Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [early 19 cent.]-1927 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
36 volumes.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Sir John Ballinger was born in Pontnewynydd, Monmouthshire and received his early education in Canton, Cardiff. At 15 he became an assistant at Cardiff Free Library and, at 20, was appointed librarian at Doncaster before returning to Cardiff in 1884 to take up the post of chief librarian. In 1908 Ballinger was appointed the first librarian of the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, which was scheduled to be opened the following year. Despite being a non-Welsh speaker, Ballinger brought considerable success to his librarianship roles in Wales. He was selected as president of the Library Association in 1922 and was for a time editor of the Bibliographical Society of Wales. Amongst other honours bestowed upon him, he received an honourary Master of Arts from the University of Wales in 1909, was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1920 and knighted in 1930. In 1932 he received the Cymmrodorion Society's medal for his services to the Welsh nation in the field of bibliography and literature. He died at Hawarden in 1933.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Lady Amy Ballinger; Hawarden; Presentation; 1933
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers, [early 19 cent.]-1927, of Sir John Ballinger, which include articles, reviews, reports and addresses by Ballinger, some of which relate to libraries in Britain, including a report on the University College of North Wales, Bangor library and reports and other papers, 1903-1910, relating to the Library Association; articles, addresses and notes by Ballinger relating to literary matters and (mainly Welsh) historical events and figures; and papers and correspondence, 1903-1906, relating to the Bible in Wales.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Arranged according to NLW MSS reference numbers: NLW MSS 9919-9954.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to abide by the conditions noted on the 'Modern papers - data protection' form issued with their Readers' Tickets.
Conditions governing reproduction
Usual copyright laws apply.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
English.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
The descriptions are also available in Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Part XVII, 180-3.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents.
Note
Previously known as Sir John Ballinger 1-36.
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Ballinger, John, 1860-1933 -- Archives. (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Description follows NLW guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd ed.; AACR2; and LCSH
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
July 2008.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume III (Aberystwyth, 1961), Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940 (London, 1953); Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on-line; National Register of Archives on-line.
Archivist's note
Description compiled by Bethan Ifans for the retrospective conversion project of NLW MSS.