Bookish haunts

Learning has long been a central part of College life, and with that has come the need for a library. Today’s Academic Centre, or ‘ACA’, as it is fondly known, is a much-loved study and tutorial space; but it has not always been the case.

The Academic Centre is in fact Ormond’s second library. The first, which is now the Chapel, was planned with Main Building in the 1870s, but was not built until the final wing of the Quad was completed in 1922. The original library’s wood panelling, stained glass, blackwood furniture and books were funded by alumni donations. Since then, the College’s Library has been enriched by the generous donations of books and funds by Masters, tutors, Fellows, Council members, alumni and other members of the community. With significant collections and even a rare 1540 tome by Horace, there are a number of special works which set the Ormond Library apart.

As the College grew in the mid-twentieth century, so too did the need for a larger library, which led to the construction of the new MacFarland Library in 1968. Designed by iconic Melbourne architects Grounds, Romberg and Boyd, the octagonal shape echoed that of Picken Court, and became home to the College and Theological Hall libraries for over forty years.

When the Theological Library moved elsewhere, the College undertook a major refresh of the MacFarland Library. The College’s older books were moved to a new home in the J.M. Young Room, which became the George Scott Library, while the MacFarland Library was transformed with a new interior designed around the needs of 21st Century study. A fitting successor to the original, the Academic Centre today remains a much loved and well-utilised space for students