The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-25
NEWARK'S LIBRARY
Though Smaller Than Those
of Other Cities Its CirCu-
1ation Is Larger.
TOO MUCH Fiction READ HOWEVER
Method Pursued Pr by the Ii
brarian to Overcome That
Evil.

~. 20 --E EE
That the Newark Public Library, says
the Sunday "Call," occupies an enyianie
position among the institutions OF aus
kind throughout this country IS a iac'
that is gradually becoming generaiiy
recognizeda 1N~ewarkers who WISH olher
cities and are taken by friends on tours
of inspection through the libraries almost
Invariably return home with a better
oninion Of their own. 1t gains by COM
parison. and this is not at all strange
for ever s:nce.it was opened the Newark
Library has been a thoroughly modern
institutions making use of all the latest
and best methods in use in libraries de-
voted to the use of the people,
One of the best tests of any pubhc IN
stitution is the character of its com
plants. If there are few the inference
clearly is that the public is very Wen
satisfied, for in these days of unprece-
denied free speech the average cltzen
seldom has a grievance against his city
long without ventilating it. In the case
of the Newark Library there has been
very little complaint of any kind, and IN
many instances where fault has been
found it has been of a manifestly trivial
mature, and occasionally the cause for
grievance has been a source of grath-
cation to the majority, rather than OF
regret.
But the best way to give an idea OF
what the Newark Library is doing is to
present a series of comparisons between
it and the libraries in cities of about the
same size. The local institution is one
of the youngest as well as one of the
most energetic. Its sixth annual report
has only recently been issued, while
that of Milwaukee has issued its seven
tenth, Detroit it's thirtieth, Providence
its seventeenth, Cleveland its twenty
sixth, Cincinnati its twenty-second, and
Minneapolis its fifth. All of these are
much older than Newark's, save the last
named, which came into existence less
than a year later. Newark has at pres
ent available 44,413 volumes; Cincinnati,
165, 4S5, not including two supplementary
libraries; Cleveland, sO,SO2; Providence.
71,613; Milwaukee, 1912; Detroit, LISP;
Minneapolis. 7S.21S.
ONE OF THE LARGEST.
In but a single instance does the New
ark Library fail to show itself equal, If
not superior,t to the institutions mentioned
above in the matter OF available books.
Minneapolis, which is a year younger has
about $1,000 more volumes, but it begins
life with a tremendous shove forward by
having the Athenaeum Library to build
upon as well as what was known as the
Athenaeum fund. OF the other libraries
Detroit is five times as old; Milwaukee
and Providence about three times;
Cleveland and Cincinnati, four times.
putting it roughly. Computing the in
crease In the Newarko Library at a rea-
sonable rate. it's total of volumes will
about equal that of Cincinnati when it
is as old as Cincinnati's is now: will
exceed Cleveland's by perhaps 10000
volumessfProvidence's by $4,000; Milwau-
KEGS by 1000; Detroit's by $1,000.
The principal value of these figures is
that they show Newark Library. proper
allowance for ftssIyouth being made,
is in full as healthy condition as those
of any other city named, so far as the
number of books is concerned. Its pros
poets for the future would in nearly
every instance seem to be brighter. 1t
comedies to all the others a great handl-
cap in the shape of years, which means
q great deal. OF course libraries grow
more in the first few years than later on,
but as the increase. according to the
figures given above are in nearly every
case SO decidedly in Newark's favor, the
assertion that if all of them were OF the
same age, Newark would stand hrst or
second in the matter of books. seems
reasonable.
THE TEST THAT TELLS.
But. after all. the test which shows the
actual practical working of a library is
its circulation. An institution with a
million volumes on its shelves would be
of no benefit to the community if the
volumes stayed there. They must be on
the move necessarily to do the greatest
amount of good. Newark, with its A.
900 volumes, had a total circulation of
32l, 5333. which means that it's books We're
loaned nearly eight times during last
year. Cincinnati's circulation was but
about 6 1-3 times, Cleveland's a little less
than 6 timess Providence ~. times, Mil
waukee's 3s4, Detroit's a little under 8
times. Minneapoliss 6 times. 1t is in res
pect to circulation, therefore,. that the
in comparison with its sister institutions.
1t clearly surpasses them all, even Min
neapolis, which, although a year young
of experience behind it,, is outclassed
books eight times to that city's three.
Altogether, the showing of Newark's Ii
brary is surprising. If the library had
one might set down its big circulation to
the fact OF its being a novelty; Under
ment does not hold. for the novelty wore
off long ago and the circulation of last
year may be safely looked upon as nor
tlAa1 41S al htto WIN 2JofO O0CA I'LL
to think the city does not appreciate its
library. and that the patronage is low,
will have to change their ideas consid-
erably. 1t does not read as much as 1t
might, to be sure, but as long as 1t is so
far ahead. of the cities in its own class
there is no cause for great dissatisfac-
ton. The circulation of books might be
made very much greater did the local
library admit to its shelves much of the
cheap fiction which is greatly in de-
mand. A high standard is maintained,
higher than in many libraries, and the
large circulation in the face of this fact
THE FICTION PROBLEM.
There as one feature, however, in which
this city can learn a lesson from its sis
ters. In all libraries one of the great
problems invariably met with is how to
get the people to read less fiction. Prob
ably no one in these days of advancement
wishes that fiction reading could be done
away with entirely. One often learns
class novel than he would from some
volume dealing with hard dry, facts.
But the percentage of fiction read is en-
tirely out of comparison with other
branches, and this in the face of every
conceivable inducement for the reading
of works of history, science, etc.
In Newark this problem is a big one.
49,. c,n.+9&