H—32a

PERIODICALS SERVICE A total of 480 periodicals is now taken by this Service. One hundred and thirty-seven titles have been sent out regularly (231 copies) to 58 free participating libraries. Each library received up to 31 periodicals chosen from the list, in lots of from five to nine, sending the periodicals on to other libraries at the end of the month:—

WORK WITH CHILDREN^ Report of the School Library Service Although owing to conditions caused by the recent war many books desired for schools have not yet been reprinted, more frequent and larger supplies from overseas brought an addition of 26,786 books to the collection for circulation among schools. A total of 85,226 children in 1,353 schools now receive books from a stock of 151,568 (101,629 fiction and 49,939 non-fiction). These children are in primary and district high- schools (86) in country districts and in towns with population of not more than 10,000 people. Seventy-two Native schools are included in the number. For convenience of distribution, the schools are divided geographically into 24 groups, among which books circulate from 1 of 9 centres. Eight of these groups receive books from the Auckland office of the National Library Service, 4 from the Palmerston North office, 3 from the Christchurch office, 1 from the Nelson office, and 4 from the Wellington office. The public libraries of Dunedin, Greymouth, Timaru, and Wanganui are the centres- for their own districts. To carry out the school library work, two members, of the National Library Service staff have been seconded to Dunedin Public Library and one each to Grreymouth and Wanganui Public Libraries. By the end of the financial year, 878 schools had qualified for free service by paying the required levy for two complete and consecutive years and carrying out all other conditions of the School Library Service which apply to them. To provide more effectively for individual taste' and for specific demands, for reading-material aroused by school studies, a referep.ee and request service has been started.. Sufficient accumulation of books and increase in trained staff have made possible this development of the Service among schools receiving books from the Christchurch and Nelson offices. Inclusion of other schools will proceed as staffing and accommodation allow. In response to a request from the City Librarian, Wellington Public for assistance with his schools' department, a member of the National Library Service'staff wasi seconded to take charge ,of the department for a period of six months from February, 1947,

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—: " s North Island. South Island. 1 Total. Number of libraries , . . 39 19 00 lO #