the staff, resigning to become first
Librarian. In addition, both Mr Wilson and Dr Scholefield were in turn
Advisory Directors to the Turnbull Library until the post was abolished
in 1930.

_The Library as a Museum_

The Library has during its century collected many curios which should
really have been given to a museum. The Library Committee has had to
decide frequently whether historical relics could be displayed. In
1886, after the Taiaha of Wahanui presented to James Bryce had been
refused, the Committee laid down that nothing but books, manuscripts,
maps, etc., should be deposited without special permission.

However the Library possesses today many such relics. There are the
caskets containing the Freedoms of certain cities presented to Mr
Fraser, a similar collection of Mr Seddon's and of Sir Joseph Ward's,
the pen used by Mr Massey to sign the Treaty of Versailles, a kava
bowl, mats, etc., from Samoa, and many other items. The Library also
had for a time the Bishop Monrad etchings and the Chevalier pictures,
but these were handed over to the Turnbull Library and Academy of Fine
Arts respectively.

The display of such objects tends to attract to the Library visitors
not interested in the books, but whose conversation distracts more
serious readers.

_Purchase of Books_

Though today books are purchased in many countries most of the books
have always been obtained in England. The first books were bought from
Smith and Elder in London, but this was not continued. Instead, an
arrangement was entered into with a Mr Maberly of Auckland, partner in
a London firm of booksellers, to obtain and bind books uniformly.

In the following years the Library had several London agents, none of
whom were entirely satisfactory, while some were quite the reverse.
What the Library Committee wanted was a reliable buyer who could
provide books cheaply and in addition supply the more important books
as they were published without duplicating them in later orders.
Including the time taken for reviews to reach New Zealand, for them to
be read, the books to be ordered and dispatched to New Zealand, it
would be not far short of a year before a book published in England
reached the shelves of the Library.

After several changes of agent in quick time the Committee in 1883
asked the authority of Cabinet to use the Agent-General in London to
purchase books. This was given and book purchase was put on a happier
basis. This was p