Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - First part - IV. Education and Mental Culture - 7. Public Collections and Institutions for Science and Art. Periodical Literature. By B. Lundstedt, Ph. D., Librarian at the Royal Library, Stockholm - People's Libraries, by A. Dalin, Common-school Head Teacher, Huskvarna - Newspapers
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396
IV. EDUCATION AND MENTAL CULTURE IN SWEDEN.
ferent ways, for the enlightenment of
the poor people, especially by
establishing Reading-rooms, in connection
with a collection of books for home
reading. A couple of years earlier,
interested persons at Kungsholmen in
Stockholm, the largest manufacturing
district of the city, had established a
Reading-room, which has been
transferred to this Association. In the
beginning of 1901 the Stockholm
town-council voted means to the Association
for establishing new Reading-rooms,
and also granted a yearly support for
these. — In Gothenburg, there are
Reading-rooms established by the
»Bolag» or public company for the sale
of spirits (see above p. 279); these are frequented by more than 300,000 persons
yearly. Also in other places having a numerous manufacturing population,
Reading-rooms have been started.
There are several private collections of books for the people in the
towns, and in other thickly peopled localities. The largest of them is the
Working-men’s Library (Arbetarbiblioteket) in Stockholm, which is established
and owned by a Library Association, formed by co-operation of the different
associations of working-men in the city. This library owns above 10,000
volumes, and in 1901 there were made more than 45,000 book-loans. It has been
supported up to this time entirely by contributions from the working-men
themselves, but has now been voted a grant from the community, which in 1902
amounted to 3,000 kronor. The library was then moved into apartments especially
fitted up for the purpose in the »People’s Palace», which has been erected by the
Trades’ Union League for the cultivation of the working people. This library
is of interest not only for its considerable size and the diligency with which it
is made use of, but also for its being founded and conducted exclusively by the
working-men themselves.
Other association libraries of significance in Stockholm are those of the
Workmen’s Institute (Arbetarinstitutet, see p. 316) and of the old Workmen’s
Association for all the trades (Arbetarföreningen).
Among the students at the University of Uppsala two Societies have been
formed, called Verdandi and Heimdal (the one of a more liberal trend, the other
more conservative), which are working with great energy for the development of
people’s libraries. They have published catalogues of suitable books, they facilitate
purchases at a reduced rate, and provide for the publication of popular scientific works.
In the Swedish Common schools the General Association of Swedish
Common-school Teachers (Sveriges allmänna folkskollärareförening; see p. 293) has worked
for the instituting of Pupils’ libraries, which thus through the pupils are accessible
also to elder brothers and sisters and parents.
Newspapers.
The first newspaper in Sweden appeared in 1645. It is still published,
under the name of Post- och Inrikes Tidningar, and is without doubt
one of the oldest still existing newspapers of any country. Since 1791
People’s Library of Gothenburg City.
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