Information Services papers

The group contains papers concerning the main university library, the Founders' Library and the university archives service. Amongst these papers are series' of correspondence, including a large number of archival enquiries; bibliographies of library holdings; pamphlets and guides to the libraries; papers relating to the building of the new man library; minutes of meetings; reports; exhibition catalogues; library rules; papers concerning other nearby archive services and indexes to the university archives compiled by D T W Price.

From the moment a college for the diocese of St. David's was planned, the founder, Bishop Burgess, recognised that it would require a library. An appeal was therefore made to the local community for, among other items, books. The first donations arrived in 1809, and by the time St. David's College opened its doors to students in 1827, 4000 volumes had been collected, and new donations continued to arrive throughout the first half of the nineteenth century.

The donation in 1834 of the first instalment of Thomas Phillips' books, along with the library of Bishop Burgess in 1837, meant that space became scarce. The library was therefore extended to its present size. By 1852, it held approximately 35,000 volumes, by far the largest library in Wales at that time.

A separate Welsh library was established in 1903. It became the home for books in Welsh, and relating to Wales and Celtic countries, which had previously been intermingled with the general library holdings.

In 1966, a new library was built. It absorbed most of the main academic collections of the general and Welsh libraries. The older, rare books, remained in the old library, now known as the Founders Library, which today houses approximately 20,000 volumes regarded as special collections.

The Archive service at the University of Wales, Lampeter was established by the Rev D T W Price. Price collected together the university archive, along with the papers of former members of staff and students, whilst undertaking research for his books, A History of St. David's University College, Lampeter, Vols. 1 and 2, (University of Wales Press, 1977 and 1990). He became the university's first honorary archivist, and on leaving the university in was followed by the present archivist Dr John Morgan-Guy.