CENTRAL REFERENCE LIBRARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 18, 22 January 1940, Page 6

CENTRAL REFERENCE LIBRARY

(To the Editor.)

Suy—With the lending•; departments and; staff of the Public Libraries,'one of Wellington's leading institutions, there is little cause for complaint. An asset to the city is the Central Refer- : ence Library. However, in an effort ;to give greater service to 'the public, a system has been introduced whereby individuals may borrow,books from the Reference Roonii These books may be out of the library for weeks and sometimes months continuously. This means that the, public as a whole are deprived of the use of a • great many important reference^ books. To those who are in immediate, need of .such books; this system is y. very funfair. Why should one persoir monopolise public books of reference :;;>< for-l weeks on end, to thei exclusion all1 the remainderof the public?^ jlf /this system of lending; werev confined to those reference books whichiivac^ iin duplicate, it . would : be a hbrse; of a different colour.- But [my experience shows that this,is not, &c case, as I have often found to my cpstf and to the consequent loss of others.' '. In iyiew of this unfair practice of/lending bpoks from the public Reference Libriiry, it is the duty of the City. Council to- see that the lending of .PubliciLiibrary books is confined to the lending: department of the; Public LibraryJ-^-I'am, ■etc.' '• ;■"■ ■■■.••■•■■■■.. /.' ■■.■•;• ■■■:.'■ ' :^/-:'::-~::^ ■•'. ..:':■ ■-■."•;■., ;"V:-;; ; ;v.;.-■:-/.:■;;CITIZEN.

The Chief Librarian; rwheii^this;let-; ter was referred to him, said:. ;;'.-"Ade->" quate.--;safe^ards;varev-prp^ded/;^.:;en-sure that compendia,! dictionaries, and similar works which":>;sffe:.--:";-:cbffei3ated continuously ark npt Allowed K<)ut? ,of the Library building; There is alxyays a discretionary pdwe^;io r^e&ajn^irom lending any- bobk.^ $he policy•■l for some time past has followed/: the us^al British and American pplicyp which I Js to1 make as many books as;practicable available on loan. This has resulted in very much increased use of the Reference Depsirtmerits .■■and-'.'little.viri-convenience^ has been>noted. The usual time limit on fany tiook borrowed from the Libraries is fourteen days, but in special cases shorter loans only are permitted.".' ■. '' •■;'■/'' " -:"1"?:'. ."■..-■; i '>>;-'-'