Commentary

FIFTEEN years ago what we regarded as the best brains of the library movement were devoted to the compilation of a Report on Public Libraries in England and Wales, later published as Cmd. 2868. This Report was a typical piece of Civil Service work,—saying in a thousand words what the average thinking man would say in three sentences. The work of producing it was given close attention by the Library Association, and generally its findings were in line with the Council of the day. Although it cost upwards of £2,000 to produce, not a great deal of result came from its publication. It will, indeed, be understood that if it had been the almost perfect document the mandarins of the profession imagined it to be, a Report by Mr. McColvin would not have been called for.