Page:The Library, volume 5, series 3.djvu/443

SCOTTISH LIBRARIES. 429 and the six branches. The pifture galleries and museums contain works of art and specimens entirely given by local donors, the value of these donations being over 40,000. Now it is evident that from a penny rate or even from a twopenny rate it would have been quite impossible to have had either central or branch libraries, museums, and picture galleries in Dundee, without having incurred a wearisome load of debt. And even as it is, with all these splendid gifts, it is apparent that Dundee would have had a very insufficient Library system. At present the twopenny rate produces about 7,000 of income, and out of that limited sum the Free Library Committee has to carry on a central lending library (recently doubled in size at the expense of the Corporation), a central reference library, six fully-equipped branch libraries and reading-rooms, six picture galleries, two sculp- ture galleries, and two extensive museums. In the administration of library finance there are only two items that may be curtailed the account for books purchased, and the salaries of the library staff. To limit the first of these would be to nullify the purpose for which the library was established ; to arrange a low scale of wages would condemn the important work of distribution to be inefficiently carried out. Clearly, then, unless the progress of the library movement is to be paralysed, some means must be devised for remedying these defects, and averting the danger of the whole scheme of Public Libraries proving abortive. And here again Mr. Carnegie proffers aid. He has laid aside a munificent sum of money under the v GG