Dale Hall LibraryA selection of books from former student residence Dale Hall (1958-2014) showing the idea and intention of a student hall of residence library. Transferred to Special Collections & Archives in 2014.
Dale Hall opened in 1959 on Elmswood Road, Mossley Hill, Liverpool as a purpose-built ‘new women’s hall of residence’; it was named after Alfred William Winterslow Dale (1855-1921) first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool (1903-1919).
Many of the books from the Library have specially-designed bookplates and former owners’ inscriptions, and the selection includes books from earlier halls such as University Hall, the University’s first accommodation for women students (opened 1899). Early donors to the students' library at University Hall included the Liverpool Ladies' Educational Association, and prominent Liverpool women such as Emma Holt (1862-1944) and Eva Melly. (1854-1937).
Rathbone Hall (a men's hall of residence) opened in 1959 alongside Dale Hall on the Greenbank site. The University Archive documents the agreed budget for new books for the libraries, and retains the proposed lists of books deemed suitable for women only (such as the love letters of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning) or men only (a history of piracy).
The Dale Hall Library collection features on the Special Collections and Archives blog Manuscripts and More in the post Farewell to Dale Hall.
