‘Country Library Has Balanced Collection’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31109, 12 July 1966, Page 11

‘Country Library Has Balanced Collection’

The Country Library Service vans carried a balanced collection of books currently available, and in its buying the service concentrated on what was considered the best of newly published material covering a wide range of interest and style, said the national librarian (Mr G. T. Alley). He was commenting on a letter to the editor of “The Press” from “Country Cousin,” a correspondent who wanted to know why the service did not provide its subscribers with more of what they wanted and less of the “left overs.” The correspondent wrote: “The National Country

Library Service plays an important role in small communities. The quality of its non-fiction books is splendid. However, books classed as fiction (of which a subscribing library takes 60 per cent under the exchange system) are often quite unreadable and completely incomprehensible. Fiction on the van seems to consist of translations from foreign languages and authors who have been drug addicts, dope pedlars, murderers, maniacs, or with an inside story to tell of prisons and asylums. Where do these books come from? Are they overseas redundant stocks bought on one “brave” re-

view? Popular and latest books available on request have a waiting list of up to 18 months delay. Considering the money spent on the Country Library Service, would it not be possible to give subscribers more of what they want and less of “left-overs?” “In its buying the service concentrates on what is considered the best of newly published material over a wide range of interest and style,” said Mr Alley. “Current fiction is difficult to assess. Evaluation of a book’s literary merit by experienced reviewers is the main criterion.”

“The Country Library Service has the task of supplementing the bookstock of local

libraries, and this fact has a bearing on its acquisition policy to the extent that books of marginal interest have an essential place in its stock.”

“The request service is not intended to be used for the “popular and latest” novels. The demand for such books is necessarily heavy, and small libraries making use of the postal request service for this purpose must expect to wait.

“In any case, even when the request is for a very popular book, your correspondent’s estimate of 18 months’ delay would be most unusual,” said Mr Alley.