Editing Cambridge University Library (section)

===The new library===
Following an initiative by [[A. F. Scholfield]] (librarian from 1923 to 1949), it was decided to build a larger facility. The site selected comprised the {{convert|8|acre|ha}} joint cricket field of King's and Clare Colleges. During the [[World War I|First World War]], a large part of the site had been requisitioned by the [[War Office]] to create the 1st Eastern General Hospital, a facility for the [[Royal Army Medical Corps]] to treat military casualties.<ref>{{Cite web|title = From the Front to the Backs: Story of the First Eastern Hospital|url = http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/from-the-front-to-the-backs-story-of-the-first-eastern-hospital|website = University of Cambridge|date = 1 July 2014|access-date = 5 November 2015}}</ref> The hospital had 1,700 beds at its height and treated some 70,000 casualties between 1914 and 1919.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Eastern General Hospital |url=http://www.firsteasterngeneralhospital.co.uk/ |access-date=25 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721111320/http://www.firsteasterngeneralhospital.co.uk/ |archive-date=21 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The new University Library building was designed by [[Giles Gilbert Scott]], who also designed the neighbouring Clare Memorial Court (part of [[Clare College, Cambridge|Clare College]]). It was constructed between 1931 and 1934. It is a [[Grade II listed building]].<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1126281|desc=University Library|grade=II}}</ref> Inside are a number of 17th and 18th century [[bookcase]]s including those designed for the old University Library by [[James Essex]] in 1731&ndash;34.<ref name=hg>{{NHLE |num= 1126281|desc= University Library|access-date= 29 March 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref> The funds for the new library were raised by colleges and from private donors. The American philanthropist [[John D. Rockefeller]] provided the largest part of the funds for the library's construction. Sensing that it needed a grander entrance, Rockefeller persuaded the architect to add the distinctive front-facing tower.<ref name="Indie">{{cite news|last1=Gardner|first1=Jessica|title=The mysterious Cambridge library tower, supposedly full of banned books, is opening to the public|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/cambridge-university-library-tower-banned-books-opening-copyright-a8325196.html|access-date=7 May 2018|work=The Independent|date=1 May 2018}}</ref> The tower can be seen for several miles around Cambridge.<ref name="Indie"/>  The bronze main entrance and the aluminium bronze screens to the reading room were made by [[H. H. Martyn & Co.]]

The building bears a resemblance to Scott's industrial architecture, including [[Bankside Power Station]] (now [[Tate Modern]]). The library tower stands {{convert|157|ft|m}} tall, {{convert|6|ft|m}} shorter than the top of [[St John's College, Cambridge|St John's College Chapel]] and {{convert|10|ft|m}} taller than the peak of [[King's College Chapel, Cambridge|King's College Chapel]]. Supposedly, in opening the building, [[Neville Chamberlain]] referred to it as "this magnificent erection".  Contrary to popular belief, pornographic material is not stored in the tower.<ref name="apperly">{{cite web |website=[[Varsity (Cambridge)|Varsity]] |url=http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/873/1/ |first=Eliza |last=Apperly |title=Nothing racy in 'tower of porn' |access-date=25 March 2017 }}</ref>

The library has been extended several times through ground annexes and underground extensions which allowed for new legal deposit documents to be stored. The main building houses the Japanese and Chinese collections in the Aoi Pavilion, an extension donated by [[Tadao Aoi]] and opened in 1998.

The University Library has also built a large storage facility in [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]] which has more than 100 kilometres of shelving for future legal deposit books and periodicals. Work on a £17.1 million off-site facility to house the growing collection finished in 2018 and provides Cambridge University with one of the largest library storage buildings in the world.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Savva|first1=Anna|title=Cambridge University Library has run out of space for all its books and manuscripts|url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/cambridge-university-library-run-out-12840142|access-date=4 April 2017|date=3 April 2017}}</ref>