GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 906, 27 August 1910, Page 9

GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS. According to the annual report of tin Chief Librarian of the Genera! Assembly Library, 2G40 publications were added to the library during the year ended June 7. . Of the 511 persons granted the recesa privileges, 123 made use, of the library mainly for reference purpose's. Of the remaining 391, who took books out to. read at home, 10 persons took out twenty books and over; 12 took ten books .and over; 101 took five books mid over; 205 fewer'than five books. Altogether 3669 books were issued to privilege-holders during tlii! recess, tho following being a rough classification of the character of ■the works Iwrrowed:l3iogiaphy, autobiography, memoirs, etc.;. 800; voyages and travels, 031;' history, 518; sociology, 210; theology, 23; psychology, 18; philology, 7; pure and applied science, 189; fiction, 518; general literature, poetry, essays, anil 'belles lcttres, 752: total, 3609. The occupations.of the privilege-holders were: —Artists, 1; architects, 2j actuary, 1; agents and sharehrokci-s, 5; accountants and clerks, 55; bank officers, -8; Civil Servants, 112; oilier Government servants, 18;' ministers of religion, 11; chemist, 1; ■ company managers, G; domestio duties, 13;' doctors, 1; dentist, 1; draftsman, 1; electric linesman, 1; civil and electrical engineers, 3; Education Board officers, 1; hairdressers, 3; insurance officers, 2; journalists, 15; Judges' associate, 1; musician, 1; nurses, 2; naval and military officers, 5; organising, secretary, 3; plumbers, 2; photographers,, 1; other trades, i>; private incomes, 53; solicitor* and law' clerks, 21; school teachers, 29-, students,. 20; settlers, 10; sign-writer, 1| storemen. 2; salesmen, 2; seaman,lj typists, 10; theatrical agents, 2; visitors, 2; wholesale and retail merchants, 7. A most interesting anil valuable collection of books .dealing with the early history of New Zealand and with various voyages and travels in the Pacific was presented by. the Government to. the library during the recess, The volumes in ju'estion, which .include several exceedingly rare works, .copies of which the library did not previously possess, were formerly, the property of the late : Dr. Steeson,' ol Christchurch, ; and were ■purchased.' in London from the' executors of that gen-, tlcnian. . ■.