The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-17
City Library
Patrons Get
Paying Jobs
Report Shows Return OF
Prosperity Brings
Reader Loss.
BY HELEN LINDSAY


the taxi of at least one driver in
Indianapolis, while it registers re-
turn of prosperity to his business
spells decrease in book circulation
for the public library.
A local taxi driver recently tolc
a librarian that two years ago he
spent almost every day in the L.
brary reading.
Nov I'm too busy to come to the
library at ALL" he said. /.
| Miss Marcia M Furnas, chief OF
the circulation department at Cen.
trail Library, believes he and his
fellows in other occupations are in
part responsible for the decrease ir
books circulated. The decrease has
been noted in reports not only o.
Indianapolis, but of other cities.
Cities Show Decline
Reports from IS cities indicate q
Slight decrease in book circulation
in 1885, after several years of un.
precedented gains, according to {
statement from the American Lii.
brary Association.
Although the report credited in.
crease in work with some of this
decrease, insufficient funds to buy
books was given as the prime factor
Patrons, it was pointed out, become
discouraged at having to wait fol-
books and stop trying to get them
With this statement, Miss Furnas
agrees heartily.
Literally, scores wait perhaps
months for their turn to read books
like Skin Deep Vincent Sheehan's
Personal History Hackett's Fran.
els the First Morris Fifty Years &
Surgeon or books on Diesel engines,
she says.
Many people who once bought
their own books turn to the library
Pleas that the library buy specific
new titles come in at the rate of AZ
or SO a week.
War Brings Orders
Interest in Ethiopia found this
library, as doubtless many others
with small resources" Miss Furnas
continues. Orders were placed fol
books, which began to come from
the press. Every passage in any ole
book which could throw light on the
character of the country was hunted
out and pressed into service. Such
demands on a book budget can no.
be predicted and somehow must be
arranged, if the library is to fulfil
it's function of providing needful in.
formation"
According to the national report
another reason for less reading or
the part of the public is that more
money is available to spend or
movies and other entertainment
People have created working hob
bies, too, the report says, to care TO
the time formerly consumed in DIES
ultory reading in depression years
Hundreds of thousands of thes,
desultory readers, however, have de-
veleped into serious readers of dis
eliminating tastes. Registration o
new readers in almost all cities re
porting shows an increase, which
librarians interpret to mean that in
tereSt in reading is as great as ever
but that shortage of books has dis
cct1raged many older patrons.
Non-f1ction reading increased II
1885, while fiction reading decreased
In Indianapolis, according to Mis-
Furnas, the volume of non-flctior
reading has increased steadily.
I'm November, 1885, it reached the
highest point in our history, As pei
cent" Miss Furnas says. Five years
ago it was only IS per cent of the
total, but by 1884 it was 43 per cent.
Books which lead in readers de-
mands, according to the national
report, are those on useful arts, BIZ
ography and travel. North to the
Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
topped the list of non-flction books
requested by readers in 80 cities
Biographies stood high on the list
Popular Number
Also popular were books on con-
sumers' services Exposure Of
frauds, labor and government
problems, child study, vacations, civil
service, inspirational and success
books. Influence of war was re.
f1ected in increased calls for volumes
on peace and disarmament, Eth
opia, China and Japan.
Books on recovery and the New
Deal were not as popular, the re-
port showed, as they were a veal
ago with the general reading public
although high school and college
students still require them. Adul
education evening classes and dis
cussion groups were responsible TO
increase in serious reading, and thu
radio and movies also increased TIT
calls for library books, officials said
In fiction. the trend is for Storie
concerned with the social scene
rather than the individual. Regiona
novels showed a gain, which wa
explained by the influence of tht
Pulitzer prize for fiction, which wa
awarded in 1885 to Ellen Glasgow
for Vein of Iron"
Moving pictures based on stand
ard and popular novels created al
abnormal call for. such classics a.
David Copperfield,' Les Miser
ables," "Anna Karenina" and ''Th'
Count of Monte Cristo."
Western and mystery stories con
tinued to hold popularity, accord
ing to the reports, with myster.
stories in the lead.