Libraries+Architecture+of+the+State+Library



In 1853 the production of the State Library of Victoria was decided by lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe and Sir Redmond Barry but they needed an Architect so they held a competition to see who could create the best design for the public library. The winner of the competition was an architect named Joseph Reed who also designed a number of other buildings including St Paul's Cathedral on Flinders St and was also a part of the Victorian Institute of Architects. The State library of Victoria was one of the first free public libraries in the world, it has many features that it is famous for like the Dome in the La Trobe reading room that was erected in 1913 and designed by Architect Norman G. Peebles. The original Construction started with the first section of the building it was set more into the middle of the land set out for the library which created a forecourt and later after that the rest of the library was altered and produced.

Changes in the production
There were multiple changes in the production of the State library one of them was modernization, this was the adding of more technological resources like computers, Wireless internet and wireless communications which changed the way books where taken from the storage room. Staff would have had to walk down sets of stair but now due to renovations and modernization Lifts are included into the structure of the building. Renovations at the state library of Victoria included better plumbing,

[[image:StateLibrary011.jpg width="240" height="320" align="right" caption="The La Trobe reading room Dome"]]
roofing, the inclusion of the dome in the La Trobe reading room, Baldwin Spencer hall in 1906 and Bindon Hall in 1927. Originally the State library was also conjoined with The Melbourne museum and the Queen Victoria Women's Hospital but the idea was disbanded

Design of the State Library
In 1853 popular architect Joseph Reed decided to enter the competition of the best design for the new State Library of Victoria and won! On 3 July 1854 Victoria's Governor Sir Charles Hotham laid the Library's foundation stones and two years later the entrance hall and first floor reading room where opened to the public. A south and north wing were added to the building in 1859 and 1864 and in 1870 Reed's design for the central section of the Swanston Street facade was completed with the addition of the grand portico. The material used in the building was bluestone faced with Victorian and Tasmanian sandstone. although the design of the state Library is not complete with the overgrowing need of space it is unique to libraries all over the world. the are 3 main levels, Level 1, 2 and 2a are open to the public but there is also multiple ares that are sealed off like the storage rooms for the books and exhibition areas that are undergoing construction. The design was quite unique but beacuse Joseph Reed was so popular the work of the library was similar to other projects. The original layout was one floor consisting of the entrance hall,the first floor reading room and the Queens hall. then an additional south and north wing were added to the building in 1859 and 1864. In 1870 Reed's design for the central section of the Swanston Street facade was completed as well as the additional grand portico. In the late 19th century the National Gallery of Victoria and the Museum temporarily shared the site of the SLV. On the first floor is the Keith Murdoch Gallery which was originally an art museum before being incorporated into the Museum of Victoria, on the 3rd floor is the Queens hall which was originally part of the original building contained the art, music and performing arts collections but is now used for functions and Library events, Cowen Gallery on level 2 is richly decorated with paintings depicting, or relevant to, Victoria. The rooms to the side house portraits and busts of Victorians, while the gallery primarily showcases historical Victorian scenes and paintings by local artists, The Redmond Barry reading room on level 2 behind Cowen gallery originally housed the Industrial and Technological Museum but is now home to the Library's general nonfiction collection the reading room opened in 2004 following total refurbishment, On level 2a lies the La Trobe Reading Room and its famous domed roof opened in 1913 it is six stories high and can house 32,000 books and 320 readers at its desks.

[[image:SLV.gif width="350" height="521" caption="Current layout of the lower levels of SLV"]]


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