Airdrie Public Library
Encyclopedia
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
in Airdrie
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
, North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The library has been housed in a number of buildings since its founding.
History of the two Carnegie library buildings and the observatory
The history of the library dates back to the 1850s when the town adopted the Public Libraries ActPublic Libraries Act 1850
The Public Libraries Act 1850 was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which first gave local boroughs the power to establish free public libraries...
. Its first home was a room in the town hall, or Town House as it was called. From 1860 it moved a number of times until the opening of its current home in 1925.
There have been two buildings purpose built for the library. The first was opened in 1894 by a public subscription of more than £1000 and a £1000 donation from Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
(the Scottish-American philanthropist) on Anderson Street, today’s Airdrie Arts Centre. MP Sir John Wilson gave a further £1000 to write off accompanying debt.
Unusually, the library has shared a common history with an observatory. Airdrie Public Observatory
Airdrie Public Observatory
Airdrie Public Observatory is in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The observatory is open to the public by request, and is housed in Airdrie Public Library...
was founded in this building in 1896.
The 1894 building proved too small.
The second purpose-built, and current, building was opened on September 25 1925 funded by Airdrie Savings Bank
Airdrie Savings Bank
Airdrie Savings Bank is a small commercial bank operation in the Lanarkshire and Glasgow areas of Scotland. It runs 8 branches throughout this area, with its head office in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire...
and a second Carnegie grant. The local newspaper, the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser
Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser
The Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser is a tabloid newspaper published by Scottish and Universal Newspapers, a division of Trinity Mirror, in Airdrie and Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire. The Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser is a weekly newspaper and is printed in Blantyre.- External links :*...
had this to say the next day; "Although not quite finished the new Library building in Wellwynde Street was sufficiently far advanced towards completion to allow the opening ceremony to take place yesterday afternoon".
The observatory moved along with the library, a purpose-built observatory being built on the library roof and a brass 6 inches (152.4 mm) refracting telescope
Refracting telescope
A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image . The refracting telescope design was originally used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long focus camera lenses...
was obtained by the observatory curator Ex-Baillie
Baillie
A baillie or bailie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where baillies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate...
James Lewis for the sum of £500. The original Dr Reid telescope was also brought from the old observatory.
1853
In August the Public Libraries Act (Scotland)Public Libraries Act 1850
The Public Libraries Act 1850 was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which first gave local boroughs the power to establish free public libraries...
was passed, and in November Airdrie was the first Scottish town to adopt it, beating Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
into second place by 13 years.
1856
A quantity of books were obtained for the sum of £40 from the Institution of Mechanical EngineersInstitution of Mechanical Engineers
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...
and the Library opened in the clerks office in the Town House - now known as the Town Clock.
1892
Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
had promised in a letter to Mr Thomas Jeffrey of Airdrie Savings Bank
Airdrie Savings Bank
Airdrie Savings Bank is a small commercial bank operation in the Lanarkshire and Glasgow areas of Scotland. It runs 8 branches throughout this area, with its head office in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire...
an amount of money equaling £1,000 (being half of the money required to build a new library) so long as a piece of land was acquired and the other half of the money was raised locally. On receiving this guarantee, a public appeal was launched on 13 June 1892 for funds, and by October 1892 more than £1,000 had been raised. With more than £2,000, plans were drawn up to build the new Library on Anderson Street.
1894
The new library was opened and MP Sir John Wilson wrote off some accompanying debt to the amount of £1,000 which allowed the new library to operate debt free from then on.28 April Airdrie Public Observatory
Dr. Thomas Reid, an eminent Glasgow oculist, donated a 3 inches (76.2 mm) brass-bodied, refracting telescopeRefracting telescope
A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image . The refracting telescope design was originally used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long focus camera lenses...
to the town, and it was housed in the library. He also donated the sum of £35 to convert a top-floor room, where a dome was built on the roof of the building for it. Thus founding Airdrie Public Observatory
Airdrie Public Observatory
Airdrie Public Observatory is in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The observatory is open to the public by request, and is housed in Airdrie Public Library...
. Robert Dunlop was the first Honorary Curator, followed shortly by Mr Peter Scotland.
25 September
A new library was built near the first purpose built library with financial assistance from Airdrie Savings BankAirdrie Savings Bank
Airdrie Savings Bank is a small commercial bank operation in the Lanarkshire and Glasgow areas of Scotland. It runs 8 branches throughout this area, with its head office in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire...
and a second grant from the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust.
A new purpose-built observatory was built on the library roof.
It is currently curated by Airdrie Astronomical Association (AAA)