I was placed upon the Library and Museum Committee on entering the Council, Mr. Picton, afterwards Sir James Picton, being the chairman. The committee met at nine o'clock in the morning, and seldom rose before twelve. I could not afford so much time, and therefore resigned, but when master of my own time I joined the committee again, and found the work very interesting. Sir James Picton had an extensive knowledge of books, and he is entitled to the credit of building up our splendid reference library, and of making the excellent collection of books on architecture which it contains, but he had little sympathy with lending libraries, and when he died the three branch lending libraries were very indifferent and poor, which was the more extraordinary bearing in mind that the act of parliament instituting free libraries was promoted by Liverpool, and although Liverpool was not the first town to take advantage of it, she was only six weeks behind Manchester in adopting it. Sir James Picton, the historian of Liverpool, was endowed with an excellent memory, and his mind was a storehouse of knowledge. He took an active part in the various literary societies, and was for many years one of our leading and most enlightened citizens. After his death the chair of the Library Committee was occupied for three years by Mr. Samuelson, and in 1889 I was elected his successor, and held this chair for nineteen years. There is no public position in Liverpool more full of interest and with such wide possibilities for good as the chairmanship of the Library Committee. I very early decided that the right, and, indeed, only policy to pursue was to make the institutions placed under my care as democratic and as widely useful as possible, and this could best be done by breaking down all the barriers erected by red tape and by trusting the people; and, further, extending the system of branch libraries and reading rooms. In carrying out this work I always enjoyed the sympathy and active co-operation of my committee, and had the valuable assistance of Mr. Cowell, the chief librarian, and his staff. The acceptance of the guarantee of one ratepayer instead of two for the respectability of a reader has been a very popular reform, and the introduction of open bookshelves, containing the most recent and popular books of the day, has been greatly appreciated, and I am glad to say the books we have lost have been very few. Branch lending libraries were opened at the Central Library, Everton, Windsor Street, Sefton Park, West Derby, Wavertree, and Garston. At several of these libraries we have reading-rooms and special books for boys, which are much appreciated by them.