Culture Statistics: Public Libraries in Canada, 1979-1981

Ann Turner is Financial and Budget Manager at the University of British
Columbia Library.

Based on annual surveys of public libraries in Canada, this three-year compilation continues the annual publication of statistics formerly issued under Statistics Canada catalogue number 87-651. Statistics for the three years (1979, 1980, and 1981) are shown separately but in adjacent columns for ease of comparison. Both the statistics reported and the presentation format have varied from year to year in the annual series, and this successor issue is no exception. Although its format is much like that of the 1978 annual issue, it lacks nine of the tables, specifically those concerned with “Net area, seats and library hours” and all the statistics by large census urban centre. These data can be provided by Statistics Canada upon request. Textual commentary on the statistics is also missing. Nevertheless, public library administrators, library boards, and other interested parties will find a wealth of useful comparative data in this new publication.