Newspaper article from January 1900 reporting on the origins of the British Museum Library – to celebrate National Libraries Day 2013
‘Thought in cold storage’ – we’ve always loved Herbert Samuel’s pithy (yet profound) definition of what a library is.
To celebrate National Libraries Day 2013, we’ve posted below a story about the origins of the British Museum Library, which later evolved into the marvel that is the British Library.
In particular, we love the description of the ‘absolute stillness’ of the reading room. Hmm, ‘absolute stillness’…sic transit gloria mundi!
York Herald – Saturday 13 January 1900
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000500/19000113/187/0013
