Series 1 - Administrative Records

Series consists of administrative records including a meeting minute book containing the proceedings of the Managing Committee of the Hamilton and Gore Mechanics’ Institute. The minutes contain a list of officers including Sir Allan Napier MacNab, M.P.P., as Patron, and Colin Campbell Ferrie, M.P.P., (who would become the first mayor of Hamilton), as President, as well as positions for treasurer, librarian, secretaries and the names of the Managing Committee members. The minutes include the establishment of the name of the Institute, the drawing up of the constitution, the solicitation of subscriptions of money and books, membership recruitment and fees, the rules and regulations, the search for locations for the Institute, expenditures, book selections and recommendations, the cataloguing of books, the circulation of books and materials, the purchasing of furniture for the reading rooms, as well as the types of events held at the Institute such as lectures and classes. The volume entries are dated March 5, 1839 to February 24, 1851. There are also some typewritten notes and transcriptions from the minute book. The series also contains a Register of Members and Books Loaned, dated 1862-1864, which records the names of the members, the number of books borrowed and the date of return. The series also contains loose-leaf documents including three copies of the Rules and Regulations of the Library of the Hamilton and Gore Mechanics’ Institute. The document lists the hours of operation for lending and receiving books, the number of materials loaned to members, the fines levied for late returns and damaged materials, as well as the responsibilities of the superintendent to ensure that the rules are observed, the fines are collected, the books are kept in good order and in the proper place, and that a report is made to the Managing Committee as to the state of the Institute’s collection. The series also contains a few membership cards and subscriptions, the terms of subscription and membership fees, some lending cards, which correspond to specific members and indicate the time period the item can be loaned before a fine is imposed including time periods of 7, 10 and 12 days, as well as an annual election card sent to a member requesting their vote on the individuals running for various offices of the Institute including the position of president, vice-president and managing directors for the year 1860.