NON-FICTION BOOKS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21706, 13 February 1936, Page 2

NON-FICTION BOOKS

NEEDS OF CHRISTCHURCH LIBRARIES

The importance of non-fiction sections in modem libraries and the little assistance given to have them well established in Christchurch were contrasted by several speakers at the annual meeting last evening of the Addington Public Library. . . : The intellectual benefits: to be gained from attention to works of a serious nature were dwelt upon by the Deputy-Mayor (Cr. E. H. Andrews), who presided at the meeting. He thought that in the libraries of the past insufficient consideration had been given to non-fiction departments, and that readers had been worthily catered for in fiction only. He Wished to clear up any misunderstanding which might have arisen through a recent statement of his that central libraries were par excellence the place for refr erence books. He meant that they were the proper place for technical works which might be consulted - by students of engineering, architecture, and so on, who would be unable to pay for the books themselves. There should be some place to which students could turn when thev sought information from works of reference. .. Gr. T. Andrews also spoke of the need for giving ready access to technical works, so that men might have the opportunity to educate themselves. The annual grant of the City Council for libraries was only £7OO, one of the lowest amounts in New Zealand. An unpleasant corrollary to freater assistance would undoubtedly e an increase in rates, but he considered more should be set aside for libraries. The Dunedin City Council contributed more. than £BOOO annually to its free library; in Auckland, £ 10,000 was contributed from the rates and £3OOO from subscriptidns, and in Wellington the figures fere £7OOO and £4OOO respectively. With miscellaneous amounts, including endowments, the annual income of the Canterbury Public Library was only about £4OOO, Comparatively small towns like Hasting and Hamilton contributed as much t 6 the support of their libraries as was contributed in Christchurch. It would be a pity, said Cr. F. D. Sargent, if after encouraging its young people to apply 1 themselves to learning and to wm university degrees, opportunities for • ' education ended there. Actually, a man’s education began) only;-whem he deft? the university, and there should be facilities for him to pursue it •. Mr J, E. Jones, of the St. Martins Library, said that while all realised the distinct need for the expansion of reference sections in suburban libraries, unless the City Council increased its subsidy there was no hope of purchasing expensive reference books.