LIBRARY GROWTH

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 92, 20 April 1931, Page 8

LIBRARY GROWTH

MORE AND MORE READING.

FICTION AND NON-FICTION

CHAIRMAN'S REVIEW

Though Wellington's library system is suffering under the handicap of old and unsuitable buildings, tho service which it gives tho public is each year increasing, and during the last financial year, to 31st March, tho advances made were remarkable. To-day the chairman of the Libraries Committee, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, who is retiring to contest the Mayoralty as the Civic League and Ratepayers' Association candidate, gave an interesting review of the work of tho department, with comparative figures for the year 1929-30. In the grand total for the central and branch libraries, in both the adult and children's sections, said Mr. Hislop, there was a very large increase in the number of books issued. The total for 1929-30 was 513,132, and last year's figure was 627,128, an increase of 113,----99 G. ■ Mr. Hislop supplied details for each class of issue for each library, and these when condensed show that the 627,128 issues were made up as follows: General works, 33,863; philosophy and religion, 3190; sociology, 14,179; language and literature, 9200'; science, 10,363; useful arts, 12,190; fine arts, 4493; history, biography, and travel, "41,224; fiction, 438,943; juveniles, 59,483. CHANGE IN PUBLIC TASTE. A comparison of the issues from the Central Library, with the figures for 1929-30, gives a good indication of the change in the public taste (figures for 1929-30 in parentheses): General works, 11,613 (4380); philosophy ana religion, 2102 (1177); sociology, 2370 (1112); language and literature, 3709 (2591); science, 960 (541); useful arts, 3240 (1740); fine arts, 2009 (1046); history,, biography, and travel, 14,490 (8216); fiction, 181,246 (152,511); juveniles, 17,144 (15,618). Quite plainly "Wellington is reading more informative books and less fiction proportionately. The branch libraries made advances in much the same proportion as the Central Library, as is indicated by the average daily issues: Central 800 (639); Newtown, 401 (318); Brooklyn, 72 (52); Karori, 101 (65); Ngaio, 60 (no figure available for previous year). In percentage advance in issues for the year, the Karori branch was .well ahead. POLICY WELL JUSTITIED. "The. recently-introduced policy of widening the range of the books in the lending department lias now been proved to be a wise one, and one which has met with the general approval of library subscribers," said Mr. Hislop, "for the very substantial increases m the issues from the central and all the branch libraries have been in large part dve1 to the borrowing of books outside the fiction classes. Previously these books, were tucked away on the reference shelves, if they -were in the library at all, and were little used. "Taking the Central Library figures as an indication of this trend in the reading of Wellington people, we find that the issue of books of history, travel, and biography jumped up from 8000 odd to over 14,000 m twelve months. General works, which include magazines of technical, art, crafts, and travel nature, went up from 4000 to well over 11,000, more than double. Science attracted almost twice as many readers, so did useful arts and fine arts, and there were big increases, much larger proportionately than in the fiction increase, in language and literature, sociology, philosophy, and religion. WHAT THE CHILDREN READ. "While looking at library work from this angle, the figures for the children's libraries are particularly interesting, for if the adults are reading more and more -usefully they certainly are doing no better than the children in that way, for the youngsters read far more history, biography, and travel last year than all the adults of the central and bra.nch libraries put together, and plainly have a greater liking for useful arts, language, and literature than the adults. It is interesting to note that of the 4493 issues of books on fine arts the children took out just over half, and of books in the science classes 9221 of the total of 10,363 issues for the year were made to children. These figures are surely a very fair n*swer_to the impression that the juvenile section of the library system leans rather to purely recreativo reading. Readable ami informative books are there for the children, and they take very full advantage of them. "To my mind, this very marked increase in thereading of useful books by youngsters is a thorough justification of the policy of widening the library scope, for if they start that way the probability is that they will continue, and certain it is that if these classes of books were not made available to them through the libraries most children would have little chance of reading them from the homo book shelves." The commercial library, said Mr. Hislop, had also fully justified itself, and though there had been no great amount available* for its establishment, that sum, with the generous contributions o£ a number of city firms arid individuals, had made it possible to build up a very fair selection of specialised volumes. This branch would receive its fair measure of attention as the stocks were added to. LOWER RATES, MORE REVENUE. The lowering of the subscription rates, which aimed at encouraging more reading by halving the charge'for the second volume when a double ticket was taken out, had also been a very good move, continued Mr. Hislop, for the total number of subscriptions received had increased from 6345 for 1930 to 11,443, not very much short of double. When the reductions were first suggested there had been some little opposition on the ground that revenue from subscriptions would drop, and the libraries vote would have to be increased to make up for it, but the contrary was the fact.. Subscription revenue had increased from £'1858 to £2354, and though the revenue from "extras" had dropped a couple of hundred pounds (£823 as compared with £1070), the total revenue was well on the right side, £3177 as compared .with £2928 of the previous year. "At the same time," said Mr. Hislop, "it is quite wrong to judge the success of any library year by looking at the pounds, shillings, and pence of it. No man can place an £s.d. value on the knowledge and the enjoyment he has gained from his reading, and no City Council can place a value on the city's reading, but when, with the guidance of an able librarian, the City Council is able to widen its library service, cheapen that service, and the finances still show improvements, then, surely, everyone has a right to be pleased about it. ■ ■ ! "The Central Library," concluded Mr. Hislop, "has now been quite outgrown by tho city, and by the ever-increasing library business. Apart from its lack of space its arrangement is quite unsuitable from the point of view of modern practice, but in spite of that handicap the library is giving gooa_ service. A new library must be provided, but this will involve a very heavy expenditure

which cannot be faced in the immediate future. Certain of the suburban facilities could also well be improved were nuances available, and these, with tho Central Library, will be dealt with as soon as the opportunity offers. In the meantime it may be possible as a. temporary measure to make some use of the Education Board building, adjoining the main library, to meet immediate needs."