NAPIER LIBRARY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 97, 7 April 1934, Page 5

NAPIER LIBRARY

Carnegie Trust Assistance INVESTIGATION OF CLAIMS Coincident with the suggestion that ou Monday evening the Napier Borough Council will consider the appointment of Mr. J. W. Mawson as consultant to the council on the subject of general town planning, comes the news that at the end of the month a representative of the Carnegie Trust, in company with the chief librarian of Auckland, will be in Napier to survey the public library and its facilities. Miss Eve Dakins, borough librarian, has just returned from Auckland. While there she saw Mr John Barr, chief librarian to the Auckland City Conncil, who informed her that he and Mr Ralph Munn, director of the Carnegie Library at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., probably would visit Napier towards the end of April, with a view to making a thorough inspection cf the public library. It is significant that Miss Dakins has received a comprehensive questionnaire from Auckland, setting out such questions as these: What population is served by the library? What are the hours of attendance? What staff is employed? What sum is annually set aside by the Borough Council for the maintenance of the library? and similar questions relating to tho conduct of the library. There is tho suggestion by certain of the borough councillors that if the council sees fit to ratify Mr Mawson’s appointment as consulting town planner to the council, the council may revive the proposal to build a civic block, in which case Mr Mawson may be called upon to comment upon the scheme which was devised some months ago. This .included the erection of a public library and museum, in which the Carnegie Trust authorities have already expressed some interest, provided the townspeople themselves give proof of their support and enterprise. The position therefore appears to be that if Mr Mawson is appointed and the Borough Council decides upon the revival of the proposal to build a civic block, the subject may be further advanced before the arrival of Mr Munn, who will no doubt carefully investigate the claims and requests already made by cablegram and letter.