The entrance to Sir William Brown's building is by a flight of steps high enough to give a good light to what must be called the basement, but which from the slope of the ground is practically the ground floor of the building. The east wing alone is used for library purposes, the remainder being devoted to the museum. In the basement at the front of the building the central lending library is placed in quarters far too cramped for successful work. At the back is the library of patents, and storeroom for part of the reference books.
On the ground floor the newspaper reading-room, 40 feet by 28 feet, and librarian's room, 33 feet by 28 feet, occupy the front of the wing. Opening out of the newspaper room is a reading-room, 80 feet by 40 feet, which is used by readers of fiction, the illustrated papers, and for lighter literature generally. This room seats about 250 persons, and is a useful means of separating the studious reader, who is sent to the "Picton" reading-room, from the reader who merely wants an interesting book for recreation. Parallel with this room is the book-store, 80 feet by 24 feet, which is lit from windows on one of its longest sides, and is shelved in two tiers, with a gallery. A second book-store of similar size is placed over it, on a level with the floor above. At the back of the building are other rooms for cataloguing and administrative purposes, and the staff. The librarian's office, in the front of the building, is specially shelved with glass bookcases for the reception of the rarer and more costly works of interest or value.
