The library will be closed on Friday 27th September for the AFL Grand Final eve public holiday. The library will reopen on Saturday 28th September.
The library will also be closed on Friday 18th October due to an ABC Radio event taking place in the theatre and the library.
eBooks can be downloaded during the closures. If you need help setting up an eReader or downloading eBooks speak to the library staff.
Along with the construction of the new hall, the name of the institution was changed in 1972.
It is at this point that the institution went from being called the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute to the Melbourne Atheneaeum, although it remained the same organisation with the same purpose.
The change of name for the institution came about because there were a very large number of mechanics' institutes in Victoria at the time, and this would continue to grow for the rest of the century. Included in this number were the North Melbourne Mechanics' Institute, the South Melbourne Mechanics' Institute, and the West Melbourne Mechanics' Institute.
The name Athenaeum was chosen for aspirational reasons.