[11] The entrance to the building featured a corridor lined with ornamental wall tiles, designed to depict the four seasons and night and morning.

[13] The Central Library was moved to a new building located on St David's Link (Frederick Street), opposite what was then the multi-storey car park.

The building was officially opened on 3 December 1988,[14] and occupied the upper storeys of the commercial complex, which were accessed via a polygonal vestibule at street level.

[16] Consisting of two separate buildings adjoining the Welsh National Opera, the front overlooking Bute Street, featured 6-metre (20 ft) tall hoardings illustrating the spines of a number of books identified as those most commonly borrowed from the library.

[16] The present day Central Library building is located on The Hayes, cornered in between Mill Lane and Canal Street, opposite the St. David's 2 development.

It occupies part of the car park previously used by the adjacent Marriott Hotel, and it was this site which gave rise to the building's triangular footprint.

Cardiff Council commissioned architects BDP to create a landmark buildings which symbolised the values of knowledge, learning and culture.

[17] It was opened on 14 March 2009[19] and on 18 June the Manic Street Preachers unveiled a plaque with the words "libraries gave us power", from their 1996 single A Design for Life.

[26] Panels of brass cladding covered the side and rear façade of the library, intended to give the impression of leather-bound bookends.

Notable staff have included Harry Farr who served 1891 until 1940,[29] Sir John Ballinger, Wales' first national librarian,[30] James Ifano Jones who worked as a Welsh language cataloguer,[31][32] Arthur Ap gwynn[33] and more recently, puppeteer Toby Philpott.