Árbók Landsbókasafns Íslands - Nýr flokkur - 01.01.1982, Page 106

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ENGLISH SUMMARY
prepared and architects and other experts could be engaged to design it. It was hoped
that work on site could start in 1974, but this was dclayed for various reasons until
1978. The cornerstone was laid by the President oflceland at a ceremony on Septem-
ber 23, 1981.
The new building will be in four storeys and a basement. The entrance to the
building will be on the south first (loor. On the same floor there will be catalogues and
reference and bibliographic collections, main issue counter, processing departments,
administration, a cloak room, exhibition space, lecture room and cafeteria for library
users.
The National Department will be on theground íloor, with a separatecatalogue and
reference material, a traditional supervised reading room, manuscript room, map
room and special collections such as the so-called Benedikt’s collection of the Uni-
versity Library. A bookbindery will be on the ground lloor, too, and the photographic
unit will be in the basement, which will also house part of the stacks of the National
Department as well as the main collection of manuscripts.
On the two upper floors there will be open access to the main part of the stacks,
reading places ofvaried types, facilities for teaching in librarianship and equipment for
use of records and tapes.
The building is planned to accommodate 1 000 000 volumes, and the lotal number
of reading places provided will be 830. The building will be very flexible to allow a
better use of space as the library develops. The whole building will be airconditioned.
The four íloors will be altogether 10,410 m2 or 45,403 nt3, the basement 2,632 m2 or
8,136 m3.
Finnbogi Guðmundsson: Bjarni Thorsteinsson amtmaður. Tveggja alda minning.
Landsbókasafn íslands. Árbók. Nýrflokkur 7(1981). Rv. 1982, pp. 89-94.
On March 31, 1981, two centuries had passed since the birth of Sub-govenor Bjarni
Thorsteinsson (1781-1876). Having obtained a degree in law frorn the University of
Copenhagen in 1807, he embarked upon a distinguished civil service career, first in the
Danish Ministry ofFinanceand later as sub-govenor of Western Iceland. He served on
committees on trade in 1816 and in 1834, acted as governor of Iceland twice for a
period of time, and was the Speaker of the Althing in 1845.
But Bjarm Thorsteinsson did not only distinguish himselfin his professional life. He
was, for example, elected thefirst president of the Copenhagen Section of the Icelandic
Literary Society; he wrote scholarly treatises on trade and was one of those who made
an active contribution during the early years of the National Library.
Rasmus Rask, the great Danish linguist, and Bjarni Thorsteinsson were good
friends. Two excerpts from their correspondence are printed here. The letter from
Bjarni Thorsteinsson, written in 1817, shows well his prudence and cheerfulness, but
he wrote it while Rasmus Rask was staying in Stockholm on his way to Russia and the
East.