Like all the buildings in the Parliamentary triangle this is a very impressive building.
National Library Building
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for “maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the Australian people.” In 2012-2013, the National Library collection comprised 6,496,772 items, and an additional 15,506 metres of manuscript material.[1](Information from Wikipedia)
What caught my attention was the stained glass windows in the café.
Bookplate café
It was busy and we had to queue for a table. It was certainly worth the wait.
A place to meet friends and enjoy a coffee
Many of the customers were government workers
With a free internet connection many had their computers with them.
The book shop also had stained glass windows
The glass used was a heavy and chunky. Take a closer look. The colours are so vibrant.
This library is for reference purposes and large areas are reading rooms for study purposes. But there is more than that in this huge building. The “Treasures Gallery” showcases some of Australia’s important historical documents and artefacts. An hour can quickly slip by as you study Captain Cooks journal. Follow the extraordinary story of Edward Mabo and his fight for justice and Aboriginal land rights. Truly a treasure trove bringing Australian history alive.
Wandering into a second gallery we discovered the amazing art and story of J. W. Power. Follow this link to read the story of this almost unknown artist who left a huge fortune to the Sydney University.
We spent almost 4 hours discovering all this library had to offer. If you are in Canberra set aside half a day, you will not be disappointed.
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Dawn (The day after) hosts a weekly window challenge. You will see interesting windows from around the world. You may like to join in.
gypsy life 
Beautiful windows. I love that thick glass. The outside reminds me of The Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
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I too thought the thick glass was quite beautiful Dawn.
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that glas is lovely !!!
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It is very unusual, so textural
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I LOVE stained glas, especially when the sun is shining , it gives me a happy feeling.
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I like the windows too – and love the art you gave us too 🙂
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We were very impressed by J.W. Power’s art. It is the sort of art you can stand in front of for quite a while seeing different things.
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Another amazing place! And I love those windows.
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If I lived here I would be a regular visitor. Lots to see and a fantastic café.
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I love that cafe. A friend recommended I go there with my parents and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. Your pics show the windows off really well!
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Yes it is a great café, good food and perfect service, real 5 star.
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I love The National Library! I spent many hours there as a Uni student. When my kids were little the library cafe was one of our favourites, we would go there often for morning tea and then the kids would run around on the grass on the lake foreshore – good times, fond memories.
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I agree about how good the library is Nicola. If we were locals we would be visiting regularly.
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