The Cambridge History of Libraries in Britain and Ireland. Vol. 3: 1850 to Today

The Public Libraries Act of 1850 founded a tradition of public provision and service which continues today, and national and academic libraries have grown and multiplied accordingly. Libraries have become an industry rather than a localized phenomenon, and librarianship has developed from a scholarly craft to a scientific profession. The essays in this volume present a picture of great diversity, covering public, national, academic, subscription and private libraries. The users of libraries are an important part of their history and are considered here in detail, alongside the development of the library profession and the impact of new information technologies. Since the mid-nineteenth century an unprecedented expansion and diversification of library activity has taken place. The Public Libraries Act of 1850 founded a tradition of public provision and service which continues today, and national and academic libraries have grown and multiplied. Libraries have become an industry rather than a localised phenomenon, and librarianship has developed from a scholarly craft to a scientific profession. The essays in this volume present a picture of great diversity, covering public, national, academic, subscription and private libraries. The users of libraries are an important part of their history and are considered here in detail, alongside the development of the library profession and the impact of new information technologies. The place of the library within society and the growth of a professional structure to manage new demands on information are the central concerns of this volume, which celebrates the diversity of the modern library world v. 1. From the early Middle Ages to the Civil War / edited by Elisabeth Leedham-Green, Teresa Webber v. 2. From the Civil War to the Great Exhibition / edited by Giles Mandelbrote, Keith Manley v. 3. The library in the modern world : the mid-nineteenth century to the present day / edited by Alistiar Black and Peter Hoare. This is a detailed scholarly history of libraries in Britain and Ireland. It provides a panorama of the great variety of libraries since the medieval period, setting them in their social and cultural contexts and interpreting their role as it has changedover time