MALYSiS 0%? WE LGGéTis‘EPég-‘kfi ASWCTS 9F PUBUC UBRAREES' Thesis for Degree of Mater of Urban Naming momma STATE Uf‘iWER‘SETY . FREE} w. mama. 33:73 .- ..-.o‘n <.o..~ycw~..p’.m Al 4. LuamzvL1 l'HhSIS Michigan State University ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS OF THE LOCATIONAL ASPECTS OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES By Fred William Hurd, Jr. Criteria and standards for locating public facilities have remained as important inputs in the preparation of community compre- hensive plans. Among these are standards for locating public library facilities, which have been developed within the library profession, and used extensively by urban planners. Library standards reflect goals of the institution, including the practical objective of increas- ing library use. Heavy emphasis has been placed upon location of facilities as an important ingredient toward maximizing use, and con- sequently location theories derived by librarians focus on location as it relates to increasing library patronage. Unfortunately current standards for library placement do not relate the library, as a service- giving institution, to the public it is intended to serve. Moreover, current location standards are inflexible, and the theories upon which they are based deserve questioning. Recognizing this problem, the service and locational aspects of public libraries are closely examined in terms of the relationships that exist between the library and its public. The first chapter des- cribes various kinds of libraries, the historical development of public libraries, and how the develoPment of goals within the library profes- sion has influenced the current role and function of the public library Fred William Hurd, Jr. as a community institution. The second chapter describes existing location standards, and examines the rational basis for their develop- ment and use. While the first two chapters discuss service and locational considerations as perceived within the library profession, the third chapter analyzes these from the community perspective. This is accom- plished by conducting a comparative analysis on a number of existing studies on public use of the library, and describing these studies in terms of various community-related factors that influence the manner and extent to which a particular public library is used. A result of this analysis is the finding that the public library is sometimes con- ceived and used in a manner somewhat different than that supposed by practitioners within the library profession. Furthermore, significant evidence is brought forth which raises serious questions regarding the applicability of current library locational criteria. The last chapter summarizes thefacts presented in preceding. chapters in order to critically analyze the overall rationality of existing locational policiesfor public libraries. A concluding sec- tion suggests how information gathered throughout the report can serve to provide a framework of criteria from which the best location for a public library can be determined according to local area needs. AN ANALYSIS OF THE LOCATIONAL ASPECTS OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES By Fred William Hurd, Jr. A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF URBAN PLANNING School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture 1970 Copyright by Fred William Hurd, Jr. 1970 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to eXpress his sincere thanks to Professor Keith Honey for his sympathetic guidance and penetrating critique of this study, and to his wife, Jamie, for her enduring patience and enlightening support. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES O O . O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O INTRODUCT ION O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O l O O O 0 Chapter ONE KINDS OF LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY SERVICES . . . . . . . The Municipal Public Library and Its System . A Historical Perspective on the Development of the Municipal Public Library . . . . . . . . County, Multi-County, and Regional Library Systems Other Kinds of Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . TWO EXISTING STANDARDS AND PRINCIPLES FOR LOCATING PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Historical Development of National Standards for Public Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other Sources for Nationally Recognized Standards Principles for Where a Library Should Not Be Located . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Location Standards Used in Various Library Plans . Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . THREE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE USE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES . . . Description of Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Who Uses the Public Library . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Occupation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Economic status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Getting to the Library . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Distance As It Affects Library Use . . . . 2. Origin—Destination of Library Visits . . . 3. Mode of Transportation to Libraries . . . . Why People Use the Library . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Library Services Used . . . . . . . . . . 2. Reasons for Using the Library . . . . . . iii 19 24 28 33 33 39 46 52 59 62 64 66 66 68 68 7O 71 76 76 77 81 81 82 85 Chapter Page Public Opinion of Library Services . . . . . . 87 1. The Public' 3 View of the Public Library . . 89 2. Satisfaction With Specific Services . . . . 90 3. Reasons for Not Using the Public Library . 92 4. Opinions on Library Location . . . . . . . 93 The Relationship of Library Size and Library Use . 96 Physiographical Factors Affecting Library Use . . 103 Long-Term Factors Influencing Library Use . . . . 105 1. Population Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 2. Educational Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 3. The Impact of Technology . . . . . . . . . 106 Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 FOUR CRITIQUE AND CONCLUSION: PRINCIPLES AND PLANNING PERSPECTIVES FOR LOCATING PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITIES . 113 The Historic Basis for Current Locational Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Location As It Relates to Library Use . . . . . . 115 ShOpping Center Location and Its Influence on the Library's Clientele . . . . . . . . . . 118 The Question of Reducing Unit Costs . . . . . . . 119 The Locational Needs of Central Public Libraries . 121 The Locational Needs of Local Community Libraries. 123 The Question of Land Costs . . . . . . . . . . 124 Principles for Where the Library Should Not Be Located . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 A Planning Perspective on the Locational Aspects of Public Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 BIBLIOGRAPIIY O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 134 iv Table Number 1- 1 2- 1 2- 2 3- 1 3- 2 3- 3 3- 4 3— 5 3— 6 3- 7 3- 8 3- 9 3-10 LIST OF TABLES Title Number and Percent of Public Library Systems By Size of the Population Served . . . . . . . . . . . . . Experience Formulas for Library Size and Costs . . . Recommended Standards for Population Base, Service Area, and Location of Various Kinds of Public Libraries 0 O O I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O 0 Percentage of Users By Various Age Groups . . . . . . Percentage of Users of the Library By Various Occupational Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Household Income and the Percent of Household Members Who Used or Did Not Use a Library . . . . . . . . . . Educational Level of People Out of School (Education Completed) and the Percent Who Used or Did Not Use a Library Within Six Weeks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education Level of People in School (Education in Progress) and the Percent Who Used or Did Not Use a Library Within Six Weeks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frequency at Which Surveyed Patrons Used the Library Nearest Their Home O O O I O O O O O O 0 O O O O O 0 Public Library Registrants and Users (Adults) At Different Residential Distances from the Library, Adapted From Various Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . Distances at Which Patrons Traveled To Use a Public Library (Based on Their Own Estimates) . . . . . . . Estimated Percents of Adults and Child Trip Patterns to Branch Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comparison of Circulation and Reference Services of the Public Library, Adapted From Three Studies . . . V 55 67 69 71 73 74 75 77 78 80 83 Table Number 3-11 3-12 3—13 3-14 3-15 3-16 3-17 Percentage of Various Services Used by Patrons Reasons for Respondents' Use of the Public Library Satisfaction With Public Library Service, Adapted From Several Studies . . Non-Library Users and Their Reasons for Not Using Libraries . . . Responses to Questions Regarding Library Accessi- Title bility, Oakland County Survey, 1960 . Reasons Cited for Choosing a Public Library . Trends in Use Experienced By Public Libraries of Various Sizes . vi 90 92 93 95 99 INTRODUCTION Municipal facilities are physical manifestations and activity centers of government services provided on behalf of the community for public use. Among these the public library has traditionally held an important position along with other public institutions that are considered highly desirable for cultural or educational enrichment. At one time planning for public facilities was accomplished by planning agencies on a generalized basis, as an element or separate section of the comprehensive plan. In recent years, however, planners and planning agencies have been expected to help determine needs, priorities, and locational standards for each kind of public facility. Efforts along these lines have first been directed toward public facil- ities considered as most critical for detailed analysis and planning, such as public schools and fire stations. Relatively less attention has yet been directed toward public libraries as an integral part of the total system of public institutions requiring detailed analysis by urban planners. Recognizing this situation, the overall purpose of this thesis is to specifically examine the public library--its services and locational aspects--in terms of the relationships that exist between the library and the community it is intended to serve. In order to accomplish this objective, the thesis is divided into five chapters, representing the various stages of research and analysis. The first chapter is devoted to describing the various kinds of libraries currently available for public use. Specific attention is given to the historical development of public library facilities and services, and how the development of goals within the library profession has influenced the current role and function of the public library as a community institution. In the second chapter existing principles and standards for locating public libraries are examined to determine their source and the rational basis for their development and use. It was found that current policies for locating public libraries have been established within the library profession to meet certain institutional objectives, and have been rationalized as desirable for both the public library and the community on the basis of certain theories regarding the pattern of public use of the library. It was also found that current locational studies prepared by planning agencies have generally accepted and applied locational policies developed within the library profession. While the first two chapters discuss the service needs, functional requirements, and locational requirements of public libraries as per- ceived within the library profession, the third chapter analyzes these same considerations from the community perspective. This is accom— plished by examining and comparing a number of studies on public use of the library, and describing them in terms of various community- related factors that influence the manner and extent to which a parti- cular public library is used. Through this kind of analysis, it was found that the public library is sometimes conceived and used in a manner somewhat different than that supposed by a number of practition- ers within the library profession. An important by-product of this analysis was the evidence that theories supporting existing locational policies for public libraries may be incorrect, especially if applied indiscriminately to every community situation. The fourth chapter is then devoted to summarizing the facts brought forth in preceding chapters in order to critically analyze the rational basis underlying existing locational policies for public libraries. In the light of this analysis, a number of recommendations are made regarding additional factors which should be considered when making locational decisions for public library facilities. The last section of Chapter Four serves as a concluding statement of the major findings brought forth in this thesis, and their signi- ficance for further efforts by planning agencies faced with the task of selecting a site for the public library. It is intended that the information gathered in this report will provide the planner with: 1) a comprehensive description of the services, functions, and goals of the modern public library; 2) an objective appraisal of existing standards and principles for locating public libraries; and 3) a frame- work of criteria from which the best location for a public library can be determined according to local community needs. CHAPTER ONE KINDS OF LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY SERVICES No one plan can describe all libraries, for the form, function, and collection of each library are determined by a multitude of factors, including the objectives of its program, the availability of funds, facilities, and equipment, and the number and quality of personnel. Over the years, however, libraries which have had the same general functions have come to be identified as a group or as a kind of library service, such as national, state, municipal, public, county, school, academic, research, and special. This report is intended to focus on the locational aspects of public libraries. However, an accurate and precise definition of a public library is difficult because the use of any limiting clauses in the definition immediately excludes many institutions which are generally considered as public libraries. For example, if the limita— tion of government control is imposed, numerous libraries would be omitted, such as association or privately endowed libraries, which may be free for public use. If limitations of ownership or financial support by local units of government are made, the same problem of definition occurs. Many public libraries are not owned by any one unit of government, and some receive no support from local funds. In gen- eral, the only uniform characteristic that should be included in the definition of any public library is that it is free for use on an equal basis by all residents of the community.1 In order to treat the problem of locating public libraries within a reasonable scope, locational questions discussed in this report are lhmited to those that pertain to public libraries supported primarily by public funds and administered at either the local or regional level of government. These would consist of public libraries most likely to come under the purview of a local or regional planning agency, and would include libraries within: 1) municipal library systems; 2) county library systems; 3) district and multi-county library systems; and 4) regional library systems. This first chapter discusses the historical development and exist- ing pattern of library facilities, services, and objectives. It is intended to provide a descriptive framework of the overall characteris- tics of the many various kinds of libraries, which will serve as a basis for the analysis of the locational aspects of public libraries contained in succeeding chapters. The Municipal Public Library and Its System As a public agency, the municipal public library is authorized by state law and supported from general public funds or from special taxes voted for the purpose, including bond issues or a special library building tax. Public library service is not mandatory in any state, but all states have general permissive legal authorization for the establishment and support of a library in each township, while the 1Joeckel, Carleton Bruns, The Government gf_the American Public Library, (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1935), p. 10. legal provision for municipal libraries is provided by library laws enacted by the State legislature.2 The government of American public libraries varies considerably and cannot be classified logically in detail. However, municipal public libraries can be generally classified, in terms of their control, as follows: 1) those administered by a board which is appointed by the executive or legislative body, or elected by the people; 2) those administered as a department of city government by the city government; and 3) those attached to the school district as the legal entity and administered either by a separate board or by the board of education.3 Ninety-five percent of all municipal public libraries are governed by a library board, but their powers vary considerably. An "administra- tive" board appoints the head librarian and reports directly to the executive or legislative body. An "advisory" board operates mostly as an appeals body and has little or no power in setting policy. Few library boards have the power to raise taxes for support of libraries, and until recent years, few boards have had the right to determine the library's expenditure levels.4 Communications between librarians and city hall have traditionally been weak. Often government officials place little preference to li- braries as compared to other public services, such as repair of roads or collection of garbage. They have tended to look at the library as an insignificant cultural activity managed by impractical people. 2Gates, Jean Key, Introduction £9_Librianship, (New York: McGraw- Hill Book Company, 1968), p. 191. 31bid., p. 193. 4Bowler, Roberta (editor), Local Public Library Administration, (Chicago: International City Managers' Association, 1964), pp. 55-56. Librarians, on the other hand, have traditionally overlooked their position in local government, and have not overly concerned themselves with political activities.5 Consequently, public libraries have not gained the kind of active support enjoyed by other public institutions of local government, such as public schools. Professional organizations of librarians have reacted by maintaining a vigorous campaign to insti— tute programs and policies that will improve the status of the public library as a community service facility. These programs and policies have developed historically, and as will be pointed out in Chapter Two of this report, they have had a direct influence on the establishment of locational standards for public libraries. A_Historical Perspective on the Development _g£ the Municipal Public Library The tax-supported, free public library came into existence with the establishment of the Boston Public Library in 1852. Although this event marked the official beginning of the American public library move- ment, it also culminated almost a century and a half of experimentation in the development of three types of semi-public libraries in this country--parish, social and circulating libraries. The idea of the church affiliated library was promoted by Reverend Thomas Bray, a religious leader appointed by the Anglican Church of England in 1696 to establish the Anglican Church in the Colony of Maryland. Bray organized a society for this purpose, and through this society libraries were established in Anglican churches from Charleston, South Carolina, to Boston. These parish libraries usually consisted of small collections of religious books, placed in care of the parish 5Ibid., pp. 50—53. vestry for use by the minister; however, there were also special col- 1ections called "layman's" libraries which were set aside for use by the general public.6 The first successful attempt at making books available to certain sectors of the general public came through the establishment of the social libraries of the 18th century. Social libraries was a term used to encompass a number of different kinds of libraries that were not free public libraries, but were public in the sense that they were open to any member of the community who cared or was able to meet the re- quirements fOr membership. There were basically two types: Those that required actual ownership of property of the library (proprietary libraries) and those that required only payment of an annual subscrip- tion fee (subscription libraries).7 The first American subscription library was established by Benja- min Franklin in Philadelphia, in 1731, and to this day it has remained as part of the Philadelphia public library system. Other colonial towns soon followed the example set by Philadelphia, and by 1780 there were about fifty subscription libraries scattered throughout New England.8 The period after the Revolution and down to 1850 saw the rapid development of social libraries in many various forms. Some were organized for a particular function, such as the athenaeum, which pro- vided subscription reading rooms where members could have ready access 6Johnson, Elmer D., Communications: A2_Introduction'£g_the History gf_Writing, Printing, Books, and Libraries, (New York: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1966), p. 135. 7Eaton, Thelma (editor), Contributions £9_American Library History (Champaign, Illinois: The Illini Bookstore, 1961), p. iv. 8Johnson, op. cit., p. 138. to periodical publications. Others were designed to meet the specific needs of a particular clientele. These forms included lyceum libraries (for lecturing), mechanics' libraries, mercantile libraries, apprenti— ces' libraries, young men's association libraries, and even factory and mill workers' libraries. Although all of these were subscription libraries, some were unique in the sense that they were organized, partly financed, and used by the young men who had come from the rural areas to the cities to seek employment in the trades. In this respect they represented an initial attempt at formalizing library services for the self-education of working-class citizens. The rental or circulating library, which was another form of the subscription library, developed in the late colonial period. It was established as a commercially operated library containing a collection of books that could be borrowed for a certain fee. Unlike social libraries formed by voluntary associations, these libraries were strictly business enterprises, which developed in response to the demand for more popular reading materials generally unavailable in the asso- ciation libraries. More than one thousand social libraries were established in various forms in the New England states between the Revolution and 1850, and as settlers from the eastern states moved west, schools and librar- ies were among the first services provided by each new town. Saint Louis had a subscription library as early as 1811, and Chicago estab- lished a lyceum library in 1834 and a young mens' association library in 1841.9 91bid., p. 155. 10 But the social library, as a social agency, was to inevitably decline because it served only a limited segment of the community who could afford to pay the membership fee. Since its members were usually few in number and its gifts sparse, many social libraries were short- 1ived, while others formed the basis for the public libraries that followed. A few are still in existence today.10 The first half of the 19th century was a period when the new American nation experienced vast political, social, and economic change, characterized by: 1) a developing spirit of nationalism; 2) the forces of industrialization, urbanization, and westward expansion; 3) a desire by the nation as a whole to develop a distinctive cultural pattern; 4) a growing interest in formal education and self-improvement through self-education; and 5) the accumulation of great individual wealth.11 Although the origin and deve10pment of the free public library cannot be attributed to any single influence, these factors as a whole were to have considerable impact in preparing the way for public supported libraries available for use by all citizens. Several attempts were made to establish public tax-supported libraries in the early 19th century, but the concept could not receive widespread support until the idea of free public education became familiar to the public. Hence, the educational revolution of the second quarter of the 19th century, which resulted in the beginning of the American system of free public education, provided strong stimulus 10Garceau, Oliver, The Public Library in_the Political Process: A_Report of the Public Library Inquiry, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1949), p. 120. 11Gates,_gp_. cit., p. 75. 11 toward initiation of the American public library movement. Two final conditions were necessary for local development of public libraries-- a financial ability at the local level to set up and maintain the public library and the kind of leadership that could convince the local public to impose an additional tax on itself to support a public library.12 By the 1850's the need for free public education had gained wide- spread support. In 1852 the State of Massachusetts took the first step by introducing the first compulsory school attendance law. Four years earlier the Massachusetts legislature had passed an act which enabled the City of Boston to establish a public library and appropriate muni- cipal funds for its support. A report was compiled in 1852 stating that it was the intended function of the Boston Public Library to supplement the City's system of public education. The establishment of a public library by a major metr0politan community and the formulation of a rationale for free public library service, provided the needed incentive to set the concept of the free public library in motion. Nevertheless, it is also significant to note that the Boston Public Library did not come into existence through direct public demand, but rather through the concern of members of the well-educated class, who felt the need to provide adults an opportunity to continue self-education through use of the public library.13 In 1855 the State of Massachusetts extended authorization for public libraries to other towns in the State, and by 1875 there was a 12Lee, Robert Ellis, Continuing Education for Adults Through the American Public Library: 1833-1964, (Chicago: The American Library Association, 1966), p. 7. 13Ibid., p. 112. 12 total of 188 public libraries in eleven states, most in New England or the Middle West. Public librarians of this period were primarily scholarly men with an inherent interest in books. Their essential con- cern was with collecting and preserving books, while efforts toward promoting use were secondary. Because of the compositions of the book collections, libraries were used mostly by adults who could read and had the incentive to do 50.14 By the turn of the century private donations had become a major source for support of public libraries. Philanthropic efforts included the donation of private libraries to public and college collections, and the endowment of libraries, which were fully supported by private funds, but were open to the public usually under certain conditions set by the donor. One of the first major gifts was the endowment of Enoch Pratt to form the Free Library in Baltimore in 1886. In the 1890's, three endowed libraries from the Astor, Tilden, and Lenox families were con- solidated to form the basis of the New York Public Library. But the greatest library benefactor of all was Andrew Carnegie, a selfemade millionaire of the steel industry, who from 1881 to 1898 provided funds for fourteen municipal libraries. By 1921 Carnegie funds had been used toward the construction of approximately 2500 library buildings in the United States. Financial aid was given with the understanding that local governments were to provide books, staff, and permanent mainte- nance, and that each library was to be free for use by the general public.15 141b1d., p. 113. 15Gates, op. cit., pp. 85-87. 13 During the city beautiful movement of the late 19th century, many libraries were built along with other cultural facilities in a dozen urban centers from Boston to San Francisco. Borrowing facades from French or Italian Renaissance palaces or from Greek or Roman temples, these libraries were symbols of the concept that urban man could be improved both physically and morally, by improving the environ- ment in which he lives.16 A librarian's conference in 1876 witnessed the formation of the American Library Association, the national organization of librarians, and marked the beginning attempt among librarians to define the proper role of the public library as a public service agency. Although it was generally agreed among leaders in the Association that the principal role of the public library was to provide for continuing education of adults, numerous practicing librarians did not view the public library as an educational agency.17 But during the time between the 1876 Con— ference and the turn of the century, an increasing number of practicing librarians became more concerned with the organization and use of books than just their preservation. In order to remove some past barriers that had made libraries uninviting to the general public, librarians began to develop operational policies to improve the accessibility of books, such as circulation of books for home reading, open access to shelves, longer hours of opening, and personal guidance to readers in locating and selecting books. 16McKelvey, Blake, The Urbanization gf_America: 1860-1915 (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1963), p. 123. 17This and following comments regarding the historic role of the public library are taken from Lee, _p, cit., pp. 14—30. 14 By the 1880's the question of whether to include popular reading materials had become a continuing issue among librarians. Those who supported the idea held the view that recreational reading services would attract a larger clientele, encourage readers of "low-brow" books to read "high—brow" books, and meet the evident need for an increase in recreation as a part of adult life in an industrializing society. Critics felt that it was not the duty of the municipality to raise taxes to supply popular reading, and that these materials Could be obtained from other sources, such as the rental or circulating library. They felt that if librarians responded to the demand for popular reading, this would detract from the library's main educational function. The controversy over the provision of popular novels and the like marked the beginning of a conflict between the library's principal objectives of education and recreation, a conflict which still exists today. The historic conflict centered on the issue of whether non- fiction works are in fact educational. In later years the issue broad- ened to include the question of the degree to which a library should allocate its resources between educational and other special services and the demand for recreational reading services.18 By the 1890's library collections had increased substantially in size to require the development of practical indexes and guides to facilitate the use of these resources. At this time large municipal libraries began to provide an additional service, called reference ser- vice, which consists of aiding the patron in locating facts pertaining to specific inquiries. Urban libraries began to organize special 18Gans, Herbert J., People and Plans: Essays on Urban Problems and Solutions, (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1968),—pl 99. 15 reference collections to facilitate informational reference services, and by the turn of the century these services had expanded to a level requiring a separate department in some libraries and the full-time efforts of one or more staff members. During the first two decades of the 20th century, librarians undertook a vast program of extending library services in an attempt to bring the library to a much larger proportion of the population. Ser- vice to children became a major activity of libraries of all sizes, and separate rooms for child reading activities were established. Libraries in large cities began to establish subsidiary centers for distribution. These included: 1) deposit stations, locations to which books were sent from the main library and deposited for use by the local community; 2) delivery stations, locations at which requests for books were accepted for later delivery; and 3) branch libraries, which oper- ated either as small versions of the central library or as distribution centers for the circulation of books at the neighborhood level.19 Branch libraries actually date from 1871, when the East Boston Branch of the Boston Public Library was established. During the last decade of the 19th century the trend toward branches was well establish— ed, aided by philanthropic gifts and the absorption of many social libraries into circulating branches.20 During the First World War many public libraries responded to the times by serving as agencies of war publicity for the government, aiding in the Americanization of aliens, and providing library services to 19Byam, Milton 8., "History of Branch Libraries," in Library Trends, Volume 14, No. 4., (April, 1966), p. 371. 20lbid., pp. 369—371. 16 soldiers' hospitals, the handicapped, and the blind. The re—emphasis on democracy during and immediately after the War gave renewed impor- tance to the educational role of the public library. Efforts to meet new needs of the urban populous included reading guidance and the pro— vision of special materials and services to factory workers and to national and racial groups. These services gradually grew into formal- ized programs of adult education offered to both individuals and com- munity groups, including reader's advisory services and library- sponsored group programs on books, films, and lectures.21 At the same time, however, many librarians had begun attempts to maintain and increase library budgets through efforts to increase book circulation. At the practical level of library administration circu- lation gradually became the standard measure by which the success of the library was judged. Concerned with increasing library use, many librarians made compromises with popular demand, which resulted in the heavy emphasis on light fiction that characterizes the collections of many small libraries today.22 Public library services to public schools, which began before the end of the 19th century, were greatly expanded during the 1930's and 1940's. In addition to inviting use of the library by students and teachers, other services to schools included lending boxes of books, setting up school libraries, giving book talks and holding story hours for children, and assisting teachers in selecting reading materials to supplement the curriculum. The trend toward public library assistance to schools continued, and as late as 1961 more than 5000 schools with 21Gates, op, cit., pp. 194—195. 22Lee, op, cit., pp. 42-43. 17 over 950,000 pupils were totally dependent upon services provided by the public library.23 During World War Two the public library carried on many of the functions it had performed during the First World War. Soon after the War specially designed and commercially produced bookmobiles came into extensive use for the first time. The history of the bookmobile goes back to the horse-drawn book wagons around 1900, which were used to bring books to unserved rural areas. Since the War,bookmobiles have been serving both rural and urban areas, providing service to local neighborhoods and public schools.24 Since the 1940's the programs of municipal public libraries have continued to expand and diversify. The 1966 standards for public library systems, published by the American Library Association, express this diversification.25 The Standards state that it is the function of the municipal public library to provide printed and nonprinted materials to all people in the community for information, education, self- realization, recreation, and cultural growth.26 The Standards suggest that collections of materials include books, periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers, pictures, slides, films, music scores, maps, disc and tape recordings, and the various microfilms and archival materials that 23Gates, op, cit., p. 196. 24Joseph L. Wheeler and Herbert Goldhor, Practical Administration .22 Public Libraries, (New York: Harper and Row, publishers, 1962), p. 424. 25American Library Association, Minimum Standards for Public Library Systems--1966, (Chicago: The Association, 1966). 26Ibid., p. 9. 18 relate to the local community.27 Services should include organization of materials for convenient use through shelf arrangement, classifi- cation, and cataloging; lending of materials to facilitate convenience of use; assistance to civic, cultural, and educational organizations in locating and using materials for various community projects; and stimulation of use and interpretation of materials through publicity, displays, reading lists, story hours, book talks, book and film dis- cussions, and other means either in the library or in community organi- zations.28 All municipal public libraries, regardless of size, will usually have departments of acquisition, technical processing, circulation, reference, administration, and a separate department serving children and young people. The large municipal library will usually be organized into many specialized departments, including subject departments, an extension department, departments serving special groups, departments concerned with a special kind of material (such as audio-visual materials or government documents), and branch libraries.29 Table 1-1, on the following page, indicates that according to the 1960 census there was a total of 8190 public libraries in the United States, of which 5768, or approximately 70 percent, were located within communities of less than 10,000 p0pu1ation. It has been estimated that the American public borrows over 550 million books each year; but according to a national survey conducted in 27Ibid., pp. 36-37. 281b1d., pp. 27-28. 29Gates,2p_. cit., pp. 203-204. 19 TABLE 1-1 Number and Percent of Public Library Systems By Size of Population Served Aggregate U.S.: Fiscal Year 1960 Number of Percentage of Population Served Libraries Total Total 8190 100.0 Less than 1,000 1574 19.2 1,000 - 2,499 1874 22.9 2,500 - 4,999 1209 14.8 5,000 - 9,999 1111 13.6 10,000 - 14,999 591 7.2 15,000 — 24,999 610 7.5 25,000 - 34,999 311 3.8 35,000 - 49,999 287 3.5 50,000 - 99,999 369 4.5 100,000 - 499,999 217 2.6 500,000 - 999,999 28 .3 1 million and over 9 .1 Source: Table 2 in Frank L. Schick and Doris C. Holladay, Statistics .2: Public Libraries Serving_Populations_g§ 100,000 g£_More: Fiscal Year 1960 (November, 1961) U.S. Office of Education, OE—15033. 1965, many public libraries do not meet minimum standards for total number of volumes, professional staff, and allocation of funds for operating expenses. The study concludes that more than 100 million volumes are needed to meet minimum American Library Association stan- dards.30 County, Multi-County, and Regional Library Systems It was not until libraries were firmly established in the majority of urban areas of the nation that library service to rural areas had its beginning. The basic problem of providing service to rural 30American Library Association, National Inventory of Library Needs, (Chicago: The Association, 1965), p. 5. 20 communities was one of cost. Many rural communities lacked the finan- cial resources to set up their own library, while on the other hand, municipal libraries in central-city areas faced financial problems in extending permanent service through branches much beyond the outlying district of the urbanized area. The first attempt to provide rural services was undertaken by state library agencies through a system of traveling libraries. These consisted of a small collection of books packed in boxes and sent to rural areas to be placed in postoffices, stores, and homes. But in many cases this arrangement proved inadequate, and the county was eventually turned to as the logical unit of government for providing service to rural areas on a more permanent basis. The first county libraries were established in 1898, in Van Wert County, Ohio, and in Washington County, Maryland, Services were pro- vided to the residents of Washington County through traveling libraries, deposit stations, and a book wagon. Branch facilities and bookmobiles have continued to be characteristic features of extension services in county library systems. During the first decade of the 20th century several other states provided for county support of library service, but development was slow until 1911, when California began a vigorous campaign to organize county libraries on a statewide basis. By 1920, twenty-six additional states had enacted enabling legislation for counties to establish libraries,and in 1930 a multi-county unit was established in Vermont. At present all states have permissive legislation for the establishment 21 of county or multi—county libraries, either voluntarily or by petition of a required number of citizens.31 The diversity of government control of county libraries even exceeds that of municipal public libraries. The simplest form of county library organization is when the library becomes a department of county government. A library so organized may operate with or without a library board, and if there is no board, the county governing body functions as such. County library services may be provided by contract, which involves the extension of complete service by an existing agency to any area that is willing to pay for it. Contractual arrangements vary, and may involve a contract between a county unit and a strong municipal library, a neighboring county or region, the state library extension agency, or an institution of higher learning. A third method of providing county library services is through a joint city-county system, which serves both the city and the county under the county government. The county library may serve all the county or only that part not already served by local libraries, and is usually financed from general tax funds, penal fines, plus state and federal aid.32 Multi-county libraries are established by action of each county's governing body or by a vote of the people. The library is usually supported by local taxes voted by each of the counties for that purpose, and is supervised by a library board composed of members from each of the participating counties. County and multi-county library districts have been formed particularly in the fringe areas of cities, where 31Gates, op, cit., p. 179. 32Schenk, Gretchen K., County and Regional Librarnyevelopment, (Chicago: American Library Association, 1954), pp. 30-40. 22 several governmental jurisdictions are involved. The district is established by vote of the people, and a district library is formed. The district prepares its own budget and a specific tax is levied in each county for support of the library district.33 Other forms of regional library systems include: 1) a geographic region within one highly urbanized county; 2) a variety of governmental units which cooperate in one form or another to maintain library ser- vice; 3) an extension of library service from the state through regional branches of the state library; and 4) an interstate compact which pro- vides for an interstate library district governed by its own board with members representing the various participating libraries. Each kind of county, multi—county, and regional library system maintains a central collection and may extend service through branches, deposit stations, and/or bookmobile service. The central library may serve as a headquarters building for services distributed throughout the service area, and also as a local library for the area in which it is located. Or the central library may give no direct service to the public, but serve more or less as a warehouse for storage, book-ordering processing and delivery service to smaller libraries in the service area, as well as the central facility for a bookmobile operation. Services provided by county and regional libraries are similar to those provided by municipal public libraries, but services to children and schools have been the main emphasis, while specialized reference and technical services for adults have been traditionally weak as compared to municipal libraries of similar size.34 33Ibido , pp. 41-450 34Wheeler and Goldhor,_gp. cit., p. 449. 23 Central to the concept of library systems are the related concepts of larger units of service and interlibrary cooperation, which have both been emphasized by library leaders since the turn of the century. Taken together, these concepts are viewed as a means for improving the financial base for library Operations, as a means for improving econo- mies of operation, and as a means for providing a higher quality of service to a greater proportion of the population. The modern systems concept basically envisions a large central plant for centralizing reference, rarely-used collections, and administrative activities, with a network of branch extension agencies considerably larger and fewer in number than the existing pattern of small branches and independent com- munityllibraries.35 Cooperative activities include formalized procedures involved in the system arrangement or voluntary arrangements to provide cooperative services informally in certain special areas, such as united (union) catalogs and the sharing of certain materials. Hence, the systems approach may be instituted in a variety of forms; but in terms of organization, there are three basic types: 1) a consolidated system, usually a municipal public library system, in which a single library board and administrator direct the entire system as a single autonomous unit; 2) a federated system, in which one or more county boards of trustees designate a systems board to direct and control the activities of the systems library, (local libraries retain their autonomy and contract with the system for services and other assistance);and 3) a cooperative system, in which the trustees of a 35Bowler, op, cit., pp. 29-32. 24 group of local libraries establish a system by electing a board to represent them in directing the system. The systems board designates a central library to house the interlibrary loan collection, and determines the programs of services within the system. Member libraries remain autonomous, and local library boards continue to operate their own libraries within the system.36 Other Kinds_p£ Libraries The Federal government currently owns and operates many thousands of libraries, including government agency, institutional, military, college, university, school, public (within the District of Columbia), special, and highly specialized technical and scientific research libraries. Local agencies of federally operated libraries are usually parts of systems, such as those in hospitals of the Veterans Adminis- tration and in military bases.37 Besides providing library services, the Federal government also assists local public libraries through the provision of library mater- ials, technical assistance, and financial aid. Financial assistance for the improvement of library facilities is granted through the 1964 Library Services and Construction Act, which provides states with annual grants for the extension of library services and the construction of individual units. Each state becomes eligible by submitting a state plan for approval by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. 36Gates, _p, cit., pp. 183-184. 37Johnson, pp, cit., p. 250. 25 Once the grant is authorized, the states allocate the funds to local units on a matching basis.38 State responsibility for library service has evolved historically on a cumulative basis. Library services at the state level had its beginning in the late 18th century, and by the end of the 19th century every state and territory had a library located at the seat of govern- ment and maintained at public expense primarily for use by government officials and agencies. With the beginning of state support for edu- cational institutions, the states began to accept the responsibility for providing library services within these institutions as a function of the state department of education. Toward the end of the 19th cen- tury, state responsibility for library service was broadened to include free public library service for the people of the state as well as its officials. By 1900 many states had established library extension agencies, with specific responsibility to extend library service throughout the state.39 The recent trend has been for the deve10pment of regional branches of the state library, serving as intermediate units between local libraries and the state agency. A notable example is the State of New Hampshire, where four regional branches of the New Hampshire State Library provide supplementary and extension services, resources, and 38American Society of Planning Officials, Planning the Public Library, Report No. 241 by the Planning Advisory Service, (Chicago: The Society, 1968), p. 15. 39Brahm, Walter T., "State Libraries," in The Future p£_Library Service: Demographic Aspects and Implications, edited by Frank L. Schick, (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science, 1962), pp. 87-92. 26 professional assistance to over two hundred independent public librar- ies, thus placing all libraries under a single statewide system.40 Public libraries at the local level have traditionally experienced close ties with school libraries, especially those within elementary and secondary schools. Before the 1920's there was little recognition of the need for school libraries because educational curricula centered on the use of textbooks within the classroom. But in the 1920's the emphasis in education shifted from the subject matter to the learner, resulting in the requirement for a large variety of materials to meet the different needs of each child. Organization of school libraries subsequently increased; but in the late 1930's there were 33,000 schools still totally dependent on classroom collections, usually supplied by the public library.41 Since the 1940's school library development has continued to increase, especially in junior and senior high schools. However, li- braries within elementary schools have not deve10ped at the same pace, and as late as 1961 only 31.2 percent of all elementary schools had centralized libraries.42 Where public school libraries have been either inadequate or lacking, public libraries have historically served to fill the gap, either through the provision of services at the library or through the extension of services to the school. 40McKay, Mildred P., "New Hampshire's Single State Library Sys- tem," in Library Trends, Volume 13, No. 3, (January, 1965), pp. 279-281. 41Gates,_gp. cit., p. 220. 42Mary Helen Mahar and Doris C. Holladay (editors), Statistics pf Public School Libraries, 1960fi6l, Part 1; Basic Tables, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964), p. 3. 27 Libraries within higher institutions of learning are as varied as the institutions they serve. There are libraries in junior colleges; in four-year liberal arts colleges; in teachers colleges; in agricul- tural and mechanical colleges; in technical and professional schools; and there are central libraries in universities and more specialized libraries in the colleges within universities. Before 1900 the average college library was small and consisted primarily of literary classics for use by the faculty and some graduate students. But after the turn of the century the academic library gradually became more an active part of the academic program, and it is now the basic function of the academic library to aid the institution in carrying out its program. Tremendous increases in the enrollment of students within insti— tutions of higher learning have placed overburdening demands on many existing academic libraries. This is particularly true for the junior or community colleges, which have experienced rapid growth in the past fifteen years, but have continued to operate without sufficient funds for many programs and facilities, including libraries. As with school libraries, where libraries within academic institutions are inadequate, greater demands are placed by students on the public library in meeting student research needs. The inadequacies of library resources in academic libraries are expressed in the 1965 study of national library needs. The report indicates that in the 1962—63 academic year, 73 per- cent of all four-year institutions fell below American Library Associa- tion (ALA) standards in numbers of volumes, and 91 percent of all two- year institutions fell within this same group.43 43National Inventory of Library Needs, pp. cit., Table B, p. 47. 28 "Special" libraries is a term used to describe a wide variety of libraries that fall within four basic groups: 1) those operated by governmental agencies at the local, state and federal levels; 2) those attached to commercial or trade organizations; 3) those attached to profit-making corporations in commerce and industry; and 4) those owned and Operated by societies and associations, as well as individually endowed reference and research libraries.44 Special libraries are an outgrowth of the technological revolution and the accompanying breakdown of various fields into specialties. A distinguishing characteristic of special libraries is that each is usually a unit of a private or public corporation for the purpose of providing informational resources necessary for the particular organi— zation to fulfill its function. The majority of special libraries tend to be small and maintained as an internal agency of the organization of which they are a part. Summary and Conclusions The purpose of this first chapter has been to provide a short overview of the various kinds of libraries and library services avail- able in one form or another for public use. Later chapters of this report will refer to many of the basic characteristics of public 1i— braries discussed in this first chapter as they relate to principles and standards for locating public library facilities. It is apparent that the current make-up and pattern of public library service is the result of numerous social, economic, and 44American Corporation, Libraries (A reprint from the Encyclope- dia Americana), 1962. 29 political forces which have historically influenced library development in this country. Public libraries were first established as a service provided and maintained by local governments. However, since its beginning the public library has experienced a disadvantage in Vying for revenues in that it has not had the emotional appeal, public con- tact, and "visibility" enjoyed by other public institutions. Conse- quently, most public libraries maintained by local governments have been hard put to obtain adequate financial support to provide the quality of service suggested by standards of the library profession. Problems of financing coupled with expanding public demands for library materials have prompted library leaders to support the concepts of regional systems and larger units of service to replace the existing decentralized pattern of weak and independent local public libraries. Moreover, librarians are faced with the problem of obtaining economies of scale while at the same time maintaining local accessibility to library services at the community and neighborhood level. Public libraries were first developed in the middle-half of the 19th century by people who could read and had the incentive to do so. They have experienced their most vigorous growth in urban areas, where wealth, a concentrated population, and the habit of a communal cultural activity, have provided the strongest demand for high-quality library service. From the beginning the public library has remained committed to the principal goal of providing for the continuing education of adults. During the early years of its development, the urban public library was able to fulfill this goal by serving as a means for encouraging the assimilation of working-class immigrants into the middle—class style 30 of life. Horatio Alger characteristics prevailed among young men and self-improvement was considered a valuable end in itself. But with the tremendous advances in the formal system of free public education, the need and demand for self—educational improvement became less the purpose for patron use of the public library.45 In the meantime practicing librarians, in attempts to strengthen the public library as a service agency, began to institute a variety of programs which could meet new demands for library materials and increase library use. These included programs for extending library services and the provision of more popu- lar reading materials. At the institutional level goals were broadened to include support for information gathering, asthetic appreciation, research, and recrea- tion activities, as well as educational activities. Consequently, the aims of public libraries became overlapping and diffused, and hard to define in programmatic terms. Herbert Gans has expressed the problem as follows: In defining its goals, the public library has strug- gled, like all service-giving agencies, between two concep- tions of itself. One, which derives from the people who supply library services, and which I will call supplier— oriented, argues that the public library is an institution which ought to achieve the educational and cultural goals of the librarian and his profession; the other, which I call user-oriented, argues that the library ought to cater to the needs and demands of its users. These are polar opposites, and in the library's actual goal choices both positions are included; the usual solution has been to up- hold the supplier-oriented conception in its professional conferences and publications, but to adopt more of a user- 45Banfield, Edward C., "Needed: A Public Purpose," in The Public Library and the City, edited by Ralph W. Conant, (Cambridge: The M.I.T. Press, 1965). 31 oriented conception in actual practice, if only in order to get the library budget approved by the city fathers.46 Gans further explains that the supplier—oriented conception is expressed by the professed objectives of promoting self-education, in- formation gathering, research, aesthetic appreciation, and leisure- time activities, while the user-oriented approach is built into the published standards by which the library plans and evaluates itself. These standards represent a set of practiced objectives, including institutional growth and maximization of library use, in which the adequacy of the library is measured by such criteria as the number of books taken out or the number of reference questions asked annually. It will be shown in Chapter Two of this report that the practical objec- tive of maximizing use has also been incorporated in standards deve10ped within the profession for locating public library facilities. Banfield argues that the public library no longer serves its original purpose--to assimilate immigrants to the urban, middle-class way of life in America. Immigrants are now assimilated and the present— day poor do not use the library partly because they lack self~motivation and partly because libraries are primarily middle-class institutions that do not appeal to the poor or reject them.48 Changing patterns of patron use of libraries, rising demands for a diversity of library services, and changing social characteristics of both urban and rural populations, have presented numerous issues to 46Gans, _p, cit., p. 97. 47Ibid., p. 98. 48Banfield,pp. cit. 32 library planners concerning the proper role of the public library in present-day society. CHAPTER TWO EXISTING STANDARDS AND PRINCIPLES FOR LOCATING PUBLIC LIBRARY FACILITIES This second chapter is intended to provide an overview of existing standards and principles used in making location decisions for public library facilities. The procedure for analysis was to first examine the historical development of standards which have had nation-wide recognition, and then to examine current studies on library location to determine how nationally recognized standards have been interpreted and used. Historical Development g£_National Standards for Public Libraries Specific national standards for public library services did not come into existence until 1921, when the American Library Association first designated one dollar per capita as the minimum annual revenue for providing adequate service. During the 1930's the Association continued to deve10p standards and objectives for service, stressing the need for interlibrary cooperation and the deve10pment of library systems. Although the one dollar per capita standard was still sugges- ted, it was recognized that modifications were necessary for proper application to local situations.1 1Rose Vainstein and Marion Magg, State Standards for Public Libraries, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960), U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, OE-15010, pp. 7-11. 33 34 In 1942, the National Resources Planning Board, an arm of the Executive Office of the President, granted funds to the American Library Association for the formulation of working standards for library service which would serve as a guideline for library development after the War. From this grant the Association published, Post-War Standards for Public Libraries, in 1943, and A_National Plan for Public Library Service, in 1948.2 The 1943 standards provided both qualitative and quantitative criteria for measuring the adequacy of public library facilities and services. Limited or minimum service could be achieved at the one dollar per capita support (or approximately $25,000 per year to provide service to a population of about 25,000). In cities of 100,000 popu- lation or more, the 1943 standards suggested that each branch library should serve, on an average, an area within a radius of 1 - 1 1/2 miles, and a minimum population of 25,000 to 55,000. In all cases where quan- titative standards were stated, the 1943 document emphasized the need to adapt these standards according to the local situation, and warned that they should not be used without restraint. The 1943 standards made the first official statement of criteria for locating public library buildings in terms of the following general principles: The public library building should be located on a site which is conveniently situated for service to the . greatest number of people in the area for which the build- ing is responsible....The Central building in a municipal library system should be within a block of two of the main business and shopping area and convenient to main traffic 2Post-War Standards for Public Libraries, (Chicago: The American Library Association, 1943), and A_National Plan for Public Library Service, (Chicago: The American Library Association, 1948). 35 arteries. A branch building should be located on or near a main traffic junction within a mile to a mile and a half of the majority of the people in the area to be served.3 A_Nationa1 Plan for Public Library Service disclosed that as a whole, library services in the United States fell far below the 1943 standards, principally because: 1) one-fourth of the American people lived in areas where there were no libraries; 2) there were far too many administrative units and the typical library was too small in an area too economically weak to provide proper financial support; and 3) average library support was so low that a large proportion of li- braries could provide no more than mediocre service.4 Similar to earlier statements of standards, the principal recommendation of the plan was to develop larger units of service as parts of integrated systems of library services. In 1950 a nation-wide survey of public library services, termed the Public Library Inquiry, was completed and published in a summary volume, titled The Public Library in the United States.5 In its appraisal, the study concluded that: l) adequacy of public library service could not be described solely in terms of dollar expenditures or per capita support; and 2) $100,000 was the dividing line between an adequate and inadequate annual budget for a single public library system, regardless of size.6 31bid., p. 62. 4Ibid., p. 18. 5Leigh, Robert D., The Public Library in the United States, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1950). 6Ibid., pp. 65 and 154. 36 The 1950 study was followed six years later by a revised statement of official American Library Association standards for public libraries, titled Public LibraryService.7 Reflected in the 1956 document are many of the findings, recommendations, and philosophy expressed in earlier statements of standards, including re-emphasis on the develop- ment of library systems through various forms of cooperative arrange- ments. Unlike the 1943 standards, the 1956 document did not prescribe quantitative standards for other than personnel and library materials. Population bases for various library sytems were not defined because it was felt that many demographic variations in the United States made it undesirable to prescribe a fixed pattern of sizes for public library systems. By this time per capita standards for minimum financial sup- port had reached the three dollar per capita level. But per capita expenditures were not considered in the 1956 document because it was felt that they were too misleading, especially when used in areas of low-density population.8 In the 1956 standards, the section dealing with the location of central library facilities is stated somewhat differently as compared to the 1943 document. Whereas the 1943 standards suggest that the cen- tral facility should be located near the downtown shopping area, the 1956 standards suggest that the best location, from the standpoint of the immediate area served, is within or immediately adjacent to a shopping district.9 7Public Library Service, (Chicago: The American Library Associa- tion, 1956). 8Vainstein and Magg, pp, cit., pp. 18—19. 9Public Library Service, pp. cit., p. 60. 37 Following publication of the 1956 standards there was considerable controversy among librarians regarding the question of whether the new standards were set too high for the more than two-thirds of all librar- ies in the United States serving populations of under 10,000 (Reference Table 1-1). The American Library Association responded by publishing, in 1962, Interim Standards for Small Public Libraries: Guidelines Toward Achieving the Goals pf Public Library Service.10 The intro- ductory statement to the interim standards explains that the new stan— dards should be regarded as an interim goal, to serve until small libraries can meet the standards of Public Library Service. Although a definition of a small library is not given, it is suggested that the standards could be used for libraries serving population groups of various sizes up to 50,000 persons. Both qualitative and quantitative statements are provided regarding adequate levels of library service and materials, stressing in this case the role of the library in the local community. Only one statement is made regarding the proper location for the library facility: The library building should be located in or near the community shopping center and at street level if possible. Adequate parking should be available nearby.11 The most current statement of American Library Association stan— dards for public libraries was published in 1966, and is titled, Minimum Standards for Public Library Systems, 1966.12 The 1966 document 10Interim Standards for Small Public Libraries: Guidelines Toward Achieving the Goals pf Public Library Service, (Chicago: The American Library Association, 1962). 11Ibid., p. 13. 12Minimum Standards for Public Library Systems, pp. cit. 38 provides the most comprehensive statement of what is intended by the concept of library systems. It is stated that the principal objective of the systems approach is to make all resources and services available to local readers, but not necessarily available within the local com- munity library. To meet the needs of users, wherever they may be, the system operates on three principal levels: 1) the community library, working jointly with the school library, the college library, and the special resource libraries in its area; 2) the system headquarters, supplying resources in depth and specialized personnel; and 3) the state library agency, using its own resources and those of universities, bibliographic centers, and federal libraries.13 The 1966 standards suggest that the minimum population for a library system should be 150,000 people, and the quantitative standards for library materials are provided on that basis. Standards for loca- ting physical facilities reflect further interpretation of the criteria for central and local libraries first suggested in the 1956 and 1962 documents: The site for a (headquarters) public library building should be where the largest percentage of all people to be served will have access to the library frequently in the nor- mal pursuit of their activities. The site should have heavy pedestrian traffic; be convenient to public transportation; and have conveniently available automobile parking, in com- mercial or library parking lots....The community library should be located in a place to which residents come often, such as a shopping center or the community's business cen- ter.1 131b1d., p. 12. 14Ibid., pp. 60 and 65. 39 Other Sources for Nationally Recognized Standards Besides standards published by the American Library Association, it is apparent that there has been essentially two other sources for public library service standards: 1) standards set forth by individual states at the state level; and 2) standards suggested by various re- ports and textbooks published within the field of library science. State standards actually predate national standards published by the American Library Association, and were first instituted by the State of New York in 1910. From their beginning, national standards were intended to serve as broad guidelines for more specific interpre- tation at the state and local levels. This is one of the reasons why quantitative standards for measuring the quality of service were even- tually de—emphasized at the national level. However, the usual prac- tice in state library plans has been to make passing reference to national standards, without developing more specific standards for the several types and levels of libraries within the state.15 A national survey of state standards for public libraries was conducted in 1960, and it was found that of the minority of states that had developed their own standards for library services, considerable variation existed between the states.16 In terms of accessibility of service, for example, the State of Maryland divided service at the local level into two types: 1) a branch library which was economically sound 15Martin, Lowell A., "Principles of Statewide Library Planning," in Statewide Long-Rangprlanning for Libraries-7A Report pf a Confer- ence, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1966), U.S. Depart- ment of Health, Education, and Welfare, OE-15060, pp. 7-8. 16Vainstein and Magg, pp, cit., p. 33. 40 when there were 3000 or more people within a mile and a half radius; and 2) a branch where there was a population of 3000 within a radius of ten miles or, if there was not this minimum.within ten miles, there would be a branch in the shopping center of the county. The State of Virginia, on the other hand, required that all public libraries would provide an extension service outlet within a five mile radius of every resident, while city and county libraries serving more than 90,000 population would provide a branch for each 30,000-40,000 population or within a radius of one mile.17 Library literature is replete with various reports, articles, and chapters of textbooks, dealing with the questions of service area stan- dards, circulation standards, and site standards for public library facilities. Whereas circulation standards and detailed site criteria have never been specified at the national level, it is apparent that these standards have been derived principally within the literature of the profession. After reviewing a significant number of these sources, it is evident that a majority of them adhere to a set of standards set forth by Joseph L. Wheeler, a long-experienced librarian who has dedi- cated his career to the practical aspects of library administration. The basic text to which later textbooks and reports refer was published by Wheeler and Herbert Goldhor in 1962, titled, Practical Administra- tion of Public Libraries.18 For an independent central library or a branch of a local or regional library, the following table, Table 2-1, has frequently been used as a guideline for determining library size, cost, and circulation: 17Ibid., p. 24. 18Wheeler and Goldhor, op. cit. 41 TABLE 2-1 Experience Formulas for Library Size and Costs Population Book Number Circula- Total Desirable 1961 Fair Stock of tion Square lst Floor Estimated Volumes Seats Volumes Feet Square Cost Per Per Per Per Per Feet Per Capita* Capita 1,000 Capita Capita Capita Popula- tion Under 10,000 10,000_ 3 1/2-5 10 10 .7-.8 .5-.7 $ 15. 35,000 35,000_ 2 3/4—3 5 9.5 .6-.65 .4-.45 $ 12. 100,000 100,000_ 2 1/2-2 3/4 3 9 .5—.6 .25-.3 $ 10. 200,000 200,000_ 1 3/4-2 2 8 .4-.5 .15-.2 $ 9. 500,000 500,000_ 1 1/2 1 1/4 7 .35-.4 .l- .125 $ 7. and up 1-1 1/4 1 6.5 .3 .06-.08 $ 6. Source: Joseph L. Wheeler and Herbert Goldhor, Practical Administration g£_Public Libraries, (New York: Harper & Row, 1962), p. 554. * Without furnishings (add 15%) or air conditioning (add 10%) In addition to the above guideline, the 1962 text indicates that a branch is justified only when it is assured a minimum annual circulation of 75,000, and desirably 100,000 books, of which 45 percent to 50 per— cent will be adult circulation, and at least 10,000 adult information questions answered each year.19 According to the text, branches should be expected to serve at least 30,000 people, and, in general, should be located no more than three or four miles from any other service agency. 191b1d., p. 412. 42 It is also suggested that for libraries serving less than 50,000 popu- lation, a permanent branch facility is not justified. Standards and criteria for locating public library facilities have been discussed in a large quantity of library literature since the turn of the century. Although there have been numerous differences of opinion, through the years the vast majority of librarians, who have written about the subject, have supported the concept of locating the public library so that its potential use is maximized. With this basic objective in mind, there have been several specific site selection criteria developed, all of which relate to the overall objective of maximizing potential use. The basic rationale for this objective, as well as the problems faced by librarians in attempting to implement this objective, are most comprehensively discussed in, The Effective Location gf_Public Library Buildings, a report written by Joseph Wheeler in 1958.20 Since this report has been referred to most frequently by recent literature dealing with the subject of library location, it is apparently considered as the current "bible" among librarians for locating public library build- ings. For this reason a concentrated effort has been made in this report to analyze the proposals set forth by this document. The basic thesis presented by Wheeler is that gyg£y_new public library, central or branch, should be located in the center of the major pedestrian shopping and office area, where busy stores would flourish. Central facilities should be located in the heart of the 20Wheeler, Joseph L., The Effective Location of Public Library Buildings, (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Library School, 1958) University of Illinois Library School Occasional Papers, No. 52. 43 downtown shopping district, on or near the "100% corner" of heaviest retail trade. Local outlets should be situated in the center of neighborhood or community shopping centers. These general conclusions rest on a number of surveys conducted by Wheeler over a ten year period preceding the 1958 publication date, including the responses to a questionaire sent to all public libraries in cities of over 100,000 population, and a number of smaller ones (The exact number is not specified). Throughout the entire report, Wheeler presents his thesis in terms of dozens of case examples where opinions of librarians across the country have suggested the need for locating the library within the downtown shOpping district. The concept of locating public libraries within pedestrian- oriented business districts carries with it the inherent assumption that the degree to which public libraries are used depends largely upon the Opportunity for potential and actual users to combine trips to the library with other shopping and business errands. Wheeler attempts to prove this, as well as the validity of the general concept, by three statistical approaches: 1) by citing several surveys conducted by librarians between 1930 and 1958 which indicated that a high percentage of users combined their trip to the library with their downtown day's work, their daytime shopping, or their evening entertainment trips; 2) by comparing circulation figures for two libraries of similar size within a system—-one located "poorly" (i.e., not within a pedestrian center), and the other located in a prominent shOpping area; and 3) by comparing circulation figures for a library before and after it was relocated within or away from a pedestrian shopping and business area. 44 An example of the first approach is the report of a 1930 survey of the Cincinnati main library, which showed that 95 percent of all users made the library trip incidental to either shopping, business, or entertainment. The second statistical approach is exemplified by the report of the Williams branch of the Atlanta Public Library, located in a central trade area, which loaned 100,000 books in 1955, while Kirkwood branch, located in the same system and opposite a park, loaned 30,000 in the same year. An example of the third statistical approach is the report of a branch of the Cleveland Public Library, which moved in 1950 from a pedestrian center and experienced a 35 percent drOp in circulation, despite better and larger quarters.21 In judging the ade- quacy of a library, Wheeler refers to his standard of 75,000, as the minimum annual book circulation figure that must be assured if a branch is to be justified. To the casual reader of Wheeler's report, the sheer number of case examples and the manner in which they are presented would lead him to believe that the very economic success or failure of any library would depend on its being located in the heart of a central trade dis- trict. In Chapter Four of this report several questions are raised regarding the validity of this concept based on data supplied in Chapter Three. But in any case there are still some questions which can be raised regarding Wheeler's statistical approaches for proving his theory on library location. First among these is the question of whether circulation is an adequate measure of library use. Leon Carnovsky, a librarian and 21 report. These examples are abstracted from pages 11-13 of Wheeler's 45 student of library use studies, has pointed out that the amount of circulation is not an adequate measure of library use simply because there are many other factors, both inside and outside the library, which may affect circulation counts. Among these are changes in the magnitude and character of the population, changes within local insti- tutions, such as larger sthool enrollments, changes in the accessi- bility of the library itself, changes in the accessibility of other competing library outlets, and changes in book selection policy, such as emphasizing or de-emphasizing more popular books or books needed for school assignments. Unless these and other factors are taken into consideration, circulation figures can be very misleading as a sole criterion for measuring library use.22 Second is the question of whether circulation figures serve as an adequate measure of quality of service received by the public. From the community's side, circulation figures measure only the magnitude of books or other materials placed on loan, and not the number or type of people who borrow them, or whether the books are in fact read. For example, 10,000 books on loan could be read by 2 percent or 92 percent of the p0pulation within the service area. Inside the library, circu- lation figures measure only one of a number of services provided by many libraries, including reference and information services, telephone requests, story hours for children, art exhibits, and other services discussed in Chapter One. 22Carnovsky, Leon, "Surveys of the Use of Library Resources and Facilities," in Library Surveys, edited by Maurice F. Tauber and Irlene R. Stephens, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1967), p. 73. 46 There is also the question of whether a comparison of circulation figures between two libraries or one library at different locations is an adequate approach for correlating library use with location. As pointed out above, in all cases the surveyor must recognize that library use depends upon a multitude of factors. In cases where a library is relocated into a shopping center, the fact that the new library is a modern and expanded facility may contribute more to an increase in use than the location itself. These criticisms of Wheeler's statistical approaches for corre- lating library use with location are not intended to suggest that cir- culation figures should not be utilized as a tool for measuring library use. In fact, circulation figures are often the only record available of public use of the library. (There is an increasing tendency among librarians not to keep records of registration because of the admini- strative costs involved.) However, these criticisms do suggest that circulation, as a measure of library adequacy, should not be accepted at face value, but should lead to further analysis of causal factors. Principles for Where a Library Should Not Be Located The strong thesis for locating all public libraries within the heart of pedestrian-oriented shopping and business districts has been translated into what librarians have termed as current misconceptions regarding the function of a library and where it should be located. These misconceptions are summarized by Wheeler as follows23 1. That the library building is primarily a monument, and therefore should be associated with a setting of 23Wheeler, op, cit., pp. 3-5. 47 monumental buildings, large landscaped grounds, and quiet, aloof surroundings. 2. That the public library is primarily a genteel cul- tural and recreational agency, and consequently belongs with other cultural buildings. 3. That the library should stand in the geographic or population center of a community, or else that it should be located close to schools and parks. 4. That the availability of parking should be a major factor in the determination of the location of the library building. 5. That the central library should be divided and part of it put somewhere else where ground is cheaper and parking is easier. The basis for these statements actually relates to the histori- cal development of public libraries, as discussed in Chapter One of this report. These "misconceptions" represent some of the traditional views of the public library, which predate the modern extension move- ment, at a time when the library was considered by both practicing librarians and the general public as more an educational and cultural institution than as an agency for the distribution of library mater- ials. This particularly applies to the traditional concept of locating public libraries within a cultural setting, or close to schools and other public buildings. But as a result of the current emphasis on maximizing the use of services, attempts have been made to de-emphasize these traditional views of the public library. In this respect, any location which might separate the library from the central activity area of the community is considered less than ideal. The strong argument expressed by librarians for locating the public library within the central business district also reflects differences of opinion concerning site selection which have occurred 48 between librarians and public officials, including planners. The problem is expressed by Wheeler as follows: Librarians are logically in a position to have sounder opinions than anyone else in a community, as to where libraries should be placed. But when the time approaches to decide a library's location, public offi— cials, citizen's groups, real estate men, planners, news- paper editors, and many others, often ignore experienced opinion and advice, only to offer unsound, illogical pro- posals and bring heavy pressure to do the very things which would be and have proved to be most disastrous for the library's services to its community.24 In defining the "illogical proposals" made specifically by planners, Wheeler states that: All too often, planners think about the library only in terms of finding an economical site, failing to realize that a bad location will measurably reduce the return on the considerable investment in the library building and from the annual operating budgets. A second common mistake which planners may make, in thinking about libraries, is to stress secondary considerations, e.g., parking for library patrons, combining or grouping a public auditorium or museum with a library, or creating a monumental traditional structure on spacious grounds.25 Another area of disagreement between librarians and planners has been the proposal made by some planners, particularly in large cities, for physically separating the circulation department of the central library from its administrative, reference-research, and non-book functions. The circulation and basic reference department would be located in the central-city area, while the more specialized and admin- istrative functions would be located on less costly sites further 24Ibid., p. 8. 251bid., p. 38. 49 out.26 Although comparative feasibility studies are lacking, it appears to be the general consensus among librarians that the circu- lating, reference, and other special collections of the central library cannot be split without heavy penalties in duplicated collections and staff, and increased Operating costs. In accordance with statements regarding current "misconceptions" of the public library, specific principles have been established for where the library should ng£_be located. These may be summarized as follows: 1. A public library should not be located in a civic center, a government center, a cultural center, or a park. 2. A public library should not be located on a quiet side street, away from the heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic. 3. A public library should not be located temporarily with- in rented quarters. 4. A public library should not be located within or adja- cent to public schools. Of course, all of these principles relate to the basic idea that any remote location (either literally or psychologically) should specifically be avoided. Consequently, it is assumed that cultural centers and parks fit this definition because they tend to be "aloof and inaccessible, and somewhat separated from the daily life of the community."27 26For example, see Huff, Robert L., "Library Planning," in Planning 1961: Selected Papers from the ASPO National Planning Confer- ence, Denver, Colorado, (Chicago: The American Society of Planning Officials, 1961), pp. 162-167. 27Bowler,gp. cit., p. 299. 50 The principle for not locating the public library on a quiet side street refers essentially to the local community library, which has often been placed in such a manner. It is also in response to some current proposals for compromising the pedestrian shopping center location by placing the library in a nearby area where land costs are not so high. Wheeler responds by suggesting (without evidence) that for every block the library is located away from the central trade area, the library will suffer decreasing patronage.28 The third principle refers to past practices in some cities where branches were temporarily established in buildings designed for subsequent use as stores, and erected by concerns which rented them to the library for ten or more years. However, the general experience has been that in the meantime land rent continued to rise, and try out savings were eventually lost in later costs for a permanent site. The fourth principle arises from past practices of locating the local community library, particularly branches, within local public schools. This has traditional ties with the one-time popular practice in the mid and late 1800's of establishing school-district public libraries, which were administered by the common school system, and open for use by both students and adults. Although this practice lost p0pularity by 1900, there are still a number of public libraries administered and financed by school districts. In recent years the location of public libraries in school buildings has frequently been proposed by those who wish to apply library resources in direct aid to schools, or by those who wish to provide a general service at an 28Wheeler,_qp. cit., p. 31. 51 economic level through the use of an existing public building con— taining a related activity. However, there is evidence that school and public library com- binations have not worked well in the past. From an administrative standpoint, it has been difficult to provide for both the specialized needs of students and the more general reading needs of adults. If the book collection is shaped mostly for the needs of students, often adult patrons have felt themselves intruders and have ceased to use the library. Other difficulties include the problem of arranging hours of Opening, the problem of providing sufficient parking during the day or when school activities occur at night, and the fact that some schools are located on large tracts of land that are poorly lighted and sometimes dangerous in the evening hours.29 If the criterion of maximizing use is applied, then there are inherent problems of locational considerations between the two facil- ities. In order to provide the proper environment for learning, it is often suggested that elementary schools should be placed away from distracting influences, ideally in a quiet residential area. TO mini- mize noise and provide maximum safety for children, it is also sug- gested that elementary schools are not located adjacent to a major thoroughfare. Because of their larger service areas, it is usually necessary to locate junior and senior high schools along a major or minor traffic arterial; however, a quiet site away from business dis- tricts is still preferable. Obviously, these locational considerations 29Bowler, op, cit., pp. 275-276. 52 are directly opposite to the concept of locating the public library in the center of heaviest shopping and business activity.30 Location Standards Used in_Various Library Plans Increasing demands for library services coupled with increases in federal and state aid for the development and expansion of library systems have led to the preparation of numerous library plans at the state, regional, and local levels. Among the wide variety of plans are those prepared by state library agencies, individual libraries, library consultants, and in recent years, by city and regional planning agencies. State-wide and regional library plans have characteristically focused on system-wide needs for coordinated and expanded library ser- vices. Since they are dealing primarily with the long-range aspects of library planning, specific locational requirements for individual facilities are usually not included. Only several local library plans prepared by librarians or library consultants were available for review. Among these it was found that the majority place major empha- sis on the need for improved services and additional financial support, while little if any attention is given to locational analysis or com- munity relationships with the library. In 1966 a study was made of comprehensive or master plans pre- pared by city planning agencies for thirty-three major urban centers.31 30West End Branch Study, (Tacoma, Washington: City Planning Com- mission, 1958), p. 13. 31See Bewley, Lois M., "The Public Library and the Planning Agency," in American Library Association Bulletin, Volume 61, No. 7, (July-August, 1967), pp. 968-974. 53 The master plans were published or revised since 1960, and were selected at random from the University of Illinois City Planning library. The purpose of the study was to determine how much attention was given to public libraries as an element of the master plan. It was found that the degree to which these master plans give considera- tion to public libraries varies considerably, from those that make no mention of public libraries whatsoever, to those that include entire chapters or separate documents devoted to libraries and library planning.32 Of all plans available for review, it was decided to focus on those prepared by planning agencies either as separate elements of the master plan or as special reports intended to supplement the master plan. The review was limited to these particular plans for three reasons: 1) because time limitations would not allow for a more comprehensive review of all plans; 2) because it was evident that these special reports prepared by planning agencies give more attention to locational criteria than any other type of library plan; and 3) because it was expected that in analyzing locational requirements for public libraries, planning agencies would take a more community-related and objective viewpoint than that expressed by librarians. A search through bibliographic sources revealed that approxi- mately twenty-five separate library plans have been published by planning agencies over the past two decades. Several of these were locally available for review, while Others were sent for by mail. Since several mailed requests were not fulfilled, a total of sixteen 321bid., p. 971. 54 plans were secured for review (These are listed in the bibliography of this report). Table 2-2 provides a capsule summary of the population base, service area, and principal location standard suggested by each of the plans for each type of library discussed. With some notable excep- tions, it was found that the majority of plans have accepted the con- cept of locating all public libraries within or adjacent to a shopping or business district, and have applied this concept directly to the local situation. Besides the one criterion of a shopping center location, other locational criteria are provided in all the plans, which further support the notion of situating the library so that its use is maxi— mized. Although these supporting criteria vary between reports, and are sometimes stated without a distinction between branch or central libraries, they usually consist of the following: For the central library—- 1. The site should be located at the corner of a busy street intersection, where the library can be easily seen and where pedestrian traffic is heavy. 2. The building should be placed near the edge of the sidewalk, with the front facing the main artery of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Maximum use should be made of display windows and views of the interior. 3. The site should be located on level terrain, permit- ting street-level entrance. 4. The site should be located within one block of a mass-transit terminal, and seen from the terminal. For the branch library-- 1. A branch should be located as if it were a local retail store. 55 maau maa lpfiHU .OHIW HO .emamaomam “oz .. m\z « .m>onm mm mama amass .am Nana ooo.onuooo.n~ amoos mean wna coma .msouaH4 .aomosH amaosmnam no awaoumsaoo I>auw .oalm no swam mumunaa enma Henna Son“ mmouom no unmounvm moaaa .mm mulom ooo.mm|ooo.om amaoawom mumupaa oaansm nomads .m .umuswu msawmu «oma .oano mmmsamsn no amaoumfifioo amass maaa N\a a la ooo.omlooo.mm sosmnm .mussoo couaaamm Mom amummm snow m Ou uaoomfium no aanuaz asaaaas nocmum m com: uuommm .q .Hmuamo mean wsa>anw mama .mmme .soumsom mmocamon no amaoumesoo naps: .m mo amawo: m\z Losmum mwdum soamsmmxm Imam m ou unmommwm no manuaz smummm mumunaa soamum .m coma .mou< swuaaomouumz mama .msos ou muasaxoum mmaum> moaum> gunman Im>mao map you swam mumunaa nonmum < "manouumm wsawamno .N m\z msfiemu mafia N ooo.om-ooo.mN suaa25500 mesa m\z m\z ooo.ommuooo.oom amaofiwmm manpomaamo .moamws< mos m\z soawmu moaam> :oaaaaa m.ala mou< musum aoama>mm *m\z muao muauam muao muausm amuuamo unoswam moaumupaa oaansm .a mumunaa wumwsmOm coaumooa mou< moa>umm Ommm noaumanmom mo ommH uuommm swam mmaumunaa oaansm mo mOGaM msoanm> mo soaumooa mam .mmu< moa>kmm .Ommm soaumasmom How wwumwamum vowamaaoowm NIN mamonm mm msmm .moum amauummpom was msammosm Hohma can mo Hmuamo on“ ma .moum amauummwmm can mcammosm uohma man no umuamo OSu Ga .mumusmo wdamnosm muassaaoo no amfioawmu u< .uoauumav mmmaamsn amuusmo mo ownaum .Amaumu Iauo Moguo msamv moamaamaa wnasmuw amauamuom no maaumaxm mmaaa .am oeuow mmaae .am caun m\z we: maria .m maavmu maas «\a ala Owaslawummm muam coaumasmom nuaa mmaum> msavmu maaa MIN wwaklamummm nuawmu maaa «\a ala ooo.omalooo.mn ooo.omlooo.mN m\z ooo.os engaaaa ooo.om-ooo.m~ Esaaaaa m\z mmm.mq 0“ a: mmm.mqlooo.mm Hm>o was ooo.om ooo.m~ assaaaa aoamum Hofimz noamum amooa ausmum m\z noamum ammunoo mam: muaanaaoo aosmum amuucmu gunman Homa .maouau< .xaamoem xaamonm mo suao me“ you swam sharps; .Ha awma .mommoacmH .muasoo compa>mo was Oaaa>nmmz How moaumunaa nonmum mo swam < .oa mama .aamaoomas .mmxsmsaaz uuommm mumunaa waufi numb—H. wumw¥3m3HHz .m moma .OmmmmcamH .maaa>xoaM muasoo xosm sum maaa>xoqm mo mmaumunaq .m «cma .nmmaeuaz .waamqmg sesum mmauaaaomm suacsasoo .n qwma .Aoaaov mou< aOummn mvaum mumunaa .0 wumwcmum soauwooa mmu< moa>pom mmmm Goaumasmom mumunaa mo mmmH uuommm swam Aemsaauaoov Nnm mam m muons Oumooa asaaaaa suaanaa nonmum oaansm mo coaumooa .oa .mumucmo mmma ..mmmz .aoumom muasoafioo was wcammonm HOHOB nuavmu ooo.omlooo.mm .amummm ou unmomhvm no ca Oumooa maaa N\a a suaanaa noamum mumunaa noamum m.soumom .ma .nmusmo msammOSm m manmumwmum .coaumhuamoaoo wmma .oano .owoaOH .mucboo wsammonm Hohma m :a Oumooa msawmu maaa N m\z noamum mmosa amuuamo mo moaumunaa .qa .moum mau mo musmwammu map wuomuuum moauaaaomw muaasaaoo mmaaa «\a a wmma .aouwnazmmz .maoomH mo mumaum> m muwnz smumooa mo swamp ooo.oa asaasaa sonmum mumunaa sucmum mam ummz .ma .uouamo wcammonm m smog manmumm ooo.omlooo.ma ooma .cmwanoaz .amuumz noun .mvoonuonzwama amaucmu m\z Eaaanaa gunmum moaumunaa Iamou mo usaom amoom can Hmmz How swam humsaaaamum .Na ammunaa meOGMum coaumuoa mmu< moa>umm mmmm coaumasmom mo mama unommm swam AemsaaunooV N-~ mam< xxx .vouuaso mom: umsuo unama> uwmuma no mumunaa Ono mo on: as :.meB amoammu: m weansv pmxmm mnoaummsv moamuommu was asmnwruaz mxoon mo umnaon musmmoummu amuOH * m w on mm mm em soaumsuomaa new mosmuommm nu om so mm an em coaumasouao mousuavsomxm maah moawws< moa masoa .um moaowsm moa coumom sumamm mumum mooa>uom «saaqma «smama «mama moons: w sasvamm xooomom a waoam mmamsm mowmusmouom moawsum omusa some wmummn< .mumunaa oaansm Ono mo mwoa>umm mocmummmm pom soaumasouau mo somaummaou calm mamao aoosom xuo3 weaQQOSm 080m amsma>avaa mom pao mmwm ummz ummz umwz ummz Hmmz ummz mo mama Ammwmusmopmm aav mumunaa oaansm m wsamoozo How wouao maommmm calm made 96 3. Household heads are the users most concerned with a library's nearness to work. 4. Children, especially in the younger age groups, are the users most concerned with a library's nearness to school. 5. Household heads are the users most concerned with a library's proximity to a civic center. 6. Spouses and household heads (adults) are the users most concerned with easy parking. 7. All users are equally influenced by the availability of desired books. The Relationship p£_Library Size and Library Use An inherent weakness of all the studies on library use reviewed for this report is the lack of comparative analysis between user trends experienced by various kinds and sizes of public libraries. In Chapter One it was pointed out that there are many variations of public 1i- braries, both in terms of size and programs of service. For descrip- tive purposes it is possible to classify public libraries into main or central, local or community, or branch libraries. But in reality these categories overlap and do not represent any one particular pat- tern of library size or service level. For example, a main or central library may represent the central headquarters of a large regional system within a highly urbanized metropolitan area or it may represent the central library of a small rural town with bookmobiles providing service to outlying school districts. Likewise, branch facilities range from small community branches serving populations of less than 5,000 to large regional branches of the state, serving populations exceeding 250,000. 97 " libraries are somewhat The basic service programs of "large similar regardless of their type (branch or central) because they usually serve as a central unit for lower—order libraries in the hier— archal system, and consequently house a central collection and admin- istrative functions for the system. But the relationship of size to service program breaks down considerably as library size decreases, especially among community libraries, which may serve as small versions of main libraries or merely as book distribution agencies (depending on local factors and whether the library is a member of the system). Of all the studies available for review, only one-—the Bundy study—-attempts to compare user trends experienced by different kinds and sizes of public libraries. Library size in terms of the size of the book collection is used as the index of level of service. Although it is evident from previous discussion that such an index is not truly an accurate representation of a library's service program, it is felt that such an index is adequate for making at least some gross compar- isons. It will be remembered that the Bundy report describes a six-day at-library survey conducted in the metropolitan area of Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., in which over 20,000 patrons were asked to fill out questionaires at a total of ninety-nine library units. Because of the large size of the sample taken at each library, it was possible to conduct several subanalyses of the data, including a com- parison of library size and library use. The purpose of this further analysis was to provide evidence as to whether increasing size of the library (i.e., increasing level of service) influences user composi- tion, the purpose for using the library, user travel patterns, and 98 the use of various services. The findings are summarized in Table 3-17, on the following page. The Enoch Pratt Free Library, the largest library in the metro- politan area, serves the central city of Baltimore as well as all other libraries in the region through centralized administrative services. Each user has the opportunity to use any library in the entire Mary- land MetrOpolitan Region, and may borrow materials from any library in the Region free of charge. Except for the Enoch Pratt system, all other systems are administered at the county level of government. As Table 3-17 discloses, patterns of library use did in fact vary with different library sizes. Size of the unit was first compared with the personal characteristics of users. It was found that the percent- age of male users generally increased with library size. Further breakdown of young people into different age groups revealed that use of the library by the twelve to sixteen year olds decreased as the size of the library increased, while use by the seventeen to twenty-one age group tended to increase slightly as size increased. This reflects the tendency among grade students below driving age to use their local public or school library for school-related purposes. On the other hand, increased mobility and the greater need for research materials prompted more in the older age group to travel further to the larger library outlets. It was found that the percentage of housewives in each user group tended to decrease as library size increased, reflecting the tendency among housewives to meet their own personal reading needs and the needs of their young children through use of the local public library. The fact that housewives seldom experienced the need to 99 «.ma s.am m.am o.~m a.nm a.mm museums amuoamu “on sumnpaa can mean: whom: mo uaoonom .m a.mm N.am a.qa o.ma n.m q.m moussaz ma away who: wcaam>muH meow: mo unmouom .m a.o¢ m.os m.e~ m.m6 m.oo o.~m use an menace momma no “smegma .e m.wm a.¢m «.mm q.om a.mq m.mm muasw< womoamem wooe< mamooammmwoum mo unmoumm .o m.om m.am N.NN o.o~ m.sa 0.8 mwmaaoo ca muamssum mo unmoumm .m q.m m.ma m.ma m.oa n.ma m.om mo>a30moom mu< 0:3 whom: mo unwouom .q n.qm N.mq q.oq o.aq m.wm m.nm whom: was: no ucooumm .m mama maqa mmwo wmmm amqq wmw meow: mo umnasz amuoH .N a N Na om as ea muasb mo nonsoz .a mossao> www.q~m moeaao> woesao> moasao> mossao> amuuamo ooo.ooa ooo.ooa ooo.om ooo.mN mmaabosxoom "swam mumubaa humus u6>o uaoo.om uaoo.m~ -ooo.oa Ammwmuamonmm Gav amaoauooaaoo xoom mo muam may mo mauve ma wmusmwozv mouam mooaum> mo moaumunaa oaansm mm wmonmauomxm mm: ea mwamuH main mam Boum pmummpm .uuomom mussm "wouSOm w.am m.om m.m~ a.aN n.wa a.oa mxoom mosmuwmom wean: unmouwm .ma q.qm «.mm o.am m.na m.qa o.a mwoamumo mumunaa wean: unmoumm .qa 4.8m m.ms m.mq N.Ns w.mm a.nm ammoausm Hooeom pom muwunaa mzu waam: unmoumm .ma ~.aa m.m m.o a.o ~.m m.m momomusm now you mumunaa mzu wsamb unmouom .Na w.mm n.mq m.oq N.wq m.mm m.mn woawmmm amsomumm pom mumunaa wnu wean: unwouom .aa ~.am m.wm m.qm “.mm q.wm a.na umu mp waano uomhAOm m :0 muons mo unmoumm .oa mossao> www.cmm onan> mwaoao> mossao> mossao> amusemo ooo.ooa ooo.ooa ooo.om ooo.m~ moaanoaxoom ”muam snmunaa uumum HO>0 naoo.om Iaoo.mN Iooo.oa Asmaaaoaoov eaum mam