Historic reference library in Gibraltar, founded 1793 for garrison officers.
The Garrison Library is a reference library in Gibraltar, founded in 1793 by Captain John Drinkwater Bethune and officially opened in 1804 by the Duke of Kent. Created for Gibraltar garrison officers, it later housed the Gibraltar Chronicle’s offices and archives, and transferred to the Government of Gibraltar in 2011.
The Garrison Library is a historic reference library in Gibraltar, within the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1793 in Gibraltar by Captain, later Colonel, John Drinkwater Bethune. The library was officially opened in 1804 by the Duke of Kent. It was established for and by the officers of the Gibraltar garrison. The library’s scope focuses on local military history. Its collection includes about 45,000 items, including books, newspapers and maps, with many rare volumes. The holdings provide extensive coverage of culture, travel and Gibraltar’s local history. Numerous lithographs, art prints and historically significant items of furniture are also held in the building. For more than two hundred years the Garrison Library functioned as a private entity run by a trust. In September 2011 the operation of the library was transferred to the Government of Gibraltar. The library served as the main office and archival service of the Gibraltar Chronicle, regarded as the second-oldest English-language newspaper in the world. Although the newspaper’s editorial offices and printing moved elsewhere in 2006 and 2007, its archive remains at the Garrison Library, together with records of the Gibraltar newspaper Panorama. The library thus continues as an important archival and research resource.
