The House of Commons Library Enquiry

That all is not well with the Library of the House of Commons is indicated by a document published by H.M.S.O. under the title of Special Report from the Select Committee on Library (House of Commons) together with Minutes of Proceedings, Evidence and Appendices. Mr. J. V. Kitto, C.B.E:, Librarian of the House of Commons, is retiring from his post, and in December, 1944, he handed to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon. Col. D. Clifton Brown, a memorandum giving his views on the Library position, criticising the existing administration, and outlining his suggestions for improvement. The Library is represented as being out of date, understaffed, lacking a serviceable catalogue, and as having an inadequate book fund; and Mr. Kitto proposes a better scale of salaries. There are also memoranda on storage and an appendix indicating that the Library stock is “all over the place.” A Select Committee was constituted, with Mr. George Benson as Chairman. We suggest that if librarians obtain copies of this remarkable report they will be assured of diverting reading.