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I don't suppose this answers your question fully but Harmsworth's encyclopedia of 1920 has a short entry under READING ROOM as follows: "Room, usually in connection with a library, where accommodation is provided for students and other readers." The word "usually" seems significant. Another reference is in the OED where Cobbett is quoted saying that in 1817 there were reading rooms all over the country. The OED describes it as a room attached to a library or club. Brian Read > From: Hilary Ely <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: "From: Local-History list" <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 14:11:34 +0100 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Reading Rooms > > Apologies if this enquiry is simple or obvious. A question has stumped me > - easily done, as I am not an experienced local historian. > > 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, 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 fashioable form of > philanthropy? Was there any sort of blueprint for a Reading Room? Any > pointers gratefully received. > > Many thanks > > Hilary Ely > > > > > > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > This email and any attachments with it are intended for the addressee only. > It may be confidential and may be the subject of legal and/or professional > privilege. > If you have received this email in error please notify the sender or > [log in to unmask] > The content may be personal or contain personal opinions and cannot be taken > as an expression of the County Council's position. > Surrey County Council reserves the right to monitor all incoming and outgoing > mail. > Whilst every care has been taken to check this outgoing e-mail for viruses, it > is your responsibility to carry out any checks upon receipt. > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *