Collections

Collections

The first books were donated from a personal collection of a young British gentleman sent to the colonies for public service. Henry Fyshe Gisborne came to Melbourne in 1839, quickly becoming involved in cultural life of the growing city and was elected, along with 7 others, an initial Vice President of the Melbourne Mechanic's. Before setting off on a trip to Great Britain, Gisborne offered his library to the Mechanics Institute. His loan became a bequest in his will when he unfortunately died during the voyage. The collection included 8 reference works, 8 works on history and philosophy, 5 Mechanic's Magazines and 1 novel - Anne Radcliffe's Gaston de Blondeville. 


The collection progressed slowly but steadily from this point. The purpose of the Mechanic's in the late 1800s was the 'diffusion of useful knowledge and British culture' and it was along these lines that the collection developed. Acquisitions were by both gift and purchase. By 1852, 4,436 standard and scientific works were held in the library and the library was renowned for having every leading journal from Britain and Australia. 


In 1880, Mr William Smith was appointed librarian. Smith was a very autocratic librarian and selected all purchases for 36 years until 1911. At this point, the library was in need of rejuvenation after being dominated for so long by one man. In 1909, Mr R.W.E. Wilmot became Secretary and brought a new energy to the whole Athenaeum including the library. With new librarian Mr W.H. Remfrey and his temporary replacement during Imperial Service Mr J. Butler Cooper, the library was modernised. Magazines had been purchased piecemeal during Mr Smith's tenure however Mr Wilmot organised orders through a wholesaler. The Reading Room, with its 'lavish provision of local, interstate and overseas newspapers, journals and magazines' became the most popular branch of the Athenaeum. Mr Butler organised a sale of discarded books and oversaw the library re-arrangement along modern lines such as lowering shelf height and placing books with the face out.


During this time, the library aimed 'to satisfy all tastes' but by the 1930s, critics were bemoaning the lack of current issues being represented. The collection was deridingly described as 'detective, wild west and trashy romances for frivolous readers.' However, sub-letter the Athenaeum Theatre, with seating for 1000 patrons, was often sold out being famous for such novelties as 'talkies' and all-British 'Empire' theatre programmes. 


World War Two played havoc on the Empire focussed collection and theatre programmes. In 1943, US literature began to be collected due to acquisitions from the UK being 'subject to long delays'. The librarian of the time, Mr De Pledge, increased the holdings of serious works but also oversaw a period of increased conservatism. For example, the novel Fair stood the Wind for France by H.E. Bates was deemed to be 'blasphemous and indecent' and was withdrawn. 


Membership to the library peaked in 1950 with 7579 members, however this decade heralded the beginning of challenging times for subscriber libraries. The general move away from recreational reading due to the introduction of television and the availability of cheap paperbacks led to declining membership. In an attempt to counter this, the Athenaeum introduced a Gramophone record library in 1959. Membership was also affected by the decentralisation of Melbourne and the spreading of the suburbs. In response, a branch library was opened in Forest Hill in 1968. Advertised in 1969 as 'books you will enjoy reading', the Forest Hill branch held modern novels, mysteries, romances, science fiction, non-fiction and a wide range of children's literature.

The Athenaeum Library currently adds around 80 titles per month. The area collected today are: Adventure Fiction; Detective Fiction; Science Fiction; Historical Fiction; Romance Fiction; General Fiction; Graphic Novels; Young Adult Fiction; Junior Fiction; Short Stories; Biography; Non-Fiction; D.V.D.; and Ebooks.  As is evidence by the emphasis on fiction, the collection is developing within the Athenaeum slogan 'the pleasure of words'

Bassett, M 1966, Gisborne, Henry Fyshe (Fysche) (1813 - 1841), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, viewed 6 May 2012, <http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/gisborne-henry-fyshe-fysche-2099>

2012 Lists - Public Lists, Melbourne Athenaeum Library, Melbourne,  viewed 6 May 2012, <https://mal.calyx.net.au/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?display=publicshelves>

Picture credit:

笑点-D 2010, 144_Melbourne Athenaeum Library_INTERIOR_1,笑点-D's photostream, flickr, viewed 30 April 2012, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/yulawly/4839653736/>

Chronological History of Melbourne Athenaeum

Melbourne Mechanics' Institute, 1864

1840 - First Annual General Meeting held on 1st June.

- 2 parcels of land bought in Collins St, one later sold to fund construction of a building

1843 - 2 storey brick building 'with the noblest edifice in the province' opened, Melbourne Mechanics'

Institute and School of Arts moves into its permanent home.

1844 - Faced insolvency due to Depression.

1845 - The nucleus of Melbourne's first permanent museum, a glass case was installed near the Reading Room.

1846 - Melbourne Mechanics'Institute and School of Arts Reading Room holds every leading journal published in Britain and Australia.

- A £300 grant from the Legislative Council allows the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute

and School of Arts to begin a collection of Aboriginal Relics.

- Although a subscription library, general public admission is possible with a small fee.

1851 - The discovery of gold in Ballarat led to 'interruptions to which all the pursuits of our community have been subjected' as members head out to try their luck.

1853 - Membership is overwhelmingly middle class. Only 1 in 20 members is a mechanic or

artisan - the 'upper strata' of the working class.

- Redmond Barry persuades the Victorian government to allot funds for the first free

library in Australia.

1865 - Considering the significant change in the membership, the Committee seek to change the name to reflect the subscribers, such as the Literary Club or the Athenaeum.

1872 - New additions of a hall and façade are begun.

1873 - Members voted to change the name to the Melbourne Athenaeum.

- Realia donated to the National Museum.

- Growing membership.

1886 - Building upgrades including the placement of the Statue of Athena in the niche

of the façade.

1890s - The Great Crash, the decade long Depression, means membership begins to decline.

- Educational Lectures cease.

1896 - The first film shown in Melbourne premiers at the Melbourne Athenaeum.

1904 - Frederick McCubbin's triptych The Pioneer exhibited in the gallery.

1906 - Premiere of The Kelly Gang, the first feature film in the world.

1910 - Upper Hall transformed into an Art Gallery - 'the best lit gallery in Melbourne.'

- Moving pictures shown in the 'home of movies in Melbourne.'

- Theatre licence granted for 'any interlude, tragedy, opera, comedy, stage play, farce,

burletta, melodrama, pantomime or any stage dancing, tumbling or feats of

horsemanship.'

1913 - Renovations of library sees memberships begin to climb steadily until the Great

Depression of the 1930s.

1929 - Athenaeum Theatre screens the first 'talkies' in Australia. The Jazz Singer begins a year long season.

1930 - Lifts installed and are still in use today.

- Re-institution of Educational Lectures after 40 year break.

1932 - 1937 - Membership declines due to the expansion of the suburbs with the associated openings of small lending libraries.

1937 - Library reclassified and reorganised along modern principles. The Library and Reading Rooms are joined, facilities for all classes of reader are provided and no book is placed out of reach.

1942 - Lectures are suspended due to World War 2 'black-outs'.

1943 - American literature introduced as British literature proved too hard to procure during World War 2.

1950 - Simplified Dewy Decimal Classification system is introduced.

1951 - Melbourne Chess Club is evicted by Court Order to make room for book storage area.

1952 - Peak membership of 7,579 reached.

- Athenaeum Library committee actively involved with the Australian Book Fair Council and the Library Week Movement.

1956 - While a boon to most of Melbourne, The Olympic Games lead to declining membership at the library due to increasing television ownership.

1957 - Annual fees (demanded by the increase in State Land Tax) and other household increases such as the public transport fare increase lead to further decline in membership.

1958 - Surveys of discontinuing members indicate such things as the cost of public transport, parking difficulties in the city, suburban municipal libraries and television were the causes of falling membership.

1959 - A Gramophone Record Library is established with lunchtime recitals.

1960 - The closure of commercial libraries the Myer Library and Mullens Library see slight increase in Athenaeum Library memberships.

1963 - The Board of Inquiry into Library Services in Victoria, and its subsequent Jungwirth Report published in 1964 recognise the 'good services' of the Athenaeum Library but recommends State funds for public service libraries should be directed to improving the free municipal library services and not 'private' services.

1965 - Pilot branch library developed.

1968 - Forest Hill branch of Athenaeum Library opened in October. The new building is plagued with woes such as numerous floodings.

1971 - Opening hours are reduced by an hour each evening in an attempt to reduce costs.

1972 - 1975 - The Theosophical Society rents the former Gallery space.

- Forest Hill continues to grow until the 1974 opening of the Nunawading Municipal library and Nunawading High School, which is located next to the Forest Hill branch.

1977 - 'Live' theatre returns to the Athenaeum with the association of the Melbourne Theatre Company. The former art gallery is converted into a smaller theatre 'Athenaeum 2'.

- Membership to city branch continues to decline as Melbourne is decentralised.

- Forest Hill Branch is closed.

1981 - The Athenaeum building is entered into the Register of the National, Australian Heritage Commission.

1991 - A grant is obtained to refurbish and upgrade the heritage listed building.

1997 - The Athenaeum 2 becomes the Comedy Club.

Today - The Athenaeum Library regards itself as 'Melbourne's best kept secret'. Currently, in addition to offering over 30,000 volumes for loan, the library also hosts Author Talks and Lectures on a range of topics.

Picture credit:

Wilmore, A 1862, Mechanics' Institution, Melbourne, Sands, Kenny & Co, Melbourne, viewed 30 April 2012,

Founding the Melbourne Athenaeum

Minto HouseMechanics’ Institutes are a product of the Industrial Revolution during the nineteenth century. As a consequence of the introduction of machinery, the working class needed more training to build, maintain and repair machinery. The first Mechanic’s Institute was established in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1851 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh (pictured). Its purpose was to "address societal needs by incorporating fundamental scientific thinking and research into engineering solutions". The school was revolutionary in providing access to scientific and technological education for working class men who could not afford subscription libraries.

Watch a Short history of private and subscription libraries here.

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library, originally called the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute and School of Arts, was established in 1839, not long after the city of Melbourne was founded. Mechanics' Institutes were cultural institutions imported from the British motherland and their expansion in Victoria during the 19th century was phenomenal. Over 1200 Mechanics' Institutes were built in Victoria but just over 500 remain today, and only six still operate their lending library services. The fledgling Australian colonies were in no sense an industrial society. The city of Melbourne had only been declared in 1835 and by 1861 the Victorian census showed only five per cent of the working population engaged in manufacturing activities. Amongst the founding members, education was considered essential to the well-being of any community. Several master builders connected with the fraternal organisation the Melbourne Union Benefit Society were invited by Alexander Sims with the intention of forming a Mechanics’ Institute for ‘the promotion of science in this rising colony, particularly amongst the young, as well as the operative classes’. Captain Lonsdale was elected the first President in 1839 and the mandate became to develop Melbourne’s cultural and technological identity through "the diffusion of scientific, literary and other useful knowledge amongst its members and the community in general".

Picture credit:

2006, Minto House, University of Edinburgh, School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Edinburgh,

మేల్బౌర్నే Athenaeum

Facade of the Melbourne Athenaeum

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library was established not long after the city of Melbourne was founded. It was a time of pioneering energy and great technological progress. I will look into how and why the Melbourne Athenaeum came into existence, who were the original founders and the vision they had when establishing it. Has the library remained true to the original purpose?

I have chosen to look at the Melbourne Athenaeum library for my research topic blog. The Athenaeum Library is a subscription based library in the heart of Melbourne. It has a long and significant history in Melbourne, and is actively working to have a long and significant future. Through this blog, I will look at the historical context of the establishment of this library, the collection, the services offered,the major events during its 173 year history, the current situations and future plans.

This topic proved very difficult to research. Having such a distinguished history with so many 'firsts' I had expected significant amounts of information to be available. How wrong I was! Little is available online, the Local History collection of the Melbourne Library Service barely mentions it and the Athenaeum Library itself only has 1 journal that was published to mark the 170th anniversary. It seems the Melbourne Athenaeum Library wants to continue to be 'Melbourne's best kept secret'!

Following are the list of resources I have used throughout the posts. Information specific to each blog (such as picture credits) will be posted on that page.

Barker, Donald 2002, "Funding communal culture: opportunism and standardisation of funding for mechanics' institutes in colonial Victoria." The Australian Library Journal 51.3 : p247 Academic OneFile, viewed 22 Apr 2012.

Billot, C.P. 1985, The life and times of John Pascoe Fawkner, Hylands, Melbourne.

Brown. P.L., 'Arden, George (1820-1854)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre for Biography, Australian National University, viewed 22 April 2012, <http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/aarden-george-1714/text1869>

Canon, M 1991, Old Melbourne Town before the Gold Rush, Loch Haven, Main Ridge, Victoria.

de Serville, Paul 1980, Port Phillip gentlemen and the good society in Melbourne before the Gold Rushes, Oxford, Melbourne.

Jefferson, G 1969, Libraries and society, James Clark & Co, London.

Lee, J 2008, Making modern Melbourne, Arcade, Melbourne.

Lowden, Bronwyn 2010, Mechanics' Institutes, Schools of Arts, Athenaeums, etc.: An Australian Checklist - 3rd Edition. Lowden Publishing, Donvale, Victoria.

Mechanics' Worldwide 2004 2004, Buildings, Books and Beyond: Mechanics' Worldwide Conference 2004 - Proceedings of the first International Conference convened by the Prahran Mechanics' Institute, Prahran Mechanics’ Institute, Prahran, Victoria.

Mechanics' Worldwide 2009 2009, Self Help: Mechanics' Worldwide Conference 2009 - Proceedings of the second International Conference convened by the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, Lowden Publishing, Donvale, Victoria.

Melbourne Athenaeum 2009, The Melbourne Athenaeum : A journal of the history of a Melbourne institute, Melbourne Athenaeum, Melbourne.

This picture:

Markovic, Drago 2010, Melbourne Athenaeum : Front of Theatre from Collins St, Australian heritage photographic library search results (detail), viewed 30 April 2012, <http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi.-bin/heritage/photodb/imagesearch.pl?proc=detail;barcode_no=dig13957>