• The Prince and the Librarian: The Context and Significance of the Reforms to the Royal Library at Windsor Castle under Prince Albert

    Author(s):
    David Baker (see profile)
    Date:
    2019
    Group(s):
    CityLIS, Library & Information Science
    Subject(s):
    Collectors and collecting, History, Books, Library science, Information science, Libraries, Reading
    Item Type:
    Dissertation
    Institution:
    City, University of London
    Tag(s):
    cataloguing, Classification schemes, Prince Albert, Royal Library, History of collectors and collections, History of the book, Library and information science, Library history, Reading and library history
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/fhy7-7k27
    Abstract:
    In 1860, the newly-appointed librarian of the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, Bernard Bolingbroke Woodward, drew up a series of ambitious plans aimed at reforming the organisation and administration of the collection. The work carried out on the library during this period included the introduction of a subject-based classification system and the first concerted attempts made to produce a library catalogue. Woodward’s re-development of the library was undertaken at the express behest of Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, and, in several aspects, under his direct influence. This study examines the historical contexts and influences that went into shaping the redevelopment of the library in the 1860s, with a view towards gaining a more detailed understanding of rationale behind the plans for the reorganisation of this collection. The research is carried out through an historical study by means of extended review of the secondary literature, together with a close analysis of the major primary sources in the form of reports produced by Woodward in which he details his vision and his recommendations for the library. The historical connections to other contemporary libraries are mapped, and the context also sought for the classification scheme introduced by the Prince Consort.
    Notes:
    Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc Library Science at City, University of London (Supervisor: Dr Lyn Robinson).
    Metadata:
    xml
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 years ago
    License:
    Attribution-NonCommercial
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