Interview with Lynette Fay Meares

Lyn Meares details her family background. Describes her childhood and some ill health. Comments on family methods of discipline, her parents' attitudes to smoking and alcohol, religion, politics in her family, music and reading. Notes that her family was not affected by the Depression. Details her education and teaching at Rangiruru mentioning several teachers and the strong influence Rangiruru had on her life.

Describes why she went to library school in Wellington and talks about the interview with G T Alley and Mary Parsons. Describes the other Library School students in 1946, the staff, syllabus, assignments, lectures, social life, allowance paid to the students and the houses where the school was situated. Refers to fellow student Patricia Deans.

Talks about her first years in the Country Library Service in Christchurch, detailing the book exchange work and different parts of the Service. Lists other staff members and talks about Jean Wright. Notes that the library school graduates were not well received initially and comments on how difficult it was to do the certificate course while working. Describes a secondment to West Coast libraries to work with school exchange. Explains the relationship between School Library Service and the Country Library Service.

Discusses the transition from subscription to free libraries in the late 1940s, the librarians' attitudes to this, the work involved weeding stock, loans of `free' lending books from National Library and the differences between libraries in terms of their stock and local body funding. Refers to Carnegie library.

Notes that she worked at the Country Library Service in Christchurch from 1947-1949. Comments on the Labour government of the time's favourable treatment of libraries, the good economic post-war years and how the National government did away with the free postal service (the D service) in 1949.

Details meeting and marrying Wyndham Maurice Meares, who was ex Air Force, his family, farm jobs and managing, leasing and then buying the family farm Vulcan Downs. Talks about their children. Describes setting up the B Library for Scargill in the living room, the fee for library use, the users, visits from the library van and the conditions the field librarians drove and worked in. Describes field librarians over the years, including Owen Simmance, Elizabeth MacLean and Hugh Lorimer. Talks about how the quality of books dropped over the years and the request service became more important. Notes the different reading habits of the men and women in the community.

Describes the changes in the Country Library Service as the book van service wound down and the decision was made to close the other `B' libraries and make one district library at the Greta Valley School. Explains how the library at the school was set up, administered, serviced first from the van and then directly from National Library in Christchurch, how grants and funding were sought and the role of the local council and Education Department in the success of this library. Comments on good community support for the library.

Venue - Greta Valley, North Canterbury

Interviewer(s) - Hugo Manson

Venue - Mrs Meares home at Greta Valley, Scargill, North Canterbury

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002049, OHC-002050, OHC-002051

Tape numbers - OHA CLS/2634, 2635, 2636, 2637, 2638, 2639

Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 3 Hours Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-0308.

Printed abstract contains portrait photograph of Lyn Meares, a photograph of Lyn Meares with one of the field librarians and Irene Harrison in a library and a photograph of the book van with Wyn and Lyn Mears, John and Irene Harrison, Di Loughman and the field librarian standing in front of it.

Search dates: 1924 - 1989

Alternative form available:

An online copy of the abstract is also available to read in the Library's Reading Room