Event Details

Join us for a collaborative study event on Libraries and Learning in the North West, in association with Global Link. Our four speakers will explore histories of reading and the evolution of public libraries in the North West over the past 500 years.

With virtually no public libraries in Britain until the 19th century, Chetham’s Library in Manchester (1653) was an early outlier, placing the North West at the forefront of public learning. The 18^th century saw the rise of subscription (membership) libraries, while the educational Victorian ideals of the 19^th century led to the 1850 Public Libraries Act - establishing a service for all and the beginnings of the modern public libraries we know today. Our speakers will draw on case studies of annotated books, historical research and community projects to paint a vivid picture of the evolution of this key institution, and the crucial role libraries still play today.

Please note this event will be for in-person attendance only and will not be recorded.

9.30 am Assemble Library Events Space (tea/coffee is not served at the beginning of the day –

but will be available mid-morning).

9:55-10:00 Welcome remarks by the RHC Director

10:00 – 11:00 Reading in the North West, 1500-1700 with Ellen Werner (University of Manchester)

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee/tea & biscuits

11.30 – 12.30 A Critical Predecessor: The English Subscription Library during the Age of Revolutions with Lois Wignall (University of Liverpool)

12.30 – 1.30Lunch*(Lunch is not provided but several options are available on campus)

1.30 – 2.30 Reading and Rivalry: The Harris Bequest and the Campaign for a Free Public Library in Preston

with Dr Keith Vernon (University of Lancashire)

2.30 – 3.00 Coffee/tea & biscuits

3.00 – 4:00 From Book Vans to Broadband: 100 Years of a Lancashire County Library

with Dr Alison Lloyd Williams (Global Link)

04:00pmClosing remarks and end of study day