The Library of Parliament is a natural first post for this blog, seeing as it is (a) absolutely gorgeous, appearing on this list of Incredible Libraries Around the World, and (b) a scarce 30 km from where I live. Canadians who live farther away from our nation’s capital may still recognize the building from its place on the $10 bill (both old and new).
The Library of Parliament is the round structure with the pointed roof.
For those of you who have never seen it, the library is a round building on Parliament Hill located behind the Centre Block. This library was opened in 1876, a short time after the previous parliamentary library, which was located in Montreal, had been burned down by a mob. On their second try at building a national library, the architects took precautions against further fire damage by installing iron doors between the library building and the rest of Parliament. This proved fortunate, as the library survived a major fire in 1916 that destroyed most of Centre Block.
While I’ve seen the library from the outside many times, in June I was lucky enough to take a tour offered through the CLA Government Library and Information Management Professionals Network. The Chief of Branches and Information Services was our tour guide, which allowed us to explore the library up to the second level (regular public tours are only permitted to ogle from a small area near one of the entrances).
Since I’m a sucker for old architecture, it’s only natural that I fell in love with the library at first sight. As you can see in the picture below, the shelves run along the perimeter of the room, which is open up to the ceiling. All the shelves, hallways, floor and desks are made out of beautifully carved wood. One of my favourite parts was the carvings lining the entrances. For those who would like to see the library in more detail, it will soon be available in a glorious 360-degrees from Google Street view.
Adding to the attractiveness of the room is the relative scarcity of cables, printers, computers and all the electronics which typically clutter up modern offices. This is possible because the library now serves as the showpiece in a two branch system. It has been designated “Main Branch,” and hosts book galas, visiting dignitaries, and walk-in questions from Parliamentary personnel. Meanwhile, the bulk of the Library of Parliament work takes place at at the “Confederation Branch”– a modern office building a few blocks south of Parliament Hill which, I assume, is full of all the electronic paraphernalia absent from Main Branch. At Centennial they answer reference questions, perform research and analysis, organize seminar series for MPs and Senators, prepare for the annual Teachers Institute, and, in their spare time, manage the Parliamentary tours and gift shop.
The Roving Librarian 
