Report of the National Library Service for the Year Ended 31 March 1958 | Page 8

including indefinite loans-- Primary
263,374 244,175 Post-primary 72,956 78,358
Totals 1,104,782 1,057,021
Book Stock--Additions to stock were 70,228 fiction and 48,789

non-fiction. Withdrawals were 47,645 fiction and 11,834 non-fiction.
The stock now stands at 1,091,189, of which 656,911 are fiction and
434,278 are non-fiction. One thousand four hundred and sixty-nine new
titles were added during the year.

SECTION III--LIBRARY SCHOOL
1957 PROFESSIONAL COURSE
At the end of November nine diplomas and five certificates were
awarded to 14 students who completed the course. For health reasons
one student accepted under the Colombo Plan returned to his own
country at the end of the first term. Of the successful students two
returned to the libraries in which they had been employed before
attending the school, three were appointed librarians of smaller public
libraries, four joined the staffs of city public libraries, two are now
members of the School Library Service staff, and one the librarian of
the Central Military District. The two holders of UNESCO Fellowships
are consolidating their training by carrying out practical work in the
Delhi Public Library for three months.
1958 PROFESSIONAL COURSE
This course began on 4 March with 17 New Zealand students and the
three Indonesian students who have been working in libraries in New
Zealand since February 1957.
Four students have a master's and nine a bachelor's degree in arts, one a
bachelor's degree in music, and two are holders of the New Zealand
Library Association's Certificate.
NEW ZEALAND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION TRAINING COURSE

Part II of this course was held at the Library

School from 14 January to
15 February. Twenty-two students attended and all were recommended
for the award of the Association's certificate.
1957 SHORT COURSE
A short course for librarians and library assistants mainly from smaller
public libraries was held from 12 to 31 August. There were 21 students
from the following public libraries: Birkenhead, Blenheim, Dargaville,
Devonport, Hawera, Howick, Huntly, Inglewood, Kaiapoi, Kaikohe,
Kaitaia, Martinborough, Mataura, Nelson Institute, Otaki, Palmerston,
Rangiora, Taumarunui, Upper Hutt, Waiuku, Warkworth, and a field
librarian from the Country Library Service, Hamilton.
In addition to lectures and practical exercises, several hours were set
aside for the informal discussion of problems and special questions
raised by the students. Senior members of National Library Service
headquarters joined the staff of the school in these discussions.
Limits imposed by the size of the school made it necessary to defer
acceptance of some students eligible for this course.
A short course on similar lines will be offered again in August this year
to librarians or library assistants of small public libraries who are not
able to take advantage of other means of training.
As in previous years we wish to acknowledge the valuable contribution
made to these courses by visiting lecturers and the libraries which lend
us books.

SECTION IV--NATIONAL LIBRARY CENTRE
The National Library Centre, in addition to acting as the division
responsible for the headquarters work of the Service, has continued to
promote the cooperative use of library resources. Staff at headquarters

are still working under very difficult conditions and there is a
continuing and pressing need both for administrative working space
and adequate housing for the book collections.
Inter-library Loan--All inter-library loan requests for books and
periodicals the location of which is not known are sent to the National
Centre. Items which are not found in the Union Catalogue of
non-fiction books, the Union List of Serials, or other bibliographical
sources are listed in the weekly publication Book Resources, which is
sent to 39 libraries for checking.
1956-57 1957-58 Number % Number %
Interloan cards received 7,197 100.0 7,640 100.0 Supplied from
National Library Service 4,312 59.9 4,411 57.7 Supplied from other
Wellington libraries 171 2.4 139 1.8 Supplied from Union Catalogue
records 949 13.2 1,055 13.8 Supplied from Union List of Serials 101
1.4 173 2.3 Not supplied for various reasons 641 8.9 664 8.7 Listed on
Book Resources 1,023 14.2 1,198 15.7
Four hundred and seventy-five titles not found in any library were
ordered for national stock.
The number of requests received by the centre represents probably less
than half the total volume of traffic among New Zealand libraries, the
proportion of direct interloan being higher in the special and university
libraries. Interloan was devised and introduced among libraries by the
New Zealand Library Association and in its operation the responsibility
of the National Library Service is not merely to act as a clearing house
but to provide all the material it reasonably can to make the system
effective. Other libraries participate reciprocally, or lend so that they
may the more freely borrow. The contribution, as has always been
expected, is a varying one and one or two libraries may consider that
they have a substantial and unrealisable credit balance in their favour.
The point beyond which certain