Book Collections, Library Expenditures, and Circulation

T | rHE earlier discussion of book collections in the Chicago area' took as point of departure the citizen. Placing ourselves in the position of a hypothetical resident of the Chicago region, we asked what chances such a person would have to borrow from a public library titles included in certain standard lists, to secure reference service of a high order, to acquire for his children the best of recent literature. In addition, we considered his access to currently published periodical literature. To all these queries the answer was that it all depended upon where the resident lived; that the Chicago region was so extensive, so overlaid with library systems all operating independently of each other and to all intents and purposes oblivious to the desires of persons beyond the limits of the immediate political unit, that if the resident were fortunate enough to live within an area large enough to contribute satisfactory support to its library, his chances were good; otherwise they varied from not quite so good to very poor indeed. Whether or not this situation is serious enough to warrant fundamental changes in library organization and administrative structure, it is evident that far-reaching changes will not come overnight. The weight of the status quo, fortified as it is by the special interests of an intrenched personnel, is too great to be suddenly overcome. Furthermore, the tradition of local selfsufficiency in library matters, emphasizing book ownership and institutional autonomy, as against dependence upon an outside source and possibly external dictation, strengthens this position. But whether or not organizational and administrative changes come soon or late, or even at all, it is important that current re-