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Research work done by students in the library continues steadily. As it is essential for students to come to the General Assembly Library for source material in sociology and history, especially when they have to consult official documents, we make every effort to accommodate them throughout the year. The legislative reference work is still being supervised by the Assistant Librarian, the reference staff being the same as a year ago. Archives. A good deal of use continues to be made of the archive material preserved in the General Assembly Library. The secretariat of the National Historical Committee is established on the same floor and has frequent need to refer to these valuable documents in connection with the approaching Centennial celebrations. Numbers of inquiries also arrive by post, which necessitate a certain amount of research in this material. lam looking forward to the time when it will be possible to make more satisfactory provision, both as to accommodation and staff, for this important branch. Copyright and Publications. The copyright division continues to take most of the time of one assistant. A select list is being supplied monthly to the New Zealand Library Association for the benefit of libraries throughout the country. The list of copyright publications received during the year was published separately up to the end of the calendar year 1937, and has been in considerable demand. The ordinary list of accessions to the library has been published as usual, including the books received to the 31st May, 1938. During the year the union catalogue of New Zealand newspapers, the compilation of which has been in hand for several years, was published. It has already been of considerable service to libraries generally, and has been the means of our receiving valuable accessions to our own newspaper stock. This list has been carded and will be revised from time to time as required. Inter-library Loan. This activity of the library continues on much the same scale as last year. It is of considerable service to ourselves and other libraries, and is being carefully watched at present, with a view to ascertaining what are likely to be the requirements under inter-library loan as the National Library develops. International Exchange. As agent in New Zealand for the International Exchange Service, the General Assembly Library last year received from abroad 3,295 packages and 13 cases of official and scientific publications, as compared with 3,668 packages and 16 cases in the year 1936. The bulk of this material was intended for the General Assembly Library ; and the balance was redistributed by our staff to Departments, libraries, and private addresses throughout the Dominion. Library Accommodation. Pressure on our space is being constantly felt. Every year it is necessary to resort to some new expedient to accommodate the steadily growing book stock in such a way as to keep readily available the books that are most used. During the year more shelving has been provided on every floor. In the newspaper room in particular the accommodation for newspapers and periodicals has been considerably extended. In the newspaper stack, in which the shelving is of wood, the borer has been active recently, and steps have been taken during the year to combat it. A considerable quantity of the affected shelving has been removed and replaced, and the rest has been treated to prevent the spread of the pest. The book lift, which had been out of order for some years, has been replaced by an efficient electric lift, which reduces very considerably the amount of work in moving books from floor to floor. Recess Privileges. In the early part of this year the library was open to recess privilege holders for a period of nine weeks. Apart from those who held the full privilege and house officers, a total of 355 persons used the library during the recess. The number of recess privilege holders varies considerably according to the period in which they can use the library. The numbers during recent years have been as follows : Reces s- Privilege Holders. 1934 1,031 1935 1,085 1935-36 (three months) ...... 590 1937 ;; i jo 79 1938 (nine weeks) .. .. .. .. .. .. ~ 355 The vocations of recess privilege holders were as follows : Accountants, 9 ; agents, 2 ; airmen, 2 ; architect, 1 ; artists, 3 ; auctioneer, 1 ; bank clerk, 1 ; barristers and solicitors, 11 ; bookseller, 1 ; broadcasting announcers, 5 ; caretaker, 1 ; caster, 1 ; chauffeur, 1 ; chemists, 2 ; civil engineer, 1 ; civil servants, 49 ; clergymen, 6 ; clerks, 41 ; commercial traveller, 1 ; company manager, 1 ; compositors, 3 ; customs officer, 1 ; domestic duties, 40 ; draughtsmen, 3 ; electrical engineer, 1 ; electricians, 4 ; engine-driver, 1 ; engineers, 4 ; financial agent, 1 ; hairdresser, 1 ; harbour board employees, 2 ; insurance officers, 3 ; journalists, 10 ; laboratory attendant, 1 ; law clerks, 3 ;

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