An all-male readership in the general reading room of Bridgeton District Library in 1907, the year after the library's opening. There was a separate reading room for ladies.
Glasgow's leading role in the provision of new lending libraries was recognised by the Library Association's decision to hold their annual conference in the city in 1907. Librarians from all over the United Kingdom and beyond came to see the progress that had been made. Not everyone was impressed. Writing in the periodical Library World, an anonymous contributor observed:
"The general impression given by the reading rooms visited was that they were all overcrowded with young men of the labouring class during the day, a most surprising circumstance considering the prosperity of the city and the amount of work going on. Bridgeton especially attracts a rough type of Irish reader, and spitting assumes an epidemic form both there and elsewhere."
Reference: D-LB
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Bridgeton District Library, Irish, librarians, libraries, Library Association, reading rooms, spitting
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