'Everything to Everybody'?: A Critical History of the World's Premier Public Shakespeare Library

合作博士奖的目的是对世界上第一个伟大的莎士比亚图书馆150年的历史进行学术分析，研究莎士比亚收藏的身份和目的是如何随着时间的推移而变化的，并质疑莎士比亚在历史上和现在对伯明翰的“好”。过去150年的知识民主化是这个国家社会历史的重要组成部分。“万物皆有”旨在重振和振兴乔治·道森的民主使命，用莎士比亚的全球声音将伯明翰图书馆的梦想和愿景带入生活。通过对莎士比亚收藏历史的学术分析，这位博士不仅将填补我们对世界上最伟大的莎士比亚收藏之一的知识空白，而且将启发我们了解在不同年代存在的阻碍和促进道森民主愿景的催化剂和障碍。这篇论文将是伯明翰与莎士比亚关系的当地历史，但也指向更广泛的政治和经济波动，以及这些波动如何影响公众对为他们开发的藏品的感知价值。通过传播论文的发现，我希望能鼓励伯明翰人的主人翁意识；向他们展示，档案藏品讲述的是一个普遍的故事，不属于某个阶级、肤色、宗教或智力；而是打破教育权利被剥夺的民主使命的一部分。欧洲最大的图书馆，拥有最大的莎士比亚相关资料的公共收藏。这些藏品与来自世界各国的捐赠放在一起，这一事实为今天的人们提供了团结与合作的有力声明。从会议纪要、入会名单、收藏政策和藏品本身中浮现出来的故事，将鼓励这种团结感，并揭示藏品和这座城市本身的多元文化本质。对藏品的历史分析将有助于重新评估藏品的目的和受众。这些藏品过去被公开的方式，将为如何最好地打破围绕莎士比亚研究和读者的精英主义泡沫提供新的见解。如何发展馆藏，提供了关于未来应该如何发展“人民的馆藏”的知识，例如，与当地民族团体合作，重新评估和纠正馆藏的文化、政治和社会目标。积极的收藏发展将把莎士比亚和他与伯明翰人民的关系带入21世纪。

The aim of the Collaborative PhD Award is to provide a scholarly analysis of the 150 year history of the first great Shakespeare Library in the world, examining how the identity and purpose of the Shakespeare Collection has changed over time and questioning what 'good' is Shakespeare, in history and to Birmingham now.The democratisation of knowledge over the last 150 years is a key part of this country's social history. 'Everything to Everybody' seeks to revitalise and rejuvenate the democratic mission of George Dawson, to bring to life the dream and vision of the Library of Birmingham with the global voice of Shakespeare. By providing a scholarly analysis of the history of the Shakespeare Collection, this PhD will not only fill a gap in our knowledge of one of the greatest Shakespeare collections in the world, but will enlighten us as to catalysts and barriers that have existed in different decades to thwart and promote Dawson's democratic vision. The thesis will be a local history of Birmingham's relationship with Shakespeare, but also with point to wider political and economic fluctuations and how those have impacted on the public's perceived value of collections developed for them.Through communicating the findings of the thesis I would hope to encourage a sense of ownership in the people of Birmingham; to show them that archival collections tell a universal story, not owned by one class, colour, religion or intellectual ability; but are part of a democratic mission to break down educational disenfranchisement. The largest library in Europe, holds the largest public collection of Shakespeare related material. The fact that the collection has been put together with donations from countries around the world provides the people of today with a powerful statement of unity and collaboration. The stories that emerge from the minute books, accessions lists, collection policies, and from the items themselves, will encourage that sense of unity and throw light on the multi-cultural nature of the collection and the city itself.A historical analysis of the collection will aid in the re-evaluation of the aims and audience of the collection. The ways in which the collection has been made accessible in the past, will provide fresh insight into how best to burst the elitist bubble around the study and audiences of Shakespeare. How the collection has been developed with provide knowledge as to how a 'people's collection' should be developed in the future, for example, collaborating with local ethnic groups to reassess and redress the cultural, political and social aims of the collection. Active collection development will take Shakespeare and his relationship with the people of Birmingham through the 21st century.