LIBRARIANS’ CONFERENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 February 1937, Page 5

LIBRARIANS’ CONFERENCE

NATIONAL SCHEME PLANS. [PEB PBESB ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, February IS. Library ideals which embraced various points in a national library system were discussed by delegates at the final session of the New Zealand Libraries Association’s conference, which concluded to-day. It was thought that the scheme at the beginning would cost between £40,000 and £50,000, and that the national importance of the matter made it vital to the well-being of the general community. Moved by the president (Mr. W. J. Gaudin) and seconded by Mr. C. N. Williams (Masterton), the following motion was carried unanimously: — “That this conference instructs the council of the association to commend to the Government, local bodies, and people of New Zealand, the project of a national library scheme, and in particular urges that early consideration be given to the possibility of making the existing library services free, excepting in the case of light fiction.” “We in New Zealand owe much to the Carnegie Corporation for what it has done to help us,” said Mr T. D. H. Hall, clerk of the House of Representatives. In the first place, he said, there was need for the co-operation of the Government, local bodies, educational authorities, and individuals to build up an efficient system. This co-operation would be more readily forthcoming if it was clearly grasped how effective an instrument the library service could be in the life of Jim community. He was impressedsmh ; the part library and kindred nyov,t?inents could play in solving the two .'■major problems of to-day—those of population and the utilisation of labour displaced by mechanisation. A national library system was something of great value to this country and fully justified an appeal for help. * Dr. Guy H. Scholefield, chief librarian of the General Assembly Library, said that the General Assembly Library aimed at co-operation between libraries so as tp make the widest, possible use of existing book-stocks and to get the best value in book expenditure. “In a complete library system there must be one library at least of a national character, the resources of which are not restricted to a town or district,” he continued. The General Assembly Library had already developed some of the functions of a national library and for more than half a century it had been the library of deposit for Jhe official publications of British and foreign Governments. A national central library was called on to lend books of a class which the average library could not afford to buy. After a general discussion on a national scheme, the Hon. T. Brindle, M.L.C., said it seemed such a sensible thing to do that he wondered why a system had not come into being long ago. “We can probably extend this system throughout the British Commonwealth and get valuable books from overseas and from foreign countries into our own libraries,” he said. Personally, he gave the scheme his entire approval and support. Many other delegates also endorsed the scheme.