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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.

Series consists of the research materials of Dr. Freda F. Waldon, Chief Librarian of the Hamilton Public Library. Dr. Waldon and members of the library board were interested in researching the history of early libraries in Hamilton, and in particular, the Hamilton and Gore Mechanics’ Institute. They noticed there was a gap in the knowledge of the early libraries that existed before the establishment of the Hamilton Public Library in 1889. The series consists of Dr. Waldon’s correspondence to and from various individuals requesting assistance with her research. Her letter correspondence includes asking certain individuals about their recollections of the Mechanics’ Institute, including a plea to the editor of the Hamilton Spectator, to publish her request in the paper so that members of the community could provide information from their own personal experience, or as descendants of the original members of the Mechanics’ Institute. She was particularly interested in where the Institute was located, the reasons for the demise of the organization and what existed between the end of the Mechanics’ Institute and the establishment of the government-funded public library system. The series also contains Dr. Waldon’s handwritten and typewritten research notes about the history of the Mechanics’ Institute and early libraries. The series also consists of some of her published research including a letter she wrote that was printed in the Ontario Library Review entitled, “From Mechanics’ Institute to Cultural Centre,” dated Febrary, 1949, as well as an address she gave to the Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society, October 11, 1946 entitled, “Early Provision for Libraries in Hamilton.” The speech was later published in the Wentworth Bygones, From the Papers and Records of the Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society, Issue No. 4, 1963.

The material in the collection consists of administrative records, including a meeting minute book containing the proceedings of the Managing Committee of the Hamilton and Gore Mechanics' Institute, a register recording the names of members and the books loaned by the Institute, rules and regulations of the Institute, memberships and subscriptions, lending cards, and an annual election card. There is also some publicity and newspaper clippings pertaining to the Institute and its events and holdings, as well as records created by Dr. Freda Farrell Waldon, former Chief Librarian of the Hamilton Public Library, who researched the history of the early libraries and mechanics' institutes. The records include correspondence, research notes and resources, as well some publications.

Series consists of newspaper clippings from various newspapers including the Hamilton Spectator, the Weekly Banner and the Weekly Times, pertaining to the Hamilton and Gore Mechanics’ Institute, including the announcement of a concert taking place, the announcement of the Eighth Annual Festival in support of the Institute and which featured speakers, musical performances, and Shakespearean readings, an article review on the Mechanics’ Institute Festival and the highlights of the event, a few articles on lecture reviews hosted by the Institute, an article announcing an upcoming lecture, as well as a few lists of book titles added to the collection.

Series consists of an advertisement for a Mechanics’ Ball to take place January 17, 1845 from the members of the Managing Committee of the Hamilton and Gore Mechanics’ Institute. There is also an announcement of lectures dated November 1848, that lists the dates and topics of each lecture, as well as the designated speaker. The topics include, but are not limited to, Mechanics’ Institutes, the influence of art and science on the wealth and character of the nation, longevity, the natural history of man, ornamental gardening, social economics, and the best way to supply towns with water. The lectures were held in the evenings at 7:30pm in the reading rooms and hall of the Institute. Members and their families were admitted free of charge, admission was charged for non-members and ladies were free.