OUR MUNICIPAL LIBRARY.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 46, 24 April 1930, Page 12

OUR MUNICIPAL LIBRARY.

xraaware of its existence. Why should they know? How can they know!

Where is..it? -;"V%at'sort of>9. library iii it to belong to?" These three identical questions were put to me by a recently arrived resident of literary tastes, and there are certainly many others in like case. If a thing is worth doing, it is -worth doing well. .Our borough has a good library, but • what steps has the .Council taken to let its burgesses (particularly newcomers) 'know that snoh is the case? 3VIr. Mayor and Councillor remember this that trying to carry on business without ..publicity is like winking at a pretty girl in! the dark*— you know you're doing it, but &he does not! ■ '

ernment matter; have strong political. opinion, and it would -be -^the grossest of - ijibels to say that ours is an illiterate . community. - And- yet the membership j of our Municipal Library, at a very reasonable annual subscription, is dis- , tinctly insignificant, W^hy is tiiis f ; "«' l/fcny person, firm, company, or corporation that endeavours to carry on business'^ ami ignores vfche necessity of publicity «nd advertisement-is foredoomed to failure, and this, apparently, r i^wierethe Council and its Library ' Comnrfif&tf' has failed. What publicity or advertisement has been in the past givi/n?tb'bnT Municipal Library? Little, if tatj at oil, and. I venture to state that there are scores, if not hundreds,. of '■ mat local residents, possibly new comers to the • Hait, w<ho are absolutely *

.•WiH^he of an age to read, and this perO'tituage is certainly on the low side. ;*1 ijmderstand that, the number of subscribers to the Municipal Library is under 400. But letffais put the number, or' householders at 4,000 and the number' of library subscribers at 400> and consider why- there should be this disparity. The residents of the borough are of a- distinctly superior and will • eu&caited class; they evince a lively interest in all current of the, day:-take a-deep/interesf "in local gov-

aUowing an average of four to each uiftdupfehold, a small' average for this healthful suburb—we have a population of 16,000, of whomi not less than thalf

character. Now, with. 4,000 houses, and

leaps and bounds our population has vin^ ypreased, until to-day it requires an issue of 4,000 to enable the postmen to delixer. to every house a copy -of what mus£ be admitted is a bright and .up-to-date little journal of a puTely local

oirctdation waa about 1700, whioh. number allowed a copy for delivery by post jto. every, house in "the. borough. By

I learned that when.. the venture was ~ int.srfcarted some three years ago, the

au&ager of the "Hutt News Company

Sir, —Will you give me space in your columns for a few words with regard lite /our Municipal Library. In a conversation I recently had with : the

(To t-he EditOT.)

I wish, to make it clear that in my opinion the Huttv Borough has a good library^ and it is a pity more people do. not know of its existence and take advantage of it. It is true that a proportion of; the volumes on, fcj*e shelves .are ; approaching the state when they may, be described as "antique and curiously carved," but on tie other hand there : is a constant stream of new. and well selected books being purchased and added to what is quite a fair collection.of upHo-date fiction. , In these days of handsome Carnegie Libraries and other similar costly buildings. the housing of. our local libTary is hardly to be termed " up-to-date, " but given increased membership,' and. more interest in tie institution, and that can be soon, altered. Speaking from experience and from the comments of those who already use the library I can testify to the capacity; and unfailing courtesy of the librarian, .Mrs Burnley, who I am sure (though 1^ •hay.c not mentioned the matter to her) .would be pleased to welcome visitors, "particiilarly. intending subtscribers, if o they will call,. Meanwhile may I againo impress, on .''the powers, that be' 7 the., futility of winking at a pretty giri in the dark.: —l am etc., ~ ~„,,,., j

GEO. GIELINGr-BTTTCHEE,

[We regret that owing to a typographical error, the wording,, of . the [above letter was mutilated i when-pub-lished last week. We therefore again [■publish it wit<h apologies to the author.

-EJitor.]

Bridge Sti, Lower Hutt,