The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-01
OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The Circulation Of Fiction and Other
Literature.


1t seems TO be a fashion with some
minds TO decry the usefulness Of public
Libraries because SO large proportion OF
the books taken from them for reading Is
fiction. There seems also to be disposi-
1 tion not to be satisfied with the actual pro-
portion, but to eSaegerate II. Thus II
was recently charged in print againts
the Providence Public Library that 10
per cent. three-quarters of ell the books
taken by teachers and scholars, and
everybody else, consists OF the thoroughly
4 vicious modern novel" The charge, II
believed, bore heavily on the library and
stiii more heavily on those who use IT,
especially the teachers aud scholars, SO
the charge, however, subsequently ex-
piained that he only intended to convey
| the idea that "there was a vast prepvnder-
| ance In favor of fiction in the matter
used"; and In support OF the charge 80
explained, appealed 10 the librarian's re-
| port Tor 1894, claiming that, according
40 the American Library Associations -
system OF classification there given. 6S
| plus per cent. of the volumes taken from
the library that year was fiction. There
isa considerable difference between 90
plus per cent. and rs per cent, and still
more difference between 6S plus per cent.
OF fiction generally and rs per cent. of the
thoroughly vicious modern novel. "
But even the statement that 6S plus p
cent. OF the volumes taken was fiction is
inaccurate.
The report states the number of the
volumes taken out in 1894 as 10S, ,070, and
gives the classes to which they belonged
IN three forms OF Classification, the three
| ioS ms being that which was originally
, adopted in this library, that adopted by
the American library Association, snd
that adopted by the Rhooe Island Board
| Inn m ha rat
form As, 800 volumes classified as "fiction,
adult, were taken out, and 10, I62, classi-
He'd as "hction, juvenile, lin all "a, 55z,
or 81. az plus per cent. OF the whole NUM-
Der taken. According to the second
form the same numbers, classified as
prose fiction" and Juveniles" were
taken, and according to the third form
the same, total was taken, classified
! simply as "fction." or course the same
hgures give for each form the same per-
centage How. then, does the maker of the
charge get 6s plus as the true percentage
when the librarian gets only 59.72 plus
He does not say. ihe second form, how
ever, puts its classes into three divisions.
| The first OF these, entitled Literary
classes" includes, besides "prose fic-
tion," and Juveniles, F" ESSAYS, poetry,
Drama" giving 9137 as taken out, and
Periodicals, literary" giving 70 as taken
out and by regarding these two classes
or the larger of them as hction. the 6S
| per cent IS obtained, and no other way
| appears in which 1t can have been obtain
ed. Now, doubtless, plays and narrative
poems may be counted as fiction, but
they are not SO classed in either of the
| three forms before mentioned, and sure
| ly a large part of poetry Lyrical, per-
sonal. didactic and satirical,) is not fic-
ton, TO say nothing OF ESSAYS" which
no one would classify as fiction,
| two.thyrd. ~ yyb. ita,,. o. m 80
pears by the third classification used
| oy the librarian, the figures for "poetry
! and dram ao,were- 2740, which, taken
from 9l37, leaves 6397 for essays. The
| Librarian classes as fiction only fictitious
narratives in prose-novels or romances
-written either for adults or children.
! That Is ordinarily what is meant when
books are spoken OF as fiction, aud, with
out expla nation, 1t would be misleading
to give the word a wider signitication.
One might be led to suppose. from the
ou terry thst is made, that the library is
purchase OF fiction. Such a supposition
would be wide OF the truth. The number
| of volumes taken from the library does
not indicate the number purchased. A
popular novel may be taken and returned,
every lew days throug bout the year, and
| every taking counts one for the circula-
| ton. ID 1894, according TO the treasurer's
| report, S6, 6,Y19.67 was spent for books, peri.
odicals and pamphlets; and, according to
| the librarians report, 1920 volumes were
ADDED 10 the library, 452 of which, in
| GLIDING juvenile books, were fiction. The
cost OF these 452 volumes, uuoer the re-
| ductions conceded, was less then $400.
! Seventy two of them were Juveniles; some
of them we're the originals or transla-
| tions o the better novels of CONT lental
Europe; very considerable number were
| bought to replace or replenish standard
| or popular works of an earlier date; the
remainder being new English or Amer-
can novels; which, however, cannot
with any justice be characterized as
velour. Only a portion-generally the
more unexeeptionable por. ion-of the
| novels pu olished are offered to tte library
ana of these only portion are purchased,
| the library committee taking pains to In
| form itself, so as to aovid the trashy and
| the vicious.
The library at the close of 1894, after
an active existence OF seventeen years,
was, according to the Librarians report,
the owner of 1888 volumes, of which
| 1880, exclusive of Juvenile books (juve-
nile books numbering 2217). were fiction,
being less than one-tenth OF the total A
large proportion OF these were duplicates,
triplcates, bankruptcies, ETC., of the
better or more popular OF the earlier
works of fiction, ike those of Scott,
Dickens, Thackeray, Jane Austen,
! Cooper, Hawthorne Does II seem as IL
the supply can have been very superab bun
dant or the cost culpa bly, excessive? Ac-
cording to 6 tabulation, based on the
printed reports OF other libraries, in the
report of this library 'or 1895 (now In
press). q comparison of the Providence
Public Library, in respect to the percent
age OF fiction circulated in 1894 (or for
the library year most nearly correspond
ing), with tbirty-nine other public libra
ries-being all that are available for the
comparison-shows only four in which
the percentage of fiction in circulation
was smaller The disposition to inveigh
aaginst fiction is apt to run wild with
those who indulge It, A public library,
/. T. q library for the use Of the people at
large, without fiction, would be an an
omaly-indeed 1t would be. practically. a
| blunder. The reader who resocts to the
library at first for fiction, turns by de-
grees TO other kinds OF reading, and grad
ually becomes lover OF knowledge in
some one or more or oil of its more solid
forms. IL is the policy OF the Providence
| Public Library TO guide and cultivate
| tap ~ tta ln1 fnfn