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Aberdeen Central Library - Proposed extension
1394 By 1900, the need for an extension was recognised as the Reading Room had been criticised as "congested, dark and inaccessible".
In 1902, the architects Brown and Watt designed a 2 storey central piece with a single storey extending west to the junction of Skene Street, and ending in a tower. Aberdeen Central Library, Mezzanine Plan
1434 This plan from March 1974 shows the proposed extension to the Adult Lending Library with the insertion of an extra mezzanine floor. This ultimately resulted in extra space for additional shelving and a display area with improved accommodation for the audio visual section of records, cassettes and framed prints. Treasure 9: Sketch of Proposed Denburn Gardens
179 The future of Union Terrace Gardens has been the subject of much debate over the years and its original development also led to much discussion in Town Council meetings and in the local newspapers.
In 1868, the architect James Matthews suggested that the area of Union Terrace should be turned into a pleasure ground for the people and the following year this "Sketch of the Proposed Denburn Gardens", drawn by the land surveyor James Forbes Beattie, was published. It includes the area between Belmont Street to Union Terrace and from Union Street to the Royal Infirmary, Woolmanhill.
The gardens are shown laid out with paths and shrubbery but Beattie has also depicted the buildings in the surrounding streets, including the recently completed Belmont Street Congregational Church. Further to the north can be seen the spire and complex of the three churches built for the West, South and East Free Church congregations in 1843-44. The buildings which remain are currently known as the Triple Kirks.
A pedestrian bridge crosses the railway towards Union Terrace and the row of houses known as Denburn Terrace. These were demolished under the City Improvements Scheme of 1883 which eventually led to the construction of Rosemount Viaduct and would have stood on the site of the ornamental plot opposite the Central Library.
This plan acts as a snapshot of the area and provides an interesting comparison with the modern layout of the streets surrounding the Gardens.
After much discussion and negotiation with neighbouring proprietors, the Town Council sanctioned work on laying out the Gardens on the land between the wooded bank at Union Terrace and the railway. Work began in November 1877 and, when the gates were finally opened to the public on 11 August 1879, the band of Gordon's Hospital (forerunner of Robert Gordon's College) played a "selection of pleasing airs" prior the opening ceremony. The official name was now Union Terrace Gardens but it was more popularly known to generations of visitors as the "Trainie Park". Treasure 28: Patents for inventions - Abridgments of specifications
201 This month we are delighted to welcome the visit of the PATLIB (Patent Library) UK Annual General Meeting to Aberdeen. The meeting is taking place for the first time in Scotland. The PATLIB UK network consists of 15 libraries & information centres, including Aberdeen City Libraries, which provide an intellectual property information service at a local level to the local business community and members of the public.
Aberdeen Central Library has a long and proud history of providing access to and information on patents and other intellectual property related subject areas. The Reading Room of the new Central Library building opened in 1892 on Rosemount Viaduct was situated on the ground floor. A floor plan of the Reading Room floor published in the 1892 'Manual for Readers' by the Librarian Alexander Robertson includes a 'Patents Room'.
The large print based collection of patent literature formerly held by Aberdeen City Libraries has long been dispersed. We have however retained our collection of volumes of British patent abridgements dating from 1619 - 1883 one of which is this volume published in 1882 containing abridgements of specifications on writing instruments and materials. The abridgements, dating from 1867 - 1876, include an abridgement of the above mentioned specification.
Back in 1871 when our patent specification example was sealed, there was little prospect of the 'happy day' occurring in July 1892 when Andrew Carnegie officially opened the new library building. Prior to 1892 attempts to establish a Public Library in the City had met with repeated failure. On the 4th July 1871, just a little after five months our patent specification was sealed at the end of January of the same year, at a Public Meeting of Householders, a resolution for the non-adoption of the Public Libraries Act in the City was unanimously adopted. It was not until 1884 that the Public Libraries Act would be adopted in Aberdeen. Guest treasure - Central Library Spiral Staircase
237 Did you know there was once a spiral staircase which ran from the Information Centre down to the basement of Central Library?
The spiral staircase allowed staff to move between public departments and the reserve stock area in the basement without being seen. It can be seen on a plan of the Reference Library (now the Information Centre) from when the building opened in July 1892.
It was dismantled during the extensive modernisation programme of 1978-1982 and acquired by Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums (AAGM). The staircase has been in store since then but this month AAGM are helping us celebrate the history of the Central Library by providing a sectional tread of the staircase as a guest treasure.
View the touchscreen in the Information Desk to find out more about the Victorian staircase and library staff's experiences of the "rickety and creaky" stairs. Treasure 78: Northfield and Mastrick Libraries
289 Both Northfield and Mastrick Libraries opened during the month of October in 1955 and 1957 respectively as part of a plan formulated by the Library Committee to extend the provision of branch libraries into new housing areas. From photographs, plans and news cuttings in the Library Archive we can take a look at the early history of both libraries.
In January 1950, building began on the Northfield estate, the first major housing development in post war Aberdeen. By June 1952, 800 families had moved to the area and were served by the mobile library which made evening visits to Marchburn Drive and Deansloch Terrace. These sites were very busy with over 9000 books issued and people often queued to use the service.
At a meeting of the Public Library Committee in January 1953 it was agreed to ask Aberdeen Corporation to erect a library building on a site in Northfield.
The construction of a new branch library began in the autumn of 1954. On 12 October 1955, the G. M. Fraser Branch (named in memory of the late City Librarian) was officially opened on Byron Square by Mr. Thomas Johnston, former Scottish Secretary.
The success and popularity of Northfield Library inspired the committee to open a similar unit on the adjacent housing estate of Mastrick. The first section of the new Mastrick Branch Library opened on Greenfern Road on 18 October 1957, with the second section opening in 1961.
View the Treasures from our Collection interactive exhibition on the touchscreens in Central, Airyhall, Tillydrone and Mastrick libraries to find out more about the history of Mastrick and Northfield libraries. Treasure 90: Torry and Ferryhill libraries
302 Both Torry and Ferryhill Branch Reading Rooms opened on 19 December 1903 as part of the General Extension Scheme to provide a library presence in what were regarded as outlying areas of the City.
In November 1901 the Council Finance Committee sanctioned the acquisition of a piece of ground at the corner of Victoria Road and Grampian Road where Torry Library would be built. A site was secured at the corner of Fonthill Road and the Hardgate in August 1901 for Ferryhill Library.
Both libraries were supported by Andrew Carnegie who, having previously donated money for the building of the Central Library, promised £1750 for each of the Branch reading rooms.
It was the aim of the Library Committee that the Branches should be "educative and attractive in every sense" and with this in mind the walls were hung with reproductions of works by artist such as Constable, Turner, Joseph Farquharson and others.
The success of the new branches was very apparent from the statistics. In the first nine months of opening, attendance at Torry numbered 31,567 with 63,711 at Ferryhill. Once the delivery stations were set up, book issues (including those for Old Aberdeen) totalled 13,530 volumes of which over 10,000 were fiction. By 1939, Torry and Ferryhill were well on their way to becoming fully established branch libraries.
Take a look at the early history of the libraries in the Treasures exhibition on the interactive screen. Guest Treasure: Design Team (Public Buildings) Architectural Drawings
338 Our guest treasure this month is the collection of architectural drawings held by Aberdeen City Council's Design Team (Public Buildings).
Design Team (Public Buildings) is a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) chartered practice with a team of qualified Architects, Architectural Staff and Quantity Surveyors. Their aim is to support and provide a sustainable built environment in Aberdeen based on principles of design excellence, social wellbeing, environmental responsibility and value for public money.
Over the years Aberdeen City Council has collected thousands of architectural drawings. They are used by the Design Teams to inform alterations to existing buildings and demolitions. The Design Team's (Public Buildings) collection contains drawings of many of Aberdeen's best known structures. These include: The Beach Ballroom, The Music Hall, The Bon-Accord Baths, the Maritime Museum and the Central Library.
The collected drawings are an important resource used in the Design Team's work and therefore are not publicly accessible. Although the public do not have access to this collection, many historic architectural drawings are available to consult at the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives and Local Studies at Aberdeen City Libraries. If you would like assistance locating this type of material, please contact us at localstudies@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Treasure 124: Queen Mother authograph
347 One of our final 125 treasures is a valued item from the Library Archive; the Visitor's Book containing the signature of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, dated October 20, 1982. The Library staff newsletter of December 1982 states that: "The highlight of our Autumn was undoubtedly the visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to the Central Library on Wednesday 20 October." The purpose of the visit was to unveil a commemorative plaque in the new Lending Library to mark the completion of the extension and refurbishment of the building over a 4 year period. During her 45 minute tour, Her Majesty visited all the public departments and chatted to members of staff who were issued with a souvenir ticket for the event. Before leaving, Her Majesty signed the Visitors Book and was presented with a copy of "The old Deeside Road" by G.M. Fraser. Peter Grant was the City Librarian at this time and he oversaw the 4 year modernisation project and improved the public image of the library service. He held the position of City Librarian from 1973 until his retirement on 28 April 1989. Staff remember Peter as a quiet man who always found time to walk around the Library and speak to staff. He loved books and earned a personal reputation as an enthusiastic and well-informed book man. Following retirement he was a familiar figure in the Central Library. He died in April 2009.
Learn more about this royal visit in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreen. |