The Public Library and Kentucky Schools*

Larger Areas:
1. The "Blue Grass," including 35 counties between Covington and Danville.

11. The "Pennyroyal," including 25 counties in southern Kentucky from the

"7;;

Tennessee River to the edge of the “lue Grass.”

111. The Eastern Coal Fields, or "Hountains," including 27 counties comprising
the entire southeastern portion of the state.

IV. The Yestern Coal Fields, including 10 counties in Western Kentucky north
of the "Pennyroyal."

Smaller Areas:

V. The Louisville area and adjacent "

Hississippian Plateau," including 10

counties between the ”Blue Grass" and the'flostern Coal Fields.

V1. The "Jackson Purchase," including 8 counties in the western tip of the
state, that is, west of the lennessee River.

V11. The Eastern "Knobs," including 7 counties lying east of the "Blue GRass,"
and north of the "Mountains."

Comparison of School library and public library service to the Public school
Pupils of the State by Geographical areas for 1951-52.

1

Geographical Public Volumes Volumes Volumes Per Pupil
Area School fine for Public in Public Enrolled
T011ment School Libraries
Libraries "Schu3i*"-~*-~*—-~—@ete&r
Libraries Fublic Volumes
Libraries Per Pupil

1. Blue Grass 120,212 226,646 227,732 1.80 1.50 3;?8
ll. Pennyroyul 08,307 144,427 43,003 1.47 .44 1.91
111. Mountains 191,045 130.125 59,926 ‘94 .31 1.25
1v. 33stern Coal .69 2.27

v. Fields 56,852 50,505 39,392 1.53

v. Louisville 55,023 251.014 331.153 2.05 3.89 6.85
v1. Purchase 34,640 53,550 37,055 1.55 1.07 2.32
v11. Eastern Knobs 23,351 10,635 5,000 .80 .21 1.01

 

State totals
and averages 609,460 965,054 743,266 1.68 1.22

The foregoing figures show graphically the startling inadequacy of library service
in Kentucky and also reveal the great inequalities that exist in the different sections 0
of the state. When it is realized that those regions which have the larger number of
books per school pupil (as inadequate as this figure still is) have this advantage sole—
ly by virtue of the fact that there are one or two larger cities in the region with
sizeable book collections in schools or in public libraries, it is then possible to ap—
preciate the disproportionate lack of books and library service in the state as a
whole outside of the few larger population centers. The same observation emphasizes
the opening statement, namely, that economic and social factors determine the develop—
ment of library service in any cemmunity (or region). It is plainly indicated that