ABSTRACT
The idea behind the agitation for public libraries was the need to provide reading matter for those who could not afford to buy books themselves, a need which had already been demonstrated by the opening in many towns of artizans’ libraries and mechanics’ institutes, which provided the use of books and newspapers for members at a small charge; but, successful though these were, they were insufficient to meet the ever increasing demand for books. Local adoption of the Public Libraries Acts and the establishment of libraries did not proceed at anything like the speed which had been anticipated by the leaders of the movement. The library Association Survey of 1937 was financed by the Rockefeller Trust, and was a personal survey in the nature of field work by a corps of experienced librarians, who described their visits to libraries and their interviews with librarians throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.
