The site
Institutes of South Australia is a digital record of all the affiliated Institutes we have had in South Australia (SA) for you to explore, use, and improve. We have worked through government records, Institute minutes, and the South Australian Institutes Journal. We have trawled through newspapers on TROVE and through books about our towns and suburbs. Our focus is on Institutes that had libraries and that affiliated with the government-supported SA Institute.
We are still exploring, and we want to fill in the gaps, and correct any errors in our information. So we invite you to send us information you have or discovered, to help us fill in those gaps and correct any errors. You will find an option on the menu at the top of this page where you can contact us.
The history
The 8-minute video below will introduce you to the history of Institutes in South Australia.
The people
I was curious about the proud buildings dotted around South Australia identifying themselves as an INSTITUTE. When in 2016 I purchased a second-hand copy of A Chance to Read (1992) by Michael Talbot, I was astounded to discover how vital these Institutes with their libraries were to communities, since the early days of our colony. This was news to me although my background was as a literacy teacher-educator. I was inspired to set about documenting all the Institutes that we had in SA.
Many people have encouraged and supported my resolve in this task. Victoria’s Jim Lowden, a tireless promoter of all things to do with Mechanics Institutes, revealed how widespread the Institute movement was throughout the western world. Talbot’s book A Chance to Read became my bible, while A Trunk Full of Books (1986) by Carl Bridge pointed to other sources.
Staff at State Records of South Australia, SA historian Jeff Nicholas, Greg Mackie and Elizabeth Ho of the History Trust of South Australia, Geoff Strempel from the State Library, and historian Susan Marsden have all helped maintain momentum. Alan Jones, another SA historian, has been extraordinarily helpful and Peter Wolfenden contributed many of the photos. I have been delighted with and grateful for some 200 historians, librarians and council staff who have responded to my emails with information about their own local Institutes. Friends and family joined the project with their interest, and contributed photos of Institute buildings.
Since July 2021 Peter Brinkworth and Steve Parker joined the team to proofread the files and develop our website, institutessa.com. Without their patient and generous assistance the website could not have been launched at the Edinburgh Mechanics Institutes Conference in October 2022, 200 years after the first Mechanics Institute was established in Scotland.
My husband Ken Hancock has been invaluable in finding relevant newspaper reports on Trove, photos on the internet, and solutions to computer difficulties. He also prepared the maps for the website.
I am delighted that people who have had personal experiences of Institutes in SA are contributing their stories to the site. You are invited to add your story or any additional information through the site.
Joelie Hancock