Talk:Seattle Public Library
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Official history: http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=about_history_history
--Lukobe 19:14, 10 Jun 2004 (UTC)
[edit] History of size and circulation
I'd be interested in us gathering citable numbers to display the growth of the system. Here's one data point: "In 1916, 67,097 people borrowed books from the library—the number of borrowers constituting 19 per cent of the population of the city." At that time the system appears to have had more total points of contact with the public than today, though fewer branches as such: "the central library, 9 branch libraries, 8 drug store deposit stations, 32 fire-engine houses, 420 school rooms in 77 schools, 3 play grounds and 8 special deposit stations." Citable to Fleming, S. E. (1919), Civics (supplement): Seattle King County, Seattle: Seattle Public Schools. p. 43. - Jmabel | Talk 08:06, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
More data points, from Peterson, Lorin & Davenport, Noah C. (1950), Living in Seattle, Seattle: Seattle Public Schools;
- p. 178
- Some library associations as early as the 1860s.
- 1890, public library founded with about 8,000 books, operates out of various rental spaces.
- 1899: established in Yesler Mansion, 25,000 books by the time it burned in 1901.
- Carnegie gave $200,000 for new building; half was spent to buy the block at Fourth and Madison. Library opened in 1906.
- p. 181
- In 1948, circulating collection included 3,500 phonograph records, which were borrowed a total of 53,000 times. Also in the circulating collection , "6000 pieces of sheet music, 6000 song books and piano albums, and 5000 books about music" and "Two hundred reproductions of famous paintings and 27,000 other pictures" which "brighten many a Seattle home".
- In 1950, the library subscribed to "two hundred newspapers (mostly from this state) and seventeen hundred periodicals."
- p. 182
- In 1932, four million books borrowed in a population of 368,000. Slight drop as the Depression eased. In 1948, 2.4 million books borrowed in a population of 463,000.
- In 1950, 12 branch libraries (which, from the list/map on p. 184, appears to include the Central Library).
- p. 183
- Some founding dates for branches:
- Ballard Branch (as the independent library of Ballard) predated the 1907 annexation of Ballard.
- Fremont Branch established in a rented room, 1903
- Green Lake Branch established in a rented store, 1905
- University Branch established in "the old Methodist Church", 1906
- Carnegie money for branches all came 1910–1921.
- In 1950, still 12 "book stations" for areas with no branch as such, in "rented shop space, clubhouse, or hospital, have small collections of books which are changed frequently as the patrons 'read them out.'" Open half-time; serve 1/6 as many readers as the branch libraries.
- In 1950, bookmobile with 2,500 books, two dozen spots serviced.
- Some founding dates for branches:
- p. 184
- Branches as of 1950: Ballard, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Fremont, Green Lake, Greenwood Phinney, Magnolia, Queen Anne, University, West Seattle, Yesler [now Douglass-Truth]
- "Book stations" as of 1950 [most are branches by 2000]: Aloha [I think now merged into Capitol Hill], Beacon Hill, Fauntleroy, High Point, Holly Park, Montlake, Ravenna (now Northeast Branch), Wallingford
- p. 185
- 70,000 book loans in 1948 to county patrons outside city (through King County Library System)
