6 LIBRARIES. 
appointed to consider the question and in accordance with their 
recommendations a special Cataloguing Staff has been re-formed. 
Additions will, henceforth, be dealt with when received, and the 
arrears will be worked off as speedily as possible. It has been decided 
to combine the three parts of the catalogue which are already in 
print, and all additions, in one alphabetical sequence. This is a very 
necessary work, but the labour will be great and several years must 
pass before copy will be ready for the printer. Meanwhile, by the 
substitution of a sheaf catalogue for the present card catalogue in the 
Picton Reading Room, students will receive the benefit of the change 
while the work is in progress. 
The various departments of the Reference Library have been 
connected by telephone. This is a great convenience to all, but parti- 
cularly to the users ot the Picton Reading Room. The advantage of 
placing the assistants in that room, where so much varied information 
is hourly sought, in close connection with the cataloguing room must 
be obvious. The Chief Librarian hopefully looks fcrward to the time 
when structural alterations will be made which will enable the 
Cataloguing Staff to be removed to a room adjoining the Picton 
Reading Room. 
The Reference Library, which was formerly closed at 2 p.m. every 
Friday, is now kept open until 6 p.m. This extension of hours has 
added to the convenience of a large number of readers in the Picton 
Reading Room and is highly appreciated by them. 
The Brown Reading Room has been re-painted and decorated. 
The total issue of books for home reading from the Lending 
Libraries shews a decrease of 3,631 volumes. For purposes of 
comparison the statistics of the issues from the Garston Library are 
not included, as that Library was only opened to the public on the 
29th of May. But for a large increase in the issues to Juvenile 
borrowers, the decrease in the number of volumes issued from the 
Lending Libraries would have been more marked. The figures for 
the Central, Toxteth, and Everton Lending Libraries shew the 
serious decrease of 42,594 vols., of which 28,486 are recorded by the 
Central and 11,666 by the Everton Lending Libraries. These 
