the many and varied opportunities they afford for the education and 

 entertainment of the people. Some idea of the success which has 

 attended their efforts may be gathered from the fact that the several 

 libraries have issued during the year 1,015,225 volumes and 421,003 

 periodicals, have had 219,413 visitors to consult the newspapers, and 

 that audiences amounting to a total of 34,726 have attended the lectures ; 

 while to the Museum there were 320,387 visitors, and to the Walker Art 

 Gallery 503,991 visitors. 



WILLIAM B. FORWOOD, 

 Chairman. 



REFERENCE LIBRARY. 



Reference Library : — This Library includes the Brown Library and 

 Reading Room and the Picton Reading Room. Connected with it are 

 two lecture halls and several class rooms. Besides the ordinary work of 

 this Library, which includes the delivery during the Autumn and Winter 

 months of several courses of free lectures in the cause of general 

 education, accommodation is found in its small lecture hall and class 

 rooms for the meetings of learned societies and for the holding of science 

 and art classes, under the direction of the Liverpool School of Science 

 and Technology. 



The Brown Reading Room is assigned for the perusal of popular 



literature. The principal London, local and other provincial papers are 



available there, magazines of a varied and entertaining character, and a 



selection of the best works in English prose fiction. There is also 



unrestricted access to some 70 county, city, and town directories. In 



the book room of the Brown Library are found the specifications of 



patents for inventions, which may be examined at pleasure. The 



statistics of the issues and attendances in this part of the library during 



the past year number 694,164, or an increase of 37,009 over 1890. 



Practically this is not an increase, seeing that this room was, in 1890, 



closed 25 working days for painting, &c. 



Visitors to the Newspapers ... ... ... ... 172,334 



Monthly and Weekly Magazines, &c., issued ... 139,273 

 Illustrated Papers issued in volumes ("The Graphic," 



" Illustrated London News," " Punch," &c.) ... 112,421 



Directories ... ... ... ... ... ... 70,648 



Specifications of Patents for Inventions ... ... 15,809 



Volumes of Prose Fiction ... ... ... ... 183,679 



