Article August 2, 1900 Issue

Chicago as a Reading Centre

Chicago Evening Post

The report made by Librarian Frederick Hill shows Chicago to be the greatest reading centre of the world, so far as public library records go. More books were issued during the last year than in any other similar library the world over, and there could be no better indication of the character of the people than this. Generally speaking, it may be said that the man who reads is the progressive man; in any event, he is the sober citizen. Even if he reads nothing but fiction it is better than reading nothing at all. Good fiction is elevating and distinctly beneficial.

The fact that the library is free and therefore appeals with especial force to the poor and those of comparitively little education, makes it natural that the greatest demand should be for prose fiction, and yet there has been a creditable call for solid works. About twenty-five per cent of the books taken related to history, biography, geography, travel, science, art, and the foreign languages, and this inspite of the fact that Chicago is well supplied with reference libraries to which the majority of people in search of that class of reading naturally turn. It speaks well for the ambition and progressiveness of the general population of the city that there should be so large a proportion of really educational works sought.

Considerably more than a third of the lighter reading demanded was juvenile literature, leaving less than fifty per cent of all books taken to be classified as adult prose fiction. The showing is really excellent, and there is additional cause for congratulation in the increasing use made of the library. The number of volumes taken out exceeded the number for the previous year by more than fifty-eight thousand, which is ample evidence of growing appreciation on the part of the public.—Chicago Evening Post

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