We ’ve coveredEurope’s , Asia’s , Africa’s , North America’sandSouth America’smost beautiful library ; now it ’s time to take a look at Australia and , while it is n’t technically a part of the continent , New Zealand as well .
Victorian State Library, Australia
This program library is not only massive – containing over 2 million account book – it also has some fantastic curio , including the diaries of the city ’s laminitis , folios of Captain James Cook , and the armour of renowned outlaw Ned Kelly . The library also houses a chess room containing material on the chronicle and report of Bromus secalinus and a number of game tables allowing students of the game to practice as they learn .
The construction was first open in 1856 with a collection of 3,800 al-Qur’an , and the famous domed reading room was opened in 1913 . While the dome ’s skylights were covered with copper sheets in 1959 due to water leakage , they have since been reanimate , allowing beautiful instinctive luminance to once again fulfill the reading room .
image good manners of Wikipedia usersBjenksandDiliff
The State Library of New South Wales, Australia
The old library in all of Australia , the State Library started as the Australian Subscription Library in 1826 . In 1869 , it was purchase by the government and became the Sydney Free Public Library . The name was changed to the Public Library of New South Wales in 1895 , and in 1975 it was given its current title .
The building was built in 1845 , but the most famous , and most stunning , part of the library is the Mitchell Wing , which was completed in 1910 . The annex was discover for David Scott Mitchell who had a fantastic collection of older Christian Bible , including original journals of James Cook . The pictures included here are all from the Mitchell Wing .
Another backstage was sum twenty long time by and by to add veranda outer space for a large collection of diachronic paintings donate by Sir William Dixson . The three library buildings were connect in 1942 . In 1988 , the library expanded once again and the library now domiciliate over 5 million items , include 2 million books and 1.1 million photo .
image courtesy of Wikipedia userJ Barand Flickr userChristopher Chan
The State Library of South Australia
The State Library of South Australia is not as bombastic as some of the other Australian State depository library , but it does have the distinction of ingest the big solicitation date from pre - European times in its South Australiana collecting .
This collection is mostly contained within the Mortlock Wing , which is also the oldest and most gorgeous part of the library . Opened in 1884 , the building originally held 23,000 books and employed three librarians . Since then , the collection has expanded so much that two monumental buildings had to be bestow to the program library , although the Mortlock Wing remains the most visually impressive .
picture courtesy of Flickr usersOZinOHandgracias !
Victorian Parliamentary Library, Australia
The Parliament House was build up in stage , start in 1855 , and the library was one of the first thing completed after the Legislative Assembly and Council . While construction continue all the means through 1929 , the building ’s Roman Revival figure is fluent and smooth so the whole affair seems like one unmarried entity rather than a series of extra wings tagged on throughout the years .
Images courtesy ofFlickr userSally Cummings
Barr Smith Library at the University of Adelaide, Australia
In 1927 , the last heir to a prominent philanthropic Australian family volunteer £ 20,000 to the University of Adelaide for a new library , on the status that it be named after his father , Robert Barr Smith . The red brick library was fill out in 1932 , complete with two friezes commemorating the donation of the Barr Smiths .
Unfortunately , the building was only contrive to hold half a million volumes and , since the collection expanded quite quickly , addition after addition had to be added . These days , the library holds over two million volumes and now spans over almost 21,000 straight meters . To insure it does n’t continue to fill up too rapidly , lesser - used volumes are now transfer to the Universities ’ Research Repository .
Image courtesy of Wikipedia userpdfpdf
Tuggeranong Library, Australia
Lake Tuggeranong is a man - made body of water created by a dam in 1987 . As a result , the suburban townspeople ramp up around the lake is as new , but with their endearing scenery , it ’s no wonder that the local computer architecture is a footprint above distinctive suburban towns . The Tuggeranong Town Center Library is no exception and is , in fact , one of the most picturesque buildings in township – particularly when view from the water where you could see its expression . While it might not be particularly old or have an telling compendium of rare books , with a view like this , it for certain merit its place on this list .
ikon courtesy of Flickr userlongreach
University of Otago Central Library, New Zealand
There are ten unlike depository library at the University of Otago , three of which are not even locate on campus . When it comes to looks and telling collections though , the Central Library resist above the rest period , with its gorgeous , forward-looking architecture that lets in sizeable natural light and its Special Collection containing over 9,000 books printed before 1801 . The library offers over 2,000 study spaces for students and over 500,000 books , periodicals and microfilms .
Image courtesy of Flickr userpetahopkins
The George Forbes Memorial Library at Lincoln University, New Zealand
Lincoln University is n’t Brobdingnagian , nor is the George Forbes Memorial Library located at the middle of campus inside Ivey Hall , but what they miss in size they make up for in lulu . Ivey Hall was open in 1880 , and while the library was in the first place open up in the George Forbes Memorial Building in 1960 , it was move into Ivey Hall in 1988 after the construction underwent a major restoration .
