COUNTRY LIBRARY SERVICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1940, Page 7

COUNTRY LIBRARY SERVICE

MATTER PLACED BEFORE BOROUGH COUNCIL. REFERRED TO LIBRARY COMMITTEE. A meeting of the Masterton Borough Council was held last night, the Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, presiding. After Miss E. J. Carnell, liaison officer between the New Zealand Libraries’ Association and the Country Library Service, had presented a case for the council to join the Country Library Service it was decided to refer the matter to the Library Committee for further consideration. In the course of her remarks Miss Carnell stated that a service of 750 books, changed three times a year, selected by the borough librarian, from the shelves of the travelling book van, for which there would be no charge whatsoever, would be available to the library. The service tapped a library of over 40,000 books and a £5,000 book fund. Three conditions. however, were required to be filled, the first being that the library should be under the control of the borough council: two. no subscription should be charged to subscribers living within the rated area: three, the library shall be maintained at a reasonable standard of efficiency (calculated at 2s spent per head of population. covering all charges). Miss Carnell stated that on the first point, the library was eligible, but on the second. subscriptions would have to be abolished. On the third point, it was pointed out to Miss Carnell that £9OO I was spent on the library annually. I The proposal was fully discussed by

the councillors it being generally agreed that the proposal was a workable one. It was pointed out that the money lost in subscriptions would be recovered in book fee collections.