Three Centuries of a City Library Part 7

"The ceremony of laying the first stone took place on Wednesday afternoon, in the presence of a large concourse of spectators. The ground had been decorated for the occasion with numerous flags, banners, and devices in flowers and foliage, and amongst the most conspicuous of the mottoes was one complimentary to the Mayor, bearing the words 'Bignold for ever!' surmounted by 'The Queen and Const.i.tution,' with 'Trade and Manufactures' on the right and 'Commerce and Agriculture' on the left. In a convenient position a platform had been erected for the express accommodation of the fairer portion of the spectators. As the time for the performance of the ceremony drew nigh all the neighbouring approaches to the spot were densely crowded; every window within sight of the ground had its full share of occupants, and daring spirits had even ventured to take up their position on the surrounding walls and house-tops.

"A few minutes after four the sounds of distant music intimated the approach of Sir Samuel Bignold (the Mayor) and his friends, and, after the lapse of another second or so, his wors.h.i.+p appeared in sight, accompanied by H. Birkbeck, Esq. (the Sheriff of the city), the Duke of Wellington, the Earl of Orford, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, M.P., Sir J. P. Boileau, Bart., Edmond Wodehouse, Esq., M.P., S. M. Peto, Esq., M.P., the Rev. E. Sidney, most of the members of the city magistracy and corporation, several county magistrates, a large number of influential county gentlemen and citizens, J. R. Staff, Esq. (the Town Clerk), Mr. E. E. Benest (the City Surveyor), the Corporation officers bearing the city regalia, &c., &c.--followed by a large procession of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, carrying flags and banners, the most prominent of which bore the mottoes--'Success to the Free Library,' 'Peto, the true Friend of Civil and Religious Liberty,' 'The Durability of the Const.i.tution,'

and 'Education for the People.' The procession was headed by an excellent bra.s.s band, playing, as it approached, the popular air, 'Cheer, boys, cheer!' At this stage of the proceedings the outer crowd, in their anxiety to get within view of the proceedings, broke the barriers, overpowered the police, and made a rush to the palisades which surrounded the ground. These, by the weight of the many persons who clung upon them, unfortunately gave way, bringing with them a coping stone to which they were attached, and on which a young man named Samuel Harper had been sitting. He was thrown to the ground, and several people falling upon him he sustained a fracture of one of his ankles. He was immediately conveyed to the hospital, and we are glad to learn is doing well. Several other persons were also injured, but not seriously. Beyond this no accident occurred.

"With the a.s.sistance of the City Surveyor and Mr. Stanley, stone-mason, the worthy Mayor then proceeded to discharge his agreeable duty--the laying of the first stone. He used for the purpose a very elegant silver trowel {59a} with ivory handle, furnished by the Messrs. Etheridge (which had been presented to his wors.h.i.+p by Mr. E. E. Benest) bearing the following inscription on the blade:--

Presented to Sir Samuel Bignold, Knight, Mayor of Norwich, on the occasion of his laying the first stone of The Free Library, September 13th, 1854.

"Upon the surface of the stone a bra.s.s plate was fixed, on which was engraved the following inscription:--

This first stone of the Norwich Free Library, was laid on the 13th September, A.D. 1854, by Sir Samuel Bignold, Knight, Mayor of this City in the years 1833-4, 1848-9, 1853-4.

Henry Birkbeck, Esq., Sheriff.

John Rising Staff, Esq., Town Clerk.

Architect--Edward Everett Benest, City Surveyor."

The ceremony having been completed and the stone securely fixed in its place, addresses were delivered on the contemplated advantages of the library by the Mayor, the Rev. Edwin Sidney, M.A., Rector of Cornard Parva, Suffolk, and author of various works, Mr. Samuel Morton Peto, M.P.

for Norwich, Sir J. P. Boileau, Bart., an archaeologist of Ketteringham, who was Sheriff of Norfolk in 1844, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, M.P., who in the early part of his legal career was on the Norfolk circuit, and two members of the Council, Mr. W. J. Utten Browne, and Mr. J. H. Tillett.

The Town Clerk presented to the Mayor an address from the Norwich District of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, begging "most respectfully to tender the thanks of our numerous a.s.sociation to you and the Corporation of this city for the manifestation of regard for the Working Cla.s.ses in having determined on the erection of a Free Library; feeling a.s.sured that such an inst.i.tution will be welcomed by a large number of the industrious inhabitants, and will prove largely beneficial to all who will avail themselves of the advantages it offers." In the course of his address the Mayor said: "It has been my lot now, during my life, which has not been a short one, to aid a great many undertakings in this city--insurance offices, spinning factories, waterworks, literary and scientific inst.i.tutions, and public charities; but I have never lent my a.s.sistance to any undertaking which more entirely commends itself to my judgment than that in which I am this day engaged in commencing" . . .

"and I must here say that Mr. Tillett has been the main-spring of this undertaking, for he has never lost sight of it since the act placed it in the hands of the Corporation."

After the erection of the building had been commenced it was considered that it would be highly advantageous if the School of Art was connected with and formed part of the Library, and the Council authorised the expenditure of a further sum in order to add another story for the accommodation of the School of Art. This involved some delay in the progress of the building, and for various reasons the Library was not ready for opening until March, 1857.

According to the first annual report issued on August 31st, 1858, a special committee appointed by the Council estimated that the total cost of the site and building would amount to 7428 pounds : 5 : 0. "In order to repay Sir Samuel Bignold the amount advanced by him during the progress of the works, and to complete the same, a loan of 6,000 pounds, at 5 pounds per cent., was, in 1857, obtained from the Norwich Union Office, and it is to be repaid by instalments of 200 pounds yearly, which, with the interest on the loan, will nearly absorb for several years the rate of one penny in the pound per annum, authorized to be levied under the act . . ." The report proceeded: "The cost of the building has, unfortunately been a subject much talked about and misrepresented, and it should be remembered that the portion of the building occupied by the Library is less than a third of the whole, the other parts being occupied by the Museum, the Literary Inst.i.tution, and the School of Art. The cost of the building, giving accommodation to all these inst.i.tutions, has certainly been small compared with the cost of buildings for similar purposes in other towns: in Liverpool, for instance, the building cost 50,000 pounds."

"Under arrangements made with the committee of the Museum, the advantages of that inst.i.tution have been secured to the citizens on two days of the week, and that such advantages have been appreciated, is evinced by the large number of visitors, chiefly of the working cla.s.ses, every Monday and Sat.u.r.day, to inspect the splendid collection of specimens in Natural History."

"The School of Art was, early in 1857, removed to the upper story of the new building, whereby the annual grant of 75 pounds made for the support of the inst.i.tution will be in future saved."

As the first public library act made no provision for the purchase of books, a subscription fund was commenced for that purpose about the time of the laying of the foundation stone, and the following donations, with others, were soon made: The Duke of Wellington 50 pounds, Lord Wodehouse 25 pounds, Lord Suffield 25 pounds, Sir Samuel Bignold 21 pounds, Mr. J.

H. Gurney, M.P., 50 pounds, and Mr. S. M. Peto, M.P., 50 pounds. At the time of the first annual report the total amount of donations received for the purchase of books, etc., and interest thereon was 357 pounds : 7 : 1, nearly all of which had been expended in the purchase of books, periodicals and newspapers.

On September 30th, 1854, the Council proceeded to the formation of a body of management, on lines suggested by a Committee which had been appointed to arrange preliminary proceedings for establis.h.i.+ng a free library, and the following accepted office: President and Treasurer, Sir Samuel Bignold, Mayor of Norwich. Vice-Presidents: The Lord Bishop of Norwich, Lord Wodehouse, Lord Stafford, Lord Suffield, Sir J. P. Boileau, Mr. S.

M. Peto, M.P., Mr. J. H. Gurney, M.P., Mr. H. J. Stracey, and the Rev.

Edwin Sidney. Committee: Aldermen E. Willett and C. Darkins; Councillors Thomas Brightwell, J. G. Johnson, J. H. Tillett, J. Barwell, W. J. Utten Browne, O. Springfield, and two co-opted members, Dr. Goodwin and Mr. J.

W. Dowson. Hon. Secretary, Mr. A. D. Bayne, the author of the "Comprehensive History of Norwich," 1869. The Committee had power to add to its number not exceeding five, and it was also resolved that the Committee should include five members to be nominated by the subscribers and five by the working cla.s.ses. The Committee shortly afterwards added to its number. Protests were received regarding the proposal that admission to the Library should be by subscription, and apparently it was not proceeded with. In accordance with the other resolution of the Council, to the effect that the working cla.s.ses should nominate five persons to serve on the Committee, the Mayor convened a meeting of the "working cla.s.ses" at St. Andrew's Hall on the 1st October, 1856, when the following were selected for nomination to the Council, and were duly elected on the 16th October: Mr. C. J. Bunting, printer, Mr. Daniel Weavers, weaver, Mr. Henry Roberts, herbalist, Mr. L. Hill, news-vendor, and Mr. James Lofty, hairdresser.

The Library was opened on the 16th March, 1857, without any public function, owing to the difficulty of getting an eminent person to perform the ceremony, and the Committee resolved to celebrate the opening at a later date, which, however, was not done, although Mr. Ewart had promised to be present. According to the particulars in the appendices of J. J.

Ogle's "The Free Library," Norwich was the eleventh modern rate-supported public library to open its doors, the previous ten libraries being those of Warrington and Salford (established under the Museums Act of 1845), Winchester, Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Kidderminster, Cambridge, Birkenhead and Sheffield. The following is a description of the building which appeared in the _Ill.u.s.trated London News_, May 16th, 1857:

"The exterior of the lower story of the building is Roman Doric, the second story Roman Ionic, and the third Italian. The Library and an adjoining apartment, appropriated to the Museum, are on the ground floor; and below are s.p.a.cious vaults, which are devoted to trade purposes, and from which a considerable annual revenue is expected to be derived. Over the princ.i.p.al entrance is a well executed head of Homer, and in the entrance-hall which has a tesselated pavement, are four scagliola columns with Corinthian capitals. The Museum-room is 54 feet in length and 26 feet wide, and the Library is 44 feet long and 33 feet wide. A broad and handsome stone staircase conducts the visitor to the second floor, on which is a lecture-room of the same dimensions as the Library, and two apartments appropriated to the Literary Inst.i.tution, which are collectively of the same size as the Museum beneath. On the third floor are two large rooms for the School of Art, with domed roofs and ample skylights, and four smaller apartments for cla.s.ses are also provided." A reproduction of a recent photograph of the building, showing to the left a portion of the Reading Room added in 1907, faces page 56.

The Library proper at first consisted of one room, as stated above, which combined a news and reading room, and reference and lending departments.

Books were not issued from the lending department until January 1st, 1858, when the books in two cla.s.ses, "General Literature" and "Voyages and Travels" were ready for circulation. Regarding rules for the loan of these books, the Committee provisionally adopted those of the Sheffield Free Library. By July of the same year all the books were available for borrowing, and the circulation "reached 500 volumes, always on loan, every volume being returned or renewed within a week." When the first report was published in August, 1858, there were 3,354 volumes in the Library, of which 2,468 volumes were presented, arranged in ten cla.s.ses: A, General Literature, 586 vols.; B, Geography, Voyages and Travels, 560 vols.; C, Dramatists, Poets, and Novelists, 454 vols.; D, History and Biography, 383 vols.; E, Bohn's Libraries, 318 vols.; F, Bonn's Libraries and Cabinet Cyclopaedia, 315 vols.; G, Natural History and Sciences, 244 vols.; H, Metaphysics, Logic and Religion, 306 vols.; I, Dictionaries, Cyclopaedias, Reviews, 88 vols.; [J] Magazines, 100 vols. All the books were apparently available either for reading at the library or for home-reading. In 1858 a record of issues was kept which showed that during the first half year 5,225 volumes were circulated "to nearly 700 persons," and the total issue of books "for perusal" in the reading room was 10,066 "issued to a large number of citizens."

Owing to the small amount of money available for the purchase of books and periodicals, the citizens were invited in the second quarter of 1857 to contribute for the supply of reviews, periodicals and newspapers, and by July 1858 nearly 60 pounds in subscriptions for this purpose had been obtained.

Mr. A. D. Bayne, as Hon. Secretary to the Committee, virtually acted as Librarian until his resignation in April, 1860, attending its meetings, conducting its business, purchasing the books for the Library, etc. The first person to take charge of the Library was Mr. Henry Turner who was engaged pro tem. on the 31st December, 1856, to take care of the new building, to catalogue the books, collect the subscriptions, etc., at a salary of 1 pounds weekly. For the first year he was regarded as an attendant, but subsequently he was called the Librarian. Apparently by reason of illness his engagement ceased at the end of 1858, and after a short interval, during which time Mr. R. L. M. Overton and Mr. C. Hunt were successively engaged, Mr. George Harper was appointed Librarian, the Committee recommending his appointment to the Council on 30th June, 1859.

Mr. Harper remained the Librarian until his death at the end of 1876.

During his tenure of office very little progress in the development of the Library was made, chiefly because the greater part of the library rate was absorbed in extinguis.h.i.+ng the building loan, and no annual reports were issued. In a schedule in Edward Edwards' "Free Town Libraries," 1869, it is stated that the aggregate number of volumes in the Library in 1868 was 3,642, that the aggregate annual issues were 13,480, and that the annual expenditure on the Library was 600 pounds.

As a matter of fact, the expenditure for the year ending 1st September, 1868, was 634 pounds : 7 : 3, of which 492 pounds : 9 : 11 was for the interest on, and repayment of, the loan. The product of the penny rate was 740 pounds, and an additional 119 pounds : 6 : 5 was received as fees for the hire of the upper rooms and the cellars of the Library. In the early days of the Library these rooms were hired for many purposes, including Sunday services, temperance meetings, Cambridge University local examinations, lectures, dinners, entertainments, etc., the cellars were used for the storage of wines and spirits, and the Norwich Meteorological Society had an anemometer fixed on top of the building.

Mr. George Easter, who succeeded Mr. Harper as Librarian in January 1877, was a native of Norwich, who had followed the craft of a wood-carver in Cambridge, and had had no training in library work. The burden of debt upon the Library having been considerably diminished, and the librarian coming to his duties with enthusiasm and a disposition to seek advice on books and library matters from those competent to give it, he was able to effect some improvements in the administration of the Library, and to develop it. About six months after his appointment he had prepared for the press an author catalogue of the books in the Lending and Reference Departments of the Library, which was ready for sale at sixpence each in December. One thousand copies of this crown octavo catalogue of 94 pages were printed. In this catalogue the hours of the Lending Department were stated to be from 11 a.m. till 3.30 p.m. on week-days.

The publication of an annual report was revived in 1879 when a report covering the period December 1st, 1877 to December 31st 1878 was submitted to the Town Council. It showed that the stock consisted of 4,400 volumes, of which nearly 1,000 had been added during the year; and that during the period 1,545 borrowers' tickets had been issued, and 27,408 volumes had been issued, as compared with 15,312 vols. issued from September 1875 to September 1876.

In 1879 the Librarian requested the Committee to allow him to purchase works relating to Norwich, which eventually led to the formation of the Local Collection, which is described on pp. 77-81.

The library rate was one penny in the pound from the date of the opening of the library until 1871, but for several years afterwards it was either about three farthings or one halfpenny. The rate was raised to three farthings in the pound in 1880, and in the following year it was raised to one penny in the pound, thereby providing 937 pounds : 10 : 0 for the year, since which time the full library rate has always been levied. Mr.

F. W. Harmer took a prominent part in securing the increase in the library rate. He pointed out that to spend the product of a halfpenny rate on the plea of economy was really the reverse of economical, as it just sufficed to pay standing charges, leaving little or nothing for the purchase of books.

The annual report for the year ending March 25th, 1888, is interesting as it records that the great burden of the debt on the building had been cleared off, and briefly reviews the work of the Library after ten years'

service of the Librarian, as follows:

"The present Librarian was appointed in 1877, starting with a stock of 3,500 books in the Lending Department and almost none in the Reference Department; whereas the present stock consists of 11,500 for Lending and 5,000 for Reference purposes, about 1,200 of the latter, with 1,650 pamphlets, pictures, &c., being of a local character and purchased with fines imposed for detaining books beyond the time allowed for reading.

"The number of borrowers in 1877 was 1,540, whereas the number in 1887 was 3,550; the number of issues of books in the same period increasing from 27,000 to 77,000--about 10,000 of the population of the city over 14 years of age having taken advantage of the boon afforded by this department."

The report draws attention to an increase in the hours of the lending library, which hitherto had been 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m., to 11 a.m. till 9 p.m. every week-day except Thursday.

The establishment of a juvenile department as a means of stimulating interest in the Library was one of the first suggestions made by Mr.

Easter after his appointment, and although the Committee did not entertain it then he did not abandon it, and the subject was raised in the press and in Committee in 1885. As a result the Mayor, Mr. John Gurney, who was keenly interested in the proposal, offered to give 100 pounds on condition that an additional 150 pounds was raised, but he died before the establishment of the scheme. The Chairman of the School Board, Mr. (afterwards Sir) George White, who was a member of the Committee, promised to raise the matter at a School Board Meeting, but the scheme, to be financed by public subscription, did not come to fruition until 1889. In that year the total amount of subscriptions reached 276 pounds : 14 : 9, and 3,667 volumes suitable for juveniles were obtained.

Batches of books were forwarded to every elementary school in the City, and the head teacher in each was made responsible for the distribution of the books to the scholars in standards IV and upwards. The tables published in the annual report for the year ending March 1890 show that 3,621 books were sent to 38 schools, and that the total issues for the first seven months was 52,312. In the report for the year ending March 1893 the Committee reported:

"The Juvenile Department having proved a source of labour and cost much beyond what was antic.i.p.ated, a Sub-Committee appointed to report on the subject recommended that the School Board should be asked to contribute to the expense of repair and renewal of books, and to urge upon their staff increased care and vigilance in the management of the Department.

This expense the Board report they are unable legally to incur. Pending this decision the distribution of the books was suspended, but the Committee have now decided to continue the circulation for another twelve months."

The wear and tear of the juvenile books proceeded apace, and the report for 1894-95 stated that when they were last called in "1,700 had to be rebound or repaired, and in the four circulations about 800 volumes have been found defective or worn out and withdrawn. The Committee therefore decided to issue the reduced number of books, to such schools as made application for them, under more systematic regulations." The juvenile books went from bad to worse, and in the report for the year ending March 1900 it was stated that the Committee had decided to hand over the stock to the Norwich School Board, which had recently decided to establish and work a Juvenile Library of its own. Thus ended an experiment which was financed unsatisfactorily, badly controlled, and of very doubtful utility as a means of developing the work of the Library.

The large increase in the stock of the lending library necessitated a new catalogue, and one (304 pp.) was printed and published in 1889, which was followed by supplements (88 pp. and 106 pp.) in 1889 and 1895. These catalogues were compiled on the dictionary plan, the authors' names and the t.i.tles and subjects of the books being arranged in one alphabetical sequence.

The question of Sunday opening was discussed by the Committee in July, 1884, but the Council declined to sanction the Committee's recommendation to open the Reading Room. Five and a half years later the Council revoked its decision, and the men's and women's reading rooms on the first floor were opened on Sundays between the hours of 3 and 9 p.m. In the annual report following the Sunday opening the experiment was described as "quietly successful," and in the reports for the next few years the visits were estimated at 15,000 annually--a daily average of 289. The Reading Room continued to be open all the year round until 1913, when owing to the small attendances during the summer months it was closed from June to September inclusive; in that year the average attendance on the Sundays was 117. Having regard to the small attendances and the inadequate library staff, the Committee in 1915 decided that the Reading Room should be closed on Sundays during the war.

The Report for the year ending March 1894 briefly reviewed the work of the Library after forty years. By that time the stock had reached 30,124 volumes in all departments, and the annual issue from the lending library, excluding 49,000 books issued by the teachers in 36 elementary schools, was 86,355. The Reference Library, including the Local Collection, contained 10,520 volumes and 5,367 pamphlets.

The large room on the ground floor vacated by the Museum was extended and renovated during the year 1895-6, and was partially furnished with book-cases and shelving in order to provide accommodation for the Reference Library, which then comprised 8,450 volumes and 2,081 pamphlets, with 2,987 local books and 4,327 local pamphlets.

In 1896 a loan of 1,300 pounds was sanctioned by the Local Government Board for defraying the cost of the extension of the Reference Library and fittings, the purchase of a Cotgreave Indicator, installed in 1897, the restoration of the exterior stonework of the building, and interior decoration and repairs. The total expenditure amounted to 1,740 pounds, the difference between the cost and the amount of the loan being paid from the balance in hand.

During the year 1898-1899 a catalogue of the Reference Library was prepared for printing in sections, and in the following year five were printed. The entries in these sectional catalogues were single-line author and subject entries, the latter being merely inverted t.i.tle-entries.

Mr. J. Geo. Tennant, the Sub-Librarian, who had been appointed to that position in 1888, having previously been engaged part-time at the Library, was promoted to the office of Librarian in 1901, following the death of Mr. Easter. A few months later the Committee advertised the vacant office of Sub-Librarian, candidates to have had training and experience in a public library, and Mr. Llewellyn R. Haggerston, an a.s.sistant in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Public Libraries, was appointed.

The safeguarded open-access system, by which borrowers are allowed to choose books from the shelves, was considered by the Committee and the Council in 1905, but not adopted. The system was then in its infancy, but has since been introduced into many public libraries.

The provision of catalogues of the Library was considered by the Committee in 1905-6, and it was decided to provide type-written sheaf catalogues of authors and subjects for the Lending Department, which were completed in 1906-7.

Owing to the inadequate accommodation in the Reading Room on the first floor, the question of extending the Library building received the attention of the Committee for a considerable period, and eventually the City Engineer prepared plans for the extension of the building, to provide a reading room on the ground floor. The new room cost about 1,640 pounds and was provided with book-cases, furniture, etc., at a cost of 267 pounds, and was opened to the public in April, 1907. Most of the book-cases were provided for shelving several cla.s.ses of the Lending Library books, partly because more shelving accommodation was required, but princ.i.p.ally to permit the public to inspect the books, "the object being to induce a more general use of these works in place of fiction."