NEW SYSTEM

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21729, 11 March 1936, Page 16

NEW SYSTEM

* MANAGEMENT OP LIBRARIES That there might soon be considerable changes in the running of the central and suburban libraries, and that the City Council would have more control in their management, was mentioned by the chairman, Cr. E. H. Andrews at the annual meeting of the Linwood Library last evening. "There is a possibility that there will be considerable changes in the running of libraries in Christchurch," said the chairman. "The Canterbury College Board of Governors will shortly call a conference to discuss the best methods of running the town library. It is admitted that the city library is not up to date, and therefore the methods of supervision cannot be up to date in an out-of-date building. Some arrangement will have to be made so that the City Council will have a certain amount of control, and it may mean that the council may have to evolve a scheme for running libraries. It would mean some measure of supervision and the interchange of books among the various libraries, added Cr. Andrews. It might mean that the central library would, have to buy books for all outlying libraries. However, there were various systems in operation, and all would be considered. It might mean a difference in the subsidy system, but he did not think that- it would come into effect this year, as it might require legislation before the new scheme could be brought into effect. He felt sure that the new system would put the libraries in a better position than they were in at present. Mr F. D. Sargent explained that whatever was decided would be to the advantage, and. not the disadvantage, of the suburban libraries. What they were more concerned with was not the fiction departments, but the non-fiction department. In that respect the central library was out of date as regards text-books. The idea was to assist the suburban libraries so that they could obtain on loan nonfiction books from the central libraries for the use of subscribers. It had been said that a person's education ended when he or she left school, but that was far from the case. They wished to aid the younger people, as very few were able to have private libraries, but the new scheme would give them an opportunity of carrying on their reading after leaving school, and the young people should be encouraged to read along the right lines. The present council was taking a lively interest in library matters, and he assured the subscribers that any new scheme would be to the advantage of the suburban libraries.