HAWERA INSTITUTE AND LIBRARY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1638, 31 May 1887, Page 3

HAWERA INSTITUTE AND LIBRARY.

The annual meeting of the above was ( held ,on Monday, evening.. Present — Messrs Dive (chairman), Kennedy, Bate, Martinj' Trimble, Matthews, Hutchison, ~ "Laishley, Bobbins, Campbell, Hay ward, Eastwood, and Yorke. The minutes of the previous annual meeting were read. . The Secretary read the annual report and balance eheet, as follows : — . . , •„• Annual Report of the Hawera In- .'.- OTTTUTE AND LIBRARY FOB YEAR EnDWG , ,80th May, JL6B7. — Your committee beg to report J that on assuming office they found the library ,in a most disorSanißed condition. Even the credit balance lien 1 shown was almost all absorbed by outstanding liabilities. The committee at once.set vigorously to work to canvass the district for subscriptions, and was fairly successful. The earliest opportunity wa6 taken to put the reading room in order, and in making arrangements for the supply of the leading English and colonial papers. You will also find great improvement in the reading room, and the manner 'in which it is kept. With regard to the library,, the, books were few in number, and complaints were rife with former subscribers on account ot no fresh books being introduced for a long period, offering, as' they justly said, no inducement to ' continue as. members. We pointed out that it was simply a question of £. s. d., ' and .with their support we would order new books at once, and continued-to do so as funds permitted. We then selected from catalogue's sent us a number of books, which hare been supplied, and shortly afterwards sent for a further supply. The committee have been fortunate in Becnring the services of Mr. Dixon as librarian*. he taking great interest in all matjWs v per.taini}Dg to the Institute and Library; 'making -'improvements, and in every way doing his bWt 'to keep the platftfiiri prddi^ and .make it attractive. r Tb.e committee to ppinf out that in .ordering., books, they consulted 1 with subscriber s, and finally adopted a course ! they thought advisable, viz., instituting ~ a 7a 7 suggestion hook, which enables subjcribers to name books they would like to see added ; to the library. This plan, we think, will work very Well, and the suggestions there made will, in a, great . jneaaure,-gaide tbe committee in ordering books. The treasurer (Mr. Campbell)' will place before .you the balance sheet for the ' year ( now ending' (which Mr. Bobbins has kindly audited). This you wilrfind a great improvement on that of - last' year, tbe credit balance now shown beujg bonafide, all outstanding accounts having been paid to date. Before concluding our report, the com,m it tee wjsh to, point out that some 500 volumes have been added to the library ' during the past year. „400 volumes were selected from one of Jtludic's 'latest catalogues, which were offered to libraries in lots for £2 10s per hundred volumes, and with tbe funds at our disposal this was considered the best way to supply' the 1 reading required. The books had been in circulation one year only, aud for our purpose were as good as new. Yomf, committee would .point out that it devolves upon any committee elected to do their utmost to make the library and reading' room attractive, the latter being omy Well patronised. But the fact must ' not be overlooked that, with our limited means, it is difficult to keep -the whole going creditably ; we have endeavored to do,. bo,, and hope that subscribers will be satisfied jwith, our efforts and the manner in^ which we have expended the funds entrusted to us. The number of books circulated during the year was 2560, as against 669 the previous year. 46 volumes; have 'been presented by private individuals! and for .which the committee ( wish, to tender" tfien? best thanks. The number of books other than fiction added dulring the year has been 55 volumes, and j include- works on science and biography. — Wm..E;Dive, Chairman. 11 Mr. Laiehley, moving the adoption of the report andbalance sheet, said that tbe thanks ol the. members were due to the ' committee.' The report showed a very great' improvement in the circulation of books, and an increase in funds. This improvement was in a great measure due to the way in -which the committee had managed; the affairs, and he was sure they had r eamed the thanks of the public and the members. , ' Mir. Bobbins seconded. It must, he thought, be very gratifying to the public 11 to 'seethe vast improvement in the reading room and in tbe manner in which the newspapers were kept. The library also bad been very largely increased in value . to the subscribers. The increase in the circulation must also -be highly gratifying to, the committee as showing that the ' books bought were very generally read. Mr. Bate referred to the talk about •buying books of reference. They had Chamber's Encyclopaedia on the but did not find that it waß very often consulted. The gbntlemen who spoke , , about, the books of reference, if they consulted tbe works pf reference there, they would find many works of that class. In a small library like this one, the committee must to come extent pander to the taste ot the public in order to popularise • the institution. The cost of the Enclyclopffidia Brittania would be about £40, and ,-. was quite beyond the means of the committee. Mr. Campbell said there was some misunderstanding in regard to tbe grant asked for from the Hawera Borough Council. Tbe coßt of keeping the reading room 'cleaned and lit and well ordered largely exceeded tbe whole vote of the ' Borough Council. 'Altogether; with the , newspapers, that branch cost nearly £40 a yean y , He regarded the Borough Council a ,vote to the general funds, rather than as a library grant. Mr. Hutchison regarded the grant by the' Borough Council 'as a grant to tbe library ; applicable in part, at least, to the - purchase of new books. ' The Chairman said their duties, as a committee, now ceased ; it became the duty of those present to elect officers for fh,e ensuing year. Mr. Bobbins would have great pleasure in proposing the outgoing president for the same office for next year. - Mr. Campbell Beponded. Mr. Dive bad been a very good president during the past year, and ho should much like to Bee him at tbe head of affairs for another year. Tbe Chairman said it became his duty to thank them for the honor done to him and the! compliments paid him. They ought to try to get a larger list of the public aB subscribers, so as to strengthen the society as much as possible. : Mr. Laisbley proposed, and Mr. Mathews seconded, Mr. Bate as vice* present.- ' ' ■ ■ ''After some informal discussion Mr. Eastwood was dulj elected secretary; Mr. D. Campbell treasure/; and Mess re. Martin, Hutchinson, Laishley, Trimble, Kennedy as members of tbe committee. ■"'" : Mr. Bobbins thought they should not break up that evening without passing a cordial vote of thanks to the present custodian and librarian. He spoke in high terms of thecondact of the reading foonvftnd* library under M.r. Dixon. Tbe Remuneration " appeared by the balance sheet : to haye ; been only some £2 ex* elusive Of payment for lighting $c. " to tte thanks oi tbe pqblid the thanks of the committee. >, i]£r .'Dixon had done mqch to add to the i r attraotiyerietis, of tbe rooqis a.nd bad :': ' WgeljT 1 Helped to r render the 'lnstitute popular. , " „ Mnrßate' said At first Mr. Dixon bar]

offered to take the librai iaußhip for nothing. After a while Mr. Dixon found that tbe work was heavier tban he anticipated and asked for some remuneration and was granted 20 per cent commission on all receipts except tbe subsidies. No commission was paid between June and November to Mr. Dixon. Hence the stnallness of the allowance made to him. The President said Mr, Dixon deserved all the thanks which bad been accorded to him. He understood, however, that the present conditions were not quite satisfactory to him. He said according to the minute book Mr. Dixon was required to give three months notice to terminate hiß agreement. But he believed Mr. Dixon disputed this. Mr. Dixon said he had understood that his agreement was to last to tbe end of the financial year. If the committee understood different, he did not desire to insist upon tbe claim be bad made. Mr. Wanklyn held that the remunerati>n given to the librarian *»as quite insufficient. He thought the committee migb t take an indication from the general meeting to that effect. The Chairman regarded that as a matter for the committee to deal with. Mr. Yorke thought the remuneration to be given to tbe librarian depended on the ways aud means. He did not know whether the outgoing committee had made any estimate of receipts and expenditure; but clearly the salary they could afford to give depended on their income. He understood there wain»i n» likelihood of any Government subsidy to libraries this year. The President said that last year their receipts had been altogether about £94. If the Government subsidy were struck off that left Borne £70 to £80. That was assuming the borough subsidy were continued. Mr. Laishley supposed if the borough subsidy were discontinued, the reading room would have to be shut up. No one would expect the whole or nearly tbe whole of the subscriptions given for the library to be exhausted on a public reading room which did not benefit tbe library subscribers. The Treasurer calculated that it took from fSO to £60 to run tbe library and reading room on its present basis. That left very little margin for new books. Mr. Bobbins thought members had wandered a long way from the vote of thanks to the librarian. The President said a discussion such as they had had did a lot of good. These matters were all the better for being well ventilated, and he did not object to tbe discussion beoomiug somewhat general. Tbe vote of thanks was then carried unanimously. Some discussion followed on the return of books, the rules relating to the issue .and return of magazines, etc The total receipts from the subscription box wore 2s 9d. From members' subscriptions £44 19s 6d, subsidies £40, other sources, exclusive of balance from previous year, about £3 9s.