Mitchell Library

Mitchell Library Review

The largest public reference library in Europe houses more than a million volumes, including what's claimed to be the world's largest collection about Robert Burns. A bust in the entrance hall commemorates the library's founder, Stephen Mitchell, who died in 1874. Minerva, goddess of wisdom, looks down from the library's dome, encouraging the library's users and frowning at the drivers thundering along the motorway just in front of her. The western facade (at the back), with its sculpted figures of Mozart, Beethoven, Michelangelo, and other artistic figures, is particularly beautiful. The Aye Write Literature Festival takes place here every March, as do many other events celebrating Glasgow's history.