LIBRARY USERS 45

tract people from a much wider radius than does the typical
branch library in a large city. And the public library draws its
users from a wider radius than the rental library: in one com-
parative study about 58 percent of the public library clientele
came from within a mile as against 82 percent of the rental
library clientele (Cole, 1948). On the whole, the public li-
brary, like other institutions in the community, has something

TABLE 23

PusLic LiBrarY REcisTrRANTS AND Usirs (ApULTS) AT
DirFERENT RESIDENTIAL DISTANCES FROM THE LIBRARY,
ADAPTED FROM VARIOUS STUDIES

PERCENTAGES

Dis-

tance

from Ulvel-

Public ing Krieg Cole Field
Library 1939: 1939: 1948: & Pea-

in Regis-  Regis- Quinly Library cock Wylie SRC

Blocks trants  trants®  1948° Branch®  1948° 1948° 19487

1-§ 61 23 14 48 26 51 19

67 20 z 17 10 28 ;

8-11 13 33 26 13 ; b 35
12-1§ 2 13 16 14 23 }

16-19 I 14 13 ; 7 k7 37
20 & over 3 17 14 15 16 13 9
TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

Not Not :
given  given 711 157 608 389 208

“The distances are: 1-5 blocks; 5-10 blocks; 10-15 blocks; 15-20 blocks; and
more than 20 blocks.

*The distances are: up to % mile; % to 1 mile; 1 to 1% miles; 1% to 2 miles;
2 to 2% miles; more than 2% miles.

‘The distances are: 1-5 blocks; 6-7 blocks; 8-10 blocks; 11-15 blocks; 16
blocks and more.

*The distances are: up to 4 blocks; 4-8 blocks; 8-16 blocks; 16-24 blocks;
and more than 24 blocks.

*The distances are: less than % mile; 1—2 miles; 3-5 miles; more than § miles.
"The distances are: up to % mile; % to % mile; 1 to 5 miles; 6 miles and
more.