FIVE YEARS BRING WIDENER INCREASE

During the past five years, 187,000 volumes and pamphlets have been added to the Harvard College Library, according to figures compiled from Widener statistics recently. On July 1, 1928, the end of the last official Widener year, there were 1,548,500 volumes and pamphlets, whereas five years previously, on July 1, 1923, the total College Library numbered 1,361,500.

The University Library, including all books owned by the University, the professional schools and special reference units, totalled, at the time of the last official count, 2,784,300 volumes and pamphlets, the distinction between volumes and pamphlets being an arbitrary method of counting unique to Widener.

Special Libraries Show Decrease

The special libraries within the category of the College Library, including those books in the Music Building, Emerson Hall, et cetera, show a decrease in number of volumes during the past five years. The present figures shows 143,300 volumes and pamphlets to be in the special libraries at the present time, whereas the 1923 statistics give the figure 161,500 as the total for that year.

Receiving, checking, filing, and cataloguing the enormous number of books received by Widener during the course of each month are approximately 150 assistants. On the payroll of the Library during the month of October of this year were 145 assistants,, 11 officials, 27 caretakers, and 14 binders.