TY  - JOUR
AB  - THE Glasgow meeting of the Library Association, which was the thirtieth of the annual series, may be described as the largest, best organised and most sociable ever held. To begin with, the weather, for Glasgow, was phenomenally good, and in consequence there was an absence of that climatological bad temper which frequently results from rain; and another good arrangement was the concentration of most of the members in a few hotels instead of being scattered all over the place. These circumstances all made for sociability, and greatly helped to make the local programme a complete success. The arrangements made by Mr. Barrett, his assistants and the Local Reception Committee were very complete, and the information‐desk part of the business side of the Conference may be described as perfect. On the professional side nothing of special importance was accomplished, and, as has already been remarked in these columns the programme of papers was poor, uninspiring and tame. The only paper which forsook the arid ruts of technology was Mr. Tedder's able and suggestive survey of the “Librarian and his relations with books,” which, however, was quite inadequately discussed, although it reached a higher level than any other contribution. The most successful papers were those of Messrs. Sindall and Davenport, both with lime‐light effects, and it may also be said, both given with remarkable ability. A first‐rate note was struck in the presidential address, which took a high line and was stimulating in quality, as well as being eminently practical in one or two respects. The plea for more effective limitation of the newspaper element in libraries was rather surprising, coming as it did so soon after the very different finding of the Cambridge meeting in 1905; and one wonders if the aspect of the Glasgow district reading‐rooms with their lavish provision of 668 newspapers had anything to do with this plea. It is, at any rate, a subject for reflection if it is really worth while equipping a library system with 668 newspapers, and only recognising monthly and quarterly periodical literature to the extent of 575. In Glasgow, as in many other places, Continental and American scientific, artistic and technological periodicals are very largely neglected in favour of all kinds of comparatively valueless broadsheets, which are filed at great cost and have only a very narrow local interest to recommend them. Mr. Carnegie's remarks on librarianship were very much to the point, and it is to be hoped he will yet see his way to make practical application of his own theories by endowing a central Library Institute for the systematic training of librarians and the control of bibliographical work in Britain. The laying of the memorial‐stone of the new Mitchell Library building was a most important event in the history of Glasgow, and in two or three years one may hope to see the valuable and varied stock now inadequately housed in Miller Street transferred to a splendid new home.
VL  - 10
IS  - 4
SN  - 0307-4803
DO  - 10.1108/eb013743
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/eb013743
PY  - 1907
Y1  - 1907/01/01
TI  - The Library World Volume 10 Issue 4
T2  - New Library World
PB  - MCB UP Ltd
SP  - 121
EP  - 160
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -