National Library of Wales
Encyclopedia
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth
, is the national legal deposit
library of Wales
; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.
Welsh
is its main medium of communication. However, it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.
, Aberystwyth. In 1905, the government promised money in its Budget, and the Privy Council
appointed a committee to decide on the location of the two institutions. Aberystwyth was selected as the location of the library after a bitter fight with Cardiff
, partly because a collection was already available in the College. Sir John Williams, physician and book collector, had also said he would present his collection to the Library if it were established in Aberystwyth; he also eventually gave £20,000 to build and establish the library. Cardiff was eventually selected as the location of the National Museum of Wales. The Library and Museum were established by Royal Charter
on 19 March 1907.
Designed by architect Sidney Greenslade
who won the competition to design the building in 1909, the building at Grogythan, off Penglais Hill, was first occupied in 1916. The central block, or corps de logis
, was added by Charles Holden
to a modified version of Greenslade's design. In 1996, a large, new storage building was opened, and in recent years many changes have been made to the front part of the building. A new Royal Charter was granted in 2006.
(1588). It also keeps many rare and important manuscripts including the Black Book of Carmarthen
(the earliest surviving manuscript entirely in Welsh), the Book of Taliesin
, and a manuscript of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer
. As a copyright depository, it is entitled to receive a copy of every published work from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Its collecting policy is focused on Wales, Welsh-language and Celtic material.
The Library also contains the Welsh Political Archive and National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. It also keeps maps, photographs, paintings, topographical and landscape prints, periodicals and newspapers. It also holds the largest collection of archival material in Wales.
In 2000, Peter Bellwood stole at least fifty antique maps from the library, which were sold to private collectors for £70,000. Arrested in 2004, he was jailed for four and a half years.
, Kyffin Williams
and others. The Library also publishes the National Library of Wales Journal
.
of the page scans was undertaken to create TEI
searchable text versions. The website will contain a total of 400,000 pages. After the project is complete, new issues of the titles will be added as they emerge from the embargo period agreed with the publisher.
The fifty titles will include:
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, is the national legal deposit
Legal deposit
Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The requirement is mostly limited to books and periodicals. The number of copies varies and can range from one to 19 . Typically, the national library is one of the...
library of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.
Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
is its main medium of communication. However, it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.
History and buildings
In 1873, a committee was set up to collect Welsh material and house it at the University CollegeUniversity of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
, Aberystwyth. In 1905, the government promised money in its Budget, and the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
appointed a committee to decide on the location of the two institutions. Aberystwyth was selected as the location of the library after a bitter fight with Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, partly because a collection was already available in the College. Sir John Williams, physician and book collector, had also said he would present his collection to the Library if it were established in Aberystwyth; he also eventually gave £20,000 to build and establish the library. Cardiff was eventually selected as the location of the National Museum of Wales. The Library and Museum were established by Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
on 19 March 1907.
Designed by architect Sidney Greenslade
Sidney Greenslade
Sidney K. Greenslade , born in Exeter, was the first architect of the National Library of Wales, located in Aberystwyth.-External links:*...
who won the competition to design the building in 1909, the building at Grogythan, off Penglais Hill, was first occupied in 1916. The central block, or corps de logis
Corps de logis
Corps de logis is the architectural term which refers to the principal block of a large, usually classical, mansion or palace. It contains the principal rooms, state apartments and an entry. The grandest and finest rooms are often on the first floor above the ground level: this floor is the...
, was added by Charles Holden
Charles Holden
Charles Henry Holden, Litt. D., FRIBA, MRTPI, RDI was a Bolton-born English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, for Bristol Central Library, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway and for the...
to a modified version of Greenslade's design. In 1996, a large, new storage building was opened, and in recent years many changes have been made to the front part of the building. A new Royal Charter was granted in 2006.
Librarians
- John Ballinger (1909–1930)
- William Llewelyn DaviesWilliam Llewelyn DaviesSir William Llewelyn Davies was chief librarian of the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1930 until his death.-Life:...
(1930–1952) - Thomas ParryThomas Parry (author)Sir Thomas Parry was a Welsh author and Academic. He was Librarian of the National Library of Wales from 1953 to 1958, and Principal of the University College of Wales Aberystwyth from 1958 to 1969. The Thomas Parry Library located on Aberystwyth University's Llanbadarn Campus was named in his...
(1953–1958) - E. D. JonesE. D. JonesEvan David Jones PhD, FSA, was the Librarian of the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth from 1958 to 1969.Dr. Jones was appointed Librarian of the National Library of Wales, the national legal deposit library of Wales, in 1958 A biographer, Jones wrote articles on Evan Lewis, David Jones and...
(1958–1969) - David JenkinsDavid Jenkins (librarian)David Jenkins CBE was the Librarian of the National Library of Wales from 1969 to 1979 and author of an official history of the library.- Biography :...
(1969–1979) - R. Geraint GruffyddR. Geraint GruffyddProfessor Emeritus R. Geraint Gruffydd , MA DPhil DLitt FLSW FBA is a scholar of Welsh language and literature. He is a graduate of Bangor University and Jesus College, Oxford He commenced his studies at Oxford in 1948...
(1980–1985) - Brynley F. RobertsBrynley F. RobertsDr Brynley F. Roberts is a Welsh scholar and literary critic. He has written extensively on the Welsh language and Celtic history. He was a Welsh professor at the University of Wales, Swansea, and later as the librarian at the National Library of Wales from 1985 to 1998...
(1985–1998) - Andrew M. GreenAndrew Green (librarian)Andrew M. Green has been the librarian at the National Library of Wales since 1998. His predecessor was J. Lionel Madden. The role has been influential in Wales, since John Ballinger first took up the position in 1909....
(1998–present)
Library collections
The building houses over 4 million printed volumes, including many rare books such as the first book printed in Welsh (Yn y lhyvyr hwnn, 1546) and the first Welsh translation of the complete BibleWelsh Bible
Bible translations into Welsh have existed since at least the 15th century, but the most widely used translation of the Bible into Welsh for several centuries was the 1588 translation by William Morgan, as revised in 1620...
(1588). It also keeps many rare and important manuscripts including the Black Book of Carmarthen
Black Book of Carmarthen
The Black Book of Carmarthen is thought to be the earliest surviving manuscript written entirely or substantially in Welsh. Written in around 1250, the book's name comes from its association with the Priory of St. John the Evangelist and Teulyddog at Carmarthen, and is referred to as black due to...
(the earliest surviving manuscript entirely in Welsh), the Book of Taliesin
Book of Taliesin
The Book of Taliesin is one of the most famous of Middle Welsh manuscripts, dating from the first half of the 14th century though many of the fifty-six poems it preserves are taken to originate in the 10th century. The manuscript, known as Peniarth MS 2 and kept at the National Library of Wales,...
, and a manuscript of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
. As a copyright depository, it is entitled to receive a copy of every published work from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Its collecting policy is focused on Wales, Welsh-language and Celtic material.
The Library also contains the Welsh Political Archive and National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. It also keeps maps, photographs, paintings, topographical and landscape prints, periodicals and newspapers. It also holds the largest collection of archival material in Wales.
In 2000, Peter Bellwood stole at least fifty antique maps from the library, which were sold to private collectors for £70,000. Arrested in 2004, he was jailed for four and a half years.
Publications
The Library has published a series of books about its history and collections, including manuscript catalogues, a bibliography of Welsh publications, Parish Registers of Wales, and academic studies of Gwen JohnGwen John
Gwendolen Mary John was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career. She is noted for her still lifes and for her portraits, especially of anonymous female sitters...
, Kyffin Williams
Kyffin Williams
Sir John "Kyffin" Williams, KBE, RA was a Welsh landscape painter who lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll on the Island of Anglesey...
and others. The Library also publishes the National Library of Wales Journal
National Library of Wales Journal
The National Library of Wales Journal is an annual academic journal containing scholarly articles on historical topics relating to the Library’s collections, covering Welsh medieval and local history, literature, and the Welsh diaspora. It was first published in 1939...
.
Digital content
Many of the most important manuscripts and books have been digitized and made freely available to view on the library's website in its Digital Mirror. The Library intends to have digitized much of its image, sound and print collections by 2018.Welsh Journals Online
The Library is currently digitizing the back-numbers of 50 journals relating to Wales, in Welsh and English, in the Welsh Journals Online http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk project funded by JISC. This will form the largest body of Welsh text on the Web, as well as allowing free access for all to scholarly articles on history, literature and science, and poems and book reviews. OCROptical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...
of the page scans was undertaken to create TEI
Text Encoding Initiative
The Text Encoding Initiative is a text-centric community of practice in the academic field of digital humanities. The community runs a mailing list, meetings and conference series, and maintains a technical standard, a wiki and a toolset....
searchable text versions. The website will contain a total of 400,000 pages. After the project is complete, new issues of the titles will be added as they emerge from the embargo period agreed with the publisher.
The fifty titles will include:
- Archaeologia CambrensisArchaeologia CambrensisArchaeologia Cambrensis is an archaeological and historical scholarly journal, published annually in Wales by the Cambrian Archaeological Association, containing excavation reports, book reviews, and historical essays...
1846-1999 - Yr ArloeswrArloeswrYr Arloeswr was a Welsh-language literary magazine published between 1957 and 1960. It was edited by R. Gerallt Jones and Bedwyr Lewis Jones and its contributors included Gwyn Thomas and Bobi Jones. The magazine has been digitized by the Welsh Journals Online project at the National Library of...
('the pioneer') 1957-1960 - BathafarnBathafarn (journal)Bathafarn, the journal of the Historical Society of the Methodist Church in Wales is a bilingual English and Welsh-language journal containing essays and book reviews. It was first published in 1946....
1946-2003 - BrycheiniogBrycheiniog (magazine)Brycheiniog is an annual historical and archaeological academic journal published by the Brecknock Society and Museum Friends, covering Brecknockshire in Wales....
1955-2006 - Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 1921-1993
- Bwletin Cymdeithas Emynau CymruBwletin Cymdeithas Emynau CymruBwletin Cymdeithas Emynau Cymru is a Welsh language magazine that includes critical studies of hymns and hymn-writers. It is in Welsh throughout. Cymdeithas Emynau Cymru ["The Welsh Hymn Society"] was founded in 1967 to promote the study and use of Welsh hymns and hymn tunes. The Bulletin's...
('bulletin of the Welsh hymns society') 1968-2003 - CambriaCambria (geographical magazine)Cambria: A Welsh Geographical Review was published 1974-1989, edited by members of the Geography Departments of Swansea University and Aberystwyth University...
: a Welsh geographical review 1974-1989 - Cennad ('messenger') 1980-2001
- CeredigionCeredigion (magazine)Ceredigion is an annual local history journal about the history of the county of Ceredigion, Wales, published by Ceredigion Historical Society....
1951-2004 - Y Cofiadur ('the recorder') 1923-2002
- Contemporary WalesContemporary WalesContemporary Wales is published by the University of Wales Press on behalf of the Board of Celtic Studies.Contemporary Wales is an annual English-language journal containing academic articles and reviews relating to politics, history and current affairs...
1987-2001 - Cristion ('Christian') 1983-2006
- Y Cymmrodor 1822-1951
- Cymru 1891-1927
- Efrydiau athronyddolEfrydiau AthronyddolEfrydiau Athronyddol is a Welsh-language philosophy journal published by University of Wales Press.The magazine is being digitized by the Welsh Journals Online project at the National Library of Wales....
1938-2000 - Fflam, Y ('the flame') 1946-1952
- Y ford gron ('the round table') 1930-1935
- GowerGower (magazine)Gower is an annual magazine containing articles, photographs and news relating to the archaeology, history, natural history and landscape of the Gower Peninsula. It was first published in 1948 and continues. It is published by the Gower Society....
1948-2005 - Gwent Local History, the journal of Gwent Local History CouncilGwent Local History CouncilGwent Local History Council was founded in 1954 to promote the study of local history in Monmouthshire, Wales. The Council comprises representatives of local history societies in the historic county...
1977-2006 - Y Gwyddonydd ('the scientist') 1963-1996
- Heddiw ('today') 1936-1942
- Journal of the Pembrokeshire Historical SocietyPembrokeshire HistorianPembrokeshire Historian was the journal published by the Pembrokeshire Historical Society until 1981, when it became the Journal of the Pembrokeshire Historical Society.It contains articles and book reviews relating to local history....
1985-2004 - Journal of the Welsh Bibliographical SocietyJournal of the Welsh Bibliographical SocietyThe Welsh Bibliographical Society was founded in 1907 to promote the study of Welsh bibliography, publishing, printing and writing. Its principal activities were an annual meeting and lecture and publication of the Journal of the Welsh Bibliographical Society and monographs...
1910-1984 - Journal of Welsh ecclesiastical historyJournal of Welsh ecclesiastical historyThe Journal of Welsh ecclesiastical history was an annual English-language journal containing academic articles and book reviews on Christianity in Wales...
1984-1992 - Journal of Welsh Religious HistoryJournal of Welsh Religious HistoryThe Journal of Welsh Religious History is published by the University of Wales Press on behalf of the Centre for the Advanced Study of Religion in Wales, Bangor University, and previously the Welsh Religious History Society....
1993-2005 - LlafurLlafurLlafur , whose full name is Llafur: The Welsh People’s History Society was founded in 1970 as Llafur: the Society for the Study of Welsh Labour History to promote the study of the labour and people’s history of Wales...
('labour'), the journal of the Society for the Study of Welsh Labour History 1972-2004 - Y Llenor ('the reader') 1922-1955
- Lleufer: cylchgrawn Cymdeithas Addysg y Gweithwyr yng Nghymru (Journal of the Workers' Educational AssociationWorkers' Educational AssociationThe Workers’ Educational Association seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education. The International Federation of Workers Education Associations has consultative status to UNESCO...
in Wales) 1944-1979 - MinervaMinerva (magazine)Minerva is a magazine started in 1993 containing articles on historical and artistic topics related to the Swansea area of Wales.It is published by The Royal Institution of South Wales, founded in 1835 as Swansea Philosophical and Literary Society. Its aims are to advance the study of natural...
: transactions of the Royal Institution of South Wales 1993-2003 - Montgomeryshire collectionsMontgomeryshire collectionsMontgomeryshire Collections is the annual journal of the Powysland Club, containing scholarly articles on archaeological and historical topics relating to Powys, book reviews, and society notes. It was first published under the title Collections Historical & Archaeological relating to...
, relating to Montgomeryshire and its borders 1868-2002 - MorgannwgMorgannwg (magazine)Morgannwg is the annual journal of Glamorgan History Society, published since 1957, containing historical essays, archaeological reports and book reviews...
, transactions of the Glamorgan Local History Society 1957-2006 - National Library of Wales JournalNational Library of Wales JournalThe National Library of Wales Journal is an annual academic journal containing scholarly articles on historical topics relating to the Library’s collections, covering Welsh medieval and local history, literature, and the Welsh diaspora. It was first published in 1939...
1939-2005 - Nature in WalesNature in WalesNature in Wales was a quarterly scientific journal, published from 1955 to 1987. From 1955 to 1981 it was published by West Wales Field Society; a new series was started when the National Museum of Wales took over in 1982....
, the quarterly journal of the West Wales Field Society 1955-1987 - Pembrokeshire historianPembrokeshire HistorianPembrokeshire Historian was the journal published by the Pembrokeshire Historical Society until 1981, when it became the Journal of the Pembrokeshire Historical Society.It contains articles and book reviews relating to local history....
, journal of the Pembrokeshire Local History Society 1959-1981 - Presenting Monmouthshire, the journal of the Monmouthshire Local History Council (now Gwent Local History CouncilGwent Local History CouncilGwent Local History Council was founded in 1954 to promote the study of local history in Monmouthshire, Wales. The Council comprises representatives of local history societies in the historic county...
) 1956-1975 - Proceedings of the South Wales Institute of EngineersProceedings of the South Wales Institute of EngineersProceedings of the South Wales Institute of Engineers is the annual journal of the South Wales Institute of Engineers. It contains scholarly and popular articles on engineering, scientific and economic topics. It was initially published as Transactions of the South Wales Institute of Engineers...
1857-1998 - Radnorshire Society TransactionsRadnorshire Society TransactionsRadnorshire Society Transactions is published by The Radnorshire Society, established in 1930 to promote the study of the archaeology and history of the county of Radnorshire...
1931-2004 - Reports and Transactions, Cardiff Naturalists' SocietyReports and Transactions, Cardiff Naturalists' SocietyReports and transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists Society was an annual journal published by the Cardiff Naturalists Society, containing scholarly articles on geology, archaeology, and natural history, as well as book reviews and society notes...
1867-1986 - South Wales Record SocietySouth Wales Record SocietyThe South Wales Record Society was established in 1982 as the successor to the South Wales and Monmouthshire Records Society with the aim of publishing important manuscript sources relating to South Wales.-Publications of the South Wales Record Society:...
publications 1987-1994 - Studia CelticaStudia CelticaStudia Celtica is an annual journal published in Wales containing scholarly articles on linguistic topics, mainly in English but with some Welsh and German; it also contains book reviews and obituaries. The journal is published by the University of Wales Press on behalf of the University of Wales...
1966-2000 - Tir NewyddTir NewyddTir Newydd was a Welsh-language quarterly literary magazine containing cultural essays, book reviews, short stories, poems and political comment. It also includes publisher’s advertisements...
('new land') 1935-1939 - Y TraethodyddY TraethodyddY Traethodydd is a quarterly cultural magazine published in the Welsh language covering historical, literary and theological topics. The journal was originally published in 1845 on behalf of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church...
('the essayist') 1845-2006 - Transactions and archaeological record, Cardiganshire Antiquarian SocietyCeredigion (magazine)Ceredigion is an annual local history journal about the history of the county of Ceredigion, Wales, published by Ceredigion Historical Society....
1911-1938 - Transactions of the Honourable Society of CymmrodorionHonourable Society of CymmrodorionThe Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion was founded in 1751 as a literary society devoted to the preservation of the Welsh language. It was founded by two brothers, Lewis Morris and Richard Morris, natives of Anglesey...
1892-2005 - WalesWales (magazine)Wales was an English-language literary journal, published from 1937 to 1960. The magazine contained fiction, poetry, reviews and articles pertaining to Wales....
1937-1959 - Welsh book studiesWelsh book studiesWelsh Book Studies / Llyfr yng Nghymru publishes academic and critical articles about past and current publishing in Wales. It contains English and Welsh material...
(Llyfr yng Nghymru)) 1998-2007 - Welsh history reviewWelsh History ReviewWelsh History Review is an English-language academic journal dealing with the history of Wales.It is published in four parts per volume, one volume every two years. It started publication in 1960 and continues; from Vol. 22 onwards, it has been published electronically by Ingenta, in addition...
(Cylchgrawn hanes cymru) 1959-2001 - Welsh music historyWelsh music historyWelsh Music History / Hanes Cerddoriaeth Cymru is published by the University of Wales Press on behalf of the Centre for Advanced Welsh Music Studies, Bangor University. It is a biennial bilingual journal contain academic articles and reviews relating to Welsh music and music in Wales.It is being...
1996-2004 - Welsh outlookWelsh OutlookWelsh Outlook was a monthly magazine published from 1914 to 1933 in Wales, articulating a political viewpoint of progressive liberalism and cultural nationalism...
1914-1933
See also
- Jenkins, DavidDavid Jenkins (librarian)David Jenkins CBE was the Librarian of the National Library of Wales from 1969 to 1979 and author of an official history of the library.- Biography :...
A Refuge in Peace and War—The National Library of Wales to 1952, Aberystwyth 2002; ISBN 1 86225 034 0 - Geiriadur Prifysgol CymruGeiriadur Prifysgol CymruGeiriadur Prifysgol Cymru is the principal historical dictionary of the Welsh language, enjoying a similar status to that of the Oxford English Dictionary in the English language....
(the University of Wales' Dictionary of the Welsh Language)
External links
- The National Library of Wales official website
- Online Library Catalogue
- Digital Mirror containing digitized images of a selection of library manuscripts, books, maps and photographs.
- The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales
- Welsh Journals Online
- National Library of Wales Journal, Contents 1939-2000, UK & Ireland Genealogy (Genuki)
- Wicipedia article (in Welsh)