NATIONAL LIBRARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22657, 19 February 1937, Page 10

NATIONAL LIBRARY

CONFERENCE RESOLUTION APPEAL FOR CO-OPERATION [itv trTjEohai'ti—niEsa association] WELLINGTON. Thursday The following motion was carried unanimously at the final session of the New Zealand Library Association's conference to-day:—"That this conference instructs the council of the association to commend to tho Government, local bodies and people of New Zealand tho project of a national library scheme and, in particular, urges that early consideration bo given to the possibility of making existing library services free, excepting in, tho case of light fiction." " New Zealand owes much to tho Carnegie Corporation for what it has done to help us," said Mr. T. 1). H. Hall, clerk of the House of Representatives. Ho said there was need for the co-operation of the Government, local bodies, educational authorities and individuals to build up an efficient system. A national library system was something of great value and fully justified an appeal for help. Dr. Guy H. Scholefield, chief librarian of the General Assembly Library, said that in a complete library system thcro must ho one library at least of a national character, the resources of which were not restricted to a, town or - district. 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 a library of deposit for the official publications of British and foreign Governments. A national central library was called on to lend books of a class which tho average library could not afford to buy. Many other delegates also endorsed the scheme.