BOOKS AND THE PUBLIC
The important part played by public libraries in the education of a democratic community has been in recent times effectively realised in the older countries, especially America and Britain, but, by comparison, New Zealand lags behind, as the report of [lie representative of the Carnegie Trust a few years ago indicated. So far the Government has been unable to act on that report and its recommendations. Library policy, the Minister of Education (Mr. Fraser) told the conference of the New Zealand Library Association yesterday, and the question of a national library scheme had had to be postponed while more urgent matters received attention. Meanwhile the libraries will have to mark time on that particular aspect. There are, however, many interesting points worthy of discussion at the moment. One of these is the employment of the extended leisure the community now enjoys. This will be of immense value to all who pursue self^education, but there is the danger, noted by the chairman of the association, Councillor W. J. Gaudin, at the opening of the conference in these words:
An excess of that kind of recreational reading which is simply indulged in to kill time should be condemned, and the encouragement of reading should be conducted with discrimination and adapted to the needs of the individual, otherwise it will make no appeal.
From this point of view it is an open question whether public libraries, , supported by the community, should go in for the poorer class of ephemeral popular fiction. The only justification for such a course would appear to be the retention of (he largest possible body of readers as patrons of the library in the hope of an ultimate improvement in the popular taste. If the libraries are to serve as a means of adult education the proper selection of books must certainly be considered. It is satisfactory to learn from Councillor Gaudin that "it is the endeavour at die moment to improve the class of book put before the public and to supply a quantity of books of the proper standard free to the community." As he says, it has been done in other countries and there is no reason why it should not be done here. j
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Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1937, Page 8
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373BOOKS AND THE PUBLIC Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1937, Page 8
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