PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Taranaki Daily News, 27 November 1934, Page 2

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

EXPERTS’ OFFICIAL REPORT.

THE TARANAKI INSTITUTIONS.

A survey of conditions of New Zealand libraries and suggestions for their improvement have recently been published by Messrs. Ralph Munn, director of the Carnegie Library at Pittsburgh, United States, and John Barr, chief librarian at the Auckland public libraries. The report, which was prepared under the auspices of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, makes the following special references to Taranaki libraries:—

“New Plymouth’s library would, appear to be much more creditable if it were not so seriously crowded. The lending department contains a broad and comprehensive collection of general literature as well as fiction. It is one of the best selections in any library of its size in New Zealand. Only a gesture toward children’s service is possible in the present building. The reference collection is one of the poorest observed, but it cannot be greatly improved in its present small quarters which are entirely unsupervised. The collection of New Zealand literature for reference is accommodated in the museum portion of the building upstairs and is quite representative and adequate. “Despite the impossible condxtxons under which the small town libraries have to operate at present it was pleasing to find here and there moderately successful efforts at library service. Hawera, for instance, provides its citizens with a fairly good collection of books and a really good selection of periodicals. The children’s section is also good though small, and the same could be said of the reference section. At one or two places quite beautiful little buildings have been erected—the library at Patea being a perfect little gem of architecture.