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Bishopsgate Institute

GOSS, Charles William Frederick (1864-1946)


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0372 GOSS

Held at: Bishopsgate Institute

Title: GOSS, Charles William Frederick (1864-1946)

Date(s): 1832-2001

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 2 boxes

Name of creator(s): Goss | Charles William Frederick | 1864-1946 | librarian and bibliographer

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

Charles William Frederick Goss was born in Denmark Hill in 1864, and at the age of 16 moved to Birkenhead, where he became a junior assistant in the local public library; at the age of 23 he was appointed sub-librarian at Newcastle upon Tyne Public Library, and in December 1890 was chosen from among nearly 300 applicants as first librarian of Lewisham, where he took up the post in February 1891; took an active interest in Library Association affairs and, intensely disatisfied with the existing leadership of James Duff Brown, Goss and several London colleagues formed the Society of Public Librarians in 1895. Following a dispute with a local dignitary over public library services in Lewisham, Goss was forced to resign and shortly after in August 1897 became the librarian of the Bishopsgate Institute. In 1901 Goss installed the indicator system of closed access within the lending library after years of thefts and was involved over following years in a bitter 'Battle of the Books' conducted in the pages and correspondence columns of library periodicals between advocates of closed and open access public libraries. The Society of Public Librarians and Goss remained firm advocates of closed access. He also built the collections at the Institute library and remained a keen and active local historian. His publications included Crosby Hall: a chapter in the History of London (1908), The London Directories, 1677-1855 (1932) and A Descriptive Bibliography of the Writings of George Jacob Holyoake (1908). Goss retired as Librarian of the Institute in 1941 and died in 1946.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of librarian and bibliographer Charles Goss (1864-1946) including: personal material concerning the life and family of Charles Goss, including typescript chronology, information regarding his home in Kevington, birth and marriage certificates, articles on Goss by C.W.J.Harris and photographs of Goss at various stages of his career, c1891 - 2001; papers concerning the professional career of Goss, including papers concerning his appointment as librarian at the Bishopsgate Institute, annotated copies of his books Crosby Hall: A Chapter in the History of London and The London Directories, 1677-1855 with correpondence used in their completion and letters concerning Goss's activities, 1832 - 1968; press cuttings of letters, articles and book reviews by Goss from various newspapers on topics including librarianship, biography, Christmas and the benefits of novel reading, along with cuttings of reviews of Goss' works Crosby Hall: A Chapter in the History of London, The London Directories, 1677-1855 and A Descriptive Bibliography of the Writings of George Jacob Holyoake, 1889 - 1936.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

The collection is divided into the following sections:
GOSS/1: Personal Papers
GOSS/2: Professional Papers and Publications
GOSS/3: Press Cuttings

Conditions governing access:

Open

Conditions governing reproduction:

Documents cannot be photocopied at present. Digital photography (without flash) is permitted for research purposes on completion of the Library's Copyright Declaration form and with respect to current UK copyright law.

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids:

Copy of handlist available in Library Reading Room.

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Deposited at the Bishopsgate Institute by Charles Goss, date unknown.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related material:

The Bishopsgate Institute also holds the papers of the Society of Public Librarians. The Institute archives also contains material concerning Goss' tenure as librarian from 1897-1941.

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note: Entry compiled by Stefan Dickers.

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: 31 July 2006


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Information/library management | Information/library administration
Librarians | Information/library personnel
Local history | History
Libraries

Personal names
Goss | Charles William Frederick | 1864-1946 | librarian and bibliographer

Corporate names
Bishopsgate Institute
Society of Public Librarians

Places