A TRAVELLING LIBRARY FOR COUNTY CORK.
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How an Irish Library. Committee has been Enabled to Solve a Difficult Distribution Problem.
TN connection with the libraries of
County Cork, Irish Free State, a special system-of book distribution was instituted a fin* years ago. It was found that a difficulty occurred, as the public demand for books steadily grew, in that many of the libraries supplied under this scheme were situated at long distances from the headquarters, some being •80 miles or more away, with the result that the librarians concerned found it inexpedient, for obvious reasons, to choose their books in person from the central store. Consequently, the staff at the head library had to select the books for distribution to many of the various points, and the results of this arrangement were not always successful, as the members of the staff were, naturally enough, not able to judge the exact reading tastes of the various localities as accurately as could the district librarians themselves. The catalogue system was tried in order to avoid this difficulty, but even this failed, because St was the usual practice to distribute the whole stock of books from the central store to the local libraries for periods of three months.
The commercial motor has now been resorted to in order to solve this problem, and generally to speed up the supply of books to the area concerned. Incidentally, there are 126 local libraries in this area, which extends from "Yonghal to Allihies and from Michelstown to Goleem A new-type Ford 30cwt. chassis, as can be seen from the illastration, has been chosen as the basis of a special van to be used by the County Cork Library Committee actually as a travelling library, whiCh will make tours of about a week's duration throughout the county ; ordinary vans are already used by some library committees for distribution, but these usually make only daily journeys, returning to their depots after each day's MEL.
Messrs. Muffins and Sons, of Parnell Place, Cork, have built the body of this van, which has a special system of shelving enabling it to carry up to 2,000 books, from which the local librarians will be able to make their choice as the vehicle tours from centre to centre. The body, the framework of which is constructed of high-quality Irish asb, is divided into three distinct compartments, that is, including the comfortably upholstered driver's cab, which is provided with a folding writing-table for the use of the attendant librarian, a typewriter, etc., being carried.
Doors are provided at the sides and rear of the van, to enable access to the various compartments to be gained
easily. The rear door has a normal type of van ,step, whilst a short ladder is used to enter the body from the side. The vehicle is neatly finished and has quite a pleasing appearance, although the illustration does not show this as clearly as it might, as it has been reproduced from an Irish contemporary, The Cork EXaMilIC7'.