8 



the (lifierence being dne to the number of Patents consulted. The 

 Reference Lilii-ary which now contains 12,273 books, had 263 

 additions last year, of which KKS were Patent Specifications. Among 

 other statistics, it is worthy of notice that the number of new 

 boiTOwers joining dui'ing the year was 1806, and that the income 

 from fines and sales of catalogues showed an increase under both 

 heads. 



Our borrowers, as shown in Table five, continue to be drawn 

 from all professions and trades. There is now no difficulty at all 

 under the new system of issue, and I am glad to chronicle the fact 

 that borrowers use their catalogues a great deal more than they did 

 and come better prepared with the knowledge of what they want. 



I much regret that the hope I expressed in my last Annual 

 Report as to the completion of the whole Catalogue has not been quite 

 realised, but the work has proved heavier than I expected and we 

 have not yet finished, although there has been no unnecessary delay. 

 During the year we have brought out additional lists in Division 1., 

 Science and Natural History (2,600 books) ; Division 2, Fiction 

 (6,500 books) ; Division 6, Children's books (1,900 books), bringing 

 those divisions up-to-date. In addition we have issued an entirely 

 new Catalogue of Division 4 — Poetry, the Drama, and Miscellaneous 

 Literature (2,700 books); Division 3 — Ti-avel, History, and Biography 

 (6,900 books) is now passing through the printer's hands and will be 

 issued about the same time as this report. The last has been a very 

 tedious work, but we have endeavoured to make the cross-references 

 as complete as possible. This leaves only Division .") — Law, Politics, 

 Theology, and Philosophy (1,400 books) to be dealt with, and that is 

 already well in hand. 1 think that although the task I hoped to 

 accomplish has not been fully completed, the Committee will 

 consider that a good year's work has been done. 



The attendance in the Newsrooms shows no diminution, either at 

 the Central Library or at the Arboretum Reading Room. I have 

 every reason to be satisfied with the conduct of those attending, and 

 no serious complaint of any kind has been made during the year. 

 Petty thefts we are never quite free from, but even they have been 



