Photocopying is a busy industry in the town - those with little money, who can't buy books or the books are not generally available, photocopy whole books from cover to cover ! I've always admired the patience of the man standing there and carrying out this task, for a few rupees ! But then the pursuit of education is relentless and single-minded and the photocopying businesses are doing a nice little trade.
The great Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1863 - 1939), who shaped Baroda with his unique foresight and generosity, founding the university, a museum, many hospitals, a bank, a park, many palaces, various agricultural and irrigation schemes and important social reforms, to name just a few of his innovations, also founded the first library in Baroda and one of the first in India !
On a trip to the United States, the Maharaja met a library engineer, William Alanson Borden (1853 - 1931) and invited him to Baroda. Borden arrived in 1910 to begin the task of designing the library. The two story structure is articulated by a double colonnade on the outside, giving an indication of the function and spatial layout of the building. But this does not prepare you for the high tech features of the interior !
A wide corridor separates the library from the noisy street outside, rather like that lovely corridor at the Uffizi in Florence and wells of light help to illuminate the inner spaces ! The stack room has 4 floors with long windows angled in such a way as to ensure maximum light - glass floor tiles from Belgium also help to admit light - a bit like walking around in a prism - the original tiles are still in perfect condition! In fact there is no need for electric lights and the ambient temperature is so cool that fans are unnecessary. The iron framed stack is supported by roof girders and wall armatures, and can hold nearly 400 000 books, the first 20 000, donated by the Maharaja himself. (The stack was designed by J. Snead & Co, in the USA). Furthermore, special trees and shrubs were planted outside, which helped to filter moisture laden air and ensure dry air for the interior of the library, so that mildew was not a problem !
The Library was opened in 1931 and must have been one of Borden's last projects, as he died in the same year.
The great Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1863 - 1939), who shaped Baroda with his unique foresight and generosity, founding the university, a museum, many hospitals, a bank, a park, many palaces, various agricultural and irrigation schemes and important social reforms, to name just a few of his innovations, also founded the first library in Baroda and one of the first in India !
On a trip to the United States, the Maharaja met a library engineer, William Alanson Borden (1853 - 1931) and invited him to Baroda. Borden arrived in 1910 to begin the task of designing the library. The two story structure is articulated by a double colonnade on the outside, giving an indication of the function and spatial layout of the building. But this does not prepare you for the high tech features of the interior !
A wide corridor separates the library from the noisy street outside, rather like that lovely corridor at the Uffizi in Florence and wells of light help to illuminate the inner spaces ! The stack room has 4 floors with long windows angled in such a way as to ensure maximum light - glass floor tiles from Belgium also help to admit light - a bit like walking around in a prism - the original tiles are still in perfect condition! In fact there is no need for electric lights and the ambient temperature is so cool that fans are unnecessary. The iron framed stack is supported by roof girders and wall armatures, and can hold nearly 400 000 books, the first 20 000, donated by the Maharaja himself. (The stack was designed by J. Snead & Co, in the USA). Furthermore, special trees and shrubs were planted outside, which helped to filter moisture laden air and ensure dry air for the interior of the library, so that mildew was not a problem !
The Library was opened in 1931 and must have been one of Borden's last projects, as he died in the same year.
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