Network of Government Library and Information Specialists

In his book “Prudence”, Walter de la Mare said “we may our ends by our beginnings know”. In my search for the beginnings of the Circle I discovered the truth of this statement. From its inception in 1925 the Circle has moved towards today’s objectives with a surprising consistency.

To set the background, in the early days libraries did not have professional librarians. They were generally managed by executive and administrative staff as part of their career in the Civil Service. If the library was attached to a research station then it was usually managed by a scientist or engineer with clerical backing. The administrative staff usually only stayed in post for 2 to 3 years an there was little or no continuity. Finance for stationery (which included money for the purchase of books) was controlled centrally by HMSO and allocated arbitrarily to departments. All orders for books etc had to be placed with HMSO which made stock planning and financial control very difficult.

The first recorded meeting of the Circle was held at the Board of Education on 25 November 1925 and was attended by representatives from 22 departments including the Victoria and Albert, the House of Lords, India Office, Board of Trade, Ministry of Health etc. It was declared to be a purely unofficial organisation so that books could be lent to each other, subject to the requirement of the lending office. Meetings were held quarterly and led to further discussions on matters of common interest, such as HMSO limitations on expenditure (A very thorny subject), steel shelving, membership of ASLIB and international exchange agreements with the League of Nations. Tours of member libraries were also organised.

By the end of 1926 it was proposed the group be named the Circle of State Librarians, with its scope and objectives to be “An association for the friendly intercourse and mutual help and improvement in relation to our work”. It was also agreed that library staff other than Librarian in charge could attend meetings. It was interesting that the word circle was used, to quote Emerson, thoughout nature this primary feature is repeated without end and is the highest emblem in the cypher of the world.

1927 was an eventful year. The Library Association was pressing government librarians to take up membership and this was discussed. The main event was an attack on Government Libraries by the Librarian of the London School of Economics on the grounds that the public were not allowed to use them. The Circle replied that the libraries were primarily provided to facilitate the work of the departments and were not intended for use by the public. They pointed out that the British Library was publicly funded and opened to the public whilst government offices did not have the space or staff to permit use by outsiders. This was reported in the Morning Post of 29 September 1927. I wonder, does this sound familiar to any of you?

Cigarette burns on the minutes of 1928 showed that smoking was prevalent. Approximately 50% of those attending the Circle meetings were women. At a meeting in October attention was drawn to remarks from the Secretary of the British Museum that officers in charge of government libraries had usually no training in librarianship. In reply the Circle made a statement that departmental knowledge was more important than librarianship training but that service librarians should have a definite post with a title. The previous head of the Department of Overseas Trade had been an official member of the Library Association for some years but considered that very little advantage had been derived from membership.

The row over Membership of the Library Association continued to rumble with a LA article stating that UK government librarians were often untrained clerks acting under untrained officials. The Circle considered that the LA catered exclusively for the needs of municipal and public librarians and any criteria or syllabus was of little value when considering the requirements of department’s librarians. Some Circle members had attended Schools of Librarianship but apart from simple classification systems found the courses of little practical use.

In 1930 the Circle was discussing the possibility of submitting evidence to a Royal Commission on the Civil Service on the technical qualifications of officers in charge of government libraries. Representatives from the Library Association attended a Circle meeting and put forward a case for membership.

Later in the 30’s concern was expressed at the frequent changes in officers in charge of libraries and the Circle now considered that a member should aim at being graded as a librarian throughout the service with a view to securing a definite pay scale and status. It was many years before this was finally achieved. In 1931 about 7 or 8 departments had librarians definitely designated as such and these posts were held permanently. A suggestion was also made that government office libraries could cause economies by amalgamating which might lead to improvements in status and pay. Again a forward-looking approach with the first thoughts of a Government Library service. Another suggestion was for a central reserve library for government offices – I wonder if this was the first thought that led to the inception of the BLLD. Subject specialisation was set up but the war of 1939-1945 intervened and the Circle became dormant until 1946.

The Circle of State Librarians was reconstituted in July 1946 and held its first AGM in November. The records indicated an increase in the number of professional librarians and the objective now was to facilitate the exchange of ideas and to further co-operation between State Librarians and State Library personnel. Membership was open to those in employment in the State Library or Information Service and who had professional qualifications or experience which would satisfy the Committee. The Committee was dominated by Heads of Library Service and a quarterly publication, State Librarian was started. The first guide to government department libraries was produced and distributed freely. It has now grown and you will know it as the British Library’s Guide to Government Libraries and other bodies.

A subcommittee on interdepartmental lending was set up with a Central Index of Translations sub committee. There was closer liaison with the Library Association and one of the first post war Chairmen was Mr (later Sir) Frank Francis, head of the British Museum Library. The Circle was a very influential body and, although I have no proof, I do wonder if it was not a forerunner of the Committee of Departmental Librarians.

By 1949 there were 116 members of the Circle and meetings had been set up with Departmental Officers to discuss the roe that librarians could play in Departmental Training programmes. Visits to other libraries were carried out and there were talks on current topics. One speaker at a dinner was Dr Ranganathan of classification fame and Dr Walford who compiled “Walfords Guide to reference works” was an active committee member. As you can see the Circle was well to the forefront in education and training, a role which it still maintained.

HMSO continued to cause problems. State Librarian became too expensive to produce and a news bulletin was circulated instead. By 1953 a Circle Education Fund had been set up to help students unable to obtain official assistance in studding for professional examinations. Membership became open to all members of government service who were interested in activities without any limitations as to the work on which they were engaged or formal qualifications. State Librarian of April 1953 said that members who read the following pages will realize that the Circle is a veritable vortex of vitality.

By 1955 there were 211 members from 80 government libraries. The Library Association Record of January 1956 gave a good write up of the Circle’s work. Membership fee was reduced from 10/- to 2/6d (12.5p today a quite a significant sum). The first conference on Analysis of Special Materials was held in 1957. Summer visits which were both educational and social were introduced and an essay competition was held in 1965 and 1966.

I became a professional librarian in 1967 and joined the Circle. Membership was 4/- (20p) per annum and my salary as an Assistant Librarian was £970 per annum plus £70 inner London weighting. In 1969 I was co-opted onto the Circle Committee as Secretary and I remember my first task was to take over the summer visit which was to Hatfield House. Later summer visits to Blackwells at Oxford and to Sandhurst led to lengthy telephone calls to discuss the merits of soup or melon with port for lunch and which wine would be most appropriate for the main course. Cheese and wine parties were also very popular attracting over 100 members. I remember a group of the committee sampling wine whilst testing out the earthquake room at the Natural History Museum. During my time on the Committee I saw membership increase to over 500. For several years the Civil Service Department gave the Circle a grant of £250 per annum to help with expenses.

A Bulletin was produced which was replaced by a new State Librarian in 1975. Another example of the circle still turning. In 1976 there was a proposal that a Government Librarians Group of the Library Association be formed and this was inaugurated in 1977.

The Circle commenced running conferences (again) and the first one was held at Kew in 1978. Closer liaison was set up with the LA Government Libraries Group and revised aims and rules were set up. Until now the Circle had been able to use many government buildings free of charge for its activities but this was beginning to change by the late 1970’s.

During the 80’s and 90’s the Circle has continued to develop and play an important role in education and training in the government library service. It has not been afraid to tackle thorny issues and discuss them. Articles in State Librarian have reflected changes in librarianship and the information profession. Training courses have responded to and anticipated current concerns, been well thought out and provided development opportunities for both professional and support staff. An annual conference has been run and there are opportunities for members to meet socially as well as professionally.

The Circle has been put on a sound financial footing and has an annual financial plan. Membership peaked at over 600 but is a little lower now. The current objectives are to stimulate interest in the cost effective management of information and promote co-operation among staff in government and allied library and information services; to organise visits to libraries and other places of interest, training courses aimed especially at library and information support staff, annual conference, publish journals and compile reference guides. The original objective said that the Circle should be for friendly intercourse I know this still applies.

The Circle also represents professional interests in the government library and information service by submitting comments to committees, working parties etc. however it maintains its role as a professional group and not a negotiating body.

Earlier in my talk I quoted Emerson’s definition of a circle. A Circle is strong; it has no limits and no ends; it is ever moving and each part contributes to its strength. The original founders of the Circle may have had this in mind and I am sure that the Circle of the future will continue to grow and adapt to modernisation and change.

Margaret Wilson
CSL millennium conference held at 1 Great George St, London SW1P, on 7th February 2000 & State Librarian Summer 2000.

See also: "The State Of The Circle" by Fiona Greig (49kb)