INTRODUCTION

Libraries, their establishment and their development have been researched by many librarians (cum historians) over the past hundred years in a bid to situate them within the disciplines of history, education or sociology. When Jesse H. Shera examined the writing of library history in the United States he claimed that it began with a ‘long tedious, and often uninspiring narrations of the events, personalities, and circumstances surrounding the formation, growth, and development of individual institutions.’ He suggested that from 1930 enough data had been accumulated to begin to write ‘in a general way, [about] the forces that brought the library to its present state of development and shaped its institutional form’. To describe the mechanics of how libraries developed is to explore only half of their history. To understand why they evolved it is essential to examine the communities they served, and how community needs, both social and intellectual, were met through library provision.

John Calvin Colson has suggested that it is also important to examine those who participated in the rise of the library as ‘personality traits of individuals contribute importantly to the development of institutions in which they play leading roles.’ When Robert V. Williams examined the historiography of library history he claimed that what was missing was a discussion of the ‘relative importance of a variable, relationships between variables, and an explanation as to why these variables affect the establishment and growth of public libraries.’

The ascent of the public library as the primary library model in Britain has been explained by a variety of factors, such as the need to impose social controls on the working classes, the rapid expansion of universal education and increased literacy rates, urbanisation and industrialization, and improved economic conditions. An examination of the history of libraries in the colonies of Australia and New Zealand indicates that this list should also include a need for stability, continuation and permanence.

I hope to clarify some of these issues in an examination of the development of libraries in the Auckland Province without resorting to an uninspiring narration of the facts. The time frame is from 1842 with the establishment of the Auckland Mechanics’ Institute, up to 1919 when the last library registered in Auckland under the 1875 Public Libraries Powers Act. The major component of the thesis focuses on the years between 1870 and 1890, when New Zealand library legislation and government funding began to have a major impact on library development.

When I started my primary research I found that it was necessary to re-formulate my idea of what a library was. My perception of a library was ‘a collection of graphic materials arranged for relatively easy use, cared for by an individual or individuals familiar with that arrangement, and available for use by at least a limited number of persons.’ This definition fits contemporary libraries which are managed by local councils and open to all ratepayers who live within the boundaries of the council. A library in nineteenth century Auckland, however, amounted merely to a collection of books. This could number as few as a dozen books, or as many as several thousand volumes, which could be lodged in boxes, bookshelves (or presses), church vestries, public halls, school rooms, and on the rare occasion, in a ‘library’ building. They were cared for, and selected by, a group of individuals, generally self elected, who had no library skills or guides on the management of a ‘public’ library. Most of the books were obtained through donation rather than purchase, and those which were purchased were often chosen for their low price rather than through any policy of collection development.

To understand why immigrants to New Zealand imported the fundamental principles of libraries, it was necessary to examine the development of libraries in Britain, the place of origin of a major component of the settlers to New Zealand. By the end of the nineteenth century, libraries in Britain had evolved from small privately owned collections, towards a model of free library services provided by local municipalities. This development was assisted by the introduction of British library legislation in 1850. The philosophy behind the establishment of British public libraries is examined in chapter one alongside the development of libraries in America and Australia up to the early twentieth century. New Zealand’s library development follows closely behind their progress. The public library model, which was beginning to be adopted in all four countries, by the end of the nineteenth century, and the cultural and intellectual desires of the colonists is also examined.

Chapter Two examines the role of the Auckland Provincial Council in the establishment of libraries, and examines the part played by Sir Maurice O’Rorke, a member of the Provincial Council and House of Representatives, who introduced several public library bills into the New Zealand Parliament. Based on the 1850 British Act, the 1869 New Zealand Public Libraries Act aimed at empowering local authorities to levy a library rate to financially support their local library. Before this period the only financial aid available was through the Provincial Councils. Several years later the 1875 Public Libraries Powers Act was drafted to simplify the procedure through which libraries could become incorporated societies, rather than adhering to the passing of individual acts for each library as had been done in the past. The Act also enabled library committees to accept donations of money or land, and gave them the power to enforce their rules and by-laws. In 1877 a further library act was passed. The Public Libraries Subsidies Act provided a framework for government subsidies to libraries on a pound for pound basis, depending on the libraries’ size and membership. The parliamentary debates on these Acts give an indication of the differing views over the role which libraries were expected to play in New Zealand society and make very interesting reading.

Chapters Three and Four examine the how, where and when aspects of library development in Auckland. The documents used for the basis of these chapters are the original deeds of incorporation under the 1875 Public Libraries Powers Act, filed in the High Court between 1878 and 1919. They are held in the National Archives in Auckland, and provide data on the establishment and operation of Auckland libraries. The papers include information about the trustees and committee of each library and, in the majority of cases, list their occupations. These chapters study the establishment of urban and rural libraries and their founders and include comments from members of the community, found within local newspapers, on their expectations about library provision.

Data gathered from the deeds of incorporation has been expanded with information from local histories and from library record books to show how library committees were established, their rules and regulations, their methods of book selection and levels of support from the local community. The occupations of members identify the class of membership in libraries in different towns and settlements and help to establish whether libraries were accessible to all.

Chapter Five is based on data which has been compiled mainly from records held by the Auckland Provincial Council. These are part of a large collection of records held in the Special Collections Department at Auckland Public Library. The records contain copies of responses by libraries to a circular sent out by the Auckland Provincial Council in 1874, requesting information about Council funding used in the purchase of books. The documents not only provide information on the numbers of libraries operating in 1874, but list some, if not all, of their holdings. The records have been collated into a database which is the basis for an examination of the literature selected for libraries. Comments from library minute books and parliamentary debates help to assess whether external pressures had any bearing on book selection. The chapter examines reviews of some of the books which were most popular to assist in an analysis of the reading habits of some communities.

There was a belief amongst many library committees and Education Boards that fiction was a great evil. They fought against the provision of fiction in libraries until low membership numbers drove many libraries close to closure. Libraries were faced with either closure or having to bow to the desires of the population and provide more recreational reading.

It is clear through my analysis that the libraries in the Auckland Province were established through a desire for access to a wider range of literature than could be collected by an individual and the public library model which evolved was based on an assumption that libraries should be accessible to all. The reality was that during the nineteenth century they were frequented by a very small and elite group in the population.