Located in Royal Artillery Park in downtown Halifax, its (1886) heritage building houses a unique collection of military, historical and technical materials. The Cambridge Military Library (CML) was established in 1817 as the Halifax Garrison Officer’s Library, and is Canada’s oldest non-university library. It was moved to its present location in Royal Artillery Park in 1886 and received its prese
nt designation in 1902, named after His Royal Highness, Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge. The CML received an initial grant of £1,000 from the Castine Fund - the Customs revenues taken from New Ireland (now Maine) during the War of 1812. George Ramsay, the ninth Earl of Dalhousie and Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, established the book collection to address the lack of any bookshops or libraries in Halifax at the time. The remainder of the Castine Fund supported the establishment of what is now Dalhousie University. In the 1860s the library holdings were considerably augmented by the “Corfu Collection”, a very valuable collection of older books originally from the British Army Garrison Library established in 1810 at Messina, Sicily, and later moved to the British garrison on the island of Corfu. By 1886, when the present-day CML building was opened, the library collection totaled 30,000 volumes. The CML is an integral part of the military heritage of the City of Halifax and occupies a unique niche in Canada’s military history. As well, the Library predates the establishment of public lending libraries in Canada, affording it pride of place within our national library system. With its historic connection to the British and Canadian Armies and to Dalhousie University, and its historic role in adult education in this former British garrison town, the CML is an important historical site, as well as a valuable research resource. It is the only vestige of the British military garrison which continues to operate in much the same manner as it did when it was originally established. CML is currently managed by the Headquarters of the 5th Canadian Division of the Canadian Army, based in Halifax, and including Regular and Reserve land forces across Atlantic Canada and elsewhere. It is located in the historic Royal Artillery Park, at the foot of the Halifax Citadel, in downtown Halifax. The current CML collection comprises over 12,000 books, journals, maps, photographs, documents and recorded media, dealing primarily with the range of military historical and technical subjects. To arrange an appointment, or to book a tour, please contact the CML Librarian at 902-427-4494 or at [email protected]. For facility booking, and for other general inquiries please contact CML President, Major Peter Dawson at 902-427-0774 or 902-441-3027, or at [email protected]. The Cambridge Military Library collection is available to visitors and researchers for in-house use. Other borrowing privileges may be arranged at the librarian’s discretion.
