Sir, -- Priestley’s statement showed such apparent ignorance 6f democracy that I took no interest in the discussion; but the two’ comments by librarians interested me. "No library may make an effort to canalise opinions. of its readers" one of them said, but no attention seems to be paid by libraries to tha fact that the opinions of their readers -may be canalised before they enter the library. And what exactly does E. H. McCormick mean when he says: "It is essential, however, that librarians should safeguard the rights of the serious reading public and do what they can to prevent the confusion of standards that is a more sefious menace than a liking for the obvious and unequivocally bad." While recognising that the present classification used in libraries is the most efficient for the staff (though I always receive a shock when I find psychology classified under philosophy), it might be as well if authorities realised it was not the most helpful to the common reader and that it is incumbent upon them to break down the air-tight divisions. Years of library use have made me see readers as imprisoned to certain natrow grooves \ of reading because of an over-strict ay classification that is necessary for the 4 working of a large centralised library.
READER
(Dunedin).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 418, 27 June 1947, Page 19
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216Untitled New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 418, 27 June 1947, Page 19
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