GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY. REPORT OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1938.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1938 Session I, H-32

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1938. NEW ZEALAND.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY. REPORT OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1938.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

To the Chairman Joint Library Committee. Sib — I have the honour to report on the operations of the General Assembly Library for the year 1937-38. Accessions. During the financial year we were again able with our increased buying fund to purchase freely the books that are required to maintain and increase the stock. The number of books added to the stock during the year was 4,994, as compared with 4,240 in the previous year, and an average of 2,516 for eleven years previous to that. At the end of May the number of books accessioned was 147,724. This does not exactly correspond with the stock of the library, since allowance must be made for books that have been discarded owing to wear-and-tear or for other reasons. The policy outlined last year of making up leeway in the acquisition of reference books, standard texts, &c, in addition to purchasing everything that seems to be desirable in the field of sociology, history, and official publications, has been continued, taking care always to avoid duplicating in the purchase of expensive books which are already in some other Wellington library or are being acquired elsewhere-. Donations. We have been fortunate again in receiving a steady stream of donations from various sources. In particular we have received from the Public Library of Victoria a number of volumes of the Melbourne Argus, which complete our holding of this paper back to 1874. This is the direct outcome of the publication of our union catalogue of newspapers. Following are the donors of some of the more important gifts received : American Association for Adult Education (New York), Ralph E. Barley (Hastings), British Medical Association (London), Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Washington), Consul for Italy (Wellington), Consul-General for Czechoslovakia (Sydney), Mariano F. Cornejo (London), Delegations for the Promotion of Economic Co-operation between the Northern Countries, Mrs. F. Dyer (Wellington), Empire Economic Union, Empire Parliamentary Association, General Export Association (Sweden), German Government, Guild of Saddlers of City of London, Liberal Publications Department, Library of Congress (Washington), Library of Parliament (Commonwealth of Australia), Dr. Jacob Ter Meulen (The Hague), Hon. Walter Nash, M.P., National Information Board for Commonwealth Anniversary Committee, Petschek and Co. (Czechoslovakia), Vivian Phelips (South Africa), Prime Minister's Department (Wellington), Stichting de Kindervrieden (Amsterdam), Theosophical Publishing House, United States Department of Agriculture, Voice of China Publications, World Calendar Association (New York), C. Kuangson Young (Geneva). Staff Wobk. During the year the shelf list, upon which a temporary assistant had been working full time, was brought to a completion. This work was urgently required, and it was quite beyond the capacity of the permanent staff to do it in spare moments, as it involved making cards of possibly 130,000 books. The shelf list is now maintained by the cataloguers in the ordinary course of their work. It is housed close to the cataloguing staff, and is a great aid to the efficient working of the library. Steady progress is being made with the portrait index and the index of immigrant ships, both of which are being consulted daily for research purposes. Inquiries are also received from the United States, Australia, and Great Britain, to which these indexes furnish the reply. Since the end of the financial year Mrs. R. M. Hamilton has returned to duty after extended leave, in the course of which she took courses in various phases of library work in London. Her return has enabled the staff to be reorganized, as had been intended, by segregating the cataloguers, who are now working in a group on the first floor. With the great increase in the number of books accessioned, the cataloguing has become much heavier, and it is hoped that under the new arrangement it will proceed regularly and smoothly. lam glad to say that there have been no changes in the staff during the year. Mr. B. D. Zohrab gained his M.A. degree.

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Research work done by students in the library continues steadily. As it is essential for students to come to the General Assembly Library for source material in sociology and history, especially when they have to consult official documents, we make every effort to accommodate them throughout the year. The legislative reference work is still being supervised by the Assistant Librarian, the reference staff being the same as a year ago. Archives. A good deal of use continues to be made of the archive material preserved in the General Assembly Library. The secretariat of the National Historical Committee is established on the same floor and has frequent need to refer to these valuable documents in connection with the approaching Centennial celebrations. Numbers of inquiries also arrive by post, which necessitate a certain amount of research in this material. lam looking forward to the time when it will be possible to make more satisfactory provision, both as to accommodation and staff, for this important branch. Copyright and Publications. The copyright division continues to take most of the time of one assistant. A select list is being supplied monthly to the New Zealand Library Association for the benefit of libraries throughout the country. The list of copyright publications received during the year was published separately up to the end of the calendar year 1937, and has been in considerable demand. The ordinary list of accessions to the library has been published as usual, including the books received to the 31st May, 1938. During the year the union catalogue of New Zealand newspapers, the compilation of which has been in hand for several years, was published. It has already been of considerable service to libraries generally, and has been the means of our receiving valuable accessions to our own newspaper stock. This list has been carded and will be revised from time to time as required. Inter-library Loan. This activity of the library continues on much the same scale as last year. It is of considerable service to ourselves and other libraries, and is being carefully watched at present, with a view to ascertaining what are likely to be the requirements under inter-library loan as the National Library develops. International Exchange. As agent in New Zealand for the International Exchange Service, the General Assembly Library last year received from abroad 3,295 packages and 13 cases of official and scientific publications, as compared with 3,668 packages and 16 cases in the year 1936. The bulk of this material was intended for the General Assembly Library ; and the balance was redistributed by our staff to Departments, libraries, and private addresses throughout the Dominion. Library Accommodation. Pressure on our space is being constantly felt. Every year it is necessary to resort to some new expedient to accommodate the steadily growing book stock in such a way as to keep readily available the books that are most used. During the year more shelving has been provided on every floor. In the newspaper room in particular the accommodation for newspapers and periodicals has been considerably extended. In the newspaper stack, in which the shelving is of wood, the borer has been active recently, and steps have been taken during the year to combat it. A considerable quantity of the affected shelving has been removed and replaced, and the rest has been treated to prevent the spread of the pest. The book lift, which had been out of order for some years, has been replaced by an efficient electric lift, which reduces very considerably the amount of work in moving books from floor to floor. Recess Privileges. In the early part of this year the library was open to recess privilege holders for a period of nine weeks. Apart from those who held the full privilege and house officers, a total of 355 persons used the library during the recess. The number of recess privilege holders varies considerably according to the period in which they can use the library. The numbers during recent years have been as follows : Reces s- Privilege Holders. 1934 1,031 1935 1,085 1935-36 (three months) ...... 590 1937 ;; i jo 79 1938 (nine weeks) .. .. .. .. .. .. ~ 355 The vocations of recess privilege holders were as follows : Accountants, 9 ; agents, 2 ; airmen, 2 ; architect, 1 ; artists, 3 ; auctioneer, 1 ; bank clerk, 1 ; barristers and solicitors, 11 ; bookseller, 1 ; broadcasting announcers, 5 ; caretaker, 1 ; caster, 1 ; chauffeur, 1 ; chemists, 2 ; civil engineer, 1 ; civil servants, 49 ; clergymen, 6 ; clerks, 41 ; commercial traveller, 1 ; company manager, 1 ; compositors, 3 ; customs officer, 1 ; domestic duties, 40 ; draughtsmen, 3 ; electrical engineer, 1 ; electricians, 4 ; engine-driver, 1 ; engineers, 4 ; financial agent, 1 ; hairdresser, 1 ; harbour board employees, 2 ; insurance officers, 3 ; journalists, 10 ; laboratory attendant, 1 ; law clerks, 3 ;

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librarians, 4 ; lecturer, 1 ; locksmith, 1 ; manufacturer, 1 ; medical practitioners, 5 ; merchant, 1 ; messenger, 1 ; motor-driver, 1 ; municipal employees, 2 : music-teacher, 1 ; musician, 1 ; native interpreter, 1 ; naval officer, 1 ; no occupation, 5 ; nurses, 5 ; pilot, 1 ; printers, 6 ; railway employees, 3 ; retailer, 1 ; retired, 38 ; salesman, 1 ; school-teachers, 15 ; seaman, 1 ; secretaries, 6 ; shopassistant, 1 ; soldier, 1 ; stenographers, 3 ; steward, 1 ; students, 10 ; surveyors, 2 ; typists, 13 ; wireless operator, 1 ; writers, 2. New Zealand Library Association. At the conference of the New Zealand Library Association, which was held in Nelson during February, the General Assembly Library was represented by the Hon. W. W. Snodgrass, M.L.C., Mr. H. Atmore, M.P., and the Chief Librarian. During the year the Country Library Service was inaugurated as a branch of the Department of Education, Mr. G. T. Alley, M.A., being appointed director. The General Assembly Library is co-operating wherever possible with the Country Library Service. Attached is a statement of receipts and expenditure for the year, with the certificate of the Auditor-General. In conclusion, I would again record my appreciation of the cordial support given by the staff during the year, and also of the efficient co-operation of the High Commissioner's staff in carrying out commissions for the Library. I appreciate very much, too, the sympathetic interest shown by the members of the Joint Library Committee in the work of the Library and welfare of the staff. I have, &c, G. H. SCHOLEFIELD, Chief Librarian.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY ACCOUNT. Statement fob the Year ended 31st March, 1938. Receipts. Payments. £ s. d. Purchase of books and periodicals in— £ s. d. Balance .. .. .. .. 433 11 1 United Kingdom and United States .. 1,511 0 6 Annual grant .. .. .. 1,250 0 0 New Zealand .. .. .. 197 5 3 Private Bill fees .. .. .. 75 0 0 Australia .. .. .. .. 28 16 4 Refunds for lost books, &c. .. .. 419 8 Foreign .. .. .. .. 11 10 5 Petty expenses .. .. .. 0 1111 Bank charge.. .. .. .. 0 10 0 Interest .. .. .. .. 12 0 Balance, Bank of New Zealand .. 12 14 4 £1,763 10 9 £1,763 10 9 June 2, 1938. G. H. Scholepield, Chief Librarian. Examined and found correct — J. H. Fowler, Controller and Auditor-General.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (520 copies), £3 10s.

Authority: E. Y. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington.—1938.

Price 3d.~\

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