National Library of Scotland Information

The National Library of Scotland is a major European research library and one of the world’s leading centres for the study of Scotland and the Scots – an information treasure trove for Scotland’s knowledge, history and culture. The Library’s collections are of international importance. Key formats include rare books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, music, moving images and official publications. The Library holds more than 30 million physical items dating back more than 1000 years as well as a growing library of digital material. Every week the Library collects around 5,000 items. Most of these are received under ‘legal deposit’ legislation, allowing the Library to claim a copy of everything published in the UK and Ireland. In Edinburgh our main building is located at George IV Bridge. Visit free exhibitions and events, enjoy refreshments and snacks in our café and buy quality gifts in our shop. Our Map Library (visits by appointment) is at Causewayside, where you can browse one of the world’s largest maps collections. In Glasgow, visit Kelvin Hall for digital collections, as well as the Moving Image Archive, where you can view more than 4,700 digitised films covering more than a century of culture in Scotland and beyond.