The National Library of Scotland - July 19

Our first full day in Edinburgh was July 19th. In the morning we headed into the city from Dalkeith (which I have come to affectionately call the creepy palace of doom, but I'm a total sissy so don't take my word for it). Our first visit was the National Library of Scotland, however, due to the size of our group they were unable to provide a guided tour. Instead, we browsed around the 2 exhibits just off the main lobby.

The first exhibit started with a nice background and history of the Library and its collection. The National Library of Scotland is 1 of 6 legal deposit libraries in the British Isles and consists of a collection covering everything from serious academic publications to Dennis the Menace cartoons. There are: 14 million books & manuscripts, 2 million maps & atlases, 300,000 music scores, 32,000 films & videos, and 25,000 newspaper & magazine titles. The Library acquires 6,000 new items each week.

The Library got its start from the Library of the Faculty of Advocates which was established in 1689. When the upkeep of the collection became too much they collection was gifted to the nation in 1925. The current building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956, however, it was expanded in the 1980's to accommodate the growing collection.

The next section of the exhibit focused on the history of golf and I imagine it would be very engaging for a golf enthusiast, unfortunately, I am not an enthusiast. I found it to be nicely arranged and interactive, though.

I next moved on to the John Murray Archive, however, I entered from what I am guessing is the exit because I found the background information plaque at the end. Although the displays were interesting and engaging I was left wondering if that was the entire archive. Are there documents housed somewhere else in the Library?