From One Shelf to Five Branches: The Story of Ryde’s Libraries

Back in June 1945, the Ryde Municipal Council made a landmark decision: they adopted the Library Act. It wasn't without controversy. Some members of the council and local residents worried about the financial burden it might place on the municipality. The Ryde Progress Association, for instance, warned that Council should exercise the utmost caution before committing itself to such a grave injustice to the ratepayers of this district. But the concerns of a few didn’t outweigh the vision for the future, and the Council pushed forward, setting up a committee to oversee the library’s implementation.

By October 1945, R. McGreal, Acting Secretary of the Library Board of New South Wales, had visited the area. He painted a picture of what Ryde’s library system could look like: a central library in Ryde itself, supported by four branches in Eastwood, Gladesville, North Ryde, and West Ryde. Obviously, all branches couldn’t open at once, so Ryde would take center stage. McGreal suggested the Council approach the Ryde School of Arts to hand over their building, land, and library collection, or at least allow the Council to operate in part of it. The School of Arts, however, politely declined, saying they wished to protect the prestige they had built over 50 years with the help of dedicated volunteers. Undeterred, McGreal pointed to a practical alternative: a shop on the ground floor of the Council’s building at 89 Blaxland Road. It wasn’t perfect, but it would serve as the library’s first home.

And so Ryde’s first municipal library opened its doors on 4 December 1946, with a modest staff of three and a collection of 3,000 books. Among its first visitors was Bruce Shaw, a schoolboy who happened to be walking past and was enlisted into membership by a friendly librarian right on the street. Ryde became the fourth council in the metropolitan area to establish a library service—a proud milestone for the community.

The Blaxland Road shop was always intended as a temporary solution. Soon, the Council identified a deserted house, affectionately thought of as haunted by local children, as the next library location. This house, Talgarno, at 1 Devlin Street (now 3 Devlin Street), was owned by Mrs. Edith Rogers. Plans to repurpose it were set in motion by February 1947, with architect Mr. Kirkpatrick appointed to carry out modifications. Even this building was meant to be temporary, adaptable for future civic use. On 23 July 1949, Talgarno officially opened as the Ryde Central Library, with no other branches yet in existence.

At this time there did exist however a smaller deposit library operating out of the North Ryde School of Arts in Cox’s Road and from 1952 a tiny facility in Agincourt Road, Marsfield, demonstrating the Council’s commitment to bringing books and learning to every corner of the municipality. By the time Talgarno opened, the library had grown to 12,650 items in its collection, with 1,600 adult members, 200 children, and a staff of five—a remarkable expansion in just three years.

The 1950s brought creativity alongside books. In 1951, the Council began showing films at the library, covering topics as diverse as Balinese culture and the life cycle of the 17-year locust. These screenings became so popular they had to be moved to the Town Hall. Though the arrival of television eventually shifted public habits, the chief librarian declared in 1961 that “the challenge of TV has been met and it has been found wanting. The age of the book is not yet dead.”

Branch libraries slowly began to appear. Gladesville opened at 6 Pittwater Road in 1956, becoming the first jointly funded library in the metropolitan area alongside Hunters Hill in 1957. Eastwood followed in 1959, on the site of the former Eastwood School of Arts. Meanwhile, discussions grew about the need for a new central library location. The old site was increasingly seen as unsafe, especially for children who had to cross the busy Devlin Street.

The 1960s brought ambitious civic plans. The Ryde Civic Centre opened in 1964, and by 1965, plans were underway for a two-storey library south of the tower, with an entrance off Devlin Street. A year later, the design changed: a single-storey library beneath a civic hall, with its entrance on Blaxland Road. The proposal sparked lively debates. Some councillors felt the combined library-hall would compromise both functions, while others—dubbed the “kerb and gutter men”—argued funds could be better spent on essential municipal work than “reading books in a hall.”

Despite the debates, in June 1969, the Council approved Plunkett Constructions Pty Ltd to build the new library and hall, designed by Leslie J. Buckland and Druce, who had worked on the original Civic Centre. Care was taken to match the architecture, even reusing bricks from the old building. By November 1970, as part of Ryde’s centenary celebrations, the Hall and Centenary Library opened. The public rejoiced: the new library was three times the size of its predecessor, with the public area five times as large.

Branch development continued. West Ryde opened in 1975 on Anthony Road, while North Ryde became a full branch in 1982 within a new community centre. Gladesville was refurbished in 1991, and Eastwood relocated opposite the railway station the same year.

Technology began reshaping the library experience. Cassettes appeared in 1978, followed by an Online Public Access Catalogue in 1984. Ryde Libraries also embraced arts prints, multilingual books, local history resources, and cultural activities, alongside core services for children and reference users. By the early 1990s, questions arose about the central library’s adequacy, sparking discussions about refurbishment or relocation to sites such as the Argyle Centre, the State Bank Building, or a new $6.5 million facility near the Civic Centre.

West Ryde saw a modern facility open in December 2005 on Graf Avenue, part of the Woolworths development. Finally, after decades of discussion, planning, and community growth the opportunity finally arrived with the redevelopment of Top Ryde Shopping Centre. Ryde’s fourth Central Library opened on 28 April 2011 on the other side of Devlin Street—bigger and better than ever, continuing a legacy that had begun over 65 years earlier.

Over the decades, the library has been guided by an impressive line of Chief Librarians and Library Managers: Lindsay (Larry) Miller, Mary E. Russell, Beverley Bradmore, Maud Mary (Mollie) Donaldson, Cecily A. Anstee, Julian Woods, Margaret O’Sullivan, Alan C. Barclay, Valerie Moon, Deborah Lisson, Jill Webb, John Neuhaus and Kathleen Allen