ARCHIVIST OF THE HALL OF RECORDS 21

CIRCULATION

The number of searchers and the quantity of material circulated increased
during the year, as did the use of microfilm and the number of letters of in-
quiry. The tables below, covering three fiscal years, show the exact amount
of the increase which has been especially striking in the case of items circulat-
ed at the Hall of Records.

Number of Searchers

1954-1955 ........................................ 1,354

1955-1956 ........................................ 1,360

1956-1957 ........................................ 1,502

Items Circulated

1954-1955 ........................................ 8,006

1955-1956 ........................................ 7,726

1956-1957 ........................................ 9,714

Microfilm is always included in the total of records circulated. However,
since its use demands much more time on the part of our Search Room staff,
a break-down is instructive.

Reels Circulated

1954-1955 ........................................ 1,211

1955-1956 ........................................ 852

1956-1957 ........................................ 926

Queries came by mail from every state except Maine, North Dakota,
Rhode Island and Vermont. There were also letters from abroad.

Letters Answered

1954-1955 ........................................ 1,318

1955-1956 ........................................ 1,287

1956-1957 ........................................ 1,482

As in past years, a list has been kept of records used twenty or more times.
The increased use of church records is clear, 313 as aginst 139. Baltimore
County Accounts, little used in 1955-1956, Somerset County Judgments,
Caroline County Land Records, and Frederick County Judgments all have
been in more frequent demand recently. A few records, such as the Baltimore
City Tax Books, were not previously available but have been asked for fre-
quently in the past fiscal year.

The use of our records by the public is, of course, only a part of their
total use: it would be impractical to list the records consulted by our staff in
answering queries and in our daily work.