THE INSTITUTE LIBRARY AND READING ROOM.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2392, 16 November 1880, Page 4

THE INSTITUTE LIBRARY AND READING ROOM.

The temporary premises o£ the Timaru Institute, in the Main South Road, are||now beginning to present a comfortable appearance. Two shops (adjoining) hare.been rented pro tem , one of which forms the reading room, the other being devoted to the books. The reading room answers the purpose admirably, there being abundance of light, and indeed in this respect it is an improvement on the room formerly in use. All around the walls a wooden desk has been erected, on which the daily papers are to be seen, and on the long table down the centre of the room the smaller papers, magazines, &c., are placed. The books occupy two rooms next door—the front shop and the back shop—and they are now, thanks to the energy displayed by the librarian, Mr Winter, who lias had to entirely re-classify them, getting into something like order again, and the library will be re-opcned for the exchange of books on Wednesday next. The volumes are now arranged on a better plan than was adopted formerly. The front shop which has been completely filled Avith shelves, &c.. contains the miscellaneous works, and the back shop is wholly devoted to the novels. The advantage of keeping the works separate will he at once apparent; it will save the librarian much trouble and prevent a great deal of unnecessary handling of the books by subscribers. Before very long we may hope to see the new Mechanics’ Institute rise from the ashes of the old one. There is a good deal of diversity of opinion respecting the most eligible site for the structure. It may be as well, perhaps, in this connection, to contradict a rumor which has been circulated, that only annual subscribers will be allowed to have a voice in the question of site. This is a mistake, as all the subscribers will be entitled to a vote on the matter and the taking out of a quarterly subscription ticket will enable the holder to have his say at the approaching meeting when the question will be fully discussed.