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Article: THE MANAGEMENT OF LIBRARIES IN BALLARAT BETWEEN 1851-1900.
- Article from:
- Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services
- Article date:
- June 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Auslib Press Party Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Ballarat Mechanics' Institute Library and then Ballarat East Free Library, on Victoria's major goldfield, enjoyed remarkable progress in the 1860-70s but this growth phase was immediately followed by an even longer period of decline and eventual stagnation. The stagnation was largely brought about by the changing attitudes of the men who served on their committees. In the space of two generations, the men who served on Ballarat's library committees changed from `disseminators of useful information' to `custodians of collections'. In the process they lost the support of the colonial government, local municipalities and local residents. Edited version of a paper given ...