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Board of Trustees

Here we list the members of the National Library of Scotland's Board of Trustees. As well as general information about the Board, you can read minutes of Board meetings here.

In this section

The National Library of Scotland Act 1925, which established the Library, constituted a Board of Trustees for 'the general management and control of the Library'. A Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament in October 2011 to modernise this legislation. Read about the National Library of Scotland Bill.

There are presently 32 Trustees. Eleven are appointed ex officio (by right of office). Others are appointed by the Faculty of Advocates, the universities of Scotland, and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Public appointments

The Board may also co-opt five members 'being persons of eminence in literature or public life'. Five Trustees are appointed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Scottish Ministers. Such appointments now follow the Nolan procedures on public appointment, and vacancies are advertised by the Scottish Government.

Governance

The Board has adopted a Code of Conduct approved by the Standards Commission for Scotland. You can consult the Board's Register of Interests, required by the code, at the Enquiries Desk in the George IV Bridge Building and at the link below.

The text for the Acts is reproduced by permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO).

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Board members

The members of the Board of Trustees are:

Chairman
Professor Michael Anderson, OBE, MA, PhD, FBA, FRSE

Ex-officio
The Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord Advocate
The First Minister, Scottish Parliament
The Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Central
The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates
The Minister of the High Kirk (St Giles'), Edinburgh
The Crown Agent
The Lord Provost of Aberdeen
The Lord Provost of Dundee
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh
The Lord Provost of Glasgow

Appointed by the Crown
Professor Michael Anderson, OBE, MA, PhD, FBA, FRSE
Andrea M Batchelor
A Lorraine Fannin, OBE, BA, DipEd
Dr Willis Pickard
+ vacancy

Appointed by the Faculty of Advocates
Mungo Bovey, QC
Jonathan Lake, QC
Malcolm C N Scott, QC
Malcolm G Thomson, QC
James Wolffe, QC

Appointed by the universities
Professor Graham D Caie, MA, PhD, FRSA, FEA, FRSE
Professor David Finkelstein, BA, PhD, FEA, FRSA
Peter Kemp, MA, PhD
Dr Richard Parsons

Appointed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Councillor Gordan Low, BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD, MIET
Councillor Kathy Morrice

Co-opted
Charles Lovatt
Moira Methven, MCILIP
+ 3 vacancies

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Sub-committees

The Board has established four permanent sub-committees, with the following members:

Audit Committee:
Malcolm G Thomson (Chair)
The Crown Agent
A Lorraine Fannin
Charles Lovatt
Dr Richard Parsons

Staffing and Remuneration Committee:
Professor Michael Anderson (Chair)
Andrea Batchelor
Dr Peter Kemp
Moira Methven
Dr Willis Pickard

Development Committee:
Professor Michael Anderson (Interim Chair)
Professor Graham D Caie
The Hon Lord Coulsfield, QC (co-opted)
Professor David Finkelstein
Jonathan Lake QC
Ruth Plowden (co-opted)
Bill Zachs (co-opted)

Investment Committee
Professor Michael Anderson (Chair)
Jonathan Lake QC
Charles Lovatt
James Wolffe, QC

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Meetings

The Board holds between four and six ordinary meetings each year. You can read Trustees' meeting minutes or archived reports summaries online. Meeting dates for 2012 are:

  • Monday 19 March
  • Monday 25 June
  • Monday 1 October
  • Monday 17 December.

Contact

You can contact the Chairman of the Board of Trustees by writing to him at the Library or by email to chairman@nls.uk.

 

About NLS

See also: