College and Research Libraries ROBERT B. DOWNS Library Resources in the United States This is the third investigation of the distribution of American library resources, undertaken at approximately twenty-year intervals. The 1973 study reveals a phenomenal growth in library collections during the past eighteen years. During that period, the number of centers in the United States holding in excess of 500,000 volumes each increased from 109 to 265, and the total number of volumes in such centers ex- panded nearly threefold. A PIONEER STUDY OF THE DISTRIBUTION of American library resources was re- ported in Louis Round Wilson's Geog- raphy of Reading. Based on sources published in 1935, Wilson discovered that there were in the United States at that time seventy-seven centers of not over fifty miles radius (airline) holding 500,000 volumes or more. 1 The specifications stated by Wilson for computing his data were thus de- fined: In general, the area included does not cover more than 50 miles (air- line) from center. When a city could be attached to more than one center, the total number of volumes in the area and transportation facilities were considered in allocating it. Public or college libraries of less than 20,000 volumes and special libraries of less than 5,000 volumes were not included. State lines were not crossed except in special cases. Centers such as Newark were maintained separately. No city was chosen as a center unless it con- tained one library having at least 75,000 volumes. Preference was given to state capitals, or cities in which state universities were located. Metro- politan areas were selected unless the library center would fall elsewhere. Robert B. Downs is Dean of Library Ad- ministration, Emeritus, University of Illi- nois, Urbana-Champaign. Utilizing the same or similar sources of information, the Wilson study was updated about twenty years later.2 The second investigation revealed the rela- tive ranks of the various centers, the number of volumes in each area in 1955 as compared to 1935, and the increase in volumes. The number of centers was found to have grown from 77 to 109 during the twenty-year period. In 1973, with assistance from a group of students in the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science, a second updating was undertaken. 0 The results were little short of startling. As shown in Table 1, the number of cen- ters in the United States holding in ex- cess of 500,000 volumes ·each had jumped from 109 in 1955 to 265 in 1973. Even more striking, the total num- ber of volumes in such centers had gone from 138,867,606 volumes in 1935 to 289,355,391 in 1955 to 724,045,043 vol- umes in 1973-more than a fivefold in- crease in less than forty years. The growth rate during the past eighteen years is especially phenomenal. Table 2 contains a breakdown of the 265 centers by states. Possessing the greatest number of centers with more than 500,000 volumes each was Califor- nia, with a total of 21, followed by Ohio with 18, New York and Texas with 0 Under the chairmanship of Anne Billeter and Roland Streit. I 97 98 I College & Research Libraries • March 1974 TABLE 1 LmRARY CENTERS, OF NOT ovER 50 MILES RADIUS (AIRLINE), CoNTAINING 500,000 VoLUMES oR MoRE Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in City 1973 Area, 1973 1955 Area, 1955 1935 Area, 1935 New York City, N.Y. 1 47,305,190 2 24,688,777 1 12,910,623 Washington, D. C. 2 39,728,774 1 25,356,917 2 11,744,966 Boston, Mass. 3 30,467,291 3 18,334,377 3 10,709,614 Los Angeles, Calif. 4 24,455,236 5 10,096,635 5 6,564,016 Chicago, Ill. 5 22,414,327 4 12,519,393 4 6,691,144 Philadelphia, Pa. 6 14,759,903 6 7,867,242 6 4,805,252 San Francisco, Calif. 7 13,906,443 7 6,901,607 8 3,558,191 Minneapolis, Minn. 8 10,629,127 11 4,988,889 13 2,475,322 San Jose; Stanford, Calif. 9 10,350,412 26 3,006,064 22 1,551,791 Newark, N.J. 10 10,296,596 9 6,024,375 9 2,955,827 Cleveland, Ohio 11 9,142,394 8 6,140,556 7 3,835,889 Pittsburgh, Pa. 12 9,076,306 16 3,937,179 16 2,136,108 ~Detroit, Mich. 13 8,322,385 18 3,707,637 25 1,404,736 Baltimore, Md. 14 8,257,188 12 4,857,922 12 2,477,779 Dallas, Tex. (Ft. Worth, Denton) 15 8,239,108 37 1,963,176 70 570,746 St. Louis, Mo. 16 7,713,880 22 3,217,632 14 2,269,662 New Haven, Conn. 17 7,496,069 10 5,330,221 10 2,868,781 Albany, N.Y. 18 7,271,047 13 4,498,344 19 1,902,574 Providence, R.I.: Fall River; New Bedford, Mass. 19 7,262,748 19 3,646,088 11 2,607,138 Columbus, Ohio 20 7,261,341 14 4,119,799 20 1,813,637 Buffalo, N.Y. 21 6,504,369 29 2,809,211 27 1,341,455 Springfield, Mass. 22 5,729,951 23 3,170,131 17 2,099,229 Cincinnati, Ohio 23 5,592,171 17 3,750,316 18 2,066,825 Seattle, Wash. 24 5,525,875 24 3,122,956 36 1,064,818 San Diego, Calif. 25 5,277,346 70 1,010,631 77 500,383 Urbana, Ill. 26 5,199,575 25 3,072,034 33 1,184,928 Ann Arbor, Mich. 27 5,103,299 28 2,884,529 35 1,074,274 Milwaukee, Wis. 28 5,074,643 31 2,673,066 21 1,565,732 Kansas City, Mo. and Kans. 29 5,021,465 40 1,937,367 47 788,837 Chapel Hill; Durham, N.C. 30 4,996,743 21 3,337,247 34 1,091,858 Atlanta, Ga. 31 4,873,274 42 1,865,435 54 715,842 Sacramento, Calif. 32 4,857,605 38 1,958,441 23 1,534,107 Madison, Wis. 33 4,813,740 36 2,155,846 26 1,341,899 Evanston, Ill. 34 4,683,075 Ithaca, N.Y. 35 4,654,116 32 2,573,378 31 1,264,920 Nashville, Tenn. 36 4,600,596 51 1,526,868 46 791,242 Houston, Tex. 37 4,596,864 63 1,231,685 New Orleans, La. 38 4,301,324 49 1,625,299 56 702,703 Rochester, N.Y. 39 4,279,592 46 1,836,532 24 1,515,438 Beltsville, Md. 40 4,266,040 Hartford, Conn. 41 4,251,603 20 3,583,938 58 691,217 Austin, Tex. 42 4,219,067 41 1,918,420 49 783,391 Denver, Colo. 43 4,150,133 30 2,715,259 32 1,212,159 Lansing, Mich. 44 3,918,201 34 2,351,614 45 797,736 Worcester, Mass. 45 3,809,191 35 2,341,469 28 1,315,636 Salt Lake ·City, Utah 46 3,773,746 65 1,218,566 Orange, Calif. 47 3,564,404 New Brunswick, N.J. 48 3,476,954 Miami, Fla. 49 3,421,391 88 757,906 Princeton, N.J. 50 3,367,802 15 4,040,143 15 2,150,512 Indianapolis, Ind. 51 3,326,594 27 3,000,499 30 1,266,031 Oklahoma City, Okla. 52 3,242,373 50 1,550,821 68 604,140 Dayton, Ohio 53 3,189,778 48 1,637,991 41 955,198 Phoenix, Ariz. 54 3,171,641 84 815,778 Syracuse, N.Y. 55 3,039,009 77 906,084 57 695,565 Bloomington, Ind. 56 2,932,410 Bridgeport, Conn. 57 2,917,130 61 1,240,975 65 607,834 Arlington, V a. 58 2,916,734 Library Resources I 99 TABLE !-Continued Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in City 1973 Area, 1973 1955 Area, 1955 1935 Area, 1935 11,_ Knoxville, Tenn. 59 2,821,730 85 801,299 Richmond, V a. 60 2,777,141 53 1,441,119 61 651,842 Portland, Oreg. 61 2,776,170 59 1,322,670 53 759,320 Norfolk, V a. 62 2,762,843 104 590,478 Honolulu, Hawaii 63 2,706,530 Springfield, Ill. 64 2,659,113 44 1,851,364 60 667,247 Tucson, Ariz. 65 2,542,726 Toledo, Ohio 66 2,460,024 82 818,293 63 620,711 Columbia, Mo. 67 2,449,138 55 1,413,600 55 715,829 Columbia, S.C. 68 2,442,470 73 960,247 Charlottesville, V a. 69 2,359,824 67 1,069,935 Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 70 2,346,182 81 822,856 64 613,535 San Antonio, Tex. 71 2,311,777 87 782,248 Stony Brook, N.Y. 72 2,283,336 Bethlehem, Pa. 73 2,276,772 68 1,048,181 50 783,274 Louisville, Ky. 74 2,275,897 71 1,003,900 71 537,494 Santa Barbara, Calif. 75 2,238,939 101 623,121 South Bend, Ind. 76 2,221,157 76 991,314 State College, Pa. 77 2,202,977 92 715,896 Harrisburg, Pa. 78 2,195,208 47 1,743,178 43 902,802 Charlotte, N.C. 79 2,153,951 96 670,739 Claremont, Calif. 80 2,129,149 Bethesda, Md. 81 2,128,960 Baton Rouge, La. 82 2,102,149 54 1,415,255 Gainesville, Fla. 83 2,102,081 94 686,243 Memphis, Tenn. 84 2,087,296 Ft. Wayne, Ind. 85 2,049,834 66 1,133,926 Des Moines, Iowa 86 2,033,167 43 1,851,960 40 972,814 Lowell, Mass. 87 2,020,728 105 580,119 48 784,843 Lincoln, Nebr. 88 2,003,156 62 1,237,610 37 1,031,052 Roanoke, Va. 89 1,966,640 79 859,511 Fresno, Calif. 90 1,943,257 72 971,751 38 995,404 Gary, Ind. 91 1,897,864 89 739,501 Greenville, S.C. 92 1,862,782 98 658,138 Iowa City, Iowa 93 1,823,655 56 1,401,880 59 679,405 Wilmington, Del. 94 1,807,400 100 629,775 Birmingham, Ala. 95 1,798,117 57 1,374,977 76 508,381 Charleston, W. Va. 96 1,788,628 95 678,681 Morgantown, W.Va. 97 1,745,301 102 596,929 Lafayette, Ind. 98 1,741,722 69 1,020,870 75 513,855 Athens, Ga. 99 1,736,052 Utica, N.Y. 100 1,733,360 75 917,844 74 514,373 Greensboro, N.C. 101 1,729,099 Grand Rapids, Mich. 102 1,713,913 60 1,299,376 52 775,680 Boulder, Colo. 103 1,713,287 Lexington, Ky. 104 1,711,201 52 1,475,022 69 578,806 Lawrence, Kans. 105 1,703,603 Carlisle Barracks, Pa. 106 1,683,676 San Bernardino, Calif. 107 1,677,737 Kalamazoo, Mich. 108 1,673,680 Carbondale, Ill. 109 1,672,492 Muncie, Ind. 110 1,662,381 Topeka, Kans. 111 1,660,161 33 2,505,793 29 1,293,901 Mount Pleasant, Mich. 112 1,637,231 Bowling Green, Ohio 113 1,636,219 Winston-Salem, N.C. 114 1,618,747 Omaha, Nebr. 115 1,616,670 91 724,850 Akron, Ohio 116 1,595,648 39 1,937,456 44 799,509 Rockville, Md. 117 1,594,171 Tallahassee, Fla. 118 1,566,269 109 537,755 Stockton, Calif. 119 1,557,424 Little Rock, Ark. 120 1,547,068 90 736,870 100 I College & Research Libraries • March 1974 TABLE !-Continued Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in City 1973 Area, 1973 1955 Area, 1955 1935 Area, 1935 Lancaster, Pa. 121 1,526,941 Albuquerque, N. Mex. 122 1,518,453 Canton, Ohio 123 1,512,423 Tulsa, Okla. 124 1,508,558 93 693,836 De Kalb, Ill. 125 1,477,499 Stillwater, Okla. 126 1,461,912 Riverside, Calif. 127 1,444,869 Oberlin, Ohio 128 1,411,600 Orlando, Fla. 129 1,404,908 Raleigh, N.C. 130 1,403,434 Jackson, Miss. 131 1,395,780 Ft. Collins, Colo. 132 1,389,566 Youngstown, Ohio 133 1,382,065 Wichita, Kans. 134 1,372,265 Lubbock, Tex. 135 1,365,848 Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 136 1,363,365 108 546,564 Oshkosh, Wis. 137 1,355,814 78 892,690 Augusta, Maine 138 1,341,908 64 1,230,769 39 989,944 Portland, Maine 139 1,335,429 Hanover, N.H. 140 1,324,377 80 831,089 73 523,641 Schenectady, N.Y. 141 1,314,360 Eugene, Oreg. 142 1,305,048 Trenton, N.J. 143 1,296,306 Tuscaloosa, Ala. 144 1,287,680 Terre Haute, Ind. 145 1,255,784 Tacoma, Wash. 146 1,253,235 Hayward, Calif. 147 1,246,153 Erie, Pa. 148 1,209,573 107 547,168 Springfield, Ohio 149 1,195,714 Colorado Springs, Colo. 150 1,193,829 Concord, N.H. 151 1,185,437 58 1,344,355 51 782,818 Storrs, Conn. 152 1,173,821 Davis, Calif. 153 1,169,537 Annapolis, Md. 154 1,166,092 Tampa, Fla. 155 1,161,051 Spokane, Wash. 156 1,151,320 Athens, Ohio 157 1,144,112 97 664,610 Fort Monmouth, N.J. 158 1,125,176 Montgomery, Ala. 159 1,110,148 86 797,701 Kent, Ohio 160 1,100,213 Provo, Utah 161 1,095,405 Monterey, Calif. 162 1,093,615 Auburn, Ala. 163 1,086,535 Olympia, Wash. 164 1,069,806 Oxford, Ohio 165 1,067,620 Salem, Oreg. 166 1,043,685 Jacksonville, Fla. 167 1,043,047 Ames, Iowa 168 1,039,313 Burlington, Vt. 169 1,037,185 Greenville, N.C. 170 1,023,298 Ruston, La. 171 1,021,471 Binghamton, N.Y. 172 1,007,284 Waco, Tex. 173 997,516 Evansville, Ind. 174 990,301 106 560,300 Bangor, Maine 175 986,053 Springfield, Mo. 176 979,513 Fayetteville, Ark. 177 974,319 El Paso, Tex. 178 956,189 St. Petersburg, Fla. 179 955,628 Reno, Nev. 180 942,792 Middletown, Conn. 181 939,449 Wooster, Ohio 182 918,807 Library Resources I 101 TABLE !-Continued Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in City 1973 Area,1973 1955 Area, 1955 1935 Area,1935 Chattanooga, Tenn. 183 914,241 Montpelier, Vt. 184 913,346 74 952,662 67 607,570 Canyon, Tex. 185 899,747 Camden, N.J. 186 898,206 Normal, Ill. 187 891,302 Green Bay, Wis. 188 886,991 Pullman, Wash. 189 853,458 Macomb, Ill. 190 847,790 Delaware, Ohio 191 845,605 Peoria, Ill. 192 842,319 83 817,470 66 607,659 Pleasant Hill, Calif. 193 839,847 Cedar Falls, Iowa 194 834,364 Huntsville, Ala. 195 831,572 Boise, Idaho 196 830,300 Chico, Calif. 197 829,788 Moscow, Idaho 198 822,006 Columbus, Ga. 199 813,333 College Station, Tex. 200 812,595 Mankato, Minn. 201 812,032 Macon, Ga. 202 807,907 St. Cloud, Minn. 203 795,881 Lima, Ohio 204 788,486 Santa Fe, N.Mex. 205 788,186 Durham, N.H. 206 788,142 Edwardsville, Ill. 207 785,830 Jefferson City, Mo. 208 775,898 Laramie, Wyo. 209 774,593 Asheville, N.C. 210 766,151 Missoula, Mont. 211 763,420 Corpus Christi, Tex. 212 747,629 Santa Cruz, Calif. 213 747,168 Manhattan, Kans. 214 742,916 Corvallis, Oreg. 215 741,003 45 1,843,038 42 903,154 Elmira, N.Y. 216 740,676 Charleston, S.C. 217 733,163 Winona, Minn. 218 725,233 Walla Walla, Wash. 219 714,114 Gadsden, Ala. 220 713,584 Bakersfield, Calif. 221 710,623 103 593,277 62 641,660 Albany, Ga. 222 703,748 Stevens Point, Wis. 223 699,444 Potsdam, N.Y. 224 698,432 Savannah, Ga. 225 697,804 Zanesville, Ohio 226 697,733 University, Miss. 227 690,916 Pensacola, Fla. 228 685,479 Dubuque, Iowa 229 681,616 Abilene, Tex. 230 672,570 Cedar Rapids, Iowa 231 667,926 Richmond, Ky. 232 662,418 Galveston, Tex. 233 . 661,734 Davenport, Iowa 234 657,329 Johnson City, Tenn. 235 656,722 New London, Conn. 236 647,307 Fayetteville, N.C. 237 634,126 Manchester, N.H. 238 627,143 Hattiesburg, Miss. 239 625,371 San Luis Obispo, Calif. 240 615,178 Augusta, Ga. 241 611,611 Commerce, Tex. 242 605,408 Pocatello, Idaho 243 601,187 Mobile, Ala. 244 574,403 102 I College & Research Libraries • March 1974 TABLE !-Continued Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in Rank Volumes in City 1973 Area, 1973 1955 Area, 1955 1935 Area,1935 Sioux City, Iowa 245 562,026 Logan, Utah 246 561,698 Bozeman, Mont. 247 561 ,331 Warrensburg, Mo. 248 560,133 Frankfort, Ky. 249 557,694 Rock Island, Ill. 250 556,179 99 654,067 Alfred, N.Y. 251 542,819 State University, Ark. 252 541,639 Boone, N.C. 253 538,170 LaFayette, La. 254 537,511 Eureka, Calif. 255 537,197 State College, Miss. 256 534,827 Martin, Tenn. 257 528,921 Vermillion, S. Oak. 258 523,096 Helena, Mont. 259 522,182 Hanover, Ind. 260 522,027 Huntsville, Tex. 261 521,186 Fairfield, Iowa 262 516,266 Grand Forks, N. Oak. 263 509,519 Emporia, Kans. 264 502,946 Medford, Oreg. 265 500,723 TOTAL 724,045,043 289,355,391 138,867,606 {The apparent loss of volumes in some centers is the result of the establishment of new centers and subtraC- tion of their holdings from older centers. ) TABLE 2 LmRARY CENTERS ARRANGED BY STATES Alabama (7) Sacramento 4,857,605 Auburn 1,086,535 San Bernardino 1,677,737 Birmingham 1,798,117 San Diego 5,277,346 Gadsden 713,584 San Francisco 13,906,443 Huntsville 831,572 San Jose-Stanford 10,350,412 Mobile 574,403 San Luis Obispo 615,178 Montgomery 1,110,148 Santa Barbara 2,238,939 Tuscaloosa 1,287,680 Santa Cruz 747,168 Alaska (O) Stockton 1,557,424 Arizona (2) Colorado ( 4) Phoenix 3,171,641 Boulder 1,713,287 Tucson 2,542,726 Colorado Springs 1,193,829 Arkansas ( 3) Denver 4,150,133 Fayetteville 974,319 Ft. Collins 1,389,566 Little Rock 1,547,068 Connecticut ( 6) State University 541,639 Bridgeport 2,917,130 California ( 21) Hartford 4,251,603 Bakersfield 710,623 Middletown 939,449 Chico 829,788 New Haven 7,496,069 Claremont 2,129,149 New London 647,307 Davis 1,169,537 Storrs 1,173,821 Eureka 537,197 Delaware ( 1) Fresno 1,943,257 Wilmington 1,807,400 Hayward 1,246,153 District of Columbia ( 1 ) Los Angeles 24,455,236 D.C. 39,728,774 Monterey 1,093,615 Florida (8) Orange 3,564,404 Gainesville 2,102,081 Pleasant Hill 839,847 Jacksonville 1,043,047 Riverside 1,444,869 Miami 3,553,788 Lil;Jrary Resources /103 TABLE 2-Continued Orlando 1,404,908 LaFayette 537,511 Pensacola 685,479 New Orleans 4,301,324 St. Petersburg 955,628 Ruston 1,021,471 Tallahassee 1,566,269 Maine (3) Tampa 1,161,051 Augusta 1,341,908 Georgia (7) Bangor 986,053 Albany 703,748 Portland 1,335,429 Athens 1,736,052 Maryland ( 5) Atlanta 4,873,274 Annapolis 1,166,092 Augusta 611,611 Baltimore 8,257,188 Columbus 813,333 Beltsville 4,266,040 Macon 807,907 Bethesda 2,128,960 Savannah 697,804 Rockville 1,594,171 Hawaii ( 1) Massachusetts ( 4) Honolulu 2,706,530 Boston 30,467,291 Idaho (3) Lowell 2,020,728 Boise 830,300 Springfield 5,729,951 Moscow 822,006 Worcester 3,809,191 Pocatello 601,187 Michigan ( 6) Illinois ( 11 ) Ann Arbor 5,103,299 Carbondale 1,672,492 Detroit 8,322,385 Chicago 22,414,327 Grand Rapids 1,713,913 De Kalb 1,477,499 Kalamazoo 1,673,680 Evanston 4,683,075 Lansing 3,918,201 Edwardsville 785,830 Mount Pleasant 1,637,231 Macomb 847,790 Minnesota ( 4) Normal 891,302 Minneapolis 10,629,127 Peoria 842,319 Mankato 812,032 Rock Island 556,179 St. Cloud 795,881 Springfield 2,659,113 Winona 725,233 Urbana 5,199,575 Mississippi ( 4 ) Indiana ( 10) Hattiesburg 625,371 Bloomington 2,932,410 Jackson 1,395,780 Evansville 990,301 State College 534,827 Ft. Wayne 2,049,834 University 690,916 Gary 1,897,864 Missouri ( 6) Hanover 522,027 Columbia 2,449,138 Indianapolis 3,326,594 Jefferson City 775,898 Lafayette 1,741,722 Kansas City (Mo. & Kans.) 5,021,465 Muncie 1,662,381 St. Louis 7,713,880 South Bend 2,221,157 Springfield 979,513 Terre Haute 1,255,784 Warrensburg 560,133 Iowa (9) Montana (3) Ames 1,039,313 Bozeman 561,331 Cedar Falls 834,364 Helena 522,182 Cedar Rapids 667,926 Missoula 763,420 Davenport 657,329 Nebraska ( 2) Des Moines 2,033,167 Lincoln 2,003,156 Dubuque 681,616 Omaha 1,616,670 Fairfield 516,266 Nevada ( 1) Iowa City 1,823,655 Reno 942,792 Sioux City 562,026 New Hampshire ( 4) Kansas (5) Concord 1,185,437 Emporia 502,946 Durham 788,142 Lawrence 1,703,603 Hanover 1,324,377 Manhattan 742,916 Manchester 627,143 Topeka 1,660,161 New Jersey ( 6) Wichita 1,372,265 Camden 898,206 Kentucky ( 4) Fort Monmouth 1,125,176 Frankfort 557,694 New Brunswick 3,476,954 Lexington 1,711,201 Newark 10,296,596 Louisville 2,275,897 Princeton 3,367,802 Richmond 662,418 Trenton 1,296,306 Louisiana ( 4) New Mexico ( 2) Baton Rouge 2,102,149 Albuquerque 1,518,453 104 I College & Research Libraries • March 1974 TABLE 2-Continued Santa Fe 788,186 Pittsburgh 9,076,306 New York ( 14} State College 2,202,977 Albany 7,271,047 Wilkes-Barre 1,363,365 Allred 542,819 Rhode Island ( 1 } Binghamton 1,007,284 Providence 7,262,748 Buffalo 6,504,369 South Carolina ( 3) Elmira 740,676 Charleston 733,163 Ithaca 4,654,116 Columbia 2,442,470 New York City 47,305,190 Greenville 1,862,782 Potsdam 698,432 South Dakota ( 1) Poughkeepsie 2,346,182 Vermillion 523,096 Rochester 4,279,592 Tennessee ( 6) Schenectady 1,314,360 Chattanooga 914,241 Stony Brook 2,283,336 Johnson City 656,722 Syracuse 3,039,009 Knoxville 2,821,730 Utica 1,733,360 Martin 528,921 North Carolina ( 9} Memphis 2,087,296 Asheville 766,151 Nashville 4,600,596 Boone 538,170 Texas ( 14) Chapel Hill-Durham 4,996,743 Abilene 682,570 Charlotte 2,153,951 Austin 4,219,067 Fayetteville 634,126 Canyon 899,747 Greensboro 1,729,099 College Station 812,595 Greenville 1,023,298 Commerce 605,408 Raleigh 1,403,434 Corpus Christi 747,629 Winston-Salem 1,618,747 Dallas 8,239,108 North Dakota ( 1} El Paso 956,189 Grand Forks 509,519 Galveston 661,734 Ohio ( 18) Houston 4,596,864 Akron 1,595,648 Huntsville 521,186 Athens 1,144,112 Lubbock 1,365,848 Bowling Green 1,636,219 San Antonio 2,311,777 Canton 1,512,423 Waco 997,516 Cincinnati 5,592,171 Utah (3) Cleveland 9,142,394 Logan 561,698 Columbus 7,261,341 Provo 1,095,405 Dayton 3,189,778 Salt Lake City 3,773,746 Delaware 845,605 Vermont (2) Kent 1,100,213 Burlington 1,037,185 Lima 788,486 Montpelier 918,346 Oberlin 1,411,600 Virginia ( 5) Oxford 1,067,620 Arlington 2,916,734 Springfield 1,195,714 Charlottesville 2,359,824 Toledo 2,460,024 Norfolk 2,762,843 Wooster 918,807 Richmond 2,777,141. Youngstown 1,382,065 Roanoke 1,966,640 Zanesville 697,733 Washington ( 6) Oklahoma ( 3) Olympia 1,069,806 Oklahoma City 3,242,373 Pullman 853,458 Stillwater 1,461,912 Seattle 5,525,875 Tulsa 1,508,558 Spokane 1,151,320 Oregon (5) Tacoma 1,253,235 Corvallis 741,003 Walla Walla 714,114 Eugene 1,305,048 West Virginia ( 2) Medford 500,723 Charleston 1,788,628 Portland 2,690,920 Morgantown 1,745,301 Salem 1,043,685 Wisconsin ( 5) Pennsylvania ( 9) Green Bay 886,991 Bethlehem 2,276,772 Madison 4,813,740 Carlisle Barracks 1,683,676 Milwaukee 5,046,357 Erie 1,209,573 Oshkosh 1,355,814 Harrisburg 2,195,208 Stevens Point 699,444 Lancaster 1,526,941 Wyoming (1) Philadelphia 14,759,903 Laramie 774,593 14 each, and Illinois with 11. The complete data, presented in Ta- ble 1, indicate the relative rank of the centers in each of the three periods in- vestigated and the number of volumes held by the various centers. Among the first dozen in the top group, changes in relative standing have been minor, with a few exceptions; most notable are the new rankings for the San Jose-Stanford area, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh. New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston have remained the leading three throughout the nearly four decades. Below the leaders, numerous shifts in rank may be observed. Dallas has come up from thirty-seventh to fif- teenth; San Diego from seventieth to twenty-fifth; Houston from sixty-third Library Resources /105 to thirty-seventh; Miami from eighty- eighth to forty-ninth. Among the first 100 centers, 77 did not possess a suffi- cient number of volumes to be listed by Wilson in 1935. At approximately the same date as the Wilson study, another investigation took place to determine the distribution of library resources by states.3 More empha- sis here was placed on collections of pos- sible research importance. The specifics for inclusion were "all educational li- braries with over 25,000 volumes, all public libraries over 50,000, and all spe- cial libraries of a research nature." Table 3 brings down to 1973 the num- ber of volumes held by the individual states, according to the foregoing cri- teria, with relative rankings for 1935 and 1955. Table 4 notes the percentage TABLE 3 NUMBER OF VoLUMEs IN U.S. RESEARCH LmRARIES, BY STATES Rank Volumes Rank Volumes Rank Volumes State 1973 1973 1955 1955 1935 1935 New York 1 90,431,000 1 34,041,000 1 16,931,000 California 2 80,638,000 3 23,951,000 2 14,401,000 Massachusetts 3 78,484,000 4 22,951,000 3 12,944,000 Ohio 4 42,909,000 5 18,606,000 5 9,669,000 Illinois 5 40,023,000 6 17,089,000 6 8,907,000 District of Columbia 6 38,773,000 2 25,357,000 4 10,348,000 Pennsylvania 7 31,253,000 7 14,697,000 7 8,056,000 Texas 8 30,733,000 11 6,716,000 16 2,196,000 Michigan 9 24,063,000 8 8,988,000 8 4,427,000 New Jersey 10 21,875,000 10 8,080,000 10 4,137,000 Indiana 11 17,928,000 12 6,520,000 12 3,345,000 Missouri 12 17,879,000 13 "6,239,000 11 3,495,000 Maryland 13 17,086,000 18 3,888,000 17 2,163,000 Connecticut 14 16,545,000 9 8,507,000 9 4,220,000 North Carolina 15 15,851,000 19 3,882,000 25 1,131,000 Wisconsin 16 14,935,000 14 6,195,000 13 3,027,000 Minnesota 17 13,951,000 15 5,700,000 14 2,916,000 Virginia 18 13,762,000 20 3,684,000 22 1,552,000 Florida 19 13,724,000 26 2,553,000 35 447,000 Georgia 20 13,616,000 25 2,659,000 31 790,000 Washington 21 12,615,000 16 4,415,000 18 1,665,000 Kentucky 22 11,827,000 29 2,379,000 27 1,011,000 Tennessee 23 10,859,000 28 2,412,000 20 1,642,000 Louisiana 24 10,246,000 24 2,797,000 30 818,000 Iowa ,25 9,037,000 17 4,108,000 15 2,527,000 Colorado 26 9,016,000 21 3,098,000 23 1,425,000 Kansas 27 8,229,000 22 3,045,000 19 1,643,000 Alabama 28 7,746,000 30 2,292,000 32 763,000 Oklahoma 29 7,355,000 32 1,902,000 33 720,000 Oregon 30 6,084,000 23 3,038,000 24 1,416,000 Arizona 31 6,014,000 38 1,187,000 38 425,000 Utah 32 5,656,000 36 1,330,000 36 446,000 106 I College & Research Libraries· March 1974 TABLE 3-Continued Rank Volumes Rank Volumes Rank Volumes State 1973 1973 1955 1955 1935 1935 West Virginia 33 4,869,000 37 1,207,000 39 420,000 Rhode Island 34 4,182,000 27 2,469,000 21 1,640,000 Mississippi 35 4,176,000 42 848,000 43 267,000 Arkansas 36 4,033,000 39 1,153,000 45 236,000 South Carolina 37 3,915,000 35 1,483,000 34 594,000 Maine 38 3,622,000 33 1,706,000 26 1,046,000 New Hampshire 39 3,553,000 34 1,693,000 28 948,000 Nebraska 40 3,311,000 31 1,931,000 29 947,000 Hawaii 41 3,050,000 40 988,000 42 297,000 Montana 42 2,726,000 42 848,000 40 376,000 Idaho 43 2,428,000 49 378,000 49 167,000 New Mexico 44 2,343,000 44 677,000 50 90,000 Vermont 45 2,215,000 41 928,000 37 440,000 Delaware 46 1,861,000 45 557,000 41 314,000 South Dakota 47 1,600,000 46 475,000 46 227,000 North Dakota 48 1,549,000 48 456,000 44 254,000 Wyoming 49 1,221,000 47 470,000 47 187,000 Nevada 50 1,132,000 50 249,000 48 175,000 Alaska 51 766,029 51 58,000 Total 791,696,000 280,860,000 138,228,000 TABLE 4 RATE OF INCREASE OF VOLUMES IN RESEARCH LmRARIES OF THE UNITED STATES FROM 1955 TO 1973 Rank Percent Rank Percent State 1973 of Increase State 1973 of Increase Alaska 1 1320 Montana 27 322 Idaho 2 644 Hawaii 28 310 Florida 3 540 Colorado 29 291 Georgia 4 514 Missouri 30 287 Arizona 5 507 Washington 31 286 Mississippi 6 505 Indiana 32 275 Kentucky 7 498 New Jersey 33 271 Texas 8 457 Kansas 34 270 Nevada 9 455 Michigan 35 268 Tennessee 10 450 New York 36 266 Maryland 11 438 South Carolina 37 264 Utah 12 426 Wyoming 38 260 North Carolina 13 408 Minnesota 39 245 West Virginia 14 402 Wisconsin 40 241 Oklahoma 15 387 Vermont 41 238 Virginia 16 373 Illinois 42 234 Louisiana 17 367 Ohio 43 230 Arkansas 18 350 Pennsylvania 44 224 Rhode Island 19 347 Iowa 45 220 New Mexico 20 346 Maine 46 215 Massachusetts 21 342 New Hampshire 47 210 North Dakota 22 339 Connecticut 48 205 Alabama 23 338 Oregon 49 200 South Dakota 24 337 Nebraska 50 171 California 25 336 District of Columbia 51 147 Delaware 26 334 National Average 332 of increase for each state between 1955 and 1973. Alaska and Hawaii appear in the tables for the first time, since they had not yet become states when the ear- lier studies were made. The extraordinary expansion of hold- ings in the various states is revealed by the new figures. Except for the District of Columbia, which slipped from sec- ond to sixth position, and Connecticut, which dropped from ninth to four- teenth, the top rankings were little changed. Texas made a spectacular jump from eleventh to eighth. On the basis of holdings by states, ac- cording to the criteria described, the na- Library Resources /107 tion's library resources went from 138,- 228,000 volumes in 1935 to 280,860,000 in 1955 to 791,696,000 in 1973, nearly tripling in the past two decades. In per- centage of increase, the southern, south- western, and northwestern states were in the lead. None of the states except Alaska held less than one million vol- umes. Another approach to the matter of distribution of resources is holdings by geographic regions of the country. The number of volumes in each of the six principal regions of the United States in 1955 and in 1973 is recorded in Ta- ble 5. Though the Northeast held 39 TABLE 5 NUMBER OF VoLUMES IN REsEARCH LmRARIEs OF THE UNITED STATES BY GEOGRAPIDC AREA IN 1955 AND IN 1973 I Volumes Volumes 1973 1955 1973 1955 Northeast Southeast Connecticut 16,545,000 8,507,000 Alabama 7,746,000 2,292,000 Delaware 1,861,000 557,000 Arkansas 4,033,000 1,153,000 District of Columbia 38,773,000 25,357,000 Florida 13,724,000 2,553,000 Maine 3,622,000 1,706,000 Georgia 13,616,000 2,659,000 Maryland 17,086,000 3,888,000 Kentucky 11,827,000 2,379,000 Massachusetts 78,484,000 22,951,000 Louisiana 10,246,000 2,797,000 New Hampshire 3,553,000 1,693,000 Mississippi 4,176,000 828,000 New Jersey 21,875,000 8,080,000 North Carolina 15,851,000 3,882,000 New York 90,431,000 34,041,000 South Carolina 3,915,000 1,483,000 Pennsylvania 31,253,000 14,697,000 Tennessee 10,859,000 2,412,000 Rhode Island 4,182,000 2,469,000 Virginia 13,762,000 3,684,000 Vermont 2,215,000 928,000 Total 109,755,000 26,122,000 West Virginia 4,869,000 1,207,000 Total 314,749,000 126,081,000 Midwest Northwest Illinois 40,023,000 17,089,000 Colorado 9,016,000 3,098,000 Indiana 17,928,000 6,520,000 Idaho 2,428,000 378,000 Iowa 9,037,000 4,108,000 Kansas 8,229,000 3,045,000 Michigan 24,063,000 8,988,000 Montana 2,726,000 848,000 Minnesota 13,951.000 5,700,000 Nebraska 3,311,000 1,931,000 Midwest Northwest Missouri 17,879,000 6,239,000 North Dakota 1,549,000 456,000 Ohio 42,909,000 18,606,000 South Dakota 1,600,000 475,000 Wisconsin 14,935,000 6,195,000 Utah 5,656,000 1,330,000 Total 180,725,000 73,445,000 Wyoming 1,221,000 470,000 Total 35,736,000 12,031,000 Southwest Far West Arizona 6,014,000 1,187,000 California 80,638,000 23,951,000 New Mexico 2,343,000 677,000 Nevada 1,132,000 249,000 Oklahoma 7,355,000 1,902,000 Oregon 6,084,000 3,038,000 Texas 30,733,000 6,716,000 Washington 12,615,000 4,415,000 Total 46,445,000 10,482,000 Total 100,469,000 31,652,000 108 I College & Research Libraries • March 1974 percent of the nation,s total library re- sources in 1973, its overwhelming lead, which Wilson noted some thirty-five years ago, has declined in terms of the other regions. Of particular note is the rapid rise of the Southeast, Southwest, and Far West. The reasons for what may rightly be described as an explosion of library col- lections in all the American states are doubtless complex. Among the factors that may be cited are the establishment of hundreds of new institutions of higher education, millions of additional students in colleges and universities across the land, increased book budgets in all types of libraries, federal aid to libraries, extensive new foreign acquisi- tion programs, and, finally, a steadily ex- panding rate of publication of books and journals, to which libraries have responded by stepped-up acquisition ac- tivities. REFERENCES 1. Louis R. Wilson, Geography of Reading ( Chicago: U niv. of Chicago Pr ., 1938), p.ll8-23. 2. College & Research Libraries, 18:183-89, 235-37 (May 1957). 3. Tommie Dora Barker, Libraries of the South ( Chicago: American Library Association, 1936), p.ll8-19.