Evening star., 1937-09-18
Washington's Reading
Habits Have Changed
Fiction Percentage for Books Drawn
From Public Library Has Descended
to ~ Per Cent From 81.

in a gaudy jacket and prayed that
he would break even. Somehow or
other. 1t caught the public fancy and
enjoyed great sale. Publishers then
felt that they had been overlooking
an important field, and today, due to
refined advertising techniques, a great
demand has been created for the
type of book labeled by the trade with
the catch-all. vacuum cleaner term
Of 'non-fction" America probably
consumes more non-fiction today
than all the rest of the world put
together, and it is actually read and
enjoyed by the man in the street.
1GHT fiction, the so-called ''litera-
ture of escape" seems to be losing
ground steadily. Even great best
sellers such as Anthony Adverse" or
Gone With the Wind" are strongly
historical with veneer Of fiction TO
suit the whims of the author and
reader. With the cessation of immi-
grafton and as an effect of the World
War. the heightened American spirit
Of nationalism has created an stmos-
phere congenial to the solid historical
novels OF the soil such as Drums
Along the Mohawk" and host of
biographies of departed heroes.
Classics both in fiction and non-
fiction are read more widely than ever
before. Books on hobbies and such
specialized topics as crime and avis
ton are meeting with widespread
popularity.
The District of Columbia Library
has no rental collection of new books
such as municipal libraries in most
cities have. The reason Is that all
moneys taken in must be turned over
TO the Treasury and therefore no
revolving fund for the acquisition OF
such books is possible.
Perhaps a word should be said
about reading rabits in periodical
literature, field which today is in a
unpredictable state of transition. Even
here the article of fact is edging out
the short story. Features were once
upon q time merely filters in most
magazines, but today they are gener-
ally read first. Modern life moves
swiftly, and the bulk of the popula-
ton have to read as they run, which
has popularized the pocket-press and
dozens of digest-type magazine. Pic
ture magazines are experiencing
great vogue at present. The reading
public today find romance and hc-
tion on the screen, the stage and the
radio, and hence their literary tastes
seem to lie in the factual realm The
light essay, or whimsical and blase
treatment of heavy topics was never
in higher favor than the present in
periodicals.
CERTAINLY a word should be said
about the Library of Congress. a
name, while like that OF Abou Ben
Adhem, leads all the rest whenever
libraries are mentioned. BY virtue of
the copyright act this is the greatest
book and periodical repository Ia the
Nation.
Paralleling the case of the District
Public Library, the circulation figures
Of the Library of Congress has jumped
nearly 80 per cent within decade.
Although books are not generally lent
to the public. they do go to nearly
225 other governmental libraries
within the District. Also interlibrary
loans go to about 900 different IL
braries in the United States and
Canada, and to such distant points as
Nanking, Rome and Chile. In 1891
total of 984, ,961 books circulated from
the collections Of the Library of Con-
gress to readers, reading rooms, circu-
lation and interlibrary loans, = figure
which by 1886 had jumped to 1885,
382
In 1885 about 1877 American uni
versities and colleges sent $50 investi-
gators, chiefly faculty members. to the
Library of Congress, and numbers of
these research men and women wrote
books wholly or in part here.
Students in high schools, colleges
and universities furnish about 20 per
cent of the readers of the Library of
Congress. Generally speaking this
class Of patrons reading is composed
of 25 per cent literature, 81 per cent
history and about 10 per cent each in
physical science and technology, edu-
cation and social and political science.
Hundreds OF thousands of visitors
who do not use the library facilities
pour In and out of the doors Of the
Congressional Library annually, for IL
is one of the great "show spots' Of
the city, with its mursls, mosaics and
extensive literary exhibits.