A Celebration of 175 years of the Public Libraries Act at Central Library

Today (9th October), Manchester Libraries were delighted to host the event “Celebrating 175 years of the Public Libraries Act”, organised by Libraries Connected.

Commemorating this milestone, a unique event at Manchester Central Library hosted in collaboration with the charity Libraries Connected – which represents public library services – invited librarians, library users, authors and politicians to mark this significant anniversary.

A fitting and powerful celebration of our library services, the event featured a keynote address from Baroness Fiona Twycross, Minister for Libraries, alongside moving testimonials from people whose lives have been transformed by public libraries.

Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian at The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, was also in attendance to officially launch a new Libraries Alliance at the event. The Libraries Alliance promises to be a new coalition of public, academic and independent libraries, and will aim to secure long-term investment and political leadership for libraries of all kinds.

Other notable attendees included Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure; Neil MacInnes OBE, Head of Libraries, Galleries, and Culture at Manchester City Council, amongst a packed attendance at the Central Library event.

The Public Libraries Act 1850 empowered local councils to fund free public libraries through local taxation, laid the foundation for the vibrant network of nearly 4,000 public libraries serving communities across the UK today. Manchester holds a particularly significant place in library history. It was the first borough to establish a free public library under the new Act, with Manchester Free Library opening its doors on 6 September 1852 at Campfield. The books inside were the start of the collection now housed in Central Library. The opening attracted huge crowds and was even attended by Charles Dickens.

A letter of RSVP to the event that the author wrote of his appearance at Central Library was put on display at the Libraries Connected ceremony in 2025. Baroness Twycross was also invited to sign the original guestbook from Manchester Free Library, which is usually held in the city’s archives but was open for public display at the event.

Continuing the anniversary celebrations until the end of the year, Manchester Central Library will be hosting a new exhibition ‘Libraries 175: Celebrating 175 years of the Public Libraries Act 1850’. The exhibition is completely free and open to the public, and will remain on display on the first floor of Central Library until December. Read more about it HERE.

View a gallery of pictures from the Celebrating 175 years of the Public Libraries Act event at Central Library below: