Welcome to Canterbury Library’s Local Studies
Collection. This leaflet has been produced to help
you with your research. Our collection is extensive
and I hope that you will benefit from the service
which is available. Please do not hesitate to ask my
staff if you require assistance and I am pleased to
receive any comments and suggestions that you may
have.
Paula Tempest _
Group Manager
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CANTERBURY LIBRARY : BRIEF HISTORY
On 23 September 1769 the Canterbury Historical
Society for the Cultivation of Useful Knowledge was
established. In 1825 it was decided to reform the
society as the Canterbury Philosophical and Literary
Institution and a building to house the soclety’s
museum and library was constructed in Guildhall
Street. In 1847 the City Corporation bought the
museum, building and collection and the Public
Libraries Act was adopted in 1858.
In 1895 the news reached the city that the late
Dr J G Beaney, a native of Canterbury who had
made a fortune in Australia, had left money 
establish an institute for working men 1n
Canterbury. As a result, our present building, the
"Beaney Institute" was built.
A) )
This was designed by Mr A H Campbell the
City Surveyor. The institute was opened in 1899 and
soon afterwards Mr Hem~y Mead became the first
librarian, a post he held until the appointment in
1939 of Mr Frank Higenbottam.
In 1967 the library was enlarged by the
transformation of the Slater Hall into the Lending
Library. Other internal alterations were also made
at the same time. Mr Higenbottam retired on 31
March 1974 when, as a result of Local Government
Re-organisation, control of the library was
transferred to Kent County Council. Mr Vic Ralph
(retired 1987) was appointed Divisional Librarian.
Other organisational changes have followed with the
introduction of the computer issue system in 1983.
After a county wide staff re-organisation took place
in 1990, Ms Paula Tempest was appointed Group
Manager. Refurbishment of the Lending, Childrens
and Reference departments has since taken place.
A separate Local Studies Room, previously the
Reading Room, was opened in March 1992, this has
allowed us to bring together in one room all the local
history material which has been collected since the
library’s foundation.
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