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The weekly issue of Book Resources was begun on 18th October, 1943, and from, that date until 31st March, 1944, 410 interloan cards were received at the Country Library Service; 283 of these requested items were supplied by the Country Library Service and other libraries in Wellington (the General Assembly Library, the Alexander Turnbull Library, the Wellington Public Libraries, and others). Seven requests were rejected as being outside the scope of the scheme or for having supplied insufficient data about the requested item. The remaining 120 interloan application cards, plus 87 items requested by Country Library Service borrowers, were circulated through the medium of Book Resources, and a total of 104 wanted items were located and loans arranged. Periodical Service.—To enable users of free public libraries to have access to a •considerably wider range of periodicals than such libraries can afford to buy regularly, :some 120 periodicals have been sent to 30 free public libraries participating in this Service. Each library received up to 30 periodicals chosen from the list, in lots of some six to eight, sending its initial lot to another library by post after one month, and receiving another in the same way. The effect of this service is that many country people now have access to a range of periodical literature hitherto available only in city libraries. Special Groups.—l,sss books were also on loan to 16 groups and libraries in various types of institutions. Book Stock During the year the adult section of this Service added to stock 19,652 volumes, '6,050 fiction and' 13,602 non-fiction. Withdrawals were 2,534 volumes, 1,461 fiction and 1,073 non-fiction. Thus the net additions to stock were 17,118, and the total adult stock of this Service now stands at 90,080, made up of 36,503 fiction and 53,577 non-fiction. Stock of the children's section at 31st March, 1944, was 68,197, making a grand total of all stock of 158,277 volumes. The difficulties of importing books from abroad under the present conditions continue, and sincere acknowledgment is made to the High Commissioner for New Zealand in London and his staff for the assistance they have given in. the purchasing and despatch of books. In addition to the book stock mentioned above, 25,628 volumes were purchased during the year and made available on extended loan to Army Education and Welfare Service Library. Since February, 1943, 33,826 books have been provided in this way. Expenditure, Staff, Premises Expenditure for the year was £18,482, under Subdivision XIV, " Country Library Service," vote " Department of Education." In addition, £5,197 was expended on the purchase of books for the School Library Service (Subdivision II of the same vote). £8,625 from War Expenses Account was expended on books and periodicals and other incidental services for Army Education and Welfare Service library. Books and equipment so provided remain the property of this Service and will be handed over when no longer needed by the Armed Forces, and the War Expenses Account re-imbursed accordingly. The staff of the Country Library Service now numbers 30, including officers acting as wartime replacements for 8 officers—s permanent, 3 temporary--who are on military leave or, in the case of one permanent officer, seconded to the civil branch of one of the Armed Services. Staffing increase to 37 has been authorized. Much additional storage space and accommodation for housing of the rapidly increasing book stock and for the provision of proper working-conditions for the staff are needed at Wellington. Central Bureau for Library Book Imports From Ist April, 1943, to 31st March, 1944, 329 recommendations for special license to the value of £13,956 ss. (New Zealand currency) were made for 27 libraries. The recommendations have covered non-fiction books and periodicals and junior fiction of recognized quality. TJnion Catalogue.—The Union Catalogue is proving increasingly useful in the locating of books. Libraries are continuing to notify their accessions, and some 8,000 new entries have been added to the Catalogue during the year. Neiu Zealand Book Resources Committee. —The Committee met once during the year; the main work has consisted of the ordering of titles from the lists checked the previous year (see annual report of this service for 1943) and the checking of the '1941 volume of the Cumulative Book Index against the Union Catalogue and the selection and ordering of such titles as were not held by any library and which were deemed essential. The New Zealand Library Association, Wellington Branch, undertook the checking of the Cumulative Book Index and the copying of entries not found in the Union Catalogue. 4,870 entries were copied on cards by the Wellington Branch; of these, 2,428 items had been rejected, 163 were found to be already on order, 448 had been referred to special libraries, and 1,831 were in the process of being ordered for book resources. During the year the total number of books ordered through Book Resources was 1,556, to the value of £711 17s. sterling. 2,846 volumes have been rejected because they have been out of print, not now of value, or covered by more recent publications. Whereas last year only 31 books had been received at the end of the financial year, to date 830 books have been received.

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