King's College London Library, 1831-

Organisation

King's College London Library, 1831-

1831

The Library at King's College was established in 1831 and at first comprised a General Library of mainly common reference works on science, law, literature and theology, which was located next to the College Chapel. A separate Medical Library was also established which was only accessible to medical students. During the course of time, semi-autonomous subject or departmental libraries grew up located close to their relevant departments, particularly in the arts and humanities, containing less general and more specific subject titles. These, however, remained under the overall responsibility of the College Librarian. The General Library was augmented from time to time by major bequests and gifts, such as that made by William Marsden in 1835; some of Marsden’s books were later transferred to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES) as part of a University of London-wide library re-organisation (King’s received books from the former library of the London Institution in exchange). An important bequest was made by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1875, and these additions at first remained discrete named collections occupying their own space within the College Library. Total holdings in the General Library were approximately 50,000 by 1958, with 90,000 in the subject or departmental libraries. By 1970, this had grown to 275,000 books in total. Shortage of space was temporarily alleviated with the relocation of a number of libraries to the new Strand Building when it was opened during the 1970s, a period during which individual departmental collections were integrated (exceptions included the Music Library). The merger of King's with Chelsea and Queen Elizabeth Colleges in 1985, added further library space, particularly at Manresa Road in Chelsea, at which was also located the College's Rare Books and Special Collections until the closure of the Chelsea campus, when it was moved to the College's Hampstead site. The merger of King's with the United Medical and Dental Schools (UMDS) in 1998 further added to the Library's holdings of medical books, while its traditional strength in theological literature was enhanced considerably by the acquisition in 1996 of the 65,000 book and journal Sion College Library. The purchase of the leasehold on the former Public Record Office building in Chancery Lane from 2001 allowed for the bringing together under one roof of the Old Library, Embankment, Humanities, Music and Special Collections libraries. These are focused on the humanities, including music, law and the physical sciences and engineering. South of the River, the Franklin-Wilkins Library caters for medical, nursing and midwifery students and students of the biological sciences, management and education. The libraries at Denmark Hill concentrate on medicine, social policy, mental health and health care policy, and those at Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals on the teaching of medicine in general. The Library is now part of the division of Information Services and Systems (ISS) which also includes Computing and Information Technology and Archive Services. The latter includes the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, which was founded in 1964 and which built upon the College's reputation in the field of Military and War Studies.

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