Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-06-09


on file was 1877, or a net increase for
the year of 81 cards. Included in
these figures are three-months' paid
tickets issued either in renewal or en-
tirely new to out-of- town borrowers.
This vas a slight decrease from the
previous year which showed l six
months ticket, 9 three-months' tickets
and two-weeks' tickets issued. Dur
ing the year the free use of the Ii
brary was given not only to the Box
well-Patterson students in our high
school and a few country. pupils in
the grammar grades, but also to the
students attending the newly opened
county normal school. At the begin
n,ng of the school year, as at the be-
ginning of the previous school year,
olank application cards were given to
Superintendent M. L. Altstetter that
the teachers might sdistribute them
among their pupils. And, as had been
shown the year before, there was a
noticeable increase in library users
not only among school children, but
also among other members of their
families. >
Reading and Reference.
During 1915 the Wauseon Public
Library was visited by total of g.
253 people for reading and reference
work during the 274 days that it was
open for such purposes. This is an in
crease of 1886 visitors, or of 1888 per
cent. over 1914. In other words, there
was in 1915 daily average of nearly
23 visitors for reading and reference
work, an increase of five visitors per
day over 1914. OF these 1881, or not
quite seven per day, were adult read
ers; 1882 or more than eight per day,
were child readers; 308, or more than
one per day, were adults doing re-
ference work; and LISP, or more than
six per day, were young people and
children doing reference work, prac-
tically all for school purposes. The
daily average for school reference
work during the nine months of the
school year was more than eight pu-
pills. Compared with 1914 the rec
ords for .1915 show a decrease of 4.23
per cent. in the number of adult read
ers; an increase of 103.84 per cent. in
the number of child readers; an in
crease of 1891 per cent. in the num-
Der of adults doing reference work;
and an increase of 27.10 per cent. in
the number of young people and chill
dren doing reference work. Thus it
will be seen that while the use of our
library for reading and reference
work by adults has practically re-
mained stationary, its use by young
people and children has greatly in
creased. As in former years, students
in the upper classes of the high school
are counted among the adult readers,
reference work. While the library is
probably used as much as formerly
by the club women of Wauseon and
even those of Delta and occasionally
those of other neighboring villages,
there is still great lack in adult men
users. But in this respect every pub
lie library in the country is making
complaint. The time is undoubtedly
coming, however, when libraries will
be used more generally by men, and,
perhaps, by that time the library will
have evolved into a much more diff
ferent and probably greatly different
institution from what it is today.
Books Accustomed.
The books and bound periodicals ac-
cessioned during the year numbered
410. There were 281 volumes newly
purchased at a cost of $325.43. Eight
of tnese newly purchased volumes,
however, belonged to the library's set
of the New International encyclopedia
and have not yet been delivered. Con-
sequeDtly they are not included among
the books accessioned during the year.
IL
umes of newly bound periodicals and
two useful government publications,
likewise newly bound, that had never
before been accessioned. The cost of
the binding, including that of 81 re-
bound books, was $60.13. The peri
odicals, however, if we add original
subscription prices, represented an ad-
ditional cost to the library of $43.47
The accessioned books that were
gifts numbered 104, including the two
government publications just mention
ed and four volumes of the newly
bound periodicals. The largest of the
gift collections was that given by
Mr.. and Mrs. w. H. Eager, Miss
Bertha E. Hilton, Miss Carrie E..
Hedges and Master William Eager as
memorial to their aunt, the late
Mary A. Bogart. There were 63 vol
umes in this collection that were given
during the year, but it is the express
ed intention of the donors from time
to time to add new books. The COL
lection includes books of all classes
and is especially rich in handsomely
Illustrated editions of favorite chill
dren's book. Each of the Bogart mem
orial books is marked by book-plate
designed by Frank Aldrich, formerly
of Wauseon. This book-plate displays
the Bogart coat-of-arms, a picture of
the Bogart homestead and also a
suitable motto. It is the desire of the
donors that these books be kept to-
gether and not distributed among
other books of the library. Another
useful collection of books received by
the library was that given jointly by
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