Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1945, Part 7

Author:
Publication date: 1945
Publisher: The town
Number of Pages: 222


USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1945 > Part 7


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Many of our former teachers, when they married, settled here in town, and were willing to return to the grade school and teach in this emergency. I feel that the town is indebted to these substitute teachers who have most efficiently helped out in what might other- wise have been a most unsatisfactory situation. It does not seem likely that for some years to come there will be an adequate supply of trained teachers with a background of successful experience. To be sure, better salary schedules for teachers here in Braintree have been put into effect, but the same thing has happened in every other community so that relatively Braintree is no better off than she was before. Many individuals may take up the professions of teaching, but even should the number double it will undoubtedly be eight to ten years before we would find there was an adequate supply of teachers.


The total enrollment of the schools now is 3,421. This is not the largest school population that we have had but it is still high. The high school is over-crowded, and enrollments in the kindergarten and first grade indicates that an acute housing shortage will appear in the next few years. I called your attention last year, in my report, to recent birth rates and now we must face the actual facts. The kindergarten enrollment at the end of the first month of the present school year was 314, and the first grade 297. A year ago the kinder- garten was 262, which shows that a repetition of this ratio, and it might well be higher, will give us a first grade next September numbering 355 or more. We have already opened the Colbert School to take care of the increased enrollment of kindergarten and first grade this year, but as these classes advance in school, adequate provision must be made for higher over-all enrollments which are indicated by the increased population of the Town. For fourteen years, Braintree has not provided adequate accommodations for our high school stu- dents, although we are hopeful that the addition to the high school can be completed in the near future to relieve this situation. The town has its second immediate major housing problem with the addition of two new junior high school buildings. There are no outstanding schoolhouse bonds, which fact should persuade the public to take favorable action in providing such increased housing accommodations for the education of pupils who are to be in school.


Of the 39 cities in this state, only 28 had a larger public school enrollment, and only 6 towns had a larger enrollment thus making the school system in the Town of Braintree the 35th in size based on its second enrollment, whereas, based on population, it ranks as 51st.


79


Of the forty largest towns in the state, there were but 5 with a lower per pupil cost than ours-$113.62 -- for the school year of 1944- 1945, and there were but two of the 39 cities with a lower per pupil cost.


In addition to the shortage of teachers, we have been considerably concerned with other shortages caused by war conditions. Last year we put our schools on a one-session basis, and as a result used considerably less coal than we had previously with the elementary schools closing at 2:00 instead of 3:30. However, we are now limited to 80% of the amount used last year, which is giving us some con- cern, and has caused us to limit outside evening activities in many of the school buildings.


Difficulties were met this last year also in maintenance work because of material and labor shortages. Several jobs for which orders were placed in July and even earlier did not get done at all and in practically every case where the work was finally finished, it was all the way from two to five months late in being completed.


In connection with text books and supplies, in many instances there were items which could not be secured at all, others on which no time for delivery could be given and although they were ordered last April, some of them are just coming in now. Furthermore, quality was not up to those standards which have universally been considered desirable and yet prices have been way'above those formerly estab- lished for the best grades. It is doubtful if conditions as to supplies, will materially improve this spring. Deliveries will probably improve, but not quantities, grades or prices. We did secure our new art tables and desks for the drawing department in the high school, although it took over six months to get them. New toilet equipment was secured and installed in the Noah Torrey Grammar School building; fire escape at Jonas Perkins School was painted; new bubblers were secured and installed in the Penniman and Jonas Perkins Schools; fire escape was painted at Monatiquot and lighting conditions were improved in class rooms; some water supply pipes which had so filled up with sediment that hardly any water at all could be delivered at bubblers, sinks, etc., were replaced in the Watson and Jonas Perkins Schools; a new boiler and oil burner was secured and installed at the Colbert School which had to be reopened in September on account of increase in school enrollment in that section of the town; a new hot water tank had to be secured and installed in the high school; extensive emergency repairs had to be made on one of the boilers at the Hollis School, and this is probably not the end of trouble here as these boilers are no longer being made, and, therefore, it is impossible to get parts, which may mean that next summer arrangements should be made to secure two new boilers for the Hollis School; extensive improvements on Hollis School grounds were made through a special appropriation, and I am confident that after these school grounds have been in use for a short time it will seem well worth-while to do similar work on other school grounds. I have not mentioned all the maintenance work done in the school department as it would make too lengthy a report. The fore- going with the moving of the maintenance department shop from the basement of the Hollis School, which gave us another classroom there but necessitated regrading the grounds at Pond School, and an ex- tensive painting program are the major accomplishments.


1


At the urgent request of many of the parents, the no school signal, which had been temporarily discontinued during the war, was re- adopted. This no school signal will apply only to elementary grades as the State law requires 180 days of high school operation which makes it essential that the high school be in operation every day of the present school calendar.


80


A new trophy cabinet was installed in the lobby at the High School, and in it may be seen the trophy from Class B Basketball Tech Tournament. This trophy is now the High School's permanent pos- session. There is in this cabinet a considerable number of trophies, the histories of which would make most interesting reading. The extra curricula activities of our schools are in sound and healthy condition, giving our student body pleasure in recreational activities and train- ing as well, which should prove to be of no small value in the future life of the individual. Few changes were made in our educational practices or accomplishments during the year just passed. There is a change, however, which should take place in the immediate future, and that is the adoption of a new series of readers. Other subjects might well be considered also for there are constantly being published new series of books in practically every subject, and it has been a number of years since any new adoptions have been made.


This fall the Police Department adopted the practice of assigning uniformed patrolmen to our school crossings, a practice which should materially increase the safety of children on their way to and from school since these uniformed policemen can and will secure the atten- tion, respect and response from all drivers of motor vehicles. I am sure this action by the Police Department merits appreciation from the public and I wish to express the appreciation and thanks of the School Department for this action.


In closing this report, which will be my last for the town of Braintree, I wish to say that I honestly feel that we have one of the finest salaried personnel in our school system of 175 persons, and that I have enjoyed every minute working with them. No more capa- ble and efficient group of teachers or supervisors can be found in any school system. I have always felt that a school system is what the teachers make it, and I feel that Braintree can rightfully be proud of the present personnel that is teaching their children.


Respectfully submitted, C. EDWARD FISHER, Superintendent of Schools


81


FINANCIAL STATEMENT


Teachers' Salaries (including Principals, Super- visors and 4 Secretaries)


$293,410.16


Superintendent's Salary


5,175.00


Secretaries' Salaries


3,290.00


Supervisor of Attendance


1,150.00


Telephones, Printing, Postage, etc.


1,294.31


Nurse, Physicians and Health Supplies


3,529.50


Janitors' Salaries


27,480.32


Fuel


11,645.36


Light, Water and Miscellaneous Operating


5,027.73


Text Books and Supplies


16,498.91


Athletic Equipment Fund


1,199.94


Transportation


11,421.80


Tuition


3,258.38


Repairs and Improvements


29,053.76


Outlay


1,277.50


Miscellaneous


1,122.95


Retirement Fund


803.48


$416,639.10


RECEIPTS OF THE TOWN ON ACCOUNT OF THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT


Massachusetts School Fund.


$ 28,680.00


State Reimbursement (on tuition paid)


1,893.02


Tuition (State Ward and others)


1,548.40


Miscellaneous


137.93


.


32,259.35


Net Cost to Town for Support of Schools


$384,379.75


82


Class of 1945


First ten names are arranged according to rank, with grade average of 90%, or over.


*Perfect record of attendance for four years. +In service.


Ruth Louise Holbrook


Marjorie Snow Nye


Eleanor Lorraine Edwards Mary-Louise Emmons Marjorie Lorena Faulkner


Barbara Louise Dixon


Margaret Rita McNeil


Charles Wright Ferguson


Dorothy Ann Savage


Theresa Elizabeth Foley


Lowell Ross Buckner, Jr.


Francis Rocco Frano Doris Mae Frazier


William Charles Aumen


Phyllis Elizabeth Vinal


Beverly Delores Rubin


George Lawrence Cardarople


+Raymond Joseph Adams Marjorie Arnold Albert Lawrence Baker, Jr. Earle Clayton Batchelder


¡Kennison Nye Gale Anne Ferrier Gillan William Lee Gorman Mary Mackinnon Green Albert Richard Hagen Priscilla Joan Hainsworth


Shirley Elizabeth Batchelder Robert Lester Bates Marcus Bradford Baxter, Jr.


Edward John Hales Catherine Rhea Hall Jeanne Audrey Hall Marjorie Theresa Halpin Marjorie Agnes Hamilton Samuel Priest Hansen Margaret Alice Harcourt


Gladys Elizabeth Becker Harvey Lee Beetle Grace Marjorie Bell Gertrude Amelia Belyea Mariesta Betts


Kathleen Esther Harris Dorothy Mae Hayden Lawrence Anthony Herendeen


Jean Ann Hill


Mae Edythe Bushman


Janet Elizabeth Howland


Richard Frank Carlsen Paul David Cavanagh


Charlotte Louise Hyslop Eleanor Irene Imlay Barbara May Johnson


Jean Marion Joudrey


Rudolph Wentworth Kalns


Joseph Francis Constantino Lorraine June Curran John Thomas Curry


Lois Mildred Kelley Olive Anne Kelly Robert Jenkins Kemp Hope Alice Killam


Paul Albert Kjellander


Doris Louise Konetzky


Elinor Mary LeVangie


Robert Barlow Davis Virginia Colburn Day Frances Ann DeGiso


Robert Malcolm Demarest


John Edward Dignan Richard Joseph Donahue Thomas Donkin Elizabeth Ann Donnelly


Eleanor Phyllis MacKay Harold George Mallon Edith Robertson Marr Olga Alfrida Mattson Lucille Constance McCarthy


+Thomas Francis Drake Mary Elizabeth Drinkwater Jean Frances Drummey


Richard Elliot McCormack Elizabeth Anne McCue Mary Joyce McCue Leonard Dixon McCumber Richard James McLean Evelyn Lorraine McNeil


83


Carl Henry Bjorkman, Jr. Harold William Boyd Warren Kenneth Boynton Joan Burpee


Priscilla Jean Hosford


Doris Elizabeth Callaway


Eleanor May Chamberlain Agnes Louise Christie Rose Marie Conti


Louise Anne Cusick Virginia Mary Dalton Madeline Ann Damiano


* Mildred Elizabeth Friedmann


Marie Louise McNeil Elizabeth Ann McSharry * Barbara Lorraine Moore Mary Elizabeth Moran June Mary Mortimer Roger Stearns Moseley Herbert Everett Nash Paul Richard Nason Doris Irene Neal Doris Louise Nichols Barbara Clara Nihan Jean Marie Nordahl


Florence Greenleaf Nott Frank Anthony Novio


+Carl Wilfred Nyberg Eugene Whitney O'Neil Sidney Welles Partridge Joseph James Patts Doris Mae Peck Rita Marie Pelrine Jean Ann Pendoley Jacob Edward Petersen


Albert Minot Piggott Virginia Beatrice Pink Natalie May Power James William Reardon Carol Ripley


Edvy Arthur Rivoire Lloyd Barnard Robbins Ruth Edith Robbins


Norman Arthur Ross


Dorothy Louise Routhier Leontia Marion Sacco Robert Guild Schmitt Marilyn Olive Seavey Anna Mae Sheehan Thelma Annie Simpson Donald Edward Smith Dorothy Ann Smith Stanley Edwin Smith Dorothy Helen Spaulding


+William Arthur Spickard Eleanor Mae Stevens Robert Allen Stevens


¡Robert Charles Stevenson Barbara Jean Stitt June Ellen Street Margaret Louise Sullivan


*Bernard James Talbot Jeanne Elizabeth Thomas Dorothy Mae Trott Mary Margaret Turpel Dawn Vickery Weathersby Lela Jean Welch


* Barbara Grace Weston Alice Edna Westover Priscilla Louise White Edna Mabel Whittaker Marjorie Ingeborg Wiklund


¡John Trudeau Wiseman John Paul Young


84


BRAINTREE HIGHLANDS SCHOOL


Shirley May Blomgren


William Kenneth Nelson, Jr.


Marcia Ann Burpee


Patricia J. Oliver


David Walter Cassidy


Robert C. Olson


Mary Elizabeth Comeau


Margaret Alice O'Rourke


Theresa Marie Dennehy


Herbert Steadman Ricketson, Jr.


Angelo Graziano


Jane Elizabeth Roberts


Richard Lawrence Hine


Elizabeth Frances Robinson


Joan Jensen


Gertrude Elaine Rogers


June Claire Koffink


Elizabeth Anne Sullivan


Doris May LeVangie Barbara Jean MacDougall


Joan Claire Thomas


Jane Ann Wiseman


Barry Nelson Moore


Jeane Arlene Young


NOAH TORREY GRAMMAR SCHOOL


Roland W. Allison


Albert Michael Avitable


Vincent Charles Benotti, Jr.


Theresa Virginia Lostrappo


Kathleen Louise Bono Alfred Joseph Bregoli


Anthony John Marsico


Edward Eugene Brown, Jr.


Jean Constance Mathews


Mary Ellen Cesarini


Hammond Leroy Chandler


Roy Franklin Matthews Michael.A. Medico Leonard Melchionno


William Ellis Condon, Jr. Marjorie Lorraine Dernier Annabell Elizabeth Drysdale Jennie Isabell Drysdale Harold M. Dyer Kathryn R. Evans June Madeline Fabiano Gloria A. Felaccio Ann Louise Friedmann


Elizabeth Nancy Migliorini Ernest B. Migliorini


Paul Anthony Frano Willard Theodore Furst


Thomas Richard Gallagher


James William Golden, Jr. Patricia Anne Hall Anne Frances Hannon Bertha Hansen Edward Hutchinson Josephine Madeline Kaukola Gloria Louise Legg


Rita Mae Morgan Lawrence Joseph O'Neil Pauline Pinkham Rose Virginia Puliafico Jean Frances Raymond Dorothy M. Richardi Josephine Mary Saia David Jackson Spera Robert Martin Tantillo


Frederick John Trott Nicholas Patsy Turra


Dominick Vecchione Donald Edward Vitagliano Burnet Vivona Kenneth Marshall Whitman John Angelo Zampine, Jr.


MONATIQUOT SCHOOL


Athena Bessie Anastos Nancy Ayer Walter Arnold Brown Marilyn Louise Burns Robert Corvi James Joseph Crowley Marcia Curtis John William Delaney Grace Elizabeth Eosue James Joseph Fitzsimmons Ann Louise Gogan Geraldine Agnes Hennedy John Patricia Jazowski Jacqueline Priscilla Kerr Joyce Marie Le Vangie Dianne MacDonald


Charles McCarthy Robert Willis Mckean Richard Sherry Mclellan Stephen Haynes Merritt Margaret Rose Pantano


Edmond Joseph Patenaude Barbara Lillian Peckham Robert Walter Preston Leo John Saunders Doris Arlene Street Paul Richard Trapp Richard Kenneth Welch Sally Wentworth James Stewart Whitaker Janice Edythe Whitten Rodney Cushing Wilde


85


C. Diane Murray


Anthony Santo Leo. Philapena Grace Leo


Josephine M. Manganello


HOLLIS SCHOOL


Marjorie Edith Alden Priscilla Alden Donald Earl Ankenman John Monroe Brousseau Arthur Monroe Capaccioli Thomas Robert Cleggett


Albert Emil Morse


Marilyn Ann Mundt


Ruby Lorraine Newell


Robert Ellsworth Noyes


Barbara Ann Osthagen


Beatrice Muriel Crossman


George Donald Reardon


Richard Francis Curry


Forrest LeRoy Flanders Regan, Jr.


Richard Harold Diotte


Sylvia Ripley


Virginia Theresa Endres


Arnold Marvin Sackmary


Constance Virginia Gould Evelyn Rita Hartford


Hazel Louise Shedd


Patricia Lucile Heap


Everett William Streeter


Dorothea Jeanne Hillier


Barbara Jane Summers


Marjorie Ann Johnson


Marilyn Lois Tanner


Phyllis Rae Tower


Clayton Joseph Trahan


Nancy Deane Walker


Robert Butler Worthen


PENNIMAN SCHOOL


Alan Roger Carlsen


Charles Francis Carr, Jr.


Richard Warren Davenport


Robert Lincoln Evans


Margaret Rose Fleming


Richard Henry Fraser


Charles Edward Gale


Jeremy Kaye Paulus William Bailey Piner, Jr. Florence Southwick Potter Donald Frederick Powell Rosemary Elizabeth Quinlan Sheila May Ratcliffe Marshall Ames Ries Judith Ann Robinson


Frederic Stephens Gibb


Benjamin Morrill Greely, Jr.


Wendell Howard Rushton


Douglas Malcolm Gregor


Jean Frances Holbrook


William Howe Saunders Mary Louise Shutt


Louise Frances Kormann


Richard Joseph Smith


Shirley Ann Lloyd Margaret Mary Mahar


Paul Michael Sodano


John Francis Gregory Marshall


Virginia Neville Marshall


Eric Arnold Maslen


Kenneth Earl Mason


Mary Louise Thibeault Janet Clarissa Tisdale Jean Marjorie Vines


. Charles Milliken Wade John Gerard Waters Alvan Winford Webber Carol May Wilson Helen Priscilla Wilson


JONAS PERKINS SCHOOL


William Hans Becker Lillian Grace Belcher John Homer Brooks George Warren Cahill Gerald Charles Cody Beverly Mae Crocker Robert William Cunniff Leonard Samuel Cushing Clifford George DeBold John Cheney Drummey James Edward Flynn Nancy Wilmore Giles Carolyn Ruth Hansen Elizabeth Irene Hansen James Russell Hirtle


Natalie Hoyt Derwood Willis Hughes, Jr.


Robert Wallace Patrick Kearney Russell Clinton Kidder


Richard Edward Kiernan


James Francis McDonnell Roland Louis Pinault


Mildred Irene Ridley Richard Ben Robbins Theresa Mary Robinson Norman Roger Routhier Daniel Henry Skinner


Edward George Spellman Paul Thomas Spellman David Franklin Whitten


86


-


Jean Carol McCarty Nancy Morrison Carolyn Ann Moulton Janet Hunter Munroe Dorothy Elsa Nelson


Elizabeth Hannah Sullivan


Walter Hayden Loud Patricia MacDonald James Robert MacGregor Elizabeth Ann Merryman


Barbara Dagmar Power


Beverly Burchstead Scholes


THOMAS A. WATSON SCHOOL


Joan Catherine Belyea David Bennett


Richard Critcherson Murray


Jean Ellen Christina Nelson


Dorothy Jean Birtwell


Beverly Joan Nyberg


Jacqueline Rose Bodley William Norbert Bowie


Marion Louise Oliver Emil Embree Pinkham


Edmont Thomas Callahan, Jr. William Hawkins Coates


Dorothy Joanne Pitts Gladys Margarite Proverb Jack Fields Proverb


Celia Rose Curran


Katherine Joan Finnerty


Carl Berger Sakrison, Jr.


Raymond Joseph Harkin


Jean Flora South


Edna May Keiser


Donald Joseph Latulippe


Mary Antoinette Libertine


Pauline May Thompson Eleanor Claire Walker


Richard Eliott MacCormack William Allan Mills


Frank Chester White


Leon Joseph Almon Whittaker, Jr.


Richard Kenneth Moore


David Smith Wilson


ABRAHAM LINCOLN SCHOOL


Barbara Frances Anderson Marjorie Jean Christie Pauline Mary Correnti Arline May Davies Mary DeStefanis Charles Joseph De Young Joan Ann Rita Dunajski Irene Helene Egan


Joan Patricia Langley Martha Joan Loughry


James Francis Mattie


Robert Emery McKenney


Arthur Theodore Moran, Jr. Charles Robert Peacock Richard William Perrault Barbara Ann Reardon


George Mansell Simpson William Walkins Taber


Louise Helen Thompson


Mary Theresa Woelfel


Selden James Woodbury


.


87


John Lawrence Crowell


Richard Charles Reilly


Albert Russell Jones, Jr.


Donald Benton Sutherland Nancy Keith Swasey


Barbara Helen Morgan


Janet Ferguson Frances Elizabeth Fowler Marion Gertrude George Eleanor Edith Gurney Barbara Marie Hall Fay Elvera King


Report of the Braintree School Fund


In accordance with the advice of the State Auditors, this fund is not treated as a trust fund of the Town, but is administered by the Trustees of Braintree School Fund, an incorporated body; and, fol- lowing a vote of the Town, the income is used for scholarships awarded to graduates of the Braintree High School to be applied toward first year's expenses in pursuing higher education.


PRINCIPAL ACCOUNT


Real Estate (Assessed Value)


$3,650.00


Quincy Savings Bank. 1,022.50


Weymouth Savings Bank


1,000.00


Braintree Savings Bank


2,270.65


Randolph Savings Bank


600.00


$8,543.15


INCOME ACCOUNT


Receipts :


Balance on Hand January 1, 1945


$ 748.86


Rents


300.00


Interest on Bank Deposits


107.90


$1,156.76


Payments-


Fidelity Bond


$ 8.00


1


Taxes


107.31


Repairs


138.00


Scholarships


225.00


Scholarship (awarded in 1944)


75.00


553.31


Balance on Hand December 31, 1945


$ 603.45


Scholarships were awarded in 1945 to the following graduates of the Braintree High School:


Dorothy A. Savage Jeanne E. Thomas


Barbara L. Dixon


TRUSTEES OF BRAINTREE SCHOOL FUND


*James E. Folsom


Arthur L. Hale, Pres.


Roger Lakin Morrill R. Allen, Treas ..


*George E. Sampson Ralph B. Woodsum


*George A. Walker, Clerk


*Deceased


88


REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES


OF THE


THAYER PUBLIC LIBRARY


OF THE


Town of Braintree


FROM


December 31, 1944, to December 31, 1945


89


Report of the Trustees of Thayer Public Library


To the Citizens of the Town of Braintree:


The Annual Report submitted by Miss Miriam Hall, our librarian, speaks for itself. It is an admirable portrayal of the situation in the Thayer Public Library and its branches. I hope my fellow citizens ~ will give careful reading to the part of the report that deals with "Who Gives This Service."


We have added this year to our Library Staff, Miss Ellen Fitch, Assistant Librarian, and Miss Dorothy Dingwell, our Children's Librarian. We have needed on our Library Staff a woman as Assistant Librarian who measures up to the standards required for certification both by the American Library Association and the Massachusetts State Library Association. Miss Fitch is not only a graduate of one of our New England colleges but the Simmons College Library School as well. She has had, as Miss Hall has commented, not only experi- ence in the Waterville Public Library but also four years as Assistant Branch Librarian in various branches of the New York Public Library.


Miss Dorothy Dingwell also greatly strengthens our library per- sonnel. She is a graduate of Wheaton College and has a fine cultural background to prepare her for her library duties.


We also welcome to our staff Mrs. Thomas Talbot of Braintree, who as part-time Assistant in the Main Library, is rendering valuable service. We are glad to retain in our service our Braintree Branch Librarian, Mrs. Gertrude Bates; our East Braintree Branch Li- brarian, Mrs. Arnold Cocroft; and our Braintree Highlands Librarian, Miss Margaret Ellis. They are doing work in their respective branches of a high order of excellence.


We are proud of the work of the Librarian and her staff and look forward in 1946 to a fine year of library accomplishment.


This year we are inserting in the Town Warrant an article to see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to acquire by gift, purchase, or eminent domain, a lot of land on the northwesterly corner of Central Avenue and Washington Street, for the purpose of construct- ing thereon a public library. This is a fine corner lot for our new library. It will be a real contribution to our civic center. We are sure that the voters in our Town Meeting will approve of this appropria- tion.


Even though present building costs are prohibitive, it has unani- mously been felt by the Board of Trustees and the Citizens' Committee appointed by the Moderator that an article relative to the appropria- tion for the construction of a new library should be inserted in the Town Warrant. Just as soon as building materials are procurable and building costs come down to something within reason, the con- struction of a new library should be approved by the voters of the Town.


Respectfully submitted, STACY B. SOUTHWORTH, Chairman, MORRILL R. ALLEN, MABEL S. ROGERS, CLARA G. WETHERBEE, RALPH B. WOODSUM,


Trustees of Thayer Public Library.


90


To The Board of Trustees of the Thayer Public Library:


Recently a borrower came to the desk to ask for a book, and the desk assistant discovering that his card had expired, asked if he wished to reregister. He said, "I certainly do wish to. This library has done more for me than you people realize." It is our goal that this should be the attitude of all of our readers. How have we measured up in the year 1945 ?


HOW MUCH SERVICE HAS BEEN GIVEN ?


7548 residents or workers in Braintree are registered borrowers. 345 more than in 1944.


They borrowed 143,866 books


Children borrowed 44,881 books or 31%


Adults borrowed 67,188 stories or 47%


Adults borrowed 31,797 books of factual reading or 22%


These figures represent an increase of 8479 over 1944.


This increase was distributed between children and adult - readers :


Children


6,845


Adult 1,634


The Main Library and the Branches were responsible for the following distribution of the circulation:


Main Library


64,533


North Braintree 30,809


East Braintree 27,785


Highlands 20,739


Each borrower read an average of 19 books.


The Thayer Public Library now owns 40,722 volumes


32,874 adult books 7,848 juvenile books


It added 2,015 volumes to its collection in 1945.




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