Librarian Criticises Engineers’ Library

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29384, 10 December 1960, Page 2

Librarian Criticises Engineers’ Library

Library facilities at the University of Canterbury Engineering School are quite inadequate, according to Miss Barbara Hale, engineering school librarian, who is leaving Christchurch in February for a position in Australia.

“The library is just comfortable now, but in two years it will be far too small,” said Miss Hale in an interview yesterday.

The library now contains 5000 books as well as bound periodicals—2so different publications are received each year, and most of these have many issues during the year. Books are increasing at the rate of 350 a year. The whole school had been built with insufficient regard for expansion, said Miss Hale. Next year Miss Hale will take up a position as assistant librarian in charge of public services at the University of Western Australia, in Perth.

Her work will include dealing with references and arranging interloans with other libraries. She has already seen the university, when she called at Perth on a trip to England 10 years ago. "The architecture looked very fine,” she said. She did not have time to look inside. Reasons For Change

Her reasons for going to Australia were not entirely 'financial, said Miss Hale. Openings were so limited in New Zealand that she had little hope here of advancing to higher positions. Before taking up the position at the engineering school. Miss Hale was head of the acquisitions department at the University of Canterbury library. She then spent three years in England, working at a variety of library jobs. For three months she was in the library at the London School of Economics, then spent a year in the library of New Zealand House. "Finding information on New Zealand for prospective immigrants was my main job there,” she said. She spent another year with the National Central Library, which is run on similar lines to the New Zealand National Library Service. “It was a clear-ing-house for reference inquiries from all over England,” said Miss Hale. Surprise Job She was very surprised to be appointed to the engineering school library when she returned to New Zealand eight years ago. “I applied for any of three jobs offering, but this was the one I least expected to get. I knew nothing about engineering—I did not even have a science degree.” said Miss Hale. But she claims that she has not been at a loss with any inquiry yet. “It was just a matter of oneupmanship,” she said. “I would keep asking questions around the subject until I heard a familiar word. The big thing was not to let the lecturers and professors know how ignorant I was.” The experts usually knew what they wanted, however, and it was just a matter of applying

ordinary library techniques in finding references for them. The library is also used for reference by city engineers, and members of the Ministry of Works. Pushed Lecturers As well as normal librarians’ duties such as cataloguing and arranging for repairs of books. Miss Hale has had to supervise book recommendations by lecturers. “Some are very enthusiastic for their departments, others are more backward, and I had to push them along to keep the distribution more or less equitable. I had to find t>ooklists and reviews, and push them under their noses.” Miss Hale wilj miss her work here. “I feel half an engineer myself,” she said. But she is looking forward to her new job in Perth.