Dear Keith,
thanks for this piece of information. As we briefly discussed in Aberystwyth
last week, I think the issue is quite complicated. At least from the 1892 PL
Act (if not before - I haven't checked it out), it was possible for a local
library authority to appoint a Library Committee, which could be mixed in
nature, i.e. elected members and outside appointees. James Duff Brown in the
second edition of his Manual of Library economy (1907) says in relation to
appointing committees: " The best interests of the library will be served by
a committee consisting of good business men and literary or professional men
or women, in about equal proportions." (p.18) The inclusion of 'women' is quite
deliberate. By chance I also came across a note in 'The Library' for 1895,
which specifically refers to Gosport and Alverstoke Library Committee, which
is to include 3 women - half of the total number of co-opted members allowed
on their Committee. (p.84) What I'm still unclear about is when women could be
elected to a local authority and could thus appear on a Library Committee as
an elected, rather than an appointed member. This presumably is linked to when
women obtained the vote for local elections, which was I believe earlier than
for general national elections, and could, I assume, also stand for election
as a local councillor. I hope this makes sense!
Thanks again for your note about the 1919 Act.
Chris B
ps. I would greatly appreciate your Potter references!
In message <[log in to unmask]>,
Keith Manley <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>
> Chris Baggs recently posted an enquiry about when women were first
> allowed to sit on public library committees. I have rather belatedly
> discovered that there was a Sex Disqualification Removal Act in 1919
> which henceforward permitted women to exercise any public function which
> had previously been barred to them.
> Keith Manley,
> Editor, `Library History'
>
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