Reading Central Library is a
public library in the town of
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
, in the English county of
Berkshire.
History
From 1882, the main library was in
Reading Town Hall. However, as early as
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
complaints were being made there was insufficient space for books and readers. It was only in 1982 that plans started being laid for a new central library in Reading, and building starting in 1984. This new building was opened in 1985.
The central library is in the heart of Reading on Abbey Square on the corner of the King's Road, on the former site of the
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, m ...
stables where the horses of medieval churchmen, nobility and royalty were stabled. It is also very near the old Abbey gateway, where
Jane Austen went to school, and which is the ancestor of the current
Abbey School
The Abbey School is an independent selective day school for girls, in Reading, Berkshire, England.
Overview
The Abbey School provides education for girls aged 3 to 18 years. The school is based in the centre of Reading, on Kendrick Road. The ...
. Reading Central Library is a four-storey red brick building based on traditional Reading brick designs. The
Holy Brook runs underneath the Library and it is near
The Oracle to the south west and to the north lies the beautiful
Forbury Gardens
Forbury Gardens is a public park in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The park is on the site of the outer court of Reading Abbey, which was in front of the Abbey Church. The site was formerly known as the Forbury, and one ...
.
The Central Library contains over 100,000 books including a children's library, a large selection of fiction and non fiction books, and free Internet terminals provided as part of The People's Network. It also provides loans of CDs, DVDs, and videos for which there is a small charge and also has a large collection of vocal and drama sets on the second floor. The Third floor contains the Reading Local Studies Library which has large collections of books, photographs, maps and newspapers relating to the history of Reading and
Berkshire, as well as a
family history
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
section. Special collections include books and letters by local author
Mary Russell Mitford
Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 – 10 January 1855) was an English author and dramatist. She was born at Alresford in Hampshire. She is best known for '' Our Village'', a series of sketches of village scenes and vividly drawn characte ...
and local MP, judge and author
Thomas Noon Talfourd
Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd SL (26 May 179513 March 1854) was an English judge, Radical politician and author.
Life
The son of a well-to-do brewer, Talfourd was born in Reading, Berkshire. He received his education at Hendon and Reading School. ...
.
Books in the library are generally ordered by
Dewey Decimal Classification
The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject.
Section 4.1 ...
, though the Local Studies collection has its own
library classification
A library classification is a system of organization of knowledge by which library resources are arranged and ordered systematically. Library classifications are a notational system that represents the order of topics in the classification and al ...
system. The online library catalogue which includes a selection of digitised local Studies photographs can be found on the library website. It is run by a team of qualified
librarians
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
with the support of library assistants with the aim of providing good library services to the people of Reading.
External links
Reading Libraries website
References
*Reading Borough Libraries (2005)
Reading Borough Libraries Retrieved 12 August 2005.
{{Authority control
Library buildings completed in 1985
Public libraries in Berkshire
Central