Derby Central Library
| Derby Central Library | |
|---|---|
 The 1879 Library building (shared with Derby Museum and Art Gallery) | |
 | |
| Location | The Wardwick, Derby, DE1 1HS, England |
| Type | Public library |
| Established | 1879 |
| Architect(s) | Richard Knill Freeman  |
| Branch of | Derby City Libraries |
| Branches | 15 |
| Access and use | |
| Population served | primarily Derby and Derbyshire |
| Other information | |
| Director | Paul Rogers |
| Website | About Central Library |
Derby Central Library was established in 1879 with Derby Museum and Art Gallery, in a red brick building designed in the Domestic Flemish Gothic style by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass.[1] It is Derby's main public and reference library, the largest branch of Derby City Libraries run by the unitary authority that governs the city.
History
Prior to the Public Libraries Act 1850, a number of circulating libraries existed in Derby. Typically these libraries were run by booksellers and relied on a subscription payment by their members.[2]
The "permanent" library in Derby was established in 1811 in Queen Street. This library was open to people who by the 1830s could afford to buy a four guinea share and pay an annual subscription of another guinea. In 1832 this library had 84 members.[3] The book collection incorporated the 4,000 volume library of the Derby Philosophical Society.[4] In 1863 the botanist Alexander Croall was appointed the first Librarian and Curator and the following year the museum and library were joined together. Croall left in 1875[4] to become the curator of the Smith Intitute in Stirling.[5]
Although the possibility was considered by the council, Derby Borough did not take advantage of the powers inferred by the 1850 Act for some years. Then in 1878 the 7th Duke of Devonshire donated his Derbyshire collection of books and papers to the Borough.[2] A suitable home for this material was needed, but it wasn't until the following year that the Borough was able to provide the people of Derby with a free library service, as a result of Mr. Bass's gift.
On Saturday 28 June 1879 Mr. Bass performed the official opening of The Derby Free Library and Museum, the cause of great celebration in the town. The ceremony involved an official reception of Mr. Bass at the Midland Railway Station followed by an elegant luncheon at the Midland Hotel and a procession to the Market Place, along decorated streets packed with excited crowds of people. Mr Bass then presented the title deeds to the Mayor at the Town Hall. The party then moved on to the Free Library itself, where Mr. Bass took a tour before returning to the steps and declaring the building open.[6]
The book collection offered by the new library included the Devonshire collection as well as the contents of the Permanent Library and Philosophical Society.[2] By September 1898 the lending collection totalled almost 20,000 volumes and the reference collection over 11,000.[1]
In 1914 the curator's house alongside the library was demolished to make way for an extension to the building, intended to house the recently acquired Bemrose Library.[2]
In 1964 the Museum and Art Gallery expanded into a newly-built wing on The Strand, but leaving the original 19th century building still partly shared between the Library and the Museum.
See also
References
- ^ a b Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire 1899 p.130. 1899. Retrieved April 2011.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c d [citation needed]
- ^ Glover, Stephen (1829). The history and directory of the borough of Derby, a guide p.430.
- ^ a b Newsletter of the Geological Curators Club, Mick Stanley, Vol 1, No. 8, 1976. accessed February 2011.
- ^ "Old Town Cemetery Stirling". Retrieved February 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Derby Mercury: Wednesday July 2, 1879. p.2.
External links
- Official webpage
- Derby Central Library at www.librarytechnology.org