Public Libraries and Reading-Rooms.

The Ordinance of 1864 authorised the Education Board to-encourage the formation of public as well as school libraries by expending on the purchase of books to be placed in any such library, moneys equal in amount to any sum or sums raised by public subscription or otherwise within the district. Advantage was taken of this provision to a very considerable extent by the settlers throughout the Province, and the Otago Public Library scheme became somewhat widely and favourably known.^*

The following extract relating to public libraries is taken from the Board's report for 1875—the last report published under the Provincial system:—"Books of the value of about £1,700 have been distributed among the public libraries during the past year. The amount expended by library committees on the purchase of books, or paid into the treasury by them, was page 148fully £800. The 88 public libraries now connected with the Board may be classified as follows:—17 public libraries, with reading-rooms connected with them; 63 public district libraries, many of which are also available as school libraries, and 8 purely school libraries. Since the beginning of the library scheme, the following-named public institutions have received grants of books through the Education Board:—The hospitals at Lawrence, Clyde, Wakatipu, Invercargill, and Oamaru; and the gaol at Invercargill. The managers of the following-mentioned libraries have been permitted to purchase at cost price a few books which were not particularly needed at the time for public libraries:— Dunedin Athenseum, Dunedin Police Library, Dunedin Gaol Library, Knox Church Library, St. Paul's Sunday School Library, and St. Joseph's Church and Sunday School Library." The Board was also authorised to encourage by grants of money or books, the formation of reading clubs or libraries in connection with teachers' associations that might be formed by the public school teachers in the Province.

The Ordinance also authorised the Education Board to establish scholarships, to be held in the High School, Dunedin, or in any university in Great Britain, Australia, or New Zealand, to be held by pupils of the public schools of Otago, such scholarships to be submitted to public competition.