PALMERSTON NORTH LIBRARY

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 226, 19 June 1940, Page 6

PALMERSTON NORTH LIBRARY

Liaison Officer’s Praise QUOTED AS EXAMPLE FOR MANY OTHER PARTS Dominion Special Service. PALMERSTON N., June IS. High praise for the Palmerston North Municipal Library, which, she said, had set an example for many other parts of New Zealand, wars given by Miss E. J. Carnell, Wellington, liaison officer between the Country Library Service and the’New Zealand Library Association, in an address on modern library trends given in Palmerston North. Miss Carnell said she would never fail to point to the Palmerston North library when telling other towns about what could be done. Mr. AV. G. Black, chairman of the city council’s library committee, presided, and those present included a number of Feildiug borough councillors. Mr. Black pointed out. that the free service at the city library was available to all citizeus and not to ratepayers only. There had been some misconception on that poiut and he desired to clear it up. Miss Carnell said New Zealand libraries suffered from the scattered nature of the population, the wretched subscription system, and the unwillingness of some local authorities to provide enough money for their libraries. Nevertheless, she had been impressed by what had been done in starting small libraries all over the country, but the same range of books could not be expected and so people went away dissatisfied. The problem of Hie small library, however was solved by the Country Library Service, from which a substantial supply of books could be secured free of charge. A. bad library service was a waste of money, but a good service was one of the best investments a local authority could make.