Library Registration and Circulation in U.S. Cities, 1890-1970
Supporting data for Galbi, “Book Circulation Per U.S. Public Library User Since 1856.”
Source: White, Lawrence J., The Public Library in the 1980s (Lexington, MA: Lexington Books), Table 4.7, p. 40.
|
Location |
Library Registration per City Population |
Library Book Circulation per City Population |
Library Book Circulation per Registered Library User |
|||||||||||||
|
City |
state |
1890 |
1900 |
1910 |
1920 |
1970 |
1890 |
1900 |
1910 |
1920 |
1970 |
1890 |
1900 |
1910 |
1920 |
1970 |
|
Atlanta |
GA |
|
|
2.8 |
|
13.1 |
|
|
1.7 |
|
2.3 |
|
|
60.7 |
|
17.6 |
|
Baltimore |
MD |
10.8 |
6.7 |
7.3 |
6.5 |
10.7 |
1.0 |
1.3 |
1.3 |
1.3 |
3.9 |
9.3 |
19.4 |
17.8 |
20.0 |
36.4 |
|
Boston |
MA |
3.2 |
11.3 |
12.8 |
14.0 |
56.0 |
4.2 |
2.4 |
2.4 |
3.3 |
4.0 |
131.3 |
21.2 |
18.8 |
23.6 |
7.1 |
|
Brookline |
MA |
33.3 |
27.3 |
24.2 |
31.0 |
39.9 |
5.5 |
6.9 |
6.8 |
8.2 |
7.4 |
16.5 |
25.3 |
28.1 |
26.5 |
18.5 |
|
Brooklyn |
NY |
|
18.4 |
18.0 |
|
26.4 |
|
2.1 |
2.5 |
|
3.3 |
|
11.4 |
13.9 |
|
12.5 |
|
Buffalo |
NY |
|
18.7 |
27.5 |
29.0 |
13.5 |
|
2.8 |
3.2 |
3.6 |
5.4 |
|
15.0 |
11.6 |
12.4 |
40.0 |
|
Cambridge |
MA |
6.9 |
|
|
|
27.4 |
1.7 |
|
|
|
5.4 |
24.6 |
|
|
|
19.7 |
|
Cedar Rapids |
IA |
|
23.4 |
37.0 |
33.3 |
49.7 |
|
1.3 |
4.6 |
6.3 |
7.5 |
|
5.6 |
12.4 |
18.9 |
15.1 |
|
Chicago |
IL |
3.3 |
4.4 |
5.9 |
15.7 |
23.2 |
0.8 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
2.8 |
2.8 |
24.2 |
22.7 |
13.6 |
17.8 |
12.1 |
|
Cincinnati |
OH |
6.6 |
12.0 |
21.4 |
24.0 |
36.2 |
1.4 |
2.1 |
4.8 |
6.1 |
5.9 |
21.2 |
17.5 |
22.4 |
25.4 |
16.3 |
|
Cleveland |
OH |
|
14.1 |
23.4 |
23.6 |
33.8 |
|
2.1 |
4.0 |
4.8 |
5.6 |
|
14.9 |
17.1 |
20.3 |
16.6 |
|
Dayton |
OH |
|
|
|
14.4 |
37.4 |
|
|
|
2.5 |
6.2 |
|
|
|
17.4 |
16.6 |
|
Detroit |
MI |
10.2 |
11.1 |
13.5 |
17.5 |
23.2 |
1.3 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
2.6 |
2.0 |
12.7 |
16.2 |
14.1 |
14.9 |
8.6 |
|
Erie |
PA |
|
19.5 |
19.3 |
21.8 |
23.3 |
|
1.7 |
1.8 |
2.4 |
3.1 |
|
8.7 |
9.3 |
11.0 |
13.3 |
|
Jersey City |
NJ |
5.1 |
8.8 |
24.6 |
34.8 |
26.6 |
0.5 |
2.0 |
2.7 |
4.9 |
2.4 |
9.8 |
22.7 |
11.0 |
14.1 |
9.0 |
|
Lawrence |
MA |
16.6 |
17.6 |
|
|
41.4 |
2.1 |
1.5 |
|
|
3.9 |
12.7 |
8.5 |
|
|
9.4 |
|
Los Angeles |
CA |
|
21.1 |
16.3 |
26.7 |
46.2 |
|
6.4 |
2.7 |
5.8 |
4.3 |
|
30.3 |
16.6 |
21.7 |
9.3 |
|
Malden |
MA |
40.8 |
68.4 |
45.4 |
26.5 |
28.7 |
2.6 |
4.0 |
3.1 |
5.9 |
5.2 |
6.4 |
5.8 |
6.8 |
22.3 |
18.1 |
|
Milwaukee |
WI |
25.2 |
9.1 |
14.4 |
16.8 |
15.3 |
0.8 |
1.7 |
3.7 |
3.9 |
5.0 |
3.2 |
18.7 |
25.7 |
23.2 |
32.7 |
|
Minneapolis |
MN |
8.2 |
7.6 |
5.5 |
|
16.1 |
1.2 |
2.6 |
3.5 |
|
5.7 |
14.6 |
34.2 |
63.6 |
|
35.4 |
|
New Haven |
CT |
23.1 |
15.8 |
14.2 |
20.2 |
23.8 |
1.6 |
2.7 |
2.8 |
3.5 |
3.4 |
6.9 |
17.1 |
19.7 |
17.3 |
14.3 |
|
New Orleans |
LA |
|
2.3 |
5.0 |
|
25.0 |
|
0.3 |
1.0 |
|
1.7 |
|
13.0 |
20.0 |
|
6.8 |
|
Newark |
NJ |
10.4 |
35.2 |
48.2 |
8.6 |
26.6 |
1.7 |
1.3 |
2.7 |
1.5 |
4.7 |
16.3 |
3.7 |
5.6 |
17.4 |
17.7 |
|
Patterson |
NJ |
14.3 |
8.7 |
15.8 |
18.2 |
21.6 |
1.2 |
1.2 |
1.6 |
2.4 |
2.5 |
8.4 |
13.8 |
10.1 |
13.2 |
11.6 |
|
Philadelphia |
PA |
|
9.8 |
9.3 |
11.1 |
30.6 |
|
1.4 |
1.2 |
2.0 |
3.0 |
|
14.3 |
12.9 |
18.0 |
9.8 |
|
Pittsburgh |
PA |
|
5.4 |
22.5 |
50.9 |
37.3 |
|
0.7 |
2.2 |
2.4 |
7.8 |
|
13.0 |
9.8 |
4.7 |
20.9 |
|
Providence |
RI |
3.5 |
9.2 |
13.2 |
19.4 |
33.6 |
0.6 |
0.7 |
1.0 |
2.9 |
3.5 |
17.1 |
7.6 |
7.6 |
14.9 |
10.4 |
|
St. Louis |
MO |
1.3 |
8.5 |
12.8 |
14.7 |
23.6 |
0.4 |
1.2 |
2.5 |
2.6 |
4.6 |
30.8 |
14.1 |
19.5 |
17.7 |
19.5 |
|
Medians |
|
10.2 |
11.3 |
15.8 |
19.8 |
26.6 |
1.3 |
1.7 |
2.5 |
3.1 |
4.2 |
14.6 |
14.9 |
14.1 |
17.8 |
15.7 |
The column headings 1890-1970 refer to years. I calculated the third section of figures from the first two.
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