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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4896, 7 December 1894, Page 2

I Tiih Masterton Borough Council is asking advice from certain local residents as to the Looks required to bring the Public Library up to date. The Library at present is simply a collection of antiquated and illassorted yellow-backs, and the idea of bringing them up to date is a mistaken one. What is needed is a regular monthly supply of current literature. The Library will ■ never bo effective until its management is relegated to persons who possess sonio literary knowledge and experience. We do not believe that Borough Councillors claim to possess this special qualification, and for wantof it the public money expended on it has been wasted for a series of years. The right tiling to do is to appoint a competent outside Committee of management with tlio Mayorasexo^ciocliairman,This plan has been adopted with marked success in other paits of the Colon}'. At present an effort is being made in Masterton to obtain books through the medium of a privato library, as readers recognise that the public one is hopelessly inefficient. To discover a new book in it is an impossibility, and even to find any specific, old one is as uncertain as prospecting at Coolgardie," It would be no discredit to councillors to surrender a duty which they are obviously unable to discharge. In much mora pretentious centres, such as Auckland, the Municipal fathers Lave Leen sensiblo enough to select competent persons to manage their library. Tlio Auckland public library is now a- credit to the Colony; formerly it was . almost as dilapidated as'the Master- | ton institution,