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We hope that our Conference Report Number of The Library World will give our readers as much pleasure as the many communications we have received assure us our last issue did. The record of the proceedings at Norwich appears on other pages; here we need only say that the conference will be remembered as one of the most delightful and stimulating in a long list of delightful and stimulating conferences. Everything went smoothly from beginning to end with that absence of obvious effort which is a certain sign that immense effort has gone to the organisation. We expected much from Norwich, and we received it. The tributes paid to the Local Committee and the special references to the enthusiasm and devotion of Mr. Stephen and his able deputy, Mr. Charles Nowell, were blessed to give and we hope were blessed to receive. They were thoroughly deserved.

THE Library Association Record will, no doubt, produce the appropriate account of the initiation of Mr. Charles Nowell, at Manchester, as President of the Library Association. Only a few words are necessary here to assure the new president of our satisfaftion with the recipient of our highest honour and our assurance of our loyalty. He has had the full apprenticeship from his youth up in the ways of public librarianship and the great work he has done since he has been Chief Librarian of Manchester has had the approval both of the citizens there and, we venture to assert, of the nation. It was specially appropriate that the ceremony, as was the case with Mr. Cashmore at Birmingham, should take place in his own city where the citizens, his Lord Mayor—who entertained the guests splendidly—his Committee and fellow City Officers could share in our tribute. It was even more fitting that that city should be the cradle of librarianship, having our pioneer of pioneers, Edward Edwards, as its first Librarian, and having also had a succession of fine library committees served by a series of quite eminent librarians. One word more; the speeches were worthy of the occasion and Mr. Gordon transferred his own powers to Mr. Nowell with the grace and eloquence he has shown consistently. Our readers will have seen the capital portrait—a speaking likeness—of Mr. Nowell in the January Record.

Bookings for the Conference at Edinburgh from 4th to 8th June promise to be heavy, and librarians and other delegates who have not yet made their bookings for accommodation are advised to lose no time in completing their arrangements, as accommodation is already tight. The Conference Programme promises well for a week of much interest, and it has been varied so that it should appeal to librarians not only in the town and county service but also in specialist libraries. The general sessions, and the more important of the Section meetings will be held in the Music Hall. Monday afternoon and evening will be devoted to the registration of delegates and to the opening of the exhibition at which publishers, booksellers and library specialists will show a wide range of their stocks and equipment. The Opening Session will be held on the morning of 5th June, under the Chairmanship of the President, Mr. James Wilkie. A welcome to the City and Royal Burgh of Edinburgh will be extended by the Rt. Hon. the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and this will be acknowledged by the President. The award of the Carnegie Medal will be made to Mrs. E. Vipont Foulds for her story The Lark on the Wing. This will be followed by the Presidential Address, which members will look forward with particular interest to hearing, and the Association's vote of thanks will be given by Mr. Robert Butchart, Principal Librarian, Edinburgh Public Libraries. In the afternoon members are invited to a Garden Party at Lauriston Castle, by the Rt. Hon. the Lord Provost. In the evening the Annual Lecture will be given by Mr. J. Murray Watson, Editor of the Scotsman, whose subject will be “The Book and the Newspaper”, followed by votes of thanks expressed by Mr. Charles Nowell, City Librarian, Manchester, and Dr. W. King Gillies of the Edinburgh Public Libraries Sub‐Committee on Books. On Wednesday, 6th June, the morning session will be addressed by Mr. J. W. Forsyth of Ayr on “The Scottish Public Library Service”, with Mr. Wilkie in the Chair; and it is greatly hoped that the Report of the Advisory Council for Education in Scotland, dealing with the Scottish public library service, may by that date be available for consideration. The afternoon and evening will be devoted to section meetings, at which the speakers will be Mr. F. A. Sharr of Manchester, Mrs. Naomi Mitchison, Dr. L. W. Sharp, Mr. W. B. Paton of Lanarkshire County Library, Mr. W. Pearson, Ministry of Town and Country Planning, Mr. E. Hargreaves of Leeds Public Libraries, Dr. A. J. Walford, and others. On the morning of Thursday, 7th June, the Annual General Meeting will be held, to be followed by an address by Mr. W. A. Munford of Cambridge Public Libraries entitled “New World Symphony”, which will deal with aspects of the library position in the United States. In the afternoon the University and Research Section will hear a paper by Mr. W. Beattie of the National Library of Scotland entitled “An Outline of Scottish Printing”. The Annual General Meeting of the County Libraries Section will be held at the same time, to be followed by a symposium under the title of “Looking Forward” to be contributed to by Mrs. Mary G. Brown, County Librarian of the Stewartry, Miss G. Jones, Buckinghamshire County Librarian, and Mr. G. Davies, Montgomeryshire County Librarian. This symposium should be one of much interest as county library policy is still unsettled in some regards. On the morning of Friday, 8th June, there will be a general session devoted to library service to industry and this will be a symposium with contributions by the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine on “National Problems”, by Mr. F. C. Francis, Librarian of the British Museum, on “The Scientific Bibliographical Aspect”, and by Mr. L. R. McColvin, City Librarian, Westminister, on “The Public Library Aspect”. There will also be round table discussions for those interested in special aspects: these will be held on the afternoon of the Friday. The social side has been given due attention. Reference has already been made to the Garden Party at Lauriston Castle. The Annual Dinner of the Library Association will be held on the evening of Thursday, 7th June, under the Chairmanship of the President, and the Toast List is an attractive one, including Ald. Robertson, Chairman of St. Pancras Public Libraries, who will propose the Toast of the City and Royal Burgh of Edinburgh, to be responded to by the Rt. Hon. the Lord Provost. Other speakers will include Sir Alexander Gray, Miss J. A. Downton, Chief Librarian, Preston, and Mr. Eric Linklater. From this record it will be gathered that the members are going to be kept as busy as possible at the sessions; but the social occasions arranged for will provide opportunities for relaxation, and it may be that a large number of the delegates will want to avail themselves of the arrangements being carried through in connexion with the Festival, and to see shows and to visit the libraries and art galleries which in range are not equalled by any other city in Great Britain, apart from London. Had times been normal, the Association might have looked forward to having a large number of foreign delegates in attendance, as there are many of our colleagues across the world who may yet remember the banner year of 1927 when Edinburgh drew the library limelight of the world to the Conference scene.

THE Manchester School of Librarianship was founded in October 1946, one of the original five schools opened in the autumn of that year. It was attached to the Department of Industrial Administration in the Manchester College of Science and Technology and was thus something of an exception, as the majority of schools of librarianship were attached to Colleges of Commerce or general Colleges of Further Education. As accommodation was very limited in this rapidly expanding college, the then City Librarian of Manchester, Charles Nowell, kindly offered the use of two rooms in the Central Library, so after a brief period in the College building, the students were moved to the Central Library, though the School remained administratively a part of the College. Many former students must have memories of those two curving rooms, the Manchester Room and the Lancashire Room, with their old‐fashioned school desks.

UNTIL the end of 1948 Mr. Nowell remains our President and his occupancy of the office has fulfilled all that we expected of him. It has been forceful and, we think, has left its mark upon us, his general statesmanship and complete sanity of outlook being shown whenever he had occasion to direct meetings or to speak to them. He does not now go into retirement as our past four presidents‐have done by the fiat of superannuation schemes ; he has what President Cashmore called the glory of going on for a number of years yet. He will therefore continue to exercise profound influence on public and other librarianship with the wisdom and power with which, as President, he has won general thanks.

THE interval between the Library Association Conference and the printing of THE LIBRARY WORLD is too brief for more than a series of impressions of it. Comment is probably preferable in our pages to mere record. The Association is publishing in the next few weeks all the papers that were read and, as we hope, the substance at least of the unwritten contributions. In this second particular reports in recent years have been lacking. A report that merely states that “Mr. Smith seconded the vote of thanks” is so much waste of paper and interests no one but Mr. Smith. If Mr. Smith, however, said anything we should know what it was he said. What we may say is that the Conference was worthy of the centenary we were celebrating. The attendance, over two thousand, was the largest on record, and there has not been so large a gathering of overseas librarians and educationists since the jubilee meeting of the Library Association at Edinburgh in 1927. So much was this so that the meeting took upon it a certain international aspect, as at least one of the non‐librarian speakers told its members, adding that it was apparently a library league of nations of the friendliest character. It followed that an unusual, but quite agreeable, part of each general session was devoted to speeches of congratulation and good‐will from the foreign delegates. All, with the possible exception of the United States, dwelt upon the debt of their countries in library matters to the English Public Libraries Acts and their consequences. Even Dr. Evans, in a very pleasant speech, showed that he had reached some tentative conclusions about English librarianship.

“WHAT Manchester thinks to‐day, London will think tomorrow,” was a current saying a century or less ago. It may be current today in political matters; it may be so even in library matters. Before his lamented death, Charles Nowell drew up a long, careful memorandum for his committee on the desirability of Government grants in aid for libraries such as his own which acted in a very definite way as national libraries, in that their services were drawn upon by thousands outside Manchester who contributed nothing to the rates. In smaller measure the case could be made for every library authority which maintains a reference library, because there are no qualifications or introductions or fees required of any reader whencesoever he may come. To that quite substantial degree every good public library does national service. It could of course be contended that libraries receive services of a like kind for their own readers from all other towns and counties. In any case, the burden on Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol—to name only a few important examples—is perhaps unfairly heavy. The case seems a good one. Opposition to the suggestion of tax‐aid which is by no means new, came formerly from the Authority associations, not because of their concern for the taxpayer's pocket, although we do not accuse them of lack of such concern, but because such grants imply a possible, indeed a likely, further interference with local autonomy. It is quite understandable; little by little local authorities have been shorn of their most productive enterprises. School and police in some towns, transport in others, and in all the gas and electricity industries have been appropriated by Government. On terms, it is true, but on capital payments which meant the loss of the recurrent income and, what was worse, loosened the local influence over the services concerned. Perhaps the local authorities can be persuaded that grants, without unreasonable interference and without loss of local control, are desirable. Librarians will watch with practical interest the progress of this proposal which, it should have been mentioned, has been approved by the Manchester City Council.

LIBRARIES of late have not had the radio publicity that was agreeably frequent at an earlier time. Occasionally there are broadcasts that are useful and, we believe, effective. A good example was that given by Mr. Charles Nowell on the centenary celebrations on September 2 of the Manchester Public Libraries. He told in a familiar conversational manner of the achievements of the past and the work now being done, with what seemed to this listener to be excellent effect, his voice being, like his manner, admirable for the microphone. Another useful, well balanced broadcast was that given on October 8th on the Home Service programme by Mr. Daniel George on the National Central Library in which an outline of the part played in the library life of the country was put over with simplicity and, again, confidential familiarity. We hope the L.A. and others who can influence the matter will keep the advantages of radio still well in mind. There is also T.V. and what that may do for libraries, or reading in connection with the use of libraries.

THE HISTORY Wilbraham District Library (now re‐modelled as Fallowfield Cultural Centre) was first opened on 31st October 1932 by the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, Chancellor of the University of Manchester, amid a great deal of ceremony‐presided over by the Lord Mayor and in the presence of Manchester's hew Chief Librarian Charles Nowell. The Annual report of the Manchester Libraries Committee for 1932–33 states that the Earl dutifully borrowed the first book, The mediaeval woodwork of Manchester Cathedral by Henry A. Hudson. As early as 1923 the Libraries Committee had applied for the use of the important corner site occupied by the new library on the new housing estate in Wilbraham, believing this to be a “pivotal point” for the whole estate and the close proximity with the nearby school enabling “the services to co‐operate successfully in their work with children”.

LIBRARIES have come impressively into the public picture in the past year or two, and seldom with more effect than when Their Majesties the King and Queen opened the new Central Reference Library at Manchester on July 17th. In a time, which is nearly the end of a great depression, that the city which probably felt the depression more than any in the Kingdom should have proceeded with the building of a vast store‐house of learning is a fact of great social significance and a happy augury for libraries as a whole. His Majesty the King has been most felicitous in providing what we may call “slogans” for libraries. It will be remembered that in connection with the opening of the National Central Library, he suggested that it was a “University which all may join and which none need ever leave” —words which should be written in imperishable letters upon that library and be printed upon its stationery for ever. As Mr. J. D. Stewart said at the annual meeting of the National Central Library, it was a slogan which every public library would like to appropriate. At Manchester, His Majesty gave us another. He said: “To our urban population open libraries are as essential to health of mind, as open spaces to health of body.” This will be at the disposal of all of us for use. It is a wonderful thing that Manchester in these times has been able to provide a building costing £450,000 embodying all that is modern and all that is attractive in the design of libraries. The architect, Mr. Vincent Harris, and the successive librarians, Mr. Jast and Mr. Nowell, are to be congratulated upon the crown of their work.