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Ist September. Books and periodicals for all Departments within the Public Account are now ordered through the National Library Service, for which cards are prepared on receipt and despatched with the books to Departments. An increasing number of requests for publications and information by Departments are dealt with. Accession lists of books and vertical-file material received in the National library Service are issued to 24 Departments. All material purchased and catalogued under this scheme is entered in the Union Catalogue, and a most valuable record of serials taken by Departments is being built up. UNION CATALOGUE During the year 15,017 cards were added to the Union Catalogue, representing the accessions of the major libraries. Prospects of including the holdings of libraries accessioned before 1941, the first year of the Union Catalogue, are within sight of being realized by the renewal of the offer of the Carnegie Corporation to make $5,000 available for equipment to complete the task photographically. The New Zealand Library Association has decided to avail itself of the offer, and a microfile camera, two readers, and the necessary card stock have been requested. Plans have been drawn up to carry out the work under the direction of the National Centre. CENTRAL BUEEAU FOE LIBEAEY BOOK IMPOSTS From Ist April, 1947, to 31st March, 1948, 74 recommendations for special licence to the value of £5,676 (New Zealand currency) were made covering books and periodicals. Block licences as follows were granted to one special, four city, and three university libraries : £ United Kingdom .. .. .. ..12,025 United States .. .. .. ..9,508 Other countries .. .. .. .. 1,362 Total .. .. .. .. £22,895 BOOK EESOUECES COMMITTEE Three meetings of the Book Eesources Committee were held during the year. In addition to discussion on some of the above topics, the proposals for specialization in libraries were approved, the first step being the making of a survey to ascertain what specialization was at present being done in New Zealand libraries and to what extent libraries could participate in the proposed scheme. The survey is not yet completed. BOOKS FOE GEEMANY In answer to an urgent appeal from England by the Agency for Intellectual Belief in Germany for British books to be lent by libraries in key centres, the National Centre undertook to collect gifts from institutional members of the New Zealand Library Association. The appeal yielded approximately 600 books and sets of various periodicals,, which will shortly be despatched overseas.

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (813 copies), £36.

By Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington.—l94B.

Price 6d.}

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