LIBRARIAN'S REPORT. 



To the Chairman and Members of the (Derby Free (Public 

 Library and Museum Committee. 



Gentlemen, 



Ihave much pleasure in laying before you my Twelfth Annual 

 Report and with it the usual tables showing the inner working 

 of the Library. On these I may with propriety make a few ex- 

 planatory remarks, which I hope will be of interest both to you and 

 to the large section of the general public who use the Library. 



Table i deals with the Lending Library stock, which is now 

 larger than ever before, the total number of books being 19,337, 

 about a thousand more than last year. 631 new books have been 

 added, and the replacements, which include books worn out during 

 this year and last, number 806. The number of worn-out books for 

 the current year is only 394, and all of these of any value have been 

 replaced. Nine volumes have been lost and paid for, two coming 

 from infected houses have been destroyed, and four have been 

 totally lost through default of borrower and guarantor. About /"ioo 

 more than last year has been spent on the Library, and the Book 

 Committee have been able to keep it thoroughly up to date. Table 

 2 deals with the issues, and here it will be noticed that we are 

 about 9000 lower than last year in the gross, and 32 lower in daily 

 average. I find that this is the case in other towns as well, and 



