THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1163, 15 June 1894, Page 18

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

I TO TEE EDITOR. Sir,—Perhaps you will kindly allow me through the medium of your valuable journal to suggest to the management of the Public Library that in addition to the various forms and ceremonies already in vogue at that institution, visitors should bo required to take off their hats and deliver up their walking-sticks and umbrellas before entering within the sacred precincts of the reference library. The stand-offish regulations adopted in connection with the latter aro really quite ridiculous. First, the visitor is apprised by means of a large card at the entrance that he must fill in and sign a form, giving his " true name, occupation and place of residence," before he can be permitted to receive a book to read. Again, perhaps, on entering tho room, he wishes to walk round and have a look at the books, but behold he is fenced off by a rail

and notified by more Large cards that ho must not enter within tho rail or touch a book; and all this, too, in a single small room without bays, where tho attendant can see all the shelving and what is going on in all parts of the room at a glance ! One wonders whether all this ceremony has been devised with the view of furnishing the librarian with statistical information for his monthly report ? Well, no doubt it would be hard upon the public of Wellington to be deprived of tho information as to how many pooplo filled up forms for the perusal of, say, tho Waverley Novels or "Johnson's Dictionary," but we cannot have everything, and very likely we could survive the loss of such statistics. Why should wo go to England for precedents as to tho management of tho Library when wo have them at our doors ? In Auckland, for example, there has been a free public library— old and new (the latter being very much larger than the Wellington Library)—for very many years, and yet the only regulation in the reference library there is ono requiring visitors, after reading a book, not to replace it in the shelves; but there is nothing to prevent visitors looking into and replacing as many books as they please before selecting one to read. Then there is the Dunedin Athenamm with a larger library than ours, which, although not free, is largely used by the public, and there they get on without any ceremony at all. A book may bo stolen occasionally from these institutions, but the harm done is infinitesimal compared with the advantage to the public of having free access to the books without the intervention of attendants. I won't take up your valuable space by adding anything anent the lending library branih, or the absurdity of closing the Library on holidays, but may just remark with reference to an obliging ratepayer's offer to introduce intending subscribers to the former at seven and six a head, that his price is too high these times. A shilling a head should be sufficient, especially with tho catalogue selling at two shillings. The management should take a broad view of things and trust the public more— 1 am, &c, Oth June, 1894. Sandy.