H. 32 REPORT OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 1958 (SPECIAL CENTENNIAL ISSUE) _Presented to the House of Representatives by Leave_ BY AUTHORITY: R. E. OWEN, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND--1958 CONTENTS Page Year's Work 3Acquisitions 3Copyright Deposit 4Microfilming 4Bindery 4Use of the Library 5Reference Inquiries 5International Exchange 5Library Fund Account: Statement 6 APPENDIX LIBRARY SERVICE TO PARLIAMENT 1858-1958 Beginnings 71860-1870 81870-1900 9Early Librarians 12Twentieth Century 14Copyright Deposit 15Librarians 16Fire and Fire Insurance 17General 18 Circulation of Books 18 Fiction 19 Inter-library Loan 19 Recess Privileges 19 The National Library 20 The Library as a Museum 20 Purchase of Books 20Aims of the Library 22Books and Men 23 To the CHAIRMAN, LIBRARY COMMITTEE. Sir, I have the honour to report on the activities of the General AssemblyLibrary for the year 1957-58. The year 1958 marks the end of the first century of the Library'sexistence, I have thought it a good opportunity to tell briefly thehistory of the Library during the period in an appendix to this report. THE YEAR'S WORK Staff changes have not been as great during the past year, thoughMr C. B. Newick resigned to go overseas and there were four otherresignations and appointments. Fortunately these did not greatly affectthe senior staff. Routine work has mainly occupied the staff though stock was taken ofclass 500 (science) and 600 (useful arts). A few books were missing butlosses are not serious. During the year the new circulation counter was erected in the lobbydownstairs. Not only does it improve the appearance of the area, butthe change has enabled proper oversight to be given over those leavingthe Library. The new books are now placed in the room next to my officeand are immediately available to members. ACQUISITIONS Once again the Library has to record its thanks to the many individualsand organisations for their kindness in presenting large numbers ofbooks and periodicals. All have received letters of thanks, but onceagain we should like to express our thanks to those concerned for somuch material that might otherwise not reach the Library. This year onedonation was of such value and importance that it must be speciallymentioned. It was the gift of 350 books by the Carnegie Corporation ofNew York. This collection has been specially selected to portray UnitedStates life and to explain its origins. It has proved exceedinglypopular and has added many fine books on the United States to theLibrary. The Library is grateful to the Corporation for its generosityin presenting the collection. During the year 8, 375 books were catalogued and added to thecollections, compared with 7, 650 during 1956-57. They were classed asfollows, the figures in parentheses being those for the previous year:general works, 370 (420); newspapers, 238 (156); philosophy, 73 (67);religion, 375 (414); sociology, 2, 413 (2, 275); parliamentary papers, 332 (423); philology, 56 (47); natural sciences, 393 (331); usefularts, 1, 023 (847); fine arts, 333 (312); literature, 440 (320); historyand travel, 1, 099 (1, 107); biography, 506 (421); fiction, 724 (510). Total accessions now number 247, 825. A better guide to the stocks of the Library is the estimate prepared inconnection with the census of libraries being held this year. A quickcount of the books on 1 April 1958 gave a total of 240, 450, plus 65, 960pamphlets and 18, 860 maps. The figure for pamphlets is, I believe, slightly exaggerated as many are little more than single sheets andothers now listed as several pamphlets will eventually be made into asingle bound volume. COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT Every attempt continues to be made to ensure that all material comingwithin the terms of the Act is deposited and preserved. During the yearan inquiry was held into the Copyright Act and evidence was given ondeposit and on some minor changes of the law that are needed. Copyright receipts were issued during 1957 for 961 items, that is forbooks, pamphlets, and first issues of periodicals other than thoseissued by Government Departments, an increase from 778 in 1956. Inaddition 193 annual reports, 78 yearbooks and almanacs, 149 bulletins, 163 school magazines, and 260 local body balance sheets were received. In view of the deposit of this latter material in the Library it is nolonger thought necessary for it to be laid on the table of the House. Further details relating to publishing in New Zealand are given in thefollowing table: --------------+----+--+---+---+----+--+--+---+---+---+---+--+---+----- |G W |P |R |S |P P |P |S |U A|F A|G L|H T|B |M |T |e o |h |e |o |a a |h |c |s r|i r|e i|i r|i |a |o |n r |i |l |c |r p |i |i |e t|n t|n t|s a|o |p |t |e k |l |i |i |l e |l |e |f s|e s|e e|t v|g |s |a |r s |o |g |o |i r |o |n |u | |r r|o e|r | |l |a |s |i |l |a s |l |c |l | |a a|r l|a | | |l |o |o |o |m |o |e | | |l t|y |p | | | |p |n |g |e e |g | | | | u| |h | | | |h | |y |n t |y | | | | r|a |y | | | |y | | |t c | | | | | e|n | | | | | | | |a . | | | | | |d | | | | | | | |r | | | | | | | | | | | | | |y | | | | | | | | |--------------+----+--+---+---+----+--+--+---+---+---+---+--+---+-----Commercial-- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Books | 2 | 5| 28| 74| | 1| 9| 71|21 |18 |43 10| | 282 Pamphlets | 7 | 2|121| 95| | |15| 46|13 |15 |19 | 7| | 340 Maps | | | | | | | | | | | | | 30| 30 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Government | | | | | | | | | | | | | |publications--| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Books | 4 | | | 29|118 | 2|15|13 | 2 | | 4 | | | 187 Pamphlets | | | | 56|233 | 1|10|72 | 9 | 1 | 3 | | | 385 Maps | | | | | | | | | | | |105| 105 +----+--+---+---+----+--+--+---+---+---+---+--+---+-----Total |13 | 7|149|254|351 | 4|49|202|45 |34 |69 17|135|1, 329--------------+----+--+---+---+----+--+--+---+---+---+---+--+---+----- During 1956, 272 books, 284 pamphlets, and 4 maps were issued bycommercial publishers, while 107 books, 312 pamphlets, and 120 mapswere issued by Government Departments. This gave a total of 1, 099items. MICROFILMING The microfilming of newspapers continues. During the year 31, 900 ft offilm were added to the New Zealand newspaper collection and 10, 000 ftto the other series. BINDERY As in the past the bindery has proved a valuable and economical sectionof the Library. The campaign to enforce the deposit provisions of theCopyright Act has shown in the bindery's work and during the year 4, 662books were bound before being placed on the shelves and 470 volumeswere rebound. Included in the latter were some volumes of newspapers, for many originally bound in leather have needed repair. They arerebound in canvas, a material which should wear much better thantoday's leather does. USE OF THE LIBRARY Twenty-eight thousand two hundred and nine books were borrowed fromthe Library in the year under review, compared with 27, 462 in theprevious year. Of these 494 were sent to libraries other than those ofGovernment Departments through the New Zealand Library Associationinterloan scheme. The Library in its turn borrowed 23 books from otherlibraries under the same scheme. In addition to members of Parliament, some thousand people have accessto the Library and enjoy borrowing privileges of one kind or another. REFERENCE INQUIRIES Once again there has been an increase in the reference questions towhich the Library staff has had to attend. One thousand seven hundredand seventy-seven inquiries were made, an increase of 322 over theprevious year. Of these, 563 were answered in less than five minutes, 569 took between five and 15 minutes, and the remainder, 645, took over15 minutes to answer. This statement of times does not record the factthat many of the inquiries took much longer than 15 minutes. Indeedsome had several days spent on them by one or more members of thereference staff. Such questions are not answered by merely marking apassage in a book or two; they require the material to be abstractedand rewritten ready for use by the member making the inquiry. Thisservice is becoming increasingly popular with members who cannotthemselves afford the time needed to do all the research involved. Seventy-eight new research students registered for the first timeduring the year, the largest number yet to have done so in any oneyear. Some are university students working on theses; others areengaged on research for publication. The use of the Library in this wayshows how valuable its resources are for many students. INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE Twenty-four cases were received by the Library for its own use duringthe year, while 5, 823 packets were received from abroad, 3, 685 beingposted, the remainder being forwarded by Internal Affairs messenger. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I should once again like to thank the Library Committee for its greathelp and interest, and in particular to thank the former Speaker andChairman of the Committee, who has recently retired, for his invaluableassistance in Library matters. We are also indebted to the overseasagents of the New Zealand Government in many countries for their aid inobtaining books. They have helped considerably in adding many valuablebooks to the Library. I am also grateful to the Assistant Chief Librarian, Mr Jess, and thestaff for their loyal and efficient service. Attached is the statement of receipts and expenditure of the GeneralAssembly Library Fund Account, together with the Auditor-General'scertificate. I am, etc. , J. O. WILSON, Chief Librarian. Inset GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY FUND ACCOUNT STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 1958 _Receipts_ _Payments_ Balance, Bank of New Zealand, £ s. D. |Purchase of books, etc. -- £ s. D. 1 April 1957 293 13 1 | United Kingdom 2, 419 16 11Annual grant 4, 500 0 0 | U. S. A. And Canada 960 0 2Refunds, lost books 5 6 8 | Australia 64 11 5Sales 52 4 4 | New Zealand 1, 145 3 1Private Bill fees 300 0 0 | Other 16 2 11 |Bank charges and cheque | book 1 10 0 |Balance at Bank of New | Zealand, 31 March | 1958, £1, 456 4s. 7d. , less | unpresented cheques, | £912 5s. 543 19 7 ----------- | ------------ £5, 151 4 1 | £5, 151 4 1 =========== | ============ J. O. WILSON, Chief Librarian. Examined and found correct--A. D. BURNS, Assistant Controller andAuditor-General. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY LIBRARY SERVICE TO PARLIAMENT 1858-1958 THE BEGINNINGS Today there are few legislatures without a library of some kind. Parliament works best when its members are well briefed and have accessto good sources of information. The shortest speech often requires theverification of facts to be found in books, and the most economical andsatisfactory solution is a library. The General Assembly of NewZealand, to give Parliament its more correct title, was not long indeciding this. It met first in 1854 and again in 1855 without alibrary. At the beginning of the session of 1856, however, the needseems to have been evident for on 6 June Mr W. T. L. Travers fromWaimea moved in the House that a library should at once be formed, anda Select Committee set up to consider the best means of establishingone. Three weeks later the Legislative Council followed suit with asimilar motion, though here it is interesting to note that DrRichardson stated that the Councillors had been using the library ofthe Attorney-General. The Assembly shared its meeting place with the Auckland ProvincialCouncil, which had in 1853 formed its own library. It was decided thatit would be to the advantage of both legislatures to possess a jointlibrary, and on the motion of the chairman the Council was approachedto find if it had any objections. The Council did not have any, and inaddition offered to provide the librarian and an equal grant for booksas well as fittings if the Assembly would provide a room. On 28 July 1856 the report was laid on the tables of the two Houses, alist of books for purchase given to the Speakers, and a recommendationmade that the sum of £100 be placed on the estimates for books. Themoney was voted, after which Parliament was adjourned, not to meetagain until 1858. The Committee was once again set up, and the situation was such thatonce again the terms of reference were to consider the best means ofestablishing a library. The books ordered in 1856, principally on legaland constitutional matters, were there branded "General Assembly" butthey were not a library; members had to rely largely on the ProvincialCouncil collection which comprised nine-tenths of the total booksavailable. In its report, the Committee suggested that £300 be devotedto library purposes, and recommended a list of books to be purchasedeven if they cost more than the £320 available--£20 had not been spentin 1856. The Committee was not happy about the joint Library, but as mattersstood thought it hardly desirable to end the arrangement. It was, however, of the opinion that as soon as practicable the Library shouldbe placed on an independent footing. To ensure that its recommendations were carried out, and to control andreport on the work of the Library, the Committee suggested that anofficer, the Librarian of the General Assembly, should be appointed. This was done and the first Librarian was Major F. E. Campbell, theClerk of the House of Representatives. Two other matters also were considered of sufficient moment to bementioned. One was the supply of newspapers that had been cancelled asthe Government had promised to supply files from Government offices. The other was the acquisition of British Government publications, whichwould be of great value to the Library. The Committee noted thesuccessful approach of the Canadian Parliamentary Librarian to theBritish Government and proposed that either Mr J. E. Fitzgerald, whowas in England, or the Colonial Agent should be asked to see if theLibrary could not be given such documents. Once again two years elapsed before Parliament met again, and theLibrarian reported that there were now books, separated from theProvincial Council Library, but in an adjoining room. The approaches tothe British Government had not been entirely fruitful, but there waspromise of success. 1860-1870 The Library now possessed books and a librarian and the next 10 yearswere to be amongst the most adventurous of the Library's story. However, they began quietly when in 1861 the Committee recommended theappointment of a permanent messenger for the Library instead of asessional one. Next year the session was held in Wellington in the Provincial CouncilChambers. A case of books was sent for use of members. Unfortunately itwas lost when the _White Swan_ carrying the Governor and Aucklandmembers was wrecked near Castlepoint. The published list gives 50books, mainly reference works on constitutional and economic matters, but the greater loss was that of the House, which was deprived of notonly its documentary records but also most of the early printed papers. The Committee, nothing daunted, recommended that the books be replacedand used the mishap to have the vote raised to £500 for the year. The sessions of 1863 and 1864 were both held in Auckland. In the latteryear the Librarian was instructed to prepare cases so that the bookscould be moved to Wellington along with the other Government records. Parliament took over the old Provincial Council Chambers in Wellingtonbut they were enlarged to meet its requirements. The Library had a newhome built specially for it costing £1, 800 which was, with extensions, to provide an uneasy resting place for the next 35 years. In one paperthe new library was described as "a very lofty handsome building withlarge painted windows". In another, "The Library is a fine room, handsomely decorated and the walls are fitted with bookshelves. " It wasof wood. Details about the administration of the Library during the early yearsare few, but it appears that the Committee was undoubtedly themainspring of the organisation. It contained men such as Carleton, Fitzherbert, Travers, and Domett, to mention only the best known, whowere interested not only in the Library for its own sake but also inthe part it could play in parliamentary affairs and in providingpleasure to members. The Committee was responsible for book selection, carried out mainlyduring the session. While control over the Library in the recess laywith representatives of the House and Council, from the first H. F. Carleton, Chairman of Committees of the House, and a classical scholar, was responsible for seeing the books were obtained and that the fundswere expended. Until 1861 the only assistance in the Library was provided by asessional messenger, but a full-time sub-librarian was provided from1862. When Parliament moved to Wellington different arrangements werenecessary and in 1866 the Committee suggested that a permanentlibrarian should be appointed. It was thought necessary to havesomebody for the custody of a collection increasing in value from yearto year. The House disagreed with this view, but perhaps with the hopeof making the way clear for such appointment Major Campbell had givenup his responsibility for the Library. This left a gap which appears to have been filled by the Hon. AlfredDomett. As in addition to being a Legislative Councillor, he wasSecretary for Crown Lands, Land Claims Commissioner, and Registrar-Generalhe cannot have been able to spend much time with the Library. For allthat, his influence was considerable and Gisborne, in his book _NewZealand Rulers and Statesmen_, says "He was for many years the mainstayof the General Assembly Library. He was, it may be said, the father ofthat institution; and it is mainly owing to his love of literature, andto his great ability in the organisation and classification of alibrary that the success of the institution with comparatively smallmeans was so marked at the date of his departure from the Colony in1871. " Just how long he was Librarian is not clear, but probably with thelibrary attendant and additional assistance during the session therewas sufficient staff to carry out all the work. It was not until 1875that Ewen McColl, the attendant, became Sub-Librarian, though it ispossible he may have been in fact Librarian as early as 1871. 1870-1900 The last 30 years of the nineteenth century were spent by the LibraryCommittee in enlarging the Library and in trying to obtain an adequateand suitable building to house it. The vote was raised to £300 in 1867and £600 in 1874, while in addition the adoption of a new standingorder for Private Bills in 1870 gave the fees up to £25 for a Bill thatpassed both Houses to the Library fund. Fines levied on members werealso devoted to the Library fund, though this has never been alucrative source. Among others, the fine of £75 imposed on Mr Lusk wasreceived in 1875, and a similar sum from the Hon. Mr Robinson, but thehistoric fine of £500 inflicted on the manager of the Bank of NewZealand in 1896 was never received. Private Bill fees varied from nothing to £150, so that the income wasbetween £650 and £750. The money was not spent on books only, butincluded expenditure on binding, periodicals, and on insurance. In theeighties and early nineties insurance premiums on the collection housedin a wooden building were £100 per annum and, though they were reduced, even in the last years of the century, £40 had to be used for thispurpose. Even so the Library stock was increasing annually by some 1, 400volumes. In 1871 there were 8, 330 volumes, in 1877, 14, 580. Five yearslater the figure had increased to 21, 000, and to 30, 000 in 1887, reaching 52, 000 in 1902. Most of the growth was due to purchase, butthe Library had many friends, especially among members, and they weremost generous. Their gifts filled gaps specially in New Zealandmaterial, while others gave books of value on subjects not of greatinterest to Parliament. Among such donors were Carleton, Mantell, andSheehan, to mention only a few. The Library had other friends who were no less helpful. New Zealand wasrepresented at the Philadelphia Centenary Exhibition in 1876 by DrHector. He made arrangements with the Smithsonian Institution inWashington for the General Assembly Library to receive United StatesGovernment papers and for New Zealand in turn to supply New Zealandofficial publications to the Institution. This was the Library's firstlarge exchange agreement and, while the material received under it hasoften threatened to swamp it, very many valuable items have been addedfrom this source. The overtures to the British Government first made in 1858 do notfinally seem to have succeeded until 1883. In this year Lord Derby in acircular dispatch to all colonies offered to exchange British officialpapers for those of the colonies to be sent to the British Museum. TheLibrary Committee jumped at the offer; it had since 1874 been buyingsets of parliamentary papers and immediately approached the Cabinet toauthorise that New Zealand publications should be sent. As a result theLibrary possesses an extremely valuable and still growing collection ofBritish official papers. The Library was in addition receiving New Zealand newspapers andpublications of all kinds and it had other exchange arrangements withCanada and the Australian States. Until 1884, 81 newspapers were beingbound regularly out of 153 received, but in this year because of thelack of space and the expense the number was reduced to 24. For allthis the Library was adding to its holdings of newspapers at a fairlyrapid rate. The increase in the number of books necessitated an increase in storagespace. The first attempt was made in 1869 when a motion was broughtbefore both Houses asking that the Library building should be added toin order to provide additional room. The matter was deferred until ageneral enlargement of the buildings took place. This was done in therecess of 1872-73, and the Library was given the old smoking room, butonly after a division when an attempt to have a proper building for theLibrary had been defeated. There was genuine concern on the part of the Committee for the safetyof the Library. In 1875 the building caught fire which was only put outby the efforts of members. Two days later the Committee passed a motionstating that the time had come when the erection of a proper Librarybuilding could no longer be delayed. Sir George Grey was asked to movethe motion in the House. This was passed and a Royal Commission set upto superintend the construction, £5, 000 being voted in the Estimatesfor the job, which it was thought would take two years and cost£14, 000. Nothing was done before the session of 1876 and the Committee set towork again. Several resolutions concerning the Library, its location, and the calling of competitive designs were passed, but though theGovernment proposed to put £7, 000 on the estimates towards a Library, it was not done. The resolutions seem to have confused rather thanhelped the situation. The session of 1877 began with no further progress. To the JointCommittee's requests for information the Minister of Public Worksreplied that no designs had been settled on and in any case competitivedesigns would involve reconstruction of the whole block. More debateensued and finally the sum of £2, 500 was placed on the Estimates and asecond Royal Commission set up to superintend the erection of thebuilding. The money was not voted, however, and the Commission did notmeet. The Library now occupied three rooms, with a further office for theLibrarian, but the growth was continuous. Two more rooms were takenover from the Legislative Council in 1881 and temporarily the Librarycould shelve all its books. No success had rewarded the Committee's desire for new buildings in theseventies, but in 1882 it seemed that luck was in its way. £20, 000 wasplaced on the Estimates for the partial reconstruction of the buildingswhich were to include a new Bellamy's as well as a new Library. Only£10, 000 was voted, however, and this was spent on Bellamy's. The newbuilding had a bad effect on the Library, cutting off the sun andmaking it damp, though the Committee had a consolation prize, receivingthe old Bellamy's for book storage. So the matter dragged on. In 1886, on the initiative of the Premier, £5, 000 was voted for a new building, plans were prepared as quickly aspossible and tenders called, but none was accepted before the end ofthe financial year so the vote lapsed. By now the Committee seems to have been almost reconciled to the factthat there was little immediate chance of a Library being erected. Frequent requests were however made for something to be done and theslightest possibility of a surplus in the Consolidated Fund alwaysraised hopes. Assurances were frequent that Cabinet was worried aboutthe housing of the Library, and whenever possible an extra room wasgiven. In 1885 the Library was located in six rooms, some remote. More weregiven later, though some were taken away. In 1892 the Librarianreported that the building "simply cannot any longer accommodate thebooks". But it was to be nearly 10 years before the new building was tobe ready for storing books. The situation was indeed growing more and more desperate. Many books, particularly old novels and duplicate periodicals, were given away tohospitals and libraries, and files of newspapers were no longerpreserved, while much of the Library stock could only be located withdifficulty. In 1897 the Library was spread all over the building withmany of the rooms outside the control of the Librarian. Books werestored in two Ministers' rooms, the ladies' tearoom, and two committeerooms. A motion was brought up in 1896 to dispose of certain of thelesser used books, but it was defeated and steps were taken to case thebooks and house them elsewhere. Economic conditions were somewhat better in 1897, and to theCommittee's joy, Cabinet showed signs of approving the construction andplans were eventually sent to the Library Committee for approval. The Government had selected Mr Thomas Turnbull as architect and he wasinstructed to draw up plans not only for a Library but also forcommittee rooms and an imposing entrance to the buildings generally. Onthe last day of the session they were approved, but as the vote was foronly £7, 000 the Library Committee drew a line across the plan and saidthe committee rooms were not to be built. Demolition of the old building was undertaken in February 1898 beforetenders closed. When they were opened, they were found to be so much inexcess of the estimate that all were rejected and it was decided tocarry out the work under the cooperative system. The lowest tender forordinary construction was £42, 000 and for fireproof £45, 300; the otherswere considerably higher. On 13 April 1898 the foundation stone was laid by the Premier, MrSeddon, and when the session began the walls were almost complete. Because of the noise it was decided that the work would have to cease. All may have been quiet there, but it was very much otherwise in theHouse. On the second day the Leader of the Opposition gave notice of amotion that the House regretted that His Excellency's advisers withoutthe necessary authority had greatly exceeded the specific appropriationof £7, 000, such action being a dangerous subversion of the House'scontrol over public expenditure. There was an acrid debate but theGovernment survived. As a result of the attack, however, the Premier decided to abandon theidea of a three-storeyed building and to limit expenditure to £25, 000. The Library Committee initiated another debate in which members triedto get the Government to reconsider its decision. It was unsuccessfulbut during the debate some of those who had condemned the spending ofmore than £7, 000 advised the Government to keep to the original plans. The architect was upset at the change and stated that the alterationshad destroyed the symmetry of the building so that it was no longer amonument to his ability. As a result his name was removed from thefoundation stone, and today the building, which was said to be thefinest example of Victorian Gothic in the country, does not bear thename of its designer. The Library was completed in 1899, but took some time to dry out and itwas not until early 1901 that it was occupied. It is a fine building, but has many defects from a library point of view. The main readingroom is probably one of the most beautiful rooms in the country, butthe high windows reduce considerably the book capacity as well asallowing too much bright light on to the stock, and on to the readers. THE EARLY LIBRARIANS Ewen McColl, the first Librarian, died in 1881. It is hard at this timeto evaluate his work, indeed the Committee was very much in control andhe was its instrument. It is probable, for example, that the finecollection of newspapers of the time was due as much to the initiativeof the Committee as to the Librarian. He was succeeded by Angus MacGregor, a Scot, who had been associated, it seems, with the Dunedin Athenaeum and appears to have been a manwith somewhat wider interests than his predecessor. During his time theLibrary bound its large collection of pamphlets, many of which are nowof great value, and in addition absorbed the more worthwhile books fromthe Wellington Provincial Library. He also began the accessioning andshelf marking of the books. The Library was beginning to become anorganised collection. Mr MacGregor resigned in July 1885 and spent his later years as ateacher. He was succeeded by Mr James Collier, another Scot and agraduate of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. He came to New Zealand in 1882and had previously been an assistant to Herbert Spencer and wascompiler of the first and last volumes of the _Descriptive Sociology_. He early realised that there was little likelihood of a new librarybuilding, but his reports show that he grasped the essential aims of alibrary, and particularly a legislative library. His reports deploredthe lack of copyright deposit in New Zealand, while he did much to makethe resources of the Library available to students. One of his main tasks was to build up the collection relating to NewZealand in the Library. This has always been essential material and inhis day the Library began to fill the gaps, a task which is not yetcompleted. Collier's interest was great and he compiled the first NewZealand bibliography, published by the Government Printer in 1889. His health was not good and after sick leave in 1889 he resigned in1890. A few years later he went to Australia and until his death in1925 was engaged in writing, being the author of a life of Sir GeorgeGrey and of _The Pastoral Age in Australia_. The Library Committee advertised the vacancy and recommended theappointment of the Hon. J. W. Fortescue, then Governor's Secretary. Thechoice did not seem popular and there was some argument in the Housewhether or not it was legal to appoint an officer when the salary hadnot been voted. As a result the application was withdrawn. Though thismay have been a bad thing for the Library, it was a good one for otherreasons. Today Sir John Fortescue is known as the author of themonumental _History of the British Army_ as well as other books, andfor having been the Royal Librarian at Windsor. The Committee then appointed Mr H. L. James, B. A. , Acting Librarian. MrJames had joined the staff in 1889 and continued as a member until1923. He was a born librarian, hampered by devotion to detail and thedesire to do the almost impossible. Generally whatever he did was soundand has stood the test of time. For 10 years until January 1901 he wasin charge. Though two attempts were made to appoint him Librarian, andone (in 1891) to appoint the Serjeant-at-Arms, Colonel De Quincey, Librarian, it was not until 1900, when the new building was almostcompleted, that the necessity for further staff made some additionalappointments necessary and a Chief Librarian was appointed. Mr James' main monument is the _Library Catalogue_. The first cataloguehad been printed in 1862 in London, and it lists a good workingcollection for Parliament. Other editions appeared in 1872, 1875, 1880, and 1884, each having one or more supplements. However useful they were from the members' point of view, they were notthe best examples of the cataloguer's art. In 1890 the Committeeauthorised a new edition and the supervision was entrusted to Mr James, the work of compilation being done by Mr B. E. Stocker, M. A. Themanuscript was completed in May 1894, but the cost of printing was sogreat that the length of the entries had to be cut again and again. Thefirst volume was issued in 1895 and the second in 1897. Unfortunately the catalogue does not give the Dewey Class number forthe books. This system was adopted in April 1898 and has provided amore systematic arrangement of the books. The staff, which consisted of a single full-time member in 1866, had in1886 grown to three full-time assistants with two extra assistantsduring the session. By 1899 the staff was five assistants and amailman. The latter was employed because for many years the Libraryalso served as post office. Stamps were sold, and an extra assistantwas employed for fetching and posting mails. The Library Committeefrequently suggested that the day had arrived for the Library staff tobe relieved of these duties but it was not until 1923 that the postoffice moved to its present location. About 1910, however, a mailmanwas provided by the post office, though he still worked under thecharge of the Chief Librarian. As the day when the Library would move to its new home drew nearer thequestion of staff became more important, particularly the question ofa Chief Librarian. It was thought impracticable to have Mr Jamesappointed, and during the session of 1899 the matter was seriouslyconsidered. A subcommittee recommended that a Chief Librarian (at asalary of £400) be selected in England and that certain other additionsbe made. The question of an English appointment was vigorously debateduntil finally in September 1900 selection in New Zealand wasrecommended. The position was advertised in the _New Zealand Gazette_and Mr Charles Wilson, former journalist, and M. H. R. For WellingtonSuburbs for two years, was appointed. Mr Wilson, who was a member ofthe Library Committee, had not sought re-election in 1899. As Mr Wilson did not take up his new duties until February 1901, thetask of making arrangements for moving into the new building fell to MrJames. Though the building was completed in 1899, it was at first toodamp to hold books, and later the shelving was not ready for the stock. Mr James, however, went steadily ahead with classification while abarrage of correspondence aimed at hastening the day for entry into thenew home was maintained. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY When the Library entered its new quarters it possessed 52, 000 volumes. Ten years later it had grown to 80, 000 and by 1921 to 102, 000. Thisgrowth of between two and three thousand volumes a year was reducedsomewhat in the twenties and in 1931 the stock was 123, 000. Accessionsincreased during the depression years and after, so that in 1941 theytotalled 159, 000. Another increase occurred during the forties and anaverage of 5, 000 volumes was added annually, bringing the number ofvolumes in the Library in 1951 to 200, 000. It took over 60 years forthe first 100, 000 volumes to be added, but only 31 for the second, andearly in the present financial year the quarter-million mark waspassed, so that the third hundred thousand should only take 15 years. Again the growth was not without its problems. As early as 1908 theproblem of housing the stock was again causing worry, but for a fewyears it was solved by better arrangement of the shelving. By 1915 thesituation was again difficult and approval was given for the removal ofthe Valuation Department from the attic, the provision of stairs, andthe adapting of the area as a stack room. This provided welcome relief, but only for a short while until in 1926 the attic space over the mainreading room was shelved and provided a makeshift storeroom for books. The next expansion came in 1933 when the committee rooms adjacent tothe main reading room were taken over and portion of the walls removedto give an open area. In 1938 the Library took over the remainder ofthe attic and portion of the first floor vacated by the HealthDepartment. Though other alterations were made to increase shelving, nofurther space was taken over until 1950 when a further committee roomwas given to the Library. About the same time earthquake risk andalteration to the building caused the removal of books from a portionof the attic to the basement where further space had been madeavailable. Other rooms have more recently been provided to store thebooks and periodicals in the Library and constant ingenuity isnecessary to see that the most economical use is made of the areaavailable. The reasons for the expansion of the Library can be found in theincreased interest in libraries generally, and in the increased votewhich resulted. The fund received £600 until 1920 when it was raised to£800. It was reduced to £700 in 1922 and remained at that figure until1929 when it was raised to £900, though it suffered the depressioncuts. These amounts were not sufficient to adequately finance the purchase ofbooks needed for the service the Library was expected to give, and in1938 the grant was once again raised, this time to £1, 250. Furtherincreases were made in 1947 (£2, 000), 1949 (£2, 250), 1952 (£3, 000), and1955 (£4, 500). In addition there has been considerable expansion in the exchangearrangements, Government publishing having increased considerably inthe United Kingdom and the United States. Arrangements for the exchangeof official publications with Australia were made in 1952, while during1957 the Canadian Government made the General Assembly Library a selectdepository for its publications. Another source of material for the Library has been by gift either ofindividual books or of collections. They have been many and varied, andit is safe to say that the Library would not possess the wide varietyof stock it does had it not been for the kindness and generosity ofmany donors. COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT The Copyright Act has also provided the Library with an increasingamount of material. Like so many other of the Library's activities, this was foreshadowed in the days when James Collier was Librarian. Inhis report for 1888, he suggested that the time was ripe for theenacting of a Colonial Copyright Act. Whatever was done about thisthere was one thing that ought to be done immediately and that was thepassing of a law making provision for the deposit of one copy of everycolonial publication in a central library, which library could only bethe Parliamentary Library. A letter was written from the chairman of the Library Committee to thePremier asking for instructions to be given to the Solicitor-General toprepare a Copyright Act, but nothing was done. The matter was raisedagain by the Acting Librarian in 1891 and 1894. In 1895 Mr W. Hutchison, M. H. R. For Dunedin, introduced the Literary Copyright Actrequiring the deposit in the Library of two copies of works publishedin New Zealand. Nothing came of the Bill, which was discharged, thoughthe Library Committee in welcoming it had, however, considered one copysufficient. There the matter rested until 1903 when two vigorous supporters of theLibrary, the Hon. R. McNab and the Hon. John Rigg, introduced theGeneral Assembly Library Bill requiring publishers to present twocopies of their books to the Library. The Bill passed withoutdifficulty and became law on 30 October 1903. Though there was someargument whether the Act required the deposit of issues of periodicals, the Act was generally welcomed, and increased the amount of New Zealandmaterial reaching the Library. There has been little change in the provisions affecting deposit, though the previous Act is no longer in force, and has been replaced bysection 52 of the Copyright Act 1913. In the 55 years during which deposit has been required the Library hastaken its responsibility for preservation seriously and now possessesthousands of volumes not only of books, but of newspapers, periodicals, and pamphlets. In addition, every attempt has been made to obtainmaterial which for various reasons was not obtained at the time ofpublication. While not by any means perfect, the New Zealand collectionof the Library is probably without equal. THE LIBRARIANS Mr Charles Wilson had a considerable interest in literature as such andcontributed a literary column to a Wellington weekly for many years. Though he had an excellent knowledge of literature, library techniquegenerally in New Zealand was not at its best, and not all the work donein the Library was of the highest standard. He was responsible for further attempts to buy the more important NewZealand books still missing from the Library and for housing them inspecial cases where they were available for consultation but were notpermitted to leave the Library. From this has grown the special NewZealand collection with its own rooms. Mr Wilson introduced the present system of alternate weekly shifts forthe staff working nights. Previously the staff worked broken shiftswhich meant that some often had "all nighters" without breaks and werecalled on to make their appearance fairly early the following day. Ifthe House sits late, the present system relieves the night staff whenthe House rises or at 8 a. M. And they are not required till 5. 30 p. M. Stocktaking was a major task of the staff. The Library did not possessa shelf list and the system used was slow. It did, however, indicatethat constant vigilance was necessary--and still is--to prevent booksgoing astray. Mr James continued as Assistant Librarian until 1923. His later yearswere marked with frequent periods of illness which told on the standardof his work. Mr Wilson retired in March 1926 and his successor, Dr G. H. Scholefield, O. B. E. , commenced duties in May. He was even then the author of twobooks on New Zealand and the Pacific and had been New Zealand PressAssociation representative in London. For the next 22 years the Librarywas under his care. Hampered by depression and war, the development ofthe Library was not as rapid as it could have been. The principal change in the Library during this time was probably inthe staff. Members of the staff, mostly in senior positions, had helddegrees, but generally they had not been recruited from universitygraduates and had picked up such library technique as they could atwork. A university degree now became essential, and in addition, outside studies of library science were favoured as being of value bothto the member of the staff and to the Library. Mr A. D. McIntosh, nowhead of the Department of External Affairs, for example, was givenleave in 1932 after receiving a Carnegie grant to attend the LibrarySchool at the University of Michigan. Dr Scholefield was also responsible for the introduction of women tothe staff. Though a Mrs North had been employed as a clerk for sixmonths in 1900, the hours of duty had made the Library a man's world. In 1926 Miss Q. B. Cowles, from the Turnbull Library, was the first ofthe many young ladies who since then have been members of the staff. The other change was in the reference service. The Library came to becalled on more and more for research and information. These calls camenot only from members of Parliament, but also from GovernmentDepartments and from the public. The staff naturally had to be morehighly trained to carry out these tasks and had to spend more time toanswer the inquiries. After Mr McIntosh's return the reference staffwas reorganised and a collection of quick reference books made. Inaddition, not only did the staff carry out research but it began tosummarise and rewrite the results of its research ready for immediateuse by honourable members. Dr Scholefield, with his keen interest in biography, was instrumentalin obtaining for the Library many collections of personal papers of NewZealand statesmen. Among these are the papers of Sir John Hall, WilliamRolleston, and Sir Julius Vogel, not to mention the wonderful paperswritten and collected by the Richmond and Atkinson families over nearly50 years. These documents are already proving valuable to political andhistorical scholars. Dr Scholefield was also Controller of Dominion Archives and for someyears these were housed in the Library. During his period as ChiefLibrarian, in addition to several editions of _Who's Who in NewZealand_, Dr Scholefield published his monumental _Dictionary of NewZealand Biography_ and two other works of biography. On his retirement in October 1947 Dr Scholefield was succeeded by Mr W. S. Wauchop, M. A. , who had joined the staff in 1924 as Assistant ChiefLibrarian. Freed from the restraints of war, and with a larger grant, the Library expanded rapidly. The Library Committee, which had for someyears taken a less important rôle in the control of the Library, onceagain came to the fore. It was instrumental in obtaining much neededspace and assisting generally in the progress which took place. Mr Wauchop was also responsible for obtaining the microfilm camerawhich is today reducing the bulk of New Zealand newspapers received inthe Library to manageable proportions for storage. Great steps forwardwere also taken in the indexing of New Zealand newspapers and for thefirst time in its history the Library had a complete index to all newsin two (later three) of the more important newspapers in the Dominion. Mr Wauchop retired at the beginning of 1955. FIRE AND FIRE INSURANCE No history would be complete without some mention of the fire of theearly morning of 11 December 1907 which destroyed most of ParliamentBuildings. It began in the old portion formerly occupied by the Libraryat about 2 a. M. And rapidly spread to the Legislative Council on oneside and the House of Representatives on the other. Both these portionswere of wood and burned fiercely. Though the Library was in the brick portion, fire danger had still beenconsidered to be great so that earlier in the year the stackroomwindows overlooking the courtyard had been bricked up. In addition, theentrance door was protected by a steel blind. It appeared at first that the Library was in no danger and no attemptwas made to remove books. Eventually, about 4 a. M. The roof of the newcommittee rooms and entrance was in danger of catching alight, and MrWilson decided to clear the building. With the help of some of thestaff and the general public, some 15, 000 volumes were taken either tothe Government Buildings or to houses in Hill Street. Though the rearportion of brick with wooden floors and partitions caught fire about 5a. M. And damage was done to the roof, the Library was seen to be in nofurther danger and the clearance was stopped. Some slight damage was done to these books, but insurance covered this, and generally little damage was done to the Library itself. The removalof the wooden portion has reduced the risk of fire considerably, andalthough the rear portion still has wooden floors, little of value isstored here. If any future outbreak occurred it is probable that moredamage would be done by water. To prevent this a large drain wasrecently made in the basement to allow water to escape readily. After the fire there was some discussion on the possibility of usingthe reading room as the Chamber of the House of Representatives, butGovernment House was finally chosen. The brick building was repairedand a covered access way provided across Sydney Street from the Libraryto the Chamber. At the time of the fire the Library was insured for £4, 000, a smallportion of its true value. This insurance was continued until 1928 whenthe cover was raised to £10, 000, still much below the cost ofreplacement. In 1942, with the introduction of war damage insurance andthe consequent increase of premiums, it was decided that the Libraryshould, like other Government Departments, not be insured, theGovernment carrying the risk itself. GENERAL _Circulation of Books_ The first library rules that can be discovered today are those for1869. Though it is certain that borrowing was permitted before this, members were permitted by these rules to borrow two books for a periodof a fortnight. Even so, the privilege of borrowing was restricted tothe session. It is doubtful if the rules were strictly enforced for as early as 1873Mr T. Kelly from New Plymouth moved that the Library Committee shouldbe instructed to allow members outside Wellington the right to take outbooks and to keep them for two months. Though the motion was notapproved it appears that members residing in Wellington did have booksat their homes. No great change was made in the wording of the rules, but it appearsthat at the end of the session members were taking books away, and in1886 Mr James Macandrew from Dunedin admitted doing so. In the recessof 1885-86 Sir James G. Wilson (Bulls) had written to the Librarianasking for books to be sent to his home. The request was refused butfollowing it the House passed a motion recommending the Joint Committeeto prepare regulations for lending books during the recess to membersliving outside Wellington. The Committee, however, did not favour the idea and reported that therewere so many difficulties in the way that they would not carry it out. On the motion of the Premier, Sir Robert Stout, the House reluctantlyagreed with the report. There the matter rested until the session of 1891 when it was raised ina question addressed to a Minister. As a result the Committee broughtdown a report saying that they had agreed to a scheme for circulatingup to six books at a time to members in the recess. Certain referenceand valuable books, newspapers, and periodicals were excluded, but mostother works could be borrowed. The Library would provide boxes orbaskets for the transmission of the books, and six dozen were obtainedfor the following recess. During it 34 members borrowed 438 volumes, not one being lost, though two were damaged. Both House and Council agreed to the scheme, though certain memberswere violently opposed to it. Since then it has provided members withreading material during many recesses. Certainly, some books have beenlost, but probably there would be an even greater chance of losses ifthe practice of recess borrowing had not been regularised. In any case, books often disappear from the shelves in libraries with the bestoversight and supervision and are never seen again. _Fiction_ The provision of fiction in the Library has been criticised, but novelshave been purchased since the early seventies. The numbers purchasedhave always been small, and have given well earned relaxation andpleasure to legislators as well as building up what is the onlycollection of the minor nineteenth century classics that exists in theDominion. These books are frequently in demand by students ofnineteenth century English literature. _Inter-library Loan_ In keeping with the policy of allowing the widest possible use of theLibrary, while at the same time retaining all books necessary forParliament, the Committee in 1909 drew up rules which would havepermitted university libraries to borrow. Little use, however, seems tohave been made of the privilege. In 1936 the Committee gave approval for the participation of theLibrary in the New Zealand Library Association scheme. Librariesoutside have not been slow to take advantage, and while considerablerestrictions exist on the books that can be lent, only one book isborrowed by the General Assembly Library for every 20 or so lent. _Recess Privileges_ Though the Library is primarily the Library of Parliament, it hasalways been generous in allowing the use of its resources to studentsand others. As early as 1875, while books could only be taken out bymembers of Parliament, heads of Departments, and Judges, the RecessCommittee had discretion to allow the use of the Library for referenceand study. The minutes and correspondence show that the demands were many and thatpermission was frequently given. There was no general rule aboutadmission, and as a result individual application was necessary. MrCollier did his best to liberalise the privilege, but at the same timehe wanted the use limited to genuine students rather than to those whowanted it for prestige and as a means of obtaining light reading. A resolution of 1891 allowed the privilege to be granted on therecommendation of a member of Parliament, head of a GovernmentDepartment, or local clergyman, but by the end of the century the rightwas restricted to members of Parliament. The recess privilege did notallow borrowers to take out current fiction though classic fictioncould be borrowed. The rules have long permitted the use of the library for brief periodsby serious research workers. The position has now been placed on apermanent basis, and students at the honours stage at the University orundertaking serious research are allowed to use two special rooms inthe Library. Here it might be well to mention the request that has recently beenmade to allow the Library to keep open until 6 p. M. During the recess. This has been done three times in the past, in 1892-93, in 1903-04, andagain in 1911, but the use was so small that the hours of 9 a. M. To 5p. M. Were quickly reverted to. _The National Library_ Though the General Assembly Library is principally the Library ofParliament, many of its functions are those of a national library andthis matter has been raised on many occasions. The earliest referencesare those of James Collier in 1888, and his remarks are of interest, ". . . The Library of the General Assembly [may] develop or, as is moreprobable, bifurcate into a national library . . . " As the only large State library, it was natural that the GeneralAssembly Library should be regarded as the basis of a national libraryand there were frequent references to this side of the Library's workin the debates on copyright deposit in 1903 and 1913. About the sametime the Library Association meeting in Wellington carried a resolutionsaying that the Library should be regarded as the nucleus of a nationalreference library. The matter was not forgotten but rather lay dormant until 1935 when theMunn-Barr report on New Zealand libraries suggested the amalgamation ofthe General Assembly and Turnbull Libraries, together with a countrylending department, to form a national library. This suggestion more orless received the approval of the Government and plans were drawn upfor a new library building. The war intervened, but since 1950 the question has become increasinglyprominent, and there have been two inquiries. While it is possible tocombine a purely legislative and national reference library, I havedoubts on the complete absorption of a parliamentary library by anational library. In the United States, for example, the Library ofCongress gives both services, but Congress and its needs are supreme. The library seemingly envisaged for New Zealand would have wider scopeand unless very carefully planned and managed, there could be conflictbetween Parliament and the department controlling the library. The Library also played its part in the establishment of the Countryand later the National Library Services. In 1935 Dr Scholefieldtravelled overseas at the invitation of the Carnegie Corporation of NewYork and on his return made a report on rural library services, whichturned further attention to this matter. A group of New Zealand librarians interested the Carnegie Corporationof New York in the proposal to organise a demonstration scheme inTaranaki and asked Mr G. T. Alley to prepare plans. In 1937, however, £3, 000 was placed on the Estimates for the Country Library Service andMr Alley was appointed Director later in the year. For some time theService was also located in Parliament Buildings. Twenty years earlier the Library had also assisted in thereorganisation of the Turnbull Library as a State library. Mr J. C. Andersen was for some time on the staff, resigning to become firstLibrarian. In addition, both Mr Wilson and Dr Scholefield were in turnAdvisory Directors to the Turnbull Library until the post was abolishedin 1930. _The Library as a Museum_ The Library has during its century collected many curios which shouldreally have been given to a museum. The Library Committee has had todecide frequently whether historical relics could be displayed. In1886, after the Taiaha of Wahanui presented to James Bryce had beenrefused, the Committee laid down that nothing but books, manuscripts, maps, etc. , should be deposited without special permission. However the Library possesses today many such relics. There are thecaskets containing the Freedoms of certain cities presented to MrFraser, a similar collection of Mr Seddon's and of Sir Joseph Ward's, the pen used by Mr Massey to sign the Treaty of Versailles, a kavabowl, mats, etc. , from Samoa, and many other items. The Library alsohad for a time the Bishop Monrad etchings and the Chevalier pictures, but these were handed over to the Turnbull Library and Academy of FineArts respectively. The display of such objects tends to attract to the Library visitorsnot interested in the books, but whose conversation distracts moreserious readers. _Purchase of Books_ Though today books are purchased in many countries most of the bookshave always been obtained in England. The first books were bought fromSmith and Elder in London, but this was not continued. Instead, anarrangement was entered into with a Mr Maberly of Auckland, partner ina London firm of booksellers, to obtain and bind books uniformly. In the following years the Library had several London agents, none ofwhom were entirely satisfactory, while some were quite the reverse. What the Library Committee wanted was a reliable buyer who couldprovide books cheaply and in addition supply the more important booksas they were published without duplicating them in later orders. Including the time taken for reviews to reach New Zealand, for them tobe read, the books to be ordered and dispatched to New Zealand, itwould be not far short of a year before a book published in Englandreached the shelves of the Library. After several changes of agent in quick time the Committee in 1883asked the authority of Cabinet to use the Agent-General in London topurchase books. This was given and book purchase was put on a happierbasis. This was particularly so in the first years when Sir FrancisBell was Agent-General. Though the books were supplied by a booksellerin Edinburgh, Sir Francis, as a former member of the Library Committee, took a personal interest in the orders and anticipated the purchase ofmany popular books. The High Commissioner in London, successor to the Agent-General, hascontinued to oversee the purchase of books for the Library either frombooksellers or from the publishers. He has been of invaluableassistance to the Library in this task; and the assistance given inthis field is only paralleled by that of the other overseas agencies ofNew Zealand, particularly those in the United States, Canada, andAustralia. A large and increasing number of books has also been purchased frombooksellers in New Zealand. Particularly in the case of novels, it isof advantage to inspect the book before buying a copy. For many years books purchased in England were rebound uniformly inmorocco. In 1886, in an attempt to reduce costs, the Committee decidedthat works costing less than 10s. Were to be sent out in the ordinarycloth binding. The more expensive and important works still continuedto be rebound in leather, but as time went on this too was discontinuedand all books were dispatched in the publisher's binding. THE AIMS OF THE LIBRARY What does the General Assembly Library exist for and what does itset out to do? Its primary function is to assist members to obtaininformation needed for the performance of their parliamentary dutiesand also to make available to them books, periodicals, etc. , which maybetter equip them as men of affairs. From the first the Library set out to obtain books on matters andtopics likely to be the subject of legislation and on matters likely tobe of interest to members. As funds became available and the Librarygrew it was also possible to purchase books for recreational reading, but this has always been a lesser aim. The necessity for obtaining books on matters likely to be subject tolegislation has directly led to the acquisition of books relating toNew Zealand. The principal subject of legislation before the NewZealand Parliament is New Zealand, and in order to give the informationrequired it is essential to have as complete a collection as possibleon New Zealand. The advent of the Liberal Government in 1891, and later of the LabourGovernment, led to wide extension of the field of legislation andconsequently of the stock of the Library. Today the Library is strongin official publications, in economics, politics, administration, law, and statistics; there are good collections in history, biography, andtravel, and also an excellent reference collection. The staff have always given members of Parliament every possibleservice, but the scope has tended to grow. Last century members tendedto do more of their own research, and relied on the staff to locatebooks rather than individual items of information. The desire for thislast service grew and attempts were made to provide it. To do so, however, required considerable advances in staff andtechnique. It involved the indexing of periodicals, often attempted bythe staff which was rarely in a position to do it well and to continueit. Today much of this work is done either commercially orcooperatively and, although the results are not available quickly, thestaff is freed for other work. Today the Library is working towards the time when it can give areference and research service similar to that of the House of CommonsLibrary, or to imitate in a smaller way that of the Library of Congressin Washington. Such a service requires intelligent, well trained staffwho are capable of locating and organising information into a formwhere it can be readily understood and used. The Library is doing an increasing amount of such work, but it has notthe staff to do all that is required of it. I am sure, however, thatbefore the story of the Library is much longer, it will be giving afuller service. In this connection there is one aspect of the work that should not bepassed over--the indexing of newspapers. Newspapers have always beenimportant to the Library, giving as they do so much current history andopinion. Only in recent years has it been possible to index certainpapers fully, and so provide quickly necessary references. BOOKS AND MEN Books are of little value without men to care for them and men to usethem, so that to be successful a library needs good books and good men. The General Assembly Library has been fortunate in the men who havecontrolled it and the men who have used it. No librarian can ask for more than the support and interest of thosewho control the library, or that the material and information heprovides is being put to good use. No user of a library can ask formore than the real interest and help of the librarians in his researchand reading. Again the General Assembly Library has been lucky in theinterest shown by members of Parliament and by the staff who haveserved in it. Some names have been mentioned here; many more should have been. Suffice it to say that as far as Parliament is concerned many membershave given generously of their time and energy to help make the Librarywhat it is today. The same remarks can be applied to the staff. They are fortunate, fortheir work gives a pleasure that much work does not, and so makes doingit so much easier. This support from members of Parliament and from the staff gives theLibrary such reserves that it faces its second century with confidence. Difficulties there may be, but they will not be so great as to preventeven better library and information service being given to Parliament. BY AUTHORITY: R. E. OWEN, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND--1958 _Price 1s. _ 95687--58 G