Cambridge University Library

Cambridge University Library stands on the western edge of Cambridge city centre, between Robinson College and Clare College’s Memorial Court. The present building, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, opened in 1934 and replaced earlier quarters near the Senate House. The site had once housed a military hospital during the First World War, treating 70,000 casualties. The library’s tower, partly funded by John D. Rockefeller, rises 157 feet and is visible for miles. Inside, 17th- and 18th-century bookcases line the reading rooms, including designs by James Essex from the 1730s. A later extension, the Aoi Pavilion, houses Japanese and Chinese collections donated in 1998. The library is one of six UK legal deposit libraries and holds about nine million items. It receives around 100,000 new items each year through purchase, donation and legal deposit rights. These rights allow it to claim copies of every book, journal, map and piece of music published in the UK and Ireland. Since 2013, the library has also archived digital and online material, including websites and blogs. Its open-access policy lets many readers borrow books, a rare feature among legal deposit libraries. The librarian, Jessica Gardner, is the second woman to hold this position. Visitors find a quiet scholarly space with reading rooms, exhibition galleries and a tea room serving meals and snacks. The library regularly hosts free public exhibitions drawn from its collections. The Janus project links catalogues across more than 100 Cambridge libraries, making archives easier to explore. Outside, the tower and stone façades give the building a distinctive presence in the city. Inside, the blend of historic fittings and modern storage reflects the library’s dual role as guardian of the past and keeper of new knowledge.