LIBRARY AFFAIRS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19248, 13 February 1937, Page 14

LIBRARY AFFAIRS

TURANGANUI COMMITTEE

MONTHLY. MEETING. HELD

REMITS FOR CONFERENCE

Remits lor the annual conference ot the -Sew leaimid Libraries' Association, to be- held . shortly in Wellington, were discussed at yesterday s monthly meeting of the Turaiiganui ruotic Library Committee. Most ot the remits applied to matters outside the immediate scope of the committee, ami tiie delegates to the conference from Ciishorne, Dr. A. L. Singer and Mr. IS. li. Gambriil, were authorised to exercise their own judgment in regard to these remits. it was considered that there should be little difficulty in securing attention from the conlciei.fi- tor the two main proposals forwarded from the Turangahui committee, the tirst being that the Government should be asked to relieve libraries from the liability for land tax, and the second being that members of libraries shoiiic. be 'accorded' privileges" ' from"' all' 'Othef associated . libraries, .when .visiting, .away. from*'their own centres.

The report of the librarian, Miss K. M. Instono, indicated that January this year had been less uusy than that ui last year, •'"•323 books being issued in tlir circulating department, as against 63a0 for .January last. This was partly accounted loiv by the absence of many bUt-Scribers on holiday in other districts, a large number having signified then intention of being away, while the number of books overdue for return am provided evidence of the temporarv nHaence of the subscribers! retaining them.

Visitors to the library had been unusually numerous, on the other*hand, nnd many had expressed approval i tlie lay out of the stocks, and of tht» comprehensive nature of the storks them selves. The reading room had been particularly well patronised during the month, the report added. Novels received and novels retired front the shelves cancelled each other, the number being, 6b in each case. A total cl' 15 non-fiction works, one of which v/ns donated, had been added to the stocks, Miss Instone reported further. New members for January totalled 28. Tn the juvenile department, eight new members had been enrolled and the number of books issued had shown a substantial increase over those of last .January, the figures being 738 and 42j respectively. Twelve new ibooks had been added to the shelves in this section, two being donated: three old books had been cancelled owing to dilapidation.

Replying to inquiries from committee members, .Miss Instone stated that cartful supervision had been exercised over children admitted to the subscribers' section of the library, and the nuisance of unattached awl irresponsible children had been much reduced.

A, direction was asked for in respect of a subscriber whose annual fee wn several months' overdue, and wlio. despite repeated requests, had failed to return books issued to him to the numter of five or six. The committee directed the secretary to request the prompt return of the hooks, and, if necessary to take such further action as the cr.se demands.

Those present .it the meeting comprised Dr; A. L. Singer, president, and Messrs. F. Fl. Lawton. It. W. J. Edwards, A. J. Stock, A. M. Welham, 0, C. .tones, and R. K. Onmbrill, lion, sec i"4ary. The librarian, Miss Instone, was in attendance.