1931 - Annual Convention

              SI A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
F u r t h e r , d u r i n g their years of life, our public libraries have become focal
points for districts that are much greater than the definite constituencies that
they were destined to serve. We have learned a good deal from, their exper­ience
as to the need felt by country districts, and the exploratory work done
by our existing l i b r a r i e s is no small part of the total service they have ren­dered
to us. A great deal of credit is coming to some of the agricultural
schools, particularly that of Olds, whose alumni have been pioneers in this
matter, and also to l i t t l e groups of people here and there who have been t r y i ng
by voluntary effort to inaugurate book service i n t h e i r communities.
There is one other point of interest. I have mentioned the great central
l i b r a r i e s which have been coming into existence in the last few years to supple­ment
the local collections of books, and We should not be discouraged at a ll
when we learn how many thousands of dollars are being put into these. We
have, ourselves, in the province, the nucleus at least, of such a central l i b r a ry
i n the Department of Extension of the University, and we may hope to see
that g r ow in such a way as to fill for us the function of the large libraries
elsewhere.
Now, as to the outcome of the L i b r a r y Conference, it was very delightful
to everyone to meet and discuss matters of such great interest, and. apart
f r om any definite results, everyone, I think, felt that the conference was w e ll
worth while. But we have some definite results to report. In the first place
a L i b r a n ' Association for the Province of A l b e r t a has been formed, and its
professed aims are, the improvement of l i b r a r y standards, the promotion of a
province- wide library service, and the encouragement of the co- operative
effort of all l i b r a r y and educational agencies in the attainment of these ends.
This Association, it ts hoped, will be a clearing house for opinion on library
matters, and will do its best to help the cause of l i b r a r y service in the pro­vince.
Membership i n this association is open to libraries and l i b r a r i a n s and
to other organizations or individuals interested in furthering the cause of
l i b r a r y service.
M o r e interesting, perhaps, is the fact that at the Conference, certain
desirable changes in the existing P u b l i c L i b r a r i e s Act were considered, and
recommendations were laid before the P r o v i n c i a l Government. As a result
very largely of the personal interest taken in this matter by the H o n . P e r r en
Baker, an Act was passed at the recent session of the legislature to amend
the Public Libraries A c t . The amendments of special interest to us are
three- fold :
( a) The old A c t only authorized the establishment of municipal libraries
i n cities and towns, but made no provision for other municipalities. That
has been changed so that now any organized district can undertake library
work if it so desires.
( b) Co- operation between libraries or between groups of people seeking
to provide l i b r a r y service is now authorized under such regulation as the
M i n i s t e r of E d u c a t i o n may make, so that it w i l l be possible for a r u r a l munici­pality,
or even for a group of people in a r u r a l community, to make arrange­ments
with an adjoining l i b r a r y for the provision of l i b r a r y service.
( c) V o l u n t a r y organizations w h i c h undertake the provision of book ser­vice
in communities not served by municipal libraries may be recognized as
libraries within the meaning of the Act, and w i l l qualify for the government
grant to libraries, provided that such instructions as the M i n i s t e r of E d u c a t i on
may lay down are complied with.