O MINISTRY OF WORKS, STATE HYDRO-ELECTRIC, AND NEW ZEALAND
FOREST SERVICE CAMPS AND STATIONS

During the year 54 camps or stations received visits from the book van,
in addition to one receiving hamper service from the Christchurch
office. Altogether 7,691 books are on loan to such places.

HOSPITAL AND INSTITUTIONAL SERVICE

Visits have continued from the book vans to 12 general hospitals with an
exchange of 1,405 books. Twelve mental hospitals received 3,910 books
and 13 prisons 3,125 books. During the year assistance has been given to
the Department of Justice in book and periodical selection.

Difficulties occur from time to time in connection with the service to
prisons and mental hospitals. They arise from the lack of supervision of
these libraries by trained library staff. Officers engaged in other
duties are not in a position to organise the full service which would be
of such benefit to patients and prisoners.

From the special TB collection 1,620 books were exchanged at
four-monthly intervals for 15 sanatoria and tuberculosis wards of public
hospitals. Three hundred and thirteen books were sent on request (250
non-fiction and 63 fiction). Sixty-four requests could not be fulfilled
as the required books were not available through the stock or through
purchase, and the resources of other collections are not used for these
borrowers.

LOAN COLLECTIONS

Collections of books, pamphlets, and periodicals to illustrate
particular subjects are available for short periods not only to
affiliated libraries but also to university and the larger public
libraries.

USE OF LOAN COLLECTIONS

Year ended 31 March
1957 1958

Number of collections sent 628 640
Number of books included 26,667 26,645

PERIODICALS SERVICE

A total of 1,127 titles is now taken by the Wellington office, of which
821 copies are circulated regularly to Government Department libraries.
Four hundred and eighty copies are sent direct from the publishers to
the Country Library Service offices in Hamilton, Palmerston North, and
Christchurch, and are sent out regularly to 93 affiliated libraries. In
addition, the periodicals held in Wellington are available on short-term
loan to public and other libraries which are interested in them.

SECTION II--SCHOOL LIBRARY SERVICE

In 1941 the Minister of Education approved the establishment of a Ne