COMPLETION OF SECOND MILLION ISSUES AT MITCHELL LIBRARY, GLASGOW.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1745, 25 July 1884, Page 3

COMPLETION OF SECOND MILLION ISSUES AT MITCHELL LIBRARY, GLASGOW.

This library has now commoted tho second million in the. number of volumes issued to readers and advantage may be taken of this circumstance to draw attention to tlic very remarkable degree in which i\lr Mitchell's benefaction has been appreciated and made use of by all • classes'of the-citizens—artizans, clerks, < students and professional men. The first book, "Liber Officialis Sancti Anclrce" (Abbortsford Club), was issued i at ten o'clock in the morning of Nov. ' SB 8,1877; the first million issues wo : completed Jan, 14th, boing 982 working days from tlio opening; the second : million issues were completed at G. 42 i p.m. on Saturday last Sept. 1,1883 and Jgtfccupied 808 working days. It is be- i wHieved that there is no previous instance l on record of the issue of two million 1 volumes within so short a period of the i opening of a public library, As will ho < seen from the statistics below, the f reading of fiction forms but a small 1 proportion. It should bo stated, too, i that in addition to this largo number f of volumes asked for at the counter, c there has been a very great use made c of the current periodicals—literary, s 9& artistic, scientific, technical, pro- 1 ' i'essional, and other—which, to the f number of more tlian 200, iie openly I; upon the tables. The following is a t statement of the number of volumes 1: issued in each of the classes in which t the library is arranged, with relative c proportion of the whole isssuec i'er Cent. I Theology and philosophy... 181,081 (9.23) History, biogittphy, iVc 435,320 (21.77) Law, politics and commerce 54,694 (2.73J Arts and sciences 402,485 (20,12) Postry and the drama 147,11!") (7.81 i) Languago 54.971 (2,75) [ Prose fiction 145,605 (7 73) Miscellaneous Litsrature,, 500,128 (28 31) $ Total 2,000,000 100.00 i Of the whole issue, no more than ' 10,481 volumes have been issued to ladies, or only 5 per cent. This small 1 attendance of ladies is regretted, but is 1 probably due to the absence of separate ' i accommodation of a suitable character. 1 » - 1