The opening ceremony for Castlemilk District Library, performed by Lord Provost Jean Roberts in 1961.
Jean Roberts was a teacher before entering politics in 1929. She was elected that year as the councillor for Kingston, and she continued to represent the ward until 1966. She was already one of Glasgow Corporation's longest-serving and most active members of the Labour group when she made history in 1960 by becoming the first woman to be elected Lord Provost. She was particularly interested in planning for new towns, so it was appropriate that she subsequently became chairman of Cumbernauld Development Corporation.
Castlemilk District Library was the first permanent purpose-built library to be built in Glasgow since Riddrie Library in 1938. It was built in recognition of the need to provide facilities in the new outer city housing estates which had mushroomed in the 1950s. The new branch, erected at a cost of £28,000, contained a magazine room, junior library and adult lending library with a stock of 15,000 books.
Reference: Glasgow Collection, Illustrations vol. 22, p.45
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Castlemilk District Library, councillors, Cumbernauld Development Corporation, housing estates, housing schemes, Labour Party, libraries, lord provosts, new towns, opening ceremonies, teachers, women
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