Bytown Mechanics' Institute
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| 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 weeklies; 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 Annual might be expected from government sources |
| Director | 1847: Hon.Thos McKay--President; G.W.Baker--VicePresident;Dr.Hamnett Hill--2nd VicePresident; Elkanah Billings--Corresponding Sec.; H.Bishoprick--Recording Sec.; Andrew Drummond--Treasurer |
| Staff | 1 Librarian |
The Bytown Mechanics' Institute is an Upper Canada example of knowledge transfer organizations aimed at the grass roots. 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 borders between the United and Canada were more fluid than in the present era and encourage such ideals. 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 Institutes failure.
In the 1830s, newsrooms were beginning to open in Bytown, Upper Canada. Newsrooms were spaces where reading materials, especially newspapers, were made available presumably to those who subscribed and paid for the materials. Newsrooms were set up in the British Hotel in Upper Town and another in McArthur’s Hotel in Lower Town. The longevity of these organizations was influenced by the long hours of the working class.
In 1845, clerks in Bytown organized The Mercantile Library Association. This association appears to have been an extension of the Upper Town newsroom as both were housed in the British Hotel.
The lifespan of the BMI is relatively short-lived and the institute does not appear to merge with any other organizations. The timelines of the BMIA, the Ottawa Natural History Society and the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society are blended as three naturally related organizations.
The Bytown Mechanics' Institute (BMI) was established in 1847. This first Mechanics' Institute was not long lived and closed two years later. The Bytown Mechanics' Institute and Athenaeum (BMIA) was officially established January 29, 1853.
The Bytown Mechanics’ Institute differed from the newsrooms in that the founding fathers were not clerks or working class; they were employers and professionals. The social leaders of Bytown formed the BMI: Hon. Thomas McKay, George W. Baker, Horatio Blasdell, John Scott, William P Lett, John Bower Lewis and all resident clergymen.
Lack of participation had several causes. First, the subscription fee of five shillings was likely too high for the majority of the area inhabitants. Second, it is unlikely that there were enough working men who could be attracted to such an organization. Lumber jacks were largely French speaking and used French language institutions. For anglophones, the Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Society had largely the same purpose. Third, fund raising events were generally failures. Finally, and most critical, there was no newspaper support or advertising. The continuity of the BMI through to BMIA was broken between 1850 and 1852.
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