NATIONAL LIBRARY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 3

NATIONAL LIBRARY

— Preo# Aasoclation.)

Strong Endorsement At Meeting Good for community

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Library ideals which embraced variou* points in the national library system, were disclosed by delegates at the final session 'of the New Zealand Lib,rary Aasoclation 'e conference which concluded to-day. It was thought that the scheme would initially cost between £40,000. and £50,000 and that the national importance of the matter was vital to the well-being, of the general community, Moved by the president (Mr. W. J. Gaudin) and seconded by Mr. G. N. Williams (Masterton), the following. motion was carried unanimously: — "That this conference instructs the council. of the association to commend to the Government, local bodies and people of New Zealand, the project of a national library scheme and in particular urges that early consideration be given to the possibility of making existing Rbrary servicea free excepting ,in the case of. light fiction." "We in New Zealand owe much to: the Carnegie Corporation for what it has "done to help us," Baid Mr. T. D. H. Hall, Olerk of the House of Representatives. "Ih the first place there is need for the co-operation of the Government, local bodies, ' educationai puthorities and individuals to build up an efficient system. This co-operation would be more readily forthcoming if it was clearly grasped how effective an instrument the library service could be in the life of the community. ' ' He said he was impressed with the part liblary and kindred movementB could play.in solving two major problems of to-day, thoBe of population and the utilisatipn of -labour displaced by much anisation. A national library system was something of- great value to this country and fully justified an -appeai for help. Dr. Guy H. Scholefield, chief librarian of the General Assembly library, said the General Assembly library aimed at co-operation between libraries so] as to make the widest possible use of existing bo.ok stocks and to get the' best value in.book expenditure. "In ai complete library system there must be1 oue library at least of a national ckar-t acter, the resources of which are not restricted to town or district," he added. "The General Assembly library has already developed some , of tho fanctions of.a national library'and for more than half a century it has been a library of deposit for the ofiicial publieations of British and foreign Governments, A national central library is called on to lend books of a class which the average library cannot afford to buy. ' ' Following a general discussion on a national scheme, Hon. T. Brindle, M.L.C., said it seemed such a sensible thing to do that he wondered why a system had not come into being long ago. They could probably extend this system throughout the British Commonwcalth and get valuablo books from "ovcfseas and from foreign countries into New Zealand ;s own libraries. The scheme had his entire approval and support. Many ofcher delegatos also ondgrsed