The University Library is the most famous building of KU Leuven Libraries (Leuven, Belgium). The first stone was laid in 1921, to replace the first university library which was burnt down during the First World War. The new library opened its doors to readers in 1928. It was itself partly destroyed by fire during the…
Author: Stuart Kells
Athenaeum Library, Melbourne, launch of From Convict Printers to Book Arcades: The History of the Book in Australia Volume I
Stuart Kells’s speech at the launch of From Convict Printers to Book Arcades: The History of the Book in Australia Volume 1. Acknowledgement of country. Distinguished guests and representatives of Melbourne’s book community. It’s great to be back at the Athenaeum Library. Thanks for the opportunity to launch this important book – the definitive publication…
PMI Library: Much loved library is a legislative curiosity
After a long history of evolution, legislative changes mean the Prahran Mechanics Institute is poised for an even brighter future. In 1799 the physician and philanthropist Dr George Birkbeck gave a series of free lectures for the working men of Glasgow. Extremely popular, the lectures led to more permanent facilities dedicated to workers’ education: the Edinburgh…
Judicious selection or riotous shopping trips? The story of libraries
The Library: A Fragile History, Andrew Pettegree & Arthur der Weduwen, Profile. The intriguing category of “books about books” is broad: it embraces many different aspects of making, owning, using and even destroying books. The meta-attractions of this meta-genre have caused a recent flowering of popular and scholarly titles, such as Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, Richard Ovenden’s Burning…
From Bag End to Babel: Top 10 libraries in fiction
Writers as different as JRR Tolkien, Audrey Niffenegger and Jorge Luis Borges have stacked some of their most giddying visions on imaginary shelves. My book, The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders, began as an essay on writers’ libraries but quickly grew to encompass public and fictional ones as well. Ancient, modern and imaginary libraries have…
Chained libraries
Hereford Cathedral: https://www.herefordcathedral.org/chained-library https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180706-the-ancient-library-where-the-books-are-under-lock-and-key Zutphen Chained Library: Chetham’s Library: Wimborne Minster: Other Chained Libraries: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/chained-libraries-of-the-world
Smithtown Library flood update
Smithtown Building Closed Due to the storm that occurred during the early morning hours of August 19, which caused torrential flooding, our Smithtown Building suffered catastrophic damage to its lower level. Therefore, until further notice, our Smithtown Building will be closed while we continue to assess the damage and begin to rebuild. Our other three…
British Library: Cyber-attack update
From the BL: We’re continuing to experience disruption as a result of a cyber-attack that took place in October 2023. The outage is still affecting our website, online systems and services, as well as some onsite services, however our buildings are open as usual. The attack caused substantial damage that is complex and challenging to…
Library Planet 