Report of the Librarian 



The growing demand made upon the hbrary and branches is reflected 

 in the number of books circulated, amounting to 1,078,152 volumes. 

 This represents a gain of 137,969 volumes, which, except during the 

 year when the Memorial Square branch was opened, is by far the largest 

 increase ever experienced. It is undoubtedly an ''after-war" result; 

 for it occurred in spite of the fact that from motives of economy less 

 could be done than usual to bring the resources of the institution to the 

 knowledge of the people. The library's books, however, have been 

 accessible at 435 distributing points throughout the city (including 

 388 school rooms), an increase of 30. Among the new deposits were 

 such places as the summer camp for French girls, the Morgan Envelope 

 Company, the Parker Street playground, the Russian club, and the 

 Westinghouse Manufacturing Company. None has been more appre- 

 ciated, perhaps, than a branch established upon request at the Spring- 

 field Hospital, which affords reading for convalescent patients. This 

 collection was made from surplus books given to the library, and unlike 

 other deposits the volumes are not exchanged, but are kept permanently 

 at the hospital. Readers' cards have been taken out by 5,926 people, 

 and the register of card-holders begun six years ago now contains 

 59,542 names. Just how many of these readers have moved from the 

 city, or for other reasons have ceased to use the library, it is impossible 

 to state until a new enrollment is made; but the number of active cards 

 is certainly large. 



There have been added by gift and purchase 19,817 volumes, making 

 the total stock 272,647 volumes. Of these, 19,943 are in the Forest 

 Park Branch, 6,545 (including 2,064 borrowed from the main library) 

 are in the Indian Orchard Branch, and 23,755 are in the Memorial 

 Square Branch, leaving 222,404 in the main library. Many books 

 that are seldom consulted must, of course, be kept for purposes of ref- 

 erence; but otherwise, to save the expense of caring for dead material, 

 it is the practice to weed out books as soon as their usefulness is past. 

 As a consequence, the 272,647 volumes available represent an excep- 

 tionally live, rich, and effective working collection. It is a matter of 

 regret that the net increase is somewhat smaller than in preceding years. 



Branch Libraries 



No other department comes in such intimate relation with the people 

 as the branch library; and a conspicuous feature of the Springfield 

 library system consists of the three important branches, two of which 

 are perhaps as much used as any branch libraries in New England. At 

 all three, the circulation has gained remarkably. From the Forest 

 Park Branch 191,140 volumes were borrowed, from the Memorial 



