Convicts & Colonials: Community Organisations

Ipswich Subscription Library and Reading Room
A committee called the Ipswich Subscription Library and Literary Institute was the forerunner to the Ipswich Subscription Library and Reading Room. Benjamin Cribb was the president of the original Institute and J. Blaine was the honorary secretary. J. Blaine wrote an article explaining the history of the School of Arts, which appeared in the Queensland Times on 27 August 1903:

The business of that institution was carried on in a small room provided by a bookseller named Beattie, who kept a book-seller's and stationer's shop in a small wooden cottage which stood on the site now occupied by Watson Bros.' butcher's shop, opposite to Messrs. Cribb and Foote's establishment.

He went on to explain that the old reading room committee hoped to secure one of two allotments of land up for sale (the old post office and the Court house), to "form a nucleus for the formation of a School of Arts." Mr. Blaine wrote to the Colonial Secretary requesting that these two allotments be set aside for a Post Office and a School of Arts, which he said was granted, with the old Court House becoming the first School of Arts and the old lockup "transformed into a residence for the secretary"

The Ipswich Subscription Library and Reading Room was formed on the 14th June 1854. In that year there were 524 books in the library, with forty regular readers. There were 7 Colonial Papers and 13 British Newspapers and periodicals had been ordered.

Members of the Ipswich Subscription Library and Reading Room met at the old court house on 22 September 1858 to consider steps to be taken "for the purpose of the formation in Ipswich of a Mechanics' School of Arts". This was in response to the meeting held to consider formation of the Mechanics' School of Arts where it was resolved that the property of the Ipswich Subscription Library be transferred to the School of Arts. Many of the members were unaware 'of the confiscation of their property'.

At the meeting held in August 1858 at the Court House, the issue of the formation of a Mechanics' School of Arts was considered. Mr. Warry moved a resolution to form a society to be named the Ipswich Mechanics' School of Arts whose purpose was "diffusing knowledge among its members, wither by written works, lectures, and wholesome amusement." 

The formation of a School of Arts seemed to be a desideratum not hitherto recognised in Ipswich. In almost all towns we found that bowling alleys and similar entertainments prevailed, and it was fortunate that these societies were established to have a counteracting influence. It was well-known in England amongst the working classes, that there was no lack of desire for literary institutions. Mr. Warry then alluded to the advertisement duty being repealed in England, and the beneficial effect that good, cheap and wholesome literature had upon the reading masses, and he had no doubt but that the working classes here would avail themselves of the privilege as readily as those of the old country.

The resolution was seconded and carried and the society was formed. There was some debate after the formation of this society about the books from the Ipswich Subscription Library being transferred over. It certainly appears that the Mechanics' wished to combine the two and have one group of men oversee the institution.

By 1861, the Subscription Library and Reading Room presented 700 books to the School of Arts.