Cibrarian's Report. 



To the Committee, for the year ended September 30th, 1900. 



Gentlemen, 



(flTT gives me much pleasure to place before you my Fifteenth Annual 

 nl Eeport. As far as I know, it presents no new features, but it 

 seems a desirable thing to detach some of the main facts from 

 the tables which follow, in order to put a short sketch of the Institu- 

 tion during the past year in a convenient form for the perusal of 

 those who are interested in its work. 



The books in the Lending Library now number 21,414:, and of these 

 824 have been added as new books during the past year, while 487 

 are replacements of books withdrawn as worn-out, either during this 

 year or last. Books withdrawn as worn-out this year number 352, 

 being 200 less than last year ; five books have been lost and paid for ; 

 and five have been totally lost. One volume, which was in an in- 

 fected house, has been destroyed. The issues this year show a con- 

 siderable decline, as I have reported to you month by month, the 

 total issues being something like 18,000 less than last year's. The 

 Library has been open twelve days less, which will partially account 

 for the diminution, but not for the decrease in the daily average, 

 which amounts to 51. This decline in the issues is general all 

 over the country, and I need not recapitulate the various reasons 

 which have been urged in explanation. Probably the chief one is 

 the continuance of good trade, and consequently less leisure, much 

 of which has been employed in reading newspapers which have been 

 unusually full of stirring news during the last twelve months. The 

 fact is certain, that the principal decrease is in the reading which is 

 done for amusement and recreation. I find that roughly speaking 

 15,000 out of the 18,000 above quoted are works of fiction, which 

 leaves our amount of solid reading* about the same. The average in 

 the Children's Library is only one lower, and in the Eeference 

 Department only five. The number of books in the Reference 



