With the re-opening of the city library in March 2026, we thought we would share a little about one of our early city librarians: Herbert Baillie.
Herbert was born in Wellington in 1863 and his love of books began by assisting in his father’s bookshop on Cuba Street. Gordon Baillie also sold stationery and had a photography studio (several of his portraits have been digitised by Te Papa https://digitalnz.org/records?i[creator]=Gordon%20Baillie#) .
After the death of his father, Herbert and his brother ran the bookshop until it was sold to Gordon and Gotch. Herbert stayed on as the manager until 1901, when he was appointed by the City Council to be librarian in Newtown. In 1903, he was transferred to the Central Library in Mercer Street (at his own request) and took charge of the reference room and the cataloguing.
Thomas Rowe was the City Librarian from when the new library opened in Mercer Street in 1893. When Thomas retired in 1904, Herbert took the post of Chief Librarian. He retained this position until he retired in 1927.
In 1904, Herbert wrote a paper on the history of Wellington Public Library for the American Library Conference. In 1908, he visited the United States and Canada to see their principal libraries and systems.
Outside of libraries, Herbert had many interests. He was an authority on ‘Old Wellington’, he was a collector of native plants, at one stage he was a member of D Battery and the Wellington Guards Band, and he was also a veteran Freemason. Herbert married Janet Chalmers Begg in 1894 and they had two daughters – Joyce (born 1898) and Erica (born 1901). Herbert died in 1941 and was cremated at Karori Cemetery. Janet died in 1944.
‘Guide, philosopher, and friend to the busy researcher, an oracle of wisdom and learning, and an unfailing standby to seekers after knowledge or out-of-the-way information. He was much more than a formal custodian of books, and was one of Wellington’s most widely-known and best-beloved citizens’. (Evening Post, 28 May 1941, p8)
By Julia Kennedy
Showing a group portrait of the officers and clerk of the Wellington Corporation: (back row) J Bean, P Langford, E J Percy, G W Philps, W W Honour, E Young, A Wilson; (third row) A H Stevenson, A E Taylor, F I Easton, M J Casey, L B Barber, S J Watson, A H Smyth, E H Nash, R Waters, W Bertie; (second row) W M Murdoch, A J Geary, H Seymour, J Perry, J Dimes, J J Kerslake, C E Fraser, J C A Pedder, R Tait, H L Godber, C Collins, B Patterson, A J Petherick, G M Baggett, G F Glen; (front row) J Doyle, S Richardson, T W Row, J Chapple, W B Wright, T J Martin, J C Page, R S Roundthwaite, J Ames, T T Hugo, Mrs Hancox, H Bailiie. Courtesy of Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19021009-04-02
The original Wellington central public library building on the corner of Mercer Street and Wakefield Street. Demolished 1939. Wellington City Libraries Reference 50001-2-136