The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1910-01-05
I.S07.463 BOOKS IN CIRCULATION.
State Report Shows that travelling ubrar.
les We're Busy During Yeaf.

Growing interest on the part of the
smaller municipalities of the state has
been manifested during the year in the
travelling libraries controlled by the
Public Library Commission, accord
ing to the annual report, which has
been submitted TO Governor Fort.
The constantly increasing demands for
these libraries is responsible for a short
age of books, which the commission
has been unable TO fill, and there are
now twenty applications on the list
which cannot be supplied.
Summarizing the work of the year,
the report shows that 257 regular trav-
cling libraries have been sent out with
a total circulation of l02, 1893. The thir-
ty-one special libraries used in state
institutions have been circulated sixty
eight times, eleven new libraries are on
the records of the commission, fifty-six
libraries have been aided In improving
their methods, l39 have been directly
aided in other lines, 29l purchasing
lists were distributed, several hundred
volumes were repaired, six persons
were given measure of library train
ing, 80 addresses were made, besides
many informal talks; 2,609 books were
bought for the regular and special Ii
braries and 3, 1852 prepared for circula-
ton, fifteen grange meetings were at
tended and twelve of them addressed,
more than $500 magazines have been
distributed and 1923 special books loan
ed.
The statistical tables show that In
1874 libraries listed there are 1885, 97
books. These, with the books in the
travelling libraries, make a total of
1907, 463 volumes in circulation In the
state. The circulation, SO far as can be
computed from the reports received,
was 1920, 1862, and with the circulation
Of the regular travelling libraries makes
u total of 1929, 100. This gives an av-
erage of nearly four volumes to every
inhabitant In the state according to the
census of 1905.
At the time of the last report there
were i73 of the regular travelling librar-
les in circulation. There were added
during the year 43, making u total OF
216, not including the 81 special IL
braries sent to the various institutions.
While the increase in the number has
been rapid, averaging more than 40 for
each of the five years, there are many
small, out-of-the-way communities
that are still unserved, and which the
commission has made little effort to
reach because of its inability to meet
the existing demand. Travelling IL
brary stations are in every county.
The are IL, 1866 books in the travelling
libraries and their total circulation of
102, 1896 make an average OF n little
more than nine times for each book in
the working collection. The average
cost of circulating books In these H.
braries is estimated at seven cents.
with the books now on hand 1t Is
impossible, the commission says, ito
make up additional libraries. Many
of the volumes that have been In al
most constant use since 1899 are SO
worn as to be unfit for further circula-
ton, and some OF the popular books
acquired more recently are in the same
condition. Many have been repaired
by the commission and others were
discarded, or rather distributed among
the State and country institutions or
in localities where they might be of a
little more use.
"That the travelling library books
are being placed in the hands Of resi-
dents of the small towns and rural
sections is shown by the fact that ITO
of the 2l6 libraries are In the hands Of
grangers of the order Of the Patrons Of
Husbandry, where, under the rules
adopted by the commission, the books
are made accessible TO all residents OF
the neighborhood. A great deal Of the
success of the work Is due to the inter-
est manifested by the grangers, through
the agency of which study clubs have
been organized, reading courses started,
lecture courses established and reading
rooms opened in sections which could
otherwise have been reached with
great difficulty and expense.
San important feature of the COM
missions work has been the loaning
to residents of smaller municipalities
Of books on special subjects. During
the year 723 OF these books were sent
out, most of which were borrowed by
the commission from the larger librar-
les and covered many subjects. In
some cases the borrowers could have
secured the use OF the books In no other
way. Bulletins, pictures and exhibits
Of cotton and silk in various stages OF
manufacture from the crude material
TO the finished product were also sent
out to the travelling library stations,
libraries and schools"
In order to properly carry on the
work Of the travelling libraries, the
commission urges that supplement-
airy appropriation Of $1,000 be made
for the immediate purchase of books
and that the regular appropriation be
Increased TO $6,5O0 The commission
is composed of w. G. Kimball, Moses
Taylor Pyne, Ernest G. Richardson,
Senator-elect john ID. Prince and How
ard NJ. Cooper.