OUR LIBRARIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 175, 19 April 1919, Page 5

OUR LIBRARIES

REPORT FOR THE YEAR, llr. Herbert Baillie, chief librarian, reported us -follows lo the City Council 011 Thursday:—. : "The record of work for tile your ended March 31/1919, shows •a general increase, which is reuutrkiiblo when wo make, allowance for the library being closed for' four-weeks during the epidemic of November last. The most noticeable illcrease is in the central children')) department, where the number of subscribers has increased' 58 per' cent., wild the book issue 52 per cent".. The room used for this'-department, which combines a children's reading joom with the lending department, is much too small. An up-to-dato children's room is an absolute necessity in a modern library, and it is to bo hoped Hint the committee nun- during the coming year, be able to advance 1 lio project of providing one for Wellington. Newtown general book issues increased 1-|. per cent., and Hie Central 12 per cent. Central adult subscriptions numbered 2700, Newtown 1220, each being an increase of 17 per cent. - Newtown children's subscriptions increased 19 per cent. "The school libraries issues increased sligntly, but it is not 1 expected that these issues, will increase except as new schools are added, as there is a set issue of one book per week to eacli pupil. Twenty-live stbools now participate, this covers all of the City State primary schools except a small one. Now that IJnsiow has come in with the city only four suburban schools are supplied on payment. About 7000 volumes arc now l on issue to the i-cliools. A great deal of tlio credit for this work is due lo Mr. l'erry, who is very earnest and enthusiastic in'tile work. During .the year Messrs, Baggeu and Perry completed 25 years' service in the Library. , I have to acknowledge the good work tliey and all members, of the stall' have done dicing Iho year.' I liavo to suggest that questions that ought to.be considered by the new committee are-.—Management of the Museum, increased accommodation at Central, and bookbinding plant."