The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1909. THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13846, 6 March 1909, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1909. THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Tlioso who have licen wondering lor some time past when the Timaru Public Library would become ail accomplished fa fit, .something to lie used anil not .merely talked about, an interior and contents and not only a line facade in Oamaru stone, will read with some satisfaction this morning our reiiort of what transpired last night at the conference between the Borough Council and Committee of the Mechanics' Institute. It shows that something is to be done to bring; about that long waited for transformation. The satisfaction will probably be tempered by some doubt as to whether the proposals made by the Mayor will work out well in pracLicc ; but no one seems prepared with any better. In all probability the. wisest course will be to beware ol laying clown hard and last rules beforehand, ; I Vim h is who are familiar with the working of public libraries might venture to make such rules, because they would have experience to guide them ; but in this ease the experience is, so far, wanting. One general remark: on this subject, however, is that it would be easier to relax rules that were made too stringent; than to reduce privileges once granted. On the other hand, the Borough Council is taking oyer a property, ill the contents of the. library, which has been built up by the subscriptions and donations of people living outside the borough as well'as those within it, and so far' as the present- library goes, they ean fairly claim, to he placed on an equal footing with the townspeople who have been subscribers. Mr Carnegie provides tin; building, the sub-

seribers to the-Institute, post and ..pre* scut, provide the furniture and fittings, and a big foundation fur the stock pt books, the Borough Council provide only the site, and the value of this is much more than covered bv the valuo of the. Institute land and building. The Borough Council are. thus getting control of a valuable property at no cost whatever to the ratepayers, a. I act which should plead for generosity to all possible usees of the library. The social spirit wjiieh lias led the borough to provide in Caroline Bay a popular recreation ground free to all the. world, would be as highly appreciated if applied to the, management of the public library. However, it seems to have been determined that people outside the borough are to be put on a different footing from those inside; and ■this is one of those rules that may bo ! mure easily abandoned in future than newly imposed. It is difficult, if not quite impossible, to say how the library can efficiently 'servo" -its purpose if it'is entirely free. There must be, as tVas' pointed out last night, some restriction On the number of books a " ratepayer'* or a " rcntyayer " 'may he allowed to take out, and no one should grumblo at being asked to pay for an extension of privileges for the benefit of a. perhaps numerous family. AVe are afraid that the Mayor overestimates the demand that will lie .made for the ,superior class tif literature with which he desires to see the shelves of the library stocked. The taste for what lie rightly % calls "rubbish" has been so assiduously cultivated by the. publishing: world, that the majority ol' people now read only as a pastime. Opinions differ as to whether a nuiuicioulity should provide pastimes for its people, hut the tendeucy. secips to be in the direction ■of municipalising the .'supply of every kind of common requirement, and "light reading,"' as well as " heavy," and a great deal more of it, ik undoubtedly a common requirement, of the present day. If Mr Craigif e.au, through the selection of books for 4e public library, improve the. popular taste. in literature, and create a demand for the better class of books to which he alluded, he will have done a great thing lor the community; l.f his wishes arc carried out,' it' will he a valuable experiment, and we shall await the issue with a good deal of curiosity. Regarding his proposal to found a separate circulating library, everyone must admit that the personal offer which formed an important part of it was a most generous one. This was recognised by the conference, and by the Councillors later, but tfie adoption of the proposal as a whole does not seem to be called for in the meantime. *