Title:
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The history of libraries in Plymouth to 1914 : a study of the library developments in the three towns of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse which amalgamated into Plymouth in 1914
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The individual and collective history and character of the Three
Towns is outlined, with special reference to factors affecting their
potential as library environments. The libraries are then
presented by type, each type being introduced by.n appropriate
sketch of the national setting and specialist local background,
followed by accounts of individual libraries. The libraries are
mostly post-1800, and the main types are: commercial subscription,
private subscription, literary and philosophical, mechanics'
institutes, cooperative, rate-supported, school, scientific,
medical, law and naval libraries. The general conclusions reached
are: that the Three Towns contained a number of libraries which
were amongst the earliest of their type; that they also contained
good examples of types of libraries which have received comparatively
little professional attention, such as cooperative and naval
libraries; and that W.B.K. Wright, the Borough Librarian of Plymouth
1876-1915, was one of the most important provincial founder-members
of the Library Association and deserves greater recognition for his
work in promoting the public library movement. At the regional
level, it is concluded that the Three Towns, led by old Plymouth,
often pioneered library developments in Devon and Cornwall. At the
local level, it is concluded that although the Three Towns were
contiguous and occupied only a small geographical area, nevertheless
they did exhibit some interesting differences in their respective
library developments which can be attributed to specialist factors
in their individual histories and characters. For all of these
reasons, the pre-1914 library history of the modern City of
Plymouth is significant and deserves to be better known in the
professional literature.
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