The old library was established by George III (1738-1820, reigned 1760-1820). He was a Prince of Wales who had enthusiasm for learning he had also simultaneously completed a well-rounded education. In 1760 King George was disappointed to uncover there was no Royal library, however sought to find a library and administer his collection development policy and protocol conjunctively.
The Old Royal library has been operating from the 15th century, however during the 17th century was left deprecated. This meant that immediate initiative needed to be taken; the King began hiring the best librarians from the country. The King had also chosen several collections to be added including: pamphlets made during the World War, Joeseph Smith, British consul in Venice and material from the Commonwealth periods. The King also added his preferred materials of paintings, prints and drawings into the collection. The Kings favourite subjects also were well represented within the collection; these subject areas covered Astronomy, science and agriculture.
The library used to be called The Royal library, and had entrance requirements for anyone who wished to use its resources. The King required that scholars and those with credentials are to be admitted. A little but of leniency was allowed, an example of this was John Adams (1735-1826) an enemy of King George III. John Adams who loved spending time in the library, but regretted not having more time to spend in the intellectual dwelling. The Library was meant to a Universal library and was funded from the King’s own expense.
The library’s collection consisted of 19,000 pamphlets and 65,000 volumes of printed books by 1820. The intent was put forward that the library is to be used as national resource by the creator. Even when the King has passed away in 1820, his son immediately took over the thriving library. His sons name was George IV, Prince Regent. The new king made arrangements to relocate the library after consultation with the government; the library was then moved to the British Museum around 1828.
The significance of the King’s Library today
Conveniently the King’s library is still operating now, as part of the building of the Kings Library Tower. Since 1997 it has been enjoyed by the public as general library. The library has been recorded as a historical unravelling provoked by an individual’s vision to share education among the community. Despite the libraries establishment being one as many centuries ago there is still an existing fragment of the library and the manuscripts of that time period. This is impressive to find, Britain’s oldest public libraries can offer a multitude of resources which can spark much interest in educational projects and discussions among the public.
Reflection on Blogging experience:
I found that I was disappointed; I did not find as much information as I have previously expected. The research strategy included using a trusted website source. I did not use for example a blog post as a research point but rather researched published written articles or reports on the subject. I found that the King’s library has conjunctively had much relation with other public libraries in Britain especially the current leading British library.
References:
Wikipedia, 2010, King’s Library , The Wikimedia Foundation, viewed 1 October 2010, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Library>
Kings Library, 2010, Kings Library, Trustees of the British Museum, viewed 1 October 2010, < http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/history_and_the_building/kings_library.aspx>
M. Door, The King's Library at The British Museum : An Exemplar of the 18th Century Enlightenment, viewed 1 October 2010, <http://www.suite101.com/content/the-kings-library-at-the-british-museum-a217274>
George III Collection: the King's Library, 2010, George III Collection: the King's Library, The British Library Board, viewed 1 October 2010, <http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/prbooks/georgeiiicoll/george3kingslibrary.html>
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