'The fiction nuisance' in nineteenth-century British public libraries  

Oleh:

Sturges, Paul ; Barr, Alison

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Journal of Librarianship and Information Science vol. 24 no. 1 (2008), page 23-32.
Fulltext: 23.pdf (1.29MB)

Isi artikel

The early decades of British public libraries were characterized by a definite prejudice against fiction reading. This article presents a study of the roots of the nineteenthcentury public library’s difficulties in coming to terms with the relationship between the realities of user demand and a more theoretical view of a library’s true function. The ways in which public libraries came to terms with fiction provision are examined by considering three aspects of the topic: the perceptions of the purposes of public libraries; attitudes to fiction outside the library profession; and the profession’s capacity to generate its own distinctive approach. The article considers three interlinked elements which were central to nineteenth- and early twentieth-century librarians’ responses to the challenge : the social and educational status of entrants to librarianship; the ability of the Library Association and other professional bodies to act as an effective medium for the evolution of an independent consensus to opinion; and the progress of professional education and training.

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