Christchurch Girl In Dutch Library

Press, Volume C, Issue 29506, 6 May 1961, Page 2

Christchurch Girl In Dutch Library

Miss Judith Johnson, formerly of Christchurch and now of The Hague, Holland, is working as a translator from Dutch into English and French at the Technical University Library of Delft. Before six months in London Miss Johnson worked for a period in Delft and then returned to translate and act as an interpreter for an international technical university library conference. The conference was attended by 30 European directors of technical university libraries, the majority coming from Germany, England and

Scandinavia. Also well represented were France, Belgium. East Germany and Turkey. The Delft Technical University Library is the best equipped in Europe and has its own research department, which has invented many new technical aids and appliances for the mechanisation of routine library work. An example is the information telephone, by which the visitor is informed on entering on how to find his way in the library, merely by pressing a button for whatever language he requires. Bibliophone Another is the bibliophone used together with the closed-circuit television. After searching through the systematic catalogue and finding the book number, one then dials through to the stack-room, where the shelf position of the required book is shown by luminous signals The book is then taken from the stacks and transported automatically by means of the spiral chute to the loan administration. Besides the research group this library houses its own extensive photographic laboratory, where micro-repro-ductions play the largest part, its own printing office and its own bindery. Then, aside from these departments this institute 'is the national centre for Holland and since 1960 has housed the European Translations Centre, which is concerned with Russian and Eastern European literature. The conference in April. 1961, gave the participants the opportunity of seeing these developments in library techniques. It was Miss Johnson’s task to translate the lectures for this conference from Dutch into English and then to relay the summaries mto French. The whole conference was conducted in English and was of an international character, which is most necessary for international co-operation in library exchange today.

Dancing Judge. Mrs Gladys Bushell, of Christchurch, is judging the dancing section in the Auckland competitions festival during the May school holidays.