Cardiff University has always been fuelled by books
To mark 50 years of the Arts and Social Studies Library, Sara Huws, Civic Engagement Officer for our Libraries and Archives, reflects on the history of our earliest collections, and explores how our libraries have shaped, and been shaped by, the University community.
Back in 1883, Cardiff University – or The University of South Wales and Monmouthshire, as we were then known – was a grand project with big ambitions. The first University in Wales to admit women, we opened our doors with a mission: to improve the prospects of young people across south Wales and beyond, and to make a positive impact on society at large.
We were, however, in want of a good collection of books.
In fact, without one, we would struggle to call ourselves a proper University – so a solution was sought with some haste. Luckily for our Victorian colleagues, a book collector in North Wales by the name of Enoch Robert Gibbon Salisbury had fallen on hard times, and was looking to sell his life’s work.
Salisbury was a canny collector, and throughout his life had devoted himself to developing the only collection of ‘Cambrian’ books available anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, he was also in terrible debt, and had to part with his beloved collection. Full of rare volumes about the literature and lives of the Welsh: it was the perfect fit for our scrappy new project in Cardiff.
The job lot – a modest fifty thousand-ish volumes – was packaged in crates and brought here with considerable ceremony, in a specially-commissioned train from North Wales.
Once installed in the Main Building, it quickly grew to include books for incoming students studying fields such as mathematics, classics, philosophy, and more.
Since those early years the library has grown into a bustling, campus-wide service, providing access to hundreds of thousands of resources across multiple sites.
Whatever you’re after – whether it’s rare books, architectural plans, e-books, newspapers, databases, or simply an up-to-date textbook – our library team can find it for you.
From osteoarchaeology to cybersecurity, Mabinogion to microplastics, the work continues behind the scenes to ensure our research across all disciplines is fuelled by cutting edge information.
And while the Drapers’ Library was a picture-perfect Victorian library, lined with wooden panelling and stained glass, it was also showing its age. Cold, draughty, and crammed, the decision was made to modernise and introduce a little bit of comfort for the stressed and the studious.
And so, just over half a century ago, the planning work began to establish an iconic landmark at the Cathays campus: the Arts and Social Studies Library, or ASSL for short.
Built on the site of former railway engine sheds, the ambitious structure was built over two years, at a cost of £1.1 million (the equivalent of £12.5 million today). On its opening day in August 1975, it boasted room for 660 readers and space for 445,000 books, and even won a Concrete Society Award for its innovative use of the material.
As ASSL approaches its fiftieth birthday, we look forward to celebrating its important role in supporting and welcoming students and researchers, as well as celebrating our university library colleagues for the service they have been providing at ASSL for half a century.
Over the last half-century, ASSL has become a fixture in the Cardiff student experience: a space for friendship, discovery, and deadlines.
The library has continued to evolve to accommodate student and research needs – nowadays providing 24-hour access, quiet and adaptive spaces, laptop loans, and collaborative study spots.
Most recently, a refurbishment in Summer 2024 improved the building’s environmental impact, through the installation of carbon-capture technology on its roof.
We’ve come a long way since the days of Salisbury’s collection, packed and sent over by steam train. However, that precious first collection lives on, cared for at ASSL, where the University’s Special Collections and Archives are based.
It may feel a little strange for some readers to think of a modern concrete building such as ours celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. But here we are: this year, our librarians are getting ready to celebrate half a century since issuing the first book at ASSL.
ASSL at 50
If you have memories to share of the library, we would love to hear from you. Former undergrads, researchers, academics, or members of the library team – we hope you’ll be able to celebrate with us, as we look forward to the next fifty years of keeping the University well-stocked with wonderful books.
