Overseas, most national and State organisations
consider it their responsibility to publish statements of standard
library practice, and codes for its evaluation. The most important
statement is _Public Library Service: A Guide to Evaluation, with
Minimum Standards_, which was approved by the Council of the American
Library Association and published by the Association in Chicago in 1956.

In 1952 the New Zealand Library Association Standards Research Committee
prepared its "Basic Standards for New Zealand Libraries, 1952", which
was published in _New Zealand Libraries 15_:121-131; 145-150, Jl-Ag, S
'52. This was based on the survey attempted by the visiting American
librarian, Miss Miriam Tompkins, in 1950, but was not a formal
pronouncement of the Association.

For the Country Library Service the problem has been present since 1938.
Assistance to local authorities has been given on three conditions,
approved by the Minister of Education at the inception of the Service.
The third of these conditions is that the "local authority should
maintain the library at a reasonable standard of service".

Country Library Service assistance to libraries has always been planned
as service to assist local effort, not to supplant it. Where the local
service does not reach a certain standard a certain proportion of the
Country Library Service assistance loses its force. No matter how much
the assistance is increased the local people cannot benefit fully from
it unless the local authority houses it in a fair building, grafts it on
to a reasonable local book collection, and has the whole serviced by an
active and informed librarian. Continuity of good service is assured
only when the basic objectives of library service are enunciated and
clearly understood by the local authority.

Local authorities have not abused the flexible interpretation given to
the "reasonable standard of service" condition, but have appreciated the
fact that the Country Library Service always took into consideration any
local difficulties that existed. Libraries generously supported by their
local authorities without exception have made full use of all the
services the Government has offered, and the local people have benefited
from a first-class library service in its fullest cultural and
educational sense.

Local provision has naturally varied, but since 1950 the pattern of
local achievement has become more apparent, and the possibility was seen
of drawing u