USING LIBRARIES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 713, 13 December 1933, Page 7

USING LIBRARIES

1 the unemployed i • ! PLEA FOR EXTENDED FACILITIFS MADE BY EXI ERTS. S LEARNING USEFUL GRAFTS. , J i Two eminent Scottish authorities on public libraries — Mr. S. A. Pitt,' city librarian, Glasgow, and Lieuten-ant-Colonel J. M. Mitchell, secretary Carnegie U.K. Trust — iwere the joint authors of a paper on "The Duties and Opportunities of Public Libraries in Times of Unemployment," which was submitted to the C'onference of Library Associations at Harrogate. The paper was read by Mr. Pitt, and is given in the Glasgow Herald. '"Measured by national standarcfs of well-being," the paper began, "probably no one wonld. question the statement that during the last seven years the world has suffered an' unprecedented economic depression resulting in an unequalled amount of unemployment. "The cloud may be lifting; we hope sincerely that it is, bnt while we hope we must give the maximum service through our libraries as they are now equipped and seek to improve their provision, therehy. extending their usefulness to the public. The necesssity for realising this was never more urgent than it is to-day. . . "In the abse-nce of complete statistics, which are not yet available from all urban libraries for the worst period of depression, namely, 1926 to the present year, we find that in the public libraries of the six largest industrial cities of Great Britain issues of books during 1926-1927 numbered just over 18,500,000. "In the last completed year of this period issues .at the same libraries exceeded 27,370,000, representing an increase of approximately 9,000,000, or nearly 50 per cent. within seven years. In county libraries, in Great Britain and Ireland, the corresponding figures were more than 11,891,000 and 34,831,000, an increase of nearly 23,000,000, or approximately 192 per cent in seven years. A Wise Investment. "These figures relating to the six large industrial cities, which we believe very definitsly refleet conditions, are characteristic of similar towns in Great Britain, and statements in official reports ascribe the extraordinary increase mainly to more general use of libraries by persons unemployed. "Perhaps this is equally true of county libraries, though' a proportion of their larger issues must be credited to the opening of new centres in this younger service. "The figures, rowever, show remarkable growth. Basing conclusions on those of the six cities alone, with the statements accompanying them, there is substantial evidence of great and growing use made of their libraries by persons least able to provide for their literary and educational needs. "We would go further and say that, in these times particularly, a little more generous treatment of public libraries in such areas would be a wise investment, especially when it is remembered that the cost of the service to loeal rates represents only about 1 per cent. of the total expenditure from rates. 'Therefore, those who seek to effect important economies in loeal expenditure must be reminded that any financial saving on the cost of library | service does not offer a promising harvest. . . . "A large percentage of unemployed are dispirited and rather helpless in face of the calamity which has befallen them. They seek only to forget their great misfortune, hoping that a turn in their luck will come. They want work, and look to others to provide it. "Reading may he merely a pastime in their case, but if they oecupy time in this way it may save them from mental and moral deterioration. "Others, more self-reliant and resourceful, endeavour to use their time to better advantage. It may be that they are craftsmen skilled in technical work, or they may be interested in horticulture or some other pursuit in which they wish to excel. Given the means of adding to their knowledge through books and periodicals, they will use the library for this purpose and turn the information so obtained to pr,actical account. Most Seriously Affected. "Bnt perhaps the most seriously affected persons are the adolescents. Thousands of these have recently left school. Turned ont on the streets, free from the orderly habits and discipline of school life,theyareatliberty tofollow instincts and inclinations, good, bad, or indifferent. The seriousness of this position has been emphasised of late, and movements are afoot to check this waste and to provide attractive means of further training and education. "If more leisure is to be a eondition of the future, how is it to be used? Will it be a curse or otherwise? Efforts now exerted are directed towards utilising leisure hours in ways that contribute to individual and social well-being. Here the Library Association and public libraries must be prepared to play their part."