| Bytown Mechanics' Institute.[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Mechanics' Institute |
| Established | 1847 |
| Branches | Prior to 1863, in the Temperance Hall of the Congregational Church near Sappers' Bridge; post 1863. |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Daily local papers; tri-weeklies including 2 French, one from Dublin, one from Glasgow; 29 weeklies including Scientific American and Canada West; 4 illustrated papers including Punch and London Illustrated News; United Kingdom periodicals. |
| Size | In 1856, 1004 volumes |
| Criteria for collection | The Library Associations and Mechanics' Institutes Act of 1851 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | ad hoc, however $50-$600 annually might be expected from government sources |
| Director | 1847: Hon. Thomas McKay -- President; G. W. Baker -- Vice President; Hamnett Hill -- 2nd Vice President; Elkanah Billings -- Corresponding Sec.; H. Bishoprick -- Recording Sec.; Andrew Drummond -- Treasurer |
| Employees | 1 librarian |
The Bytown Mechanics' Institute is an Upper Canada example of a knowledge transfer organization aimed at encouraging grassroots participation. These institutions were Victorian and moralistic in tone and class-oriented in structure which, in part, explains their failure. However, they show the tendency towards democratic institutions in the early history of Canada where the border between the United States and Canada was more fluid than in the present era and encourage such ideals.[clarification needed] These institutions attempted to include the working class, French Canadians and women, where the British social model did not support these inclusions. The composition of the executive of the Bytown Mechanics' Institute in its various formations illustrates this and exemplifies the issues of cost and available leisure time that would eventually cause the institute's failure.[2]