Public Library Statistics for the United States about 1856
Supporting data for Galbi, “Book Circulation Per U.S. Public Library User Since 1856.”
Source: Manual of public libraries, institutions, and societies, in the United States, and British provinces of North America. By William J. Rhees, chief clerk of the Smithsonian Institution. (Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott & co., 1859).
Table 1 Public Library Statistics about 1856
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|||||
State |
Libraries (size unknown) |
Libraries (size known) |
Volumes (in libraries of known size) |
Volumes Lent per Library |
Persons Borrowing per Library |
Alabama |
35 |
12 |
36,529 |
559 |
95 |
Arkansas |
16 |
1 |
1,000 |
|
|
California |
13 |
32 |
70,428 |
3,124 |
|
Connecticut |
62 |
24 |
145,058 |
4,852 |
161 |
Delaware |
5 |
10 |
31,085 |
3,250 |
118 |
Florida |
11 |
4 |
9,687 |
|
|
Georgia |
43 |
22 |
64,236 |
346 |
91 |
Illinois |
55 |
35 |
58,501 |
2,423 |
238 |
Indiana |
56 |
33 |
81,851 |
2,677 |
114 |
Iowa |
24 |
8 |
11,431 |
500 |
|
Kentucky |
49 |
38 |
112,293 |
4,680 |
491 |
Louisiana |
25 |
15 |
58,680 |
200 |
|
Maine |
74 |
40 |
114,112 |
3,316 |
159 |
Maryland |
15 |
36 |
194,671 |
13,436 |
1,465 |
Massachusetts |
175 |
119 |
632,800 |
8,772 |
861 |
Michigan |
81 |
21 |
35,986 |
1,570 |
145 |
Minnesota |
14 |
3 |
5,700 |
|
|
Mississippi |
32 |
12 |
25,323 |
|
|
Missouri |
38 |
24 |
69,509 |
6,215 |
442 |
New Hampshire |
41 |
42 |
84,915 |
9,820 |
300 |
New Jersey |
31 |
24 |
89,520 |
5,220 |
244 |
New York |
119 |
284 |
750,421 |
12,232 |
443 |
North Carolina |
27 |
11 |
36,344 |
719 |
78 |
Ohio |
58 |
82 |
212,642 |
4,225 |
294 |
Pennsylvania |
209 |
110 |
467,716 |
5,918 |
408 |
Rhode Island |
17 |
64 |
154,842 |
7,815 |
791 |
South Carolina |
32 |
20 |
106,080 |
1,670 |
110 |
Tennessee |
48 |
27 |
94,251 |
616 |
86 |
Texas |
42 |
4 |
3,050 |
300 |
|
Vermont |
47 |
13 |
32,800 |
631 |
94 |
Virginia |
40 |
47 |
142,767 |
2,406 |
244 |
Wisconsin |
25 |
42 |
59,600 |
1,629 |
126 |
District of Columbia |
16 |
31 |
272,835 |
|
|
Kansas |
3 |
1 |
7,000 |
|
|
Nebraska |
4 |
1 |
800 |
|
|
New Mexico |
1 |
|
|
|
|
Oregon |
10 |
4 |
2,051 |
|
|
Washington |
2 |
2 |
4,352 |
|
|
Total |
1,595 |
1,298 |
4,280,866 |
|
|
Source: Rhees (1859), combined from tables, pp. xxvi, xxviii. |
Table 2 Universe of U.S. Public Libraries about 1856
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Category |
Number |
Volumes |
Average Volumes per Library |
libraries with volumes reported |
1,297 |
4,220,686 |
3,254 |
libraries with volumes estimates |
1,593 |
500,000 |
314 |
libraries of common schools |
18,000 |
2,000,000 |
111 |
libraries of Sunday schools |
30,000 |
6,000,000 |
200 |
sum |
50,890 |
12,720,686 |
250 |
Source: Rhees (1989), p. xxviii, last column calculated. |
The general summary in Table 2 appears to be based on the individual library data, which is generally from about 1856, plus estimates for non-reporting libraries, common schools, and Sunday schools. It is entitled, however, “General Summary, 1859.”
The term “public library” in this source includes state and city libraries, social libraries, college libraries, academies and professional schools libraries, historical, scientific, and agricultural libraries, and students libraries. Students’ libraries do not include libraries for children in “common schools,” which were local publicly funded schools typically for students ages 6 to 14.
The number of libraries reporting average volumes lent and average persons borrowing is not specified in the summary table. Data for the individual libraries is given in the book, but within a brief description of each library.
The table listing average volumes lent annually and average number of persons borrowing includes an “average” summary line giving 5,856 and 416 for these headings, respectively. These numbers differ from the average of the state average figures (3,897 and 317). The reported “average” for volumes lent annually and persons borrowing is probably an average across reporting libraries for the relevant variable. These figures imply 14.1 books lent per borrower per year. The set of libraries reporting volumes lent differs from the set of libraries reporting numbers of borrowers. Libraries reporting lending, but not borrowers, in California, Iowa, Louisiana, and Texas lent considerably fewer books than the average reporting library. If this difference reflects a general pattern, then calculated books lent per borrower is biased downward.
The weighted averages (using as weights the number of libraries reporting volumes) for states reporting average number of persons borrowing are 6,876 and 425. These imply 16.2 books lent per borrower. This figure is a library-weighted average, not a borrower-population weighted average. In addition, this figure does not account for differences in the sets of reporting libraries within states.
Table 3 Public Libraries Lending 20,000 or More Volumes about 1856
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state |
City |
Library |
Volumes |
Circulation |
Users |
Heading for Users |
Circulation per User |
Pennsylvania |
Philadelphia |
Mercantile Library |
13,400 |
45,000 |
800 |
lent to…persons |
56.3 |
New Jersey |
Newark |
Newark Library Association |
7,000 |
24,000 |
636 |
lent to…persons |
37.7 |
Massachusetts |
Boston |
Mercantile Library |
18,000 |
96,000 |
2,667 |
members |
36.0 |
Maryland |
Baltimore |
Maryland Institute |
11,000 |
60,000 |
1,971 |
lent to…persons |
30.4 |
Connecticut |
Hartford |
Young Men's Institute |
11,611 |
24,000 |
792 |
members |
30.3 |
New York |
Troy |
Young Men's Association |
9,405 |
20,000 |
700 |
lent to…persons |
28.6 |
Maryland |
Baltimore |
Mercantile Library Association |
14,060 |
26,000 |
960 |
lent to…persons |
27.1 |
New York |
Buffalo |
Young Men's Association |
9,331 |
27,830 |
1,331 |
lent to…persons |
20.9 |
New York |
New York |
Apprentices Library |
19,026 |
40,349 |
1,936 |
accounts opened during year |
20.8 |
Massachusetts |
South Danvers |
Peabody Institution |
5,408 |
24,957 |
1,413 |
lent to…persons |
17.7 |
Pennsylvania |
Philadelphia |
Apprentices' Library |
16,500 |
48,000 |
3,637 |
readers |
13.2 |
Ohio |
Cincinnati |
Mercantile Library |
17,541 |
35,000 |
2,800 |
lent to…persons |
12.5 |
Massachusetts |
Boston |
Public Library |
56,000 |
92,233 |
13,781 |
accounts |
6.7 |
Massachusetts |
New Bedford |
Free Public Library |
10,000 |
23,240 |
3,937 |
lent to…persons |
5.9 |
New York |
New York |
Mercantile Library |
47,904 |
120,206 |
100,000 |
lent to…persons |
1.2 |
New York |
Brooklyn |
Youths' Free Library |
5000 |
30,000 |
|
|
|
Massachusetts |
Newburyport |
Public Library |
8493 |
29,562 |
|
|
|
Maryland |
Baltimore |
Odd Fellow's Library |
12584 |
27,406 |
|
|
|
New York |
Poughkeepsie |
Public School Library |
4650 |
25,000 |
|
|
|
Rhees, p. xxi, lists “public libraries from which 20,000 volumes or upwards were lent during a single year.” Table 3 lists these libraries, with data from the full entry for each library. The source heading for circulation was typically “volumes lent.” Four entries provided no information on users. The other entries provided user counts, under the headings listed above. The number of users for the New York Mercantile Library is extremely high. Excluding that library, the aggregate circulation per user for the large libraries for which user counts are available was 15.7. These large libraries account for about 5% of reported library volumes among all public libraries.
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