A Proposal for the Establishment of District Public Libraries on an Economical Basis

Advocacy for rural library provision in central and southern England in the late nineteenth century

“…Although the Verneys were interested in promoting reading and intellectual activity they saw village libraries primarily as a form of social cement for rural application, a view to which Greenwood also subscribed (5, pp. [38][39][40].…”

“…Elaborating on his proposal of 1886, Ogle suggested in 1893 that six to twelve parishes should voluntarily combine under a common board of commissioners. It would then be possible to pay a professional librarian a realistic salary of £200 per annum (38). The idea was amplified by Baker in 1896, who pointed out that the newly created parish councils could raise only between about £12 to £20 as the product of 1d.…”

“…He suggested an amalgamation of ten parishes, each with its own library of 1000 volumes, directed by a librarian at a central office who would be assisted by voluntary helpers in each parish. Half of each library would consist of the same titles and would be stationary; the rest would be different collections which would be passed from village to village at yearly intervals (38). Baker, drawing on his own experience of voluntary itinerating schemes in Derbyshire, preferred an unmodified rotating model.…”