A GLANCE AT THE LIBRARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 29

A GLANCE AT THE LIBRARY.

A peep inside the doors of the Free Eub- : Ho Library in Moray place and a glance into the spacious rooms, would, to those who had not formerly made acquaintancewith the interior, give cause for very genuine surprise and satisfaction. A walk) Tound the rooms and a due observance of the furnishings and fittings would increase that pleasure and surprise, and serve to fir ml j, convince one that the setting up of this new institution is going to be a great boon to many. The newspaper and magazine rooms are completed^ and both are so fitted and stocked as to provide very pleasant moans of recreation. The newspaper room is up to date in every respect, and the arrangements are excellent. The room is about 65ft long and about 20£t wide, and well lighted. In the centre is a reading stand, ' on which are displayed two copies of each Jof the local daily papers. Reading slopes I skirt the walls, aid 'contain all the' important papers arranged in. their provincial j order. .Here are also to be found the leadi ing Australian dailies, also a. number of dailies from Home, such as the London Times, .the Manchester Guardian, the • Scotsman, the Glasgow Herald, etc. Four , tables are in the same room," and contain the leading ■weeklies from England, Scotland, Ireland, India, and elsewhere, as well as New Zealand papers. , On the left-hand side is the magazine , room, which, completed as it is, also suggests a great degree of. pleasure and comfort. Here are seven long desks or tables, which are co arranged as to provide seating accommodation for over 70 people. There is already displayed on these tables ' all the leading English, American, and Australian magazines, the principal weeklies of the Australian States ; and on a desk which runs from one end of the room to the other are the illustrated Home editions, such as Black and White, the Graphic, the Illustrated London News, the Sphere, the , Sketch, etc. There is ample room for ex- \ tension hero, while provision is also made for the storing of back numbers of the better class magazines. To the right of the main entrance is a /spacious room intended for tha circulating ' library, but as nothing has been decided on in,, connection with this branch of the institution, Mr Carnegie having stipulated that no charge shall be made for lending out books or for anything else, the filling of ■ this room stands in abeyance. In the oentre of the main floor i« an ! office, which overlooks both the newspaper magazine and other rooms. There are also provided ladies' cloak room and other con- _ venienees. [ On the top floor a large and well-lighted j room aiout 70ft long and about 40ft wide ■ absorbs most of the available space. It is i at present perfectly bare, savp for a few j fittings, for the reason that the list of books to be placed in it has not yet been completed. A few books, however, have already been ord-ercd, but the bulk of them [ will be ordered later on. On the same floor is the librarian's office, strong room, etc. R On the base of the building is a large room which is to be used as a workroom, where booke will be prepared prior to being placed on the shelves in the rooms above. Staff rooms and conveniences are also provided here, while there is also to be eeen on this floor the much-diecussed caretaker's residence, which appears entirely comfortable, though a little wanting in the matter of lighting-. At the extreme rear is what is intended for a children's reading room, but as the expenditure of no small amount of money would be required to make it euitable for what is intended it should be, it is not likely that any. alteration will be effected here for some time at anyrate. The whole of the- internal fittings are the design of Mr W. B. MEwan. the librarian, who has manifested a very keen interest in tho institution and a very practical notion of what is necessary. Electric lighting prevails throughout, while a lift runs from the top to the bottom floor. Some of ihe fittings were made under thesupervision of Mr Gough. municipal building inepector.