94 TRENDS IN USE

ber-November, following the opening of school; the other,
and major peak, occurs in March. One trough appears in
December, because of the holidays; the other, and deeper
trough, appears in summer, because of vacations, closed
schools, and outdoor diversions. This seasonal fluctuation
public library circulation is found in libraries of all sizes. The
regularity of the cycle is striking. Public library circulation
follows a regular curve from a low in August to a high in
March and back again.

The change of seasons is also reflected in the type of book
circulated by libraries (Chart VIII). Relatively more fiction
than nonfiction is circulated during the summer months,
partly because people want “light” reading at that time, but
mainly because high school students are not then using the

Cuarr VIII

Trenp 1Iv Apurt CircuraTiON OF FicTtioN AND NONFICTION BY
MonTH, FOR THREE REGIONAL BRANCH LiBRARIES IN CHICAGO, 1947

g !
Y

JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC.
MONTH

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=== PERCENTAGE OF NONFICTION
- PERCENTAGE OF FICTION

library for school assignments. Thus, there is a close rela-
tionship between the seasonal trends in gross circulation and
in the kind of book circulated: the greater the circulation,
the larger the proportion of nonfiction books borrowed. This