WHY PEOPLE USE THE LIBRARY 57

of the library circulation. From 2 percent to 5 percent of the
total circulation of the public library falls in each of such
categories as literature (drama, poetry, criticism), social
sciences, useful arts or applied science, fine arts, biography,
history, and natural science. Variations by size of com-

TABLE 28

DistriBuTION OF Ficrion AND NonNricTioN CIRCULATION
(ApULT) FOR 1946, IN LiBRARIES OF DIFFERENT SI1ZEs®

PERCENTAGES

Population Served

Category

of 2 ?ooo 50,000~  100,000~— 2 599‘00—

Book 5dh000 100,000 250,000 and over
Fiction® 67 65 62 54
Nonfiction 33 35 38 46
Useful arts 4 4 4 5
Fine arts 4 4 4 5
Literature 4 4 4 5
Biography 3 4 4 4
Social science 3 3 3 4
History 3 3 3 3
Philosophy and religion 2 2 3 3
Travel 2 2 2 2

Natural science 2 2 2 2 ;
Other 6 7 9 13
TOTAL NUMBER OF LIBRARIES SUPPLYING DATA

31 18 13 20

“Constructed from information supplied by selected public libraries, Sum-

mer, 1947.
*The percentage of fiction in the juvenile circulation is only slightly less
than that in the adult circulation:

Percentage of Fiction of Each Group’s Circulation (Juvenile)
25,000~ §0,000— 100,000~ 250,000
50,000 100,000 250,000 & over

Juvenile 66 65 58 50