A most valuable acquisition: Melbourne university library and the bequest of george mcarthur

Abstract

In October 1903, in the Victorian goldfields town of Maldon, a retired baker named George McArthur committed suicide. He had amassed a large collection of mineral specimens, coins, weapons and other artefacts, and more than two thousand rare and valuable books. He bequeathed his books to the University of Melbourne and his other artefacts to the Museum of Victoria. At that time the University library was geared towards undergraduate teaching and held little over 20,000 volumes. The sheer size of McArthur’s benefaction presented significant logistical challenges. This paper offers an account of the decision making of the University library over the five years it took to accommodate McArthur’s books and discusses its failure to capitalise on this shock windfall. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.