OUR LIBRARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9262, 16 January 1889, Page 5

OUR LIBRARY.

A CHAT WITH THE LIBRARIAN.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS.

THE NEW LENDING DEPARTMENT.

ADDITIONS TO THE GREY

COLLECTION.

MORE VALUABLE GIFTS. On calling at tho Public Library yesterday, a Herald reporter found Mr. Covert the assistant-librarian, busy taking the new books for the lending department, out of the boxes in which they were most carefully packed in pink tissue paper, and checking them by the original list.

" H'm !" said one bystander, taking up a book, " Bnrnand's New History of Sandford and Merton. What's the good of that in a Public Library ?"

"Oh, it's an extremely amusing book," said Mr. Philips, the Town Clark, "and the selection is a very good one, I think. There are not more than 800 novels in the whole 2000."

The reporter then peeped into the chess and news-rooms, in each of which there were about 25 people. The chess and draught-boards were, as usual, surrounded three deep by players and onlookers. However, as there was a faint but oppressive smell of the great unwashed hanging about the place, the reporter hurried upstairs to have a chat with Mr. Shillington, the librarian. Hero the atmosphere is fresh and untainted, and there is no uncomfortable notice on the door like the one at the entrance to the news-room, which, we may mention, reads as follows :—" Visitors are requested not to expectorate on the floor, or to put their feet on tho seats, and are asked to aid in the deteotion of persons stealing papers, etc. —P. A. Philips, Town Clerk. This is like a notice one sometimes sees in cathedrals in Europe: "Tho pious are requested not to expectorate here." There aro no expectorating visitors upstairs, so one can walk there in comparative comfort. "What," said the reporter, "aro the arrangements, Mr. Shillington, which have been made for tho now Lending Library ?" " Oh, there's nothing decided yet," was tho reply. " The Library Committee have it under consideration, and they have sent a lot of questions to me to learn my opinions." '' What room will bo used ? Upstairs in the gallery ?" "Oh, dear, no; that would never do to have people running up and down there. It would make too much noise. No; it should be on the ground-floor somewhere. The present news-room was intended originally for the Lending Library. The room now used for ohess and draughts would bo a good place, as it is handy to the door. The chess and draughts are very good, but the placo is as crowded with onlookers as a cockpit, and the people are not of the cleanest. Soap and water is cheap, so they have no excuse, and I will be rather pleased if tho room is used for tho new Lending Library." " Do yon anticipate any difficulties?" " No, nothing special. My way would be, of course, to make people borrowing a book pay a deposit. Otherwise we would have no security for the return of the books. There has been some grumbling among the ratepayers about this proposed Lending Library, but it must be remembered that tho non-ratepayers are entitled to a shore in tho Costley bequest, and tho books of the old Provincial Council Library, so it would be difficult to shut them out. '

"How about infection being spread by patients using tho books ?" '' Well, that is a somewhat serious question. If a scarlet fever patient used a book, it would bo liable to spread the disease, but if we had a sanitary medical officer resident in the building, as we should have, wo could easily learn what families wore suffering from infectious diseases, and wo could thou refuse to lend books to them if they applied. Bub you will see by tho statistics in the papers that the chiof diseases of tho country are nob infectious, and of tho infectious complaints there are very few cases." "How is t tho Library being attended now ?"

" Oh, there's a very fair attendance; about 200 a-day upstairs, and rather more downstairs. There are generally a number of people in the morning, to get a look at the morning papers downstairs. Thoy aro ofton waiting at the door by half-past nine. They begin to drop into the Library about ten o'clock. A great many frequent tho place during tho lunch hour, from twelve to one for some, and from one to two for others, making good use of their spare twenty minutes. The afternoon is the time when the Library is most crowded." " What class of books are most read ?"

" Well, there aro a great many scientific books asked for, and books of travel, and, of course, novels. But theso are not so much read as they used to be, and a more solid clas3 of books arc sought. At first there was a whole case of new novels, but theso have been pretty well all perused now, and tho novel readers aro like the drunkard —whon he could get no more liquor he went homo to his wife for a cup of tea. There was a young lady came in the other day, and wanted something ' nice 'to read. I handed her a catalogue, and learned that she had been through tho whole of tho lady novelistsßeid, Payne, and tho rest. I suggested she should try something else, so she chose a theological work. A little light reading is right enough in its place, but it's a pity to see so much time wasted on novels. It is all right now though, so long as no now novels are added to tho caso. Thoy don't all road novels, however. I know two young ladies that come here regularly hunting for recipes, and I give them what help I can. They are compiling a catalogue of recipos, and I expect to see them publish it some of theso days. Wo havo two or three gentlemen also in here writing books. One is a bushman who is lame. He is writing about New Zealand life in tho bush. I don't know what sort of a fist he will make of it, bub he seems a bright sort of a man. I don't know what the others are writing about, but they are always busy making extracts."

" I suppose the magazines and papers are in request ?" " Oh, all our magazines are pretty well skinned. There's no doubt about that. We havo all the best magazines, with tho exception of three or four, which we might have, and will no doubt get them in time. The magazines are always jumped for; as soon as the steamer comes in, and thoy are laid on the table, there is a rush for them. They are very popular." "Numbers of books get) stolen, do they not

" Nob many now; none have been missfor somotime. Occasionally, however, a Dook vanishes, and it's not the rngjjarauffins that do it either, but tho very people that ought to know better—people of good position and education. Its the r same in all libraries. Now, for instance, : who would steal this book," he said, ! baking down a volume of Johnson's ' Lives of the Poets,' an old edition —not working Feople, and yet a volume has gone missing, believe I could leave the Library entirely bo the ordinary working classes, and there would be nothing stolen." "Do many boys come to the library?" "Oh, yes, we get a very fair share of boys, and very glad to see them too." " What books do they read ?" " They come chiefly to look up books about pigeons and birds. Very many want books on boatbuilding and sailing. There is a lad now, see ; he is studying designs in naval architecture. They have worn one book nearly out. A large manual on boatsailing I had to get rebound at your establishment. We could very well do with two copies of this book. It's a fine thing when lads come bo study books like that, and I encourage them as much as possible." "Bub don't they read any books of adventure ?"

"Yes, there's the 'Boys' Own Paper' and other boys' magazines down below. You know we have a special table for boys down below, and there'sVsome very nice reading for them there." " What branches of the Library are most deficient?"

" History is very well represented ; could hardly be better, in fact, in proportion to the size of the Library, and the biography department is very good. The works of reference, however, could bear to be increased a good deal. Wo have often en-

quiries for biographical dictionaries and similar works. The arts and trades department would stand increasing considerably, and I believe the Council already intend, doing so. People connected with the Press all come here, and it is through their enquiries that we have found out many deficiencies."

The Reporter and Mr. Shillington then adjourned to the inner, room where most of the rare treasures of the Library are kept, and where the librarian and his assistants usually work. Here the reporter was shown a list where books inquired for and not in the Library are jotted down. The first book on the list was " Henry's Commentary on the Bible." Then followed a note, " Mining publications much wanted." "English Law List." "Works on electricity much inquired for." " We had some works on the subject," explained Mr. Shillington, " but they had hardly been in a few days before they were stolen."

Other books asked for were "Birds of the Sonth Seas," "Works on Shipping," " English Men of Letters Series," "Biographical Dictionary," "Men of the Time" (last edition), "Books of Proverbs and Quotations." The statute laws of the neighbouring colonies are also much asked for. Mr. Shillington then showed the Reporter some 61 volumes of books which have lately been presented to the Library by Sir George Grey. They are nearly all very valuable old editions, large folios mostly. Among many others there are Dryden's Works; "Frederick the Noble" by Sir Morell Mackenzie (1888) ; " Life of Bartholomew Platine," an old manuscript work (1484) ; a splendid illustrated edition of Milton (date 1749), the engravings are by J. Vertue, and include three beautiful portraits of Milton, at the ages of 21, 42, and 62; "Robinson Crusoe;" "Gulliver'B Travels ;" " Montaigne's Essays ;" " Remy and Brenchley's Journey to the Great Salt Lake;" "Illuminated Ornaments selected from manuscripts and early printed books from the 6th to the 17th century in the British Museum, by the assistant-keeper of the manuscripts, Sir Frederick Madden," a superb book, full of all kinds of most exquisitely brilliant and artistic designs, which can hardly fail to be of value to printers and designers in search of novel and beautiful patterns and combinations of colours; " Jonson's Works " (1692); "Churchill's Divi Britannici;" "Cowley's Works," folio edition (1668), with fine portrait, one of the few copies with the original portrait, most having the original abstracted and an inferior one substituted; " Bacon " (1631); " Works of the Very Learned and Reverent Father in God, John Jewell, not long since Bishop of Sarisburie, newly set forth, eta" (black letter 1609) ; " Shaw's Travels in Barbary and the Levant "(1738); "Elucidarious Scripturarum " (1676), specimen of early printing in black-letter, strongly bound in vellum by the old monks, with largo metal clasps, binding somewhat wormeaten ; "Pocock's Voyages in the East" (1743); " Classified List of Mr. W. Silver's Collection of New Zealand Birds at the Manor House, Lotcomb Regis, by Sir Walter Buller, K.C.M.G."

A very nice little edition of a collection of voyages published in 1809 has been presented by Mr. Newman. Upon the reporter asking Mr. Shillington what visitors thought of the Library, he was referred to tho visitors' book, where a long list of opinions are given- Many of them are very amusing; — Very good's," or "V.G.'s," are innumerable, "orderly," "charming," "pleasant," "grand," "superb," are very common, as also are " much pleased," " nob so dusty," "a boon," " kap'li," "the bookworm's paradise," "the student's joy," " a storehouse of wisdom," "Al," "100 Al at Lloyd's, copperbottomed," "0.K." "not so slow," "pretty swift,'' " can't complain," " ticklish," " tiptop," and so on ad infinitum. There are comments in all sorts of languages, too— Norwegian, French, Maori, German. There are very frequent references to Sir George Grey. For instance i—" Good man, Sir George," " grateful to Sir George Grey," " thanks to Sir George," " Sir George Grey is a brick," " noble Sir George," and so on all through. In conclusion we may mention many references are made to the boon of having the Library open on Sunday.