The latest issue of Useful Knowledge, the newsletter of the
Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria Inc., is now available. The newsletter
features a two-page article headed "Launceston Mechanics' Institute's
nationally significant remnant book collection".
The illustrated article charts the development and survival
of this remarkable collection, and highlights the opportunities for serious
research afforded by its preservation.
MIV Inc. was formed in 1998. It aims to foster the
preservation and restoration of the social, cultural and physical heritage of
Mechanics' Institutes through the development of information exchanges and
systems of mutual support.
Membership is open to groups and individuals with an
interest in the MI movement, particularly in Victoria.
Since its formation MIV has:
- Staged the first National Mechanics' Institutes Conference in Melbourne in 2000 and published its proceedings.
- Facilitated the publishing of the 350 page book If the Walls Could Speak: A Social History of the Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria.
- Assisted the publication of The Libraries of the Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria.
- Secured a round of Government grants for some of Victoria's MIs.
- Produced two Travelling Exhibitions Remember the Mechanics? and Mechanics'... And Proud of it!
- Staged Regional Meetings in country Victoria.
- Established a Mechanics' Institutes Resources Centre (MIRC) and database at Prahran MI.
- Staged the First International Conference Mechanics' Worldwide in September 2004.
- Launched MIV's Historical Plaques Program in 2003 have to date issued over 30 plaques statewide.
To discover more about Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria Inc. and to obtain a copy of the newsletter visit their website at; http://home.vicnet.net.au/~mivic/index.htm
