Treasure 20: Souvenir card to commemorate the open access in the Lending Library

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Treasure 20: Souvenir card to commemorate the open access in the Lending Library

In 1925 a major change took place in the Lending Department of the Central Library. The concept of "Open Access" was introduced, allowing readers to select their books directly from the open shelves.

The Lending Library closed for a month for re-organisation and was formally re-opened on 3 October 1925 by Mr FC Thomason MP for Aberdeen South. To mark the occasion an artistic Souvenir card containing notes on the history of the library was presented to each guest (about 100), to the same number of earliest borrowers and to a similar number of libraries throughout the country.

The department was completely transformed with space for over 38,000 books; fiction was arranged around the walls in alphabetical order and non-fiction on island shelving in the middle.

Souvenir card

TR03_10

Library

Aberdeen Local Studies

Yes

Yes

Yes