GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 187, 4 May 1940, Page 7

GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY

History And Scope Of Work ADDRESS BY MEMBERS OF STAFF An outline of the history, scope and work of Hie General Assembly Library was given by Mr. J. O. Wilson, a member of the library staff, in a talk to the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Library Association at a meeting held recently. At the third session of the first Parliament in 185(i. a select committee of the House recommended that £lOO lie placed on the estimates for the provision of a . library, he said. It was from that small beginning that 'the present parliamentary Library had grown. In 1805 the collection was moved from Auckland to Wellington, where it had remained ever since. By 1872 the library contained 8000 twoks, a figure which had grown to 15,000 by .1875. At that date a Royal Commission was set up to consider the housing of the library, and it recommended that a building to cost £14,000 be erected. Unfortunately, economic conditions had prevented that, and it was not till 1899 that the present building was completed—the old Wellington Provincial Council buildings having served the purpose in the meantime. By 1900 there were 50,000 volumes, and today there were 150,000. Members of Staff, The library had been fortunate in its staff. Mr. McGregor, librarian from 1881-85 had absorbed into the collection the stock of the Wellington Provincial Council Library, and bound 19(> volumes of pamphlets, a source today of much valuable material on the history of those times. He had been followed between 1885 and 1890 by James Collier, formerly amanuensis to Her bert Spencer, the sociologist. He had compiled the first bibliography of New Zealand literature, and on that model Hocken worked. Collier had been also a biographer of Sir George Grey. Shortly before his retirement Mr. H. L. James had joined the staff. He might be described as the father of librariauship in New Zealand. During the ’nineties the library had been properly classified and a printed catalogue produced. The technical work of the library had reached a very high standard under Mr. James, who had,-never been chief librarian, but had been acting-librarian till 1901, when Mr. Wilson had been appointed. Mr. Wilson bad retired in 1925 and had been succeeded by the present chief librarian. Dr. G. H. Scholefield. The fact that the General Assembly library was predominantly for the use of members of Parliament had its effect on the character of the stock. Though it has a sound classical basis, the sociology, history and biography selections were excellent. The library was also proud of its newspaper collection, which included many newspapers from the commencement of publishing in New Zealand. Though some of the files were incomplete, it was nevertheless by far the best collection in New Zealand. During the last year more than 200 volumes had been added. Information For M.P.’s.

A most important part of the work of the library was the supplying of information to members of Parliament. For that purpose special tools bad been developed, a vertical file in which were stored clippings from various newspapers, pamphlets and other material, an index to news and other items appearing in the daily newspapers, and another index to articles appearing in magazines were kept. These, and th£ special New Zealand portrait, collection, were kept in a special room, known as the reference room.

Other phases of the library’s work included the archives, a map collection, the issue of reading matter to members during recess, and, most important: of all to the public, the issue of recess privileges. Ou the recommendation of a member of Parliament, privilege holders were allowed to borrow from the library during recess two books at a time.

Originally on the lines of the private gentleman’s library concerned with the classics, the General Assembly had now to deal with all the complex problems of modern government, and was staffed and arranged to meet that need. In common with the Alexander Turnbull Library, and the Country Library Service, it was preparing to play its part in tbe national library of the future, with all the extra services that that would entail.