Board of Education and successors: Technical Branch and successors: Local Authority...

ED 64

1919-1967

Files of the Board of Education and successors' Technical Branch and successors relating to Local Authority public libraries

The series includes files dealing with the adoption by county councils of areas not included within the limits of library authorities, the relinquishment of powers by existing library authorities other than county borough councils, and the delegation of powers by Local Education Authorities to their education committees, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Libraries Act 1919.

The files include material relating to the acquisition and disposal of sites; reports by HM Inspectors; approval of bye-laws; problems arising from the expansion of the public library service; and wartime difficulties.

The following files were missing at transfer:

• Cumberland T7G
• Sussex (East): Brighton T62G

Alphabetically in county order for England and Wales except for the last transfer of papers which is arranged in file number order of English counties and boroughs followed by the county boroughs.

Arts, Intelligence and External Relations Branch registered files can be found in ED 221

The related Welsh papers for this period have been transferred to the custody of the Welsh Office and will be available for public inspection in due course.

T file series

Public Record(s)

English

• Board of Education, Technical Branch, 1902-1944
• Department of Education and Science, Further Education Branch 1, 1964-1970
• Department of Education and Science, Further Education Branch 2, 1964-1970
• Ministry of Education, Further Education Branch, 1944-1963
• Ministry of Education, Further Education Branch 1, 1963-1964
• Ministry of Education, Further Education Branch 2, 1963-1964

823 file(s)

Subject to 30 year closure

Topics

Archives and libraries

Education

The Board of Education assumed departmental responsibility for public libraries in accordance with the provisions of the Public Libraries Act, 1919 with the exception of the power of financial sanction and audit which continued to rest with the Ministry of Health.

The Public Libraries Act 1919 empowered county councils to adopt areas not included within the limits of existing library authorities established under the provisions of the Public Libraries Acts, 1892 to 1901. Existing library authorities, not being the council of a county borough, had the option to relinquish their powers in favour of the council of the county.

Where the Public Libraries Act 1919 was adopted by an authority which was not the library authority of an existing library area, but which was the local education authority for the purpose of Part II of the Education Act 1902, all matters under the Public Libraries Act 1919 except the power of raising a rate or borrowing money, stood referred to the Education Committee. Provision was made under the Act for the delegation of powers to the Education Committee; such powers, where delegated, were not to be deemed for any purposes whatsoever to be powers conferred by the Education Acts, 1870 to 1918.