Reading Rooms on their own were often the working-class or village version
of the public library and advocated (and criticised) for the same kinds of
reasons. Sir Robert Peel spoke in favour of them about 1841, in connection
with a grander one, intended to include a library and lectures. For
arguments for and against see Catholicus, 'The Tamworth Reading Room:
Letters on an address delivered by Sir Robert Peel. MP on the establishment
of a  Reading Room at Tamworth. Originally published in the Times. (Rev ed.,
London, 1841)

For a later advocate of Reading Rooms, see Janetta Manners. She published a
couple of articles in 'The Queen', which were reprinted as pamphlets - 'Some
of the advantages of easily accessible Reading and Recreation Rooms with
remarks on starting and maintaining them, and suggestions for the selection
of books (Edinburgh, 1885) and 'Encouraging Experiences of Reading and
Recreation Rooms' (1886). She was keen on setting them up for servants,
women, people living in lodgings who had no where to go on Sundays and in
railway waiting rooms,  and she gave a number of examples of privately
(philanthropically) supported reading rooms.

As far as the book-shelving is concerned, some of the reading matter
provided would have been periodicals and newspapers, which might have had
their own fixed tables or sloping forms, for people to stand at, as in
public library reading rooms.  Libraries of books could still be very small.
The 1851 Educational Census list of literary and scientific institutions
included a number of organisations with fewer than 120 volumes in their
'library'.

You might also get some information from SHARP, The Society for the History
of Authorship, Reading & Publishing at http://www.sharpweb.org/ , or from
its electronic forum SHARP-L.

Hope this helps,

Lindy Moore

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hilary Ely" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 9:21 AM
Subject: Reading Rooms


> Not sure if this is a query for this list, or for Local-history, so I am
> trying both - apologies for cross-posting, and also if this enquiry is
> simple or obvious.  A question has stumped me, and I feel I ought to know
> more about this than I do.
>
> Grateful for any information on the significance of the term Reading Room
> to describe what in other places might be called the Church Room, Church
> Hall, Parish Room or Parish Hall, or sometimes School Room.
>
> Looking around Surrey, I find there seems to be a fashion for setting up
> Reading Rooms, often associated with village or town Institutes, or
Working
> Men's Clubs, which in turn may have been set up with the support of the
> parish church, but generally as a separate organisation.  Most instances I
> have come across of the use of the term date to the mid to late 19th
> century.
>
> However, close to where I live in Surrey, there is a village Reading Room
> that belongs to the parish church,  stands in for the church or parish
> room, and is not attached to an Institute or similar separate
organisation.
> Are these common elsewhere?
>
> What would have been distinctive about a Reading Room?  (Nothing to show
in
> this one, these days, except possibly approx. 8 ft. of shelves,  not very
> well suited to a library!)    Was there any sort of organised movement
> behind their establishment, or was it just a fashionable form of
> philanthropy?  Was there any sort of blueprint for a Reading Room?  Any
> pointers gratefully received.
>
> Many thanks
>
> Hilary Ely
>
>
>
>
>
>
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