}■!.—32

Session 11. 1918. NEW ZEALAND.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY. REPORT OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN FOR THE YEAR 1917-18.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

The Chief Librarian - to the Chairman of the Joint Library Committee. Sir — I have the honour to submit the following report for the year 1917-18 : — Recess Library Committee. The Recess Library Committee, under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Sir William Hall-Jones, K.C.M.G., M.L.C., held four meetings during the recess. Lists of books suggested for orders were brought before the Committee by the Chief Librarian and duly considered. Recess Privileges. The number of permits issued to non-members during the recess was 647. This is the highest number of permits yet recorded as having been issued in any one recess, being an increase of 87 over the number recorded for 1916-17. There was a corresponding increase in the number of volumes issued, the total number being 11,668, as against 9,004 for the recess of 1916-17, an increase of 2,664 volumes. No doubt the exceptional length of the recess was largely the reason for the above increases. As usual, no fiction was issued to non-members, save to persons on the full-privilege list (the members of the Governor-General's staff, the Judges, and the officers of the House). It is gratifying to note the fact that the volumes remaining out to borrowers at the close of the recess was under a dozen, and in each case special permission had been given to the borrowers to retain the works, which were being used for reference purposes by various State officials. A return of the vocations of the various recess-privilege holders has been prepared, and is at the disposal of members of the Committee. Additions to the Library. The Accessions List for the year 1917-18 shows that between the 18th June, 1917, and the 25th June, 1918, the number of catalogued accessions was 2,057. This is a much lower number than that recorded for the preceding period of 1916-17, and is to some extent accounted for by the fact that fewer books of importance were published during the year. Between the 25th June and the Bth November, 1,084 titles were added to the catalogue. Many of these represent works which should have been received in the usual library year, but arrived too late to be included in the Accessions List. Due attention has been paid to literature dealing with the war, and in the important department of sociology the additions have been exceptionally numerous. The total number of publications catalogued stands on the register (Bth November) at 95,811. On the Ist February, 1901. when the present Chief Librarian assumed charge, the number on the Accessions Register stood at 36,803. Thus in a little over seventeen years and a half the number of catalogued books and other publications has increased by 59,008. I hope that early in 1920 the total will stand at 100,000. The Staff. There have been no changes in the staff arrangements during the year. Stock-taking. In accordance with the scheme outlined in my report for the year 1913, under which stocktaking proceeds every recess, different classes being dealt with each year, stock was taken of the two important classes 910 (Voyages and Travels) and 920 (Biography). The following is the result :— Missing at Stock-taking. 191.3. 19 8. Class 910, Voyages, &c. ... ... ... ... 63 28 Class 920, Biography ... ... ... ... 55 18 118 41