Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-07-18
PUBLIC LIBRARY
AND1TS ACTIVITIES
Shown in the Sixty-fifth Annual
Report Of the In
stitution.

The new public library building now
under construction VIII bc completed
occupied and In full operation before
IN, next annual meeting OF the ofhcers'
shout nine months hence. according TO
a statement made by John L. Nields'
president. in hie ecction OF the beth
annual rcport OF the Wilmington In
stitute. which has just been printed.
The repor, includes the 2Sth annual
repcr, OF the Wilmington Institute
Free Library.
In his report Mr.. Nlelds quotes from
the report az Librarian Arthur l..
Railcv "A resolution that was passed
by the Council Of the American Id
hrary Association TO the effect that
81 per capita OF the population OF the
community served Is reasonable
minimum annual revenue for the IL
hrary in community desiring I"
maintain good modern public IL
prary system with traioed Librarians.
Mr.. Nielas believes that this FUR
nishes a practical goal toward whiCh
the local library should move. AZ pres
cnt the per capita income OF IN" VIII
f,lngton Library L. a. cents. ne against
the 81 suggos,ed 10y the Library Ase De
citation. However. the per capita CIR
culatlon is IS volumes as compared
with the associations minimum stand
ard OF Ave volumes. and the number
of borrowers Is 20 per cent. As against
30 per cent.
ON February ?s. 1929. there were
zoe. sas volumes I'm the library. an in
crease OF 2.sl6 over that ~ the pre-
RI =
Bailey. The library spent $1,000 more
Tor books than IN the preceding year
There IL hig need for the purchase
90 more fiction. The total number of
books circulated during the year wac
s22.05G an increase of A. .i4i. The ne,
registration at the end ~ the year
was . .639. an increase OF SeS
Tho fetal disbursements FOR the year
according 20 the treasurer. Mavoi
l.aRoy Harvey. amounted 10 $50 co.,
and the receipts s55,45419. leaving q
balance on hard o, si.sO6 as. The dis
birsements OF the central library
amounted 20 ss3.bss.3s. those uf tn,
brandywine s2.s0sl3 and those OF tn,
Rockford. s069sO The property com
inittce received from rents sls.a5c so
and expended k.TeT a.. leaving "a bal
snce for library purposes ~ sl4.6S5.O3
An increase u Is per cent was noted
IN the circulation OF the Brandywin,
branch vf the library. this being large
~ due 10 the pure hasing of more book,
through an enlarged appropriation
IN an a7lat hooks were distributed
The work Mt tho Rockford branel
continued about the same a- durinl
M" prvviuus year. About 1913,
hooks were circulated from that point
There i need fur new branches an,
statinr-.
Ia spite ~ tho fact that the schools
were ci, sod for thr.e weeks on ac
count 80 tho scarlet fewer epidemic. IA,
circulation recurds ~ tho Juvenile dc
rartWeut show an Increase over las
year. About Io7.sas volumes. a.
against e6.asi for the previous yea,
Ncr" circulated, Tho majority wer
grade pupils. Who scuxht inforuatio,
So help them IN their school work. !
general increased use ot reference ma
tcrial was noted.
Tho library haa started an attemp
60 form "a collection ~ books illustrat
cd 10y the late Howard Pyle. MIR. PYLE
just before he left FOR Italy. gave IN
library n set ~ the books which n
wrote and illustrated The librar,
also had number OF other book
which he had illustrated. The mos
important Gift received during tn
Year was a set ~ the Sunday sta
from the bcginninS In 1881 To 1914
presented by the heirs Of Jerome J.
Bell.