Ai'ttl AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 78 EAST WASHINGTON STREET CHICAGO February, 1916. To the Librarian: At the meeting of the A. L. A. Council, December 31, 1914, a “Form for Library Statistics,” drawn up by the Committee on Library Administration was adopted with the recommendations: 1. That the submitted form be adopted by free public libraries. 2. That once a year the secretary send a copy to each chief librarian or library member of the association, with a request that: (a) Each library fill out the form and return it to headquarters as soon as possible after the close of the library’s fiscal year. (b) Each library publishing a report, print in the appendix thereof the library’s statistics arranged in accordance with the A. L. A. form, 3. That headquarters tabulate the reports of libraries reporting on the form and that such tabulation be included in the annual report of the secretary. In accordance with these recommendations the secretary sent out the “Form” a year ago to about 800 libraries and received replies from 85 public libraries and about 20 institutional libraries. The statistics of the former were printed in the Proceedings of the Berkeley, 1915, Conference. A committee was later appointed representing college and reference libraries to draft a form adapted to those classes of libraries, and the report of this committee was presented to the College and Reference Section of the A. L. A. at the Berkeley Conference. This report recommended that forms adapted to both public libraries and institutional libraries be merged in a single schedule, and the section voted that this single schedule be tried for one year. The form here sent is therefore adapted, it is believed, to the needs of both public and institutional libraries and so it is earnestly requested that all librarians fill it out to the best of their ability and return it to the secretary of the A. L. A. It is sent in duplicate in order that one copy may be retained. In consequence of the merging of questions applying both to public and institu- tional libraries it is not expected that any one library will answer all the questions here asked. Each librarian is asked merely to answer those which apply to his own library, and pass over those which do not apply. For example, it is not expected that The John Crerar Library, of Chicago, will make a report on “Total number of volumes lent for home use,” or that the public library in a small town will record the “Number of photographic reproductions supplied.” : We wish strongly to urge libraries which print their annual reports to include therein their statistics presented according to the A. L. A. form. This very greatly facilitates comparison. Please do not fail to return a copy of this form, properly filled out, to the secre- tary of the A. L. A. not later than May 1, 1916, in order that the statistics may, in whole or in part, be printed in connection with the annual report of the secretary. * Very truly yours, GEORGE B. UTLEY, Secretary. FOKM FOR LIBRARY STATISTICS. Compiled by tbe A. L. A. Committee on Library Administration. (Each library using this schedule is expected to omit all headings which have no reference to its work and to condense all which to them are Insignificant under the nearest general heading. An attempt has been made to suggest typographically the most desirable general headings.) Animal report for year ended Name of library Name of librarian City or town State Population served (latest statistics or estimate — state which) Terms of use — Free for lending Free for reference Free to limited class, as students Subscription (Underscore words that apply) Total number of agencies Consisting of — Central library Branches (How many occupy separate buildings?) Stations Department libraries Other agencies (Subdivide: schools, clubs, traveling libraries, etc.; also state number of school rooms and collections) (See definition A) Number of days open during year (Central library) Hours open each week for lending (Central library) Hours open each week for reading (Central library) Total number of staff (counting as full time, adding together those giving less than full time as fractions and reporting nearest whole number) Total valuation of library property INCREASE Adult Juvenile Total Number of volumes at beginning of year Number of volumes added during year by purchase Number of volumes added during year by gift and exchange Number of volumes added during year by provision of law (For state libraries, government depositories, etc.) Number of volumes added during year by binding material not otherwise counted Number of volumes lost or withdrawn during year Total number at end of year Number of pamphlets at beginning of year Number of pamphlets added during year Number of pamohlets withdrawn during year Total number of pamphlets at end of year (See definition B) Number of serials add.d during year Total number of serials at end of year Number of maps added during year Total number of maps at end of year Number of manuscripts added during year Total number of manuscripts at end of year Number of photographs added during year Total number of photographs at end of year Number of plates added during year Total number of plates at end of year Adult Juvenile 2 Number of sheets of music added during year Total number of sheets of music at end of year Number of clippings added during year Total number of clippings at end of year Other additions (This item to include all of foregoing which are too insignificant for mention tor any library) (See definition of “added” and “additions” C) USE Total recorded use (number of volumes lent for home use and number used in building) Total number of volumes lent for home use Number of volumes of fiction lent for home use Number of volumes sent to agencies (See rules for counting circulation D) Number of prints lent for home use Number of music rolls lent for home use Number of restricted loans (e.g., Over-night) Number of interlibrary loans Other circulation (sheet music, clippings, etc. — enumerate) Adult Juvenile Total Recorded use in reading rooms (specify method of computation and divide, if wished, into classes) Number of photographic reproductions supplied Number of exhibitions held Number of lectures given Number of publications issued REGISTRATION Adu.t Juvenile Number of borrowers registered during year Total number of registered borrowers Registration period, years Number of periodicals (including newspapers and transactions of societies) currently received (€rive both number of titles and copies — ^not pieces) Adult Juvenile ( Give number only and refer to page of report for details. ' Number of other serials Number of persons using library for reading and study (Total figures of attendance in reading rooms, if kept) FINANCE RECEIPTS PROM Unexpended balance Local taxation Grants from state, county, city, etc. . . . Grants from colleges, societies, etc Endowment funds, net Fees from members, students, occa- sional readers, etc Fines and sales of publications Diiplicate pay collections Other sources (If extraordinary, enum- erate and state objects) Total $ Of which is required to be spent for books (or books and periodicals) PAYMENTS FOR Maintenance $ Books Periodicals Other serials Salaries, library service Salaries, other service (business. Jani- tor, engineers, etc.) Taxes Insurance Rent Heat Light Other maintenance Total maintenance Extraordinary — such as Sites New buildings Additions to buildings Other unusual expenses Grand total $ 3 NOTES, DEFINITIONS, RULES A. Branches, Stations and Other Agencies (Definitions based on Miss Eastman’s **Branch libraries and other distributing agencies.” A. L. A. Manual of Library Economy, ch. 15.) A branch is an auxiliary library, com- plete in itself, having its own permanent collection of books, either occupying a separate building or housed in one or more rooms in a school, park or field house, social settlement, parish house, rented store, etc., and administered as an inte- gral part of the library system, i. e., by a paid staff. To rank as a branch its hours of opening should approximate those of the central library. Stations include deposit and delivery stations. Deposit stations consist of small collections of books (from 200 to several hundred volumes) sent for an indefinite term to a store, school, factory, club, etc. The collections are frequently changed; the station has some permanency. A sta- tion may be in charge of an assistant sent from the central library or neighboring branch, or a trained librarian employed at the expense of a cooperating institution or society, an office employe of a factory, or a volunteer worker. Delivery stations have no books on deposit but fill orders from a central stock. Other agencies. These embrace for the most part agencies to which traveling libraries are sent; the largest number of such traveling libraries (20 to 50 or more books) go to school rooms of grade schools. They include also fire engine houses, police stations, factories, clubs, missions, settlements, home libraries, etc. For the purposes of this report and to avoid inflated figures, each separate box of books should not be counted but only the different institutions to which books are sent. In the case of collections sent to schools, each building should be counted but once, though the report should also give the number of separate collections and the number of different rooms served. B. Volumes and Pamphlets (Baaed on Biscoe, “Pamphlets,” World’s Lib. Cong. Papers, 826.) A pamphlet is a printed work consisting of one or more sheets of paper fastened together, but not bound. Unbound serials and sequents which as issued are intended to form component parts of a larger vol- ume are not to be considered as pamph- lets. A volume is any printed work bound in stiff covers so as to stand on a shelf; also unbound books of over 100 pages. C. Added and Additions Volumes, pamphlets, etc., are to be con- sidered as “added” to a library only when they are available for use; they are not to be considered as “additions” if they are simply in the possession of the library, but not yet in use. D. Rules for Counting Circulation (Where the word “book” is used, the rules should be understood as applying also to pamphlets and periodicals.) 1. The circulation shall be accurately recorded each day, counting one for each lending for home use of a bound volume, pamphlet or periodical. Supplemental fig- ures recording (each group separately) the circulation of prints, music rolls, or other material, are also desirable. 2. Renewal of a book under library rules at or near the end of regular terms of issue shall also be counted, but no increase shall be made because books are read by others or for any other reason. 3. The act of sending books from the library to an agency of any kind shall not be regarded as an issue to be counted in the circulation, but the number of books sent to such agencies shall be reported separately. 4. In all cases books issued from an agency for home use shall be ‘counted only according to the reported circulation, disregarding the act of sending them from the library to the agency and disregarding their use at the agency. In no case shall there be any estimation of circulation. 5. If it is found necessary to depart from these rules in any way, such depart- ure shall be plainly stated in a footnote to the published report. 4