H.—32

1935. NEW ZEALAND,

GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY. REPORT OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1935.

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

To the Chairman of the Joint Library Committee. Sir, — I have the honour to report on the operations of the General Assembly Library for the year 1934-35. Accessions. During the year 3,119 volumes were added to the collection, as compared with 2,880 in the previous year. These were not all purchased, as a considerable number is accounted for by donations, International Exchange, and binding of New Zealand works. The rapid dilapidation of books consequent on the large numbers using the Library makes it very difficult to keep the stock up to the standard one would expect in a library such as this. Nowadays there are published so many important sociological works, both books and magazines, essential to the Library, that after these have been purchased there is only a small sum available for the other sections, some of which have suffered badly in recent years. The balance at the Bank of New Zealand at 31st March, 1935, was absorbed by outstanding commitments. Donations. During the year the Library received as a donation from the Right Hon. Viscount Bledisloe a valuable work on dogs, and some photographs of the Waitangi celebrations. Several gifts of old magazines and newspapers have proved useful for completing our files and adding to our collections of early newspapers. Interesting material dealing with current political and economic conditions has been received from the Consuls for Italy, Germany, and China in Wellington ; and from the Japanese Consul in Sydney, and the Board of Tourist Industry at Tokyo. Other donations were received from the Country Press Co-operative Co. (Sydney) ; I). J. Amos (Adelaide) ; the Skinners Co. (London) ; Dr. H. K. Corkill (Wellington) ; T. Hashimoto (Tokyo) ; J. Burrow and Co., Ltd. (Cheltenham, England). Binding. The binding vote was fully expended. In addition to the usual newspapers, we were enabled to bind certain of the New Zealand periodicals and pamphlets which should be preserved, and to rebind some five hundred volumes damaged by wear and tear. Staff. In March, at the invitation of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Chief Librarian, Dr. G. H. Scholefield., 0.8. E., left for Europe, via Australia and South Africa, to visit libraries abroad. He will return via the United States of America. At the beginning of February I returned to duty after a year's leave of absence without pay. During my sojourn in Great Britain I took the opportunity of visiting some of the principal libraries to study their methods and equipment, and I also visited libraries in Germany and Italy. Owing to the generosity of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, I was enabled to return to New Zealand via the United States, and to spend nearly two months there studying library methods. I was able to include thirty-five libraries (including the Library of Congress) in my itinerary. I received useful instruction and advice from the librarians I met in all parts, and made contacts invaluable from the point of view of library work. I should like to place on record my deep appreciation of all that was done for me while I was in America. In January, Mr. A. D. Mcintosh, M.A., was seconded for duty in the Prime Minister's Department, and in February Mr. B. R. Turner, 8.A., 8.C0m., was appointed to the staff.