LIBRARIES. y 



Notes on the Statistics. 



The general work of the various libraries calls for no special comment. 

 The number of volumes issued in the Picton Beading Room are less than 

 the previous year by 7,001, but this is counterbalanced by an increase of 

 15,867 in magazines and reviews. This is the tendency of present-day 

 reading. It must be observed that no novels are issued in this room, nor 

 yet magazines whose chief feature is the serial stories they contain. 

 The total readers who used the Picton Reading Room during 1897 

 numbered 216,000; last year they were 66 less. The classes which show 

 the greatest increase this year are Education and Language, 1,641 volumes; 

 Natural Philosophy and Mathematics, 674 volumes; Latin and Greek 

 Classics, 485 volumes ; Encyclopaedias. Dictionaries, and works of General 

 Reference, 1,433 volumes. There has been a marked decrease in books 

 issued in the Brown Reading Room, to the extent of 45,694 volumes, 

 which means novels and magazines in volumes. And the newspaper 

 readers are less by 36,301. This is largely, if not wholly, accounted for 

 by the closing of this room 24 working days for painting and cleaning, 

 the improved state of trade (for this room indicates the state of the 

 shipping trade in a very marked degree), and the remarkably fine Autumn 

 of the year. The directories used have increased by 17,873 volumes. Here 

 in this room magazine literature shows an increase of 27,993 issues. Not- 

 withstanding the hindrances mentioned, the actual work cf the whole of 

 the Library shows an increase of 51 issues. The newspaper readers come 

 and go without affecting the staff to any appreciable extent. 



With the growth and extension of the City, the Branch Libraries have 

 become more and more popular and centres of reading. Much of the 

 increase is due to the establishment of additional branch libraries. In 1890, 

 when only two branches existed, the issue of books for home reading was 

 324,957, while last year it was 891,236, and adding the books read in the 

 reading rooms of these branches, the volumes issued amount to a total of 

 1,038,746. Some cavilling has always existed at the great issue of novels, 

 but until the reading of fiction of approved merit is proved to be detri- 

 mental to character and injurious to the community, the reading of fiction 

 may, to put it in a mild way, be accepted as much better than no reading 

 at all. If it can supersede or prevent the reading of much periodical 

 literature which is absolutely deleterious, a great gain will have been 

 achieved. The rapid way which novels are read, and the frequency with 

 which they are exchanged, by a section of the 25,000 readers who are 





