Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-07-19
WAUSEON PUBLIC LIBRARY
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
LIBRARIAN
1917

To the Honorable,
The Public Library Board,
Wauseon, Ohio
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Your librarian herewith presents
his fourth annual report as librarian
of the Wauseon Public Library and
the twelfth report of the library
since its opening in 1906:
Circulation of Books
1t is satisfaction to report that
the circulation of books for home use
in 1917 was the largest of any year
in the history of the library. For
there was a total circulation of H.
206 volumes, an increase of 285 vol
umes over the circulation for 1916,
which had also been a record year.
Of the books circulated, 6,766 vol
umes, or 47.6 per cent, were adult
fiction; 1,070 volumes, or rs per cent,
were adult non-fction; 1890 vol
umes, or 30.9 per cent. were juvenile
fiction; while 1871 volumes, or 1873
per cent, represented juvenile non
fiction. Compared with the previous
year, there was decrease in the cir
culation of books for adults, both
fiction and non-fction, but a CORE
spending increase in the circulation
of books for children. The circula.
tion of adult non-fction during the
year by classes was: literature, 24E
volumes; sociology, It's volumes; his.
tory, 113 volumes; general works, 81
volumes; travel, 79 volumes; flint
arts, " volumes; religion, 81 vol
umes; useful arts, &c volumes; natur
al sciences, 62 volumes; biography
So volumes; philosophy, as volumes
and philology, volumes. Fou
classes = history, sociology, religion
and philology showed increases in cir
culation over the previous year, Will
the other classes showed decreases
The circulation of juvenile non-fictiol
was as follows: Social sciences, in
cluding mostly fairy tales, 583 vol
umes; literature, 425 volumes; trave
283 volumes; history, 229 volumes
fine arts, 100 volumes; biography, 10
volumes; natural sciences, SO vol
umes; useful arts, 95 volumes; rel
gion, 26 volumes; general works,
volumes, and philosophy. volume.
The total circulation, both of adul
and juvenile books, by months, wa
as follows: January, 1858 volumes
February, 1905 volumes; March,
729 volumes; April, 1874 volumes
May, 1,165 volumes; June, 1,030 vo
umes; July, 881 volumes; Angus
597 volumes; September, 731 vo
1mes: October, 974 volumes; Noven
Der, 1,157 volumes, and Decembe
1,165 volumes. For the first 81
months the circulation was the lars
est for any similar period in the hi
tory of the library, but the rest
the year showed decided falling o
in circulation, especially of adult fl
] tion. But undoubtedly this decrea:
! has been due to war conditions, mar
patrons giving up reading to do RI
Cross work.
During the year the library w;
open 244 days for the circulation
: books, making an average daily ci
culation of more than So books. F.
5 the 14,206 books circulated, borro,
Z ers' cards ware used 1896 time
!: thus making daily average of
: persons taking So books. Compar
s with the previous year there was
y increase of one book per day in t
8 daily average for circulation, but
the number of people drawing boo
e there was decrease Of three per da
q New Borrowers
I: The cards issued to new borrowe
y numbered 151. AS on January
S 1917, there had been Lila borro
I: ers' cards in force, the total numb
Z in force for 1917 was 1,265. At t
IS end of 1917, however,, 1862 of the
e cards were cancelled because tn
Z: were no longer in force. So that,
= the beginning of 1918, the net tot
g of borrowers cards still on file W
x: 1,1O3, or net decrease for the We
u of II cards. Included in these figul
& are two one-year, 27 three months,
a one-month, and two-weeks ps
q: tickets, issued either in renewal
e. entirely new to out-of-town borro
S ers, an increase of IL paid users
x the library over the previous year
S Reading and Reference
S During 1917 the Wauseon Public
q brary was visited by total of 5,e
9S people for reading and reference d.
G ing the 274 days it was open for ST
X purposes. This is a decrease of ]
q. visitors from the total for 1916. I
4 daily average for readers and ref
X ence workers in 1917 was nearly
. or a decrease of less than one
rs cent per day from the total for /
k previous year. Of these, 2,268,
X: more than eight per day, were ad
s. readers (including young people
ss high school age), 1919, or nearly
u per day, were child readers; 287,
" more than one per day, were adu
doing reference work; and 2,195,
nearly eight per day, were you
people and children doing referel
work, practically all for school p