New volumes of the Encyclopædia Britannica > Volume 30, K-MOR

LIBRARIES
215
Summary of Canadian Libraries.
Libraries.
Jsova Scotia 9
Prince Edward Island ....
New Brunswick
Quebec . . • • • •
Ontario (including 5 Governmental libraries)
Manitoba .......
North-West Territories ....
British Columbia
2
6
47
444
4
1
Volumes.
90,000
7.500
50.500
690,500
1,537,500
46.500
3.500
17,000
518 2,443,000
III. Africa.—Cape Colony has 126 libraries, with 421,732
vols., the chief being those of Cape Town (66,753 vols.), Graham’s
Town, Port Elizabeth (25,073 vols.); King William’s Town
(16,987 vols.); Kimberley (23,843 vols.); East London (7774 vols.);
Cradock (7147 vols.); and Graaff-Keinet (8669 vols.). There is also
a Parliamentary library in Cape Town (12,000 vols.).
Natal.—The Natal Society’s library, Pietermaritzburg (11,500
vols.); a Parliamentary library, also at Pietermaritzburg ; and a
public library at Durban (12,000 vols.). There are also small libraries
in the country districts.
IV. West Indies. — The Institute of Jamaica (11,000 vols.);
Trinidad Public Library (20,000); Nassau Public Library, Bahamas
(13,000 vols.); Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society, British
Guiana (20,000 vols.); Berbice Reading Society (5000 vols.) ; the
Public Library of Grenada (4000 vols.); Public Library, St Lucia
(3000 vols.).
V. Eastern Colonies.—Ceylon has 24 libraries, 4 of which
are in Colombo. The Straits Settlements has 4 libraries (2 in
Singapore and 2 in other parts of the colony). Hong Kong has 2
libraries. Mauritius.—Public Library of Port Louis (12,000 vols.).
[See “The Libraries of Greater Britain,” by J. R. Boost:, in The
Library, 1901 ; for Canada paper by J. Bain (Public Library of
Toronto) read at Montreal Library Conference 1900, with addi¬
tional information from G. IT. Gould, M'Gill University Library,
Montreal. ]
Germany and Austria-Hungary.
There are two libraries in Germany, Berlin and Munich,
of nearly a million volumes, one of 600,000 volumes
(Hamburg), two possessing about half a million (Gottingen
and Leipzig). The following contain between a quarter
and half a million volumes: Bamberg, Bonn, Breslau,
Darmstadt, Dresden, Frankfort on the Main, Freiburg in
Bresgau, Heidelberg, Munich (Univ. Lib.), Bostock, Stutt¬
gart, Tubingen, Wolfenbiittel, and Wurzburg. Libraries
extending from 200,000 to 250,000 are at Augsburg,
Gotha, Halle, Jena, Kiel, Konigsberg, Mainz, Schwerin,
and Weimar. Since 1892 the Royal Library at Berlin has
issued a weekly accession list. A combined general
catalogue of the great Prussian libraries, including since
1898 all the university libraries, is being compiled.
The largest collections in Austria-Hungary are the Royal
Library (900,000 vols.) and the University Library
(576,000) at Vienna, the Hungarian National Museum
(400,000) ; and the University Library (222,000) at Buda¬
pest, and the Museum (200,000) and the University
Library (269,000) at Prague.
France.
The Bibliotheques Municipales in the various depart¬
ments are about 338, with an aggregate of 8,500,000
volumes. Within the period from 1879 to 1899 a million
and a half of books and pamphlets were added. The
various university libraries contain about 906,600 volumes.
The number of Bibliotheques Populaires is a floating
quantity, as many have but a brief existence. It is
believed that the Bibliotheque Nationale possesses about
three millions of volumes, a total which probably includes
a great quantity of pamphlets reckoned as volumes. The
separate entries in the catalogue of printed publications
are close upon two millions. There are besides 250,000
maps, over 100,000 MSS., 250,000 engravings, and 150,000
coins and medals. The number of entries between 1879
and 1899 was 800,000. The most important work within
recent years has been the preparation of the great general
printed catalogue in octavo form, and the valuable
publications of M. Delisle on French and Latin MSS.
The other great Paris libraries are: Bibliotheque de
I’Universite de Paris (430,358 vols.) ; B. Sainte Genevieve
(300,000 vols.); B. de TArsenal (250,000 vols.); B..
Mazarine (200,000 vols.). (h. r. t.)
The United States.
The early history of public libraries in the United States,
and the statistics down to 1876, will be found in the earlier
article in vol. xiv. (p. 534) of the Ency. Brit, (ninth edition).
The progress since that date has included an extraordinary
activity (1) in the creation of additional rate-supported
libraries of the customary type ; (2) in the establishment of
libraries by private gift, to be maintained wholly or in part
by endowment; (3) in the extension of state aid to the estab¬
lishment of libraries designed for local service, and of the
counsel of state authorities in their administration; (4) in
the construction of new library buildings of elaborate de¬
sign ; (5) in the organization of persons engaged in library
work or interested in public libraries as a part of the educa¬
tional system of the country into associated effort for the
study of library economy, for the discussion of problems of
library administration, and for the furtherance in general
of the library movement; and (6) in the establishment of
systematic instruction for library wrork.
Statistics.—Statistics of individual libraries of note are
appended in a table. From time to time the United
States Bureau of Education has compiled statistics
of public, society, and school libraries in the United
States, which show not only the wide extent of library
facilities, but also a remarkable growth in recent years.
Some of the main results of these inquiries may be noted.
Libraries of 1000 volumes
and over.
Increase per cent.
Year. Number.
1875
1885
1891
1896
1900
2039
2988
3503
4026
5383
Volumes. Number. Volumes.
11,487,778
19,401,199
25,977,643
33,051,872
46-5
17-2
14-9
33-7
77-6
33- 9
27-2
34- 9
Libraries of 300 volumes j
and over.
Number.
3648
5338
7184
9261
Volumes.
12,329,526
20,722,393
34,596,258
46,610,509
1 Exclusive of pamphlets, reported as 7,503,588.
It will be noted that the libraries having 1000 volumes were
about two and a half times as numerous in 1900 as twenty-live
years previously, while in the same period their contents had
increased nearly fourfold. The above statistics include society
and school libraries, these being “public” and very generally
free for reference use. Of the 5383 libraries of 1000 or more
volumes reporting in 1900, 1979 were classed as “general,” 1725
as “ school,” and 689 as “college.” Four had 500,000 volumes
or over; three, 300,000 to 500,000; forty-seven, 100,000 to
300,000 ; ninety, 50,000 to 100,000 ; and the remainder fell below
50,000. The distribution by groups of states was as follows:
North Atlantic, 2473 ; South Atlantic, 421 ; South Central, 374 ;
North Central, 1728 ; Western division, 387. In general, through¬
out the United States there is one library having 1000 volumes
for every 14,118 persons, though in the North Atlantic states they
are as many as one for every 8510, while in New England the
number is still greater. New Hampshire leads with one library for
every 2878. More significant perhaps are figures in r-elation to the
books. In the country at large the libraries contain 59 books for
every 100 people. In the North Atlantic states the books out¬
number the people, being 111 of the former for 100 of the lattei ;
in Massachusetts, indeed, the number is as high as 236 for eveiy
hundred persons. In these comparisons with the population the
extreme Western states as a group make a better showing than the
average of the nation, while other groups fall below it. . This is
due in a large measure to the influence of California, which com¬
pares favourably with the Eastern states both in the number of
its libraries and their rize.
Income.—988 libraries reported an income for the year 1900 of
$2,213,755 from taxation; 1016, an income of $2,349,294 from
state, county, and city appropriations ; while 714 reported an
income of $1,198,955. Other sources of income are reported,
while a large number failed to specify the sources of income.
The aggregate income reported by 3115 libraries was $7,812,406.
645 libraries reported endowment funds aggregating $25,267,643.