Une bibliothèque communautaire d'exception : la Atwater Library of the Mechanics' Institute of Montreal

Type of resource
Authors/collaborators
Title
Une bibliothèque communautaire d'exception : la Atwater Library of the Mechanics' Institute of Montreal
Abstract
In 1828, some prominent Montreal citizens, headed by The Reverend Henry Esson (1793-1853) of St. Gabriel's Presbyterian Church, formed the Montreal Mechanics' Institution because they saw a need to educate workers for the emerging industries of the growing city. The Institution's goal was to teach reading, arithmetic, geometry and drawing skills to young Montreal and newly-arrived immigrant workers. By 1834, pre-Rebellion political unrest in Montreal, as well as rivalries between Anglophone and Francophone patrons based on religion and educational objectives, led to a suspension of activities of the Institution. The last meeting was held on March 24, 1835. In 1840, with the Rebellions passed and Montreal returning to political peace, the Mechanics' Institute of Montreal was formed -- a revitalization of the previous Institution. The author outlines the Institute's library collection between 1850 and 1884. In 1962, the Mechanics' Institute of Montreal changed its name to The Atwater Library. The Atwater Library is today the sole survivor of the many mechanics' institutes established in Canada in the nineteenth century.
Book Title
Bibliothèeques québécoises remarquables
Place
Montréal
Publisher
Del Busso
Date
2017
Pages
127-137
Language
fr
Citation
Leroux, Éric. “Une bibliothèque communautaire d’exception : la Atwater Library of the Mechanics’ Institute of Montreal.” In Bibliothèeques québécoises remarquables, edited by Claude Corbo, 127–137. Montréal: Del Busso, 2017.
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