REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Office of the Librarian, 

 Washington, D. C, September 14, 1916. 

 Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith the executive report of 

 the library for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1916. 

 Respectfully, 



Claribel R. Barnett, 



Librarian. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



USE OF THE LIBRARY. 



A noteworthy feature of the past year's work was an increase of 

 12 per cent in the use of the library. This year for the first time a 

 count was made of the number of the library's registered borrowers. 

 The count showed that there were 1,530 individuals in the depart- 

 ment who borrowed books either through the main library or the 

 branches in the various bureaus, divisions, and offices. To 711 of 

 these registered borrowers current periodicals were circulated regu- 

 larly. It is impracticable to keep any record of the reference use 

 of the collections filed in the main library or of those filed in the 

 bureaus, divisions, and offices. Furthermore, circulation statistics are 

 not kept in all the libraries of the bureaus, divisions, and offices. 

 Therefore, the statistics of circulation given in the following tables 

 express inadequately the real use of the library. The total number 

 of books charged to individuals, 56,141, added to the total circulation 

 of current periodicals, 127,885, making a grand total of 184,026, repre- 

 sents the use of the library in so far as this can be shown by the statis- 

 tics which are kept. The total number of books circulated divided by 

 the number of registered borrowers of books gives an average for the 

 year of 36 to each borrower. The total number of current periodicals 

 circulated divided by the number of registered borrowers to whom they 

 are regularly sent, gives an average of 179 issues to each borrower. 



STATISTICS OF CIRCULATION. 



The following table indicates the growth in the work of the circu- 

 lation division of the main library during the past four years: 



Statistics of circulation {main library), fiscal years 1913, 1914, 1915, and 1916. 



Largest number of books charged on any day . . . 

 Smallest number of books charged on any day... 



Average number of books charged daily 



Largest number of books charged in any month . 

 Smallest number of books charged in any month 



Average number of book= charged monthly 



Total number of books charged during the year . 



1913 



203 



31 



121 



4,106 



2,269 



3.078 



36, 933 



1914 



214 

 39 



126 



4,454 



2,083 



3.239 



38. 879 



1915 



268 

 37 

 134 

 260 

 567 

 412 



1916 



248 

 of 

 160 

 028 

 077 

 076 



40.953 , 48.914 



285 



