The Japanese who frequent the libraries are not numerous. They belong almost entirely to the student class and the books they take are used in connection with their school work. In some places they "appear to be more resourceful, more polite and more intelligent than the average high school student" with whom the libraries come in contact. As a class of patrons they are not only inoffensive but desirable.
While the yellow man is clearly not a problem in libraries, it is equally certain that the black man is a problem. This is especially true in the South. In northern libraries it is the rule to admit him without distinction. Throughout the South, with very few exceptions, the segregation maintained in all social, educational and religious institutions is enforced in libraries.
This paper will deal primarily with the public library question. But account should also be taken of the institutional libraries to which negroes have access.
Institutional Libraries
The report of the U. S. Commissioner of Education for 1910 contains a list of 189 secondary and higher schools for the colored race in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Of these 160 report libraries aggregating 368,684 volumes with an estimated value of $295,788. Following is a summary of the institutions and their libraries arranged by states. Of these libraries 84 have less than 1,000 volumes; 56 have 1,000 to 5,000 volumes; 11 have between 5,000 and 10,000 volumes; 6 have between 10,000 and 20,000. Two have 26,607 and 27,000 respectively.
| Schools Reporting. | Volumes in Library. | Estimated Value. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 14 | 49,522 | $26,525 |
| Arkansas | 6 | 9,450 | 5,150 |
| Delaware | 2 | 1,900 | 800 |
| District of Columbia | 2 | 27,253 | 43,569 |
| Florida | 7 | 8,267 | 7,120 |
| Georgia | 14 | 49,025 | 32,181 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 3,950 | 2,350 |
| Louisiana | 10 | 14,353 | 16,051 |
| Maryland | 5 | 7,250 | 5,735 |
| Mississippi | 11 | 18,432 | 14,920 |
| Missouri | 3 | 4,950 | 5,500 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 35 | 25 |
| North Carolina | 20 | 16,560 | 13,097 |
| Ohio | 1 | 6,500 | 2,500 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 975 | 1,450 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 19,500 | 20,500 |
| South Carolina | 16 | 27,600 | 21,000 |
| Tennessee | 11 | 30,025 | 17,935 |
| Texas | 8 | 13,550 | 17,830 |
| Virginia | 18 | 52,030 | 35,950 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 7,557 | 5,600 |
| Total | 160 | 368,684 | $295,788 |
Many of these collections except in the larger institutions, have been characterized as "so unsuitable as to be almost worthless ... the discarded refuse of garrets and overcrowded store rooms, which should have gone to the paper mill, but was sent to these poor children through mistaken kindness."
These libraries are primarily for the use of the students, but they are usually open to the townspeople for reading and reference. While the people thus have access to a collection of books for consultation, it can not be said that they have the equivalent of a public library, even where the selection is good. It is a common occurrence, however, throughout the country for institutional libraries to operate against the establishment of a public library without acting as a satisfactory substitute.