 1,000 volumes reported 2,594,628 volumes, 125,796 having been added during the year by 2,068 libraries. Borrowers' cards to the number of 78,597 issued by 518 libraries were in force and 614 reported the issue of 326,047 volumes for outside use.

COLLECTING THE STATISTICS.

This bureau has a list of nearly 18,000 public, society, and school libraries. The schedules requesting statistics for 1913 were sent to all of these about the middle of that year. The returns came in slowly and many of them imperfectly made out. Before the close of 1914 six separate requests for information had been sent to delinquent librarians. The returns which could be tabulated numbered 13,686. In addition something over 2,000 returns were received from libraries having less than 300 volumes, leaving about 2,000 libraries from which no reports could be obtained. Following is a copy of the schedule sent to all the libraries:

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

BUREAU OF EDUCATION,

WASHINGTON, D. C.

TO THE LIBRARIAN: Please fill this form and forward it without delay to the Commissioner of Education, Washington, D. C., using the inclosed penalty envelope. The form is general, and contains, therefore, many questions which do not apply to your library. Please answer definitely the questions that do apply and avoid those that do not. The time in which the report must be prepared for publication is very short, and you are urged to return this form within a few days. No report on libraries has been made since 1908.

5. Is the library controlled by the National Government, State, city, or village, a corporation, university or college, college society, school or school system, society or association, or by an institution other than educational?

6. Is it a general library, or is it mainly scientific, educational, historical, theological, law, medical, or otherwise special in its character?.

7. Is the library entirely free to the public?..

If so, in what year was it made free?.

Is it free to the students of the college or school?..
fee charged?...

Is a membership or subscription Is it free to the public for reference?..

...........

If not, what kind of cooperation

8. Does the library lend books to the people of the county or township as well as to those of the city in which it is located?... If so, under what conditions?.. 9. Does the library lend sets of books or collections to schools?. has the library with the public-school system?.... 10. Number of borrowers' cards now in force according to the rules of the library. 11. Number of books issued during the past year for use outside the library..

many were issued from the children's department or for juvenile use?.

Of these, how

[In accordance with the rules drawn up by the A. L. A. Committee on Library Administration, books lent through branches and delivery stations and books sent to deposit stations will be counted, but not books lent from deposit stations. Books lent for pay and periodical numbers should be counted.]

12. Number of visitors during the past year to reading rooms, including periodical and newspaper reading

16. What collections of books in the library are especially notable for their size or value?. 17. How many branches has the library?........

18. Number of paid employees (not including building force): For the main library, .. libraries, .....

19. Building force (engineers, janitors, doorkeepers, cleaners, etc.): For the main library, for branch libraries,

20. Salaries in the main library: Librarian, $.

ments, $..

; for branch

to $............; other

to $..... ..; assistants, $.. ......; other employees, $..

.; first assistant, $..
to

..; heads of depart

to $...

.; assistants, $.

Does it occupy a building or part of a Does it occupy its own building?.

21. Salaries in branch libraries: Librarians, $.. employees, $............ to $..

22. Does the library occupy a rented building?. building furnished free to the library?.

If so,

.....

what was the cost of the building (exclusive of grounds)?... Source of the funds for erecting the building......

23. Estimated present value of library building and grounds, $.

24. Is a public tax levied for the support of the library?.......... If so, what is the rate?. 25. Income for the past fiscal year:

Does the above total include any sum appropriated or secured as a building fund?.
If so, how much? $.....

The above schedule calls for about 70 items and subitems. More prompt and satisfactory returns could have been obtained by issuing a questionnaire less comprehensive in its scope. An examination of the tables of detailed statistics will show that even many of the larger libraries failed to furnish all the desired information.