'The fiction nuisance' in nineteenth-century British public libraries

Abstract

The early decades of British public libraries were characterized by a definite prejudice against fiction reading. This article presents a study of the roots of the nineteenth- century public library's difficulties in coming to terms with the rela tionship between the realities of user demand and a more theoretical view of a library's true function. The ways in which public libraries came to terms with fiction provision are examined by considering three aspects of the topic: the perceptions of the purposes of public libraries; attitudes to fiction outside the library profession; and the profes sion's capacity to generate its own distinctive approach. The article considers three interlinked ele ments which were central to nine teenth- and early twentieth-century librarians' responses to the chal lenge : the social and educational status of entrants to librarianship; the ability of the Library Association and other professional bodies to act as an effective medi um for the evolution of an indepen dent consensus to opinion; and the progress of professional education and training.