This was originally published in June 2011 as part of our Item of the Month series.
With the refurbishment of level 1 of the University’s Andersonian Library now complete and giving us a taste of what the whole Library will ultimately look like, we thought it would be interesting to look back at previous incarnations of the Library. The photograph on the right, taken in about 1890, is of the Library in its original location in Anderson’s University building on George Street. This very grand space had originally housed the Andersonian Museum. However, in the 1880s, many of the Museum collections were dispersed and the space was converted into a Library. The image shows the then Librarian, George Martin, sitting at the issue desk. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to see this area at first hand; in 1903, work began on the demolition of the Anderson’s University building and the construction, in its place, of the Royal College building. The Library was moved to the first floor of the Royal College building in 1908.
