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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 85

The Library of the General Assembly of New Zealand. — Angus Macgregor, M.A., Librarian

page 18

The Library of the General Assembly of New Zealand.

Angus Macgregor, M.A., Librarian.

This library, the finest and most important, as is fitting, in New Zealand, was founded in 1865, when the seat of Government was moved from Auckland to Wellington. There were then about 4,000 volumes, and in 1886, F. Guillaume, of Chester Square, London, published a catalogue of books relating to New Zealand, recently added to the Library of the General Assembly of New Zealand, which was, I believe, the first step towards a printed catalogue of the works in this library.

The library is contained in the handsome wooden building, wherein are located the chambers of the Legislature of New Zealand. I should mention that the chief buildings in Wellington were for a long time constructed entirely of wood, owing to the frequency of earthquakes, and the risks run by buildings of stone and brick. It is said that the Government Offices at Wellington are the largest wooden buildings in the world, but I cannot vouch for the absolute accuracy of this statement. Of late years earthquakes have been less frequent and less destructive, and the new buildings of Wellington are no longer of wood. Unfortunately for the books, the rooms containing the library are on the most exposed side of the Assembly buildings, and though their arrangement and economy are admirable, the books, which mostly come out bound from home—and exceedingly well bound—have suffered somewhat from the damp.

Mr. Macgregor has for some time past been meditating a re-arrangement and re-classification of the library, and has proceeded some way with it, but has deferred the renumbering of shelves and books until the question of new buildings has been finally decided. During the last nine years there have been frequent talks of new buildings, and £ 14,000 was once placed on the estimates for that purpose, so that in a few years I hope we may hear that new build- page 19 ings are actually commenced. The library, though space is sadly wanted, will not have really suffered for the delay, for every year brings fresh experiences in the construction of library buildings, particularly from America, and fresh interest in librarianship as a profession, and in the administration and progress of libraries.

The Assembly Library now contains about 26,000 volumes, and is augmented by about 1,500 annually, so that a supplement to the catalogue has to be issued about once a-year, at the commencement of the session. The system of international exchanges is fully maintained, and the library has also to thank many private donors for their munificence. Amongst these I may fitly mention the names of Hugh Carleton, Alfred Domett, W. B. D. Mantell, and John Sheehan.

The management of the library is vested in a committee of twenty, ten being chosen from each House of Legislature; these twenty appoint a committee of six out of their body, three from each House, to be the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee practically determines the literature to be selected for the shelves, taking into consideration the suggestions made by members of the Legislature in a book kept for that purpose. The Agent-General in England, as a rule, is empowered by the Committee to order new books for the library to the amount of £ 100, from time to time. The annual amount at the disposal of the Committee appears to be a Government grant of £600, and another £ 100 produced by the fees on private bills. On this revenue the Committee keep up the standard and character of the library to the highest point as a library of general reference. An annual report is made by the librarian to the Chairman of the Library Committee, usually in the month of June, and is then presented to the House, and published with other parliamentary papers and reports. These reports afford some interesting reading to librarians and others. In 1882 Mr. Macgregor notes that two new rooms had been placed at his disposal, with shelf accomoda- page 20 tion for 6,000 volumes, which had been nearly all absorbed, showing that a large number of volumes must have been practically inaccessible before. To display the new disposition of the library then made, a capital plan of the distribution of works, both on the ground floor and in the galleries, was issued, and has since been published with the catalogue—I found it of great service. A new agent was appointed in 1882; a historical register of all the books added to the library from time to time was commenced, and has since been kept up, and a system of press-marking was instituted for the first time.

In the report of 1883, Mr. Macgregor notes the introduction of handy catalogues of various departments of literature, which he intends to continue and make a feature of in the next general catalogue. Also that the library had suffered in the way which all parliamentary libraries seem to suffer, from some of its rooms having to be given up and others made use of instead—the Sydney Parliament Library in particular—has been much hampered in its usefulness owing to this cause.

In June 1884, Mr. Macgregor reports another change of agents, the Agent-General for New Zealand in England having been appointed to act for the library, and he has appointed Messrs. Bell & Bradfute, of Edinburgh, to act under his supervision. There is no doubt that the appointment of the Agent-General, who has long manifested an interest in the library, will be productive of very good results, some of which had been already felt when I visited the library in December 1884. In this report it is also recorded that in response to an offer made by Lord Derby, it had been decided to send copies of all the official publications of New Zealand to the Library of the British Museum, Lord Derby promising in return that all the Imperial official publications should be sent to the Assembly Library.

Three more useful pieces of work were done during the year 1883-84, and they were:—1, a catalogue of all the page 21 pamphlets in the library; 2, a list of all maps and charts; 3, a subject index of the general catalogue of 1880 and of the supplement of 1882.

During the recess, the privilege of using the library has for some years past been extended to residents in Wellington, on certain conditions. These have been altered from time to time, but the following rules were in force when I was in Wellington. The library was administered during the recess, by a committee of all Members of both Houses residing in, or within fifteen miles of Wellington, three of these to form a quorum. Admission to full privileges of the library was granted to some fifty under-secretaries and Government officials in Wellington, a list of whose names was posted up in the library. During the year 1883-84, 700 volumes were issued to these persons during the recess. In addition, however, to these fully privileged persons, any person applying to the Chairman of the Recess Committee was admitted to study in the library, but during the same period only forty persons availed themselves of this permission. Mr. Macgregor says that there are few real students to speak of in Wellington, and the privilege of borrowing books is the only one which is sought after.

Mr. Macgregor very kindly permitted me during my stay in Wellington to make use of the library, and I spent four days at work in the small room, No. 4, I think, in which were kept some of the chief treasures—tall copies, early editions, and valuable illustrated works; and also all the American and Canadian publications, congressional records, and other State papers.

Now for a few words with regard to the contents of the library, which, for all ordinary purposes may be regarded as a first-class reference library. It contains some very fine early editions of the classics, a good collection of works of history, biography, and travel, and of parliamentary papers and statistics. There is an excellent collection of bound volumes of colonial newspapers, I suppose no library except Melbourne has a better. These will be invaluable page 22 to the future historian of New Zealand: there cannot be less now than 2,000 volumes of newspapers on the shelves of the Assembly Library. I regret that there is not so good a collection of works printed in and relating to New Zealand, and the countries adjacent to it, as there might be. It seems to me, that a really complete department of the library devoted to Australasian literature, would be worth the consideration of the Library Committee, for it would be an immense boon both to present and to future members of the legislature, as well as to students and writers of history in days to come.

I have mentioned that the library has had many private benefactors, besides the various Governments with which it carries on a system of exchanges; and I may add that one of the most valuable works in the library was the gift of a private benefactor, Bishop Monrad—two immense folio volumes of rare etchings and engravings, valued at £2,000. And now, lastly, a few words as to the catalogues of the Assembly Library. The earliest appears to have been that published in 1867, (8vo, pp. 213), an author catalogue. The next was a classified catalogue, published in 1872, the library then containing 8,700 volumes. Then, in 1875, came an elaborately classified catalogue, compiled by Ewan McColl, 8vo, pp. 351. In 1880, the library then containing 18,562 works, as compared with 11,450 in 1875, a new catalogue compiled by the then librarian, Ewan McColl, was published—8vo, pp. xvi. 557. In this catalogue, which is correct up to March 1880, the same elaborate system of classification is adopted as in that for 1875, and an index of author's names is given. It is well got up and printed, and a very careful piece of work throughout. Since that date annual supplements to the catalogue have been issued, and in 1884, these annual supplements were issued as a separate volume, with plans of the distribution of books in the library, and with a carefully prepared index of subjects. Mr. Macgregor very kindly presented me with copies of these various catalogues, and also entrusted me with copies page 23 for presentation to the Library Association, which I duly delivered on my return home. It is proposed in future to continue the annual supplements, and every five years to issue a new general catalogue, and when I was at Wellington there was some talk of reverting to an author catalogue, with a full index of subjects.

It will, I hope, be gathered from this account, that the Assembly Library is really a valuable one, and that with the not distant prospect of new buildings, and the re-arrangement which is in contemplation, it will occupy an even more useful position in New Zealand than it now does.

I am under much obligation to both Mr. Macgregor, and his courteous and able assistant, Mr. David Smith, for the information they gave to me, and for the ready manner in which they assisted me in looking up various points in the history of New Zealand, in which I was interested. I hope some day the Library Association of the United Kingdom may have the pleasure of welcoming these gentlemen, and many others in Australasia engaged in library work, amongst its most active members.