Book articles were sent weekly to the Dayton Sunday News and on alternate weeks to the book page of the Dayton Journal Herald. Some articles on the Library's technical resources appeared in Datec, publication of the Dayton Technical Societies Council, and the Farm and Home News, published by the local Farm Bureau Federation. Branch book lists frequently appeared in the appropriate editions of the Dayton Press and other neighborhood newspapers.

Several new projects were attempted. In 1944, a group of community organizations were invited to send representatives to a series of meetings on methods of leading discussions, sponsored by the Library and conducted by Mr. Henry Hodges, of the Acme Aluminum Company. The group met several times during the fall and winter but attendance fell off in later meetings.

In the summer of 1946, a record-player was lent to the Library. Programs for adults were planned and carried out by Maurice Katz, who used records from his own collection and talked informally about them to an appreciative group on eight summer evenings.

Another project was the sending of letters to Japanese-Americans who had settled in Dayton, inviting them to use the Library. Information folders were carried to other newcomers in Dayton by the Welcome Wagon.

CIRCULATION AND READING TRENDS

It is interesting to note the trends in the circulation of various classes of books during the years covered by this report. Although most groups showed an increase in 1946, a decided decrease in 1947, and a leveling off in 1948, and 1949; the 100's, the classification which includes philosophy and psychology, continued their popularity throughout the period. This may have been due to the perennial interest in books on psychology, self-help, and popular philosophy. There was, in addition, toward the end of the war and immediately following it, the much-publicized problem of the adjustment of both soldiers and civilians to peace-time conditions. Many books appeared on the subject and they were widely read. A related interest in psychiatry at this time also contributed to the popularity of this type of reading.

Circulation of the 900's-the history classification in which most of the books about the war were found-fell from its wartime peak, as fewer books of this type were written and as public interest declined. A similar decrease in the circulation of travel books may be explained by the fact that interest in the rest of the world dwindled as American soldiers returned from distant points. Some

former soldiers manifested curiosity about places they had visited, but not in any great number.

As a smaller proportion of the budget went into books and magazines of an ephemeral nature, the circulation figures for fiction and periodicals showed a considerable and steady decrease.

The effect of decreased hours is indicated clearly in the circulation figures of the various Library branches and agencies. Circulation at the Main Library fell when its hours were cut. This was true also in the regional and school branches, particularly the latter which suffered the most severe cuts in hours. A contributing factor in the decline in circulation figures, was that on January 1, 1944, circulation rules were changed so that the time-consuming practice of renewing books was abolished. Thereafter, books were charged to patrons for a period of four weeks instead of the customary two weeks—a change that was heartily welcomed by the public.

The Bookmobile Department showed a decrease in circulation in 1944 and 1945. Much of this was due to their truck schedules being reduced from a total of eight days of service per week in 1943, to an average of seven in 1944, and five in 1945 and the following years. This department provided an exception to the general trend, however, by increasing the number of books circulated in each of the years from 1946 to 1949. The only other consistent increase was in the circulation figures of the county branches which were able to improve their service by moves to new quarters, in two cases, and by opening a new branch.

In addition to the circulation of books to individual readers, the Dayton Public Library lends deposit collections of books to numerous local groups. These included social agencies and institutions, such as Stillwater Sanatorium, Irwin Center, the Hillview Home for delinquent girls, the Juvenile Detention House, Siena Home for the Aged, Goodwill Industries, the Y.W.C.A. Residence, the Church Federation, and the staff of volunteer workers in the Girl Scouts and the County Children's Home; educational institutions-Bonebrake Seminary, the nurses' training class at St. Elizabeth Hospital, and a class of the University of Dayton; government agencies—the Army Air Forces Institute, the Army Modification Center, and Riverbend Housing Project; several churches, camps, and business houses.

BOOKS MOST IN DEMAND

Monthly scores kept by the Circulation Department showed that the following books were most popular with Dayton borrowers:

REFERENCE SERVICE

Each question asked at the reference desk of the public library grows out of a problem or a need felt by a citizen of the community. Thus reference service supplies close contacts between the library and its patrons. It not only reflects individual problems but also supplies a picture of the community by showing the needs of groups of citizens at a particular time.

An individual need was behind the request of the patron who wanted to know the names of cities in Michigan with natural soft water. She was obliged to leave Dayton because of her health (and Dayton's hard water) and thought she might like to live in Michigan. There was the woman who asked for an old English recipe for chess pie, and then carried the personal contact to the extent of bringing one of the pies for the Library Staff to sample. One man wanted to know how to deodorize a skunk. A farm machinery company, sending salesmen into the Southwest, wanted detailed maps of the districts, and sent a representative to the Library to see our Geological Survey Maps. A graduate student wanted to read the correspondence between Germany and the United States after the sinking of the Lusitania. Another patron wanted an illustration of "Klein's bottle", a term in mathematics. There are innumerable other individuals who have been helped in the solving of their problems, big or little, by the Library's reference services.

Group problems tend to follow local, national, or world situations. The Library supplied information about changes in industrial methods when industry changed over to war work and when peacetime reconversion took place. A large group of patrons were concerned with new ways of working, developed during the war, and with new jobs that had appeared. Many veterans, in particular, were interested in establishing and carrying on small businesses. Housing shortages were reflected in the many calls for books on home building and house plans. Ambitious amateurs wanted information on building their own homes, with concrete blocks one of the favorite materials. Rising prices brought inquiries about economical buying and the best products available for limited budgets. The violent local discussions about the removal of the Soldiers' Monument to a new site created an interest in the history of the monument and in other local history.

The post-war years were notable for the mushrooming of the radio quiz contest. Competitors for prizes in local and national contests made such heavy demands on the Library's service that, in March 1947, following the example of other libraries, it was forced to discontinue telephone service on such questions.