MANY MORE READERS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 100, 25 October 1930, Page 10

MANY MORE READERS

HALF YEAR'S FIGURES JHIEMARKABLE ADVANCE ' "Figures which were laid before the Oity.Council by the Libraries Commit- ; ice last evening show that a very remarkable .: advance has been made in the .work of. the central and .branch public libraries. In six months the number'of. books issued has increased by,' 56,052 on. tbe total of a similar period last year. The issues from tho several brauchea Jor the half-year, Ist April to SOth Septembijr, were as follows; — ■ ..-■■' ' Last year. Central 118,921 92,980 " Newtown ... 62,793 49,330 Brooklyn .... 10,831 ' 7,540 Karori ......' 14,749 9,W6 *ss*gaio. ........ 7,804 _ — •>-... Totals ...-. 215,098 159,046 over last year's period, ge;os2. - *The Ngaio branch was taken over by the council five months ago, and was previously run by a committee of jfgaio residents, no return being made Jtiy that committee to the council. _ The analysis of issuc.s is interesting. Ketioh, as always, was the largest tiass (157.358 and" 41,124 increase), and soext caini- general, covering a • wide xange (11,279 and 5970 increase). •^General" includes magazines, of fr'hich a good many more have lately |>een added to the lending department, [Spd for which the charge has been re■#ueed from 2d to Id. Books dealing 1 - With. higtory, .biography, and travel, . (formerly pretty well restricted to the Won-lending reference department, have .S&ecome very popular with borrowers, miurjng .the half-year they formed the tfkird largest class (4847 issues and increase). Other classes were ■ tissues S.hd increases): Magazines and literature, 2028 and 506; sociology, 1235 - tenet 227; useful arts, 1983 and 586; jßbilosophy and religion, 1044 and 417; Science, 584 arid 229; fine arts,'9o7 and i£23. The juvenile sections show a jiteady growth, with 30,073 issues, an (fcierease of 2860. The figures do not .take into account ,I'ie recently-opened commercial refer- . jence section at the central library.