Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries

The Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries stands in the centre of Dunfermline, a town in Fife known for its royal and industrial past. The building opened in 1883 as the world’s first Carnegie Library, funded by Andrew Carnegie’s £8,000 gift. Its original design came from Edinburgh architect James Campbell Walker, who also planned the nearby City Chambers. The library was listed as a Category B building in 1971, recognising its historic importance. Carnegie’s mother laid the foundation stone in 1881, and the opening was marked by a public holiday. The first librarian, Alexander Peebles, was chosen from 250 applicants after the post was advertised. The library soon proved too small for the town’s needs, so the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and town council agreed an extension in 1904. Work took until 1922 to finish because of the First World War. A further extension in 1993 added meeting rooms, a children’s library and a local history room. In 2017 the building won the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award. Archaeologists working nearby in 2013 found 16th-century tiles, medieval foundations and leather fragments, adding to the site’s layered history. Today the library connects to a modern museum and art gallery designed by Richard Murphy. The museum covers two floors with a local studies centre and three exhibition galleries. Visitors also find a children’s library and a café. The building’s earlier rooms survive, including the original library space and the reading rooms for ladies and gentlemen. The extension of 1922 doubled the size of the original structure, and the 1993 addition brought new facilities for meetings and local research. The whole site now offers a blend of historic architecture and contemporary museum practice.