Manuscripts - Practical Information

Catalogues and Finding Aids

Published Catalogues

There are two published catalogues which cover a substantial part of the collections, and which may be available from your local library:

Catalogue of Manuscripts acquired since 1925

Eight volumes (National Library of Scotland and HMSO, 1938-92). This is the published part of the Library's principal catalogue of manuscripts.

Summary Catalogue of the Advocates' Manuscripts

Summary Catalogue of the Advocates' Manuscripts (HMSO, 1971) This covers manuscripts acquired by the Library of the Faculty of Advocates before 1925 and subsequently handed over to or deposited in the National Library of Scotland.

Catalogues and Indexes Available Only in the Library

The great majority of the catalogues, inventories, and indexes relating to the manuscript collections are held in purely manual form in the Library's North Reading Room, where a member of staff will be happy to assist you in their use. For your guidance, those available in the North Reading Room are listed below.

Catalogue of Manuscripts acquired since 1925

This is the manual continuation of the library's principal catalogue of manuscripts, the first eight volumes of which have been published as Catalogue of Manuscripts acquired since 1925 (see above).

Inventories of Accessions and Deposits

These summarise the content of larger collections which have not as yet been catalogued in detail.

Index to Accessions

This gives the principal names etc. in all uncatalogued material, and is especially useful for finding small or single-item acquisitions.

Index to Collections relating to Labour History

Miscellaneous lists of manuscripts on various topics, arranged alphabetically by topic

Catalogues of the Library's collection of Gaelic manuscripts

Quarterly Lists of Accessions

These list material received by the library in every three-month period.

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