Post four

Detail
Researching each of the stages of the library

After clarifying the timeline in blog 3, i.e. the various names and locations of the library, I think the next phase is to find out a little more about each of these libraries. I’m finding an interesting connection between the history of this library, and the web 2.0 content I am exploring. People often ask if libraries are changing because of new technologies, e.g. ebooks, online databases, etc. But in this research I’m finding that libraries are not necessarily immovable objects set in stone: they are always being affected by various current issues, including funding, housing of materials, and needs of library users.

Australian Subscription Library (1826)

I entered ‘Australian Subscription Library’ in Swinburne library databases through ALIS (Australian Library and Information Science)
In 'Books, libraries and readers in colonial Australia'; papers from the Forum on Australian Colonial Library History held at Monash University, 1-2 June, 1984 edited by E Morrison and M Talbot, pages 93-101. Clayton Vic: Monash University. Graduate School of Librarianship
This sounds fantastic, but the article is titled ‘More than Librarie Keepers’ which is making me think that the spelling may be making it difficult to find the article…
1.
Select
Books, libraries and readers in colonial Australia : papers from the Forum on Australian Colonial Library History held at Monash University 1-2 June, 1984 / edited by Elizabeth Morrison and Michael Talbot.Morrison, ElizabethTalbot, MichaelClayton, Vic. : Monash University, Graduate School of Librarianship, 1985.146 p. : notes, index, pbk ; 26 cm.
Wow. Found a hard copy at Prahran mechanics institute library. Might go and see if they’ll lend it to me.

photograph of Subscription Library Macquarie Street
http://www.dhub.org/object/69024&img=218443 this is a photograph of the subscription library, found on the Powerhouse Museum website, taken in 1860