Libraries Offences Act 1898
Encyclopedia
The Libraries Offences Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict c 52) was an Act
of the Parliament
of the United Kingdom
.
It provided that certain behaviour in libraries and reading-rooms were considered an offence, liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to forty shillings. The Act extended to any public library established under the Public Libraries Act 1892, as well as to a library or reading-room maintained by any Industrial or Provident Society, any Friendly Society, or any registered trades union. The Act prohibited, where it was "to the annoyance or disturbance" of any other user - disorderly behaviour, the use of obscene or abusive language, gambling or betting, and persistently remaining within the library beyond its stated closing hours. It applied only to England and Wales.
The Act is still in force, though to a limited degree; it no longer extends to public libraries, which are dealt with under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, and as such it only applies to libraries maintained by trade unions or industrial, provident or friendly societies. The forty-shilling fine has now been replaced by a fine of up to level 1 on the standard scale
.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It provided that certain behaviour in libraries and reading-rooms were considered an offence, liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to forty shillings. The Act extended to any public library established under the Public Libraries Act 1892, as well as to a library or reading-room maintained by any Industrial or Provident Society, any Friendly Society, or any registered trades union. The Act prohibited, where it was "to the annoyance or disturbance" of any other user - disorderly behaviour, the use of obscene or abusive language, gambling or betting, and persistently remaining within the library beyond its stated closing hours. It applied only to England and Wales.
The Act is still in force, though to a limited degree; it no longer extends to public libraries, which are dealt with under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, and as such it only applies to libraries maintained by trade unions or industrial, provident or friendly societies. The forty-shilling fine has now been replaced by a fine of up to level 1 on the standard scale
Standard scale
The standard scale is a system whereby financial criminal penalties in legislation have maximum levels set against a standard scale. Then, when inflation makes it necessary to increase the levels of the fines the legislators need to modify only the scale rather than each individual piece of...
.