For those of you with an interest in the Mechanics’ Institute/Schools of Art/Athenaeums movement and their libraries this call for papers for the bicentenary celebrations of Australia’s institutes may be of interest. To find out more about these Australian institutes and their history a brief summary can be found in the Dictionary of Educational History in Australia and New Zealand—Mechanics’ Institutes and Schools of Arts Australia, 1820-2010 or visit MIV Victoria Inc
Call for papers
On Saturday the 13th March 2027 the Mechanics’ Institutes Australia Bicentenary 2027 Seminar: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future will be held at the Melbourne Athenaeum. We are marking this significant milestone with a daylong conference, followed by a bus tour of selected Melbourne and regional institutes on Sunday the 14th March.
The program will be organised around two thematic streams:
- History — exploring the development and legacy of Mechanics’ Institutes in Australia
- Future — examining their evolving role and opportunities ahead
We invite submissions of abstracts aligned with either stream in the following formats:
- Presentations (20 minutes)
- Lightning talks (8 minutes)
- Workshops (90 minutes)
We welcome both academic and practice-based contributions, and encourage submissions from anyone with an interest in, or knowledge of, Mechanics’ Institutes. The call for papers closes on the 15th August.
For more information please see: https://www.mechanicsinaus.org/