The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-05
LIBRARIES OF AMERICA.
Interesting Statistics Collected by
the Bureau of Education.


The number Of public. society. and
school Libraries in TIE United States OF
1000 volumes and over is 5.5S5 according
TO reports collected by the Bureau OF Edu-
cation in 1897 This shows an increase Of
1857 Libraries in less than five years The
number OF volumes in the SIX libraries
was 4f,59I.S5l. as compared with S5-o5l-S.2
In the 1925 Libraries reported al the be
ginning OF the year ISgG-a remarkable in
crease Of j. 52g-g7g volumes or almost -
per cent in the five years. These facts
are set forth in the report Of the bureau.
Just to hand Further information in the
report includes the following
The statistics Of Libraries for 1890 Will be
found summarized in tables ! to OF the
report Table I gives the number OF libra
ricS. the number Of volumes. and the num-
Der Of pamphlets reported from each
State, and shows the increase in number
Of Libraries and volumes and the percent
age Of increase in volumes. in each State
and geographical division The North At
lantic Division has 2.4T3 Of the SIX libra
ries, and l.e50,e00 more than half the mum
Der Of volumes in the United States New
York alone has Us Libraries. with 1886 soy
volumes, Massachusetts. SCI Libraries. with
6.633.2S5 volumes; Pennsylvania 4yI libra
ries. with 3gI4.5T7 volumes The North
Central Division has LIS libraries. with
HELLO volumes. Illinois has 800 Of these
Libraries, with Z472.1O volumes. Ohio. 266
Libraries. with 2.o55.5S9 volumes: Michigan,
lyS ibraries, WITH 29S.7 OS volumes
The South Atlantic Division has 42l IL
braries. with 5.3d3, 90 volumes. Maryland
has so Of these libraries. with LIS. 253 vol
umes; the District of Columbia "A, with
2.5oi7S3 volumes, l.O0000O Of these being
In the Library OF Congress. The South
Central Division has 574 Libraries. with
l.SS6.73I volumes. Kentucky has IS libra
ries, with 40 70 volumes, Tennessee. y IL
braries, with So. 22I volumes The West
ern Division has 81 Libraries. with Z.I79
$50 volumes California has 2l2 Of these
libraries, with l.7Sl.S5S volumes; Colorado
81. with 263, s66 volumes
The percentage Z increase for the whole
country was almost %, for the North At
lantic Division. nearly %. for the South
( Atlantic Division, g; for the South Cen
trail Division. nearly %: for the North
I Central Division, almost 40. for the West
ern Division. about 8. Oklahoma shows
the greatest per cent Of increase-379 The
/ following States and Territories show per
centages Of increase above 100: West
Virginia, Arkansas. Indian Territory. Ok
lahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota. and
New Mexico.
or the 5.2S3 Libraries. 1905 had s.12
periodicals I'm their reading rooms. .6S4
had added 2.l569s2 volumes during the
year. and LASS had added 54g.se6 pam
phlets. The number OF volumes issued
for home use during the year by 2405 il
braries was SHOES; and the number
issued for use In 7S5 Libraries was 96,s. 81
I OIL.
buildings; 59z occupy rented buildings
I OF 5.I5I not answering the question in re-
gard 10 this item, school. college. and
other Libraries, occupying buildings or
I rooms rent free comprise the greater
proportion The humber Of Libraries SUD-
ported BY taxation is $3.50. the number
by subscription, ESQ. Only I3S are re-
ported as being supported by both taxa
ZION and subscription. The number re-
ported as entirely free 10 the public is
z.I3i; the number free for reference only.
l.lS5' the number Of subscription Libraries
slL There are AZ Libraries classed as
circulating. LIS as reference. and SIS as
both circulating and reference
There are 1873 general Libraries. rs
school. and CsS college libraries The re-
naming libraries are divided among i
7 classes There are Libraries having over
. '0'N----'-1 NeANAAf % bEAhFtll 1NJ-UlD ana
10000. and s. between 10000 and 400 o0o
Inc number Of Libraries having below 5.Ogg
volumes is 1854
! Very few Librarians made c0unDIete re-
I ports but the number reporting on each
ltem IS gwen IN the table OF the 5Sg3
LDIdileS, sss received SZ,Zl3. 40 directly
from taxation; i.m6 received s. 34g. "a
from state county or CITY appropriations
/ ia received SllyS. g55 from endowment
funds: 90 received sis 10 from member
/ snip fees and dues. % received So. 7fg
IA
donations; and 1914 received 81. 900 OfS from
sources not stated. The total income of
S,li5 libraries was s. So 100
Inc aggregate Of the endowment funds
reported by 90 Libraries is SIS ~ Ga md
the value Of buildings owned bv 40 libra
Tles IS 81 esq. 500 The amount exoended
lot BOOKS during the year by .972 Libraries
was $. GS6675-
There is one library 10 every I4IlS peo-
pie IN the United States and there are ID
BOOKS 10 every 100 population The North
AAieHuc BlFlSlon has a library 10 every
$50 persons the South Central Division
a library 10 every 1851 persons The Dis
Tlct OF Columbia has so volumes TO every
100 OF population Massachusetts. go New
Hampshire, l56; Connecticut 10. Rbod.
Island, 1853; Nevada, I57. California T5a.
. New York, I03; Maine. Icl volumes ~
each 100 population
IaLIt IS q summary Of the statistics
OF @StS public, society. and school libraries
OF 800 volumes and over and less fbar
Loo volumes These libraries have :. OBS. -
10 the public included in the above num-
Der Is Z6ll. free for reference. 6s4- sub
/ scription. Gl9. OF the total number 3 ia
are school libraries. S college. 80 general
D and 2l9 other Libraries
The number OF Libraries having 800 vol
/ umes and over is g,2Gl; and the number Of
volumes In these libraries is $3.50 500
[ This is a gain Of 20T Libraries and l. GA -
I 81 volumes since 1886. In 1891. the number
OF volumes 70 every 100 people was Al; IL
I 1880. the number was A.; in 1890 the mum.
Der OF volumes to the 100 population Wss
80
From 1881 TO 1896. there had been an in
crease OF a little over = per cent i'm the
/ number Of volumes. Table 1 shows the
/ remarkable increase Of nearly 50 per cent
Z between 1896 and 1900
/ Following the fifteen tables Of summa.
( riZed statistics already mentioned is giveT
I a list Of the 5.3SS libraries OF 900 volumes
| and over reporting In 1880 The Office haC
/ q trial list of over l2.J0O names of libra.
| Ties. To many OF these libraries a sec
. Ond. third. and fourth request for infor-
/ nation was sent requiring the use OF
! more than 20 90 blank forms. After elias
7 styling the returns. il was found thai
5.3S3 Libraries had 900 volumes or over
| 3.b7S had 800 volumes and over but less
| than l.OtO5 while several thousand haC
| less than 800 volumes each
stock Exchange Slang
From the New York PrlSz)