Friends of the Launceston Mechanics' Institute

 We invite you to a meeting to form FOLMI

You are cordially invited to a meeting to inaugurate an incorporated volunteer community group, Friends of the Launceston Mechanics’ Institute Inc. The meeting will be held on 18 October 2013 at 5pm in the Phil Leonard Room of Launceston LINC.

The goal of the new incorporated association is to establish and maintain a working research Launceston Mechanics’ Institute Collection.  More specifically this will entail: 

i) locating, selecting, organising, cataloguing and preserving existing materials once the property of the Launceston Mechanics’ Institute between 1842 and 1929; 

ii) liaising with local, state and national government and professional agencies and with relevant interest groups to promote the significance of the LMI Collection; 

iii) establishing a permanent home for the LMI Collection, in particular those parts not integrated with local and state government collections;
iv) providing broad public access to the catalogue of the LMI Collection and enabling direct access to researchers needing to use the Collection.

Six months ago it appeared that over half of the once-LMI Collection, about 12,000 nonfiction books, might be disposed of, so Friends of the Launceston Mechanics’ Institute (FOLMI) was formed to muster support for retaining all extant LMI materials.  Recently the Launceston City Council and LINC Tasmania have been in discussion about ways of retaining the whole collection, but it is dependent on there being an incorporated body to take responsibility for the parts of the collection not lodged in the working collections of QVMAG or Launceston LINC.

At the 18 October meeting FOLMI will adopt its constitution in a form allowing for incorporation.  This means appointing a public officer and office bearers (there are volunteers already prepared to take on these roles) and accepting the standard Rules for Associations governing meeting procedure, financial probity etc. required by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading.

The founders of FOLMI wish to welcome new members into this foundation group and to invite interest groups such as historical societies and other ‘Friends of’ groups to indicate their support for retaining the LMI Collection. Most welcome of all, of course, are those who may be able to participate in the archival work to be undertaken from January next year in unpacking boxes of LMI books, sorting, and later cataloguing them.

If you are interested in being involved in FOLMI, please contact either of us, and come along to the meeting on 18 October at 5pm in the Phil Leonard Room.

If you are unable to attend but would like be involved in FOLMI please let us know prior to the meeting.

If you know of others who might be interested in this project we would be most grateful if you would pass on this invitation.

Peter Richardson

Mike McCausland

launcestonmechanicsinstitute@gmail.com