CONCENTRATION OF USE 99

of concentration in the five media correlates inversely with
the size of the audience.

CONCENTRATION OF LIBRARY USE What about the concen-
tration of the public library clientele? The frequency of li-
brary use varies a good deal among borrowers. Available data
indicate that about one fifth of the total group of actual
borrowers use the library as often as once a week, and that
nearly half use it less than once a month. (Table 36). These

TABLE 36

FreQuENcy or Pusric LiBrary Use BY ADULTS, ADAPTED FROM
VARIOUS STUDIES

PERCENTAGES OF USERS

Field &
Peacock
1948:  SRC, 1948:
Haygood Users Users
1938: during during
Frequency “Regular  Nafziger NORC  Preceding Preceding
of Use Patrons” 1946 1946 Year Year
Once a week
or oftener 33 26 17 22 19
Every two
weeks 47 36 24 13
About once
a month 20 28 18 25
Less often than
once a month 46 47 36 43
TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES
87 70§ 308 228

figures vary considerably from place to place; the “regular
patrons” of the New York Public Library visit the library
much more frequently than the national average of users. Al-
though such figures may not establish definitively the relative