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1948 NEW ZEALAND

NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1948

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Leave

The Hon. the Minister of Education. Sir, — Wellington, 12th July, 1948. I have the honour to submit the following report on 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 expanded, and at 31st March, 1948, 769 towns and small centres were receiving regular loans of books, an increase of 85 centres on the previous year. The School Library Service has also increased, and at 31st March 1,716 schools with 106,170 children were served, compared with 1,353 schools and 85,226 children a year ago. A summary of the methods by which books, periodicals, and information are made available to country people is now given:— (a) 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 ; (b) 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. FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES : "A " SERVICE During the year the local authorities of the following towns adopted the principle of free library service and qualified for assistance under the "A " scheme : Ho wick, Marton, Onehunga, Waitara, Waverley, and Whangarei in the North Island; Takaka, Winton, Oamaru, and .Wyndham in the South Island. At 31st March, 1948, there were