| Mitchell Library | |
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| 55°51′54.39″N4°16′19.23″W / 55.8651083°N 4.2720083°W /55.8651083; -4.2720083 | |
| Location | North Street,Glasgow, G3 7DN,Scotland |
| Type | Public library (Reference andlending) |
| Established | 1877 (Opened 1911) (Extended 1977–80) |
| Branch of | Glasgow Libraries |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Books, newspapers,journals maps,multimedia, archives,microforms |
| Size | Over 1,213,000 volumes |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Open to the general public, Monday to Saturday. Lending library requires a Glasgow Libraries borrowers' card. |
| Population served | 577,670 |
| Other information | |
| Website | The Mitchell Library |
TheMitchell Library is a largepublic library located in theCharing Cross area ofGlasgow,Scotland. It is the largest public reference library in Europe, and the centre of Glasgow's public library system.
The library was initially established in Ingram Street in 1877 following a bequest fromStephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco producer, whose company,Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members of theImperial Tobacco Company.
Part of the original collection came from a purchase in 1874 by Glasgow Corporation of 1800 early books gifted to theUniversity of Glasgow from the Glasgow philanthropistWilliam Euing.[1]
New buildings were erected in North Street. A foundation stone was laid byAndrew Carnegie in September 1907.[2] The completed building was opened byLord Rosebery on 16 October 1911.[3]
The library contains a large public library, with over a million items.[4] While composed mainly of reference material it also has a substantial lending facility which began in 2005. The North Street building, with its distinctive copper dome surmounted byThomas Clapperton's bronze statue entitledLiterature (often referred to asMinerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom)[5] opened in 1911. The architectural competition for the library was held in 1906 and was won by William B. Whitie. TheEdwardian Baroque building is protected as acategory B listed building.[6]
The vast majority of the library's collection is housed in the Extension Building, which was built between 1972 and 1980. Located to the west of the original building it occupies the site of the St Andrew's Halls, which were designed byJames Sellars, and opened in 1877. Acquired by Glasgow Corporation in 1890 it was Scotland's pre-eminent venue for concerts and meetings.[7] It had a large and striking classical facade and included a Grand Hall which could hold 4,500 people, two Lesser Halls, further small halls and a large ballroom. The building was gutted by fire on 26 October 1962, although the facade survived and was later incorporated into the 1980 extension of the Mitchell Library, with the principal entrance now being in Granville Street.
As part of a major internal refurbishment in 2005, the ground floor of the extension was recreated as an internal street running east to west. A new café bar was incorporated with a large learning centre providing free internet andWi-Fi services. A new business lounge and a lending library have also been created.
Containing five floors, access is freely open to the public, whether library borrowing members or non-members. Non-members can, upon request, use PCs and the internet as well as printed reference materials.
The Mitchell Library also holds the Glasgow City Archives and Special Collections which are considered to be one of the world's best resources for researching family history[10] and have featured in the television seriesWho Do You Think You Are?.[11]
The 1980 extension building incorporates the 418-seat Mitchell Theatre.[12] The venue hosts a variety of theatre, music and spoken word events, including some during Glasgow'sCeltic Connections andAye Write! festivals.[13][14][15]
InCatherine Carswell's novelThe Camomile (1922), Ellen Carstairs makes visits to the old Mitchell Library in Ingram Street where she reads the works ofJohn Davidson,George Bernard Shaw'sPlays, Pleasant and Unpleasant,James Thomson'sThe City of Dreadful Night,Jude the Obscure (1895) and another novel byThomas Hardy.[16]
Media related toMitchell Library at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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