SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9, 4 September 1912, Page 5

SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

LOOKS FOll THE I3ACKBLOCKS

Tiie chief contributor on July 11th to the mass of evidence, which, is being accumulated by the lloyal Commission on the problem of national education, was Mr H. Baillie, the Wellington City Librarian, who dealt with the subject of school libraries and the necessity for the improvement of facilities in the distribution of hooks among the people of remoter settlements in the Dominion. Mr Baillie, quoting Sam. "Walter Foss, a prominent librarian in the United States, said that the problem of the distribution of public books among all people would not bo fully solved until all the inhabitants of the most isolated, localities could obtain hooks as easily as the residents of the larger cities. /A system of travelling libraries was desirable to secure this end. The question had hitherto received little attention from educational authorities, and there was a suspicion that the teacher had hitherto been rather inclined to look on tho .libraries’ move to co-operate with the schools with disfavour, if not with opposition. It was now recognised that there should l>e co-operation of an active kind between library and school. Tho most practical scheme, continued the City Librarian, was the one which was now being tried by tibia Library Committee of the Wellington City Council, which had placed a collection of 310 books in the Clydc-quay State School. The collection was divided into groups of volumes sufficient for each of tho classes from the third to the sixth standard. As one book a week was the limit tho dhiild would net he encouraged to read too much. Tho Wellington Library had now received applications from four of tho city schools for similar libraries to the one placed in the Clyde-quay school, but the applications were being held over pending a tost, and also a decision in regard to Government aid. The advantage of t/hie school system was the economy secured. “I am in hopes,” said Mr Baillie, “that the teachers in time will appreciate our efforts.” As to general distribution, he added, the Education Department was the proper authority to undertake the work, with tho assistance of the suggested Library Board. It would also ho necessary to have an expert organiser, at any rate until tUio scheme was working smoothly. The informal discussion which followed was on the question of ways and means.