A free public library for the colony
The establishment of such a library in a city that was only 20 years old was a remarkable achievement, and reflected surprising priorities in what was still in many ways a frontier settlement. Perhaps equally remarkable was the fact that the Melbourne Public Library was entirely funded by government and free of charge to users - one of the world’s first such libraries.
The priorities that led to its foundation were those of a small group of leading citizens who were keen to foster the development of cultural institutions in their city. As the discovery of gold in 1851 caused massive social upheaval in Victoria, they were also keen to avert any political unrest by encouraging the spread of education. In the belief that ‘the greatest dangers to freedom arise from the prevalence of ignorance and vice’, the proponents of a free public library hoped that access to ‘useful knowledge’ would create and maintain a stable democracy, as well as assisting the economic development of the colony.
Key founders of the Library
A number of prominent men supported the proposal for a library and a university to be built to commemorate the separation of Victoria from New South Wales in 1851. The major contributors to the planning and development of the library were the Lieutenant-Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe, Judge Redmond Barry and politician Hugh Eardley Childers. La Trobe was responsible for ensuring that public land was reserved for a library building and that parliamentary funds were made available.
Childers, as Treasurer in the new Victorian government, introduced the Appropriation Bill that provided 3000 pounds for the library collection and 10,000 pounds for its building. The Bill received royal assent in January 1853 and in July of that year, La Trobe appointed five Trustees, chaired by Barry, to commence the procedure of establishing the Library.
Redmond Barry was an obvious choice for the position of Chairman. An Irish lawyer who arrived in Melbourne in 1839, he rapidly became prominent in legal and cultural circles. His interests and activities were wide-ranging but his particular passion was the development of a public library. Barry was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in 1852 and received a knighthood in 1860.
Designing the Library
Under Barry’s leadership the Trustees held a competition for the design of a building, to be ‘erected in a commanding situation’ and ‘of an order, class and magnitude suitable to the prospects of the country’. It was also stipulated that the design should ensure that the building was capable of expansion to meet the anticipated growth of the book stock. In January 1854 the first prize was won by Joseph Reed, a young Cornish architect who was to subsequently design a number of Melbourne’s landmark buildings, including the Exhibition Building.
Illustrations
Left: The Public Libary by Lithographers De Gruchy & Leigh, 1855
Right: View of Library forecourt with Saint George and the Dragon in foreground, 1953. (detail) Lettering on facade of library "EIIR" probably in honour of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. |
