PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 167, 11 April 1935, Page 8

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Proper Facilities Needed

SYSTEM OF BRANCHES

"It is a pity that the capital city with its two excellent special collections, one for members of Parliament and the other for scholars, should be unable adequately to house a collection of works of reference and in particular of those relating to the history of our own country and our own city,” states the April number of the “Readers’ Review,” the official organ of the Wellington public libraries, in dealing with the proposals for a new library building. "Those who are in close connection with the libraries realise and appreciate the need for proper facilities.

“Many will be influenced by the fact that building operations will reduce still further our decreasing unemployment figures. Many who have interests and affiliations with educational bodies will vote whole-heartedly for the project. But it must be remembered that there is a great mass of citizens who do not at present use the libraries simply because they object to the serious congestion in between the bookshelves of the central lending department: it is actually difficult to get to the shelves. This was so years ago; in 1930 the position was serious: since 1930 a period of only five years, the issues have roughly doubled themselves. The congestion is becoming ridiculous, There is only one remedy and that is one which will appeal perhaps most to .those who at present refrain from usiim (be libraries on account of the difficulty of getting books. Better Facilities Needed! "A public library open to all ralepayers and citizens, attractively butnot floridly designed, with proper facilities for carrying out the work by direct methods rather than roundabout ones, will present to them a. prospect which will attract them far more than that which is at present offered. It is almost impossible to keep an old building of the rather ornate type exemplified by the present central library properly clean for any length of time. In spite of constant, efforts, dust collects on old-fashioned cornices and mouldings; the windows leak; the basement is apt to be flooded: the staff has no proper rest room, and the internal contour of the building is such that processes which should be simple and direct must perforce be carried out by uneconomic methods. "Requests are received from suburbs for branch libraries. These requests should one by one be acceded to, but there comes a limit, and the cataloguing department, originally intended for one library, is already strained to its utmost capacity in catering for the needs of seven separate buildings. Branch Library System. "For a long time it has been realised that a single building in the centre of the city is unable to provide satisfactorily for the education and recreation of a public so scattered as that of Wellington,” continues the review. "The establishment of tlie Newtown Public Library to some extent relieved urban congestion, but it has been obvious lotmany years that a branch library should exist in every possible suburb. At present, unfortunately, the central library building is far too small for its purpose, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to administer an ever-growing number of branch libraries with so little office space. Branches have from time to time been established, and the city council has always before it applications from some three or four suburbs which have not yet attained their object. "The first branch library, apart from the South Wellington branch, was established at Brooklyn in 1905. In 1920 tlie Karori branch library came under the council's jurisdiction. Four years later Ngaio was equipped with a public library under the control of the City Corporation. During 1928 the chief librarian brought down a report concerning tlie library service, generally, in which he strongly advocated a system of branch libraries throughout the suburbs to be administered from the central library. This policy, which has been adopted by the Libraries Committee, resulted in tlie establishment of a branch at Wadestown in December, 1932, and of another at Miramar a year later. All Local Residents.

“Although part of tlie reason for tlie establishment of these branch libraries was the relief of congestion in tlie central building, it has been found Hint almost all of the subscribers to the new libraries are made up of local residents who had not been in the habit of using the central library. Issues from central increase at a far greater rate than fhe population of tlie city, and increasing branch issues do very little to relieve the pressure. At present tlie council is seeking for ways and means to establish a new central library which will provide for tlie needs of tlie population, and in which it will be possible to house tlie whole of the collection without the necessity of storing a large proportion nt tlie South Wellington branch. “Besides the paramount need for administration offices and general library accommodation in tlie centre of tlie city, tlie committee is faced with frequent applications from suburbs which have not vet been provided for. It may only" be a question of time before tlie branch library system will have extended to every suburb of any size around Wellington.”