FEWER BOOKS USED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 870, 14 January 1930, Page 7

FEWER BOOKS USED

AUCKLAND LIBRARIES’ FIGURES FICTION SOUGHT LESS Aucklanders using the lending department of the city library and its branches did not read as much last year as in 1928. While they were less interested in fiction and children’s books, they read more about history and biography, travel, literature and language, sociology and useful arts. Figures issued for the year show that the demand for magazines and general works, philosophy and religion, fine arts and science scarcely changed from that ruling in the previous year. A total of 504,731 volumes was issued from the central, Remuera, Grafton, Epsom, Parnell, Grey Lynn and Point Chevalier Libraries, and from the schools division. Although there was a decrease of 10,906 volumes compared with. 1928, the number of general works issued increased by 3,388 volumes. This has been taken as an indication of public appreciation of facilities afforded for study purposes on useful subjects. The Chief Librarian, Mr. John Barr, reports an increase in the volumes consulted in the reference department of the central library. Plere, the 111,037 volumes consulted represented an increase of 5,688.

People who visited the central library for consultation purposes, excluding subscribers to the lending departments, numbered 386,133. In the newspaper room there were 213,088 readers; in the reference department, 159,072; in the children’s room, 9,011; and in the Lewis Eady music section, 4,962. More people used the reference department in comparison with the number for 1928.

There was a decrease of 13,316 from 1928 in the 86,382 visitors to the Art Gallery. To the Old Colonists’ Museum, there were 23,430 visitors, a decline of 3,827, but Mr. Barr attributes these decreases to the fewer number of visiting parties from schools. The daily average attendance at the Art Gallery was 240; at the Old Colonists’ Museum, \ olumes issued from the divisions of the library, with, those for 1928 in parentheses/ are;—Central, 139,986 (156,350); schools division, 89,905 (86,070); Remuera, 76,032 (77,342)* Grafton, 55,531 (55,379); Epsom, 51,310 (50,714); Parnell, 48,950 (48,474); Grey Lynn, 29,605 (31,144); Point Chevalier, 13,412 (10,164). The classes of books used, with the 1928 figures in parentheses, were: Lending department: Fiction, 274,348 (279,166); children's books, 117,686 (127,162); magazines, general works, <0,369 (70,486); history, biographv, 13,831 (12,218); travel, 8,526 (8,215); literature, language, 6,707 (6,566); music, 4,296 (2,828); philosophy, religion, 2,138 (2,389); fine arts, 2,049 (2,151); sociology, 2.003 (1,824); useful arts, 1,654 (1,465); science, 1,124 (1,167). Reference department: Useful arts. 16,511 (16,663); history, biography! 14,812 (13,382); literature, language 13,955 (13,737); philosophy, religion 1 10 972 (11,224); sociology, 10!522 (10,094); commercial, 8,716 (10 576)*rts, 8.301 (9,062); travel, 6,618 (6 843); science, 6,472 (6,584); music, O’ lll < —>: general, 5,124 (4,589); fiction, 2,923 (2,595).