CANTERBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22467, 30 July 1938, Page 21

CANTERBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY

ACTIVITIES OF FIRST SIX MONTHS OF YEAR

“The half-yearly report of the librarian (Mr E. J. Bell) is distinctly encouraging,” states the “Canterbury Pub- • lie Library Journal." “Since January :,the issue of books for home reading reached a total of 93,800 volumes Increase of 2706 compared with the first six months of 1937. The membership, too, shows a very steady improvement and 2252 persons have taken out subscriptions, an increase of 119 compared with the same period of 1937. "It has been an excellent period for ®ew books and 1059 volumes have been added, more than 300 of these being excellent non-fiction works. A glance at the accessions reveals that a big number of the more expensive works of travel, history, biography, sociology end many other subjects have been secured. Many of the novels, too, have been high-priced. In fact, it is safe to assume that no other library has added sifeh a wealth of literature to its shelves. "The introduction of -an intermediate subscription of 2s 6d a year" for young people 16 to 18 years of age, has been an overwhelming success, 206 haying enrolled and are already en- , Joying the privilege of selecting their , books from a stock of more than 26,000 Vo i Urnes - , The special reduced fee of five-shil-hngs a year or two and sixpence halfyear for old age pensioners has attracted a large number of persons. | Since the beginning of the year we have reduced our half-yearly fee to nye shillings and the quarterly fee tc , .three shillings. The half-yearly subscription has now become the most Popular and 747 have been received, compared with 318 for the same period •f 1937.’*