Janet Carnochan and the Niagara Library

On the grounds of the Niagara Historical Society and Museum in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake there is a familiar Ontario Heritage Trust plaque erected in 1984 commemorating the contributions of a respected local woman, Janet Carnochan.

Janet Carnochan, n.d.

For more than thirty years Janet Carnochan, a native of Stamford, Ontario, taught elementary and secondary school at Niagara-on-the Lake, but she made her greatest contribution to the community as a historian rather than as an educator. A distinguished historical preservationist, Carnochan founded and was first president of the Niagara Historical Society, 1895-1925, and laboured tirelessly to safeguard and promote the rich heritage of Niagara. She wrote and edited numerous historical works including the History of Niagara and successfully campaigned for the construction of Memorial Hall, the first building erected for the purpose of a museum in Ontario. In 1949, when the town's former high school was incorporated into this complex, it was renamed Janet Carnochan Hall as a tribute to her efforts and dedication. 

This provincial plaque was originally cast in 1934. It currently it resides on the property of the Niagara Historical Society Museum.

Janet Carnochan and 19th Century Historical Writing

The decades after Canadian Confederation in 1867 witnessed an increase in many retrospective works, amateur histories, as well as the development of local historical societies across Ontario which sought to preserve the records of past families and groups. Although lay historians lacked training in methodology, some demonstrated high standards when working with primary and oral sources. They specialized in specific topics and events that were often overlooked by historians focused on provincial or national issues. Janet Carnochan was representative of this trend, for she co-founded the Historical Society of Niagara in December 1895. She was the Society's first president, and with the collaboration of a small group of local residents, she conserved and promoted the town's early history.  Also, she wrote more than a dozen accounts of the development of Niagara's community organizations. She showed not only an avid interest in regional history but also a persistent loyalty to the concept of community progress.

Canadian historical writing in this era was infused with the idea of community building at the national, provincial, and local levels. These histories often depicted the march of political, social, and economic progress from the past to a satisfactory present, which is usually referred to as Whig History. As professional historical research, teaching, and publications unfolded at Canadian universities, especially the first volume of the Review of Historical Publications Relating to Canada in 1897 at the University of Toronto, higher standards of historical writing developed. History began to demand greater accuracy and extensive training. Nonetheless, the work of non-specialists such as Janet Carnochan provided much needed documentation and accessible works that provided information lacking in national or provincial studies. She was old enough to remember the early experiences of the 'Niagara frontier' and to record the people, events, and pioneer life with some perceptive observations. Such is the case with her publications on the Niagara Library, a subscription library first organized in 1800, and its successor, the Niagara Mechanics' Institute, later reorganized as a public library in 1895.

Janet Carnochan's Library Work

Janet Carnochan's contributions to library work have not been overlooked. An article in the Canadian Magazine in 1912 by Francis Drake described her as the library's "unpaid official" who had acted as its secretary for many years, prepared three catalogues, selected books, served as treasurer, and sometimes worked as librarian. A 1985 biography by John Field, Janet Carnochan, also praised her energetic efforts to promote the library. She first became involved as secretary to the Niagara Mechanics Institute in 1891. She continued in this role after Ontario legislation required the institute to change its title to 'public library' in 1895, allowing municipalities to contribute to its operation (the library eventually became a 'free library' eligible for municipal tax support in 1938). During her tenure, the library occupied a space in the old covered market at the rear of the district Court House on Queen Street. Residents in the small town of 1,500 found this location convenient, and there was gradual growth through subscriptions and small annual municipal payments of about $50 to $100. In 1900, the Niagara Library had a small membership of about 100, it spent just over $300/year, and held 5,000 volumes. Ten years later, the membership had increased to 130, the library spent $350, held 7,000 volumes, and circulated more than 8,000 items. By 1920, the library was circulating almost 16,000 books from a collection of 9,500 volumes.

After the formation of the Ontario Library Association in 1900, Miss Carnochan began to attend its sessions and regional institutes. At the association's second meeting in 1902, she presented a paper titled "The Vicissitudes of a Library during Fifty Years." According to the Toronto Globe, "she sketched the history of the Niagara library, which was founded in 1848. She mentioned that the President, Mr. [William] Kirby, had occupied that position for 25 years, and had been a member for 40 years. Miss Carnochan contended that the full grant earned by each library [from the provincial government], should be paid, without the 20 per cent reduction as last year, and that the present classification system should be rescinded." No doubt she knew some Ontario libraries, such as London and Hamilton, had adopted the Dewey Decimal Classification system because it was superior to the older system recognized by the Dept. of Education since the 1870s. The May 1902 issue of the Library Journal noted her criticism of the older scheme's faults, quoting her, "the result is misleading and dishonest, and leads to confusion in the arrangement of books." After this time, the Niagara Library adopted the Dewey system, and when a provincial study was published in 1913 by the Inspector of Public Libraries, Niagara reported that it had classed 4,821 non-fiction and 2,087 fiction literature books in this way, an achievement that put it at the forefront of association library work in Ontario.  Miss Carnochan served on the OLA nominating committee for a few years and was a Councillor in 1904, 1909, and 1910. And she continued attending meetings by contributing a short account of the formation of the first library in Ontario in an issue of the new Ontario Library Review in 1917, "First Library in Upper Canada."

The Niagara Library 

 This OLR article was the culmination of many years of speaking and writing about the original Niagara Library. When she was invited to speak to the Canadian Institute in Toronto in 1894, she gave an insightful paper that was printed in the Institute's Transactions. She recounted how she found an original manuscript recording the short history of the Niagara Library from its founding in 1800 to its demise in 1820 while browsing through the vestry of her Presbyterian church, St. Andrews. She provided a detailed description of the information contained in the manuscript as follows:
◼️ a list of proprietors through the years from 1800 to 1820
◼️ a list of payments by members and non-subscribers
◼️ a catalogue of the library with payments for books and magazines
◼️ the financial activity by year
◼️ the rules and regulations of the library
◼️ an account of annual and special meetings of directors and members
◼️ a list of books circulated with the date of return, and
◼️ an alphabetical list of subscribers with a separate page for entries for each. 

The volume records the tumultuous history of the library through the War of 1812, the town's burning in 1813, the loss of books during the war, and the difficulties of maintaining the library by private subscription. Miss Carnochan notes that prices were high for books and selections, such as the Edinburgh Review and Lady's Magazine, were careful and tasteful. She regarded this as reading of a 'high order,' noting that "It may be doubted if in this day of boasted enlightenment we are willing to pay so much for our reading. One thing at least is certain, against the proprietors of this library cannot be made the charge of light reading now brought so justly against the frequenters of modern libraries." Of the many people who led the library, the name of Andrew Heron (1762-1848) stands out among the many residents who directed it—he was a founder and acted as secretary, treasurer, and librarian for most of the library's existence. However, after the library's demise in 1820, Heron acquired some of its former books and incorporated them into a new subscription library. Unfortunately, little is known about this venture or its subsequent existence. Throughout her article, the author carefully depicts the library's role in fostering education and intellectual life, drawing on her primary source to explore finances, membership, and collections.

Towards the close of her account she recognized the efforts of the early Niagara pioneers to provide reading materials for the community by adding, "Judge, then, how much the people of this vicinity owe to the proprietors of the Niagara Public Library, furnishing to the young people of so many households reading of so high an order, fitting them to fight manfully the great battle of life." At the close, she lists the library's holdings of approximately 1,000 books. She finishes her narrative by recognizing the efforts of the early Niagara pioneers to provide reading materials for the community by adding, "Judge, then, how much the people of this vicinity owe to the proprietors of the Niagara Public Library, furnishing to the young people of so many households reading of so high an order, fitting them to fight manfully the great battle of life." Her efforts to focus interest on community history succeeded because she understood the local background and observed history with a critical eye.

Niagara Library interior, c.1909

 Janet Carnochan did not influence library work beyond her community; however, her dedicated efforts to improve library service in Niagara-on-the-Lake can be considered a shining example of what can be achieved in a modestly sized library by force of character and earnest determination. Walter R. Nursey, the Ontario Inspector of Public Libraries, recognized her and wrote in his 1909 report that "It would be a great thing for the library workers in Canada if more of the fraternity were animated with the same degree of energy and zeal as Miss Carnochan." Indeed, her memory is a persistent presence in Niagara-on-the-Lake where a provincial plaque at Memorial Hall recognizes her work. It stands on the grounds of the local museum she helped found in 1906, which was Ontario’s first purpose-built museum.

This building, the first in Ontario to be constructed for use solely as an historical museum, was begun in 1906 and completed the following year. Its erection was due largely to the dedicated efforts of Miss Janet Carnochan, founder, and for thirty years curator of the Niagara Historical Society. Previously the Society had used a room in the Town Hall to preserve objects of this early Loyalist region. Donations were received from the federal and provincial governments, local municipalities, British regiments once stationed in the area, and private citizens. The museum was officially opened June 4, 1907, by Sir William Mortimer Clark, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.

 Further information:

Janet Carnochan, “Niagara Library, 1800 to 1820.” Transactions of the Canadian Institute 4 (1892): 336–356. [at Hathi Trust]

Janet Carnochan, “First Library in Upper Canada.” Ontario Library Review 2, no. 1 (1917): 2–3. [at Internet Archive]

Janet Carnochan, "Niagara Library, 1899-1820," in her History of Niagara (in part), p. 46–55 (Toronto: William Briggs, 1914. A shorter and updated version of her original 1894 article, e.g., omitting the list of library holdings. [at Hathi Trust]

The record book of the Niagara Library from 1800 to 1820 is held by Niagra-on-the-Lake Museum at this link.

Janet Carnochan's biography is in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography is at this link. 

Three Ontario Public Library Buildings before 1900

In the early stage of the public library movement in Ontario after the Free Libraries Act came into force in 1882, there were no standalone public library buildings. The concept of the Canadian public library as a public building—a building type in its own right—was in its infancy. Of course, architects and librarians could refer to purpose-built American or British buildings, but these normally were in metropolitan cities supported by sufficient private philanthropy and ongoing municipal tax support. The four 'large' populated Ontario cities in the census of 1891 were Toronto (181,220), Hamilton (48,980). Ottawa (44,154). and London (31,977). Of these smaller cities, three would undertake to establish a separate building before 1895. These communities would generally follow Anglo-American ideas concerning library purpose, public access, book storage, and user needs (such as separate reading rooms) within a single structure.

The proper arrangement of space for the needs and purposes of library buildings was a challenging opportunity. In the 1890s, Anglo-American library architecture was entering a transitional period. Early public library structures often were divided into small rooms and shared accommodation with other local groups, a legacy of the compartmentalized space afforded by many mechanics' institutes, museums, and cultural groups that proliferated in the 19th century.  No clear-cut consensus existed on what constituted conventional library services, uniform administrative practices, public access, and proper staffing. Until the 1890s, nearly all new public libraries, for reasons of security and efficient use of space, operated on the closed access system normally based on a centrally supervised reading room with adjacent rooms often divided on gender distinctions. Book catalogues and a time saving English invention, the ‘indicator,’ permitted users to know what volumes were held and their availability.

Although numerous articles on library architecture appeared before 1900, there were few authoritative publications to aid trustees, librarians, or city officials. An English treatise by Frank J. Burgoyne, Library Construction: Architecture, Fittings and Furniture (1897), advocated assessing local space needs for basic services that he deemed to be reference and lending departments, a reading room, and a staff work area. He felt additional options might include separate rooms for women, a lecture hall, a museum, or an art gallery. On the question of free access, Burgoyne cautioned his readers that,"a large public library should have the bulk of its books shelved on the stack system."

Even so, there was growing support for the open access system in the United States where unrestricted entry to book collections was progressing in cities such as Cleveland in the 1890s. However, it was not until 1902 that Charles Soule, a Boston bookseller and library trustee, authored an introductory architectural booklet published by the American Library Association. He provided careful, practical advice for the erection of new buildings and also briefly discussed adapting older buildings, recommending that "When a library outgrows three rooms, it ought to have a building all its own." Concerning exteriors, a variety of styles were in favour, notably classical revivals, and in the United States, the Richardsonian Romanesque style in the 1880s and 1890s. It was in this general Anglo-American setting that Ontario communities began to construct independent library structures before 1900.

Toronto Free Library opened in 1884

Toronto Mechanics' Institute, n.d.

Toronto, Ontario's capital, was the first to open a separate building on March 6, 1884, in the former Mechanics' Institute on the corner of Church and Adelaide Streets. The architectural firm of Cumberland & Storm originally had planned and supervised construction of this handsome Renaissance-style building between 1854 and 1861. When the institute opened to the public in July 1861, the reference library and two reading rooms were located on the main ground floor.

TMI plan, 1861

A contemporary report in the Journal of the Board of Arts and Manufactures highlighted its features together with floor plans:

To the left are the Reading Rooms (B and C), each 35+24 feet and 24+15 feet, fitted up in the most comfortable and convenient manner, and well supplied with newspapers and other publications. The Library (D), 28+24 feet, contains about five thousand volumes. Both Library and Reading Rooms are expensively fitted up with oak.

The annual membership fees were relatively modest: $2.00 for men and $1.50 for ladies.

Free Library plan, 1884

By 1882, Toronto Mechanics’ Institute held 10,500 books and circulation had reached 27,000. Two city aldermen, John Hallam and John Taylor, promoted the adoption of a free library, and, after the directors of the Institute transferred its real and personal property to the city for a public library in June 1883, the entire ground floor was refitted. A new stack room was added at the back of the building to accommodate 50,000 volumes. The book stacks were closed by two counters, one for circulation and one for lending. There were separate reading rooms for periodicals and for reference. It was reported that the city council allocated $50,000 for alterations. When the renovations were completed, the Globe and Mail enthusiastically reported the results before the opening day on March 3rd:

The original promoters of the Free Library scheme had no intention of utilizing this building for the new project, but when the people assemble on Thursday next to witness the formal opening there is every probability that they will be both surprised and delighted to find the city in the possession of so beautiful, so extensive, and so convenient a public institution at withal so small an outlay.

In its first decade, the new library system, under the able direction of James Bain, proved to be popular with Toronto citizens. They increasingly used the free lending services, e.g., during 1894 the central library issued more than 350,000 volumes. In July 1884, the first of many book catalogues with a code recording each book was provided to borrowers to aid their selections. As well, the installation of a wood framed 'indicator,' a British innovation with numbered, trays in a framed board, allowed librarians to track books (each insert was coloured, e.g., red-out and blue-in, to reveal a book's status) for patrons who were not permitted to browse shelves. Later, in 1889, a subject catalogue of reference books was published.

However, the condition of the central library was not entirely satisfactory. By 1887, a new roof and enlarged reading room were in place. Still, there were ventilation problems, especially in the warmer summers when staff, six young female assistants who earned between $300–$450 per year, suffered from poor air arising from the reference room. The Toronto Daily Mail reported in July 1889 that, "Pale faces of fair young ladies look through the wire casement that shuts them off from the public whom they are waiting to supply with mental food, and appeal for the chance to breath the cool fresh air that everybody else is rushing off to the lakeside resorts to inhale." But, according to the chief librarian, "the young ladies had the easiest position of any in Toronto." Three years later, in 1892, a Toronto medical health officer reported that the ventilation in the reference room was wholly inadequate when it was crowded and suggested necessary improvements. At this time, extensive renovations took place: the newspaper reading room was moved to the old mechanics' institute music hall above the ground floor, a circulating library was created in the former reading room, and a reading space for unemployed workmen was created in the basement.

These physical alterations, in conjunction with James Bain's development of collections and dedication to improved access for users by opening branch libraries, put Toronto in the forefront of the public library movement in Canada in 1895. By this year, when the Ontario government enacted a new Public Libraries Act that permitted communities to designate older mechanics' institutes as public libraries and become eligible for public funding, there were sixteen free libraries (i.e., library boards eligible for a special maximum rate of one-half mill on the dollar of assessed property) in the province. One, Hamilton, had erected a new building in 1890, and another, London, was under construction.

In Toronto, the realization that the central library was no longer adequate to suit early 20th century library standards led to a decision to seek a Carnegie library grant. In January 1903, the library board received a promise of $275,000 for a new Reference Library. It officially opened on College Street on September 8, 1909, and the reference and circulating collections from the old central library were transferred to it. The old library continued as a branch—the Church St. branch—for two decades until it closed in 1928. Several agencies then occupied the building until it was completely demolished in 1950 to make way for planned urban development of the Church-Adelaide area.

Hamilton Free Library opened in 1890

Hamilton library, Main St., n.d.

When the Hamilton and Gore Mechanics' Institute was forced to close in 1882 due to financial difficulties, its older building on James Street, along with its books and furnishings, were sold at a public auction. The city was without a 'public' library for several years, until January 7, 1889, when voters passed a bylaw to establish one. A library board was formed, and Richard T. Lancefield was appointed Hamilton's first chief librarian. After some controversy, a downtown site at 22 Main Street West was purchased for a new building. Officials laid the cornerstone for the Hamilton public library on October 23rd, 1889, and Lord and Lady Aberdeen opened the library on September 16, 1890. It was the first purpose-built free library to open in Canada. The architect, William Stewart, had the honour of supervising its construction at a cost of about $45,000—more than twice the original estimate that the Ontario Association of Architects had criticized for being unreasonably low.

The library interior was just over 7,000 square feet to serve a city of almost 50,000 people. Its internal plan followed North American experience: a reference room and two reading rooms (one for ladies, 24 ft. x 25 ft., one for general readers, 25 ft. x 78 ft.) flanked by a nine-foot corridor leading to a long counter for borrowing transactions with three indicators, a catalogue area, and a librarian's platform. The general reading room was 25 ft. x 78 ft. Behind the counters was a 33 ft. x 58 ft. stack room, closed to the public and fitted with shelves to hold 50,000 books. The librarian's platform allowed surveillance of the entire ground floor.

Hamilton interior, n.d.

The library's exterior architecture was somewhat eclectic, a late-Victorian Richardsonian Romanesque style, red and black brick facing, a north-west corner tower, and an impressive wheel-window, a feature Stewart often utilized. A staff workroom, storage area, washrooms, and utilities were located in the basement. A ventilation system was designed to remove contaminated air from the upper floors via of an prominent exterior shaft on the east side of the building. To complete the facility, rooms for an Art School and the Hamilton Association occupied the upper floors. The building was heated by steam utilizing radiators throughout. 

 

Reading room, c.1905

The Hamilton library's first decade was relatively positive. Richard Lancefield published a book catalogue in 1894 and began to catalogue holdings using the Dewey Decimal System, a bold, time-consuming decision for Ontario in the 1890s. The library's second decade was less satisfactory. As the collection grew, more space on the main floor was required, but other developments, such as a section for young children (Hamilton maintained an age limit of 14), adequate space for story hours, and the issue of open access to shelves made the prospect of extensive renovations and expansion moot.

 

 

Hamilton Public Library before 1925

However, the Art School was quite successful and continued to occupy the upper floors. Library trustees were reluctant to evict art school students in the two upper floors or the rental room funds the library received from small rooms in the basement. When Sir John M. Gibson, the future lieutenant governor of Ontario, wrote to the Carnegie Corporation on January 20, 1906, to inquire about the possibility of receiving a grant, he remarked, "we have a public library, which however is scarcely up to what might be expected in a growing city like Hamilton." He was rebuffed,.

But after a concerted effort in 1909, Hamilton received a Carnegie promise of $75,000 for a new building and was later granted an additional $25,000. A fine Beaux-Arts structure on Main Street West officially opened on May 5, 1913. The property and assets of the old library were transferred to the city in the fall of 1913. The building served as the home for the Hamilton Art Gallery until 1953. It was demolished in July 1955.

 

 

London Public Library opened in 1895

Sketch of London Public Library with floor plans, 1895

Although London ratepayers had approved a bylaw to establish a free library in 1884, it was repealed in 1888, leaving the indebted mechanics' institute as a major source of reading for city residents. Eventually, London city council granted funds to the Mechanics’ Institute on condition that they provide free public access to their library and reading room. After ratepayers again petitioned the city council, on January 2, 1893, London citizens approved a library bylaw by a large majority. After the idea of transferring the older Mechanics' Institute building was rejected due to its unsuitability, in April 1894, the city council issued debentures for $20,000 to build an entirely new library. A competition for building plans was conducted, and Herbert L. Matthews, a local architect, was selected in the fall of 1894. On November 26, 1895, a fine new red brick library building on the southwest corner of Queens and Wellington was opened, with Robert J. Blackwell as the first librarian.

London Public Library exterior, n.d.

The new building cost $14, 818 including furnishings. The library assumed the defunct Mechanics' Institute’s book collection. There were two moderately large reading rooms for reference and browsing on the main floor across from the closed stack area. The west room on the second storey was also used as an Art Gallery. A museum also was planned for the second floor. On June 1, 1897, Robert J. Blackwell, the librarian of the London Public Library who was a former bookseller, issued the library’s first published catalogue using the new Dewey decimal classification system. He was known to be progressive because he supported free access to non-fiction and improved services for children, although an age limit of 12 was in effect. Crowded conditions in the library soon necessitated an addition at the rear costing $5,300 and a separate ladies' reading area on the west side of the main floor, which opened in 1902. Books were moved to the new extension for an enlarged stack room with shelving 8 ft. in height.

London floor plan in 1906

When Blackwell died unexpectedly in 1906, William O. Carson became chief librarian. Under his administration, the open access system was completely implemented in 1908, improved reference space and service began in 1910, and a children's room opened in 1913 to replace the ladies' reading room. During this period, the librarian and trustees realized the library was too small for the growing city and decided to apply for a Carnegie grant. But the unfortunate death of a library representative in New York and the outbreak of the First World War intervened before London could complete its request. When Carnegie funding for new libraries ceased in 1917, there were repeated failed bylaws to fund a new library from municipal sources. The building continued in use as London's main library until 1940. Then, a handsome two-storey limestone central library opened on Queen's Avenue—the Elsie Perrin Williams Memorial Library and Art Museum. Later, in 1954, London's original library was demolished to allow for the expansion of the adjacent YMCA.

Library Building and Design

As Anglo-American library planning developed in the years before 1900, architects often concentrated on exterior styling and interior ornamentation, while librarians relied on functionality and services for purpose-built premises. Library interiors varied in size depending on finances and available locations. A reading room for newspapers and magazines and access to reference resources were popular services, but, increasingly, the lending department was assuming primacy. Many people came to the library to charge out fiction, a somewhat difficult problem that could lead to crowding in smaller areas when free access was permitted. Most libraries did not have children's sections and their presence was an afterthought until Queen's Park enacted a legislation clause in 1909 that effectively removed age restrictions, thus allowing an influx of children and making children's sections a practical necessity.

Library interiors began to be standardized for efficiency, adopting principles like locating main services on a single floor and allowing for future extension. The early adoption of the decimal classification system at Hamilton and London allowed the rearrangement of books so readers could find their own books without frequent reference to the catalogue or an indicator (after some time Toronto adopted the DDC in 1910). Essential utilities such as ventilation and heating often presented problems, with coal powered boilers for radiators and troublesome systems to control humidity and temperature. The transition of lighting from gas lighting to electricity was already underway by the 1890s. There were many challenges to surmount as disagreements  about services, functionality, ornamentation, and the need for surveillance of patrons could produce dissimilar results. By the turn of the century, there was an emergent trend in Ontario to more accessible, less restrictive interiors. The Toronto architect William A. Langton, who penned a short paper on "Library Design" in the Canadian Architect and Builder in April 1902 recognized this direction. He felt that "One is inclined to think that there is too much stress laid upon the need of making a sort of policeman of the librarian."

Despite initial enthusiasm and purposeful renovations of varying quality, both the Toronto and Hamilton central libraries were no longer adequate within two decades. Both cities sought Carnegie funding to address their problems. London also realized its smaller building needed to be replaced within fifteen years; however, it was unable to fund a new edifice until a benefactor, Elsie Perrin Wiliams, left the city a significant bequest to construct a sleek Art Deco style, air-conditioned library with an auditorium and art gallery. These three newer central libraries represented a major step forward for each locality and also pointed the way in new directions for library architecture in Canada.

Further resources:

F.J. Burgoyne's Library Construction (London: George Allen, 1897) is available at the Hathi Trust at this link. 

Charles Soule's Library Rooms and Buildings (Boston, ALA, 1902) is available at the Internet Archive at this link. 

The Toronto Library catalogue of circulating books issued in July 1884 is at this link.

The Toronto subject catalogue published in 1889 is available at this link.

My earlier blog on Victorian and Edwardian libraries in Ontario is at this link.

The Hamilton correspondence with the Carnegie Corporation is at this link.

Henry Pearson Gundy (1905–1994)

Henry Pearson Gundy was a prominent scholar-librarian who made important contributions to Canadian literature, printing, and publishing as well as library services. After commencing his career in 1931 at the new campus of McMaster University in Hamilton, Gundy taught for a short time at the University of Chicago before becoming an English professor and eventually head of the English Department at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. Then, towards the end of WW II, Gundy's career track changed after he completed a summer course in library studies at Columbia University, a prestigious library school many Canadians attended to further their careers. In 1947, he was appointed chief librarian of Queen's University, succeeding the retiring incumbent, E. C. Kyte.

Under his leadership for almost two decades the Queen's library expanded its services, staffing, and collections, notably the Lorne Pierce collection of Canadiana. By the time he relinquished his office, in 1966, the library system possessed more than half a million volumes. During his tenure, he became known for publications on Canadian printing and publishing that are still of value. As well, Gundy successfully planned an important (and much needed) addition  to the older Douglas Library (1924) with a new wing in 1965. He was the editor of the Queen's Quarterly from 1967 to 1972 and taught bibliography and Canadian literature. Although he formally retired in 1970, he continued to publish, notably The Letters of Bliss Carmen (1981).

I originally posted this biographical outline for the Ex Libris Association in 2018. The post continues on the current ELA website. H.P. Gundy’s image is undated from the Queen's University Archives.

Henry Pearson Gundy
b. June 1, 1905, Toronto, ON; d. July 27, 1994, Toronto, ON

Education:
1928 BA (University of Toronto)
1930 MA (University of Toronto)
1944 (Columbia University School of Library Service summer courses)

Positions:
1931-1935 Lecturer in English, McMaster University
1936-1937 Instructor in English, University of Chicago
1937-1942 Professor in English, Mount Allison University
1942-1947 Head of English Department, Mount Allison University
1944-1947 Director of Library Services, Mount Allison University
1947-1966 Chief Librarian, Queen’s University
1956-1960 Editor, Douglas Library Notes
1957-1975 Editor, Historic Kingston
1967-1972 Editor, Queen's Quarterly
1966-1970 Professor of Bibliography, Queen’s University
1970-1971 Associate Director and Senior Editor (co-founder), McGill-Queen's University Press

Publications (major contributions):
Gundy, H. Pearson (1948). “New tools for the research worker: recent advances in microphotography.” Queen’s Quarterly 55 (3): 282–289.
Gundy, H. Pearson (1949). “Libraries in Kingston 1811-1949.” Ontario Library Review 33 (1): 7–11.
Gundy, H. Pearson (1957). Early printers and printing in the Canadas. Toronto: Bibliographical Society of Canada. [2nd ed. in 1964].
Gundy, H. Pearson (1959). “Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection in the Douglas Library.” Newsletter of the Bibliographical Society of Canada 38 (2): 5–6.
Gundy, H. Pearson (1961). “A national Library for Canada: A record and a promise.” Canadian Library 17 (1): 170–178.
Gundy, H. Pearson (1965). Book publishing and publishers in Canada before 1900. Toronto: Bibliographical Society of Canada.
Gundy, H. Pearson (1967). Queen’s University at Kingston. Kingston, Ont.: [Queen’s University].
Gundy, H. Pearson (1972). “The development of trade book publishing in Canada.“ In Royal Commission on Book Publishing: background papers of the Ontario Royal Commission on Book Publishing, 1–37. Toronto: Queen’s Printer.
Gundy, H. Pearson (1972). The spread of printing; Western Hemisphere, Canada. New York: Abner Schram.
Carman, Bliss (1981). Letters of Bliss Carman, edited by H.P. Gundy. Kingston, Ont.: McGill-Queen's University Press.

Associations/Committees:
Bibliographical Society of Canada
Canadian Association of University Professors
Canadian Historical Association
Canadian Library Association
Humanities Association of Canada
Kingston Historical Society
Ontario Historical Society
Ontario Library Association

Accomplishments:
H. Pearson Gundy was a scholar-librarian with deep interests in Canadian literature, printing, publishing, and librarianship. Over his term of office as chief librarian at Queen’s he built important collections with a national focus including the outstanding Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection of Canadiana, the books and papers of the poet Bliss Carman, and the private library and papers of the novelist and Canadian Governor General John Buchan (Lord Tweedsmuir). As collections and staff grew, he sought to expand the old Douglas Library and shortly before he stepped down a new wing was completed in 1965. In retirement he continued his scholarly contributions culminating in his publication of Bliss Carman’s letters in 1981.

Sources:
Morley, William F.E. (1993). “Professor H. Pearson Gundy, Queen’s University librarian: a memoir.” Ex Libris Association Newsletter, no. 13: 17–21. [PDF download]
Henry Pearson Gundy fonds, Queen’s University. Accessed August 28, 2018.
Stedmond, John. (1994). “Henry Pearson Gundy: 1905-1994.” Queen’s Quarterly 101 (3): 764–65.

Early Toronto Libraries, 1810–1830: Toronto Library and York Subscription Library

The Town of York was founded in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as the capital of Upper Canada. York replaced Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake), the capital from 1791-93. The town was an established frontier trading site with indigenous people and possessed a good harbour for transport and farmland that attracted settlers. About 1,000 people—settlers, traders, officials, and soldiers—populated the settlement in 1800. With increasing growth over the next quarter century, York became the centre of Ontario government, business, and cultural life. It was renamed Toronto in 1830 in recognition of its indigenous roots and incorporated as a small city in 1834 with a population of about 9,000.

Books and the value of literacy in a colonial setting were important elements of cultural life fostered by the Upper Canadian elite—Loyalists, government and church officials, wealthy merchants and investors, and emerging career professionals such as lawyers and doctors. Jointly, this conservative network of Upper Canadian men sought to control political, economic, religious, educational, and judicial power and became known as the Family Compact. These prominent citizens, who often possessed substantial personal libraries, also formed voluntary associations for various purposes, one being a ‘public library’ by subscription. Books and libraries were recognized as important sources of knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration for ideas, both personal and public. The development of private and professional collections by prominent men, such as Bishop John Strachan, who acquired an important collection of 18th-century English and Scottish religious and political thought, influenced the direction of education and civic life. Personal books were often lent between friends: after the death of David Burns, a Scottish-born surgeon and Clerk of the Crown, his estate administrator advertised in the Upper Canada Gazette on June 7, 1806, for a return of missing books from the deceased’s library, works such as Plutarch’s Lives, and volumes by Voltaire, Pope, and Swift. Beyond York, another admirable collection belonged to Robert Addison, an Anglican minister, who brought 1,300 sixteenth and seventeenth-century books to Niagara in 1792. He supported the formation of the first subscription library in Upper Canada, the Niagara Library, established on June 8, 1800, “to diffuse knowledge” for a small group of forty-one residents. Citizens in Toronto would soon follow suit.

Subscription libraries, originating in the United States and Britain, were important social institutions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Robert Gourlay, the Scottish-born reformer who ran afoul of the Family Compact,  noted the development of small libraries in his Statistical Account of Upper Canada in 1822:  He remarked that, “Books are procured in considerable numbers. In addition to those with which particular persons and families are supplied, social libraries are introduced in various places; and subscribers at a small expence thus enjoy the benefit of many more volumes than they could individually afford to purchase.” The collective aspect offered a cost-effective way to access a greater number of books and enabled community engagement beyond personal means.

Although funding for many subscription libraries was inconsistent, they did offer the opportunity to support the growth of collections of value accessible to local residents. Over time, these libraries increasingly expanded beyond elitist circles and could be said to have democratized access to knowledge, information, pleasurable reading, and civic engagement. The two Toronto libraries highlight this aspect, as our knowledge of both groups clearly indicates an evolution from elite membership to membership by the general public. These two libraries aimed for useful knowledge by balancing recreational reading with educational resources. As well, the Toronto libraries may be considered one part of the ‘public sphere’ where residents could meet beyond their own homes at a particular place, to read, discuss ideas, engage in civic dialogue, and advance self-knowledge. Notably, it became possible to expand literacy among subscribers of modest means. As such, they helped foster the idea of creating public libraries in localities.

The Toronto Library, 1810–1813

Roberton’s Landmarks of Toronto

The Toronto Library was a private subscription library formally established on December 9, 1810, following preliminary meetings. It was located in Elmsley House at the southwest corner of King Street West and Simcoe Street. This residence was originally built in 1798 for Chief Justice and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, John Elmsley, and served as Government House from 1815 to 1841. The library’s prominent members included Thomas Scott, Alexander Wood, George D’Arcy Boulton, William Dummer Powell, the Treasurer William Allan, and its Librarian William Chewett, later John Macdonell.
■ Thomas Scott was Chief Justice, 1806–16.
■ William Allan was a banker, businessman and politician who negotiated the terms of surrender when York was captured by American forces in 1813.
■ William Dummer Powell was a Loyalist lawyer, judge and significant political figure in the Family Compact and became Chief Justice from 1816–25.
■ George D’Arcy Boulton was a lawyer, judge and political figure who was appointed Solicitor General in 1804.
■ Alexander Wood was a businessman, militia officer, magistrate (appointed in 1800), and office holder who became a leading merchant in York.
■ William Chewett was a surveyor, office holder, justice of the peace, and militia officer.

These men formed the nucleus of a small group whose members are otherwise unknown. However, their literary tastes may be gauged from a 1810 letter requesting orders for the library in February 1811. This list was published in 1956 by the historian and Ontario Archivist (1950–63), George W. Spragge, who located it in Civil Secretary’s Letter Books, Upper Canada, held in Ottawa (RG 7 G-16-C). This letter was a list of books transmitted to the Rev. Mr. Walker of London, England, to be sent to the Toronto Library, February 1, 1810.

At a meeting of the directors of the Toronto Library, held the 17th January, 1810, it was agreed that the following books, or as many of them shall cost £100 Sterling shall be purchased in London, and Imported for the Library, by the Treasurer.

Johnson's Dictionary,
Rapins History of England,
Doctor Henry's History of Great Britain,
Robertsons Works,
Laings History of Scotland
Lelands Do. of Ireland,
Biographia Britannica,
Robins Ancient History,
Russells Do. and Modern Do,
Annual Register for 1809
Blairs Lectures
Johnson's Works
Spectator, Guardian, and Tatler
The Mirror and Lounger
The Looker on
Payley's Moral Philosophy
Blair's Sermons
Sherlock's Sermons
The Bishop of London's Lectures
Fordyce's Sermons to Young Men & Women
Milton's Poetical Works
Thomson's Poems
Goldsmith's Works
Smollets Works
Fieldings Works
Drydens Works
Popes Works
Swifts Works
Sully's Memoirs
The Gentlemans Magazine beginning 1800, 20 volumes
Plutarchs Lives, By Langhorn
Middletons Life of Cicero
Monthly Review for 1809
Fergusons Roman Republic
Gibbon's Roman Empire
Gillies Green
Volneys Travels thro' Syria & Egypt
Lady Mary Wortley Montagues Letters
Burrow's Travels in China.
Blagdens Modern discoveries
Johnson and Stephen's Shakespeare
(signed) / MACDONNELL, Secy.

The list of potential acquisitions demonstrates a broad interest in reading. Items were chosen because they could be mutually beneficial to the membership. Requests tended to focus on a range of subject areas: history, poetry, travel, biography, philosophy, religion, magazines, and novels.

For two years, the affairs of the library were published in the York Gazette:
June 29, 1811: a notice of meeting to be held in the library room of the Elmsley House by J. Macdonell, Secretary.
August 1811: notices during the summer for subscribers to pay the $4.00 annual fee which had been posted earlier in January (e.g., August 31, 1811).
January 1, 1812: notice to subscribers of the annual meeting of the Toronto Library to be held at 12 o’clock on January 10th.

Despite a promising beginning, the growth of the Toronto Library was abruptly halted during the War of 1812. When American forces occupied and set fire to York in April 1813, Elmsley House was vandalized and its collection of books looted. However, later, in November 1813, Isaac Chauncey (the Commander of the American naval fleet) returned two cases of books, apologizing to Judge Scott or Judge Powell and the library directors in a letter dated November 14, 1813. Edith G. Firth, librarian in charge of the Toronto Public Library Canadiana rare books and manuscripts, reprinted his note of regret in The Town of York, 1793-1815 (Toronto, 1962):

I beg you Sir to assure the Trustees of the Toronto Library that it has been a source of great mortification to myself and Officers that so useful an institution should not have been deemed Sacred by every person under our command—you however Sir must be aware, that it is not always in the power of Officers with the best disposition to controul [sic] those placed under them Situated as they were at York.

Although some books were returned, after a temporary hiatus, it appears a brief revival was attempted. A notice from the librarian, William Chewett, in the York Gazette on June 17, 1815, advised of a meeting to be held on July 3 and noted “any Subscriber or any other person or persons having any of the Books belonging to the Library, are requested to deliver them to the Subscriber immediately.” However, on October 14, 1815, another notice in the Gazette signed by Thomas Scott, President, announced that a meeting would be held on October 17 in the Church in York to consider the disposal of “such Books as are now remaining of that Library.” The library venture had ended.

Nevertheless, at some point. William Allan, the former treasurer, came into possession of some books returned by Isaac Chauncey and kept them for nine years, until 1822. On September 11th of that year, William Allan wrote to the Chief Justice Powell. Allan suggested the books were “an encumbrance to me but they are most likely [suffering] injury from being so long [and] as there is now four of the Gentlemen here out of Five who were chosen Directors at the Original meeting — [I] must beg that some determination may be made respecting them [the books] either to have them sold by Auction (as many of the volumes are now wanting) — or otherwise that I may be freed from any longer charge.” Later, on September 19, the Chief Justice replied that Allan should advertise in the Upper Canada Gazette to hold a meeting of subscribers and former directors to decide the issue. Both these letters, held by the Toronto Public Library, were reprinted in 1954 by Florence Murray, a former TPL librarian and, at that time, a library school professor at the University of Toronto.

Apparently, the meeting decided to auction the books in Allan’s possession: a notice in the Upper Canada Gazette on December 12, 1822, announced a sale of “several volumes of Books, in best order, that formerly belonged to the Toronto Library in this town.” There may have been suspicions that further books, perhaps those in circulation that were absent from the library when the American attack force arrived, were still in use, for, a year later, in December 1823, notices in Upper Canada Gazette appeared and continued into March 1824. These postings offered a handsome reward —“full value will be given, and no questions asked”—for missing volumes of the Toronto Library believed to be at large and formerly belonging to the Toronto Library, namely,

Goldsmith’s Works (1806 ed.)
Smollett’s History of England (1791)
Fielding’s Works (1806)
Ferguson’s History of the Roman Republic (1805)
Henry’s History of Great Britain (1805)
Gibbons’ History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1807)

Charles Fothergill authored the notice and likely became the owner of the incomplete sets he wished to restore. He was the King’s Printer and Gazette editor, and, at various times, a businessman, journalist, politician, naturalist, publisher, and politician. In 1831, he was one of the founders of the York Literary and Philosophical Society, established to promote Literature and Science. His success in obtaining the missing volumes is unknown, and he does not feature in any new library ventures in York.

The York Subscription Library, 1827–31

A few years later, a small group formed York’s second short-lived subscription library. On April 26, 1827, a short note appeared in the Colonial Advocate on a meeting held in Thomas Appleton’s school room on April 20th to form a “public library on liberal principles” that “all classes might enjoy the benefit of it.” The notice advised that another meeting would be held on April 30th to develop this plan in more detail. A subsequent Advocate report informed readers that Peter Paterson was appointed library chair with John Fenton as secretary. After opening remarks by Rev. William Ryerson, Rev. Stewart and Messrs. Appleton, Henderson, and Fenton, the following resolutions were adopted:
1) the desirability of forming a public library.
2) the name of the institution to be the York General Subscription Library.
3) A subscription of 10 shillings be paid, and subsequently a further subscription of 5 shillings a year be paid on a semi-annual basis by each member.
4) the secretary to enroll members as follows:
Mr. Harris, Rev. William Ryerson, Rev. Alexander Stewart, Dr. [James] McCague, J[ohn] Carey, P[eter] Patterson, T[homas] Appleton, R[obert] Meighan, J. Sanderson, E[dward] Henderson, B.W. Smith, J[ohn] Fenton, J. Caldwell, J. Roddy, W. Moore, J[ames]. Leslie, T. Elliott, J. Lackie, J. Armstrong, J. Lawrence, and R. Patch.
5) A committee be formed to draw up a constitution and rules with membership of Rev. Harris and Ryerson, John Fenton, Peter Paterson, and Dr. McCague.
6) subscriptions to be paid at McPhall’s bookbinder, Mr. Lesslie’s store, Patterson’s store, or to members of the committee.

In the same issue, William Lyon Mackenzie enthusiastically endorsed the scheme and pledged to become a subscriber and present twenty to thirty volumes to the new library, but thereafter, he grew silent about his own participation in its activities. Mackenzie was an enthusiastic proponent for all types of libraries. Still, he did not make further reference to the York Library even though the membership of the library was distinctly different from the select group that formed the Family Compact:
■ Rev. William Ryerson was a Methodist minister and brother of Egerton Ryerson.
■ Rev. Alexander Stewart was a Baptist minister and former teacher in York.
■ Dr. James McCague practiced medicine in York.
■ Thomas Appleton was a schoolmaster at the York Common School.
■ Robert Meighan was a merchant.
■ John Carey was a publisher and printer.
■ William Moore operated a drugstore.
■ John Fenton was a school teacher, an Anglican parish clerk, and a police clerk.
■ James Lesslie was a merchant, publisher, reform politician and later became one of the founders of the Toronto Mechanics’ Institute in 1830. He was a lifelong friend of Mackenzie.

Later in the summer of 1827, on August 22 and 30, the Advocate reported on the progress made by the committee members. At their meeting, held earlier in the summer on July 2, the following resolutions were passed unanimously:
1. That a number of subscription papers be printed, and that the committee use their best endeavours to procure subscribers.
2. That the president, treasurer, and secretary, do their utmost to procure the books already proposed, viz.—
Dr. Clarkes tract on the use and abuse of Tobacco; Lord Chesterfield’s Letters to his Son; Evangelical Magazine by Jones; Goldsmith’s Works; British Methodist Magazine, 2 copies new series; Rollin’s Ancient History; Mosheim’s Church History; Watts on the Mind, Watts Logic; Reid on the Mind; Bishop of Landaff’s answer to T. Paine; Thornton Abbey; Locke on Toleration; and the works of the Author of Waverly.
3. That there be transferable tickets procured by the committee.
4. That Mr. Edward Henderson be librarian for the first year, and that he keep the books at his house; also that every Monday from 3 to 9 o’clock P.M. be the time for giving out and receiving books.
5. That a proper bookcase be procured for the use of the institution.
6. That the rules of the society be printed.
N.B.—A meeting of the subscribers will be held on Monday,, the 3rd day of September, at seven in the evening, in [Thomas] Appleton’s school room.
John Fenton, Secretary
Edith Firth reprinted this report in the Colonial Advocate concerning the organization of the York Subscription Library issued on August 23, 1827, in the Town of York, 1815–1834 (Toronto, 1966).

Despite this promising start, there was little news about the library until over a year later, on Thursday, December 4, 1828, when a notice signed by the President, Peter Paterson, of the quarterly meeting of York Subscription Library was announced for 7 o’clock Tuesday [Dec. 10th] 1828 at Thomas Appleton’s school. More than two years later, an Advocate notice in April 1831, announced a meeting for subscribers on Wednesday, April 27, at Thomas Appleton’s school for “starting afresh or discontinuing the Institution” and warns of forfeiture of claims by persons who do not come forward and pay their dues by Peter Paterson, President.

After this public statement, the York Library was dissolved, perhaps because, on December 24, 1830, a small group of men had previously met at the Masonic Hall on Colborne Street near Church Street to organize a Mechanics’ Institute for York. The Institute’s most active founders were Joseph Bates, a watchmaker from England, and James Lesslie. Once established, the Institute was housed in a rented space on the second floor of the Masonic Hall. When it opened in 1830, the Institute’s library comprised 1,300 volumes. The primary aim of mechanics’ institutes was to provide adult education for working-class members, including lending libraries, and they had broader educational goals and social appeal. In Upper Canada and Ontario, they immediately garnered legislative grants for their activities, a public funding advantage that subscription libraries seldom enjoyed at this time.

Further Reading:

Florence B. Murray, “Toronto Public Library and the War of 1812,” Canadian Library Association Bulletin 11, no. 3 (1954): 102–103.

George W. Spragge, “A Toronto List in 1810,” Canadian Library Association Bulletin 12, no. 5 (1956): 197.

John W. Clarke, Jr, “Opening the Bishop’s Books: John Strachan’s Library and Enlightenment Thought,” Journal of the Canadian Church Historical Society 52, no. 1 (2014): 3–32.

William J. Cameron, George McKnight and Michaele-Sue Goldblatt, Robert Addison’s Library; A Short-Title Catalogue of the Books Brought to Upper Canada in 1792. Hamilton: McMaster University, 1967. This monograph is available at this link.

My previous blog on another Toronto subscription library formed in 1842 is at this link.

My blog on Canadian subscription libraries before 1850 is at this link.

Radio Broadcasts by Canadian Libraries before 1945

Canada was a pioneer in the development of radio. As early as May 1920, the Montreal station XWA (later CFCF) went on the air delivering a short concert broadcast to an audience as far away as Ottawa. Listeners initially utilized crystal sets, simple radio receivers. Eventually, these devices were superseded by many types of vacuum tube receivers that became standard consumer purchases as less expensive tabletop models were sold by the 1930s.

Even so, Canadian audiences were largely confined to major cities before the electrification of rural areas. For most of the 1920s, there were few Canadian stations and radio enthusiasts along the southern border, especially in Ontario, who often listened to American stations, such as KDKA in Pittsburgh, which began operating at the end of 1920. This station offered library storytelling for children, such as popular short fairy tales and animal stories.

The Golden Age of Radio and Libraries

In 2008, at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference, I presented a paper on the early broadcasts by Canadian libraries and librarians spanning the era of old-time radio from the 1920s to the ascendancy of television in the 1950s. It is mostly an overlooked subject in library history, but it has some parallels with the challenges posed by the advent of movies, television, and later, the Internet, Web 2.0, and social networking. Radio presented an opportunity to reach a mass audience beyond local registered users because it entered people’s homes from all cultures and educational backgrounds across a broader geographic region. The British Columbia Department of Education was a leader in school radio program broadcasting: it began a regular series of radio programs for schools in March 1938 in cooperation with the new CBC station in Vancouver, CBR.

At first, libraries began participating with local stations operated by newspapers and other commercial establishments before the rise of national networks. It was an innovative era for librarians that demonstrated their readiness to embrace new technology. However, the role of broadcasting was comparatively small and limited to major libraries like Toronto or Vancouver. Radio was often viewed as an external ‘extension service’ rather than a mainstream activity. There was usually no provision for specialized broadcast sections or dedicated staffing as administrators sought to develop a range of other new services, such as a readers’ advisory service. In response to the new medium, librarians used radio in a sporadic way before expansion commenced after 1945 when libraries turned to ‘outreach’ and programming on a more systematic basis.

During this formative period, there was a gradual evolution from a local focus to national programming. Small independent local commercial stations secured broadcast licenses from the federal government at the outset and provided a flurry of programs featuring news, concerts, sports, advertising, discussion groups, and short segments with local groups willing to participate. After the Canadian National Railway (CNR) established a network of stations between 1923–33 that eventually became part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) national network in 1936, ‘library programs’ were developed for a national audience. The CNR radio was initially used as entertainment for passengers and railway hotel guests. Radio headsets and radio receivers in parlour cars of transcontinental passenger trains were linked with a network of transmitting radio stations from coast to coast. The CNR controlled the network content, usually from Toronto.

The CNR recognized the potential for educational programming along with educational authorities. This type of broadcasting began in the 1920s with the University of Alberta’s station, CKUA, and the Nova Scotia Department of Education’s use of station CHNS. A few years after the Aird Commission report in 1929, which recommended a national, publicly-owned radio system to foster Canadian culture and national identity, the federal government crated Radio-Canada to replace the older CNR network. It offered programming in two separate networks, one French and one English.

Libraries began participating more formally with the CBC as they envisioned a growing national audience. In 1943, Stuart Griffiths, head of CBC programming in Toronto, spoke to Ontario librarians about effective radio cooperative projects and the CBC organization. Toronto Public Library, in particular, developed a good relationship with CJBC, the flagship station of the CBC English network. In 1944, TPL devoted an entire section of its annual report to radio broadcasts highlighting one successful program, “Lets Visit the Library:”

The interviewer strolled through the Central Library building chatting with various members of the staff and collecting items of interest in the Circulation Department, the Reference Library, the Microphotography Room, and the Boys and Girls House where a story was in progress, and several boys and girls were ‘interviewed.’ The visit ended in the chief librarian’s office when Mr. Sanderson told of other library activities, aims and ideals, which couldn’t be covered in the actual tour.

Charles Sanderson followed in the autumn of 1944 with a lengthy weekly series of talks, “Books and Us,” on CJBC. These were educational in nature by encouraging reading through and discussing the content of books, library services, literary topics, and trends in reading rather than presenting reviews or promoting certain genres or authors. Attractive posters to announce the series and book lists in the form of book marks relating to each talk were made available to the public after broadcasts.

Library Leadership in Types of Programming

Radio use by libraries varied over the interwar period and WW II. Canadian librarians did not develop specific plans for the new medium. Leadership on broadcasting came from the American Library Association, which established a radio committee in 1926, mostly to link it with adult education and literacy work. Librarians often relied on publications to develop their own ideas and discover successful efforts elsewhere. Three books in particular were helpful: (1) Francis W.K. Drury, The Broadcaster and the Librarian (1931), which emphasized educational aspects of melding discussions and library events on local airwaves; (2) Faith Holmes Hyers, The Library and the Radio (1938), a practical guide for promotion and community outreach; and (3) Julia Sauer, Radio Roads to Reading: Library Book Talks Broadcast to Girls and Boys (1939) which reprinted transcripts of radio book talks presented by the Rochester Public Library where she was in charge of children’s services for more than three decades.

In the course of her work with ALA and preparation of her book, Julia Sauer solicited scripts from libraries and received replies from Toronto and Vancouver. The Library and the Radio explored cooperation with educational authorities and the kinds of broadcasts that children’s librarians were conducting. In general, Canadian libraries pursued several types of radio programs: children’s story hours, book talks, library publicity and programs, novel readings, and question and answers sessions by patrons.

Children’s story hours —  Storytelling was the predominant program format in the early days of radio. Children’s librarians were used to story hours for various ages and locales, such as schools. Also, this developing subset of librarianship deeply believed in the power of stories to inspire youngsters and inform them about becoming the best they can be. Through the 1930s, Louise Riley, a Calgary librarian who would later rise to prominence across Canada after 1945, often presented stories on local stations, such as CJCJ, CFCN, and CFCA. In Saskatoon, Dorothy Clancy began reading stories on Saturday and Monday mornings on CFQC in the early 1930s. There were many other instances across the country. Eventually, librarians began supplying radio with subjects for dramatization by professional announcers, a development leading to popular CBC Dominion Network programs in the 1950s, Cuckoo Clock House on radio and Hidden Pages on television.

Library publicity and programs  — On the occasion of ALA’s 56th annual conference held in Montreal in 1934, John Ridington, chief librarian of the University of British Columbia, broadcast a national address on Thursday evening, June 28th, on “Libraries as Public Safety Insurance.” He stressed the important role of libraries in communities and the need to finance these educational institutions properly. However, there were skeptics about the success of library publicity via radio. Mary Duncan Carter, the Director of the School of Library Science at the University of Southern California, told delegates at the Pacific Northwest Library Association meeting at Victoria in August 1941 that surveys suggested radio publicity for library work had comparatively limited appeal. She believed in concentrating on promoting the reading interest of various groups of listeners.

Book talks and novels  — Using the airwaves for discussions about new books, important authors, or trends in reading were always comfortable topics for librarians. Alerting audiences to popular Canadian authors, such as Grace Campbell, was considered another essential duty. The quality of the TPL program “Books and Us” prompted the Globe and Mail to editorialize on March 9, 1945, that stations beyond Toronto should include it in their Sunday evening programming schedules. By this time, book talks were well established. In Hamilton, Freda Waldon, who later became the first President of the Canadian Library Association, hosted weekly Saturday afternoon chats about new books and Canadian issues on CHML. Similarly, Alexander Calhoun, the chief librarian in Calgary, arranged a series of talks starting in October 1936 that touched on foreign affairs and issues of the day. However, Calhoun and his library staff also took another step by inviting guest speakers to make the presentations, a measure that became more frequent. Local libraries were also helpful by supplying materials to producers and professional radio announcers for their own book programs. The “Library Shelf” program on Toronto’s CFRB in the 1930s was particularly successful.

Promoting Library Services —  Of course, as librarians became more adept at programming of all sorts, not just radio, the idea of public relations crept into the minds of administrators. Creating a favourable image of the library became an important aspect of broadcasting. The most notable instance came in June 1936, when the Special Libraries Association met in Montreal. American special librarians used a series of radio addresses to inform and promote the public about type library work, an event I documented in an earlier blog at this link. Through the 1930s and 1940s, librarians often suggested a visit to the library would open new vistas. In early 1946, the Montreal Children's Library (a privately funded library) used radio to advertise its services. On one segment, Ted Miller, an announcer on CBM, interviewed a boy and girl who were library users. They explained their experiences and enjoyed their adventure over the airwaves. By the mid-1940s, as librarianship developed, a few librarians, such as Elizabeth Dafoe, chief librarian of the University of Manitoba, began to use radio to promote regional systems and to entice students to pursue a library career.

Conclusion

Although some librarians were reluctant to participate in radio broadcasting because they feared it might reduce the popularity of reading books and the use of libraries. Also, there was concern about the commercialization of literature. In his 1935 annual report, Charles Sanderson, deputy chief librarian at Toronto Public Library, noted the demand for books stemming from radio broadcasts: “whilst some of these broadcasts represent disinterested comment, many of them have a camouflaged commercial support which is unknown to most listeners.” Sanderson suggested one solution was independent library programing to offset commercial coercion. Nevertheless, many successful experimental library efforts emerged in the interwar period. Generally, library broadcasts produced a broad range of programming that attempted to enrich the lives of people of all ages.

Ultimately, despite generally enthusiastic support for radio, librarians shared the fate of others who advocated for educational programs. Commercial programs, especially American ones, proliferated, and as radio programming became more segmented and competitive, and television achieved its primary, local library efforts were given less time on the air. However, they continued to provide support for broadcasters by supplying information and materials for programs. There were other difficult factors as well, such as the allocation of less popular or irregular hours, the lack of direct public response, inconsistent ties to local stations or broadcasters, and the absence of reliable survey data on audience size. Nonetheless, librarian broadcasters, especially children’s librarians, were determined to use radio to promote reading and library use through book talks, storytelling, and promotional programs.

Dorothy Cullen, a Prince Edward Island librarian who had earned her BLS at the Pratt Institute Library School in 1936, and who had experience with radio book talks, summed up this period astutely in a 1946 article on broadcasting published in the Maritimes and Ontario: “If the question were put to a group of librarians — ‘Are radio programs worthwhile as publicity’ — you would find considerable difference of opinion about them; but probably most of the people who have given this medium a tryout would say that they found broadcasting worth the time and effort. It does take a good deal of time preparing radio broadcasts ... but radio publicity can compare favorably with projects undertaken within the library - displays, booklists, etc. because it has possibilities of reaching people who are not library patrons.”

Further suggestions:

My 2008 Canadian Library Association radio presentation in PDF format on Reaching Listeners and Users is at this link.

An audio and transcription of my interview by Mr. Rex Murphy on the CBC network in March 1995 about the future of libraries and books is the subject of an earlier blog at this link.

Use of radio at the Special Libraries Association conference in Montreal in 1936 is the subject of an earlier blog at this link.

Cullen, Dorothy, “Radio Programs,” Maritime Library Association Bulletin 10, no. 2 (1945): 6–1; Reprinted as “Library Radio Programs,” Ontario Library Review 30, no. 1 (1946): 48–52.