Unveiling a Blue Plaque dedicated to Marian Frost at Worthing Library

SussexWorld

Transcript

00:00We're very privileged to be here for the unveiling of the Blue Clark, to honour the pioneer librarian, Marion Frost,

00:08and to also tie in the centenary of West Sussex Library Service.

00:14And we have behind us a beautiful building which is the legacy of Marion Frost and her early works,

00:20and indeed the hundred years of work from the Library Service.

00:24We feel that the Blue Clark scheme, and we've donated many Blue Clarks over the last 20 years or so,

00:32is a wonderfully visual way, a very contemporary way, of showing and illustrating our history

00:40and encouraging all sections of the community to enjoy our social heritage.

00:46Building the history and heritage that we share with our museum friends just over there,

00:50and hosting this wonderful Blue Clark so we can all remember Marion and recognise their achievements for the town.

00:56One last thing, while I have your ear, we're just coming to the end of the National Volunteers Week,

01:02and we've been celebrating hundreds of library volunteers all across our county.

01:06Each one of them a library champion in their own right.

01:09So this library building, which is next door to Marion's library building,

01:21opened 50 years ago, in 1975, and whilst Marion never worked here,

01:27I hoped she would have been really pleased to see the expanded space for library services for the town,

01:33and I've seen it as evidence of her being absolutely right in her assertion that our town deserves the very best library we can have.

01:42Marion was also renowned for leading a team of women in the library,

01:45at a time when the world of work was really reserved for men,

01:48and I'm really proud that we have an outstanding female leader for this library too, in Lindsay.

01:53And she also leads a really inclusive team today, making sure there are places for everyone who wants to be part of our work.

01:59Marianne Frost was a remarkable pioneer who was instrumental in persuading international philanthropy to Andrew Carnegie

02:06to hunt a purpose-built library in Wertham in 1908.

02:09Frost was a young assistant librarian in Wertham's very rudimentary public library when she wrote for Carnegie in 1918.

02:17It was an overcrowded and dilapidated building and designed nearly a house stacked to the foot,

02:22with little room for staff and all the public.

02:25However, because of this existing provision, her fee was rejected on the grounds that the town would have had a library.

02:32Frost didn't let this deter her when she wrote back to him,

02:35explaining exactly why this library was inadequate.

02:38In doing so, she ignored contemporaries and criticised her tenacity as having ideas exceeding her authority.

02:45Her determination paid off, and Parnier agreed to pay 6,200 towards the cost of a new purpose-built library,

02:53the equivalent of around half a million pounds today.

02:56By 1919, Frost was running the largest public library in the country,

03:01stuffed entirely by women.

03:03She appeared in many ladies' journals of the day, profiling careers for women,

03:07and in these articles she outlines what skills and qualifications women need to become good librarians.

03:13Frost went on to have an illustrious 39-year career, gaining many offices and achieving a great deal for our town.

03:19In 1917, she was asked to become museum curator,

03:23and became the first woman to be awarded the Museum Association's diploma.

03:27In 1927, she was the first woman to be elected to its executive council,

03:32and went on to become both vice-president and later president of the organisation.

03:37Frost continued to improve her local library services,

03:40providing a dedicated children's library in Worthing,

03:43and founding a special classics collection,

03:45which was a novelist with connection to the county.

03:48She also opened a small community library in the local Broadway area,

03:52which we are very proud to say still runs today.

03:55Frost even became an author herself in 1929,

03:58publishing her own book, Early History of Worthing.

04:02Arguably, one of Frost's most groundbreaking achievements

04:05was to introduce one of the first public libraries to patients in hospital,

04:09after an inspiring trip to visit libraries in the United States.

04:13For this project, she was commended for her professionability,

04:16with her warm-hearted consideration for her fellow men.

04:19When Frost died, aged 59 in 1936,

04:23there were numerous obituaries published about her in both national and local newspapers.

04:28Writing in the Times, well-known art critic Frank Rutter said,

04:31Prail physically, but strong morally and intellectually,

04:35she would fight her committees tooth and nail, on occasion,

04:38for their own good and the betterment of library and museums.

04:41Her cool sick wit was measured by a few of her enemies,

04:45but it was the unending joy of a humour of her friends.

04:48Worthing won't always be in her debt.

04:50One last name to say is that in preparing for today,

04:53I found a copy of her letter to the Worthing Gazette in May 1909,

04:57written by an outraged local resident.

05:00They wanted to draw attention to the omission of Marianne Frost's name

05:04from the tabloid in place in the New Public Library.

05:08They said,

05:09Surely there must be some good reason why it was suggested

05:11that the only lady's name on this list should be omitted,

05:14and in the days of the suffragists too.

05:17Would it not be well if Mr Carnegie's attention was drawn to this matter?

05:21Well, I like to think all of these years later that we are writing this wrong

05:24and giving Marianne Frost the last of public recognition that she rightly deserves.

05:29We know that the Victorian founding principles of public libraries

05:37were about bringing literacy and trusted information to the masses

05:41as a powerful way to help people improve their lives

05:44through learning and civic engagement.

05:47These things remain central to the work our libraries do today,

05:50but things have also evolved in so many ways

05:53in the 117 years since Marianne's Library for Worming first opened.

05:58And I hope she would accept our decision to move the library to these new premises

06:02back in 1975.

06:04The tide of technological change means Marianne may not recognise

06:08the way that we catalogue or lend our books today,

06:11and she would no doubt be mystified to find our information

06:14no longer exists in physical format.

06:17However, the commitment to helping the residents of Worming

06:20to lead their best lives has remained constant,

06:23and I know she would find many happy customers in our library

06:27every day.

06:28How inspiring was this woman who would not take no for an answer

06:33and pester philanthropist Andrew Carnegie

06:36until he came round to her point of view

06:38that a good library must be fit for purpose.

06:41It's easy to view these facts in a modern context,

06:45but female academics and philanthropists were in short supply

06:49when Marianne was making her market worthy.

06:52Marianne demonstrated that women working in collaboration

06:57could provide this town with access to literature, culture and information,

07:02all of which had the potential to enrich, educate and inform our community.

07:08Ethel Gerard, her successor, also deserves a mention.

07:12Between them, they improved and developed provision over a span of 40 years.

07:17It's also thanks to Marianne for us that we have the beautiful little library

07:22in my ward of Poor Water, still serving the community there.

07:26The value of libraries and free access to information and the arts

07:31is a cornerstone for civilised society.

07:34And I'm delighted to be here today to celebrate this wonderful woman

07:39and the contribution to our beautiful town.

07:41One, two, three, go!

07:44Yay!

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended