×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog

The treasured space standing the test of time.

For almost 130 years, the Barr Smith Library has been treasured by students past and present as the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide’s iconic centre.

From the serenity of the Barr Smith Reading Room, to the ever-helpful staff, the Library is more than a place to study and access resources, it’s an opportunity to escape the pressures and noise of student life.

When speaking with alumna and Barr Smith Library donor Merry Wickes, and current student Cecilia Wang, who works at the Library, there is no doubting the much-loved space will forever hold a special place in our community’s hearts and minds.

Merry Wickes

Bachelor of Arts (1973), Honours (1975)

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, my university life revolved around constant daily movement between the Napier Building – where my lectures and tutorials were held; the Refectory and Cloisters – for food and snacks, catching up with friends and the wider university activities; and the all-important Barr Smith Library – the centre for my academic studies.

And just beyond the Library, and in view through its windows, was Union Hall (where the Braggs Building now stands) with its downstairs coffee shop. For a brief time, you could take a break from library studies and sip a cappuccino there with friends.

"The Reading Room is one of the few areas of the Library that remains very much as it was 50 years ago."Merry Wickes

Being rather studious and ‘bookish’ then, much of my time was spent in the Barr Smith Library. Most days, after lectures or tutorials, I would join fellow students queuing to search the long wooden boxed card index catalogues to find books and journals (no online resources then). Or I would hang around the Reserve Desk near the front entrance to place requests for one of the multiple copies of the most in-demand books and articles for the week’s assignments, and then wait for them to turn up. And of course I remember seeking research assistance or photocopying help from the wonderful and ever helpful librarians and staff.

Then I’d find an empty desk in one of my favourite quiet corners to pile up borrowed books and scrawl notes and hand write essays. Or, on cold and wintry Adelaide days, I’d head to the glorious and beautiful Barr Smith Reading Room. Best of all were foot warmers in long metal tubes hidden beneath the desks to keep students cosy. It’s still possible to see remnants of the tubes under some desks, though sadly long disconnected from a heat source.

The Reading Room is one of the few areas of the Library that remains very much as it was 50 years ago. While everywhere else in the Library now buzzes with the sounds of students chatting amongst themselves, the Reading Room remains a remarkably quiet space just as it has always been, a place where you still feel a little intimidated to talk in more than a whisper.

While there have been so many changes within the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog, I think for many students, the Barr Smith Library remains an academic and research hub on the campus, and one I still love to visit. To be able to contribute, in some small way, to this favourite place continuing to be well resourced and central to university life is a special pleasure.

Cecilia Wang

Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Health Sciences (expected 2022)