The Provincial Library was established in 1863 to accommodate the Colonial Legislature of Vancouver Island. The institution was rechartered as the Legislative Library of British Columbia in 1894. Its mission has always been to serve the information needs of legislative members and their staff. They also supply services to independent researchers and the general public when time is available. In 1911, Francis Rattenbury, the architect who designed the Parliament Buildings, was invited back to design a new south wing of the Parliament Buildings for the library. The project was completed in 1915. Notice the statues in the niches. They are among 14 sculptures of historical people and a dozen allegorical figures decorating the library façade. They were sculpted by Charles Marega and Bernard Carrier.
