ST. MARTINS PUBLIC LIBRARY

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21082, 6 February 1934, Page 3

ST. MARTINS PUBLIC LIBRARY

ANNUAL MEETING The seventh annual meeting of the St. Martins Public Library was held last evening. Mr E. Parlane presided over a good attendance, comprising subscribers and friends, and representatives from other libraries.

The annual report stated that 130 new subscribers had been enrolled during the year and there had been 400 renewals, making an increase of 50 subscribers over the previous year. The following books had been placed on the shelves during the year: Fiction, 604; non-fiction, 169; juvenile, 31; replacements, 59. The cost had been £2OO Is sd. The total number of books in the library was 7254. Although the number of books purchased during the year was not so great as in the previous year, expenditure had increased owing to the rate of exchange. This difficulty had doubtless been experienced by all libraries; but St. Martins was fortunate in having the services of a buyer who was willing to sacrifice a great <deal of his time in the library's interests. The receipts for the year ending January 30, 1934, amounted to £252 15s 6d. plus cash in hand on February 1, 1933, £lB 2s, making a total of £270 17s 6d. The expenditure had been £251 18s lOd. Again it had been necessary to provide more shelves for books; but that difficulty would soon be removed, for work had been commenced on extensions, and it was hoped that before the winter rush of readers set in the library would have settled down. The 'number of books taken out had . "rain increased, the total number being 28.956, an increase of 3177. Thanks were once more expressed to the many enthusiastic helpers. Ladies of the committee had greatly assisted by repairing a total of 719 books. A competition held during the year to raise money for floor-coverings had resulted in the sum of £l7 17s lOd. Thanks j were expressed to the City Council for) its subsidy, and to donors of books, j The chairman congratulated the committee and the supporters of the library on the fine work they were doing. In these days of poverty it was good to see progress such as was being made at St. Martins. He remembered when the library was built. He had thought then St. Martins would need still more library space one day; and he had been pleased to note now that extensions were being built. He congratulated the library especially on the tidy appearance of the books on the shelves. Cr. T. H. Butterfield and representatives from other suburban libraries also congratulated the committee on the ,?ood work it had done. After the chairman of the committee (Mr J. E. Jones) had briefly spoken the report and balance-sheet were adopted. Election of Officers. The election of officers resulted as follows; Patron, the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.); president, Mr J. E. Jones; vice-presidents, Messrs H. T. Armstrong, M.P., J. F. Scott, and all sitting members of the Christchurch City Council; secretary, Mr F, Holland; treasurer. Mr F. \v Gurnsey; auditors, Messrs F. W. Hargreaves and A. Hill; buyers, Mrs A. Gibson and Mr A. Alexander: committee, Mesdames A. Alexander. R. Thomson, L. Sharpe, F. Holland. F. Gurnsey, Messrs W. Herbert, W. W. Bartram, B. Thomson, L. Schumacher, and C. Henry. Votes of thanks were passed to the chairman, to the president, and to visitors.