The National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
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| Type | National Library |
|---|---|
| Established | 1907 |
| Reference to legal mandate | Established by Royal Charter on 19 March 1907. Supplemental Charters were given to the Library in 1911, 1978 and 2006 |
| Location | Aberystwyth |
| Coordinates | 52°24′52″N 4°4′8″W / 52.41444°N 4.06889°WCoordinates: 52°24′52″N 4°4′8″W / 52.41444°N 4.06889°W |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Printed Works, Maps, Archives, Manuscripts, Audio Visual Material, Photographs, Paintings |
| Size | 5M Books, 1M Maps, 800,000 Photographs, 50,000 Works of Art |
| Criteria for collection | Acquisition through purchase, bequest and legal deposit |
| Legal deposit | Yes |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Library open to all. Access to reading rooms restricted to over 16s without prior permission. |
| Other information | |
| Director | Linda Tomos |
| Staff | around 300 FTE |
| Website | www |
The National Library of Wales (Welsh: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the largest collections of archives, portraits, maps and photographic images in Wales. The Library is also home to the national collection of Welsh manuscripts, the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, and the most comprehensive collection of paintings and topographical prints in Wales. As the primary research library and archive in Wales and one of the largest research libraries in the United Kingdom, the National Library is a member of Research Libraries UK (RLUK) and the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL).
In 1873, a committee was set up to collect Welsh material and house it at University College, Aberystwyth. In 1905, the government promised money in its budget to establish a National Library and a National Museum of Wales, and the Privy Council appointed a committee to decide on the location of the two institutions.David Lloyd George, who later became Prime Minister, supported the effort to establish the National Library in Aberystwyth, which 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 (in particular, the Peniarth collection of manuscripts) 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. Funds for both the National Library and the National Museum were contributed by the subscriptions of the working classes, which was unusual in the establishment of such institutions. In a Prefatory Note to A List of Subscribers to the Building Fund (1924), the first librarian, John Ballinger, estimates that there were almost 110,000 contributors. The Library and Museum were established by Royal Charter on 19 March 1907. The Charter stipulated that if the National Library of Wales should be removed from Aberystwyth then the manuscripts donated by Sir John Williams will become the property of the University College. A new Royal Charter was granted in 2006.
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