Librarians
“The librarian shall keep a distinct account of all the books; which shall be numbered both on the inside and outside, for that purpose, in order to know in whose hands they are. He shall note the time of delivering them out, and receiving them in; and he shall also examine the books as they come in, and inform the committee of any tearing, or other damage they may have sustained….”
Laws for the regulation of the circulating-library in Leeds, 1768, no. XVII
There have been just eighteen librarians of the Leeds Library since its foundation in 1768. The Leeds Library began, as many similar libraries did, by employing booksellers as librarians whose skills were useful in obtaining books, organizing them and producing library catalogues. The library was also not unusual in taking accommodation with its first librarian. By 1825, it felt confident enough to employ its first full-time librarian. However, though several of the librarians of the remainder of the 19th century were successful men of letters and two were to play – elsewhere – important parts in the creation of a professional librarians’ association, they had mixed success as librarians of the Leeds Library. One if not two of them supplemented a relatively meagre income by embezzling some of the library’s own income – again not unusual in subscription libraries of the time. The librarians of the 20th century have been men and women generally devoted to the profession who, in recent years, have possessed professional library qualifications.
