Library Notes and News. 89 GRAVESEND. The Lending Library was opened on New Year's Day. The present stock in the lending and reference departments amounts only to about 3,000 volumes, which will, however, shortly be increased. There are already over i ,000 borrowers. Average daily issue about 100. Card-charging system copied from the Holborn Public Lib- rary has been adopted, there not being space enough for an indicator. A census lately taken showed that over 500 visits were made daily to the rooms. GRAYS. On February I2th, the Free Library and Reading Room, at Bank Buildings, High Street, were formally opened by Mr. G. H. Silverwood. HAWARDEN. The Rector of Hawarden announces that St. Deiniol's Theological and General Library, near Hawarden Church, which already contains 25,000 volumes, and will soon be put by Mr. Gladstone under a trust, was provisionally opened about January for the use of students (old and young, clerical and lay), inquirers, authors, and clergy, or others seeking intervals of rest. HULL. The Baker Street Hall was opened by Alderman Wood- house, D.L., as a temporary Reading Room, on January 3rd. IPSWICH The Reference Department of the Free Library has just been enriched by the addition of a complete set of volumes of Blomefjeld's " Topographical History of Norfolk," in the original binding, published in 1807, the gift of Mr. Alderman Westhorp (President of the Museum). KILMARNOCK. Mr. Henry Young Simpson, of Arbroath, an assistant of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, has been appointed librarian of the Kilmarnock Public Library. LEAMING-TON. On February igth, a tramp was committed to prison for begging in the Free Library. LIVERPOOL. A branch Library and Newsroom is to be built in Everton. LONDON : CLERKENWELL. With this number is issued, as a supplement, the circular issued by the Commissioners respecting the " Free Access of Borrowers to the Lending Library Book-shelves." This new system will come into operation on May i, and we have been re- quested by Mr. Brown, the librarian, to ask his brother librarians to abstain from calling or writing for information till after the first week in May. So much interest has been manifested in the experiment by librarians, and others, all over the country that it has been found some- what of a tax attending to so many enquiries in the midst of the work necessitated by the change. Mr. Brown will, therefore, evidently be assisted by other librarians restraining their curiosity concerning a scheme which can only be properly judged after a fair trial. LONDON : KENSINGTON. On Wednesday, December 27th, 1893, the members of the staff of these libraries held their second annual concert, with the Vicar of Kensington in the chair, supported by Captain James, and other Commissioners, and the Chief Librarian, Mr. Herbert Jones. The concert was a great success, musically as well as socially. A noticeable feature was the presence among the audience of librarians from other parts of London.
