REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1917 LEWIS CASS LEDYARD, ESQ., SIR: President of The New York Public Library. During 1917, in the Reference Department in the Central Building, 865,591 readers are recorded as consulting 2,252,659 books, a gain of about 3 per cent. in readers and a loss of about 3 per cent. in the number of volumes consulted, compared with the previous year. The figures given for the number of books consulted represent only those for which regular call slips were filed, since it is not possible to keep any count of the thousands of volumes which readers use from the open shelves in the seventeen reading rooms in the building. The number of visitors to the Central Building was 2,796,530, a gain of about 15 per cent. over the previous year. The number of volumes issued for home use by the Circulation Department, through its 44 Branch Libraries, the Travelling Libraries, and the Library for the Blind, was 10,709,095, a gain of about 6 per cent. over the previous year. The total recorded number of readers using books and periodicals in the Branch Library buildings was 3,971,681. At the close of the year there were 1,065,196 volumes and 318,225 pamphlets in the Reference Department — a total of 1,383,421 pieces. The number of volumes added to the Circulation Department was 193,756, but 148,919 were withdrawn or discarded as worn-out, leaving the net number added, 44,837. The total number of volumes in the Circulation Department at the end of the year, therefore, was 1,154,384. The total number of volumes and pamphlets in both Departments of the Library at the end of 1917 was 2,537,805. The number of employees on December 31, 1917, was 1,244. Of these, 552 were in the Reference Department, 11 in the Municipal Reference Branch, and 681 were in the Circulation Department.1 Again we are compelled to call attention to the difficulties experienced in both Departments in providing adequate service to the public with inadequate 1 The figures concerning the employees show the number of persons upon the payroll on that date, without regard to whether they occupied full-time or part-time positions. Figures for the Library School are not included. means. While the demands upon the Library have increased, the funds for maintenance in both Departments have not increased in proportion. Economic conditions have seriously menaced the efficiency of the service. Commercial establishments in New York, and Government bureaus and departments in Washington are able to pay better salaries than the Library can afford, and have therefore taken from us during the year large numbers of our trained employees. Out of 283 persons on the regular staff of the Reference Department, not including pages nor the mechanical staff, 54, or 19 per cent., resigned to take better-paying positions. In addition to these 54, 23 resigned to enter the uniformed service of the Government, or some of the numerous branches of patriotic service. The total resignations for the Reference Department were 77 (54 +23), or 27 per cent. Of 562 employees in the graded and office service in the Circulation Department, 154, or 27 per cent., resigned during the year. As far as we can learn, only four of these left to enter some branch of patriotic service. Over the main entrance to the Central Building is a Service Flag with 31 stars, representing 31 members of the Library staff who are now in the uniformed service of the United States. In addition to these there are 9 other former members of our staff who are engaged in various branches of patriotic war service. In the Main Reading Room 625,966 volumes were delivered on written application to 292,985 readers, a gain of about 2 per cent. in volumes and about 5 per cent. in readers. January, March, April, and May showed the greatest gains; March, as usual, being the busiest month. The most notable development of the past few years has been the extraordinary increase in the use of the Library on Sundays and holidays, especially of the Main Reading Room. Until about two years ago, Saturday was usually the heaviest day of the week; but during 1917, except during the summer months, the Sunday statistics have equaled — and many times even exceeded — the figures for Saturday. When it is considered that the Library is open nine hours on Sunday and thirteen hours on other days in the week, it will be seen that even when the figures are less, Sundays are actually busier days than Saturdays. Moreover, about three-quarters of all books called for on Sundays are issued between three and seven p. m. Many times during the year there have been more readers than seats in the Main Reading Room, which has accommodation for 768 readers at one time. Contrary to what might be expected, a great deal of serious reading and study is done on Sundays and holidays; and it is a mistake to assume that the majority of persons who come to the Library on these days are casual readers who have nowhere else to go, nothing else to do, or are in search of recreation rather than information. They come to consult books needed in their work or study which cannot be secured elsewhere; although there is, of course, more reading for diversion on Sundays than at other times. There has been little or no change in the proportionate use made of books in the various classes of literature, as shown by Table 2. American and English literature (including general periodicals which formed 8.3 per cent. of all books consulted), economics, foreign literature, and history, other than American, comprised 60 per cent. of the total number of volumes consulted in the Main Reading Room during 1917. In the Technology Division the year has been marked by continued interest in the literature of war technology, especially in explosives, gunnery and metallurgy, with notable attention to aviation and shipbuilding. Many officers, sailors, and soldiers, as well as the experts directly engaged in manufacture, have consulted the books in this Division. The establishment of the coal tar industry in this country has caused a constant use of references on the subject. The demands in this Division for statistics of production and manufacture in many industries have been notable — probably greater than in any other library, by reason of the large number of writers for periodicals in and around New York City. As a further indication of the kind of information supplied by the Technology Division, a few samples may be mentioned. One reader sought information on a sub-aqueous tunnel between England and France. Another has gathered information for an important textbook on weaving. Material for two manuals on department store merchandise was gathered here. The authors of a handbook on ship construction, a history of paper making in the United States, and of an advanced course in first-aid work for the Red Cross have also made use of the Division; and the representative of a well-known life insurance company has spent many hours investigating accident prevention. The entrance of the United States into the war has had its effect upon the Science Division also. Members of flying corps have called for information regarding the resistance of air, wind tunnel experiments, meteorology for aviators, the detection of submarines from airplanes, the principles underlying this phenomenon and at what height the submerged vessels are most plainly visible. Interesting investigations have been made regarding the sound of cannon, the transmission of sound through the earth, and the propagation and transmission of sound under water. There was also considerable research on the subject of range-finders and the intensifying of the visibility of objects in the landscape for the purpose of deceiving the enemy - the reverse of camouflage, which aims to obscure the objects. The geology of the entire western battle front has been the comprehensive study of more than one inquirer. Among the important additions to our Americana collection during the year was the only known copy of the second edition (textually more desirable than the first) of "A true report of the laste voyage into the West and Northwest regions, 1577, worthily atchieued by Capteine Frobisher. Written by Dionyse Settle. Imprinted at London by Henrie Middleton, 1577." The Library also acquired two very rare works by Cadwallader Colden, a beautiful copy of the first edition of his "History of the Five Indian Nations," printed at New York by William Bradford, in 1727, the first historical work relating to New York written and printed in New York; and an uncut copy of his "Explication of the first Causes of Action in Matter, and of the Cause of Gravitation," printed in New York by James Parker in 1745. This is the first work of science written and printed in New York. These two works, added to those already in our collection, give The New York Public Library the distinction of having a complete series of all of Colden's writings in their first editions. Other acquisitions were a copy of William Penn's "Frame of Government," printed at London in 1682, the document upon which the government of the province of Pennsylvania was founded, and a "Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft," by John Hale, printed in Boston in 1702. In the Manuscript Division the principal gift of the year came from the Title Guarantee and Trust Company of New York, consisting of the original Dutch manuscript records of the town of Harlem (New York City), 16621760, in nine volumes, accompanied by two volumes of translations; the New Harlem Deacon's Books, 1672–1674, in Dutch; a volume of Kingston, N. Y., Church Accounts, 1681-1684, in Dutch; a parcel of original papers relating to the Harlem Commons; and a mass of notes and notebooks, as well as transcripts and extracts of early records, relating to Harlem, Newtown, L. I.. Brooklyn, etc., collected by James Riker for his local histories. The size of this collection is indicated by the statement that the original manuscripts number 1,637 pages, and the translations, transcripts, notes, memoranda, etc.. 13,363 pages. The Order Division received during the year, for the Reference Department, 43,323 volumes, of which 11,582 were purchases and 31,741 were gifts. |