File:The Shakespeare Memorial Room (32022588047).jpg

The specialist Shakespeare Memorial Room was designed in 1882 by John Henry Chamberlain for the first Central Library.[39] When the old building was demolished in 1974 Chamberlain's room was dismantled and later fitted into the new concrete shell of the new library complex.[39] When the Library of Birmingham was built, it was again moved, to the top floor.[39] It houses Britain’s most important Shakespeare collection, and one of the two most important Shakespeare collections in the world; the other being held by the Folger Shakespeare Library. The collection contains 43,000 books[26] including rare items such as a copy of the First Folio 1623; copies of the four earliest Folio editions;[26] over 70 editions of separate plays printed before 1709 including three "Pavier" quartos published in 1619 but falsely dated. There are significant collections from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, a near complete collection of Collected Works, significant numbers of adaptations, anthologies and individual editions. Font: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Birmingham" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Birmingham</a>

Is Shakespeare still our contemporary?