§ Mr. Swinglerasked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what assistance has been given by the United Kingdom Government since March, 1962, in the development of library services in the developing countries of the Commonwealth and in the training of librarians in the United Kingdom; and which territories have been helped in these respects.
Mr. CarrSince March, 1962, the British Council has made grants totalling £43,000 to assist public library development projects in Northern Nigeria, Uganda and Zanzibar. A further grant to Fiji, in addition to the one made in March, 1962, is under consideration. The Council has also given assistance to a library training scheme at Makerere University College.
In addition to operating its own library services in all the developing countries of the Commonwealth, the Council provides other forms of help. Its librarians advise on local library matters, and often undertake the training of local librarians. Book presentations or large block loans of text-books and other books are frequently made to libraries in universities, colleges and schools. The Council has also arranged advisory tours by British experts to India, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanganyika and Uganda. Four scholarships and six 168W bursaries for study in Britain have been awarded to student librarians from the Gambia, Jamaica, India, Malaysia, Nyasaland, Pakistan (3), Sabah and Zanzibar; and eight more student librarians attended a summer school on librarianship arranged by the Council in Britain in September, 1962. The Department of Technical Co-operation has recruited five United Kingdom librarians since March, 1962, for Fiji, Tanganyika (2), Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and are planning to recruit two more for Northern Rhodesia.