Three Centuries of a City Library | Page 4

Keeper until January, 1657; that each minister admitted to the use of
the Library should pay 12d. quarterly; and that "a book should be
bought for registring the acts of the mins at their severall meetings in
the Library, and sheets of parchment fit for the engrossing of the orders,
and that the library keeper be desired to provide these against the next
meeting." This minute book is still in the City Library, but it has been
overlooked by all previous writers of notices of the Library. It
commences with the proceedings of the meeting on the 9th February,
1656, and records the meetings until April 3rd, 1733. As the Assembly
Minute Books for the years 1632 to 1682 are missing the actual
"orders" previously mentioned cannot be quoted, but fortunately the
other end of the Minute Book was used to write in the declaration of
admission and the rules for the conduct of the Library. They are as
follows:--
"We whose names are hereunto annexed upon our admission to ye use
of ye Publick Library in ye City of Norwch, in Complyance wth an Act
of ye Common Council of ye said City dated ye 16th January 1656, do
faithfully engage and promise,

"Imprimis That we will not at any time Carry out of ye said Library any
booke belonging to it.
"2 ly That we will not Leave any booke belonging to ye said Library
(after our using it) out of its due place, nor write any thing in any of ye
bookes, nor Leave them wth any Leaves turned downe.
"3 ly That we will not prejudice any other pson by our use of ye said
Library, to which purpose we shall not at any time delay our going to
ye Library after ye receipt of ye Keyes from ye Keeper, nor ye
restoring them when we Come out of ye said Library.
"4 ly That we shall as to all these Articles be Responsabl for our friends
who shall goe wth us to ye said Library, as for our selves.
"5 ly We shall (being duly Chosen thereto) not above once in seaven
yeares, discharge ye office of Library-Keeper.
"6 ly We shall faithfully pay our proportions to ye under-Keeper of ye
said Library quarterly, and also our equall share wth ye rest of our
brethren in all Charges they shall be at for ye better preserving of ye
said Library.
"All these things we shall endeavour faithfully to observe & keep, if
through our negligence we shall fail in any of them, we Agree to
subject our selves to ye Penalties mentioned in ye orders Confirmed by
the Court of Common Councill in ye said City."
The Library at this time was clearly a Reference Library, and its
maintenance partly depended on the members who agreed to pay their
"proportions" of 12d. quarterly, and also their equal share in any
charges made for the "better preserving of the Library." The earlier
entries in the Minute Book give a fair record of the proceedings at the
meetings: they record the names of the members present, the names of
new members admitted to the use of the Library, the quarterly
payments of the members, the donations of books, books purchased
with money given to the Library, duplicate books exchanged for other
books, the appointments of the Library Keepers and Under Library

Keepers, and other matters connected with the administration of the
Library; but the fulness of the entries gradually diminishes until the
records are little more than lists of members present, and notes of
quarterly payments.
The meetings were held monthly, and on February 6th, 1656, it was
resolved that the meetings should be held on the second Monday in
each month between 2 and 3 o'clock. At that meeting a levy on the
members was recorded: "All the mins present at this meeting deposed
Sixpence a piece in Mr. Collinges hand towards the providing of
frames and parchment for the orders for the regulation of the library, in
all 5/-: and ordered such as were not present if admitted already, or
such as hereafter should be admitted, should at their admission or next
appearing at meeting lay down so much towards the frames and
parchment aforesaid, and the buying of a book to register the Acts of
the mins in."
That the members were permitted to enjoy the fragrant weed on the
library premises is evident from an entry under date October 12th, 1657:
"Threepence was laid out for tobacco pipes," and on April 1st, 1690 it
was recorded, "That Mr. Pitts is this day discharged from ye office of
Library Keeper, and is endebted to ye under=Library=Keeper for his 2
years for fire, candle, pipes, pens, ink and paper, nine shillings."
From many records it is obvious