by Ralph R. Shaw
The Library Quarterly
Vol. 8, #4, October 1938, pp. 480-490.
Question discussed: Does circulation from shelves drop with the increasing distance from an entrance door?
Evidence from experiment testing a different hypothesis
Location: Gary (Indiana) Public Library
Unofficial groups for this evidence:
- Section of shelving next to room's entrance
- Section of shelving 15 feet inside room's entrance
- Test period #1: Measuring circulation from both sets of shelves
- Test period #2: Measuring circulation from both sets of shelves
These results add together circulation for test periods #1 and #2 for both groups of shelves. The shelf 15 feet inside the front door circulated 24% fewer books than the shelf just inside the room's entrance. This is a circulation decline of 1.6% for each foot of further inside the entrance.
This suggests, but does not prove, an affirmative answer to the question, "Does circulation from shelves drop with the increasing distance from an entrance door?"
Robert Shaw comments that this is a bigger difference circulation than the difference between tilted vs. straight shelves,the original purpose of the experiment.