The donations to the Library during its history have been many and
varied--good, bad, and indifferent--such as are usually offered to public
libraries. Notice may be made of some of the outstanding gifts. The
British Association in 1868, the year of its visit to Norwich, made a
grant of 50 pounds to the Library for the purchase of books, perhaps at
the suggestion of the Rev. (afterwards Canon) Hinds Howell, who was the
Organising Secretary for the visit. At any rate, at the meeting of the
Library Committee on 4th November, 1868, he attended to explain "that the
grant would be expended in the purchase of books, which embraced
thirty-five different scientific subjects, or such of them as the
Committee might think best adapted to the wants of, and most beneficial
to, the classes using the Library," and he received the thanks of the
Committee for representing the wants of the Library to the Association.
The Committee complied with the request that a bookcase should be
provided for the books, bearing a suitable inscription.
A large number of patent specifications were presented by H.M. Patent
Office about the year 1865, and in 1889 the Office acceded to the
Committee's request for Abridgments of Specifications, since which time
they have been presented as issued.
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