Carnegie Library Service.

Books For The

Islands

A “CARNEGIE library service”, for residents in the Australian Pacific territories has been organised by the librarian of the Commonwealth National Library (Mr. Kenneth Binns) and it is now being put into operation.

The service, for a start, is non fictional. The books deal with a very wide variety of subjects and the cat alogues (which have been printed in large numbers, for all prospective readers) have been carefully chosen recently, by competent persons. Where ever desirable, two copies of particular nooks have been purchased. A large supply of fiction will follow shortly.

The books have been divided into two main sections —about 500 volumes in each section. One section has been sent to Papua, Norfolk Island, Nauru and Central Australia; and the other is for New Guinea and Northern Territory.

It has been arranged that a supply of books will be available immediately at the following places:— Library Institute, Port Moresby.

Library Institute, Samarai.

Norfolk Island Library.

Nauru.

Central Australia.

Palmerston Institute, Darwin.

Agnes Wisdom Library, Rabaul.

Apparently, as other centres —such as Kavieng, Wau, Madang—obtain library institutes, supplies of books will be made available.

Residents of the territories, desiring to borrow these books, should write to the nearest library which carries a supply, and they will be told the cost of tne subscription and the methods of sending and returning the books, and they will receive a printed catalogue.

The Papua-Norfolk-Nauru section, at the end of a year, will be sent to New Guinea and Darwin; while the New Guinea-Darwin lot will go to Papua.

The books have been provided by a grant of £1,500 from the Carnegie Trust, while the Commonwealth Government

is providing - for all administrative expenses.

A consignment of fiction will follow soon, and there will be further consign ments at intervals of a few months.

All the books have been treated with a special preparation ! to ward off tropical mould and insects. It discolours the books slightly, but it is quite harm less.