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4
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIVISIONAL COMMITTEE
of
Clapham public pibrarn,
For the Year ending 31st March, 1904.
The Committee have pleasure in reporting steady progress in
every department. The result of purchasing many new and
valuable works and replacing worn-out books has been the considerable
increase in the number of volumes issued. This increase
appears in each class except one, History and Biography, where
there is a slight decrease on the previous year.
The number of volumes now in stock is 12,580. The number
issued during the year was 88,194, an increase of 10,636, as
compared with the previous year, and representing a daily average
issue of 361 volumes.
A supplementary catalogue of books added to the Lending
Library since the publication of the general catalogue in 1899 was
compiled by the Librarian and published in May, 1903, and has
been much appreciated by the readers.
The experiment of keeping open the lending Library till
nine p.m. on Saturdays not having proved a success, the closing
at eight o'clock has been resumed, without apparently causing
any inconvenience to the public.
A new open book-case has been provided in the Reference
Library, in which is placed a number of works in frequent request,
such as Dictionaries, Cyclopaedias, etc.
During the summer of 1903 the Library building was repaired
and painted inside and out, and the two lamps at the front
entrance fitted with incandescent burners, one of which is kept
burning all night as a public lamp.
In November, 1903, the Council appointed Alderman Dunkley
and Councillor Colman as Members of the Committee in place of
Messrs. Gibson and Lidiard.
The Committee have again much pleasure in expressing their
appreciation of the satisfactory manner in which the Librarian and
his staff have discharged their duties, and congratulate Mr. A.
Nash on his promotion by the Council to be librarian-in-charge of
the Wandsworth Branch Library, after nearly fifteen years service
at the Clapham Library.
On behalf of the Committee,
Charles P. Greene,
Chairman.
30th May, 1904.