CONCLUSION

The primary aim of this thesis has been to reveal how, when, where and, more importantly, why so many libraries developed in the Auckland Province between 1842 and 1919. Finding the answer to where, when and how was easy. The facts spoke for themselves. Many library minute books recorded in great detail the methods used to set up the libraries, the basis for their strict rules and constitutions and their methods of library management. The difficulty was locating and analysing data which explained why settlers established libraries so early in the history of the province.

There have been a number of reasons given by library historians for the growth of libraries overseas during the nineteenth century. Many of these reasons were just as relevant in early Auckland. In the early forties, when the first groups of settlers came to Auckland, the library model most widely promoted in Britain was the mechanics’ institute. The ideology behind the mechanics’ institute was social reformist. The provision of such institutes was to improve the life of the working class man, making him more stable and better educated. This ideology was a factor in the establishment of the mechanics’ institute in Auckland.

The desire to impose social controls features prominently in New Zealand parliamentary debates and newspaper articles, particularly in relation to the young men of the colony. Many politicians and civic leaders believed that the library had a social role to play. Library provision would not only ensure that the new generation of New Zealanders was well educated; it would help to entice them away from the public house and the billiard parlour.

The Auckland politicians most influential in the promotion of libraries were Sir George Grey and Sir Maurice O’Rorke. Both served in the House of Representatives. Grey is particularly renowned for the donation of his large private library to the city of Auckland in 1880, but he also took an active and supportive role in parliament during debates over library provision. O’Rorke, better known for his advocacy of universal education, was a major figure in the promotion of the public library system in New Zealand. He was responsible for researching and writing most of the library legislation and believed that libraries continued a child’s schooling. He considered that if primary education could impart a love of reading, the library would continue by providing a link between the school and self education. He believed that the role of the library was to provide the kind of works which were beyond the financial resources of most young people, such as scientific, historical, geographical and biographical texts which ‘whet the appetite’. But at the same time he promoted the provision of recreational reading which would create a taste for ‘more solid literary food’.

During the late seventies, during discussions over government subsidies and aid to libraries, Parliament began to debate the provision of fiction in New Zealand libraries. Some politicians held very strong views against the spending of public money on recreational reading, while others accepted that libraries were changing to incorporate recreation needs with educational benefits. Some attempts were made by Education Boards, who distributed the government subsidies, to control the provision of fiction in libraries, but the practice was questioned in Parliament.

Another factor which aided the establishment of libraries in the province was favourable library legislation. There were four library acts passed between 1869 and 1908. The first, passed in 1869, provided guidelines for the establishment of public libraries, and empowered councils to levy a library rate of 1d in the pound. From 1871 onwards, a large number of libraries were established but it is very hard to link this act with library development as few libraries were established under its provisions. The second act, passed in 1875, gave libraries legal status and required them to register as public libraries. In 1877 the government passed the third act which gave a framework for government subsidies to libraries. There was subsequently a rush to become registered so libraries could apply for their share of the grant. The knowledge that government subsidies were available was noted in library minute books and local newspapers and this funding was a major factor in the establishment of many small libraries.

Other reasons which explain the early development of libraries were favourable economic conditions, community support and a high level of interest in mutual or self improvement. Many towns and suburbs established mutual improvement associations well before libraries were established. The large number of societies listed under the umbrella of the Auckland Union Parliament between 1887-1906 indicates that the desire to self education was strong amongst some groups of settlers. Members of some of these societies later went on to establish institutes and libraries, such as the literary institute in Whangarei and the Onehunga Institute.

The establishment of the local library was often an attempt to provide a cultural or social centre for the area. It also provided the town with an air of permanence. The libraries evolved through community effort and local fundraising. For some settlers it was the opportunity to donate their books to a worthy cause, while for others it gave a rare opportunity to read some more expensive books by paying a small subscription.

My research has shown that establishing a library was the easy part. The difficulty was maintaining public support and interest. Difficulties created by lack of financial support meant that libraries were often badly sited, had few books and only opened when it was convenient to the librarian. Often the cheapest titles were acquired rather than those which would have the greatest circulating. The early subscription and circulating libraries were not accessible to all. Until the establishment of the ‘free’ public libraries most libraries continued to be middle class institutions, accessible to those who could afford to join.