THE LIBRARIES' CONFERENCE

West Coast Times, 19 April 1911, Page 4

THE LIBRARIES' CONFERENCE

SUBJECTS OF DISCUSSION. [BY TBLBQIUBH —PEE PEESS ASSOCIATION ] AUCKLAND, April, 18. The Libraries’ Association Conference opened on Saturday morning. The southern delegates were welcomed by the Mayor, and the president (Mr F. W. Leys). The welcome was acknowledged by Messrs M. Cohen (Dunedin), and A. R. Atkinson (Wellington). The president urged that the best endeavours should be employed for bringing libraries more into line with cities. Tie spoke of the relationship between libraries and public schools, and the large sphere open in catering for the literary needs of the country districts. He believed that city libraries could be used to meet this want without imposing any financial burdents on the City taxpayer. The Conference subsequently passed resolutions expressing the desirability of improved salaries and shorter hours for library assistants and the co-ordin-ation between public and semi-public libraries in the same city.

They referred to a committee the question of co-operation in bookbinding with a view to effect a saving in the cost, and referred to a committee to draw up model by-laws for Municipal, libraries. On a proposal recommending the Executive Committee to consider the, desirability of the appointment of a home agency for the supply of books and periodicals there was much , diversity of opinion but the motion was carried. . The subject of converting the Parliamentary library into a national and municipal one, open as fully as prac : : ticable to the general public as against the present method of exclusiveness to Parliamentarians and friends, yvas discussed by the. conference. A motion was carried recommending the Minister for Education and the Parliamentary Library Committee to institute the change. Mr Wilson, Parliamentary Librarian, -defended the present method, saying that the public were not shut out from admission to the Library during the recess.