w Zealand was
represented at the Philadelphia Centenary Exhibition in 1876 by Dr
Hector. He made arrangements with the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington for the General Assembly Library to receive United States
Government papers and for New Zealand in turn to supply New Zealand
official publications to the Institution. This was the Library's first
large exchange agreement and, while the material received under it has
often threatened to swamp it, very many valuable items have been added
from this source.

The overtures to the British Government first made in 1858 do not
finally seem to have succeeded until 1883. In this year Lord Derby in a
circular dispatch to all colonies offered to exchange British official
papers for those of the colonies to be sent to the British Museum. The
Library Committee jumped at the offer; it had since 1874 been buying
sets of parliamentary papers and immediately approached the Cabinet to
authorise that New Zealand publications should be sent. As a result the
Library possesses an extremely valuable and still growing collection of
British official papers.

The Library was in addition receiving New Zealand newspapers and
publications of all kinds and it had other exchange arrangements with
Canada and the Australian States. Until 1884, 81 newspapers were being
bound regularly out of 153 received, but in this year because of the
lack of space and the expense the number was reduced to 24. For all
this the Library was adding to its holdings of newspapers at a fairly
rapid rate.

The increase in the number of books necessitated an increase in storage
space. The first attempt was made in 1869 when a motion was brought
before both Houses asking that the Library building should be added to
in order to provide additional room. The matter was deferred until a
general enlargement of the buildings took place. This was done in the
recess of 1872-73, and the Library was given the old smoking room, but
only after a division when an attempt to have a proper building for the
Library had been defeated.

There was genuine concern on the part of the Committee for the safety
of the Library. In 1875 the building caught fire which was only put out
by the efforts of members. Two days later the Committee passed a motion
stating that the time had come when the erection of a proper Library
building could no longer be delayed. Sir George Grey was asked to move
the motion in the House. This was passed and a Royal