Skeleton in the Cupboard: Social Class and the Public Library in Britain through 150 Years

The 150th anniversary of the passing of the first Public Libraries Act in Britain offers an opportunity to examine one aspect of public library history which has tended to be swept under the carpet; namely the question as to whether public libraries could ever be described as truly classless rather than the preserve of a particular social class. Although the welfare state has encouraged many people, not least librarians, to view public libraries as a service offered freely to all, regardless of class, it could be argued that they have always been, and continue to be, an expression of liberal middleclass ideals.