The Library of the Molde Labour Association in 1910: Enlightenment and Social Control in a Norwegian Workers' Library

Abstract A Labour Association in Molde, a small town on the west coast of Norway, was established in 1861 by a group of influential citizens aiming to improve the educational and moral standards of local workers. In 1868 the Association established a library, the purpose of which, in terms of both the recreational and educational literature it provided, appeared to mirror the aims of the Association. Through an examination of the 1910 library catalogue and a number of secondary sources which illuminate various social and cultural contexts, particular attention is paid to the shape and purpose of the library collection in the early twentieth century, not least in regards to the role of the library as a mechanism of not only enlightenment but also social control. This is an extended version of a paper presented in the Library History Section's open session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress, Oslo, August 2005.