Smyrna times., 1924-01-30
MANY REQUESTS RECEIVED
FOR FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES
REPORT LIBRARY COMMISSION
SHOWS INTERESTING FIGURES
Interest Maintained in Kent County
Where 72 Trips Were Made
Much Need for New Books

MUCH Neeu IOr new BOOKS
At the January meeting of the
State Library Commission held in the
Supreme Court room in the State
House the annual report of the libra
rian was presented and read as fol-
lows: Travelling Comparing
the reports of 1922 and 1923 We find
that in the latter year one hundred
and twenty-five more books were
loaned, and five more Libraries were
sent to schools. The total number of
libraries sent to schools was one hun
dred and twenty-five and the number
of books sent was 1868, fifteen libra
ries and 551 volumes snet to other or
ganizations, including clubs, associa-
tiOns, Sunday schools, etc.; and five
hundred and thirty-seven individuals
borrowed 1925 volumes, making a to-
tai of 677 requests for travelling Ii
braries and books, and 7739 volumes
loaned from the office of the State Lii
brary Commission in 1928. During
the year two Of the travelling libraries
were lost by fire, when Browns Neck
and Hartly school buildings were
burned. At the close of the year
there were more applications on file
than available Libraries. As a library
is loaned from three to six months
they are not only sent out but are
coming in all the time, and it is hoped
all applications can be filled before
the close of the school year.
The records from a rural school for
less than two months are rather in
teresting-siXty-two of the library
books were read in school and forty
nine out of school-one hundred and
eleven in all. Another teacher wrote
that it would be impossible to say
how much the library had been to hel
and how much the children had en-
joyed having the books. The teacher
of a rural schol in Sussex county says
"Please send application blanks fol
another library. We find these ibr
aries give much pleasure and infor
nation, and we are gladly awaiting
the arrival of another"
In December last the commission
received one hundred dollars worth O
books GO volumes) from the stat,
through the State Federation of Wo
mems Clubs. Through the kindnes
of friends interested in the work, tn
commission has been the recipient ais
of a large number of books an
magazines, the latter for distributiO
on the book routes in the state TIL
Fidelity Trust Company of Philadel
phia sent copies of their pamphlet
Constitution of the United States an
many of the commissions in othe
states sent reports and bulletins.
The following is a report for tn
year 1928 from the records of tn
eight book wagon libraries in charg
of the work in the state. Owing t
the reduction in the appropriation &
the State Library Commission by tn
last General Assembly, the numbe
of book routhes was reduced in Jul
last from twenty-eight to twenty, an
the number of months the book was
Ons were in operation from ten
six months, with one eXceptim-tf
Greenwood route made ten month
New Castle county had three route
thirty-One trips were made; Il
homes were visited eight hundred ar
seventy-eight times; two thousar
eight hundred and fifty-siX volum,
/, were loaned.
Kent County had eight routes; Sc
, enty-two trips were made; the hOm,
q were visited one thousand eight hui
J dred and ninety-one times, sevC
! thousand seven hundred and forty-ol
4 books loaned.
. There were nine routes in SUISSE
Y county; seventy trips were made; Il
e homes were visited three thousal
s two hundred and forty-six times; Sc
t en- thousand and forty-nine vOlum
n were loaned; making a total of OF
+ hundred and seventy-three trips; S
r thousand and fifteen visits, and Sc
8 enteen thousand six hundred al
e fOrty-six books loaned during Il
# year 1923. We have had more tn;
e one farmers wife tell us she did n
e know what she would have done wit
out the books, and man, a bu'
farmer, told US that he sat up uni
midnight reading a "Man for t
Ages" These are but a few of Il
expressions of gratitude and intere
We are constantly hearing