Inclined plane" : the role of the library within the Working Men's Club Movement

Abstract

Working Men's Clubs have scarcely been mentioned in the social history texts of New Zealand. Moreover, the role of the library within them has hardly been considered, although it deserves exploration. This research analyzes the role of the library, both within the original context of the British clubs and then in the colonial context with the Wellington Working Men's Club and Literary Institute up to the year 1900. To fully understand the philosophy behind the inclusion of libraries in Working Men's Clubs, the research is placed within a framework of adult education and the Victorian notion of self-improvement for the working man. The conclusions this research comes to, is that the clubs aims changed only slightly when they were transplanted to New Zealand from the United Kingdom; civilizing and educating continued to remain their overt priorities. This research shows the role the libraries played within the clubs, helping to civilize and educate the working man, was highly prized in both countries.