"a7ad0b67-001c-46e1-987c-569ac56dce3f"@en . "CONTENTdm"@en . "REPORT ON LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY."@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1198198"@en . "Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "British Columbia. Legislative Assembly"@en . "2014-11-26"@en . "[1897]"@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcsessional/items/1.0063672/source.json"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " 60 Vict. Report on Legislative Library. 477\nREPORT ON\nTHE LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY,\nBRITISH COLUMBIA.\nLibrary, Legislative Assembly,\nVictoria, B. C, February 27th, 1897.\nTo the Honourable the Speaker\nof the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia:\nSiei\u00E2\u0080\u0094I have the honour to submit the annual report on the condition of the Library.\nOwing to several causes\u00E2\u0080\u0094the holdings of the meetings of the Behring Sea Commission in\nthe Legislative Assembly building, all the available rooms of which were occupied, the illness\nof the Assistant Librarian, and the anticipated removal into the new buildings, unavoidably\ndelayed\u00E2\u0080\u0094the work of the Library during the latter part of the past year and the beginning of\nthe present was greatly interfered with, and much confusion resulted. I am, therefore, unable\nto present as complete and satisfactory report as I should have otherwise desired.\nDuring the year, however, very satisfactory progress has been made, and there have been\nnumerous and some important accessions to the shelves. In the six months ending December\n31st the contributions by way of donation and exchange consisted of 898 bound books and\npamphlets, principally the former, which is a fair indication of the rate of progress throughout\nthe whole year. Until the work of entering is completed I cannot say definitely the exact\nnumber of additions there were within that period, but approximately the accessions from\nvarious sources have been 2,000 in all during 1896.\nAn exchange list has been established, whereby for such publications as the reports of the\nMining Bureau, Crown lands surveys, and such other reports and pamphlets as are from time\nto time available, the reports and publications of over one hundred institutions, including\nGovernments, Universities, Learned Societies, Boards of Trade, &c , are being received, and\nthe list is steadily increasing. A number of States of the Union is on the list, and arrangements are being made to include them all, with particular respect to agricultural, mining and\nforestry reports and their Statutes where possible.\nA strong effort has been made to obtain the publications of the Imperial Government, and,\nthrough the representations of the Canadian High Commissioner at London, Eng., a promise\nhas been received that the matter will have the special consideration of the Treasury authorities.\nIn accordance with the most approved library methods, an accession book is kept in which\nis recorded the particulars of every book and pamphlet received, and in addition to which will\nbe kept a complete statement to date of the condition of the Library. Monthly reports are\nsubmitted to the Library Commissioners.\nHeretofore, it has been impossible, owing to the inadequate and unsuitable library quarters, to catalogue the books according to any expansive system, but in the new Library, to\nwhich the books are being removed, provision has been made for cataloguing according to the\nmost improved card index system, by which subjects, authors and titles in alphabetical arrangement refer to the numbers and position of volumes on the shelves. The subject for cataloguing\nhas engaged the attention of expert Librarians for many years, and the system adopted here is\nthe result of mature experience and combines the best features of Dewey, Cutter and others.\nIn the matter of periodical and newspaper racks, files, binders, &c, and the various other\naccessories of a well equipped Library, the latest improved and at the same time most useful\nand economical have been secured.\n 478 Report on Legislative Library. 1897\nThe shelves and book stacks in the book-room adjoining the reading-room were obtained\nfrom the Boston Library Bureau, an institution that supplies the principal libraries of this\nContinent, and represent the latest improvements. Although the room is limited in capacity\nby the arrangement adopted, the shelves at present erected will accommodate 11,000 volumes,\nand when that limit is reached the plan contemplates a corrugated glass floor and the continuation of the stacks to the ceiling, affording accommodation for about 22,000 volumes, at a total\ncost of about $2,400 for fixtures, so that the interests of economy as well as utility have been\ncarefully conserved.\nBy the plan referred to it is not contemplated that the public should be admitted to the\nbook-room, but books required, as ascertained from the catalogues, may be obtained from the\nattendant and consulted in the reading-room.\nPamphlets and reports instead of being bound, as was formerly done, are now arranged\nin cases or boxes, duly numbered and indexed, which is very much cheaper and much more\nconvenient for reference. In this connection the Commissioners of the Library are indebted\nto Mr. Alex. Begg, editor of the Mining Record, for a large number of valuable pamphlets\nrelating to the West and to Canada, and for some reports which are not contained in any other\nLibrary in Canada.\nAs referred to in a former report, a system of indexing subjects of current, local and\nespecial general interest, appearing in the press, is carried on, whereby a comprehensive and\neasy reference is obtained in any question of public concern. Press clippings, too, relating to\nthe same are preserved and will be filed by a system of automatic indexing. When in the new\nquarters, with the facilities provided, this will be found an invaluable adjunct, and one which is\nbecoming more and more a feature of all public libraries. It is in fact indispensable in order to\nrender the knowledge treasured in the Library easily available. As the prime object of a State\nLibrary is essentially that of reference, where any special line of investigation may be pursued\nwith some hope of acquiring a good deal of, if not all, the information that may be desired, and\nnot necessarily restricted to pure law and politics, the range of subjects which is included is\nvery wide.\nUpon this aspect of Library work there is a strong divergence, as the opinions of nearly every\nperson who takes an interest in or advantage of the Library, materially differ, and his view of\nits necessities as a place of reference are materially affected by the character of the subject in\nwhich he may be specially interested; and this is as true of the members of the Legislature as\nof any other class. It is difficult, therefore, to accurately draw the line between what are and\nwhat are not necessary works of reference, and only daily experience of the wants of inquirers\ncan with any degree of accuracy determine what will meet the greatest wants of the greatest\nnumber. The success of library work, is to a large extent, the result of the measure with\nwhich the requirements of the public, and especially legislators, may be anticipated. It should\nbe borne in mind that works of reference, strictly defined, are usually very expensive and the\nappropriation available is very limited. I wish to point out incidentally that the City of\nVancouver last year expended over $3,500 on its Library and the City of New Westminster\nabout $2,500. In a new country where private libraries of any value are few, and consequently the facilities for pursuing inquiries in regard to any subject limited, the necessity of\naffording in a public way the means for such is very obvious, and since the establishment of\nthe Provincial Library, in its small way, experience has daily demonstrated public requirements in that respect.\nAs primarily a legislatorial library, statutes, sessional papers and public documents and\nbooks on constitutional law and political economy must have first consideration. Next to that\ncome encyclopaedical and statistical works, and then historical, biographical and descriptive.\nIn the latter class are essentially included those works which contain and refer to the history of,\nfirst, the discovery and exploration and general development of our own Province, and, next, of\nthe whole western country of which the sources of history are common. After those in order\nare the Dominion of Canada and the wider affairs of the Empire. Among works of reference\nare properly classed the complete editions of great standard authors within whose stores are\ngarnered the best expression of the English language, and whose works possess the most distinguishing charactistics, and portray the genius, of the race; and each year should see added\none or more of these.\nIt is upon the foregoing lines that an effort has been made to build up a Library, which\nmay eventually be representative of the intellectual status of the Province, and become a\nsource of pride as reflecting the intelligence as well as the wealth of its people. Library\nmethods have been the subject of the most careful study and experiment, and have all but\n 60 Vict. Report of Legislative Library. 479\ntaken a place among the sciences. Within the past few years they have become highly developed, and involve patient, industrious and systematic attention to detail, as well as an intelligent appreciation of public demands. In making arrangements for establishing the Library\nin the new buildings, where alone it is possible to classify and carry out the work systematically, these approved methods, the result of the very best experience, have been adopted so\nthat it may grow and expand according to a fundamental plan from which no departure may\nbe necessary no matter to what proportions it may attain in the future.\nIn presenting my report as Librarian, I beg to state, Mr. Speaker, that with the duties\npertaining to the latter are associated those of secretarial work in the office of the Premier,\nand those as Secretary of the Bureau of Statistics as defined in the \"Legislative Library and\nBureau of Statistics Act, 1894.\" Respecting the latter, a report is being compiled for submission to the Legislative Assembly during the present Session, containing some statistics of a\nProvincial character never before compiled. As representative of the Province on the Dominion History Committee, it has been my duty to assist in preparing the material for and revising\nthe proofs of the new Canadian School History, a book of 350 pages now in print. In my private\ncapacity I have also had under preparation a year book of British Columbia, to contain 400\npages. This is a private undertaking, the result of the continuous and widespread demand for\nreliable and authentic information covering a wide field respecting the Province, and the\nencouragement with which the announcement has met has decided the publication of an edition\nof 5,000 copies. The profit, after the payment of legitimate expenses, is to be devoted to the\nLibrary. A British edition has been asked for, which will be undertaken if justified by the\nsuccess of the Canadian edition. The variety and extent of the contents will, I trust, recommend the Year Book to public approval and enure to the benefit of the Province.\nAt various times the Library has been in receipt of MSS, old volumes and other souvenirs\nof a local historical character, for which I am directed by the Commissioners to express their\nacknowledgment and due appreciation. In the new buildings, where provision exists for their\npreservation, special attention will be given to making a collection of matters of a reminiscent\ncharacter, and it is hoped that the public will appeciate the importance of bringing together, in\na safe and permanent abiding place, those remembrances of the early days which will be\ntreasured by their posterity as fitting mementoes of the pioneers who laid the foundations of a\ngreat commonwealth.\nI have the honour to be,\nSir,\nYour obedient servant,\nR. E. GOSNELL.\nvictoria, B. C.:\nPrinted by Hichahd Wolfenden, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty.\n1897.\n"@en . "Legislative proceedings"@en . "J110.L5 S7"@en . "1897_19_0477_0479"@en . "10.14288/1.0063672"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Victoria, BC : Government Printer"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy or otherwise distribute these images please contact the Legislative Library of British Columbia"@en . "Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "REPORT ON THE LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY, BRITISH COLUMBIA."@en . "Text"@en . ""@en .