8 LIBRARIES. 
The Catalogue of Liverpool Prints and Documents was completed 
and published in the early part of the year, and its importance as 
a supplement to the records of local historians has been fully 
recognised. It forms an index to the considerable collection of 
maps, plans, views, portraits, memoirs, literature, &c., relating to 
the City, gathered by the Committee during the course of many 
years; and has already proved of distinct service to those seeking 
information on antiquarian, topographical, biographical, adminis- 
trative, literary, and other matters of interest in the past and the 
present of Liverpool. 
During the year, the provision of a selection of foreign books 
(French, German, Spanish, and Italian) for circulation from the 
Lending Libraries was also instituted; and this departure has been 
attended with much success, readers greatly appreciating the 
opportunity of improving their knowledge of these foreign tongues 
and foreign literatures. . 
Several important gifts of books have to be acknowledged: Miss 
Mary Hornby continuing her liberal gifts of Books for the Blind 
in Braille type which have proved in the past so signal a boon to 
our Blind readers. 
The Garston Branch Library is now almost completed and 
equipped, and very soon its Lending Library and Reading Rooms 
will be at the service of the people of that district. 
The Free Lectures provided during the year numbered 181, — 
showing a further extension of the Committee’s operations in this 
direction. Of this number 162 were delivered to adult audiences, 
and included pictures of travel in various parts of the world, 
Science popularly considered, Natural History, Local and General 
History, Engineering and the application of electricity, the 
Mercantile Marine, and many other interesting and instructive 
subjects. The remaining 19 lectures were speciaily for children, and 
were successful in a high degree. The total attendance at the 
lectures was 97,334. 
