The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-07
Bronson Library Marks
 Diamond Jubilee Year
John A. COe Succeeds Frederick s. Chase as Presi. dent; Reports of Officers Read New Building Needed

at the Waterbury Tool Co. Books circulated at both these places amounted to 3,767.
 A twelfth library room was open ed at Webster this year. thus reach- ing the halfway mark in pro- gram designed to do away with the old box type school library service,
 In her report Miss Barrett states
 From the record of books cir culated, and from various other services offered in l944, 1t can truthfully be said that the Bronson Library has kept pace down through the years with other public libraries of its size throughout the country.
 An American Library Associa- ton survey of public libraries for the year 1914, shows that book cir culation which had been dropping steadily during these war years, ap- parently reached its lowest point in 1s43 and in 1944 was beginning to rise. This was certainly true of Waterbury which showed gain of 13 per cent in adult reading and 8 gain of 3 per cent in children'S reading, for the year 1944. Indica- tions are, the survey states, that from now on public libraries can expect a period of steady and def mite rise in the circulation of boks. To quote the report in part:
 ''The most immediately notice~ able change in reading interest and this was true all over the coun- try-was the sudden drop in the demand for technical books amount ed to as much as 40 per cent. Many libraries attribute this condition to the gradual stabilizing of war in- dustries. The librarians seem to think that the thousands of work CTS in war plants who had to fit themselves for their jobs when they first went into war industries are now trained. At the same time. many of the war industries have de- veloped their own training meth ods and materials. Actual research in technical subjects has not drop ped ill the libraries, however It has been spurred on by the opinion held by many people that there will be enormous opportunities for eXpan- sion in many activities in the post war world"
 Tt is interesting to note that a study of reading, trends in Water bury, checks with this national sur vey almost exactly, the one point of divergence being that in Wa terbury the drop in the circulation of technical books was not 40 per cent but less than 4 per cent. The divergence here between the ALA report and the local situation Is doubtless due to the fact that Wa terbury has always been an indus trial city where the use of techni- cal books is not primarily condi- toned by the war. Coupled with this 4% drop in the circulation o1 technical books here In Waterbury there was an per cent increase in the number of requests for 1nfor- nation on technical subjects. This further bears out the ALA report
 "A per capita expenditure of 87 cents for public library service in Waterbury compares favorably with the average per capita of 87 cents for the country as whole. This amount. however, Is 13 cents less than the minimum $1 per capita standard which the American Li- brary association considers essen- tial for the maintenance of really adequate public library service. The difference between the per capita expenditure In Waterbury and the recommended by the American Li- brary Association, would maintain system of branch libraries throughout the city. Our branch li- brary system has never been de- veloped beyond it's infancy when the three existing branches were opened in 1907, 1908 and 1913.
 "The whole story of library ser vice in Waterbury today can be told best through pictures suppli- mented by a brief explanatory text. Such visual record has been planned as 8 printed 18th annual report"