An Intellectual History of Industrialisation: The Scientific Culture of the Birmingham Library, 1779-1798
- Dates
- Thursday 15 February 2024 (19:00-20:30)
Centre for Midlands History and Cultures Seminar
Speaker: Lois Wignall (University of Liverpool)
Abstract
Founded in 1779, the Birmingham Library aimed to provide “a treasure of knowledge” and an associational culture that promoted “liberality and friendship among all classes of men”. This paper focuses on how the library’s institution — and development — speaks to the knowledge requirements of Birmingham’s increasingly active intellectual networks. Indeed, by interrogating the ideas and people that characterised this previously neglected institution, the paper unveils the library’s significance concerning the town’s industrial expansion.