The Rise of the Public Library

Today most people take it for granted that they can walk into a building in their town and borrow a book for nothing. Yet for most of history, books were expensive objects owned by the wealthy, by churches and by colleges, and ordinary people who wanted to read had few options. In the eighteenth century, some towns had subscription libraries, where members paid an annual fee to share a collection, but the fees were well beyond the reach of most working families. Circulating libraries, run by booksellers, lent novels for a small charge per volume, yet they tended to stock light fiction rather than the practical or educational works that many readers wanted.

The idea that a town should provide books for all its residents, paid for out of local taxes, met considerable resistance when it was first proposed in Britain in the mid-nineteenth century. Some critics argued that it was not the business of government to supply reading matter, while others feared that libraries would encourage idleness or spread dangerous political ideas. Supporters replied that libraries would offer working men an alternative to the public house and help them to improve their skills. When a law allowing larger towns to open free libraries was eventually passed in 1850, it was cautious: councils could raise only a very small tax, and the money could be spent on buildings but not on books.

As a result, early public libraries depended heavily on gifts. Wealthy local businessmen donated collections or paid for new buildings, and their names were often carved above the entrance. Many of these benefactors had grown up poor and believed that self-education had helped them to succeed. Their generosity was not always welcomed, however. In some towns, residents voted against opening a library because they did not want their taxes to rise to pay for staff, heating and lighting once the building had been handed over.

Inside, the Victorian library was a very different place from its modern equivalent. Readers were rarely allowed to browse the shelves. Instead, they consulted a printed catalogue and asked a member of staff to fetch the book they wanted, a system that was meant to prevent theft but made choosing a book slow and uncertain. Silence was strictly enforced, and some libraries employed attendants to wake readers who fell asleep in the warm reading rooms. Newspapers were among the most popular attractions; in many towns they were displayed on large sloping stands and read standing up.

The people who ran these early libraries were often poorly paid and expected to work long hours. Early librarians had no formal training, and many were appointed because they were respectable rather than because they knew much about books. Over time, however, librarianship developed into a profession with its own examinations and standards. Librarians began to see their role not simply as guarding a collection but as helping readers to find what they needed, an idea that would later shape the design of library buildings.

The twentieth century brought gradual change. Open shelves, where readers could pick out books for themselves, spread slowly from the 1890s onwards and had become normal by the 1930s. Libraries began to set aside rooms for children, who had often been excluded altogether, and mobile libraries took books to villages that were far from any town. After the Second World War, a new law made it a duty, rather than an option, for local authorities to provide a library service, and the range of materials grew to include records and, later, videos and computer software.

In recent decades, libraries have once again had to argue for their place in public life. Falling budgets have led to shorter opening hours, and some branches have been closed or handed over to volunteers. Yet librarians point out that the number of people using libraries for purposes other than borrowing has grown. Libraries now offer free internet access to those without it at home, help job seekers to complete online applications and provide a warm, safe space where nobody is expected to spend money. In this sense, many librarians argue, the modern library is closer to the ideals of its founders than ever: a place where anyone, whatever their income, can improve their circumstances. Some libraries have even begun to lend tools, musical instruments and seeds, reflecting a broader view of what sharing resources can mean.