In 1883, the world's first Carnegie library was opened in Dunfermline. Andrew Carnegie is the town's most famous son and he amassed enormous personal wealth in the USA, having emigrated at the age of 12. Most of his fortune was earned as a result of his investments in the steel industry. Carnegie believed it was irresponsible for the super rich to die leaving their money sitting in a bank account. He passionately felt education was the most effective way to tackle poverty and began a philanthropy campaign in his later years. It is estimated Carnegie had given away 90% of his worth by the time he passed in 1919.
Control of the library eventually passed to Fife Council and the building was extended a couple of times over the decades. I have been a member for over 20 years and have always loved the high wooden bookshelves in the lending room, where it's easy to lose yourself in the peace and quiet for an hour or two. I was about to write I have no problem killing time in a library. But that implies wastage and every trip is a learning experience. Radio - an old-fashioned communications technology - did not die upon the emergence of the internet. Rather, it embraced the new possibilities a global web offered. In a similar fashion, libraries have continued to thrive in an age where everyone has an online presence. Many people use the banks of PCs provided and it's worth bearing in mind the internet is not the first technology to enable libraries to offer far more efficient access to larger quantities of information. Anyone remember microfiche? Regarding the catalogue, Fife council holds a huge stock of books and I can browse titles at my leisure on the website. Copies can be reserved at the click of a mouse and I can specify my collection point. I am informed by text message when my request is available for pick up. Books may be returned to any library in the county as they are all tracked by bar code. These are all great examples of electronic methods working in harmony with a paper mountain. It was of course always possible to make a catalogue reservation but it involved writing the details on a post card and waiting for it to drop through your letter box once the title had been traced. I'm sure it was one book per card and you had to buy the stamp!
A major project began in 2014 when it was announced the Dunfermline Carnegie Library was to close for a few years in order to construct an adjoining museum dedicated to the history of the town. Temporary lending facilities were set up along the road and the new complex was unveiled to the public in 2017. Also included was a café and three exhibition rooms for changing displays. The gardens lie in the shadow of Dunfermline Abbey and feature a children's maze. From the main entrance you can enter the traditional library or head upstairs to view the museum collection. The permanent galleries are impressive, looking at Dunfermline's royal heritage and industries past and present. There are also sections on transport, entertainment and home life through the ages. Something for everyone. I particularly like the large TV display showing the construction phases of the three Forth crossings and also footage of the old car ferry. There is a collage of famous Dunfermline people featuring the likes of King James, the singers Barbara Dickson and Stuart Adamson, Carnegie himself and of course another James, the legendary Jim Leishman. Dunfermline Athletic Football Club were a major force in the 60s under the tutelage of Jock Stein, who went on to become arguably the greatest Scottish coach of all time. By the time the 80s rolled around, the club languished in the basement division. Enter Leish - a Lochgelly lad - who had been a promising young player with The Pars until suffering a nasty leg break. Under his guidance, the team rose to the top flight in successive seasons and I witnessed all this as a teenager on the terraces. My formative footballing memories! Leish was a larger than life character and definitely exuded a Pied Piper effect. All good things must come to an end and he was let go in 1990. Shortly thereafter, my dad became involved with Cowdenbeath FC and I started following the Blue Brazil. I still try and get along to Central Park today.
On the upper floor is a darkened recess showing short films about three of the town's most recognisable royal figures: Queen/Saint Margaret, King David and King Charles. Each character delivers a monologue about their association with Dunfermline and the films play on a constant loop. The abbey was founded by David in 1128 and this consolidated Dunfermline's position as an ancient capital of Scotland and seat of royalty. The remains of the abbey and adjacent royal palace draw many visitors to the town today. Seven kings are interred here, more royal resting places than any other Scottish location bar the island of Iona. King Charles's fame of course spreads far beyond Scotland. Born in Dunfermline before the 1603 Union of the Crowns, Charles became monarch of the two Kingdoms upon the death of King James VI/I who himself was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. The reign of Charles was a stormy one and ended with his execution in 1649 at the hands of Oliver Cromwell and his New Model Army. The following year, Charles II became the last Scottish monarch (he was crowned at Scone) to stay in the royal palace in Dunfermline, prior to the Battle of Pittreavie. This resulted in a victory for Cromwell's forces which effectively gave them control of Scotland as well as England until the restoration of the British monarchy in 1660. These events led to the decline of Dunfermline as a royal town. Another historical figure indelibly linked with Dunfermline is Queen Margaret. She was born in the Kingdom of Hungary and became Queen of Scots in 1070 when she married King Malcolm III.
Margaret was the mother to three future kings of Scotland and she established the ferry crossing across the Firth of Forth that conveyed pilgrims onwards to St Andrews. The towns of North and South Queensferry bear her name today, although the last ferry ran in 1964. Margaret passed away three days after both Malcolm and eldest son Edward were killed at the Battle of Alnwick in 1093. Grief was reportedly the cause of her death. She was canonised two centuries later for her personal holiness, fidelity to the Roman Catholic Church, work for ecclesiastical reform, and charity. St Margaret's Memorial Church in the town centre has a precious relic on display - a shoulder bone housed within the chapel altar. Nicole and I visited the church as part of a guided pilgrim walk around Dunfermline. This was organised in conjunction with the opening of the Fife Pilgrim Way walking trail which passes through Dunfermline. As well as the abbey, St Margaret's Cave has also been a place of pilgrimage over the centuries and visitors can descend from a town-centre car park to view the spot where Margaret is said to have spent a great deal of time worshipping. There is certainly enough material in the museum to satisfy a wide variety of interests and the café is a comfortable place to relax after a visit. The Canmore Room hosts a variety of events throughout the year and I have attended a number of talks as well as a film festival. Over 100 people can be accommodated and these happenings help keep the library at the heart of the local community. Exhibitions come and go within the temporary galleries and it is to a recent post-Christmas visit I now turn.
I had been flicking through the latest edition of the OnFife magazine and I noticed three installations were currently available for viewing at the museum and library. I was particularly attracted to the Robert Burns display - an eclectic selection of books and memorabilia, gathered over 40 years by 19th century businessman John Murison, who created his own private library from a life-long obsession with all things Burns. The collection was eventually gifted to the people of Dunfermline and I was intrigued to see what would be shown. As expected, there were first-edition poetry books and handwritten letters. Library information panels furnished the visitor with more details about the man and his works. I knew there are many Burns clubs across the globe and not just in the English-speaking lands. What did surprise me was the fact Burns was popular in the 20th century Soviet Union and the government had produced commemorative stamps bearing his likeness. Then again, our national bard did argue for a greater degree of social equality and I guess that fitted the communist manifesto rather well. Pamphlets from the Burns society of Kiev were on display. I was able to recite the marathon poem Tam o' Shanter as a boy, having been inspired by my P7 teacher Charlie Kennedy to enter a Burns verse competition (I came away with third prize). As an adult I had visited his cottage in Ayrshire and one day I plan to view his former house in Dumfries. The exhibition was a worthy experience and I headed into the next gallery to examine a large scale modern sculpture entitled Odyssey, by Fifer David Mach.
The blurb in the brochure stated "Sea containers carry the world’s stuff. We make, produce and trade. We use these boxes to hold our ideas and designs. It’s no wonder they appear like Greek temples, their long ribbed sides replicating pillars, their short gable ends holding the doors to the Aladdin’s Cave inside". Although I'm not a huge of this type of art, it sounded promising as I'm interested transportation matters. I've been to several contemporary art galleries around Europe and the sculpture installations tend to be a hit or miss affair. Today we were firmly in the latter category. A line from the hit musical Grease sprang to mind as I strolled in - what a hunk of junk! It was the worst example of sculpture I'd seen since a Dundee gallery exhibited an old rowing boat with hundreds of coat hangers hammered into the wood. At least that was vaguely comical, but this pile of plastic and assorted debris!? Can I make a suggestion? You mentioned Aladdin's Cave in the description. How about filling the container with appealing objects? I looked at David Mach's website and recognised some of the motorway art he has produced. He is obviously capable of far better than what I witnessed today.
My final port of call was the Community Gallery within the confines of the old library building. The display within was described as follows:- Limekilns born Evelyn Bernardi has exhibited all over the world. A distinguished graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, she uses various media with equal ease and enjoyment to create exquisite pictorial works, especially of nature. Coming home to Fife, this exhibition contains local views and images from Scotland, France and elsewhere. Now this was more like it! Proper paintings. My eye was drawn to the above representation of a cottage and blooming garden. I enjoy bright watercolours depicting scenes from the real world. I'm not really an abstract guy. I also like my artwork to be lifelike. Smudgy impressionism is alright up to a point. Quite a few paintings leapt out at me and it was a nice way to end my visit. A mixed bag but as Meatloaf once sang - two out of three ain't bad. It was a free afternoon out and kick-started a reaction to the postprandial Christmas torpor.
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