The form of the building, a columned portico attached to a rotunda domed structure, is loosely derived from the Pantheon, Rome.

The library moved again to what is now Piccadilly Gardens, to the former outpatients wing of Manchester Royal Infirmary and an old YMCA hut in 1912.

[5] In 1926, the city council held a competition to design an extension to the town hall and a central library.

[7] The library was officially opened by King George V on 17 July 1934 after he had laid the foundation stone for the Town Hall Extension.

The portico of the magnificent edifice quickly became a popular rendezvous and "Meet you at the Ref" became a familiar phrase on the lips of students, lovers and unemployed youths.

[10] George V declared to the crowd: "In the splendid building which I am about to open, the largest library in this country provided by a local authority, the Corporation have ensured for the inhabitants of the city magnificent opportunities for further education and for the pleasant use of leisure.

"[10] An employee at the library who was present on opening day said: "When it was being built the public were very intrigued about its final appearance – they were used to rectangular buildings and the shape of the girders used seemed to make little sense.

Designed by architect Vincent Harris, the striking rotunda form of the library was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.

Like its 2nd-century model, the library is a round building fronted by a large two-storey portico which forms the main entrance on St Peter's Square, and is surrounded by five bays of Corinthian columns.

Proverbs 4:7In former years, the dome's acoustics caused an echo problem, which repeated several times any short noise made in the room.

[citation needed] The Shakespeare Hall is an ornate chamber displaying local heraldry and with large stained glass windows.

The central window was designed by Robert Anning Bell and depicts William Shakespeare and scenes from his plays.

[citation needed] On the left landing is a white marble statue, the Reading Girl by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Ciniselli.

[citation needed] There is a memorial to those from Greater Manchester who fought in the Spanish Civil War as part of the International Brigades.

The inscription reads Voluntarios Internacionales de la Libertad dedicated to the men & women from the Greater Manchester area who fought against fascism in Spain.

[26] Anthony Burgess, the author who wrote the novel A Clockwork Orange, was a regular visitor to the library during his school days.

In a volume of his autobiography, Little Wilson and Big God (1987) he recounted his visit to the index system, then in temporary accommodation in Piccadilly, Manchester, where he met an older woman who took him to her flat in Ardwick where she seduced him.