Alistair Black

A history of the public library in England, providing an account of the social and intellectual contexts in which the institution developed in the years 1850-1914, including social control, technical education, economic decline, middle-class failure and the social causes of architectural style.

Social and Intellectual Contexts, 1850-1914

A New History of the English Public Library

Peter Hoare

The Public Libraries Act of 1850 founded a tradition of public provision and service which continues today, and national and academic libraries have grown and multiplied accordingly. Libraries have become an industry rather than a localized phenomenon, and librarianship has developed from a scholarly craft to a scientific profession. The essays in this volume present a picture of great diversity, covering public, national, academic, subscription and private libraries. The users of libraries are an important part of their history and are considered here in detail, alongside the development of the library profession and the impact of new information technologies.

The Cambridge History of Libraries in Britain and Ireland

Simon Pepper

Kaye Bagshaw

Public libraries have strangely never been the subject of an extensive design history. Consequently, this important and comprehensive book represents a ground-breaking socio-architectural study of pre-1939 public library buildings. A surprisingly high proportion of these urban civic buildings remain intact and present an increasingly difficult architectural problem for many communities. The book thus includes a study of what is happening to these historic libraries now and proposes that knowledge of their origins and early development can help build an understanding of how best to handle their future.

Early Public Libraries in Britain from Past to Present

Books, Buildings and Social Engineering

This important and comprehensive book represents a ground-breakingsocio-architectural study of pre-1939 public library buildings. It includes a study of what is happening to historic libraries now and proposes that knowledge of their origins and early development can help build an understanding of how best to handle their future.

Alistair Black

Books

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