Calendar: 1974-1975 Page 412

Annual Report of the Delegacy xxxi Library Committee considered possible ways in which more satis- factory distribution of readers' places could be effected and proposed the absorption into the Library of an area adjacent to the Science library which would ensure more favourable ratio of readers' places to science student numbers The accommodation in question was how- ever already allocated to and occupied by one of the science depart- ments for academic purposes and change of use was outside the com- petence of the Library Committee the whole question of providing more space for the Library desired by all faculties was therefore re- ferred to the College Accommodation Committee for urgent exami- nation In the meantime the partial mezzanining of the Old Library was completed during the long vacation when furnished this would provide 32 additional places for readers Outside Readers There was growing concern during the year about the increasing use of the Library by persons not entitled to use it nor admitted as outside readers Reluctant though the Library Committee was to institute formalities for users of the Library it came to the conclusion that in view of the impossibility of controlling adequately the many entrances to reading rooms readers' tickets must be issued to enable spot checks to be made particularly on borrowers the faculty cards of King's students serving as readers' tickets The College Library continues to welcome properly authenticated outside readers and 169 such persons were newly admitted during the session many of these being undergraduates from other universities needing library facilities in London during the vacation and received under the vacation reading scheme organised by the Standing Conference of National and University Libraries which also benefits King's students whose homes are in the provinces Inter-library co-operation 10 There was another marked increase in the number of items re- quested as inter-library loans 491 such requests being received from members of the College total of 844 requests was satisfied leaving failure rate of 18-5 per cent which was higher than usual Most requests were satisfied by the component parts of the Lending Division of the newly established British Library 279 coming from the former National Lending Library for Science and Technology and 213 from or through the former National Central Library 12 of the latter