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1949 NEW ZEALAND

NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1949

Presented to Both Houses of the General Assembly by Leave

The Hon. the Minister of Education. Sib, — Wellington, Bth July, 1949. I have the honour to submit the following report of the activities of the National Library Service. The report covers the work of the three divisions of the Service— Country Library Service, Library School, and National Library Centre. G. T. Alley, Director.

SECTION I—COUNTRY LIBRARY SERVICE During the year this Service has continued to expand, and as at 31st March, 1949, 808 towns and small centres were receiving regular loans of books, an increase of 39 centres since last year. The. School Library Service has also increased, and as at 31st March, 1949, 1,982 schools, with 134,881 children, received service. This is an increase of 266 schools, with 28,711 children, since the same date in the previous year. A summary of the methods by which books, periodicals, and information are made available to country people is now given : (а) Free loans of books on a population basis to libraries controlled by local authorities, which in turn agree to make their libraries free and to maintain reasonable standards of library service ; (б) Loans of books to independent subscription public libraries at a small annual charge per one hundred books loaned; (c) Loans of books through travelling-hamper collections to isolated groups of readers at a small annual charge ; and (d) Loans through the post of books free of charge to isolated readers. All libraries served under (a) and (b) receive regular visits from one of the specially equipped book-vans of this Service, at least three visits being paid to each library during a normal year. In addition, all persons, whether served by the free public library or through the isolated group, may obtain loans of requested books by post from the headquarters of this Service. Books loaned by the School Library Service are distributed on a circulating basis in special containers. Country Library Service Office at Palmerston North. —Towards the end of 1948 the planned alterations to buildings and. premises for the North Island Distributing Centre of the Country Library Service were completed.