PUBLIC LIBRARY CONDITIONS.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20906, 13 July 1933, Page 8

PUBLIC LIBRARY CONDITIONS.

DOMINION-WIDE SURVEY PROPOSED. PARALLEL WITH CANADA. A Dominion-wide survey of public library conditions has been proposed to the executive of the Libraries' Association of New Zealand by Mr E. J. Bell, of the Canterbury Public Library, who is secretary of the association. Mr Bell stated yesterday that such a survey, if carried out, would be of immenpe value to the Dominion, though it would need very careful consideration. A similar survey was made last year in Canada by a special commission, and it was after studying the report of that commission, and with the realisation that New Zealand's library problems were an exact parallel to those which existed in Canada, that Mr Bell made his proposal. In this regard Mr Bell draws special attention to the part of the Canadian report which states: "For many city and town libraries tjiefe are no standards qf service, and no encouragement is given. Too often the library is the Cinderella of the municipal family. Money is recognised as necessary for fire protecr tion, police, education, streets and roads, but many councils are indifferent to the claims and needs of their library. The mind, apparently, does not need cultivation." The Canadian Position. Four-fifths of Canada's population of 10,500,000 persons were utterly without library service of any kind, .states the commission's report. Only three of the nine provincial governments had so far given more than a' pious theoretical approval to the principle that the library was an integral part of a people's welfare and education programme, or that as such it deserved and demanded attention, direction and support, as a governmental policy, responsibility, and duty. Everywhere throughout Canada responsibility was recognised as applying to the school, but only in Ontario, and to a much lesser degree in British Columbia, was a corresponding official interest taken in the public library. The reason for this situation was that the desire for reading facilities (outside two of the provinces) had not expressed itself as a public expectation or demand. Eight million Canadians had no knowledge whatever of what constituted an organised public book service. Such a service was outside their expectation—perhaps their comprehension—as being within the ambit of practical politics. Frovince-wid e campaigns of education would hfrve to be carried out, and a strong and general public opinion created, before the legislatures would embark on progressive library undertakings. New Demand Cre*t«tf. There were signs to show that such an awakening of public opinion would not be such a slow and discouraging process as was imagined. Two years ago no resident of the Fraser Valley in-Brit-ish Columbia, had any thought such a service was in the realm of the possible. For 40 years no effort had been made to establish 9- service of this sort, and farmers and townspeople were reconciled to an existence in which a library played no part. A library was, however, established, and the whole valley became a little world of readers. Study clubs and discussion groups were meeting in farm houses and school houses, and 20,000 volumes were not nearly sufficient to meet a new and ever-growing demand. Other examples showed that, given a few books, people asked for more. The commission maintains thai the remedy for the present Canadian conditions is the legislative assertion of the principle that the public library is part of the educational system under the control of each provincial government. For its proper operation, it states, "the governments should declare end exercise full responsibility, as throughout the whole of Canada they do for the public school.'' The Libraries' Association of New Zealand has no funds available to carry out such a survey in New Zealand, and the suggestion has been made that immediate application should he wade tp the Carnegie Corporation for a grant for the purpose. The commission tp do the work would probably consist of two New" Zealand librarian?, and one eminent librarian from overseas.