remarks are of interest,
"... the Library of the General Assembly [may] develop or, as is more
probable, bifurcate into a national library ..."

As the only large State library, it was natural that the General
Assembly Library should be regarded as the basis of a national library
and there were frequent references to this side of the Library's work
in the debates on copyright deposit in 1903 and 1913. About the same
time the Library Association meeting in Wellington carried a resolution
saying that the Library should be regarded as the nucleus of a national
reference library.

The matter was not forgotten but rather lay dormant until 1935 when the
Munn-Barr report on New Zealand libraries suggested the amalgamation of
the General Assembly and Turnbull Libraries, together with a country
lending department, to form a national library. This suggestion more or
less received the approval of the Government and plans were drawn up
for a new library building.

The war intervened, but since 1950 the question has become increasingly
prominent, and there have been two inquiries. While it is possible to
combine a purely legislative and national reference library, I have
doubts on the complete absorption of a parliamentary library by a
national library. In the United States, for example, the Library of
Congress gives both services, but Congress and its needs are supreme.
The library seemingly envisaged for New Zealand would have wider scope
and unless very carefully planned and managed, there could be conflict
between Parliament and the department controlling the library.

The Library also played its part in the establishment of the Country
and later the National Library Services. In 1935 Dr Scholefield
travelled overseas at the invitation of the Carnegie Corporation of New
York and on his return made a report on rural library services, which
turned further attention to this matter.

A group of New Zealand librarians interested the Carnegie Corporation
of New York in the proposal to organise a demonstration scheme in
Taranaki and asked Mr G. T. Alley to prepare plans. In 1937, however,
L3,000 was placed on the Estimates for the Country Library Service and
Mr Alley was appointed Director later in the year. For some time the
Service was also located in Parliament Buildings.

Twenty years earlier the Library had also assisted in the
reorganisation of the Turnbull Library as a State library. Mr J. C.
Andersen was for some time on