IS 



It; was iiitendefl to provide in earb room ;i small libriirv of books in 

 movable cases, which could have been changed periodically from one 

 reading room to another f)r the purpose of giving variety to the reading. 

 This has not been carried out, simply because there has been little or no 

 demand for books ; the newspapers, particularly the local evening papers, 

 and after them the illustrated weekly papers, apparently absorbing all the 

 reading interest of the frequenters of these rooms. 



The total attendance at these rooms during the year has been 110,238, 

 showing an increase over the attendance of last year of 16,980. 



1893. 1892. 



Atten- AveraRe Atten- Average 

 dance. per niglit. dauce. per night. 



Cliatsworth Street Board Schools .... 27.801 91 28,215 92 



Queen's Jtoa.l Boar.l Schools 21,439 71 19,246 62 



Stanley lloa.l Br>aril Schools 42, 109 l.'« 37,0"^0 121 



\Vellinj<ton Road School 24,889 82 24,747 80 



Totals 116,238 382 109,258 36.5 



FREE LECTURES. 



Free Lectures serve as a stimulus to reading, and it was with this 

 idea that they were established by the Committee as a part of the 

 ordinary work of the Library twenty-nine years ago, and have since been 

 continued without intermission, 



Tbe modern popular lecture, with its lime-light illustrations, is very 

 much brighter and more interesting in character than its dry-as-dust 

 predecessor of a quarter of a century ago, and, perhaps it may be added, 

 much more instructive, by virtue of its double appeal to eye and ear. 



A comparison of the attendances at our lectures then and now shows at 

 least the growth of the lecture in public estimation. Formerly, we 

 considered 300 persons a good attendance at a single lecture ; now, 

 unless ibis number is quadrupled there is felt to be reason for remark or 

 inquiry. Much of thi.^ change is due no doubt to the same causes which 

 have rendered the daily newspaper and the magazine or review so popu- 

 lar — tbe hurry and liaste in which we live and the impatience over hard 

 study and deep delving into the field of knowledge to find out the reason 

 of things for ourselves ; while, at the same time, the desire to know, 

 influences a much greater number of people than formerly. 



The popular winter series numbered 36 lectures, which were attended 

 by 47,747 persons, or an average at each lecture of 1,326. In addition 



