3. Poetry, periodicals and music are counted separately as well as with
their respective classes.
Reference books are charged on slips, signed by the reader, the number
of volumes issued being noted on the upper right hand corner. At the
close of the day these slips are counted twice, first by readers and
second by volumes.
=Pratt Institute Free Library.= The daily issue is counted on the day
of issue and arranged in four groups--fiction, non-fiction, teachers
and renewals, and entered on manilla slips which are divided into
spaces for the ten Dewey classes and also for languages, duplicate
pay collection, summer issue, delta and double star, the last two
being special collections. These totals are all transferred to a
daily statistics sheet. A reference record is not reported on, but is
undoubtedly kept in some form.
=St. Louis Mercantile.= The issue is kept in seven and fourteen day
trays and arranged by class, salmon colored cards being used for
non-fiction and blue for fiction. Before the library opens in the
morning the issue is counted and entered in a book under classes
(Cutter). Reference record is not reported.
=St. Louis Public.= Issue is kept in trays, separated into groups for
seven and fourteen-day fiction, the ten Dewey classes and (in summer)
vacation issue. At night it is counted and entered on a statistic
sheet, under the same heads. Reading-room issue is entered on the
same sheet, also by class. The home issue is then separated by date,
seven-days in one alphabet and fourteen-days in another, and arranged
by author and accession number not class. This arrangement, by
affording but one alphabet in which to search for a book due on a given
date, reduces the opportunity for mistakes to a minimum. Three-day
magazines are inserted with seven-day cards under the correct date.
In the morning the circulation is revised for errors in alphabeting
and also for illegible charges which are traced by means of a number,
assigned to each assistant.
Reference use is entered on a form divided into four columns for main
reference room, art room, technical department and totals. The entries
are by class and the number of volumes given to each reader noted. All
records are transferred the following morning to a permanent statistics
book.
=College or University Libraries=
=Oberlin.= The author cards are arranged at night under date of issue
by classes, fastened together with a rubber band and placed in the
issue tray ahead of all previous circulation. In the morning they are
counted and entered on a statistics sheet under class, then filed in
the issue tray. Statistics of reference use are not kept.
=Syracuse University.= Statistics are recorded for home issue, reading
room issue and attendance. When the books are charged they are divided
into over-night and two week circulation; in the morning these are
subdivided into twelve classes and again recorded as charged to
students, faculty or departments. Methods of reporting reference use
are not outlined but a record of some sort is made, probably at the
discretion of the various reading-room attendants. One of the colleges
(Applied Science) reports to the general library only once a year and
others monthly. Other departments report only attendance.
=Tulane University.= Every morning charging slips are grouped into
classes and counted. Yellow slips, indicating library use are counted
in the same manner and then destroyed. Entry is made in a record book
under class, library use being recorded in pencil and home issue in red
ink directly beneath it.
=University of Kansas.= No record of issue is kept.
=Wesleyan University.= The issue is counted each morning in four
groups; bound and unbound (issued to individuals), reserve, or books
placed on reserve shelves and seminar, or volumes sent to seminars for
temporary use. The last two groups are counted only at the time of
issue, their reference use not being noted. Entry is made in a day book
under these heads; no count is taken by classes.
Book cards are counted each evening for home circulation, reference
books as they are given out during the day. There is apparently no
record by class and the method of entry is not stated.
=Westminster.= Counted by class each evening. Reference books counted
as issued.
=State Libraries=
=Iowa State.= No record of issue is kept.
=Virginia State.= A blank form spaced for fourteen classes is used for
keeping the daily record of books given out both for reference and home
use, the distinction being presumably indicated by the use of pen and
pencil, although this point is somewhat obscure. At night these totals
are added.
=Reference Library=
=Newberry Library.= There are six reference departments, each keeping
statistics for men and women, morning and evening visitors and books
used, the latter being entered by classes. These reports are drawn up
at night and taken next morning to the accessions clerk who enters the
figures in a permanent statistical record.
=Society Library=
=Medical Society of the County of Kings.=
No record is here maintained of reference use. Home use slips are filed
and counted annually to determine the circulation for the year but
there is no record by class.
It is evident from the preceding tabulations that the reports of the
various libraries are too uneven to admit of accurate comparison.
Many points of interest, as the record of reference use, are omitted,
although in many cases this record is doubtless preserved.
In closing your committee desires to acknowledge valuable assistance in
the tabulation and discussion of the above results, rendered by three
members of the St. Louis public library staff, Mrs. H. P. Sawyer, chief
of the department of instruction, Miss Mary Crocker, chief of the open
shelf department, Miss Jessie Sargent, first assistant in the issue
department, and Miss Amelia Feary, of the catalog department.
ARTHUR E. BOSTWICK, Chairman,
ETHEL F. McCOLLOUGH,
HARRY M. LYDENBERG,
Committee on Administration.