The Bermuda National Library was founded in 1839 through the
encouragement of Governor William Reid and was located in what
is now the Cabinet Building. This Library started out with 276
volumes – most of which were donations from the Governor, his
private Secretary, Lieutenant Papillon, R.A., and the Hamilton
Club. The first Librarian was Mr. John Stephens and the Library
was open to the public from 11 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 2 pm. The
Dewey Decimal Classification system was introduced at the
Library by Ms Katherine G. Seon in 1912 and has remained the
method of classification and organization of the Library’s
collections to this day. In 1917, the Bermuda Library moved to
its current Par-la-Ville location; at the time, the Library’s
collection of books totaled approximately 40,000. Originally,
the upper floor housed the museum collection which was then
placed in one room on the ground floor, allowing the Library to
move in to that space. In 1954, the Colonial Legislature voted
to have a new wing added to the