LYALL BAY LIBRARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 78, 1 April 1936, Page 8

LYALL BAY LIBRARY

OPENED BY MAYOR

POLICY OF COUNCIL

The Lyall Bay branch of the City Library was opened last evening by the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, in the presence of a good gathering of residents of the district —and future subscribers. • Mr. J. H. Burgoyne Thomas, who presided, expressed the hearty appreciation .of all residents at the facilities which had been provided. Certainly Lyall Bay had had to wait a fairly long time, but the pleass.nt surprise that had been given wlien the branch was opened had been worth waiting for. 'Mr. Hislop said that it was with very great pleasure that he and Mrs. Hislop attended to declare the branch library open. That it had been provided was in accords with a policy laid down by the City Council in 1928, a policy of developing not merely the central library but branch libraries in all the main suburbs of the city. That policy was initiated by the then new librarian, Mr. J. Norrie, and the library committee, and he wished to express the appreciation of the council and I of the citizens of Wellington for the extraordinary success of the work that had been done in recent years by the library committee, under the chairmanship of Councillor W. J. Gaudiri, and Mr. Norrie, in extending the library system to the fullest possible extent of the resources of the city. ."Personally," said Mr. Hislop, "I think that they are justified in every way for the work that they have done."' ;The Mayor,said that the Lyall.Bay Library was the .seventh branch of the Central Library, an institution which, he was very pleased to say, was to be replaced by a building worthy of the city. it was high time that ,a new, Central Library was provided.? The site was at present being cleared and actual erection work would, it was expected, be commenced by the end of the-,year. ' . A GENEROUS OFFER. : "I wish to pay a tribute to the public spirit of Mr. W. H. Ockenden," continued Mr. Hislop. "Nearly two years ago he made the suggestion to the council, knowing the need of a branch library for the district, that this hallshould be made available for two years free of any rental. We were not able to take immediate advantage of that offer, and the period had almost expired, when Mr. Ockenden made an additional offer, that the hall should be made available, free of rent, for a further two years, and that for the following five years the small rent of £1 per week only should be charged." (Applause.) . Mr. Hislop commented warmly also, upon' the assistance and co-operation of residents of.the Lyall Bay area, and said that, it now remained for residents to support; the library that the council might be able to carry the library further. Councillor Gaudin said that the City Council was always ready to lend a hand to those who indicated that they were willing to help themselves, as the people of Lyall Bay had done, by the offer made by Mr. Ockenden and in the assistance given the committee and the council in the raising of money for furnishings, etc., in various ways. : The policy of providing suburban libraries, said Councillor Gaudin, was now well advanced, thanks largely to the work of the Mayor, who was one of the strongest advocates of public library facilities on the council, but there'were"■ still one' or two suburbs which had no branches as yet, Island Bay,'for instance. Councillor Gaudin ■ -said ;that subscribers should realise that the 2600 books on the - shelves were tiSblced by the collection of 120,000 at?the Central Library. Mr. F., M. Renner, headmaster of Rongotai College, and Mr. O. A. Banner; foriherly headmaster of the Lyall Bay Public School, spoke in warm. appreciation of the facilities now given; they would be particularly of benefit to the children of the district. Mr. Norrie also spoke briefly. The first book from the lending department, an autographed copy of Mr. Alan Mulgan's "A Pilgrim's Way in New Zealand," was issued by the branch librarian, Miss M. Coulter, to Mrs. Gaudin.