From Munn-Pitt to Library Act: Stimulating Support for Public Libraries in New South Wales 1935-1939: Part 3, Part 3: Troubled Times (original) (raw)
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This three-part series traces efforts to establish a system of free public libraries in New South Wales from the time of publication of the Munn-Pitt Report in 1935 to the passing of the New South Wales Library Act in 1939. The series delves beyond the published accounts of events and describes the actions and interactions of the interested parties - the senior librarians at the Public Library of New South Wales, the Free Library Movement, the Library Group, the Libraries Advisory Committee, New South Wales politicians, the media, local government bodies, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Australian Council for Educational Research. There are also insights into the public and private views of key individuals, including Ralph Munn, W. H. Ifould, D. H. Drummond, and G.C. Remington. The first part describes efforts in 1935 to capitalise upon the impact of the Munn-Pitt Report, to devise a regional library system for New South Wales and to stimulate Carnegie Corporation of New York support. It also introduces the characters upon whom the fate of free library services in New South Wales would ultimately depend.
This three-part series traces efforts to establish a system of free public libraries in New South Wales from the time of publication of the Munn-Pitt Report in 1935 to the passing of the New South Wales Library Act in 1939. The series delves beyond the published accounts of events and describes the actions and interactions of the interested parties - the senior librarians at the Public Library of New South Wales, the Free Library Movement, the Library Group, the Libraries Advisory Committee, New South Wales politicians, the media, local government bodies, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Australian Council for Educational Research. There are also insights into the public and private views of key individuals, including Ralph Munn, W. H. Ifould, D. H. Drummond, and G. C.. Remington. The second part describes the efforts of the Libraries Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of W. H. Ifould to develop a politically acceptable and workable free public library scheme for New South Wales. The paper outlines how contentious issues, such as compulsion of local government authorities, ministerial control and funding formulae, were handled by the Committee and reveals the influence of D. H. Drummond, Minister for Education, on the final report.
Advance and retreat: aspects of public library services in New South Wales during World War II
Describes the impact of the outbreak of World War II on the operations of the state library in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (then known as the Public Library of New South Wales), and the changing fortunes of public library legislation during the course of the war. Drawing on archival sources, shows for the first time the extent of lobbying by librarians and laymen in support of the legislation, and the interest of others, including Ralph Munn and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, in the outcome. Shows how implementation of the legislation did not occur until an Allied victory seemed assured, and how the legislation was enthusiastically adopted at War's end.
Public library development in New South Wales
Public Library News (State Library of New South Wales), 2004
A short account of the development of public library services in New South Wales, from subscription and schools of arts libraries beginning in the nineteenth century, through generally poorly-supported municipal libraries in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to a burgeoning free public library system from the 1940s onwards. Identifies milestones and key movements and individuals and seeks to explain why developments in New South Wales lagged behind those in comparable environments.
‘Political control’: the New South Wales Library (Amendment) Bill, 1975
In 1975 the New South Wales Government proposed to combine the functions of the Library Board of New South Wales and the Council of the (State) Library of New South Wales to form a new body, the Library Council of New South Wales. This was intended to improve coordination of library services to the public and there was general support, but when the Library (Amendment) Bill, 1975 was actually introduced, it contained a clause subjecting the new Library Council to the ‘direction and control’ of the Minister. This was unacceptable to members of the Council of the Library, especially its President, Mr Justice Rae Else-Mitchell. The Library had hitherto enjoyed considerable autonomy in selecting library materials and accepting benefactions. The Bill passed through the Legislative Assembly, but after hours of feverish lobbying and argument it was amended in the Legislative Council. The amended Bill which became law limited the Minister’s ‘direction and control’ to subsidies to local councils. This paper describes the Bill’s stormy progress, examines the parts played by Council members, politicians and librarians, and explores why little attention has been paid to this attempt to limit the autonomy of a statutory body which had operated successfully for a century under governments of all complexions.
William Herbert Ifould and the development of library services in New South Wales, 1912-1942
1993
William Herbert Ifould (1877-1969) was Principal Librarian of the Public Library of New South Wales from 1912 to 1942, spanning critical years for library services in Australia, including the two Wars, the Great Depression, the Munn-Pitt Report, the campaign of the Free Library Movement and the passing of the New South Wales Library Act. He has however been neglected by scholars of this period of Australian library history. This study examines Ifould's activities during these years, and assesses his significance for the Public Library of New South Wales, for free public libraries and for the library profession in Australia. The study involved the examination of primary and secondary materials by and about Ifould in libraries, archives and private hands, and works on his Library and Australian librarianship of the period. There were interviews and correspondence with people who knew him, including former members of his staff, friends, neighbours, contemporaries in other libraries, members of his family, former users of the Library, and the sole surviving Library Trustee from the Ifould era. The study describes how Ifould achieved status as a public figure, a public servant and a professional librarian, and helped to create a hospitable climate for library development. It shows the lengths to which he went to achieve his objectives, including the completion of the Library building, the securing of benefactions, the development of the Library's collections, the containment of costs and the selection of staff. It provides the first detailed accounts of the Libraries Advisory Committee, which Ifould chaired, the passing of the Library Act and the formation of the Library Board of New South Wales. It also reveals the extent to which his successor, John Metcalfe, was indebted to him. The study concludes that Ifould's role throughout the period was highly significant, and that he played a critical role in laying the foundation for free public library services in New South Wales.
Great minds: Metcalfe, McColvin and 'Public libraries in Australia'
In 1946 the prominent British librarian Lionel McColvin was invited to Australia in controversial circumstances to examine and report on public library developments. During a three month visit he assessed progress in all States since the landmark 1935 survey of Australian libraries by Ralph Munn and E. R. Pitt (the Munn-Pitt Report) and subsequent library legislation in some States. This paper examines the dynamic relationship between McColvin and Australia’s leading librarian, John Metcalfe, President of the Australian Institute of Librarians and principal librarian of the Public (now State) Library of New South Wales. It concludes that, as McColvin himself surmised, the visit would prove useful not so much for the substance of his report and recommendations, as for the way in which debate on public libraries was stimulated.
Free books for all: the public library movement in Ontario, 1850-1930
Dundurn Press, 1994
Free Books for All provides a detailed and reflective account of the people. groups, communities, and ideas that shaped library development in the decades between 1850 and 1930, from Egerton Ryerson to George Locke, from Mechanics Institutes to renovated Carnegie libraries. A chronological narrative, lively writings by the people involved, tables, maps, graphs, and period photographs combine to tell the stories of the librarians, trustees, educators, politicians, and library users who contributed to Ontario’s early public library system. The movement to use the power of local governments to furnish rate-supported library service for citizens was a successful Victorian and Edwardian thrust. Today, more than 500 public libraries span the province, serving as intermediary points between authors and readers and providing a wide scope of information and programming services for educational and recreational purposes. The libraries themselves are, in part, a tribute to the men and women who worked tirelessly in a broad social movement to promote library service in many local Ontario communities before 1930.