The university is made up of 39 colleges. When a student comes to study at the university they come to a college – Corpus Christi, Darwin, Kings, Trinity etc. That remains their college while they are at the university. They probably go to lectures in other college buildings but their ‘home’ is the particular college to which they were admitted.
Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge.
It is the largest but not the only library within the university, There are over 100 libraries attached to the various colleges.
What is special about Cambridge University Library is that it is one of six legal deposit libraries under UK law.
It holds about 9 million items (including maps and sheet music) and, through legal deposit, purchase and donation it receives around 100,000 items every year.
The University Library is unique among the legal deposit libraries in keeping a large proportion of its material on open access. Anyone can go and read the materials in the library. Only certain categories of people can borrow books, but anyone can be a private researcher and come it and look.
Temporary tickets valid for seven consecutive days within any twelve month period are free of charge. There is an £5.00 administration charge for 1 month, £15.00 for 6 months or £30.00 for 12 months, or £90.00 for 3 years.
So if a person is simply interested to wander among millions of books and other printed matter, take a Photo ID & current proof of home address and you can browse to your heart’s content.
The Tate Modern
The library was designed in the 1930s by Giles Gilbert Scott, and if it reminds you of the Tate Modern library in London it’s because he designed that too.
The Tate Modern was not designed as a museum. It was the designed and built to house Bankside Power Station, and generated electricity for ninety years until it was decommissioned. And then it was converted to house modern art as the Tate Modern.
Red Telephone Boxes
The thing is that Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, also designed many of the K-series red telephone boxes. And there is one of them outside the Cambridge University Library.
It is no longer in use as a public telephone box and has been converted as a way for borrowers to return their books out of hours. But while its use has changed, the design is Scott’s design and adds a little twist and flourish to the setting, don’t you think?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_Gilbert_Scott
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