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LENDING LIBKAEIES. 



The books issued for home reading from the Lauding Libraries pro- 

 bably indicate more clearly than those issued in the Reference Library 

 the public taste in reading. It must not be lost sight of that those who 

 use the Lending Libraries are largely young people, whose taste is 

 decidedly romantic and adventurous, and who, by their reading industry, 

 do much to create the large figures under the head of prose fiction. The 

 three lending branches have lent for home reading during the year 

 424,160 volumes. These figures show a decrease during the year of 7,681 

 volumes. If, however, we take into consideration the time which two of 

 the branches were closed for painting, &c., the result of the year's work 

 is more favourable than it appears. 



It will be noticed that the East Branch Lending Library has a reading 

 and newsroom attached to it. In this respect it difiers from the North and 

 South Branches, which only issue books for home reading. The estimated 

 number of persons who have used the newspapers during the year is 47,079, 

 those who have read the various magazines 55,364, and the books issued for 

 perusal on the premises 34,677 volumes. The absence of a reading room 

 from the other two branches is a want which has long been felt, and one which 

 the Committee have every desire to remedy as soon as funds are available. 

 They would also like to provide a room for boys, where they could sit and 

 read that healthy literature which is now so abundantly provided by so 

 many able authors, and where a habit of reading would be formed, 

 calculated, it is believed, to be highly beneficial for instruction and 

 recreation. This year a table has been drawn up showing the various 

 occupations of the borrowers from the Lending Libraries. 



In the number of bookkeepers, clerks, and ofiice boys, the mercantile 

 character of Liverpool is distinctly noticeable. The artizau class form a 

 very large portion of the total number of borrowers, and if they make 

 use, as the Committee hope, of the large and important number of 

 technical books added to the Libraries during the past year, much 

 advantage cannot fail to follow. For the purpose of drawing the attention 

 of artizans who are not already borrowers from the Lending Libraries to 

 these books, a small catalogue has been printed of them and circulated in 

 the various workshops of the city. Should the men proceed no further 

 than merely read the list of books provided in the Libraries on the 

 subjects most interesting to them, it cannot be other than profitable. 



