1903-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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103 REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF CARY LIBRARY. It is cause for congratulation that our library is steadily growing in usefulness and was never so highly appreciated and widely enjoyed as during the past year. The addition of nearly 900 volumes to its catalogue since our last report, making a library of more than 22,000 volumes places it among the largest in the country towns of Massachusetts. In the judgment of those competent to form an opinion of its character, it is a collection fairly representing the best literature in all departments of knowledge. We may fairly claim, that no subject of genera] interest or importance to our people but may be profitably studied here and the latest information upon it obtained. At least, it has been the purpose of the trustees to make it of that high character and the generous appropriations of the town enable thein to gratify all reasonable demands. That nearly 34,000 volumes have been called for by our people during the year when the whole population barely reaches 4,000, shows how general the use of the library has become and places the reading people of Lexington among the most interested and devoted in the State. By reference to the librarian's report it will be seen that the char- acter of the books drawn from the library shows that almost precise- ly BO per cent. were works of fiction, leaving but 40 per cent. of all others. This indicates that a large majority of our readers are seek- ing for entertainment rather than instruction. While the trustees mean to gratify this desired taste to a reasonable extent, they endeavor Ido to keep out of the library merely sensational novels having no aim but to foster the love of excitement and to create a taste for the reading which is healthful and elevating. To this end they have adopted the plan of having all works of fiction read by those competent to judge of their value before allowing thein to be placed in the library. In this way they hope to protect the young from all debilitating and demoral- izing books and place before our people only that which is morally sound and helpful. But large as the percentage of fiction in the use of our library appears we know of no town or city where it is so low, and where so large a percentage of books are read of history, biography, travel, science and art. Generally the percentage of fic- tion in the public libraries of this vicinity reaches 70 and some even 80 per cent., leaving but a small percentage for works of a more im- proving and instructive character. The opening of the library on Sunday afternoons was tried for a few weeks in the hope that it would prove of use to some not able on other days of the week to avail them- selves of its advantages; but the additional patronage obtained did not warrant the increased expense, and so it was reluctantly aban- doned. But the plan of opening it in the morning from 9 to 12 has now been in operation for six months and has proved a gratify- ing success. One of the librarians has been in attendance each morning and careful statistics taken of the number of visitors and of their use of the library. From these we learn that in the 139 mornings in which the library was opened—from July 20th to Jan. 1st, there have been 2,157 visitors of whom 1,432 were our town's people who came for the purpose of using the library and who called for nearly 1,200 volumes, of which 40 per cent. were books of reference or for study, and the others works of fiction; besides these patrons of the library there were 726 strangers who were visiting the town. Such are the results of the morning opening in the six months in which the experiment has been tried. The trustees agree in desiring its continuance, believing that it meets a want of our people, extends the usefulness of the library and justifies the increased expense of its maintenance. The additional cost for the service of the librarian will be about $20 per month, and accordingly