Patrons in 1900
Upon analyzing the patrons of Muncie Public Library in 1900 (full list here), there are some trends that emerge. Library patrons were more likely to be female, white collar, and in their teens, but the library did serve a diverse group on account of gender, age, and class. However, there is a large disparity with race, as there were only 4 patrons listed as either black or mulatto in 1900.
On closer analysis there are a few other patterns to point out. The first is that even though there were more transactions by female and white collar readers, the average amount of books read per year by person is actually higher for men (16) and blue collar workers (18) (versus 15 for women and 14.5 for white collar). For age, there is an inverted bell curve; younger readers and older readers read the most books proportionally.
Despite high numbers of transactions, readers were primarily reading the same books. For example, there were 23392 total transactions in 1900, but only 2666 titles were checked out. As you will read in the next section, many of these were popular fiction novels.
It is very clear from the data that young readers dominated, and the number of transactions for each age follows the same slope as the number of readers. Young readers were responsible for pushing up the numbers for the most popular books checked out in Muncie in 1900, as they were primarily read by younger readers under 30. Though there were fewer older readers, it appears that they were also reading different books than younger readers.
There are some limitations with this data, including that not all patron records had full information on the user and that some borrowers used other patrons' cards to check out their books.
Openings for further research could look into explaining these patterns. A growing literacy rate and amounts of leisure time are certainly part of the story, but there is also more town-specific information to be investigated. What was education like in the town of Muncie? Did Muncie’s growth bring in new types of demographics? I will leave these questions open, but these patron demographics are important to keep in mind when examining what was read in the following part.
Despite high numbers of transactions, readers were primarily reading the same books. For example, there were 23392 total transactions in 1900, but only 2666 titles were checked out. As you will read in the next section, many of these were popular fiction novels.
It is very clear from the data that young readers dominated, and the number of transactions for each age follows the same slope as the number of readers. Young readers were responsible for pushing up the numbers for the most popular books checked out in Muncie in 1900, as they were primarily read by younger readers under 30. Though there were fewer older readers, it appears that they were also reading different books than younger readers.
There are some limitations with this data, including that not all patron records had full information on the user and that some borrowers used other patrons' cards to check out their books.
Openings for further research could look into explaining these patterns. A growing literacy rate and amounts of leisure time are certainly part of the story, but there is also more town-specific information to be investigated. What was education like in the town of Muncie? Did Muncie’s growth bring in new types of demographics? I will leave these questions open, but these patron demographics are important to keep in mind when examining what was read in the following part.