Portobello Library, Edinburgh
The current building in Rosefield Place cost £37,500[1] and was opened on 11 October 1963 by Lord Provost Duncan M. Weatherstone with a stock of 26,000 books and eight staff.[2] The previous accommodation in the Old Town Hall, now Portobello Police Station, was considered unfit for purpose and was criticized for being dirty, dark and overcrowded.[3] Opened in 1897, the year after Portobello was formally incorporated into the City of Edinburgh, the library service is the joint-second oldest in Edinburgh (after Central Library (1890) and joint with Western (Dundee Street) Library (1897).[3] In 1997, Portobello Library celebrated its centenary through a programme of talks.[5] Portobello Library is one of the main venues for events at Portobello's annual book festival in October.