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.